Last night I had to make soup since el V had suffered a dental ordeal and could not, or at least, probably should not, chew until today. No way to avoid it; much steam ensued during the process of making potato-leek-portobello mushroom soup -- run then, through the blender to make it all smooth. Then a half cup of red wine was stirred into the mixture, to zest it up. A side of mashed avocado, with very fluffy scrambled eggs.
After, I felt as beaten and scrambled as the eggs.
I retreated into dim and cool, to watch the latest episode (#8 "The Great Spirit") of Longmire. I'm liking that show more every week. It has murder plots that emerge plausibly from its fictional Wyoming county of Absaroka, replete with a Cheyenne reservation, mountains, plains, ranches, farms, forests and even a town (shot in equally spectacular New Mexico). This week's the background was illicet rodeo, Corporate Agriculture and migrant labor.
The series' photography in this episode is particularly is notable, as it should be, for a show located in the spectacular landscapes of the Far West. The opening scenes glowed with the Rubens or Van Dyke golden richness and occasional swatch of bright color. The camera's creative angles and positions match the color palette, remaining restrained though, rather than splashy. The camera refuses drawing attention to itself, while leading our eyes to what it is showing us.
The characters of Sheriff Walt Longmire and his old friend, Henry Standing Bear, get fuller, more interesting -- and more mysterious -- as the series continues. it's an unusual relationship, and a most attractive one. Which brings me to some critical observations.
This episode, the deputy, female Vic from Philly -- her big scene consisted of impersonating sexed up girly to seduce information out of some fellow. It's really too bad the writers resorted to that kind of lazy writing. Nor does this fit Vic's methods during the past season and a half of Longmire. That the fellow is Mexican makes this scene even more problematic.
In this latest episode it is revealed that aging Walt is as good a cowboy as any of 'em, as he lassos an out-of-control, spooked horse. That was fine, except Walt isn't smart enough to lasso at some point where he can snub the rope so he doesn't get dragged like that dead man through the cactus? What really wasn't fine is that horse was supposed to be an unbroken mustang. So how did the saddle and bridle get on her? Why can she be halter - bridle led? No farckin' way was that horse's behavior that of a feral. Then we get a sentimental animal moment: Walt turns the horse out to her freedom. The horse returns to him. Sheriff Walt Longmire -- the Man! We know that, fer pete's sake!. The entire series exists for us to know that!
Come on Longmire writers: don't ruin this very good thing you are doing, OK?
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