Tamal Kundu
Portrayed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, Marcus “Sweety” Sweeton is an important character in ‘Justified: City Primeval,’ the sequel limited series to FX’s neo-Western crime drama series ‘Justified.’ Sweety is a musician who plays bass. After a career dabbling in both music and crime, Sweety has set up a bar in Detroit, Michigan. There, he continues to play music and be active in the criminal underbelly of the city. Sweety is regarded as a man of solution in Detroit, and the residents often come to come him for help.
However. He has been taken advantage of way too many times, prompting him to become much more exclusive with his resources. He and Clement Mansell, also known as “the Oklahoma Wildman,” are old acquaintances, though they are far from friends. Sweety knows the violence Mansell is capable of, having seen it firsthand. So when Mansell visits him at his bar, it makes him anxious as he knows what will follow. If the recent events in ‘Justified: City Primeval’ have made you wonder whether Sweety is dead and Curtis-Hall left ‘Justified: City Primeval,’ we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Marcus “Sweety” Sweeton Dies in Episode 7
Yes, Sweety is dead in ‘Justified: City Primeval.’ In episode 7, realizing the threat Mansell poses, Carolyn Wilder, who has been a daughter-like figure in Sweety’s life, approaches Raylan Givens, whom she is sleeping with, with a potential solution. She names Prosecutor Diane (Regina Taylor) as someone whose name can be found in Judge Guy’s book. When Raylan brings this to Downey, she immediately realizes he is sleeping with Carolyn. Despite this, she agrees to go along with Raylan’s plan. They approach Diane, who has little choice but to accept their proposal and help them catch Mansell.
Meanwhile, Dicky, the realtor whose painting Mansell took in the previous episode, hires a man named Lonnie to retrieve the painting. Although he doesn’t explicitly tell Lonnie to kill Mansell, the implication is that it’s an option. Lonnie takes the photo that Dicky brought with him and tracks down Mansell’s partner, Sweety, at his bar. However, the man himself isn’t there at the time, and Lonnie is received by Sweety’s partner of seven years, Trennell. When Sweety eventually returns, he and Lonnie speak. This is when Sweety receives the call from Diane. Realizing that this might be the solution to all his problems, he sets up a meeting with Diane and pays Lonnie to have Mansell killed when the latter shows up to make the exchange with Diane.
It is only later that he learns about what the police have set up from Carolyn. Although Raylan and the others arrest Mansell, the diary isn’t on him, so they have no choice but to let him go. Mansell spots Lonnie and follows him to Sweety’s bar, where he kills Lonnie when Dicky calls the man to ask for an update. Mansell asks Sweety to turn off the jukebox so he can play his song for his old comrade. As Sweety does so, he discovers that the gun he had hidden is no longer there. When Mansell asks Sweety to close his eyes, Sweety doesn’t. He says to the other man, if he has to die listening to Mansell’s “honky chicken-fat cover song bulls[expletive],” he (Mansell) has to look him in the eye. Mansell does just that and shoots Sweety in the heart, killing him.
Vondie Curtis-Hall is Not Returning to Justified: City Primeval
With his character dead, it’s safe to presume that Curtis-Hall has left ‘Justified: City Primeval.’ In a career spanning about four decades, the veteran actor has appeared in projects like ‘Cop Rock,’ ‘Chicago Hope,’ and ‘Daredevil.’
For The People Pilot airs again tomorrow, Saturday 10pm. ABC pic.twitter.com/82LHUpT6Zx
— Vondie Curtis Hall (@Vondie_Curtis_H) March 16, 2018
Reflecting on his character, Curtis-Hall told The Messenger, “I think a part of him wanted to make some money as long as folks didn’t get hurt. I think there’s a part of [Sweety] that’s kind of like, ‘Let me get a payday as well.’ I think he was just arm-twisted into doing it, and I think it was kind of like, ‘Yeah, I think maybe this might work. We’ll do a few of these. I’ll get some bank and then step away.'”
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