Why So Blu?

The Show  

Longmire is a television show that airs on A&E that I had no idea existed until I was sent the PR review to see if I was interested in reviewing the set for the WSB. I paused and decided to watch the previews for the show and I thought why not? It looked like Justified by way of Wyoming instead of Kentucky. It also had some familiar folks like Katee Sackhoff and Lou Diamond Phillips. I was not familiar with the lead actor playing Walter Longmire (Robert Taylor) until I did some digging and saw that he played Agent Jones in the first Matrix film. I was like whaaaaaaat?! He’s Australian to boot, too. Well, I set up some time this past week and proceeded to devour the first two seasons of the show on Blu-ray and this is what happened.

Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) is the grizzled stoic Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, and is trying to put the pieces back together after the death of his wife just one year earlier. He is aided and comforted by those closest to him like his daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman) and his best friend Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips). His newest deputy is Vic (Katee Sackhoff), and his rival deputy (rival in the sense of him running against Walt for the title of Sheriff) Branch (Bailey Chase) is also there for the ride. Differences aside, everyone likes and respects Walt. The main arc of season one is Walt handling the a few standalone cases while seeds of possible deception and Indian rules creep in here and there. Season 2 goes into full blast with Walt and Branch going up against each other in a heated race for Sheriff of Absaroka County along with damning new information on the case of Walt’s wife. To say that it hits the fan would be an understatement.

As I said before I had no clue to what Longmire was let alone what it was about and how it would be played. Well, I was immediately hooked by episode one. Walt may have this tough-like exterior but behind the man is a sensitive, empathetic soul who is just trying to do well by being the best Sheriff he can be. He has to continue enforcing the law even after the death of his wife and to remain partial to circumstance. There was one scene that really brought it home for me and that was in the pilot episode where he has to inform a woman that her husband is dead. The way he breaks the news to her heart wrenching in that you FEEL what Walt is going through just by the ooh in his eyes. You even see a tear fall from Walt’s eye on his boot and it is made abundantly clear that Walt Longmire isn’t your usual Sheriff.

Longmire also has a very strong supporting cast led by Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry Standing Bear. He’s terrific as Walt’s best friend and commandant. Walt can talk to him about anything and at time his connection to Henry leads Walt to investigate cases on the reservation where he’s not quite welcome. The rules of engagement are quite different here in that Walt is forbidden from enfacing the law on Indian land. This can complicate things when Walt has to investigate crimes occurring on said land, because he is out of his jurisdiction. Katee Sackhoff as Walt’s newest deputy is a welcomed addition to the whole series, because she’s an ass kicker. She’s got great presence and is wonderfully written. You do not want to mess with Vic!

If you really need to compare Longmire to something I would strongly suggest not to, because it cannot be categorized that easily. It is a western-type of show but it’s mixed in with some noir influences along with some old fashioned detective flourishes. Walt also really isn’t the type of guy who cracks wise or comes back with snappy things to say once a case has been solved. It’s not that kind of show. In fact, I’d say that the supporting characters are usually the ones who crack wise while Walt looks on intensely. The release of seasons 1 & 2 of Longmire on Blu-ray coincide with the airing of the brand new third season this past week. It’s also the first time seasons 1 & 2 are presented on the Blu-ray format. The first season of the DVD was released a year ago and the second season was released a few weeks ago. I’m glad that the studio decided to release BOTH seasons on Blu-ray.

In closing out this review I would say that Longmire is one of the best and most entertaining shows on television right now and this set is a total blast. Keep your eyes peeled for Peter Weller who has an important role to play in the show (along with directing a couple of episodes) and Charles S. Dutton who wants to talk to Walt about the death of his wife. How does the Blu-ray set stack up? Keep reading to find out! I am also glad that the studio decided to extend the second season to 13-episodes. The first season was only 10. We’ve listed the episodes below.

Season 1

Pilot

The Dark Road

A Damn Shame

The Cancer

Dog Soldier

The Worst Kind of hunter

8 Seconds

An Incredibly Beautiful Thing

Dogs, Horses and Indians

Unfinished Business

Season 2

Unquiet Mind

Carcasses

Death Came in Like Thunder

The Road to Hell

Party’s Over

Tell It Slant

Sound and Fury

The Great Spirit

Tuscan Red

Election Day

Natural Order

A Good Death Is Hard to Find

Bad Medicine

Video

Encoding: AVC MPEG-4

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Clarity/Detail: I will start out by saying that softness creeps in here and there, which is why I cannot give the Blu-ray set a perfect score. Outside of that the sharpness and contrast levels are exquisite. Boosting was not used in post to give it that “stylistic” effect prone to shows nowadays.

