Tamal Kundu
Elmore Leonard’s stories about Raylan Givens, especially ‘Fire in the Hole,’ serve as inspirations for the original ‘Justified’ series. ‘Justified: City Primeval’ is a revival series primarily based on ‘City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit,’ a novel in which Raylan Givens doesn’t even appear. The series creators injected him into the story for the revival series, planting him in a new setting and surrounding him with new characters. Portrayed by Victor Williams, Wendell Robinson is one of the important supporting characters in ‘Justified: City Primeval.’ He is a homicide detective attached to the police department in Detroit, Michigan. He is one of the first local officers Raylan encounters after being forced to stay in Detroit.
The men quickly develop a sense of camaraderie because of their similar wry outlook toward work and life. As a detective in Motor City, Wendell has experienced much in his long career and is now close to his retirement. If the events of the recent episodes have made you wonder whether Wendell is dead in ‘Justified: City: Primeval,’ we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Wendell is Not Dead
No, it’s highly unlikely that Wendell is dead in ‘Justified: City Primeval.’ In episode 3, Wendell is there when the local officials try to decide how to handle Mansell, who just approached Raylan’s daughter. While people like Bryl wants to throw Mansell off the top of a building, and Maureen wants to persecute him for the judge’s murder, Wendell maintains an aura of non-nonchalance. He still does his job exceptionally well but keeps a level of coolness about it.
After Mansell’s visit to Willa, the DPD decides to act. Wendell goes to the casino where Sandy Stanton works and arrests her. Sweety and Mansell are also arrested and brought in for questioning. But none of them reveal anything, and ultimately, their lawyer, Carolyn Wilder, comes and gets them released from police custody.
Despite these setbacks, the investigation continues. The police soon discover that the Albanian businessman Skender is the latest mark of Mansell and Sandy and start keeping an eye on the group. Skender meets Sandy and Mansell at a bar, with Sandy introducing Mansell as her brother. Despite being a successful businessman in a city like Detroit, Skender has almost no inclination about what is happening to him. He genuinely believes that Sandy loves him and Mansell is her brother. He even proposes to Sandy and asks her “brother” for his blessing.
However, Mansell says that he will give it once he sees the area where Skender keeps his money. Skender agrees, and they leave, with Wendell and Bryl following them in their car. Sandy and Skender are in the latter’s car, while Mansell is in his SUV. Mansell knows they are being followed, so he stops at an intersection despite the light being green, forcing the other cars to navigate around him, exposing Wendell and Bryl. Mansell drives off just when the signal turns red, and the officers have little choice but to follow. Another car, coming from the side, hits them, leaving their fate in question.
Victor Williams is Likely Not Leaving Justified: City Primeval
On many websites, Williams has been listed to appear in more episodes than the first three, so it’s safe to assume that Wendell isn’t dead. In a career spanning four decades, Williams has created an impressive resume as a character actor. He made his debut in the 1983 film ‘Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues,’ and continued to portray minor and major characters until ‘The King of ‘Queens,’ in which he stars in the breakthrough role of Deacon Palmer. Since then, Williams has appeared in ‘Sneaky Pete,’ ‘The Affair,’ ‘Happy Together,’ ‘Bull,’ and ‘The Righteous Gemstones.’ He is slated to appear in the comedy short ‘Dig Deeper.’
Read More: Is Bryl Dead? Is Norbert Leo Butz Leaving Justified: City Primeval?
