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Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2191
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 9:38 am: | 
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I have been eagerly anticipating the return of Deadwood.
But check this out...this may be the last season!!
'Deadwood' may be done - HBO not picking up options on actors
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/12/television.deadwood.reut/index.html
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Brett Weir
Citizen
Username: Brett_weir
Post Number: 1542
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 9:45 am: |
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It's amazing- I love westerns and HBO Original programming, but I've never taken to "Deadwood" despite several tries. Great actors and writers to be sure, but I just can't get into it and I don't know why. My guess is that too many people have had that same reaction. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2195
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 10:18 am: |
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Brett - you may be right. But I thought Deadwood had acquired quite a loyal following. If Sex and the City can be accepted by mainstream America, I don't see why Deadwood couldn't...
sad Pippi
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jbirchby
Citizen
Username: Jbirchby
Post Number: 72
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 10:55 am: |
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NnnnooooOOOOooooOOOOOO. They can't do that. I LOVE that show. |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1537
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 11:19 am: |
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Me too. Those guys at HBO are total Hoopleheads. |
Brett Weir
Citizen
Username: Brett_weir
Post Number: 1544
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 2:18 pm: |
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Pippi- You know what I think it is? People are much more willing to sample a new thing than to allow a different spin on a cherished old one. Your reference to "Sex and the City" got me thinking that way. Westerns are such a long-standing archetype that people (like me) are unnerved by such an edgy or unusual take on them. Look at "Brokeback Mountain"- an outstanding film by all measures, yet underviewed by the general public. Movie goers are very comfortable with modern relationships, such as a homosexual love story, yet a bit perplexed to see them spun into such a traditional venue as a western. Maybe the same is true of "Deadwood" because of its particularly seamy, dark storylines. Pretty ironic when you consider the producers' research that finds the Old West much as they portray it. |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 1998
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 3:50 pm: |
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Brokeback Mountain was a boring story, with pretty images. Some mediocre acting and it was overlong. NOTHING like Deadwood.
I will admit that Westerns don't do it for me. When I first saw Deadwood on HBO, I passed on it. Luckily my coworkers kept raving about it, and brought in the tapes to watch at lunch. First episode, I was intrigued. Second episode I was admitting I was wrong. Third episode I was hooked.
It's good writing. Plain and simple. |
Duncan
Supporter
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 6331
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 4:29 pm: |
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Brett, I think these box office numbers contradict, to a point, your point about Brokeback Mountain.
Total US Gross $83,043,761
But I get your point.
Did I make my point? |
davel
Citizen
Username: Davel
Post Number: 145
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 5:17 pm: |
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Sad, I thought Deadwood has some of the best dialog of any show. |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 2021
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 12:44 pm: |
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I used to work at a tv station and it's all about ratings. They couldn't care less about what the fans do to save a show (unless they can somehow spin all the ruckus into some press release that will help them to get better ratings -- which RARELY happens).
I know HBO is not a slave to ratings like usual networks, but I suspect that if the show is cancelled, then it's cancelled and there is NOTHING we can do to save it.
Having said all that, I just went to the HBO site and sent an empassioned plea to whomever reads the "contact us" email box telling them to please keep the show going because it's the best written show on television. I can waste my time on MOL so I can spare a few seconds to waste my time sending emails to HBO, I figure. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2207
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 1:02 pm: |
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Alley - good idea. I will do the same |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 3943
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 2:42 pm: |
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Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1355
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 3:10 pm: |
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I love Deadwood!
does that make me a Hooplehead? |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2211
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 5:06 pm: |
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my email to HBO:
There have been some rumors in the press that Season 3 will be the final season of Deadwood. I urge the management at HBO to reconsider! Deadwood is among the very best television has to offer. Deadwood should be the measuring stick by which all television writing is measured. By canceling the show, HBO encourages the production of sub-par television.
I might be forced to cancel my HBO subscription if it were to be canceled.
