Tensions run high and loyalties are tested in Longmire's fifth season. Not only does this new run of 10 episodes pick things up moments after we left off in Season 4 -- dealing with the chaotic aftermath of both Walt and Dr. Donna getting shot at in his own home -- but the season as a whole gives us our most flawed and stubborn Walt Longmire to date as a stockpile of stressers work to splinter our hero even further from his friends and family.

Longmire: Season 5 Photos 21 IMAGES

Despite being wrong about Jacob Nighthorse playing a role in his wife's murder, Walt still carries a substantial bias toward the man and the strength of this new season lies in showing us just how wrong Walt can be and how his hardline stance regarding Nighthorse can act as a destructive, unshakable burden. In most matters, despite his duty to uphold the law, Walt carries a majestic quiet empathy that helps texture him as something other than a bitter old cowboy.This year, however, thanks to a prying investigation into Barlow Connally's murder, a heroin operation invading his county, and the return of Hector-signed vigilantism, Walt starts to crumble and crack a bit - becoming more and more like the caricature his enemies see. So can Walt set himself straight before those who seek his destruction triumph in their efforts? Can he unbury himself before it's too late? That's the tense through-line here and it works to create the show's most character-driven season to date.There's always a question with a rescued show like Longmire where you wonder if Netflix picked up the series -- and saved it from cancelation -- essentially so they could properly end it, as was the case with The Killing. The reasoning is that Netflix, by providing closure to a series they already have the previous seasons of, can now offer their customers a complete story, without investing too much in the longterm in an already-established series. With Longmire, A&E left us with a cliffhanger and so the presumption was that Netflix was indeed going to provide closure. But now it's clear, especially with Season 5, that this show is meant to thrive and breathe, not shut down. I won't go into the final act of Season 5 here, but this is not a tale that's necessarily winding down.Longmire does tend to overuse the gunshot "who died?" cliffhanger a bit - given the endings of both Season 3 and 4, and the ending of a specific episode this year - and sometimes things can get frustrating when arcs and threads don't wrap up in a satisfying way. But I think some of that feeling comes from being trained by the series early on to expect "the end." There are still episodic mysteries and actual police cases this season, with resolutions, but fewer. The show is leaning way more towards full serialization now and lack of closure is part of this process.There's also a ton of world building/maintaining going on as familiar characters, even ones you haven't seen for a few years, return to help color the landscape and provide a rich tapestry for the series. From Travis (Derek Phillips) to Eamonn (Josh Cooke) to Omar (Louis Herthum), to some others I won't give away here, peripheral characters help ground the stories and raise the stakes as you begin to realize all that Walt stands to lose. In this regard, A Martinez's Nighthorse and Zahn McClarnon's Mathias have an elevated presence this year as Walt's friends and family begin to see these two "shady" Cheyenne characters in a different light - a move that Walt takes offense to.The performances, and pacing, are -- as you'd expect -- superb. Though I will say that I'm not the biggest fan of episodes, due to Netflix's lack of time restraints, lasting ten or twenty minutes longer than they probably should. That aside, Robert Taylor does his finest work this year as the continually humbled sheriff while the supporting cast -- including Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Cassidy Freeman -- dazzle in their own complex, unique arcs.