‘Longmire’ season 5, episode 5 review: Did a key character die?

“Longmire” loves its cliffhangers! We saw that at the end of season 4, and at the midway point of season 5, we saw that yet again. Note that we cannot speak for anything that comes after this episode, and nor would we want to — we want to review this as if it’s a show where you have to wait a week to see the next new episode come on the air.

The end of this episode was certainly a doozy, given that there is no legitimate way we see The Ferg surviving all of those bullets that came flying at him. we don’t quite blame Walt for not anticipating that a whole slew of armed men would be ready and waiting for Eddie, the man who Walt arrested after an arrangement orchestrated for that very purpose. We don’t even blame Walt for not going himself, given that it wouldn’t have made a difference.

Could we question the Sheriff’s Department for not thinking this is possible? Maybe, but they’re not in New York City; this is Wyoming! They’re not used to this sort of stuff happening there. That’s in part what made it so shocking, and what could make it a really sad end for The Ferg if he is in fact dead — and at the same time that he was starting to fall in love.

Eddie’s escape comes at a perilous time given everything else going on Walt’s life. He just managed to get Billy into rehab with Donna’s help, but he also still has that lawsuit hanging over his head. Meanwhile, he’s still missing that his good friend Henry is actually Hector, which is probably the weakest thing going on the show right now since he’s of the right height and cares about people on the reservation. He also knows that Henry has been known to bend the law. Maybe Walt’s too close to see it, and who knows? Maybe in his situation, we’d do the same thing. Walt instead targeted Mathias for some time until a clever plan threw him in another direction.

Our hope is that Eddie and the rest of his gang will stick around for several episodes to come, given that they’re not only capable villains, but they’re roping in Malachi, the casino, and many other characters and places. This is the sort of unity the show needs, and while we hope The Ferg’s alive, his death would make for a pivotal moment and a game-changer for the show. Grade: A-.

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