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gtonne
Supporter
Username: Gtonne
Post Number: 102
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 5:16 pm: |
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Sometimes with shows like "Deadwood" it's the writers/producers who decide to end the show. They think they've done all they can do with the characters or want a new challenge. That's what happened to "Sports Night" and "Arrested Development". David Milch is developing another show for HBO.
Luckily for me, I have only seen the first season - so I still have 2 to go! |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2221
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 1:33 pm: |
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HBO sent me a response:
Thank you for writing HBO.
We appreciate your enthusiasm towards our series, "DEADWOOD". HBO is
grateful that the series has such a devoted fanbase who contributed to
the show's success and making it an Emmy/Golden Globe winning HBO
original. We are incredibly proud of the series and also believe it to
be a powerful and authentic piece of programming. Be assured that your
feedback is valued especially as we go forward with the upcoming third
season, starting June 11th.
Despite recent articles on the future of our HBO original series
"DEADWOOD", there has been no decision for the future of the series, and
conversations regarding a fourth season are ongoing. Since "DEADWOOD"
creator David Milch is working on another HBO Original series, we've
granted our beloved Deadwood cast the latitude to pursue other projects,
for the time being.
Once again, thank you for your interest and we hope that you will
continue to find HBO to be a source of quality entertainment.
~ Sincerely, HBO Consumer Affairs Department ~
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Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 3951
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 1:43 pm: |
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-s. |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 2059
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 8:19 pm: |
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I don't know what to make of that email. But if the actors are off doing other work with other commitments, it sure is going to be hard to have another season. |
davel
Citizen
Username: Davel
Post Number: 146
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 22, 2006 - 1:06 pm: |
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They could bring Deadwood back after a hiatus - just like they did with the Sapranos. I assume Milch's involvement keeps the quality high, if he is stretched too thin or is unavailable then the the show could decline as the West Wing did. |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 4004
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 - 7:46 pm: |
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NEW SEASON STARTS THIS SUNDAY NIGHT!
-s. |
buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 4926
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 - 11:13 am: |
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'Deadwood' to return
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- There will be life in "Deadwood" after this season, with HBO and series creator David Milch agreeing to wrap up the drama with a pair of two-hour specials.
The saga of the rough-and-tumble 19th-century mining town looked like it might end with its 12-episode third season, which begins this Sunday, when Milch and HBO couldn't reach agreement on details of another year.
HBO had offered an abbreviated six-episode season. Milch wanted a dozen, because he constructs each episode to reflect a day in the town's life and felt he couldn't wrap the series in fewer, HBO spokeswoman Nancy Lesser said Tuesday.
The deal for the two specials, suggested by Milch, was reached over the weekend, she said.
"It allows him to work on a broader canvas through these specials," Lesser said. "He found a way to bring closure to the narrative and remain true to the themes of the material and spirit of the characters."
When and how the specials will air, whether back-to-back or otherwise, has yet to be determined.
Options for the large ensemble cast, which includes Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant, had been allowed to lapse for season four so contract negotiations for the specials are ahead, Lesser said.
Milch also is focusing on another series in development for HBO with the working title of "John From Cincinnati," a surfer drama set in California.
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notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3404
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 - 11:14 am: |
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LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- There will be life in "Deadwood" after this season, with HBO and series creator David Milch agreeing to wrap up the drama with a pair of two-hour specials.
The saga of the rough-and-tumble 19th-century mining town looked like it might end with its 12-episode third season, which begins this Sunday, when Milch and HBO couldn't reach agreement on details of another year.
HBO had offered an abbreviated six-episode season. Milch wanted a dozen, because he constructs each episode to reflect a day in the town's life and felt he couldn't wrap the series in fewer, HBO spokeswoman Nancy Lesser said Tuesday.
The deal for the two specials, suggested by Milch, was reached over the weekend, she said.
"It allows him to work on a broader canvas through these specials," Lesser said. "He found a way to bring closure to the narrative and remain true to the themes of the material and spirit of the characters."
When and how the specials will air, whether back-to-back or otherwise, has yet to be determined.
