Marshal Raylan Givens seems to be facing an unbeatable foe as we are half way through the FX and Hulu limited series, “Justified: City Primeval.” After Clement and Sweety appear to be having a falling out, Clement is able to lure Sweety back in with Judge Guy’s infamous little black book. Meanwhile, he has made an enemy of the Albanian mob who is targeting Sandy’s roommate. And Marshal Givens is working to ensure Carolyn’s connections to Clement don’t get her injured or killed. But could there be something more sinister going on?

So far, Clement is looking unstoppable. Despite the fact that Raylan beat him up in their only physical altercation, Clement has been able to avoid almost all other trouble. He is able to attack a high ranking member of the Albanian mob but finds a way to avoid the hit put out by the rest of the mob. When he and Sandy drive by her apartment, they find one dead mobster, another one in custody and Marshal Givens and Detroit PD on scene. But these officials have nothing to use against him at the time. And Sandy’s roommate is the only one who was physically attacked by the mob. Sweety’s bar gets destroyed by police with a warrant and Clement is able to get Sweety back on his side despite being the cause of Sweety’s troubles. Clement is causing trouble for everyone and facing almost zero repercussions.

The question now is “what’s in that little black book.” The clear McGuffin of the series is about this book and how it relates to the entire legal system in Detroit. What’s in it? Is it a list of lawyers of people who bribed the judge in some way, either for lighter sentences for their clients or stricter ones depending on the case. Is it a list of crooked police officers? Is it a list of women the judge engaged in relations with following the arrests of a family member? We already know that happened at least once. Carolyn acknowledges knowing about it but otherwise acts uninterested in the revelation that Clement has it. And it’s clear from Clement’s demeanor that he has blackmail on the brain. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops throughout the limited series.

Much like the rest of the FX series and limited series, the writing for this limited series has been impeccable. Every thread connects at just the right time to draw the viewer in and ensure they come back for more. The viewer knows that Givens will win in the end, but how much will he lose when he wins. Clement will either end up in custody or dead, but will Raylan lose anything else in his quest to bring Clement in? It’s wonderful and something we need to see more in future television shows.

Rating: 4.5 stars

What did you think of this episode of “Justified: City Primeval?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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