Wow! This show is starting to make The Sopranos look like Touched by an Angel.
The contrast in tones was amazing between the pitch darkness of Walcott slashing prostututes like Jack the Ripper and the shocking hilarity of a man fucking a horse. I’m still trying to process both of those scenes.
As depraved and disturbing as Walcott is - and he is nothing less than a 19th century Ted Bundy - I’m almost even more amazed that Tolliver is able to go to that place with him, and help him and not be freaked out of his skull by it. We knew Tolliver was a sociopath in his own right, and I know he was doing it for money, but still…he was so calm about it. He was just as cold as Walcott. Man, that was some dark stuff. I can only hope the show has some kind of very appropriate and satisfying justice lined up for Walcott.
The secondary storylines were really overshadowed by that last 20 minutes tonight. Some more amusing moments with “Swedgen” and Wu…and did Trixie call Bullock, “the cum’s true author?” That has got to become my new word for biolgical father…the cum’s true author…this show is better than Shakespeare.
What I find a tad bit startling this that Al seems to feel some amount of emotional attachment to (some) of his underlings. I’d thought him far colder and harder than that, yet tonight he seemed to display actual warmth to Johnny.
I don’t know where to start. Hell, they packed an entire season into one fucking episode.
I guess I’m still processing everything that happened tonight, because I’m hung up on the Miss Isringhausen storyline (which is almost tertiary given everything else that happened tonight). I’ve been thinking that she was also working for George Hearst, without Walcott’s knowledge. But maybe it’s Alma’s father? He’s got to be totally pissed off but he doesn’t have the money to pay Ms. I and the bribe. Maybe he’s working with her husband’s (I can’t remember his name) parents? Obviously, Al knows she’s full of shit because he knows Alma’s off the laudanum.
The idea of Ellsworth hitched to Alma is simply hilarious.
Why does Trixie hate Bullock so much?
Where did Joanie go? The Gem, the Bella Union, Charlie?
I think Hostetler (that’s the livery stable guy, right?) did not like the idea of somebody messing about in the stable; besides, he probably appreciates Bullock’s rescue of the NG.
Talk about cold-blooded; who’s worse, Tolliver or Miss Isringhausen? On the latter, who would have the motive to do Alma wrong? It’s got to be either her father or her dear departed husband’s family, who did have money – that’s why she married him, after all. I can’t imagine why Hearst would care a fig about Alma.
Trixie might hate Seth because Seth’s blabbing to Al about her being with Sol led to Sol’s humiliation last season, when Al made Sol pay for Trixie’s time. She’s also upset with him because of the fight, when Sol got shot defending Seth. And because he’s a hypocrite.
Trixie continues to confuse me. If she hates Bullock so much, why is she so concerned about Alma’s pregnancy? When she talked to Ellsworth, she said he should do the right thing so Martha and William wouldn’t be humiliated. Why would she care? An unwed pregnant Alma shames Seth more than anyone.
She’s a complex character, maybe even more complicated than the rest of them.
I was so sure MissIzzy was acting independently, throwing herself on Silas’s, um, mercy, so she could stay in Deadwood, maybe cause some trouble for Alma, as revenge for firing her.
I’m glad she turned out to be an agent though. I hope she and Al can come to some agreement, because I’d like her to stick around. The Pinkertons can’t be paying her as much as Al could. I don’t think $50,000 means much to Al, but he won’t want to kill a Pinkerton agent, so he’ll have to find another solution to that problem.
No riverboats in Deadwood, but I’m sure they can find something for her to do.
So which one dumped on Merrick’s equipment? Con or Leon? (eww)
Alma has the motherlode claim in Deadwood–that’s probably well known since she’s been sending wagons of gold to Denver. If she could be taken out of the picture, perhaps someone else (who has the county commissioner in his pocket) could step in and take the claim. Can you inherit an estate if you murdered the person you inherited from?
Believe me, I don’t have it figured out–her father seeking revenge makes sense to me, but her husband’s people doing something like this doesn’t make sense to me–it seems like they’d use lawyers to take her money, rather than using a fake tutor to get her arrested and tried for murder. At the same time, if it is Hearst backing Miss I, I’d think he’d have better intelligence on what went down with Alma’s husband and Al’s role in that.
Yes, I think that’s Trixie’s reason for hating Seth. Although I don’t think he’s a hypocrite. She may hate Seth, but she got to know Alma and helped her kick the dope habit. She doesn’t want the innocent wife and child to suffer for Seth’s sins.
I loved how Trixie got to see Al first. “Anybody ELSE suck his dick?”
MissIzzy’s info about Alma was wrong, so maybe we can tell who employed her by asking who knew Alma was addicted to laudanum. Not the Garretts, because even Brom accepted that she took it for headaches.
Hearst has money, but even with Alma dead, he doesn’t get her claim.
That leaves Daddy Russell, who has no money to pay an agent, unless Alma’s dead. He’d inherit, wouldn’t he? As next of kin?
But why would Daddy Russell want to involve Al? Because he’s the likeliest person to be her accomplice?
