tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939909775405220345.post1806153799676300904..comments2024-03-01T10:16:11.283-08:00Comments on AmericanStudies: November 23, 2015: Cultural Thanks-givings: LongmireAmericanStudierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483077716534996778noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939909775405220345.post-8442428944201752902015-11-27T06:22:46.992-08:002015-11-27T06:22:46.992-08:00Thanks so much for the comment and good thoughts, ...Thanks so much for the comment and good thoughts, Nomi! I very much agree and appreciate your adding these elements in the conversation.<br /><br />BenAmericanStudierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06483077716534996778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939909775405220345.post-71719910326148247242015-11-24T00:43:50.062-08:002015-11-24T00:43:50.062-08:00I don't know about entirely new under the sun,...I don't know about entirely new under the sun, or even if that's a valid criteria, or what it really means. But I'd like to add this to your good observations about Longmire: Longmire is unafraid to be earnest; it's unafraid to have actual heroes, as opposed to the anti-heroes that populate the so-called prestige shows (as great as they are). It's not that it doesn't depict real tragedy, heck no. But it does not get mired in the kind of cynical ironic self-consciously sophisticated artful posturing that many of the legitimately highly praised current and recent critically acclaimed shows do. And that is incredibly refreshing! It's a thrill for me. It's a thrill that it does all this without getting stuck in cliches or safe formulas. There are traditional elements, obviously. But traditional doesn't mean tired or boring. That they do this AND depict the reality of the Cheyenne people with such phenomenal complexity, gives Longmire something that I've never television begin to approach.<br /><br />For me, tho, the simple fact that the namesake of the show has been in grief over the loss of his wife for YEARS, not the usual DAYS we see depicted in movies/tv -- the fact that they were unafraid to show us what REAL grief looks like, that won me over practically by itself. For me, that was a sign that this was a show that would not shy away from the heart and the kinds of love relationships that many writers seem to think are not interesting. Nomi Lubinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07662026175506202868noreply@blogger.com