Day One Hundred and Ninety-nine - Longmire: Season 1, Episode 5, "Well, they can't all be good, I guess."

I was really starting to enjoy Longmire there, for a while... but with today's entry it seems that the quality has fallen off quite a bit, in different ways than I was expecting.

Surprisingly, Lou Diamond Phillips isn't one of them. In fact, he's probably at his least annoying for the entire series up to this point, being the Sheriff's faithful sidekick and go-between with the Natives and all.

No, mostly, the problem I have with Longmire is that, even though the series tries to treat its Native population even-handedly (which, for the most part, it does), even while acknowledging the tensions between rival cultures and governments, there's still a little too much blanket racism and reactionary behavior going around this episode.

Maybe it's just my perspective, living in a Rez border town myself, that makes it feel a little off... or maybe I'd just like to think that we've come farther than the events in Dog Soldier present, as a society. Or, maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.

In any case, the grand majority of the episode just felt awkward.

While I'm thankful that the showrunners didn't pull any cheesy spiritual shenanigans that other shows (like BONES) have been known to do, it just felt that there was still a bit too much hokum being implied even if they don't outright say it in the duration. It also felt a bit disingenuous to connect it to the season arc mystery of the Sheriff's flashbacks and what they mean.

I mean, honestly, just freaking deal with it, already. Stop seeding us the clues if you're going to waste them like this.

Also, everything was way too connected in the episode. The Sheriff's daughter, the Native bruiser, the slick politician, the pedophile, the scammers... I know that this is the West and all, but it was just a bit too convenient to have so many people revolving around one issue. I'm fine with the drama they're trying to insert with Branch and Cady, but does she have to show up every episode to chime in on a case?

Most disappointingly, the theatrics of the prologue only have a brief bit of lampshading and a small denouement scene to explain things... and precious little action to tide me over for the remaining forty minutes. The mystery itself was pretty darn weak and the red herring was cheap stereotyping.

Story aspects aside, I still dig the cinematography. I really like the way the director switches between static shots and handheld work. It gives a nice impression of actually being in the room for these conversations while not becoming overly noticeable or giving me motion sickness.

And I really love the act transition with the blood spatter. Very catchy hook. 

Overall, I can't rightly say that I enjoyed today's entry, but I'll give Longmire the benefit of the doubt and finish a few more episodes before bailing. Here's hoping things get better and Dog Soldier was just an off episode.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Seventy-six - Longmire: Pilot, "See this, Umpteen Generic Network Procedurals... THIS... is how you do a cop drama."

Of course, that's not fair... I've seen plenty of and reviewed several actually decent procedurals, no small percentage of which are actually available on Netflix right this very moment. It's just that I get so bitter and cynical over titles like BONES that I can't help but jump up and down and wave wildly at good catches like Longmire.

Sure, it has a fair share of it's own cheese, be it the kooky Rez vs. Whitefolk conflict and Lou Diamond Phillips as the debonair Tonto to Longmire's Kemosabe, but there are far too many pluses that cancel out said minuses.

For one thing, it's got a great supporting cast in the Sheriff's Office, including Katee Sackhoff, Bailey Chase, and Adam Bartley, who all insert just the right amount of grit, pluck, and naivete that make for a great, combustible combination.

For another, series lead Robert Taylor is perfect as the gruff cowboy sheriff with hidden depths. Whether its his obsession with his wife's ashes, the measured way he annoys his subordinates to try and bring out the best in them, or just his general swagger, Sheriff Longmire is the perfect protagonist to carry a modern day western. I honestly think only Jeff Bridges could do it better.

The pilot episode revolves around a murder discovered when Longmire's deputy, Vic (Sackhoff), calls him in for a dead sheep. From there the main mystery expands into a tale of prostitution, fatherhood, and jumps to conclusion that threaten Longmire's relationship with his best bud, Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips).

LDP definitely annoys me the most in this role. He has too much presence to be a supporting actor in this way, being much more suited to a lead gig. It's just too distracting to have him as the convenient foil for Longmire.

Of secondary issue are the tribal parts. Whether they're the tribal police, the bus boy, or the gun dealer... most of the Native actors feel a bit under-prepared for their roles. It's distracting, to say the least.

Granted, it could be much worse (see pretty much every other mainstream depiction of Native Americans in just about all media. There are quite a few exceptions out there, but I've yet to see it here in Longmire.

If you're a fan of Westerns or well done Cop Dramas, I think you're pretty safe with Longmire. I look forward to checking it out more as time goes by.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~