Justified: City Primeval Introduced Raylan's Daughter - Only To Fail Her Storyline

Contains spoilers for "Justified: City Primeval"

The return of Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) in "Justified: City Primeval" has undoubtedly been a great one, but it certainly hasn't been without its flaws. Besides a compelling but unnecessarily musically charged antagonist, Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook), there was also the fleeting issue of his estranged daughter Willa (Vivian Olyphant). Introduced in the show as the typical stubborn teenager that wasn't clicking with her dad, Willa's relationship with Raylan set up an exciting and compelling obstacle that the legendary lawman had never dealt with. He'd been a good marshal for six seasons but barely a good boyfriend or husband. Could "City Primeval" see him become a good father instead?

It's a question that is never really answered when we get down to it. While the unmistakable chemistry between real-life father and daughter is present, the Olyphants' respective characters don't have enough time together for us to see what doesn't work and what could. Willa, like most of the women in Raylan's life, is pushed to the side in place of his job and, in doing so, stops the show's good return to form from being a genuinely great one. Sure, it was great to see him stare down the bad guys and invite himself to a quickdraw shootout, but seeing more attention given to providing Raylan with a character arc would've been nice. The only hope is that all could change when "Justified" returns as so brilliantly teased in the show's final episode.

Considering the jaw-dropping cliffhanger we were left with in the "Justified: City Primeval" finale, there's no doubt that plans are in place for Raylan Givens to pick up his gun and badge one last time to bring in his old pal, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) – the best villain of the original show. Setting up a reunion like this is like seeing Sherlock and Moriarty go another round, only with less pipe smoking and more quick drawing. What shouldn't be overlooked, however, is how Willa could find herself in the thick of it and get the attention she was set up to get this time.

After being sidelined in "City Primeval," it feels inevitable that Willa will play a crucial part in Raylan's reunion with his former foe and newly escaped convict. How could she not? Boyd was a thorn in the marshal's side for six seasons, and chances are he'll only end up sticking it to the man once more when he finds out he has a daughter. Doing so would force Willa to learn more about her father and demand that Raylan be on permanent guard to keep his daughter out of harm's way. It'll be a job that'll become all the more difficult, though, when Crowder Jr. enters the mix, much to his father's surprise.

Since the beginning, "Justified" has been a show that cements the old saying that the sins of the father will be laid upon the children. Both Boyd and Raylan suffered from significant daddy issues, and there's a good chance that those next in their respective bloodlines will suffer similar problems. Willa will no doubt be caught up in the chaos when Boyd comes back on the scene, and she won't be the only one either.

During all the hubbub of Boyd busting loose from the law in "Justified: City Primeval," one key detail that our favorite criminal has yet to discover is that his wife Ava (Joelle Carter) is alive and well and looking after their son, Zachariah, who is probably around Willa's age. Throwing these two into the mix will certainly make for an interesting encounter between the two teens whenever they meet and hopefully propel Willa further into the spotlight than she has been so far. Might the two be rivals just as their fathers before them? Or could "Justified" be setting up the start of two star-crossed lovers that neither of their parents approve of? Who can say? Whatever happens, we can only hope Willa gets more attention than she did this time around. She certainly deserves it, given who her father is.