Options for the large ensemble cast, which includes Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant, had been allowed to lapse for season four so contract negotiations for the specials are ahead, Lesser said. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2319
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 - 11:17 am: |
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I don't consider two two-hour specials a "return"
sounds more like an ending to me
nice cross-post Buzz and notehead  |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 2215
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 - 2:01 pm: |
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All I can say is...it's better than nothing. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2333
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 11:41 am: |
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tonight's the night!
yee haw!
more on the "saving" of Deadwood
June 11, 2006
Television
'Deadwood' Gets a New Lease on Life
By JESSE McKINLEY
FOR all intents and purposes, the set of HBO's "Deadwood," David Milch's blood- and profanity-drenched western, is a real (your favorite expletive here) town.
Located at Melody Ranch, a film studio about 35 miles north of Los Angeles, "Deadwood" — the town and the show — has real streets, real buildings and real manure. And when one of the residents of the town needs a fancy new house, HBO builds a fancy new house, from the stone foundations to the lacy curtains. If you were willing to do without indoor plumbing, you could probably be very happy there.
But about three weeks ago, something very strange happened: "Deadwood," which begins its third season Sunday night, started to disappear.
In mid-May, even as the promotional push for the new season began, word leaked that HBO was going to forgo a fourth season, after it had promised Mr. Milch only six episodes (the usual is 12) and Mr. Milch passed. Chris Albrecht, the chairman of HBO, said the decision was a complicated one. He and Carolyn Strauss, the president of HBO's entertainment division, had attended a meeting with Mr. Milch about his next show, "John From Cincinnati," about surfers living on the polluted border between California and Mexico. The meeting, in Mr. Albrecht's Los Angeles office — a secluded suite decorated with New York Yankees memorabilia and a "Sopranos" pinball machine — was dominated by Mr. Milch reading aloud from the pilot script for "John," which thrilled Mr. Albrecht and Ms. Strauss.
Eager to get it on the air, the executives wanted Mr. Milch (who has been known to rewrite while filming) to focus on the new project rather than on a fourth season of "Deadwood." "He's not a guy who has a lot of scripts available in advance," Mr. Albrecht said. "So we said, can we figure a way to do a truncated version of the last season, as we'd really like to prioritize your time."
Mr. Milch, the creator and executive producer of "Deadwood," recalled that his reaction to the decision was cordial, but very disappointed. "It seemed to me that some sort of partial order for the show would make it impossible to do anything but superimpose all sort of interpretations that would deprive it of its own emotion," he said, in typical Milch fashion. "The viewer would come to it with all sorts of second agendas, and I didn't want to do that."
So he declined the offer, and just like that "Deadwood" seemed destined to become a ghost town.
When he heard about it, Timothy Olyphant, who plays Seth Bullock, the brooding, occasionally lethal town sheriff, was at home in Los Angeles, at a house he had just purchased. "David called and said, 'I've got sad news, it doesn't look like the show is going to happen,' " he said. "And I said, 'Stop and come over, because I want you to see this place before I sell it.' "
The fans were a bit less wry. Some set up anti-HBO Web sites: hbonomo.com gathered more than 600 signatures of people who said they would cancel their HBO subscriptions if "Deadwood" died; savedeadwood.net placed an open letter to HBO in Variety on May 25, threatening to do the same thing. "HBO seems to be forgetting who it is that pays the bills around here," read a menacing message on that site. "Which leaves us with but one option to make our voices heard."
As angry e-mail messages streamed into HBO offices — and the end date for the actors' contracts approached — Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Milch searched for a compromise. Last weekend, Mr. Milch rushed to New York and proposed a final idea. By the end of the meeting they struck a deal: two two-hour final episodes to run next year. Last Sunday night, just after the deal was settled, Mr. Milch said he was "deeply gratified" that the show would return, at least for a farewell bow. "I've always known that the support for this show was not a mile wide," he said. "But it was a fathom deep."
DEADWOOD" was saved. But how did a show with almost universal critical support, a star creator and a fan base strong enough to force HBO's hand end up on the chopping block in the first place?
