What I’m Watching: Longmire

Longmire: Season 2, Episode 8 “The Great Spirit” (B+)

Wyoming seems like such a distant, different place, and this show does a great job of establishing the world out there and the way things work, with the many facets of society fully featured and detailed. The idea of an illegal rodeo springing up is certainly an interesting one, and, as always, Walt has plenty of connections to suspicious people with a hand in unsavory business. Branch in particular is seeing his worlds collide after Walt punished him for being conveniently under the weather by making him go evict an old classmate of his. Offering to lend him the money he needed to make the payment to keep the keys to his home wasn’t an altogether terrible idea, but it was an unwise choice given what Walt has tasked him specifically to do. His second visit was much more effective, uncomfortable and unsettling as it was, and it’s good to see Branch step up to the plate when he needs to do, with some formidable and well-timed assistance from Vic. I liked how Walt opted to get a confession out of the killer by tying him to a rope attached to the horse so that he would meet the same fate of his victim if he didn’t own up to his actions. Detective Fales’ return to Wyoming is not a good thing for anyone, and it’s disconcerting to see Henry getting jittery knowing that he could easily be headed straight to jail soon. Even more worrisome is the sight, conveyed via flashback, of Walt covered in blood as he stumbled into Henry’s motel room. This can’t all end well.