Need to watch again, but my initial reaction is several WTF’s
Don’t understand how everyone seems to be playing right into Hurst’s hands.
Me too, with the WTF’s, and the need for several more viewings.
The highlight was Richardson and Aunt Lou, particularly Richardson’s two thumbs up and a big smile.
The lowlight was that c*** Alma telling Ellsworth “you can’t” protect me. Bitch. He needs to get shed of her. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.
Another lowlight is the Doc’s Cough of Death. Waaaaah!
I liked seeing more of Hearst. Listening to him talk about himself – that was good, him showing more of his ass, er, motivation. I’m glad he’s setting things up to leave town soon. I don’t want the next nine episodes to focus on him.
“That’s our corner of Mr. Wu’s meatlocker.”
“Why would the good Lord give me a tail if he didn’t mean for me to wag it?”
Who would have guessed that Al actually had a genuine friend somewhere?
I loved Aunt Lou leading Richardson into the kitchen by the hand. And every single interaction between Richardson and Farnum makes me laugh. Aunt Lou and her Maj Jonng game.
Question – Did Hearst stab Swidgen through the hand, or did he chop a finger off? Yuk, either way.
That Hearst cocksucker cut off his fucking finger.
So nice to see Mrs. Elsworth get her ass handed to her. She deserved that one.
I am loving Aunt Lou.
Aunt Lou didn’t do much for me other than humanizing Hearst a little.
Interesting though that she was ripping on him during the game.
It does seem like people are playing right into his hands though.
I think this was actually one of the best episodes. Wow. It was short too- 50 minutes.
I’m surprised at the Alma hate. I’ve been rewatching season 2 this week and Alma’s bitchiness was off the charts for the first half of the season. Now I can’t help but feel sorry for her. She is trying to overcome what her supposed position in the world is. I feel like the negotiation with Hearst is immensely important to her characcter arc.
I didn’t get the impression that Hearst was thinking of moving out of the camp. It seemed to be that bringing Aunt Lou out was pretty firmly settting up that he’s here to stay. He just hates camps… but he hates cities even more.
I’m sorry that Sol seems to get less and less to do each episode.
Didn’t the woman who played Aunt Lou also play “Life” on a Six Feet Under episode? She was great in that as well. Can’t wait to see what she brings to the party on Deadwood.
It’s like everyone who is dealing with Hearst comes on full-bore and meets with this brick wall of a man. It is his way or no way, and he is clearly more dangerous than everyone dreamed of. The comment about all he cares about is “the color” is obviously not true – he cares about the power the color brings. This episode showed that one way or another he WILL get what he wants. Al hasn’t figured out his weakness yet, which is probably why he’s retreated from more confrontation. Tolliver is playing along, IMO, to see what he can get out of it.
And what was Trixie so enraged by? She seems to be in a constant state of hissy-fit. And why would Alma want to sell half of her claim all of a sudden? Is she back on the dope or what? Foolish woman – Ellsworth is a good man and she’s throwing him away.
As always, this show must be seen more than once to get all the nuances.
Well Alma’s offer to Hearst was to sell 49 percent of her claim in exchange for 5% of his holdings. Essentially making them partners. Hearst has no partners. The idea really pissed him off
I thought this was a GREAT episode, with many laugh-out-loud moments… BUT, I had absolutely no idea what Trixie was talking about when she came barging in on Bullock and Sol. Something like “don’t think anyone will come through your wall and aide you with your Johnson” or something. Huh?
Well I haven’t seen the ep in question yet but a minor plot point in the last few eps has been Al arranging a house for Sol so Trixie could visit him through a secret passage so the Mayor wouldn’t be stained with whore-fucking. She’s rather annoyed that all she’ll be is a secret passage hooker for Sol now.
Not that Sol seemed to be going along with the plan it’s all Al’s idea but she can’t exactly go to Al and complain to him about it.
Why move against him now?
Because now’s when he’s killing people.
And you think he’ll leave off soon?
hehheh, that was an excellent (paraphrased) quip by Al. I love all the violence in this show; I remember during the first season tracking the body count of both Deadwood and the Sopranos to see which was the more brutal show. Deadwood was far ahead in its first season, and it continues to outclimb the Sopranos each successive season. That’s partly due to the wussification of the Sopranos, but still.
Also, I loved Trixies (paraphrased): Who knew that “please don’t smoke” meant that he was at death’s door? hehheh.
I’m digging Seth’s wife’s character much more than last season, so I was glad she got a little bit of screentime. Too bad Jane didn’t…
Good to see Cynthia Ettinger (from Carnivale) again, although her role seems tiny and subservient as Brian Cox’s traveling companion (one of them anyway).
She was a hoot as a “fellatio instructor” in one of Larry David’s episodes.
Yeah, good episode but I’m missing Jane too.
Richardson and Wu need their own show. Those two kill me. When Wu was coming in on the coach my initial thought was ‘wow, Wu married a big black woman’ as he was sitting next to Aunt Lu on the stage.
Maybe this season should be settled WWE style - Bullock and Ellsworth in an uneasy tag team alliance v Captain Turner and Hearst, w Wu as the special guest referee and Alma outside the ring, and Hearst is about to pin Bullock, whom he has had in the Hearst Headlock, after Captain Turner takes out Ellsworth with a chair shot but Swidgin comes flying in from the back and he takes out Hearst with his signature move (Cocksucker Crossface?) when Wu’s back is conveniently to the action, then places the unconscious Bullock’s arm over the prone body of Hearst for the 1-2-3? I’m just sayin, it would work.
Was that Ian McShane singing the song w the end credits? HBO’s Deadwood page is killing me w the lack of info about the music, esp for the past two episodes.
I had the same question.
One thing confusing me, was the differing attitudes of Aunt Lou towards Hearst. When she’s pulling off his shoes, she’s kind of telling him off. But when he’s eating the cobbler, she looks like she’sscared of him. Then she’s at the Mah Jong game talking smack about him. I’m sure each of those was on purpose, but I’m still trying to make her relationship with him out. And that doesn’t speak well of the writing when you introduce a character.
Actually I though it was typical master-servant chatter. Obsequoius to his face and rebellious behind his back. **He ** may think of her as a trusted friend, but as far as **she’s ** concerned, it’s just a good paying job.
I thought Aunt Lou was written incredibly well.
This is a little over ten years since the Civil War. Aunt Lou was a Hearst family slave, that’s pretty clear, who stayed on as a domestic. She doesn’t seem old enough to have raised Hearst (they seem close in age) but she probably has run the particulars of his households where ever he goes. He probably looks at her with a bit more respect and affection (the nickname of “Aunt”) than say Fanum to Richardson but note he did still refer to her as his “nigger cook”.
I think the scene with the boots was a play on the “mammy” character. (See Gone with the Wind or oddly enough Its A Wonderful Life) and the scene in the kitchen, I didn’t get that she was afraid of him, but rather afraid of what people would say about Hearst eating dinner with the “nigger cook”. Look at the scene in season 2 with Nigger General Field and Jane. There are similar race issues at play there. Field is afraid of someone seeing him talking to Jane.
The scene in Chinamen’s Alley was to show that Aunt Lou is fullfilling her role as the sassy black matron taking care of her “massa/boss” but she really despises him.
Something that I’m seeing is that Al, Seth and Cy, all used to being powerful and frightening characters in the frontier towns, are at a loss when confronted with a genuinely powerful man from the wider world. Anybody else seeing it this way?