Based on the real events that surrounded a gold rush in Deadwood, S.D., in 1876, "Deadwood" combined down-and-dirty realism and the twisted dreamscape of Mr. Milch. A former heroin user, alcoholic and compulsive gambler, he imbued the show with all his past vices: early episodes of Season 3 feature a drunken street fight and an ill-advised interlude between two characters with a taste for narcotics.
More than anything, however, characters in "Deadwood" are addicted to words: big, looping passages of quasi-Elizabethan prose that immediately set the show apart from the usual western repertory of variations on the word "pardner." "He created a language," said Ian McShane, the English actor who won a Golden Globe for his performance as Al Swearengen, the coarse, brutal and often hilarious owner of the Gem, a brothel and bar. "Shakespeare might invert a sentence once or twice. David inverts it three or four times." The first line of the third season — "Fetchin' toward a bloody outcome, boss" — is both typical and, given the recent circumstances, a little prophetic.
Mr. Milch also added copious measures of profanity and sexuality, dropping dirty language and bare skin into almost every encounter. Viewers have devised a "Deadwood" drinking game: every time someone uses a certain expletive on the show, you drink a shot. No one goes home thirsty.
The show also won plaudits for its distinctive look, taking home five Emmys in 2005 for its design and cinematography, a grittily beautiful wash of dirt and despair.
All of which was real purdy, of course, but also real expensive. An episode of "Deadwood" costs about $4.5 million, Mr. Albrecht said, with a very large ensemble cast and expenses such as horses, wagons and livestock coordinators. On occasion Mr. Milch would take up to two weeks to shoot a single episode. "I think HBO understood from the first the way that I work," he said. "I'm not derelict, and I'm not profligate."
Still, there's little doubt that Mr. Milch — a Yale graduate and former fraternity brother of President Bush — had an unusual artistic approach. And an unusual conversational style, for that matter. A casual question about the plot of the third season can prompt a seminar about the symbolism of money, Rome (the empire, not the show) and the myths people create about themselves to justify acquisition of goods, all in one very, very long sentence.
Asked about the curlicue language of his show, his response is a little — but just a little — more succinct than his characters': "The characters are very fastidious about emotion. But there are many of them that have access to Victorian-slash-Elizabethan locutions, in so much as they read the early Victorians or Dickens. And they use it to express distance or alienation with themselves."
Mr. Milch, on the other hand, is almost chronically confessional, and views his work as a way to exorcise demons and exercise personal discipline. "If I'm not writing, I'm reporting to my parole officer," he said kiddingly. "Goethe said he'd never heard of a crime he couldn't commit. I'm certainly down with that idea."
In the writing room at Melody Ranch, Mr. Milch lies on the floor while dictating long passages of dialogue to waiting assistants. "The script never came in before a day or two before you shot," said Mr. McShane, who likened the experience to jumping out of a plane with only the promise of a parachute. "And then he'd add 10 or 12 lines the day of, and sheepishly say, 'Sorry about this.' "
Mr. Albrecht said HBO had no problems with the way Mr. Milch worked. "Quality takes time," he said. "The show was never squeezed into a schedule that would have cut into the quality." But the budget was an issue. "I wouldn't say it was a burden on HBO," Mr. Albrecht explained, "but if you look at a year, say 2007, and there's a set production fund and there's a set amount of scheduling time. And there's only so much you can fit in."
As the discussions began, Mr. Milch worried about his cast — "I tried to be a faithful steward to everyone involved," he said — but once he told them the status of the negotiations, word soon reached to the media.
Even after the trade papers had announced the demise of "Deadwood," Mr. Milch and HBO kept talking. On June 2, Mr. Albrecht, in New York, and Mr. Milch, in Los Angeles, spent an hour on the phone but hung up without a deal. That's when Mr. Milch got on the red-eye. He arrived with an unusual idea about how to end the show with dignity, but without a full season. At a table at the Regency Hotel in New York — fearful of eavesdroppers, he slipped the waiter some cash to keep other diners away — Mr. Milch pitched his idea, and Mr. Albrecht said yes.