What’s up with the gesture she made to E.B. on her way out of Al’s office? Poor E.B. Everybody’s gonna think he really sucked up to Al. Bwaahaaahahahahha.
Hearst could be planning to blackmail Al and Alma in exchange for Alma giving up her gold claim and Al leaving town, or not fighting Hearst’s attempt to take control.
I’m beginning to think that Trixie takes the side of anybody who’s paid her attention or attributed any non-monetary value to her. Al certainly does (or did), Sol, Alma, even Jane. Bullock has no tolerance for her, so he’s the enemy. So’s everyone else in the camp who hasn’t given her a bit of actual affection or respect.
Trixie’s messed up. Not beyond hope, but well beyond normality.
Wolcott refers to the Celestial prostitutes as part of the second phase. Here I thought it was just an additional revenue stream, but now it seems like he’s saying it’s a big part. As big a part as the buying of the claims. ???
The only thing I can think of is that it’s part of a plan to take out Al’s power base. Use the opium to flood the market, taking Wu out of the picture. Use the cheap pussy to take the Gem saloon out of the picture. Notice how empty the Gem has been lately.
Isringhausen. Cant see Alma father bankrolling her. He’s the type of guy who couldn’t keep two pennies to rub together
Have to assume it’s Hearst backing Miss Izzy, because I don’t believe in coincidences. Also Alma’s in-laws might hold ill will towards her, but they are probably very much like her former husband, not used to how things work in the Wild West. They can probably snub you real bad with party invitations, but they don’t seem the type to ‘slice nuts’ in a knife fight.
I think Hostetler was going to kill “Mike Roberts” (cant remember his name) out of guilt that he didn’t stand up for the NG. I think that is why the NG was telling him that it was okay. The NG thought that Hostetler was trying to set things right.
Interesting love triangle between Trixie, Sol and Al. That can’t end well
Silas better watch out. That pussy is trouble, he know it’s trouble, but can’t seem to walk away.
I felt bad for Merrik. There he is making nice with the new teacher and Whammo!
I’m not convinced Trixie relly likes Seth. The way she was talking to Al made it sound like it’s all an act. She out in town more gathering intelligence for Al. Yes, many many layers there.
What the hell was Maddie (that was borg-queen’s name right?) thinking when she pulled the gun on Wolcott. He just cut the throats of two girls like pigs and now she pulls this itty bitty gun and demands an open ended payment plan. That was too much too soon. I’d have thought she would be a better blackmailer than that.
I read somewhere about another actor who worked with Tom Fontana in the past saying he’s going to be in the last episode. There is a big Wedding to close the season. Who’s it going to be?
They might not do anything personally, but they’re certainly the type to have the Pinkertons do it for them. I mean, the threat of bringing them in is what really got the husband killed. Al wasn’t concerned about him until he said he would call them in. My money’s still on the combo of her father & his parents. Still seems directed a lot more at Alma than Al. Seemed like they wanted him out of the way so she could take all the blame. Which as I recall was pretty much exactly what her father said he would go back & do.
Because of the way he posted the notice. They figured he’s put it in the paper somewhere, maybe bury it a little. Enough to cause concern but not get everyone worked up. Instead he posted it as a stand-alone and gave them the commissioner to take all the blame. And was out there clarifying what it really meant, getting them more pissed.
My take on it anyway.
I remember thinking (and posting) that as soon as Mr. W appeared on the scene I thought of Jack the Ripper. I’ll be off to Hollywood now to write scripts.
I’m amazed at the amount of information that can be conveyed with hand gestures and the word “cocksucker.”
Did anyone see Ian McShane on with Bill Maher Friday night? Bill said his hope was for Ian to call him a cocksucker by the end of the show. (And he did.)
What the hell was Maddie (that was borg-queen’s name right?) thinking when she pulled the gun on Wolcott. He just cut the throats of two girls like pigs and now she pulls this itty bitty gun and demands an open ended payment plan. That was too much too soon. I’d have thought she would be a better blackmailer than that.
[QUOTE]
In those days before anesthesia, antisepsis, and antibiotics people were quite justifiably afraid of firearms that by today’s standards aren’t very impressive ballistically. Her gun was a Remington Model 95 derringer that fired a .41 caliber rimfire cartridge. The cartidge launched its outside-lubricated 200 grain lead bullet 454 fps. Hardly what one would call a real sizzler. Even so, getting gutshot with one would lead to a horrible, protracted death by gas gangrene. a wound anywhere else would require having the bullet dug out sans anesthetic and quite likely result in a nasty, potentially fatal infection. All in all, folks back then naturally had a healthy respect for guns that we would consider pretty feeble. She wasn’t being unreasonable thinking that she could overawe him with that little gun.
To give you some idea what the weapons of the day were like, consider that Wild Bill Hickock was known to favor .36 caliber Navy Colt pistols. These compare about equally in terms of energy to the .32 acp cartidge. The .32 is today considered a round suitable only for tiny “pocket pistols” and most gun enthusiasts would tell you it is too puny to be depended on to protect your life. Of course, Wild Bill killed a number of men and was not a fellow you would want to have shooting at you, underpowered pistols or not.
