Kokomo

Season	Episode
7	4

Air date

August 1, 2023

Directed by

Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Written by

Taylor Elmore

Episode guide

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"You Good?"

"Kokomo" is the fourth episode of Justified: City Primeval, a limited series followup to the series Justified. It was written by Taylor Elmore and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton. It first aired on August 1, 2023.

Plot[]

Summary[]

Raylan tangles with the Albanian mob; Mansell forms a new alliance; Carolyn lets her guard down.

Recap[]

A brief flashback to 9:53 P.M. shows Clement Mansell back at Skender Lulgjuraj's secret room, pointing a gun at him. Sandy Stanton pleads at him to not shoot. Clement tells Skender to get in the doorway and when he doesn't move, he knocks him to the ground. He tells Sandy to head over to the switch and she asks what he's going to do. Skender tells Clement that he's a walking dead man. Clement tells him to put his leg in the opening of the door. Sandy asks why he doesn't just punch him and he tells her to flip the switch. He warns Skender to put his leg down, or he'll shoot him in the head. Skender lowers his leg and Clement shouts at Sandy to flip the switch. She does and the door starts lowering. Clement tells Skender that he's disappointed in him, but not mad, or he would have shot him by now. He tells him when he's lying in the hospital with his leg in a cast to not have any bad thoughts like telling the police. He tells him if he does, he'll visit him again and put his head in this time. He screams as the door hits his leg.

Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens arrives at the hospital, where Detective Norbert Bryl is finishing being patched up after Clement Mansell's stunt. He comments that the Hat shows up when the fun is done and Maureen Downey tells him that Norbert and Wendell Robinson got Beverly Hills Cop'd. She explains that they followed the vehicle to a building in Corktown and Norbert says that there they found a dozen Albanians carrying Skender, claiming he fell down some stairs. They watch Skender being wheeled by in a gurney, Maureen explaining that his leg was broken in at least five places. Norbert tells Raylan that they need to get him to implicate Clement Mansell. Maureen agrees that if they can't get Clement, the Albanians are going to have their best try at him. Raylan agrees they'll try to get at Clement through Sandy. Raylan asks if anyone but them knows about Del Weems's place and Maureen tells him it's just them. Raylan outlines a plan of monitoring and Wendell tells him they're already on it.

Wendell tells them that Skender just got out of surgery. Norbert asks for two minutes with him, but Wendell tells him there's no way he'll talk to him. He tells him that only Toma can make him talk, namely Toma Kostia. "Calls the shots for the Albanians this side of the river," explains Maureen. Raylan goes to Skender and one of the other Albanians asks if they can have some privacy, saying it's a family matter. Raylan tells him he'd like to talk to his boss. He replies that he doesn't have one, but Raylan replies that everyone does. He tells the man to tell his boss they have a mutual problem and can work for their benefit. "I'll call him," agrees the man and Raylan tells him to tell his boss that he's U.S. Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens, that the name won't mean anything to him, but it being federal might. The man comes back quickly, saying that the boss agrees. "You got a boss after all," comments Raylan. As they walk out, Norbert asks to come along, saying that he knows a little Albanian.

Sandy sits, choking on her marijuana. "Damn, woman," curses Clement, and she asks if he wants some. He replies that she isn't exactly a walking advertisement and she tells him she's the on who got him that way, that her nerves are shot. She asks why he had to do what he did to Skender, that they never talked about doing that. Clement replies that Skender was provoking him and she asks just how. He replies that the secret room was seemingly a perfect place to hide a wad of cash, but instead Skender just used it for a mini-fridge and a hi-fi. He tells her to forget about Skender, that he has nobody and is old news. He studies Judge Alvin Guy's notebook, asking if she smells the money. Meanwhile, Raylan and Nobert arrive at the Venus Adult Day Care. They introduce themselves to Toma Kostia He says that he expected to find him somewhere else and Toma tells him that his mother lived there and he bought it as a distressed property. Norbert says that he's sorry about his nephew and Toma recites a phrase in Albanian. Raylan asks if he wants them to Google it and Toma replies that it means that you choose your friends, but family is thrust upon you. He continues that Skender is an idiot man-child who makes bad decisions. Raylan says that this is an opportunity for Skender to make better decisions, for him to tell them who did this to him. Toma, however, says that he knows they want him to compel Skender to tell, but this is really no justice at all.

