Deadwood (season 3)

[nacho]

Okay, back from the UK, where everybody has very expensive TV's and dishes set up, and access to 1000 channels, and there's nothing to watch but Big Brother and World Cup.

Which means I'm just now going to launch into the third season of Deadwood.

Forewarned that HBO opted not to recap what's been going on in their convoluted Shakespearian western gothic, I dug this up from SA's thread:

Major events in Season 2:

- Bullock is still having an affair with Alma, which is curtailed once his wife and stepson arrive in the camp un-announced.
- Al is pissed off that the new Sheriff is taking more interest in soaking his johnson in the widow Garret than what is going on in the camp. This leads to them throwing down in to a big old ass whooping.
- Alma discovers she's pregnant with Bullocks child.
- Al almost dies from septic shock, caused my kidney stones that are blocking his "piss passage".
- George Herst sends a geologist by the name of Francis Walcott to start buying up mining claims.
- Francis Walcott works with Cy to disseminate information that the camp is being annexed by the Dakota Territory and that all mining claims are null. Which causes many of the camp's residents to sell their claims to Herst through Cy for next to nothing. Walcott is also a pervert with a penchant for killing whores.
- Mr. Wu is upset when a rival celestial "San Fran Cisco Cawksucka" starts infringing on his territory.
- Al starts perpetuation rumors that Bullock has been speaking to his friends in Montana about beating the Dakota Territory to the camps annexation.
- Bullock's stepson is trampled to death by a wild horse that broke out of the livery.
- George Herst arrives in Deadwood to survey his newfound interests.
- Alma Garret and Ellsworth wed in order to cover-up the out of wedlock pregnancy.
- Wu, Dan, and Johnny Burns sneak in and kill the San Francisco Cawksucka and his crew. Wu American!

[Cassander]

yeah, that first episode kind of hit hard.  I was struggling to remember a lot of the smaller details, i.e., that Alma had basically adopted that girl, that Cy was shot/stabbed by the boss from Fight Club (how did I forget that?), and that Charlie ran the post office. 

One thing though...wasn't Mrs. Bullock going to leave Deadwood?

Looking forward to Major Dad getting a Major beatdown, especially after what he did to Al in the last episode.  Seriously, if this season goes well (there's plenty of ass-kickings and conflicts to go around) and it doesn't get mired down into season 4itis, this could be one of the best shows ever.  Not only is it making an even more reasonably realistic western than Unforgiven, but the writing is top notch, always leaning toward inference and the absolutely correct word choice, and all the characters are really interesting without being pure motivation.  One thing I would like to see though, even though there's already like 20 main characters, is to see a few more "regular Deadwood folk," just some miners or shit.  Or at least bring the Nigger General back. 

hooplehead.

[nacho]

She decided to stay on because of professions of undying love from our man (and the distraction of starting a school), but it was still left somewhat unresolved.

Deadwood, historically, has some big shakeups down the line.  There's another old west big name hero who comes into town after Hearst's shenanigans.  If they stick with the timeline, we'll be seeing that and he and Bullock really go at it.

We also get a few fires, historically, that almost ruin the town.  The last one being a cathartic mass-kill sort of cleansing that led to a new Deadwood more prepared to enter the 20th century.  That's the obvious finale.

HBO's kind enough to post the history of Deadwood on their page and, reading it, you can almost tell the planned season finales.

Another note on the recap idea is that, starting with the second season, it's really a show that's dying to be watched in an insane marathon isn't it?  In my opinion, season two is where they went from "we're making a fucking western!" to "We're making a wildly unique and intelligent show with language that only 10% of Americans can understand, except for "cocksucker," and every single second is carefully organized and beautifully choreographed and makes you wonder if you're watching the Royal Shakespeare Company in action and maybe you should tentatively approach the stage and leave a donation afterwards and mumble your awe towards the writers and actors."  Season three's first episode here is just a dream, isn't it?

