Posted in: FX, Hulu, streaming, TV, YouTube | Tagged: boyd crowder, fx, justified, raylan givens, Timothy Olyphant, walton goggins

Justified: Raylan Givens' Road to Ty Walker Goes Through Boyd Crowder

In FX Networks' latest look back at Justified, Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder have another classic exchange - before things turn deadly.

Well, no one can accuse Justified: City Primeval creators Dave Andron & Michael Dinner of not being able to end a season on a great cliffhanger. Because just as Timothy Olyphant's Raylan Givens was ready to walk away from his U.S. Marshal life, it appears a newly-escaped Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) will be making Raylan's retirement a short-lived one. As we await word of what the future holds for the franchise (most likely post-SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes), FX Networks is offering another look back at the classic series – in this case, an important moment from 2015's Season 6 Episode 8: "Dark As a Dungeon" (directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton and written by Chris Provenzano & VJ Boyd).

In the following scene, Raylna pays a visit to Ava (Joelle Carter) – only to run into Boyd. After some great back-and-forths – both inside and outside of the house – the situation turns deadly after Raylan learns that the three of them are definitely not alone. And that does not bode well for Ty Walker (Garret Dillahunt)

Boyd Crowder Return a "Big Swing"; Olyphant "Super Excited"

In a pre-SAF-AFTRA strike with Rolling Stone, Olyphant discusses hearing about Andron & Dinner's plans to end the season's run with Boyd on the loose – and the word of caution Olyphant had for the two if they were going to go down that road.

Olyphant on Learning About THAT Phone Call: "I heard that idea from [showrunners Dave Andron and Michael Dinner] before we started shooting. In fact, that idea of the phone call at the very end, is he gonna pick up? None of this was my idea. The only thing I can pat myself on the back for was knowing it was a good idea when I heard it. 'That's a good ending. We can work toward that.'"

Olyphant to Andron & Dinner: Make It Worth It: "I was also cautioning Dave and Michael, 'Guys, if you bring Walt back at the very end of this story, you better fucking deliver on the first seven.' Because the worst thing that can happen is the audience feels, when they see Walt, 'Man, you guys put us through all this just to get to that?' So it was such a big swing, such a bold idea. I was super excited about it, and I knew Walt [Walton Goggins] was interested. So I was thrilled by it. And it just made us dig deeper on every episode prior. I said, 'You can't end it like it feels like a layup, like we're apologizing for something, right?' Having now seen it all, I feel like if we were so lucky to come back in some way, I am just as excited to bring back characters from the original show as I am characters from this incarnation. I feel like the writers did an amazing job of making everybody feel like they're part of the same world."

Justified: City Primeval Creators on Boyd Crowder Return & More

"The Joker is out there," Dinner shared regarding Boyd's escape during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "It creates danger in the world because somewhere in California, he has a kid he doesn't know about" – with Ava and the child sure to be a focal point of Boyd's "return." In the following highlights, the series creators discuss bringing Boyd back at the right time – and for the right reason – and how they wanted to be respectful to the original's classic "final" exchange between Raylan and Boyd.

Dinner: Boyd's Return Discussed From Start of "Justified: City Primeval": "When we first started talking, a lot of the talk was about, 'Let's not feel compelled to bring anybody back,' because we didn't want to do an adaptation that leaned too much on the past. But from the very beginning, Dave said, 'What about Walton?' My first instinct was: We can't do the cheesy version, which is episode five, when Raylan's having a tough time with Clement, he goes into the prison and says to Hannibal Lecter, 'I don't understand this guy.' But it was the elephant in the room. Fans of the show who want to consider this Justified are going to be asking, 'Where's Boyd Crowder?' It was a dangerous idea of bringing him in at the end."

Andron Believes Author Elmore Leonard Would Approve: "It feels like an Elmore Leonard ending. I think people will have a big smile on their faces. You get to go on this journey with Raylan, then you get to have this moment in time with Boyd. It did feel to me that if you were going to go into the world and you don't want to be cheesy about bringing people back, this is how you do it. Where is Boyd? What's he like now? Did he change at all, or is he the same? It felt okay to go and pick him up a little bit."

Andron on Respecting "We Dug Coal Together" Raylan/Boyd Moment: "We were very cognizant of ending it well and taking the plane back up. For me, it was thinking about Elmore and thinking about the dance, the connection between these guys, [and] the satisfying feeling of Raylan and Boyd. 'We dug coal together' felt very satisfying. It encapsulated everything we had done. I hope that even though this leaves a lot on the table, it still feels satisfying. Even if Raylan doesn't chase him, even if he feels like it's someone else's problem — and part of that is maybe the connection they have, and he doesn't want to have to gun him down — that maybe there's still a connection there and Boyd gets to have his life, too. He doesn't have to die in his cell as an old man. He gets to go back out there and try to right some wrongs."

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