Since “Hap and Leonard” establishes the intensity of their brotherhood, it can take the audience into uncomfortable places and make broader topics of prejudice and injustice personal.

In the season premiere he beats a criminal senseless for urinating on his prized rosebush, topping off the incident by repaying the offense in kind.) Mind you, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine fit the popular concept of what it means to be masculine. Grounding “Hap and Leonard” in a devoted, affectionate male friendship goes counter to the standard vision of machismo or manly identity seen elsewhere on TV. Williams) and Hap Collins (James Purefoy) Look behind the curtain of its murder mystery, which careens through turns that are at once predictable and obscenely unfair, and see Sundance’s “Hap and Leonard” for what it is - a wonderful platonic love story. Strip away the so-called “ swamp noir,” a label describing the East Texas twang born of a meeting between arid and sultry. Melanie Mcfarland at SALON discusses the series in “Me and you ain’t you and her”: How “Hap and Leonard” challenges TV’s portrayal of masculine friendship.

She may laugh off Leonard pissing in drug dealer Melton’s face (as does much of the neighborhood), but she won’t suffer raunchy talk at her breakfast table. Hall’s elderly matriarch MeMaw is a real scene-stealer. There are some genuinely funny moments between Hap and Leonard, but Irma P. What matters is that Purefoy and Williams continue to work so well together.Ĭrime shows like Hap and Leonard may truck in violence, but a lot of their success also resides in humorous beats. And while I may be missing Christina Hendricks, this episode certainly doesn’t suffer from her absence. I’m expecting more of the same this time around. Six episodes may not seem like enough, but the first season covered a lot of ground in only six hours. Zapanta enjoys the first episode of SundanceTV’s HAP AND LEONARD: MUCHO MOJO.

Hap and leonard mucho mojo