Sam,
That’s a very good answer to the question I posted earlier. Since then, several folks have challenged my recollection of the scene – stating that it was not Doc at all.
Do you recall the scene I described? Was it Doc? Or someone else?
Yeah, I think Flora called him Clement or Clarence or something. Definitely not Doc. I’ve watched each episode several times, and Doc hasn’t slept with anyone, nor has he done any flirting.
It wasn’t Doc. According to the HBO recap, it was just an “over-amorous John.”
Correct. The guy that approached her in eppy #8 was the same one she turned the trick with in eppy#7. Only description in either recap was the one metioned by DtC. It was not Doc.
Definitely–over-amorous john was the one who asked Flora “are you going to put your garters on?” when she arrived for work intending to steal from Cy’s joint (excuse me-establishment). Not the doc.
As I understand it, the main reason for why Cy Tolliver is having his lackey stir up trouble with the Chinese is that Cy has his eyes on their property. With the coming official recognition that Deadwood will be part of the Dakotas, it’s a way for Cy to eventually get recognized as having “official” control of the property and thus better position himself to reap future profits.
I distinctly remember him saying something (obliquely) to Joni about it as she was about looking for a place for her brothel. I’m also pretty sure Al is aware of Cy’s ploy to rest away the property from the Chinese. All the more for reason for Al to let Seth be the Sheriff - remember, Seth can across Cy’s lackey harrassing the Chinese and the first sheriff just standing their doing nothing. I guarantee Seth will not allow the harrassment to continue.
Actually, I think Cy’s real game plan is to incite violence against Swearingen for killing a ‘white’ in return for the death of the Chinese courier. The murder gave Cy leverage, and he’s going to try to apply it.
That’s also why Swearingen wants Seth to be sheriff, IMO. He needs the help.
An earlier question of mine is why Al gave his own guy to Mr. Woo, rather than Cy’s guy. And in either case, couldn’t have he have done it privately, so there wouldn’t be leverage against him?
Cy is absolutely trying to incite violence against the Chinese because he has his eye on their property. I don’t remember to whom he said this, but someone asked him how he could have a new storefront in that area because it was Chinatown, and he replied something like, “Things like that can change all of a sudden sometimes…” which implied the race war would serve the purpose of opening up that property for a white man to take.
The Doc definitely didn’t sleep with Flora. That was very clearly someone else.
I didn’t think Bullock “consulted” Al so much as informed him that he would take the job, as Al had been trying to talk him into it previously. Al is clearly the power broker in the camp, deciding who is the mayor, sheriff, etc, when and where they meet, all that. All Bullock had to do to get the job was want it, which is exactly what happened.
What did you make of Al apparently not being able to sleep without Trixie, as Burns suggested? He’s stone in love with her, more’s the pity for the both of them, eh?
Busy episode – a lot happening. It really was oddly touching how Swearengen held Rev. Smith almost tenderly as he smothered him. I think part of Al really does sympathize with people who have an infirmity – Jewel with her twisted limbs, the Reverend with his brain tumor. Al himself is missing some pieces that a normal human ought to have.
I also think part of Al really does respect people who stand up to him. He’s surrounded by lackeys, and the more somebody fawns or grovels, the more disgusted he seems. Overall, just a great character, and I hope Ian McShane gets suitable recognition for a great performance.
I’d say “hot-tempered” is an understatement for Seth. Apparently, if he gets mad enough to beat a man, he will beat him to death unless stopped.
Molly Parker is one lovely woman.
I interpreted this as Al punishing Trixie for having sex with Sol. He’s pissed at her so he’s “demoted” her from being his whore to just being one of the whores. Everyone knows he’s in love with her.
Which reminds me of something. In one of the earlier episodes, Al tells Trixie to get upstairs and bring a bottle of booze. She goes to the bar and makes a gesture with her thumb to Dan and he says something like “Don’t give me that thumb, Trixie.” What was that all about?
Did anyone else noticed that after Al killed the minister, he had to wipe a tear from his eye?
According to today’s New York Times, Deadwood will be back in March, in the 9:00 p.m. slot. The Sopranos won’t be back until late 2005 or early 2006.
[E.B.]
Huzzah!
[/E.B.]
That’s great news.
BTW, Cy’s plan is to run both the Chinese and Al out of town. He wants the real estate from the Chinese and the defacto leadership Al has of the camp. Cy may have a more respectable establishment, but Al’s still got the camp in his thrall. He’s not looking to go up against Al directly but to turn the great unwashed masses of Deadwood against him, thus leaving him as the undisputed power broker about town.
He had to give somebody to Wu. Silas had asked him if he had other business connections with Wu, and Al replied “several”. So it was established that Al wanted to placate Wu.
If Al had given Cy’s man Leon to Wu, then he’d have to deal with Cy. He’s not ready to do that yet.
Al giving Wu his own man rather than a flunky that he had no connection with should have cemented their relationship. It gave Wu some added respect in his own community too.
I like Al’s line to Wu, “When did you start to think every wrong has a remedy? Did you come to the camp for justice or to make your f***ing way?”
As for doing it privately, I don’t know. He told Leon to go back and tell Cy what he had done, maybe not realizing that Cy would use it to start a race war.
Anyone have some thoughts on that? Whether it was a good idea for Cy to know how Al handled the matter?
Having givem it some more thought, the only reason I can come up with is that Al was offering a level of protection to Mr. Woo. If it somehow came out that Mr. Woo had killed a white man, or unknown mysterious “chinks” got revenge for one of their own, the white townies might have gone nuts and ended up burning down the whole camp as they went to war against the Chinese. But Al figuratively stood up to say, “No, this guy died at MY order for MY reasons”, and if he didn’t exactly legitimize the death, he certainly gave pause to anybody in the camp who understood the real power structure.
All I know is that in a war between Cy and Al, my money’s on Al…and I’ll lay two to one odds that Cy ends up as pig food.
Especially now that Seth will probably be in Al’s corner over Cy’s.
Am I the only one who thinks that Cy (owner of The Gem) has an uncanny resemblance to Gregory Peck?
Looks an awful lot like Curly Bill Brocious too.
Then again, I feel that Seth Bullock is the spitting image of Johnny Ringo. I’d love to see Biehn in Deadwood.