The last season of Longmire has, at long last, arrived. Watching the first episode, put off as long as possible, was a bittersweet experience. We have grown to love all these characters; their foibles as well as their strengths and follies. Episode one of season six takes up where the season five finale finished.
The opening is a tease. We see a man in a cowboy hat robbing a bank. Shots are interspersed of another man hiding money in jars and ziplock bags. The implication, for a split second, is that Walt Longmire has robbed the place and is burying the proceeds on his property.
Bank robberies aside, Henry’s life is still hanging in the balance as Darius’s thugs watch him slowly die of dehydration and Cady tries to make sense of her vision. Malachi is still in the wind and Officer Mathias, after discovering Henry’s truck, is hunting for his old Hector Lives partner.
Overall, this was a satisfying start to the final season of Longmire. Walt is “circling the wagons” for the upcoming attack (trial) and Vic is proving, yet again, that she would walk through fire for her boss. The Ferg jeopardizes his relationship with the nurse and Walt risks his life to save his old friend.
Jacob Nighthorse was missing in this opening salvo but it is apparent that Walt will be questioning him soon about Malachi. There is the ongoing mystery of Cowboy Bill and the Mayor shows his teeth, and his true colours.
Marilyn, the Crow Medicine Woman, reappears and after shooting Henry’s captors refuses to save him. Instead she takes the only container with water, leaves some totems on the ground and tells Standing Bear that if he is a true warrior, the spirits will save him.
Later, somewhat touchingly, Walt gives the Medicine Woman the money from his closed bank account. She takes the money and then leads the lawman to his friend, only to disappear when Walt finds Henry. Longmire makes a travois out of his coat and some stakes but is bitten by a rattlesnake on the way back to the truck.
By the end of the episode we learn that Cowboy Bob most certainly did not rob the bank. Cady and Walt reunite and it seems that Henry and Walt have not shattered their friendship after all. (The Ferg also appears to have patched things up with his nurse…)
There are some things that jar. For example: Would Walt have gone up and disturbed an area where snakes tend to congregate? There is no mention of Vic’s “condition” and Cady still manages to irritate the hell out of this viewer with her attitude.
The urge to binge the final season of Longmire has been dampened by the thought that this will be our final journey with the Wyoming lawman. (And an overabundance of films that need attention prior to the Oscars voting coming up soon…)
Without jumping ahead to any of the available episodes, it is our guess that Malachi has robbed the bank since his massive revenue from those Irish Mob deals has dried up. Time, and the rest of the final episodes, will tell.
Cast:
- Robert Taylor – Walt Longmire
- Katee Sackhoff – Victoria “Vic” Moretti
- Lou Diamond Phillips – Henry Standing Bear
- Cassidy Freeman – Cady Longmire
- Adam Bartley – The Ferg
- Zahn McClarnon – Officer Mathias
- Graham Greene – Malachi Strand
- A Martinez – Jacob Nighthorse
- Joseph Daniel Havenstar – Darius
- Tamara Duarte – Mandy
- Tantoo Cardinal – Marilyn (Crow Medicine Woman)
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