Well ahead of Justified: City Primeval’s FX premiere, the cast and creative team were very up front about the idea that this follow-up season would be jettisoning 99% of Justified’s stellar cast in order to take Raylan Givens out of his badass comfort zone for an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel that focuses on entirely different characters. It took a bit to get used to Timothy Olyphant’s marshal being the only familiar face across the first three episodes that have aired so far, and now franchise vet Natalie Zea made all that mental work moot with an adorable social media post opposite that almost requires her character Winona to appear in the sequel drama.
More specifically, Natalie Zea was in SAG-AFTRA support mode on the strike picket lines, where she ran into her former co-star’s real-life daughter Vivian Olyphant, who made her acting debut on Justified: City Primeval as Willa Givens, the teenage daughter to Raylan and Zea’s character Winona Hawkins. While they haven’t shared the screen (yet), the two actresses were totally adorable together in the Instagram pic that they both shared.
A-ma-zing! It’s not exactly a Justified reunion, since Vivian Olyphant wasn’t part of the flagship series, but it sort of counts if you really want it to. After all, it’s technically the first time we’ve seen Winona’s portrayer and Willa’s portrayer together since the western drama wrapped up in 2015, when the latter was still a bitty baby that Raylan looked uncomfortable holding.
Now that we know how cutesy-wootsy the two stars look together side by side, it feels like it would be an attack on all that is good with the world if fans don’t get to see Zea reprising the role of Winona at least once more within the context of Justified: City Primeval, even if it’s just for a Zoom call or somethi…actually, no, let’s not even settle for that. I want to see Winona and Raylan in the same location, preferably caught up in a loving embrace while she goes on about how completely destroyed her relationship is with [person that isn’t Raylan].
Speaking to Natalie Zea’s jokey caption about them being the same age, Justified: City Primeval did invoke a bit of an age-related issue for Willa, who is older in the sequel series than she should be, with that change being made for the sake of more dramatic storytelling. But I hardly think such detail-shuffling would matter at whatever point when Winona and Raylan share the screen again, assuming it happens. And I'm assuming like a mofo.
Not that I'm the only person whose TV adoration for Winona was on full display. Quite a few fans commenting seem like they'd also love to see Zea return to the world of Justified ahead of La Brea's third season on NBC. Here are some of the reactions to her and Olyphant's picture:
- Omg this makes me so happy, Winona forever!!!! - @divdivk
- Hope to see you soon on Justified:Primeval, Miss Natalie. - @bullgriffin
- I love Natalie and seeing her with Vivian made me emotional and happy that maybe she’s at the show❤️ - @kevinmunozpereira
- Natalie, Want to see you in Justified Primevil!!! - @debiruggles
- Winona + Willa ❤️❤️❤️❤️ - @sumelaine
Extra points go to all involved if we can get both Winona and Walton Goggins' Boyd Crowder in the same episode. The latter has specifically said he wasn't involved with the season, but that kind of declaration has never stunted my dreams before.
Justified: City Primeval airs every Tuesday night on FX at 10:00 p.m. ET, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what else is on the way as the actors strike and WGA writers strike continue to disrupt the industry.
