Justified: City Primeval (TV Mini Series) The Question (2023) User Reviews

Worth it

[hazangel-89910 · 8/10 · 8 September 2023]

Watching this series was totally worth it just for the last 15 minutes!!! Boyd Crowder never gets old. The actor is just made for that role!!! I have only watched him in a short lived sitcom and he just lacked that razzle dazzle that this role gives him.

The 8 part series wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I still love watching Raylan. His love interest in this series was definitely mismatched and it was very hard to believe (based on his past girlfriends). Hopefully that will not continue into the next series (I'm assuming there will be more). I have to agree with most people that this villain (forgot his name already) was quite irritating but he played his role well.

All in all it was a decent watch. I had some time so I marathon watched it.

Fingers crossed for a better next season.

The Albanians don't make that kind of mistake

[ronzille · 7/10 · 11 September 2023]

I loved the first Justified.

I also read City Primeval and I have to say it has nothing to do with Justified: City Primeval. The novel is absolutely beautiful. There is a reason why Quentin Tarantino wanted to make something out of it.

The Albanian organized crime, especially in 2023, is absolutely not how it is depicted in the series. They calculate everything, that's why it would be impossible for them to make that kind if mistake. Even Elmore Leonard knew that in 1980, that's why he let them out of the "duel" between Cruz and Mansell, because otherwise they would get the job done quickly.

Raylan Givens is a very charming character, well written and well played by Timothy Olyphant. But the decision of puting out Boyd Crowder again... after all he has done... I don't understand why.

Boyd Holbrook did also a preety good job as Clement Mansell, actually the only thing that in my opinion was in common with the novel.

What the hell was that?

[leeleejensen · 7/10 · 30 August 2023]

After 7 arduous episodes, we finally made it to the finale of Justified: City Primeval. Everything had been built up for a big showdown between Raylan, Mansell and The Albanians. And while it has created more questions about Raylan's morality, the built up showdown between the main players was somewhat anticlimactic. After executing the Albanians in cold blood, Mansell is gunned down when Raylan miscontrues him grabbing his prized 'Seven Nation Army' Cassette for him reaching for his gun. Raylan keeps in contact with Carolyn, moves back to Florida and we get a Winona cameo, wrapping the series up neatly.

But the main talking point, of course, will be the return of Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder. Shoehorned in with 10 minutes to run in the series, Boyd is introduced in prison and subsequently escaping with the help of a female prison guard. Raylan receives a call and the series ends with him unsure on whether to pick up. It all feels like a nailed on setup for another series. And while the series was passable if not outstanding as a whole, the final scenes make it appear like nothing more than a tease of a "real" return to Justified, back in Kentucky.

Something I would be very excited about it's worth noting.

7/10 for the episode and the series.

The Question was answered, but leaves you with more questions.

[iggles36 · 8/10 · 30 August 2023]

Through this entire series, I kept hoping that they would bring Boyd back. It was the only Justified thing that could save the series. Series itself was OK, but it needed some spark. And they brought the spark. Shame it had to happen in the last 10 minutes of the series. I actually screamed with excitement when I saw the orange jumpsuit. So is it just a tease? I hope not. I would very much look forward to seeing the show come back to its former glory. Mansell was definitely no Boyd. And Raylan does not belong in Detroit. He belongs on the road chasing down his old buddy. Fingers crossed that's the trip we're taking. See you next season (?)!!!

Perfect ending to a very misunderstood season

[QoS007 · 10/10 · 30 August 2023]

For those who have read literary source material, Justified: City Primeval taps into the Detroit story and atmosphere perfectly, while introducing Raylan who was never a part of that original book. The novel itself was similarly smooth and crime-ridden, not fast paced, but very engaging just like this past season played out on its own trajectory.

Raylan, while older now and more refined, can't be compared to younger Kentucky Raylan and I think that's where some of the misinterpretation is.

In any case, this was a fantastic finale that connected both Justified shows while carving out more potential for an ongoing narrative. I'll keep spoilers out for those who haven't seen it, but this is flat out one of the best episodes of the entire show.