This means, of course, that the quality of Rome's second season is going to murder us.

Sopranos, notably, did not start out with this quality.  It was just a family gangster drama on TV with bad language!

[nacho]

"May I offer godspeed and hopes for your fucking self control!"

[Cassander]

i don't know.  those are the only types of shows i watch, actual episodic TV shows, where an ep is just a chapter, not some file in a larger story that could or could not be meaningless to the overall plot.  those are the ones that are wildly popular and the reason why sitcoms are sinking fast and becoming even more generic just to capture that small populace that just wants to chill the fuck out and be slightly amused.  while some are better than others, these are the shows i mean: 24, rescue me, the shield, deadwood, sopranos, and, up until it did become that stalling overburdened behemoth, Lost.  Deadwood and the Shield are king among these shows, but they've all got that thing going that, well, i don't know if it was missing for awhile or not.  Maybe it was there in 90210 or Melrose or something, but way dumbed down.  The season-long story arc spread across 10-20 episodes.  With Deadwood it's definitely more pronounced, as in, this arc isn't a general guideline, it is the major force in everyone's lives and they're all dealing with it and they don't get to escape via flashback to when they were blowing up their drunk stepdad's house or working at Cluck'n Bell with Road Trip Boy. 

but anyway, onto the marathon question. i watched season one all in one day when i was sick.  season 2 i watched over a week.  it was great, but doing that, i think, leads to everything blurring together.  it's a lot different when you wait a week in between each episode and let the antici....pation build up.  with 24 it's a chore, because you know pretty much exactly what's going to happen next week, but you don't know what the last 5 minutes will be.  you're suffering through some bullshit drama and a few cool action scenes not for a punchline but the next set-up.    Deadwood though, you never know what's going to happen next, and when something does shake things up, it's never like, HERE'S WHERE THE TWIST GOES AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE PUTTING IT AND WAIT FOR IT, WAIT FOR IT...BOOM.  it just shakes you whenever it feels like it. 

and it's all written in iambic pentameter, so. 

[nacho]

Episode two under my belt.  And, yeah, I'll latch right onto your last thought there.  Everything is truly spinning in the air, isn't it?  Hearst draws first blood. 

And you leave out BSG!  The ultimate chapter-story.  King of kings (and truly born in a manger). Where even if you answer the phone and talk for three minutes you lose the thread of the entire season.

I'm in agreement that it's refreshing to not only have the chapter-shows, but that they're good.  It's no small revolution that we're witnessing to have half a dozen, or more, acceptable to amazing shows like that running at once and supported by enough viewers to keep them happily skipping along and spawning mewling yellow-coated, shiny-eyed puppies.

[nacho]

So how are we doing, kids?  Sunk in and starting to use English the same way the show does so everyone at work is like "huh?"

Hearst on the warpath, the lines being drawn.

[Cassander]

yeah, you're in the middle of a real nervous breakdown all right, catching all the latest HBO shows and making cowboy jokes.  just stay away from that axe, you're making me nervous...whoa ho ho!

[Cassander]

woo!  the last two episodes are going to be intense.  I thought this week's was the best one of the season.  Swearingen's call out to Hearst, Jane's dream, the look on Bullock's face at the end....awesome.  One thing that gets me though...where do they pick up the girls who play the whores?  Are they real whores? Because they can't act for shit. 

do you know, though, what the hell is going on with the theater troupe?  is this just some more "peek into the history of the town" shit or just an excuse to have Brian Cox galavanting around?  It wouldn't bother me so much if they just didn't seem to interact with anyone else in the camp at all. 

anyway, i'm ready to see Dan, Bullock, Charlie and all the others unload if it comes to that.  I've purposefully not read up on it to sustain the suspense.

"Dammit, history book, you didn't give me a spoiler alert!"

[nacho]

I am three episodes behind thanks to my Futurama marathon.  Will try to catch up on Saturday.