Media Blog Project 1 / Topic #2 / Television show "Longmire"
I watched Longmire on 7/15/2017 at 6 p.m. on Netflix. Longmire is an American modern Western crime drama (Genre) television series that premiered on June 3, 2012 on the A&E network. The series was developed by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin and is based on the Walt Lonmire Mysteries series of mystery novels written by best-selling author Craig Johnson, (Wikipedia). I watched Episode 1 after watching a preview named season 1 trailer on YouTube. The video was published on April 28, 2012.
Season 1 Episode 1
The benefit of watching the show on Netflix is that there are no commercials. This season included Robert Taylor as Sheriff Longmire, Cassidy Freeman as Walt's daughter, Bailey Chase as Deputy Branch Connally, Adam Bartley as Deputy Ferguson, Katie Sachoff as Victoria "Vic" Deputy Moretti, Charles S. Dutton as Detective Fales, and Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry Standing Bear. In this episode, Walt Longmire is running for re-election and finds out that he is running against one of his deputies (Branch Connally) who is also dating another one of his deputies (Vic). While busy with elections, the deputies at the Sheriffs office run the affairs and it is then that the audience gets to know the characters.
The county includes an Indian reservation called, "The Rez"(pictured below) that has it's own tribal police.
The people living on the reservation and so Sheriff Longmire entrusts a longtime Native American friend, Henry Standing Bear, who lives off the rez and runs a tavern and restaurant named the "Red Pony". Sheriff Longmire gains help from Henry Standing Bear in dealing with the affairs with the reservation. Sheriff Longmire then meets with a homicide detective from Denver Colorado (Det. Fales) who suspects the sheriff of killing the murderer of his wife who was in Denver getting treatment for cancer. Walt's daughter, Cady, finds out that her mother did not die of cancer as her father Walt told her but rather was murdered.
After a bit of research, I discovered that the first three seasons actually premiered on the A&E network and then they cancelled the show. Later, Netflix picked up the series because of it's popularity and the show has had three additional seasons and the seventh is scheduled for release in August of 2017. As per TV.COM, Robert Taylor, (Sheriff Walt Longmire), is an Australian actor who is best known for his role as Agent Jones in The Matrix. In his 20 year career, he starred in many productions in Australia and in the U.S. He is a graduate of the prestigious West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). He married Ayisha Davies on the 12th of July 2017 after 16 years together and have a daughter named Scarlet. (www.tv.com).
Analyze
The show centers on Walt Longmire, a sheriff in fictional Absroka County, Wyoming, who returns to full time work after his wife's death. The brave sheriff patrols the county that is filled with murder, mystery, corruption, poverty, and racism. (Google). He has the loyalty of his deputies except one, deputy Branch Connally and has one old friend and confidant, Henry Standing Bear, a Native American who runs a local tavern called, "The Red Pony". Henry is the epitome of truth and transparency and appears to be the only character that the sheriff trusts both personally and publicly. The sheriff silently suffers from the murder of his wife yet remains morally upright with a genius sense of true justice. The show is on-set in the spacious Wyoming landscape and has a unique sense of realism. The characters speak and dress appropriately for the setting in the Western United States. I have not seen or watched any series like Longmire hence, I have nothing to compare it too in so far as other series. It is full of intrigue and mystery. It is different in that the show really emphasizes inequality and corruption that I think impoverished residents of any reservation can relate to in real life.
Interpret
Sheriff Lonmire does not seem to fit into a stereotype however I have limited experience with watching television or cable for any series. Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) breaks away from the typical stereotypes attributed to other natives in the county who live and work on the reservation who are depicted as poor, uneducated, and addicted to alcohol. There is not much emphasis on stereotypes as much as there are real conditions on reservations, however, Henry is a proactive type of character who is not against white people but rather against injustice. The landscape is rugged and the show includes people who would rather live without cell phones and modern amenities however, some characters in the show give the sheriff a hard time for not having a cell phone. I believe the target audience are baby boomers and perhaps the next generation after as there seems to be a return to the old school paradigm of good character and ethics such as respect. The justice system of the show depicts a true justice or one that has not been or cannot be corrupted by the political construct- although they try.
If I was a visitor from another country, I would see the U.S. culture as oppressed, impoverished, and abused by the corrupted privileged such as the casino in the county and the rich land owners.
Evaluate
The show has great strength in both entertainment value and as a cultural mirror. I strongly believe that it reflects elements of real life, such as the setting of the reservation and the issues of racism, and corruption. In the entertainment sense the show is very suspenseful and keeps your attention which leaves the watcher wanting more. It is definitely a series that is suitable for binging on weekend nights when one's work is done for the week. The weakness, in my opinion, of the show, is a small jail cell that is located in the same room as the deputies which could cause a breach of information but other than that, its perfect!
I love the show and actually stopped with Episode 3 after watching all in one setting. I was addicted and had to force myself to stop watching. Everything from the music, the landscape, and the mystery just kept my attention. I think the upright character of the sheriff and Henry Standing Bear was most memorable in addition to the sheriff who talks with the clearness of an orator.
Strangely enough, I have found no negative professional reviews from critics. The average audience score on the Rotten Tomatoes website was 95% liked. Roger Ebert wrote, "It sometimes sounds like faint praise to describe a series like you would a reliable car but Longmire is just a sturdy show. It is well-constructed all around-confidently made, well-acted, and the writing is much smarter than many shows like it. It hums, each episode these three feeling more well-paced than the one before" (Wikipedia). A the same point in the series, Mike Hale of The New York Times also filed a favorable review with particular praise for actor Robert Taylor, described as a modern day Gary Cooper or Joel McCrea" and in aggregate, Longmire received favorable reviews on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. For example, Season 4 received an average rating of 8.5/10 based on 7 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. (Wikipedia).
In so far as engaging, I plan on watching every episode of all the seasons including the one coming up in August 2017. My entire family watched the first three together and we all rated it our favorite. My youngest son, age 20, my oldest son, age 28, and my wife and I find the show more exciting than Survivor, which we have all watched since its inception as a family thing.
My wife and I are both fans of Longmire on Facebook. The Facebook page is named, "Longmire Fans" which has 62,611 people who follow the page. The site does a great job engaging their followers and offers teasers to upcoming episodes as well as a bit about the primary actors in the series. The general consensus of the fans of the page is that they are collectively sad that there will only be one more season.
Conclusion
I learned that this show had really good reviews from personal and professional critics which surprised me as I haven't a friend in Benton County who likes the show. I also learned how to look at a television series through the eyes of a journalist and critic which include elements that are not normally thought about.
Citation Sources
Internet: www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/longmire
Internet: www.tv.com/people/robert-taylor-2/
Internet: www.facebook.com/longmire-fans
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