And there comes the return off ...

[jcrommenacker · 10/10 · 30 August 2023]

Excellent final episode of this storyline, Raylin settles it in his calm almost casual style. I would have given this 7 to 8 stars due to a what unbelieveable reckoning in the Albanian mob HQ, the Albanians were picked off one by one while running around like headless chickens in stead of trained mob soldiers. If it weren'd for the return of my favorite villains in TV series history... Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins). I hope he will play a pivotal role in season 2 (if there will be one). Goggins hasn't skipped a beat and is almost to charismatic and sympathetic to be a villain. For his appearnace alone I give this a BIG 10.

Episode 8

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 15 September 2023]

The Boyd good behavior scenes and then the escape was very well-done. They set the stage for what a potential follow-up season or series might be, going back to the roots of Justified, but overall this just did not feel like the right ending.

Raylan did not even seem to be worried about shooting someone who was technically unarmed, although still very dangerous. He quit the Marshals, but he moved on quite easily.

Overall I am glad to have this universe back, even if it was just for 8 episodes, but I don't know if history will look back on this reboot series and remember it too fondly, particularly the ending.

Closing Scenes Should've Been the Beginning

[mikepcfl · 6/10 · 3 September 2023]

My biggest problem with the series was the main villain. They tried to make Mansell a combination of Heath Ledger's Joker and John Wick. But he never seemed like a supervillain. I kept wondering, how does this idiot keep getting out of every situation and how does he just kill whoever he wants no matter how powerful they are? As other have noted, the way he took out all the Albanians completely stretched believability.

The closing scenes with. Winona and Boyd were excellent. Instead of moving the show to Detroit, they should've started with Raylan in retirement reunited with Winona and his daughter. Then Boyd's escape could kick off the new series. Of course, they could be planning that for a second reboot. If so, I think it'll be much better than City Primeval.

Not Justified

[kymberleigh-77180 · 2/10 · 1 September 2023]

I loved the original and I watched this series and it sucked. It is absolutely not justified. There is no reason for this series to have happened. There were too many different ways this could have gone and the way it went once me wishing I could get the time back from watching it. Without void and with no one other than Timothy from the original, this series was just not what it should have been. The woman, the lawyer, she was horrid. I will watch the original 100 times over but I will never watch this and I will never recommend it to anyone. This was a waste of Timothy olyphants talent. This was the wrong way to go.

Boyd Holbrook: worst villan ever

[NanoFrog · 1/10 · 30 August 2023]

Boyd Holbrook the actor : zero. Just terrible.

Boyd Holbrook the villan in this series : zero. Building an entire series around this terrible actor, this stupid criminal is just so strange. The castotherwise was great. The story was awful, just nonsense. The villan as he is shot with bullets at the end, there is a tape revealed. No one explains this tape. So we have a sterling cast. A story that is mostly empty, a villan played by one of the most bad actors ever, and Givens floating like a ghost through the whole meaningless story, all put together in a package that is pretty close to being unwatchable. The only good moments comes at the end when we see an old villan, a masterpiece of a legendary villan, has slipped out of the prison Givens put him in years ago. Teasing us with the possibilities. Other than that, this was truly terrible story telling, an insult to the fine cast, and the viewer. Dozens of dangling incomplete details in particular is truly bad story telling.

How they went wrong with the series.

[dbell54 · 2/10 · 7 September 2023]

The writers wanted to capitalize on the Raylan name, but the Elmore Leonard touch was missing, as he died in 2013. They used an excellent source novel by him, City Primeval, but foolishly attempted to insert Raylan into the story. Raymond Cruz was the protagonist, reduced to a very minor character here. None of the dialog was Raylan style, so his part comes off flat and unconvincing. The bad guy had all the good lines, as they were actually from the book. Now they are attempting to set the stage for another season. I sincerely hope they abandon this misguided idea, as Leonard won't be returning to help with the script, and the current writers have proved themselves incapable of reproducing his wit. Here's a thought, Hollywood. Take ANY Elmore Leonard book, act it out as written, and you'll have a winner.