What I’m Watching: Longmire

Longmire: Season 2, Episode 11 “Natural Order” (B+)

This was a busy episode, to the point that Walt was fully recovered from his time in the desert midway through the hour and Cady being in the hospital was barely even a concern anymore. The aftermath of her car crash was most worthwhile for the entertainment value of her sitting and eating ice cream with Henry and chastising him for giving Walt his cell phone. It was also great to hear, on a related note, a story about Walt and Henry’s first meeting from the latter individual, conveyed to Branch to underscore Walt’s forgiving tendencies. Having Branch back at work and Walt willing to give him a second chance is good, since, while their rivalry did provide drama, we haven’t yet had the opportunity to see how these very two lawmen work together when they’re actually getting along. I enjoyed recognizing Jim Beaver, who wrapped a terrific season-long stint on “Justified,” in a similarly meaty role as Lee, whose character took a surprising turn for the murderous in what turned out to be quite a somber plotline. Walt’s personal and professional lives intersecting with Cady’s hospital mate was interesting, and it’s always impressive to seem him talk to people, especially when’s a difficult conversation. Once again, this was a strong and thought-provoking episode that was focused on something culturally specific to Wyoming and that part of the country, digging deep into hunting culture and the ethics of hunting and killing animals during specific seasons and times of the year.