Longmire – The mystery of the burning barn

There is nothing funnier than phone calls interrupting Very Important Spiritual Gatherings. It’s good they started with a little humor, because this episode of Longmire is pretty grim.

The poor horses! I’m sure it’s pretty unlikely that they wouldn’t put the mare down right away with those injuries but I’m with the sheriff in wanting to do everything possible. It’s so sad to see the horse suffering through the episode, even if it was all pretend. This episode made me think of Luck and their horse deaths, especially at the end with Walt saying goodbye to the hurt mare.

I appreciate that the Sheriff sees the holes in the different stories he’s being told in the case. A careless investigator would’ve taken the insurance agent’s report that only the horses were insured and perhaps assumed Ray or Alice had killed the horses for the money, but Walt doesn’t take the easy way. He knows there’s something wrong with the story.

Then, surprise! MAFIA TWIST! I totally did not see that one coming. Ray being alive started to seem more possible at the autopsy, that he was faking his death because he’d been found, so that was less of a shock. I’m glad they explained at the end how Ray/Oscar was made by the bad guys, because that had me scratching my head for the middle part of the episode trying to connect that up. I’m still not entirely sure it fits all together and it does feel odd that we didn’t see a bit more of the fake marshal. I know that’s deliberate and part of the more restricted point-of-view we have in the show (which is generally to their advantage, I think), but it felt like a bit of a missed opportunity with him meeting Walt before the showdown.

Maybe what I’m feeling is more disappointment that we have mafia hit men already. I like the show when it’s more grounded in local issues and problems, not unforeseen mafioso hit men from Boston who stumble on their target randomly. Yet, on the other hand, those were some pretty fun twists and it was good for us to see Walt puzzle his way through, despite his unfamiliarity with big city mob problems. They’re going to have a harder time distinguishing themselves from being a knock-off of Justified though, if they keep on with these types of stories that Justified does so well.

Aside from the plotline, I like that we are getting a better feel for Vic and Branch (still a stupid name — sorry, all you guys with that unfortunate name) and especially Ferg, who seems quite the stereotype bumbler but really is sort of embracing that impression in his attempt to resign. Because there’s a line between taking responsibility and giving up, and it seemed Ferg was giving up, so Walt rejected it even if he’s not quite sure why. Branch is still a jerk, but at least seemed more competent this week, and we saw more of Vic’s city experience being brought out as well as her humor and impatience with some of Walt’s loner ways.

I also enjoyed Cady’s brief visit, as well. We haven’t seen her a lot, but she brightens the show, even with a single scene. It’s rare to see a father and adult daughter relationship where they’re not at odds or otherwise ‘dramatic’ so I hope that doesn’t change too much or for too long when her affair with Branch if revealed.

Quote of the episode:  “We have a Ferg.” – Sheriff Longmire attempting to make Ferg into a one-man SWAT team.

Clacked by Liz Tamura
on Jun 18, 2012 @ 08:54 EST5EDT