Toma continues that is only the satisfaction of a mandate for order, but that order and justice aren't the same thing. He tells them that he's not interested in order, that justice here requires more than the law is willing or able to provide. Norbert calls it a mouthful, saying it'll play great at his arraignment. Rayllan tells him that they understood where he's coming from, but they can't have everyone running around shooting at the wrong people. Toma replies that whoever did this to Skender did it to him and he will gaze into their eyes. Norbert asks Raylan if he hears this, Toma gazing into the eyes of some Russian when he really should be looking for Clement Mansell. There is a silence and Norbert asks if this is really a secret, that his nephew got legged by a "dickwad" from Oklahoma. "Give me a minute?" Raylan asks Norbert. Norbert leaves. "He was not supposed to tell me this," comments Toma, saying that the name is unfamiliar, but that this can change. Raylan tells him he can't stop him, but he has to understand his place in line. Toma replies that they need to find him quick, or he'll be dead. Raylan rises and Toma thanks him, saying that their paths will perhaps cross again. Outside, Norbert asks Raylan if he's going to yell at him, but he tells him he's never been much of a yeller. Norbert says that either the Albanians will lead them to Clement Mansell or they'll turn him to pieces, that it's done. Raylan replies that another point of view is that they just put a hit on their own suspect. Norbert asks if he's misunderstood that Raylan has the willingness to do what needs to be done. Raylan tells him he has no problem getting things done, but what they want is for Clement to be prosecuted and forced to answer for his crimes, reflecting in a tiny cell, not dead in a river.

The Albanians from the hospital roll up into the casino on Rick, Sandy Stanton's manager. One of them, Besnik, holds up a picture of Sandy on his phone, telling him that she's in his sister's wedding party and is late for rehearsal. He tells him that they need to find her, that she's not picking up her phone. He asks for her address. He tells them that he wishes he can help, but the eyes on the sky doesn't look kindly on him giving out employee information. Besnik asks if a hundred dollar bill would make it easier and Rick tells him that it would, but his bosses wouldn't like it, that they can't accept gratuities on the casino floor. He says he's not happy about it either and suggests that he get them comfortable in the VIP lounge and while they're relaxing, he can see what he can do to help them. Besnik tells him it won't be necessary, that he's sure they can find Sandy's address another way. They walk off and he curses them. Later, he heads for his car, only for them to approach him from behind and place a bag over his head. They drive him rapidly around the parking lot, then lean him over the railing of the parking lot, leaving him facing the long drop below. Besnik comments that it's a long fall and there's two ways he gets back to the ground, that either Agron lets him go and they peel him from the pavement with a blowtorch and spatula, or he gives them the address of Sandy Stanton. He shouts that he doesn't have her address, that it's an HR thing, and Besnik tells him he's to go to HR and get the address.

In Carolyn Wilder's office, Tyrone, the teen who tried to carjack Raylan, whines to her about his ankle monitoring bracelet and how tight it is. He complains about how it's chafing, but she is unsympathetic. Just then, Raylan arrives and she tells Tyrone not to move or say anything. She tells Raylan she'll assume he's there because of Clement Mansell. He agrees she's not wrong, telling her that her client may have crossed a line with the Albanian mob. He tells her that Skender isn't talking. "And so...?" she asks and he tells it means that right now the Albanians are spreading out across Detroit, looking to kill Clement, Sandy Stanton and anyone close to him. She says she thinks he's trying to scare her and he tells her that the Albanians already should. She says she doesn't and he tells her that he's only been there a week and what he's seen has given him pause. She tells him it's her job, that she defends killers. She continues that Clement Mansell as a constitutional right to representation, which she will provide for as long as he pays her. "This is different, and I think you know that," he tells her. She sighs, asking what he wants and he tells her he only wants for Clement not to do her any harm, that he's afraid he might. "You do your job and I'll do mine and we'll see," she tells him. "Okay, we'll see," he agrees, and leaves. In the casino, Wendell Robinson tells Norbert Bryl that the Albanians are on the move and Norbert agrees they are too, as Raylan enters his car. He asks how it went and Raylan just stares. He laughs, saying that if he wants good news, Wendell told him the ball is in play.

