Longmire season 6 premiere week: The power of Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry Standing Bear
The importance of Henry is clear from the moment you watch the show: He’s Walt Longmire’s best friend and one of the main social connections he has outside of the Sheriff’s Office. We’ve long said that exploring this friendship is one of the show’s most positive attributes since there are very few male friendships like this (with so many highs and lows) that are showcased on TV. Not only are these two men friends, but they’re also family.
What Henry represents extends far beyond just Longmire — he may be one of the most noteworthy Native American characters on television in the past decade. While maybe not every person out there can relate to him becoming Hector the Vigilante, there are probably many who relate to his struggle, his sense of honor, and him feeling as though he has to always look over his shoulder. You feel for Henry — you know that his heart is in the right place, and you hate at times that circumstances have forced him to go down a very dangerous path.
Lou Diamond Phillips plays this man as a pensive, determined figure — he often has a lot to lose, but he isn’t afraid to lose it for the sake of what’s right. You relish in Henry’s heroics and wallow in his hardships. It feels authentic and refreshingly salt-of-the-earth in contrast to many other TV drama characters who choose to follow along a similar road. This is why we love this character as much as we do.
When season 6 picks up on Friday, the writers do have their work cut out for them in trying to craft the best narrative possible for Henry. They need to figure out a way to give him a fitting end while also resolving his current status. Because of Malachi Strand his life is on the line — you want to be able to see Henry recover from this, but simultaneously you also don’t want him to be in a situation where he forgets about it either. There needs to be some physical and emotional scarring that serves as a jumping-off point for the remainder of the season. Beyond that, we hope that Henry and Walt are able to resolve their recent differences and that their friendship becomes stronger again as we near the end of the season.
Excited to see Henry on Longmire season 6, and what is your favorite moment from him so far? Share in the comments!
Also, be sure to like us on Facebook to secure some more news regarding Longmire as well as some others we cover. (Photo: Netflix.)