Norbert Bryl is a main character in the seventh season of the FX series Justified.
Biography[]
City Primeval/Season 7[]
Norbert Bryl is a homicide detective with the Detroit Police Department. He has a self-inflated ego and a hair-trigger temper, but is nevertheless very good at his job.
In "City Primeval," Norbert Bryl meets Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, who is joining him as part of a team to hunt down the man who placed a bomb in the car of Judge Alvin Guy. He introduces Raylan to the DPD's police dog, a Belgian Malinois, which he describes as being like a "German Shepherd on steroids." Raylan asks how many they brought and he says it's only one. He asks what they do if suspects run off in three different directions. He tells him to stick around and he'll show them how they get things done in Detroit. The team searches the place and finds bomb-making materials, but no sign of their suspects, despite signs of recent activity. Norbert orders another search of the house, but Raylan discovers a hatch leading to an underground passage. While one of the suspects gets away, they succeed in chasing down the other, who climbs up a tree in an attempt to evade their pursuit. He shouts that he wants the dog gone and his lawyer there, but Norbert just asks Raylan if he has any kids. He tells him he has a a daughter and he suggests that he get out his phone and record the next bit. He orders the dog released and it drags the suspect, Jim, down from the tree. He then asks Jim how many other targets there are, but Jim tells him that Judge Guy was the only target, that it was personal. Later, Judge Guy and his assistant Rose Doyle are both discovered murdered early in the morning. Norbert chews out his team, saying that they aren't going to close things without a witness. He warns them that he doesn't want any suspects out of a file, that they're going to knock down doors and get the killer while he's in bed, blow his mind.
In "Backstabbers," Norbert learns of Raylan Givens's recent encounter with Clement Mansell, the prime suspect in the Judge Guy case, and how Clement tried to get to him through his daughter, Willa, by finding her at their hotel room and chatting her up. When fellow detective Maureen Downey chastises Raylan for having attacked Clement, he asks her what she would have done if it were her kids, but she refuses to take the bait, just saying that she wants to do some real police work. She continues that the news stations are on their backs for not having anything to show 36 hours later. As they consider what to do next, Norbert suggests that they might find a tall building and see if Clement Mansell can fly. Ultimately, they decide to make some arrests and raid the bar of Marcus "Sweety" Sweeton, believing that Clement may have used his girlfriend, Sandy Stanton, to hide a gun there. As they raid the place, none too gently, he takes pleasure in telling Sweety that they have a "Wrecking Crew" also, referring to the name of a gang that Sweety used to run with. Back at the Detroit Police Department headquarters, he conducts Clement's interrogation. He comments on how it's impressive that he once walked for a homicide, despite them seemingly having him dead to rights. He tells him that he's not what they would call a criminal mastermind and that he's looking at a life sentence. He tells him that if he doesn't want to talk that it doesn't matter, that Sandy is spilling her guts out in the other room. Finally, Clement seems to give in, asking for a tape recorder. Norbert indicates the presence of the camera in the room, but Clement says that it's just not the same. Norbert leaves and eventually returns with the tape recorder, saying that it took six rooms to find it. However, when he starts recording, Clement just starts singing the song "We're Going to Be Friends," apparently for the benefit of Raylan, who has been watching the whole thing outside, although there was seemingly no way he could have known this. Later, Norbert, along with Detective Wendell Robinson, participates in a sting operation to tail Clement and Sandy after they meet with Skender Lulgjuraj, an Albanian they are attempting to swindle, at a bar. Clement, however, realizes what they are doing and engineers for them be sidelined in a traffic accident. By the time other members of the police force such as Maureen Downey arrive at Skender's place, Clement and Sandy are long gone and Skender's leg has been crushed in a door.
In "Kokomo," Norbert is taken to a hospital to be patched up. The hospital happens to be the same one where Skender has bene taken and Norbert tells Raylan that they need to get Skender to implicate Clement Mansell. Wendell Robinson, however, says that there's no way that they can get Skender to talk on their own, that only Toma Kostia can do this. Toma is the head of the local Albanian mob and Skender's uncle. Raylan manages to arrange a meeting with Toma and Norbert asks to come along, saying that he speaks a little Albanian. When they get there, however, Toma is less than cooperative, stating that his idea of justice does not square with their idea of legal order. His speech does not impress Norbert, who comments that it's a mouthful that'll play great at his arrangement. Toma states that whoever did this to Skender did it to him as well and he will gaze into their eyes. Norbert asks if Raylan is hearing this, that Toma is going to be gazing into the eyes of some Russian when the person he really should be looking for is Clement Mansell. As the room goes silent, he asks if this is a secret, that Toma's nephew got legged by some "dickwad" from Oklahoma. Raylan then asks Norbert to give them a moment alone, but is still unable to persuade Toma to get Skender to talk. Outside the room, Norbert asks Raylan if he's going to yell at him, but he tells him he's never been much of a yeller. Norbert asks what's not to like, that the Albanians are going to find Clement and turn him into tiny pieces or they lead them to Clement and they get him first. To this, Raylan tells him that another point of view is that they just put out a hit on their own suspect. Norbert asks him if he misunderstood that he had the willingness to do what it takes to get things done. To this, Raylan says that he has no problems getting things done, but that they want Clement to be in a tiny cell reflecting on his crimes, not dead in a river somewhere.
