Justified: City Primeval hasn’t been renewed for a second season as of now, but considering the cliffhanger Season 1 left us on, with Boyd Crowder making an unexpected return, we believe that we will once again see Raylan Givens going against the criminals and fighting the odds.
Raylan Givens, in Justified: City Primeval, had quite an unexpected stint in Detroit, and though he did have a knack for stumbling upon the most brutal criminals, he had not expected to cross paths with someone like Mansell at that point in time. This was one of those rare instances when Raylan felt unsafe for his family, and he actually sent Willa to her mother’s as he didn’t know to what extent Clement Mansell was capable of going, and he just didn’t want to take any kind of risk.
Raylan, apart from finding his adversary, had also found love in an unexpected manner. Carolyn Wilder was the lawyer of the criminal he was after, and so he was, in a way, professionally in conflict with her, but somehow he managed to fall for her elegance and the kind of person she was. Raylan would have probably never expressed his feelings, and surely, he wouldn’t have done it so quickly if Willa hadn’t sent that drink on Raylan’s behalf and caught the attention of Carolyn. Though Carolyn knew that it was Willa who was behind it, it brought to her attention that Raylan probably liked her. Carolyn always knew that Raylan Givens was a worthy man, but the way she looked at him changed forever when he went to her house and stood outside in his car, as he wanted to look out for her safety. Carolyn felt moved by that gesture, and from that day on, their relationship crossed all professional boundaries and entered a very intimate space that they cherished.
After Mansell killed Judge Guy, Raylan Givens and all the detectives from the Detroit police department were very sure that they would catch him, but their assumption proved to be extremely wrong. Clement Mansell proved to be a nightmare for the law enforcement agencies, and until the season finale, he gave the officers a run for their money. Mansell had defied all odds, and this time too, he had this strange belief that he would make it out of there alive, but obviously, that didn’t happen. Raylan Givens had had enough, and Mansell had given nobody any reason to show any kind of sympathy towards him. The man had brutally murdered Sweety and every other person who came in his way without batting an eye, and Raylan and Carolyn knew that he deserved that fate more than anybody else. After Mansell’s death, Raylan felt a sense of closure, and the US Marshall decided to retire from service.
Everything seemed to be going as per plan before Raylan Givens got a notification on his mobile, which was followed by a call from his colleague. A fugitive ran away from the Tramble Penitentiary in Kentucky, and it was none other than Boyd Crowder, who once was a friend of Givens but eventually turned into his biggest adversary. If there is a second season of Justified: City Primeval, Raylan Givens would have a huge decision to make, and undoubtedly, he would feel conflicted about it. He had promised his daughter that he would retrieve her for good, but with Boyd out there, we don’t know whether he would be able to keep his promise. As of now, we do not know what Boyd’s plan will be or where he is headed with his lover, Charlene, but sooner or later, the friends turned foes will be crossing each other’s paths. Dave Andron and Michael Dinner have stated in various interviews that, as of now, there is no concrete storyline that they have decided upon, and if the project gets the green light, they would be open to ideas about which direction the characters should be headed in.
Boyd Crowder and Raylan Givens go back a long way, and it is not possible that the former wouldn’t want to stir things up in the ex-US marshal’s life. Boyd had gone through all sorts of things because of Raylan, and he would try to return the favor with interest. It would be very difficult for Raylan to not revoke his retirement and come back again once he got to know that Crowder had escaped. It was the kind of predicament that Raylan could not make his wife and daughter understand, and probably in Justified: City Primeval season 2, they would be disappointed in him for not being able to stand by his words. Even now, it is very difficult for Winona Hawkins to believe that Raylan has decided to quit the force. She had no trust in him whatsoever when it came to doing that, and if Raylan decided to go back, he would merely affirm her opinions. It could be possible that Boyd aggressively comes after Raylan and his family, and in that case, the latter would have inevitably made a return and once again put his badge on.
As far as Carolyn Wilder is concerned, we are pretty sure that a time will come when Raylan will require her assistance, and she will be there to help him in whatever manner she can. We don’t think Carolyn would be aware of the rivalry that existed between Raylan and Boyd, but it would be interesting to see what piece of advice she has for him and in what way she is able to help his cause once she gets to know about it.
On a personal front, probably Raylan and Carolyn would make their relationship official and want to take things forward, though a lot of it would depend on how Willa adjusts to it. It might be possible that, apart from Boyd Crowder, we might also see other criminals becoming roadblocks in the way of Raylan Givens and causing all sorts of problems. As much as the US Marshall was enjoying the calm and the serenity, a furore was going to be raised very soon, and we would have to wait and see if he tries to stay clear of it or takes the bull by the horns and decides to put an end to it once and for all.