Depth: Longmire takes place outdoors and indoors on a 50/50 and this translates very well in terms of the transfer. The interiors are low-lit for the most part and bring out the warmth of Wyoming. Likewise, the outdoor scenes are gorgeous and it’s an outstanding testament to the transfer of this Blu-ray set.

Black Levels: Black levels are great and crush was never a problem.

Color Reproduction: The color palette is extremely bold and dynamic. Banding and pixilation were absent. You can literally eat off of the colors here.

Flesh Tones: Everyone was rocking natural reds and olives (a make-up reference) and no one looked sickly or ghastly unless the scenario called for it.

Noise/Artifacts: Noise and artifacts were nowhere to be found on this exquisite Blu-ray presentation.

Audio  

Audio Format(s): DTS-HD MA 5.1 (Extras are presented in DTS-HD MA 2.0)

Subtitles: English SDH

Dynamics: Both seasons of Longmire are intense and are filled with many instances of action and violence. The lossless audio track on this Blu-ray set is magnificent. You will be thrown into the Wyoming wilderness or the Indian reservation at a moment’s notice and you will be there. Longmire on Blu-ray is one of the better sounding television shows to hit the high-def format in recent memory…at least from the series’ of shows that I’ve reviewed. This is a reference track!

Low Frequency Extension: Wildlife, shotguns, and buckshot all get in on the LFE antics and it feels great! It shakes the room appositely.

Surround Sound Presentation: The ambience is great as the rear channels pick up on all the wildlife the great outdoors have to offer.

Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue levels are sublime. Walt tends to speak in a more hushed tone but there’s no need to turn up the volume to hear him speak, or anyone else for that matter, because the center channel reproduces those sound levels quite nicely.

Extras 

Since this set contains the full first and second seasons in the same package the extras have been spread out through their respective seasons. There are several featurettes discussing the making of the show along with some extended episodes and such. Funny enough the featurettes included in this set are not superfluous or self congratulatory. They’re deep, fun, and I had a great time delving into the world of Longmire.

• The Camera’s Eye: Realizing the World of Longmire Featurette  (HD, 18:55) – My favorite of the featurettes included on this set as it discusses the production aspect of what was don ego fully realize the world of Longmire. It focuses on the cinematography, production design, locations, etc. Most will be shocked that Longmire takes place in Wyoming while being entirely shot in New Mexico. Mind blown.
• Longmire’s Justice: Exploring the Cowboy Detective Featurette (HD, 28:59) – Producers and cast sit down and talk about the world of Longmire and makes it tick. Most will be surprise to see that Robert Taylor is Australian – he can do an American accent PERFECTLY! The rest of the cast and crew shed light on Longmire’s production and their characters. This one is a winner, folks.
• Extended Episodes of The Sound and Fury and & Election Day with Intros by the Producers (HD, 52:50 & 55:40, respectively) – These extended episodes are season 2 episodes and feature introductions by the producers. They explain why the extra footage was cut, which was usually for pacing reasons, but watching The Sound and Fury episode is a treat due to it being modeled after Blood Simple and Red Rock West. It’s total western-noir. Both of these extended episodes are presented in HD, with DTS-HD MA 2.0 sound.
• Testing Courage: The Storm Defines the Man Featurette (HD, 30:00) – This featurette focuses more on everyone’s character-story arcs as they really get deeper and deeper into certain mysteries that need solving in season 2. Don’t let the title of the featurette fool you – it encompasses everyone even the female characters. It’s a very thoughtful piece and everyone involved seems gelled as to what they need to do as actors to bring this chaotic world to life.

Summary  

Who am I foolin’ trying to average these scores out? Longmire: Seasons 1 & 2 are a definite must in anyone’s collection. The show is stellar and the Blu-ray package is epic. The Blu-ray set has near-reference video and a reference audio track. Going even further on the extras, we get some nice ones, that don’t insult the viewers intelligence along with them being presented in lossless stereo. The makers seriously went all out on this set. It’s of both style and substance and that combination is always a winner in my book. I am looking forward to season 3!

Order Longmire: Season 1 & 2 on Blu-ray!