Don't Be Afraid of the Dork: LONGMIRE | Thoughts | S. 2

A periodic post recording my ever so slightly obsessive watching of Longmire

The last three episodes of season 2: You've got Omar and Jim Beaver in one episode, Lucian in another and then a season finale that will make your head spin. It at least should make Walt's head spin. Things get very very crazy doodle. I like how these three episodes also perfectly illustrate how law enforcement in the rural Wyoming of Longmire is very different than other crime procedural shows. They investigate a murder tied to an elk poaching case, a case that originated with stolen dinosaur bones and finally the beating of a man by an Indian vigilante with his own code.

Here are my thoughts on the episodes:

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Episode 2.11 | Natural Order

This is how the ep starts. Jeepers Walt, that looks like it hurts.

Short Synopsis: A young Game Warden is found murdered right next to a poached Elk. Turns out it's all related to a Chinese Health Supplement.

Short Review: The solution is truly a surprise and again it is hard to feel totally against the "bad" guy. This episode also has one of the more effective scenes of the entire show. Jim Beaver! Grade: A

Random Thoughts:

So Walt was a high school football star. Not sure how that fits into his persona.
Jim Beaver! I LOVE Jim Beaver.
I actually really like Omar even though he is a sexist ass hole. He has a code and hates poachers. He's okay in my book. Mostly.
Henry' story of he and Walt's first meeting that he tells Branch is nicely illustrative. Walt's innate protectiveness was obviously an early developed trait.
David Ridges. Oh how he will haunt the next many episodes. I'm almost sorry to hear his name come up for the first time.
The scene between Lee (Jim Beaver) and his wife is another one of those scenes that this show does so well. Very emotional and true - it has yet to fail to make me cry right along with Lee and his wife. And it is the supporting actors once again that steal the show.
WALT: "I know I had some problems with Branch in the past but I've got to let that go. I've got to let a lot of things go. Maybe I'm just starting to mellow." Cady: "I should get hit by a car more often."

Episode 2.12 | A Good Death is Hard to Find

Henry's "Listening to Cowboy Poetry" face.

Short Synopsis: Walt is mailed a safety deposit box with a severed finger which leads him to the prison death of a James Notley who was put behind bars by Lucian.

Short Review: I do love a Lucian episode and there's all the angst between Walt and Vic - these are the things in it's favor. And yet while the mystery involved dinosaur bones and chopped off human fingers being sent to Walt, it's just not my favorite. Grade: B+

Random Thoughts:

Lucian's a poet! Henry's face during the poetry is hilarious.
This is one episode that splits up Walt and Vic and has Walt and Branch working together. I like to see he and Branch working together but I find it odd that Vic has all this time alone to pursue Ed Gorsky. I also don't buy her being as afraid and panicked as Katee Sackhoff plays her. I think Vic would be pissed off more than anything. Sure she'd be scared but it wouldn't be so obvious.
Lucian: "And some people can kiss my once magnificent rump." I do love Lucian and he was certainly a different kind of sheriff than Walt.
Branch's obsession with David Ridges is already beginning. I thought it hadn't really started until after he is almost killed by him but apparently it starts earlier. What's driving this little obsession at this point? Cady, yes?
Yay Ferg! Ferg's skills are developing - Walt doesn't compliment him but reveals a secret proud little smile.
Lucian: "Every one of those fingerless pissants had it coming."
Walt is a pretty good actor when it comes to getting folks to open up to him.
Vic and Walt Update: Walt shows a lot of concern for Vic when he finds her sleeping in the cell and even though they are interrupted before she confides in him, he comes back to it as soon as he can. Would Walt do this with any/everybody else in the office (this is my gauge for Walt's feelings)? Probably. His concern does seem a little more acute with Vic. After she reveals all, his response is very intense, obviously angry that she is being threatened and immediately insists that she stay with him while Sean is away. His identity as protector is a major part of his character so this situation is the type that would really awaken that side of him - it's unclear if his response is more intense because the situation involves Vic or if this is how he would respond if any of his deputies were threatened. Ruby certainly senses the intensity when she walks into his office. Walt is also somewhat old fashioned and I can see him having a slightly more violent response when a woman is threatened versus one of his male deputies. And then there is the situation with Lizzie. I think Lizzie's response and immediate assumptions that there is something between Vic and Walt is more based on her own past experiences and her observation of Vic's feelings. It's not really some thing she has picked up on between them like she implies. At this point, at least on screen, it doesn't feel like Walt has definitively shown any interest in Vic. And Oh My God is that SUPER awkward for Walt and Vic. And the threatening of Gorski? With his damn badge on? He would certainly have done this for Ruby or Cady and really perhaps any woman being threatened so I don't know that it is special for Vic.

Episode 2.13 | Bad Medicine

Fales is such a jerk.

Short Synopsis: David Ridges appears to have sabotaged Cady's car and then committed suicide, rather inconveniently. Meanwhile, Ed Gorski shows up beaten all to hell and Vic tries to contain his malice. Walt starts working on two fronts to save Vic and figure out about Ridges. In the middle of it all Detective Fales shows up with search warrants. Basically everything goes to shit.

Short Review: Things get really hairy for Walt and they are just going to keep getting hairier into season 3. This is a crazy and awesome season finale! Grade: A-

Random Thoughts:

So I get really confused by the whole scenario with Gorski. Why didn't Walt tell Henry to call off or not even approach Hector with Vic's proposal when he decided he was going to do something about it? Or even after he made the threat? It seems like a really stupid lack of communication.
It's nice to see Branch and Walt on the same wavelength, working and talking together about Cady's accident. Too bad it doesn't last long.
I don't really get what Gorski is about exactly. Especially when he doesn't file the report?
Vic's a pretty good actor as I think she sells the story of her beating up Gorski pretty well and seems genuinely surprised by the thought of Hector doing the beating. Seriously, what the hell happened with the whole Hector hiring debacle.
The actress playing Cady does a great job in the scene with her mother's ashes and the police searching the house.
Vic: "You can't protect everyone Walt." Walt: "Well it's kind of my job to try." This pretty much sums up Walt's character perfectly.
When Fales tells Walt he's arrested Henry we get to see what happens when Walt's feelings escape from the place he usually keeps them buried. Yikes.
Henry's arrested, Branch's shot and Vic's terrified for her life. Quite an end to season two!
Vic and Walt Update: By the end of season 2 Vic is obviously smitten with Walt and Walt's feelings are a little more murky and unclear. With the advent of Gorski, their "personal" lives have become a little more entwined. Walt obviously feels a sense of loyalty and protectiveness towards Vic but these are common feelings Walt exhibits for his friends.

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Season two is the perfect intermediate between seasons 1 and 3. It still has plenty of episodes with the straightforward crime procedural mystery structure that season one introduced but it also builds on the personal drama which will play a huge role in season three. I've encountered some fans who were disappointed by the escalating melodrama in the show but I'm not really one of them. I maybe have a little nostalgia for the simpler days and I am bummed by Branch's descent into obsession but I am also a big fan of character and relationship growth. I also understand that the stakes, they must be upped sometimes to keep things interesting. Regardless season two has a nice balance and is a really strong season.

My Favorite Episodes - Season 2: