now, there’s an image! 
Speaking of opera, and considering that many people have said the series is Shakespearean, does it seem to anyone else that E.B. is the ‘Chorus’?
I’ve noticed that too. Even though E.B. is still the titular mayor of the camp, no one seems to pay much attention to E.B. anymore (as was especially noted in the “E.B. Was Left Out” episode a few weeks back). This leaves him in the role of the outsider who knows a little of the inner workings of the camp, but not nearly enough to much profit by any of it. He’s also only has himself to talk to. Thankfully for his own sake he has Richardson to feel superior to.
Remember that as much as E.B. is the titular mayor, Bullock is the titular sheriff. I don’t think either man has any official government sanction to enforce the laws or adminster the camp.
That’s not quite true. While Deadwood may not have an official government or laws, Seth is the sheriff in most senses of the word. While some in the camp may not like it, most of the camp respects him as the law. Those who don’t like it, for the most part, have to respect him becuase he has guns, muscle and money backing him up. He also has a jail. Clearly there are limits to his power though. Someone like Cy is clearly above Seth’s law, as he has greater muscle, guns and money.
E.B. has nothing other than his title.
But Bullock is just a de facto sheriff.
That’s why I’m getting at.
Sometimes I even use the word “why” in place of “what”. Sheesh.
I wouldn’t go that far. Would give him more of a run for his money, maybe. One of the valuable things about Seth’s “getting his hat back” showdown with Swearingen was that it showed just how important it is to have allies backing you up (and Seth has them), whoever they might be. On the show in general, the strong have factions for support, while the weak or bit players (like EB) do not.
Sure. I’m probably quibbling about language too much. Seth is certainly a de facto sherrif. He’s more than titular though. Titular. Titular. Titular. It’s a good word. Fun to use.
I was thinking about last week’s showdown at the Bella Union between Seth and Charlie and Cy and Wolcott. It was made pretty clear that inside or outside of Cy’s joint, he had enough guns backing him that men with badges didn’t hold much sway.
In reference to the formality the Bullocks use with each other, what I also found interesting is that neither of them seemed to have any clue how to speak to William like a modern parent would. In fact, Mrs. Bullock looked downright terrified (to me) the first time Seth suggested that talking to William would be “comforting.” She didn’t rush over to William and say, “It’s okay, Mommy’s here…” She said, “Did the doctor say what we should talk about?” The woman honestly had no clue. Then later, when they were talking to him, (and they both looked scared) everything was so stilted and formal… I was just surprised that this woman’s son was obviously dying in front of her and she still had no idea how to talk to him or what to say. (I wouldn’t expect Seth to so much because he’d just met William very recently.) I think this simply emphasizes how different parent-child relationships are now from back in the day.
You know why? Because it has a “tit” in it.
Weren’t most Sheriffs kind of de-facto? I always thought a Sheriff was a position that was simply voted on by the town council or the people, like dogcatcher, whereas Marshal was an actual government-sanctioned and appointed position. Bullock was a Marshal in Montana - that’s what got him the respect of the military commander while he was in town.
Bullock has the authority to be sheriff because he was picked by the town council, and he has Al Swearingen’s muscle to back him up. And besides that, he is a hell of a fighter and fast with his guns (I wish we’d see more of that, but they’re being true to history - there’s no record of the real Bullock drawing down on anyone). Still, I’m sure Bullock’s reputation is known throughout the camp - don’t take him on in a fair fight, and if you kill him unfairly, expect Dan Doherty, Sol, Jane, and Charlie Utter to come looking for you.
It was an interesting episode, but I’m having a hard time seeing how they can wrap up all the plot threads with only two more episodes to go. How about this for a finisher: The last episode is the big wedding between Alma and Ellsworth. Then Martha announces she’s leaving, and Seth is standing there alone thinking, “What the hell do I do now?”
I agree, and for one reason. Izzy has been shacking up with Silas for the last few weeks. If someone was to contest that Silas had just been to Montana, it’d be her. She may be asking for a bigger payout from Al a little later.
I thought it was a good episode as well. A non-actiony episode, but one that builds character development. That part with Seth and Martha talking to William may be a signal that they are getting closer to each other and may look to each other for comfort after the death (without William, Martha has nothing to look forward to in Michigan).
I wonder if this is the end for Hostetler and Nigger General in Deadwood. I hope they don’t take off for Oregon. I really liked their introduction.
