Longmire 5.08: “Stand Your Ground” Episode Review

I’m fairly certain we all knew Cady Longmire (Cassidy Freeman) would be safe after her close quarters duel with J.P. Wright. She acted in self-defense, protecting herself and J.P.’s abused wife Asha. Kevin Morris (Currie Graham), Jacob Nighthorse’s (A Martinez) lawyer, begins providing legal counsel to Cady and lets her know she stood her ground under Wyoming law—it doesn’t matter that it happened on the reservation. 

Asha becomes unstable when she finds J.P. has died in surgery—she’s restrained when she forcibly attacks Cady, blaming her for his death and wanting nothing more to do with her. Some bittersweet comfort: Cady killing a white man has profound impact on her business as she’s flooded with clientele, and Morris is proved right when all charges are dropped. 

Jacob Nighthorse (A Martinez) has problems of his own, calling Walt (Robert Taylor) for protection when he finds casino chips leading away from his home to a clearing where a flag is staked down with an IRA slogan that reads “Tiocfaidh ar la” (Our day will come). Walt, at first, thinks the businessman has staged it for show to prove he’s severing ties with the Irish mob. Nighthorse seems convincing, though, when he intones, “I want to stay alive.”

Playing it safe, Walt hires Eamonn O’Neill (least he could do since he was responsible for the deputy’s termination from Cumberland) to pull security at Nighthorse’s estate, but then changes his mind, believing it’s all a cover by Nighthorse (gotta say, Walt, your hatred for the man does blind you). While Walt and Nighthorse are arguing, a sniper begins shooting at them, wounding Eamonn (Josh Cooke) in the leg.

In the Season 4 finale, Walt lamented, “Do you ever feel you’ve created more evil than you’ve stopped?” I’m beginning to think the question has been answered, kinda sorta. Not evil per se, but compounding troubles seems to be what the sheriff is very good at.

He goes to Vic, explaining why he is providing protection for Nighthorse, “I may be, uh, kind of responsible for the threat on his life.” The passive aggressive inner child of mine shouts, “ya think?!” Walt says the depositions got to him, confessing he may have gone too far.

Vic and Ferg (Adam Bartley) are tasked with checking airlines, reservations, wherever they can find new visitors coming in from Boston. Ferg states the obvious, “You do realize the whole ‘needle in a haystack’ absurdity of all this don’t you?” Apparently not, though, because both deputies, late at night, begin tracking down visitors at convenience stores and at fast food drive-thru’s, snapping photos of potential hit men.

It all pays off, unbelievably I may add, when a connection is made between Shane Muldoon (Dylan Walsh), head of the mob, and Jacob Nighthorse. Though, it’s not that crystal clear when Malachi (Graham Greene) persuades Walt to meet in a secluded area to give him ALL the evidence he needs against Nighthorse.

But Malachi doesn’t make that rendezvous because Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) has found the other ledger that details Malachi’s illegal dealings with Manifest Destinations, the front for the mafia. He hands it over to Nighthorse who, along with Henry, abduct Malachi and banish him from their land. Nighthorse takes a knife to Malachi’s face cutting his cheek. Henry gets Malachi to sign The Red Pony back over to him and the scene ends with the disgraced Malachi yelling, “Who owns you now, Hank?” Have we seen the last of Malachi—I wouldn’t bet on it.

ALSO: 

  • Cady’s “I wanted to count on you” to her father was heartbreaking. His response, I thought, was ludicrous considering everything his daughter has been through. Did he have to be right in that moment?
  • A fairly dark episode has some very funny moments: like Vic, who believes she’s pregnant (looks like Eamonn is in for a surprise), discretely asking for a pregnancy test from the way-too-vociferous clerk and Mathias telling Henry that because the bounty on Hector’s head is now $20,000 he might start thinking about killing Henry/Hector himself.

See also: Longmire 5.07: “From This Day Forward” Episode Review

 


David Cranmer is the publisher and editor of BEAT to a PULP. Latest books from this indie powerhouse include the alternate history novella Leviathan and sci-fi adventure Pale Mars. David lives in New York with his wife and daughter.

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    Charles also took part in an exchange trip to a school in the Australian outback in 1966. He said it was “rigorous” and tougher than Gordonstoun, but he loved it.

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