A&E's drama series Longmire brings an old-time Western feel to the modern-day police show.
The series stars Robert Taylor as Walt Longmire, the conflicted sheriff of cozy Absaroka
County, Wyo. Struggling with the death of his wife - whose ashes he keeps in a tea box - the
oft-depressed Longmire has recently slacked off in his lawman duties. As such, much of the county's
mundane, day-to-day policing has been left to his deputies, "Vic" Moretti (Katee Sackhoff)
and Branch Connally (Bailey Chase).
When two dead bodies (one a sheep and one an unidentified male) are discovered on a snowy
mountain nearby, Longmire is forced to get back on the saddle to solve the crime. The trail of
clues takes Longmire to a nearby Indian reservation where he encounters a hostile police force
distrustful of the lawman. It will be interesting to see how the animosity between the sheriff's
department and the cops on the Indian reservation develops throughout the series.
In an effort to talk to a potential source on the reservation, Longmire turns to longtime friend
Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) to broker the meeting.
The information leads Longmire to discover some serious illegal activity within the borders of his county. The revelation forces Longmire to realize that he's slowly been falling down on his duties during the year since
his wife's death. He gets affirmation on his decline from Henry, who, on the car ride back from
the reservation, doesn't hesitate to answer in the positive Longmire's inquiry as to whether he's
"lost a step."
Faced with loneliness and heartache, a growing crime problem in his county and an unexpected
challenge to his sheriff's position by the politically ambitious Connally, Longmire nevertheless
taps into his pride and sharp skills as a veteran lawmaker to eventually solve the crime and
to start putting his life back together.
Longmire's character is intriguing, if not complicated - the pilot draws a picture of a strong,
nononsense-but-caring sheriff with some significant character flaws. It's hard not to like a guy who
picks up empty beer cans and other litter off the street, and who doesn't own a mobile phone.
Fans of non-stop, good-guy/bad-guy shoot-'emup action will have to temper their expectations
as Longmire looks to entice viewers through a slow storyline and character build that eventually
pays off in the end.
Still, it wouldn't hurt the series if it picked up the pace a bit in future episodes.
