Longmire 1.1 Pilot Review

A harkback to by gone times, when men were men and women hardly got a word in, ok that's going a bit too far! Ha.  But Longmire is a series which relies more on talk and action than just tech alone.  Never has so much been said in just one look or a few words, even one nod of the head.  Thanks in most part to its charismatic lead Robert Taylor.  He may be Australian but he's got his character of Sheriff Walt Longmire down to a tee, or tee, infact his one liners could be used on a tee-shirt!

Based on the series of books by Craig Johnson,  it really does go back to basic, grass roots TV, no pun, being set in Absaroka County, Wyoming.  Lonely secluded town, aka boondocks to some.  That makes it all the more appealing cos we get to see good old fashioned crime fighting at its best, where little or no tech is involved. heck this sheriff don't even own no cellphone, let alone use a phone all the time.  Also be hard to get him to use a computer.  Which once again adds to the charm of the show, or should I say quaintness.

It's a step away from CSI and forensic related shows, so if you want to get away from those, then tune in to this.  It's not that forensics aren't used or necessary, they're just not featured that much or relevant to a point.  It's more about intellect, and legwork.  It's also more character orientated and with the first scene you get Walt in the shower, showing the scars on his back, what more could you want.  I means in terms of story telling, not having its lead in the shower, but then...

So I'm late in writing about it cos it's into its third season in the US, but it's the UK, what'd you expect, we get most things here late and some pass us by completely.  Aussies and Brits who are Home and Away aficionados will be no stranger to Robert Taylor, who hit our screens in Home and Away back in 1989, playing bad guy Nicholas Walsh.  Morag (Cornelia Frances) was trying to set him up with her niece Roo, but he only had eyes for Stacey Macklin.  Our first glimpse of him was when he went skinny dipping in the sea and was spotted by none other than Celia Stewart, Alf's sister! Ha.  Okay that wasn't our first 'glimpse', if you know what I mean!  Well he had his clothes stolen!! He then went on to star in little known Brit detective show Yellowthread Street set in Hong Kong, so unknown it only lasted one series.  Though it's not available on DVD.  See Youtube for opening creds.  But then many of you will know Rob from The Matrix where he played Agent Jones.  Or even Father Vincent Sheahan in Ballykissangel.

The Pilot concerns a DB found in the snow and leads to a case of a missing girl who is thought to have been taken onto a roving brothel, that's right, an RV brothel.  Lots of tension and emotion played to the hilt here, as Walt offers to inform the Vic's wife of his passing, bad mistake as he loses the plot and has his own case of waterworks.  Understandable since his wife died a year ago and his daughter, Cady (Cassidy Freeman) is, well, hardly daughter material.  He later apologizes to her when he tells her she wore the same perfume as his wife and also breaks the news of her DB husband having a daughter, albeit before they got together.  He was working on finding her which led to his own murder.

Then there's the tension and the frustration since this town also has a Red Indian reservation and Walt is not on good terms with the Reservation police, seeing as he's punched on his first visit back there.  They take policing of their own very seriously and outsiders aren't welcome.  As if that wasn't enough he finds out one of his deputies, Branch Connally (Bailey Chase) is running against him in the upcoming elections for sheriff, what's the betting he won't win.  Walt discovers this after he sees his face staring out at him from a huge billboard.  Hmm, wonder how many people actually use that road, ha.  Compare that to the little sign Walt puts up showing he's in the running too.

Funny scene where Branch asks Walt how he got his info and put two and two together.  Walt shows him the book, The Hound of the Baskervilles, that's detective work for you and instincts!  Hey a homage to our very own Sherlock Holmes, very popular is our Sherlock!  (And I don't just mean the TV series with the eponymous Bene Cumberbatch either!  Well maybe subconsciously I do! Ha.)  But I gotta  ask was that book there cos the building used to be a library, well...

Walt's other deputies include Victoria aka Vic (Katee Sackhoff) from the East, where she was a homicide detective and seems she has her own secrets too.  As well as The Ferg (Adam Bartley)  So the discovery of a man's Wranglers (jeans) leads to a farm and a worker who was on said RV and with the missing girl, with Walt thinking his friend, Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) seems like he's the only friend he has, runs a brothel out of his watering hole. Which he doesn't by the way.  It's a patron who does this and when Walt meets with him, it can only lead to murder.  Was I the only one thinking 'if someone's trying to kill you, get away from the window.'  Easy target.

Leading Walt to find the killer, none other than the guy who runs the pawn shop.  A shoot out, a chase and leaving him out there without help was the bones of this ep, which just made us come back for more.   Though I have to say the scene where Walt hammers the wooden stakes into the ground looked like he was planting a cross in the ground, but alas no, it was only his 'vote for me' board! And vote for you we shall, ha!