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Photo: Chuck Hodes/FX/Photographer: Chuck Hodes
“Walking dead man” is what Skender calls Clement before the man he thought was his betrothed’s overprotective older brother crushes Skender’s leg in the door to his own safety room, but midway through Justified: City Primeval, Clement looks untouchable, doesn’t he?
In “Kokomo,” he makes a new enemy in the Albanian mob but also a renewed ally in Sweety; he evades Raylan and the rest of the task force investigating Judge Guy’s murder and plans to use Guy’s little black book to extort people all around Detroit. The series has been vague about what, exactly, is in this journal — is it a list of defense attorneys and criminals who bribed the judge for more favorable sentences? Information on cops and DAs who withheld evidence? Neither? Both? The journal feels a bit like a MacGuffin, but it’s setting in action a trademark Elmore Leonard construction of cons on top of cons on top of cons.
Clement smells money in the journal, and he uses it to persuade Sweety (who is denied a payout by his insurance company for the damage at his bar because cops did it in the course of an investigation) back to his side and away from snitching on Clement for a better deal for himself. Sweety then goes to Carolyn with news of the “goddamn key to the city,” and while she’s shocked to learn the journal exists, she’s also not against the idea of using it to get what she wants — like Guy’s former seat. I’m not sure what Sandy wants aside from more weed (I am begging for her to have a little more characterization), but she’s along for the ride too. The journal is responsible for a web of uneasy alliances, and I’m intrigued by Carolyn’s almost laissez faire approach to its existence. Now that she’s friendly with Raylan, does she have second thoughts about potentially benefiting from Guy’s death? Or is she being friendly with Raylan as a diversionary tactic so he doesn’t consider her possible involvement in this scheme? I’m getting some Lindsey Salazar vibes here!
The growing importance of the journal is one major component of “Kokomo,” and the introduction of the Albanian mob is another. All that stuff Sandy said about Albanians engaging in vengeful, endless, family-motivated blood feuds turns out to be true because once Skender’s cousin Toma Costia (Terry Kinney), who “calls the shots for the Albanians on this side of the river,” learns about what happened, he won’t rest until Skender pays for it. Raylan’s interrogation of the Albanians clustered in the hospital room where “Clumsy Jesus” is recovering from his leg being broken in five places leads him and Norbert to Venus Adult Day Care, where Toma ends up being a hilariously deadpan baddie in the classic Justified mold. (Kinney’s delivery of “The clientele is very satisfied. It’s a pleasure to give back to the community” is wonderful. If you haven’t watched Oz, you should!) He has no particular affection for Skender, who he calls “an idiot man child with an unfortunate predilection for bad decisions,” but Toma is upfront about the cultural responsibility he has to hunt down Skender’s attacker for payback. And Norbert, because City Primeval has to again emphasize that he’s the kind of cop Raylan used to be, is upfront about who Toma is looking for, giving him Clement’s name so the Albanians can deliver “justice” as they see fit.
Norbert sucks, we know Norbert sucks, and Raylan knows Norbert sucks. (Timothy Olyphant’s little eye roll at Norbert’s name-dropping and his blank stare later at Norbert’s insult that Raylan doesn’t have “the willingness to do what needs getting done” are delightful tells into how much he can’t stand this man.) And the problem with Norbert’s “Let the Albanians take care of it” mode of dealing with Clement is that it leaves other people open to danger — like Carolyn, who is tracked down and followed by the Albanians before Raylan puts a stop to it, and Sandy’s old roommate Tina, who is tortured for information. Raylan’s “I ain’t been here a week, and the shit I’ve seen has certainly given me pause” is a pat little way to sum up all the murder, intimidation, and violence that’s gone on since he’s arrived in Detroit. And with Clement still on the streets, all that’s just going to keep on happening.
“Kokomo” churns through story, with a few more conversations between Carolyn and Raylan about the responsibilities of law enforcement and the justice system, even for the bad guys; Clement, Sweety, and Sandy coming clean about how they’re previously double-crossed each other; and the Albanians proving their willingness to do whatever needs to be done to right the wrong against Skender. What makes this episode more enjoyable than “Backstabbers,” though, is how the removal of Willa gives Raylan the laser focus he needs to really make moves in this case and allows the character to show different facets of himself. We’ve seen the older and wiser version of Raylan already, the one who (mostly) puts methodical investigation over reckless spontaneity. But I missed flirty, smart-ass, abrupt Raylan, too, and “Kokomo” gives us that guy during his visits to Carolyn’s office and home, the meeting with Toma, and the raid on Tina’s apartment. When Carolyn says that Raylan seems to like “shooting from the hip”? Counselor, you have no idea.
• Original Justified cast member cameo count: Still! Zero! My heart, it aches.
• Anyone else think of Avon Barksdale’s notorious “Game Day” moment when Clement waved at Raylan and Norbert while driving by Sandy’s apartment?
• Love the Albanian gangster uniform of T-shirt, blazer, gold chains. All these men would easily fit into a UFC pay-per-view-event audience.
• Speaking of fashion, if you would like the Stetson 10X the Albanians identify as Raylan’s hat of choice, it’ll cost you $440.
• I am assuming Sandy had to be the worst roommate in the world. Poor Tina.
• But really, about Sandy: Will her shock at what Clement did to Skender translate into any kind of self-assessment? And isn’t it a little rich that she was surprised at Clement breaking Skender’s leg when he has, you know, killed a bunch of people? How high are you, Sandy?
• Potential spoiler alert: In Leonard’s book, Detective Raymond Cruz (whose story line Raylan somewhat steps into in this TV adaptation) does sleep with Carolyn Wilder. I don’t know if that’ll happen between Olyphant and Aunjanue Ellis’s versions of those characters, but their bourbon-drinking flirtation had a pleasantly languid sexual tension.
• Also, in the book, Carolyn says of Clement: “Everybody misjudges him. That’s how he gets away with what he does, why he’s … fascinating, really.” I’m not sure the show’s version of Clement is being misjudged so much as underestimated, but maybe that’s just because Norbert and Maureen seem to be such ineffective cops.
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