I think what she meant was, “Should we comfort him by saying everything’s going to be okay, or should we say goodbye?”
I imagine the best mother in the world could be rendered speechless by the grief of the moment.
Not as different as you might think. The Victorian ideal parent-child relationship was, if anything, more demonstrative of affection than modern relationships.
If you ever get a chance, read some books written during the period which deal with parents and children. Though most fiction of the time was exaggerated, parents and children express their affection very openly, (in florid language ) not stiltedly and formally.
Family affection and the joys of childhood were emphasized (at least for middle-class children, anyway.) While parents were encouraged to be firm in discipline, children were seen as something to be cherished. Domesticity was “in” and the ideal family was a close, happy, affectionate one.
Books from this time, even children’s books, frequently have deathbed scenes of little children-- romantic, dramatic scenes in which the child and parents say a beautiful and poignant good bye. They were often serialized in magazines and newspapers. Martha would have been well aware of what to say at a deathbed. Likely, as a Victorian woman, she would have already been to several, that of brothers and sisters or their children.
No. Silas was sent out of town by Al to make it look like he had been to Montana. This had been the plan for a while.
Haj
What I’ve found interesting in this show is how much it’s changed since the beginning. Al really isn’t much of a bad guy these days, for instance. Sure, he’s still a manipulative lying schemer, but I have a hard time seeing the current Al ordering a small girl killed because her talking would be bad for business, like he did way back when. They’ve gotten away from trying to draw in viewers with relatively quick storylines and gratuitous nudity and gotten into more mature, drawn-out, thoughtful, and especially complex, storytelling.
And I love the antler thing. I’ve noticed the little callbacks they kept doing, showing Richardson with his antlers he got from Alma, but I kept forgetting to mention it. Great payoff on that.
I remember in season one when Al chastized E.B. for repeating back to him what he had just said, only in different words. I always thought that was the writers making a joke to the audience about E.B.'s role as explainer and interpreter of the action occurring. Definitely a “chorus”, in my opinion.
So do the opening credits to my favorite show. 
Upon my re-watch last night, I was left with a question. In a couple scenes, Sol is seen hanging out with Merrick and Blassanov. At the end of one of those scenes, the telegraph operator says “thank you” to Sol. What’s going on there? I don’t have a clue.
I have to admit, while I was actually crying contemplating watching my child die by inches, I had a flashback of Family Guy’s English porn here: “You know, we could have sexual intercourse right now.” “Yes, quite.” “But let’s not.”
I think Wu was bringing Jewel tea. She said she couldn’t take it because her hands shake.
[spoiler]I wonder what’s going to happen to Wu next ep. For some reason I had this image of him as a camp staple, but it seems that the Tall Celestial (can’t remember his name) is going to oust him somehow-- I think I saw him get stabbed in the preview for next week. How ironic but fitting for him if he winds up being pig food in the end.
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What did EB mean when he said “A broken heart does not impair one’s hearing” or something like that? Why is his heart broken exactly?
Boy did I feel bad for Tom Nuttall. He’s had Wild Bill killed in his place and then the skinny Manuel brother, and now he blames himself for William’s death. He’s just having terrible luck and will probably feel like he’s cursed now. Can’t even enjoy his bicycle anymore, poor bastard. We got to see Jane being sweet to him, which was priceless. She’s turning into quite the noble character.
Wasn’t Silas’ acting job, replete with over-the-top loathing for Jarry, and pretending to have been in Montana excellent? He did such a bang-up acting job that he was shocked when he realized it worked. Kudos to him and Al for an amazing bluff. Also, it was great that it was his presence that pushed MizIz over the edge into signing the papers. She must have believed that he would, in fact, kill her.
My admiration for the character Trixie and the actress Paula Malcolmson grows. She’s so fierce and much smarter than anyone gives her credit for. One wonders what would have become of her if she’d had a different upbringing and more opportunities. I’m interested to see how things shake out for her and Sol next ep. I guess he’s starting to feel jealous…
Regarding whether Martha leaves camp next ep:
In the preview, Seth asks if she’s packed up and she says something like, “I said I was here to stay.” She ain’t goin’ nowhere. Thus, Alma will have to marry Ellsworth, I imagine.
As I was watching two episodes ago, I thought they were going down the pedophile road (I apologize if this was discussed in the last thread, but I didn’t watch the episode until Saturday and avoided last week’s thread). I certainly thought the racist sh*t-stirrer was a molester setting up a mark, and even that the two might be working in tandem.