In his tavern, Sweety is on the phone with his insurance company. He complains about not being able to make a claim for the damage done to his tavern, their position being that it's because it was done by police. Clement and Sandy enter the tavern, Clement noting the damage. He says they did a number. "They did a number on account of you," comments Sweety. He tells them they came looking for the gun, asking what he knows about that. Clement says if there was one, they didn't find it because Sandy took it and sunk it to the bottom of the Detroit River. "Am I right?" he asks and she tells him it isn't as easy as he makes it sound, that there are people everywhere. "You and that goddamn weed," he comments, but she tells him that she wasn't being paranoid, that she got a bad feeling and wound up bringing it back and hiding it there. Sweety suggests that maybe Clement actually told her to hide the gun there, so set him up to take his rap. Clement asks how long they go back and Sandy tells Sweety she only came to put it there because it's where Clement hid it in the first place. "I knew that gun looked familiar," comments Sweety and Clement says it's a World War II replica. "I guess we know why the cops didn't find it, huh?" he says and Sweety agrees that he found it and moved it. He says that the cops could have dragged him up for life, asking him just what he did. Clement says it's messed up what they did to his tavern and he'd love to make it up to him. Sweety replies that he can start by paying to get everything fixed up and Clement tells him he can. He pulls the ring off Sandy's finger, saying it's a genuine antique from Albania, that he can pawn it for a few grand. Sandy objects that he didn't do anything towards getting it, and Sweety asks if this is all there is, "some hot old-ass Albanian rock." Clement asks him how much he knows about Judge Alvin Guy, showing him the notebook. He tells them there's money in the pages, asking if he wants to help him count it. Sweety reads through the notebook, looking very interested.

Besnik and Agron arrive at a supermarket and head to an upstairs apartment. Besnik knocks on the door and woman opens it, asking if she can help them. He asks if Sandy is there and she asks who's calling. He tells her it's old friends college and she replies that Sandy never went to college. He replies that she worked his cousin's hot dog stand during varsity games. She tells him he'll have to try her at work, that she's not there. Agron busts open the door. They tie her to a chair, Besnik telling her that he's going to give her cell phone to her and she's going to call Sandy Stanton, telling her to come home. "Good luck with that," she replies, saying that she's been trying to get Sandy to come home for weeks to collect her half of the rent. She says that they're going to untie her, then leave her home, while she tries and forgets that they were ever there. Besnik tells her that she's acting brave, but bravery such as this is ephemeral. She curses at him, both in English and in Lao. Besnik truns to Agron, who pulls out a pair of pliers. Besnik calls it an "Albanian tooth extractor." "What makes it Albanian?" she asks and Agron tells her it's the fact that he's holding it.

At a cafe, Sandy's phone rings. Clement tells her to answer it, or to silence it and put it in her purse, but either way, shut it up. She takes the call friend her roommate, Hina. Sandy asks her what's wrong. "It's just that these--" starts Hina and Agron waves the pliers menacingly. She changes course, saying that a water pipe broke in their apartment and the water is heading straight for a closet in her room. "We need to leave," Sandy tells Clement, but he just summons over a waitress, putting on a big show about being dissatisfied over the cook on his steak. "Where were we?" he asks and Sandy tells him again that they have to go, that a pipe broke. He asks if she's landlord, why she should care. She complains about all the shoes she has and he tells her he'll buy her new ones. "Sandy, Sandy!" pleads Hina and she tells her she'll be there as soon as she can. Hina asks Besnik if he's happy. He tells her he's happy now, but that if Sandy hasn't returned home in 20 minutes, then Agron will extract a molar. He continues that after fifteen minutes he'll take two, then three after ten, that after an hour he's taking eight to ten at a time. He tells her he hopes for the sake of her smile that Sandy comes home soon.

Carolyn tells Sweety that she got someone at the county prosecutor's office to talk to her. She tells him that if he hands over the murder weapon and testifies to what he knows about the Wrecking Crew murders and Judge Guy being killed, then he gets immunity on the Wrecking Crew and hiding the murder weapon. "So in other words, I snitch," he says and she says that Clement has held this over his head for years and this is how he stops being his collateral damage. He says that he's seen worse than Clement Mansell and doesn't want the system to solve his problems for him. "Come on, you asked me for this," she points out and he says that last time he saw Clement, he didn't understand him, but that now he does. He tells her has an opportunity to get what's coming to him and take Clement Mansell down in the process, that it sounds a lot better than sitting in a witness box. She asks what he means by this opportunity and he asks if she's sure she wants to hear it. She tells him she does and he tells her the gun isn't the only thing in play. "You mean his little black book?" she asks, asking if it's really real. He tells her it's a key to the city, that there's enough dirt in the book to make some real moves, the kind that could put her in the judge's seat if it's what she wanted. She asks him if he's really sure he wants to try this with a killer and he tells he's tired of waiting around for the right thing to happen.

