Longmire – Peter Weller and Waffles the bear

It seems Waffles is a good bear, mostly, but she attacked some livestock and that made her the perfect patsy for a murder scheme. So Waffles munched on Crawley, a recent parolee and convicted murderer, but only because Crawley was tied up and tranquilized and draped with flank steak. And so Crawley was to Waffles as the dessert table is to me: I know I shouldn’t, but chocolate is too delicious to pass up, and Waffles didn’t. So Crawley was mauled and killed, though Waffles probably should have eaten him up a little more, unless Crawley was only a snack.

Is Crawley going to be missed? Not much, though his sister mourned the loss of the little boy she’d known. But Walt has no truck with vigilante justice — at least not in public. We glimpse a little more of what appears to be a his own take on vigilante justice, and I am pretty sure one of those secrets the episode mentioned pointedly at the end will involve what he did in Denver (and why), now that this is clearly an ongoing thread of a story.

Meanwhile, we meet Lucian Connally, who is both Branch’s uncle and the previous sheriff, played by Peter Weller (who also directed the episode) with a fun crankiness. I can see why Walt and Branch don’t want him around, but he was still pretty sharp and obviously quite bored in his facility. The theme of the passing of the old ways is heavy in this show anyway, but both Lucian and the prison guard were mirrors to hold up to Walt. Both were “put out to pasture” and both were angry about it, yet Lucian solved his dilemma by getting some attention like a spoiled child but also being helpful on the case, whereas the other guard fancied himself the hero, even while he was committing murder via bear attack. Interestingly it seems that it’s not Lucian who wants Branch to be the next sheriff, and that comes from Branch’s father more.

So much great Vic in this episode! We find out she’s married, her husband is the one who dragged her off to this rural corner of the country, they’re having problems, and she sleeps in the jail cell when he’s gone. She was fun handling Omar the Hunter and getting shot with the tranquilizer. It’s always a good episode when Katee Sackhoff’s handling firearms (yes, even 24) but I think her scene with Walt in the hospital when she’s telling him of her problems and he’s trying to politely not be involved but also be understanding was great; I love the relationship the two are building.

At the end, the only one who really should be put out to pasture is, and Waffles waddles away. Waffles thanks Walt for giving her a second chance and she promises to stop eating people.

Notes:

• Walt’s fundraiser was pretty hilariously small. But Henry’s a good friend.
• Apparently odd first names run in the Connally family. I hope Branch’s father’s name is something even more ridiculous.
• Walt should arrest everyone who wants to put up his sign, as it’s becoming an indicator of guilt.
• Overdosing on meth from eating greeting cards sounds pretty nasty. I am dubious that those cards would pass prison inspection, because I know they have dogs, but it’s a clever scheme to think of anyway.
• Did you see the Ferg take that meth-head down? Go, Ferg!

Clacked by Liz Tamura
on Jul 09, 2012 @ 11:15 EST5EDT