The Albanians start making moves on those connected with Clement Mansell. This leads Norbert and Raylan to a small apartment above a grocery store that is ostensibly the residence of Sandy Stanton and her roommate, Hina. As Raylan gets out of their car, Norbert asks him where he's going and he says that he's going for a walk. Norbert asks him if he's really sure he wants to do that, saying that they could just wait outside for Clement, but Raylan tells him he's going in. Cursing, but resigned, Norbert gets out of the car, agreeing to cover the front while Raylan takes the back. Inside, Raylan discovers two Albanians, Besnik and Agron Drake, extracting teeth from Hina in an attempt to compel her to put pressure on Sandy to return to the apartment. Seeing Raylan, Besnik makes to exit, only for Norbert, at the door, to point his gun at him and tell him not to move. Raylan tells Agron to put his hands up and drop his gun. He complies and Raylan tells them they're all going to be easy for a minute. Hina, however, angered by the Albanians' actions, manages to rise despite being tied to her chair and charges at Besnik, who pushes past Norbert and out the door. Norbert then gives chase and Raylan hears shots being fired. Raylan then leads Agron outside in handcuffs, Hina following beside, where they discover Norbert standing next to Agron, who is dead on the ground. "Holy shit!" declares Norbert, seemingly stunned by what has gone down. Just then, Clement Mansell slowly drives by, Sandy in the seat beside him. Clement gives Raylan a two-finger salute, then points his fingers at him like a gun.
In "You Good?," Norbert is temporarily taken off the case, a necessary protocol in the case of a police-involved shooting while an investigation is conducted. In his absence, Chief Briggs makes Maureen Downey the sole lead for the case.
In "Adios," Norbert is mentioned as being part of the sting operation to attempt to catch Clement with a book of blackmail secrets that once belonged to Judge Guy. The operation ultimately goes south when Clement turns up, but does not have the book on him.
In "The Smoking Gun," Raylan recovers the gun that Clement used in the killings and brings it to the Detroit Police Department. Norbert is then present when Maureen Downey brings in Darrold Woods, a homeless Afghanistan vet with a history of drug charges, as the chief suspect in the killings of Judge Alvin Guy and Rose Doyle. He and Maureen, though mostly Maureen, subject him to a harsh interrogation, trying to get him to confess to the crime. They claim that they found the gun in his things and that ballistics matched it to the one used in the killings. He, however, asks for a lawyer. Afterwards, an astonished Raylan watches as Maureen gives the gun to Norbert, asking him to run it down to evidence. Raylan asks if her name is the book too, or if she's just an asshole. She tells him he should go back to Florida. Later, however, Norbert comes to Raylan, telling him that a quarter of those currently in the Wayne County jail didn't commit the crimes they were accused of, but that they did other stuff that they got away with. He tells him that he's okay with that and that, deep down, they know why they're there. He asks if this makes him an asshole, and he says that maybe it does, but that he never sent anyone up the river that he knew didn't do it just to get a win. He hands Raylan a wrapped package containing the gun.
In "The Question," after Raylan manages to obtain the judge's book, Norbert is part of a team that arrives at Maureen Downey's home in the morning along with Wendell Robinson and Raylan. Wendell tells her that they need to talk and Maureen says they should go ahead and do so, but Norbert tells her it isn't something she wants going down in front of her family. They take her to the Internal Affairs division of the Detroit Police Department. "You want to explain this?" asks a man from Internal Affairs, showing her a page in the notebook. She, however, asks if they want to explain what they think they have, or if everyone is just going to sit there looking like their prize poodle died. Norbert tells her that her name is listed to payouts, corresponding to trials in which a guilty conviction from Judge Guy was based on her testimony. She, however, laughs the whole thing off, telling them that they've each done worse every day, that they only have some scribblings in a book, and that she wants her lawyer and union representative. Outside, Norbert calls it a "shitshow at the disaster factory," but Wendell says that the bright side is that they can at least get Darrold Woods out of his cell now. Norbert says that he agrees, but they're still one murderer short. He asks what the move is, how they're going to get Clement Mansell, but Raylan replies that his move is to go get some shut-eye and that they should give him a call if Clement calls them or they get in a shootout with some Albanians. Late that evening, Raylan puts in a call to Norbert, telling him that Clement is on the move and that they need to get people over to the Venus, the facility run by Toma Kostia, as Clement might be going after the Albanians. Norbert asks him where he is, but he just says he'll be in touch. Later, Norbert calls Raylan and tells him they were a little late. The halls of the Venus are a slaughterhouse, filled with Albanians killed by Clement Mansell.
Trivia[]
Poster giving character's name as "Norbert Beryl"
- This character's name was originally announced as "Norbert Beryl," with a poster released spelling it as such. A poster correcting it was later released and the spelling of the character's name was updated on the official website for Justified: City Primeval.
Appearances[]
| Season seven appearances | ||||
| City Primeval | The Oklahoma Wildman | Backstabbers | Kokomo | |
| You Good? | Adios | The Smoking Gun | The Question | |