Raylan and Norbert pull up outside the building containing Hina's apartment. Raylan starts to get out and Norbert asks where he's going. He claims to just be going for a walk and Norbert asks if he's really sure about this, that they could just wait for Clement. He says they wait for guns to start blazing then stroll in and save the day. "Yeah, I'm going in," Raylan tells him. Norbert curses and gets out too. Raylan heads in the back, Norbert covering the front. Raylan looks in the window and sees Agron using the pliers on Hina. She screams as he extracts a tooth and he busts open the window, pointing his gun. As Besnik makes to exit through the door, Norbert points his gun, telling him not to move. Raylan tells Agron to drop his gun. He puts his hands up and puts down the gun. Raylan tells them they're all going to be easy, but Hina gets up and charges at Besnik. He pushes past Norbert and out the door. As Raylan continues to point his gun at Agron, he hears Norbert giving chase downstairs and shots fired. Norbert shouts that they're clear and Agron starts to move, but Raylan warns him not to. He leads him outside in handcuffs, Hina following behind. Besnik is on the ground, dead. As Agron screams in Albanian, Clement Mansell and Sandy Stanton drive by. Staring, Clement gives Raylan a two finger salute, then points his fingers at him like a gun.

Carolyn Wilder leaves her office for the evening. She bids goodbye to a staffer there, Hector, who asks her if she's had any dinner. She tells him she'll pick some up later. She gets in her car and sets off. As she does, another car in the parking lot above her takes off as well. It soon becomes clear she is being tailed. She puts in a call to someone, then pulls up on the side of the road. The other car pulls up behind her and someone knocks on their window with a badge. It is Raylan Givens. They pull down the window and he tells them it's time to head back and check in with the boss, that there's been a shake-up in personnel. He tells them that whatever they might have been told, this particular lawyer is off-limits. He tells them to tell Toma that he said so and if he has a problem with that, he can come and find him. He tells them to drive away and they do. He goes to Carolyn's car.

She tells him she's never been more happy in her life to see a cop. He says that he just came from Sandy Stanton's, where he found two of them pulling her roommate's teeth out. He continues that one is dead and the other downtown, that it only happened a couple of hours ago and they're already there at her office. She tells him she's sure glad that he sent them on their way. He warns her that they'll be back, that eventually they'll find her house. She tells him she can handle things at her house, but he tells her that they won't have to, that they're going to send somebody there. She says she's not asking him to do that, but he tells her it isn't her decision, nor is it a favor. He says that she's of value to the investigation and she asks what if she doesn't want somebody sitting outside her home. "Take it up with the judge, I guess," he tells her. She says that he's not hearing her, but he says he's just doing his job. She tells him to do what he has to do and he wishes her a good night.

Sweety arrives at Clement's / Del Weems's. Clement tells him he'll pour him a drink, that they have to celebrate. Sweety compliments the place and Clement says that Del Weems has questionable taste in clothing and decor but makes up for it in location and liquor. He tells Sweety that he too could have a place like it. He says that he messed up and Sweety got done wrong and now they should do things the right way. "Yeah? How so?" asks Sweety and Clement tells him that he knows the names in Judge Guy's book and how to get at them, to let them know they mean business. He tells him they'll split it 50-50. He says if they get it done, they can take a vacation, that he can bring Trennell. He starts dancing and singing the song "Kokomo."

That evening, Raylan Givens is in a car outside Carolyn's house. He stares at a picture of Willa on his phone and Carolyn spots him outside. She grins, then goes outside to him. "The whole Detroit Police keeping an eye out and look here," she comments. He tells her that he apparently drew the short straw. He says he can phone in a replacement if she prefers. She holds up a bottle of liquor. "Not bad," he tells her and she brings it over to him, telling him to hold on to it for her. She gets in the car with some glasses, saying that a client gave it to her and she thought would be up his alley. He agrees she figured right and they drink. She tells him that she never gets used to this. He quips that it goes down better if you put a sparkler in it and set it on fire. She asks him where his kid is and he tells her he sent her back to Miami with her mother. She comments on how he is free and unencumbered, wondering why he would spend it parked out there by himself. "Well, you're with me now. Not by myself anymore," he points out, taking another drink. She tells him that it does not change where they stand in regards to Clement Mansell. He tells her he didn't come to talk about him. "Alright," she agrees, asking if he's just going to stay out here all night by himself. He tells her he hadn't planned that far ahead, that he was just playing it as it went. "Shooting from the hip?" she asks and he agrees it's something like that.