The most incredible character arc delivered by a great actor.

Bailey Chase plays Branch Connally in the Netflix series Longmire. He delivers an epic performance, bringing to life a conflicted and contrarian character. Directors and Producers, take a look. Bailey is not your typical pre-packaged, shrink-wrapped commodity actor. He is ...the ultimate performer. Have a look at Branch Connally, Absaroka County's noble deputy:

A Character Profile of Branch Connally

Meet Deputy Branch Connally. He’s the proverbial fly in the ointment, pain in your (back) side, bitter in your beer. He is contrarian, defiant, abrasive…..and misunderstood. Historically, he was known by his peers as the quarterback, a respectable and prominent person of power and control, a pivotal and influential figure.

Everybody is so quick to hate Branch and summarily dismiss him as a mere nuisance in the Sheriff’s Office. He is tolerated by a few, and liked by even fewer. The boy gets no respect. His lady-friend, Cady, once characterized him as this, “in the world of drunken mistakes, that one was not so bad.” This is a strobe-light relationship, on then off again. It often seems as though the boy is freeze-dried and packed away until he is needed. At such time, Cady throws him onto the kitchen counter to thaw out for use in a crisis.

There is so much more we don’t know about our Deputy Branch than has been revealed. What motivates Branch? Why law enforcement? What are his aspirations and how does his role as Deputy advance his goals? Was he inspired by his Uncle Lucien? Does he aspire to greater things, the Sheriff’s Office, for noble reasons? Maybe, he has a sense of entitlement. Maybe he needs to validate himself in front of his peers, but most importantly, in front of his father, Barlow.

Branch has a complicated existence, being the contrarian warrior that he is. Back at the Sheriff’s Office, he really has no friends. Need I remind you about the incident with the Ferg and the broken deer head? Vic overtly competes with him. Ruby tolerates him. And Henry Standing Bear, maybe we should not go there just yet. But Walt, he is bigger than all of us. He is tolerant, patient, and wise. He sees something that either we don’t see, or are slow and unwilling to acknowledge.

Branch is a great character. He is unscripted In the Longmire novel series. So, Branch is unchartered territory and presents unlimited possibilities and interactions within the confines of the television series. Branch could have other family members or characters from his past that are yet unknown to the audience. This leaves a wide-open door for future character interactions, good or bad, that can advance or impair Branch’s image, relationships, or his very existence.

We know, during the election, that Branch had few confidants and friends. He could not go to his family to promote his campaign. So, he made an unsavory deal with the devil, Jacob Nighthorse. Does he have any other similar outstanding obligations from his past that will come back to haunt him? Or, was this an impulsive, but regrettable act?

Now let’s take a step back and look at what we do know about Branch. To paraphrase a statement, you are judged more by your behavior and actions than by your beliefs and statements. This is true. What is certain is that Branch is extremely loyal, and to no end. He is a man of principle and conviction and risks his career, reputation, and life to defend those whom he loves. He is dignified, although some would call him indignant. He is magnanimous and unwavering. Come to think of it, Branch is a lot like Walt!