Justified is one of the most renowned television shows of the 2010s. Running for six seasons, the series is based on the works of novelist Elmore Leonard. The series followed Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) as he returned to his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, to maintain justice. The series was beloved by fans and critics, winning two Primetime Emmy Awards. The show ended in 2015, and now a spin-off series titled Justified: City Primeval is gracing our screens. Raylan Givens's return is a perfect police procedural for this modern day.
Justified: City Primeval puts the character into an entirely new location. Raylan leaves Kentucky and eventually moves to Detroit, continuing his work as a U.S. Marshal. His time soon starts a pursuit of the Oklahoma Wildman, Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook), who has been on the run from Detroit police. The following story is more than a classic battle of “good vs. evil.” Primeval’s success involves the story going back to the genre’s basics. This involves the usage of a high-quality villain.
Clement Mansell Is a Despicable Character
Boyd Holbrook has been working in the industry for quite some time, recently appearing in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Holbrook has always played characters that have walked the line of good to pure evil. Mansell is a twisted and absolutely racist murderer. The first episode alone puts the “Wildman” name to the test. It is a scenery-chewing performance that works best in a show like Justified. Holbrook plays the character as someone charming, which makes him all the more terrifying.
The early episodes of Primeval establish how unpredictable he is. An unpredictable villain is perfect for this old-fashioned story. His gangster-filled past is another example of his villainy. Each action Mansell commits proves that he is a wild man that needs to be stopped. Holbrook makes the character so despicable from his first scene that audiences beg for Raylan to be on-screen. It is the sort of truly evil performance that does the original Justified series justice.
Establishing Mansell’s villainy makes Raylan’s return all the more exciting. Audiences quickly understand that Mansell needs to be stopped. He will tear down the city of Detroit, leaving nothing in his wake. When a murder of a famous judge gives Mansell popularity, it begins a collision course with Raylan. The murder scene is heinous in ways that feel like an homage to classic crime stories. Instead of the typical Law and Order style opening, the characters are more well-rounded. It’s a character in a darker world that Raylan Givens is now thrown into.
Raylan Is an Old-Fashioned Lawman in a New World
Raylan is a character that has an old way of delivering justice to criminals. How he delivers this "justice" is a rather dated way of thinking. Putting Raylan in this new world, according to star Timothy Olyphant, challenges what he knows about the job. Add in his daughter Willa (Vivian Olyphant), and Raylan has more to fight for than ever. Giving him a personal connection adds to the story's overarching tension. The same could be said for how he fits into a more politically motivated environment.
Primeval has a more diverse and well-rounded cast than the previous Justified television series. This new series offers ample political subtext to the world that Raylan Inhabits. Mansell is a racist but is represented by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s character Caroline Wilder. Wilder and Givens clash over the politics of getting Mansell, which is something new for Raylan.
His “gung-ho” persona will not fly in a political, powerful, and more racially charged world. This ethical discussion between characters offers something new for the franchise while not losing sight of what made the original Justified a success.
Raylan learns that there is more than one way of doing police work. He is learning something new as a character, but what he learns does not change him for the worse. It is needed for Givens to have an updated way of thinking. It evolves the character for modern audiences and introduces him to those who never watched the original series. Simultaneously, the structure of the series follows that of a classic police procedural. No matter the political subtext, the story remains one of good vs evil.
Timothy Olyphant has said that he would be open to returning for more Justified. With the return of Primeval, it is bringing Raylan Givens into a new era. The sequel series offers new depths to explore without losing what made the original series great. At the story's core, it is one of "cops vs. robbers."
Raylan is a trusted and reliable “lawman” operating in a world of chaos and disorder. Clement Mansell is a form of anarchy reincarnated that has to be stopped at all costs. Both characters are perfect in the setting of the typical police procedural television series. Justified: City Primeval rewrites the rules of what a police procedural series can be. Its results are a perfect reminder that, when done correctly, crime shows can make for perfect programming.