MR. MILCH was pleased, but the plan had come at a cost. "All those transcontinental flights cut into your editing time," he said.
For Mr. Albrecht, meanwhile, the negotiations had the unfortunate effect of shifting public attention from the show's creative horizons (it's the new season of "Deadwood"!) to its financial limitations (it's the last season of "Deadwood"!). They also raised questions about HBO's primacy in the field of narrative drama, which it had long dominated. Popular shows like "Sex and the City" and "Six Feet Under" have ended, and their replacements haven't permeated popular culture in quite the same way. Some have been yanked altogether. (Remember "Carnivàle"?)
Mr. Albrecht strongly rejected the notion that HBO — which will also begin a new season of "Entourage" on Sunday night — might be seen as faltering. "We've still got 'Deadwood' this year and 'The Wire,' and in January, 'Rome' and the next season of 'Big Love,' and the final season of 'The Sopranos.' We feel very positive about the things we have."
Still, for HBO, the idea that it was making an artistic decision based on economics was obviously an uncomfortable one; Mr. Albrecht also said that he started to fear that the real victim would be "John From Cincinnati," because it would be "The Show They Canceled 'Deadwood' For." (For his part, Mr. Milch said, "It was never my understanding that I was offering to curtail in any fashion my connection with 'Deadwood' in order to work on 'John From Cincinnati.' ")
By striking the compromise, Mr. Albrecht said: "I not only felt like we were trying to do the right thing for 'Deadwood' and the new show, but we were doing what HBO does well, which is come up with creative solutions. It's possible that this turns out to be a plan that doesn't come to fruition, but at least we have one."
Mr. Milch, meanwhile, said he was excited about the creative possibilities of a new structure. Episodes of "Deadwood" tended to run the course of a day in the life of the camp; in the two two-hour finales he plans to touch on events in the history of the real Deadwood, including perhaps a fire and a flood.
"What we've come to, or how it was come to, is a different approach, an approach to the temporal canvas, which will permit, I believe, a separateness, and a different kind of imaginative life for the actors who participate," he said. "And under those circumstances, I was happy to go forward."
The fans, as usual, are more agitated. Visitors to savedeadwood.net, for example, said they were still holding out for a complete season. (They shouldn't hold their breath.)
Reached at home on Monday, Mr. Milch sounded tired of talking about the whole thing. But then, typically, he did, arguing that the entire idea of bringing closure to a series was egotistical, paraphrasing a William James idea: "The world does not begin or end with the expiration of any living thing. It just becomes an exercise in bitterness or self-congratulation." As for his final perspective on the town of Deadwood, he seemed bittersweet. "It all depends on how you crop the picture," he said. |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 2226
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 8:37 pm: |
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Let me be the first on here to say, "I can't believe they cancelled Deadwood for John of Cincinatti?" |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1565
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 10:10 am: |
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Let me be the first to say that I was very happy with last night's show. It was all the things that I expect from Deadwood - thought-provoking, funny as hell and great to look at. I will never get tired of watching this ensemble, especially Ian McShane.
There was an absolute rave about the show in last week's New Yorker. I'm copying it here so that it'll stay around rather than just posting the link, which will probably change:
Deadwood article.
Dead On
It has been many years since Westerns were essentially black-and-white, cut-and-dried stories of good versus evil: morality tales with lots of horse and guns and one of everything else—a sheriff, a outlaw, an embattled hero, a town drunk, a whore with a heart of gold, a honky-tonk piano, and schoolteacher from Illinois, who found out shortly after arriving in town that, for worse and for better there was more to life than book learnin’. Indians were, for the most part, the obstacle that had to be overcome—although sometimes there was a “good one.” Although Westerns have evolved, the conventions are still often glaring, making even Westerns that have gray, shadowy moral areas tough sells to some people. There’s just too much dust, leather, whinnying, shooting, and mud—too much brown—and not enough talking, understanding, humor, and complexity. The trappings of Westerns make them seem fake and message-y, even as they strain to be realistic. David Milch’s “Deadwood,” which begins its third season on HBO on Sunday, is the exception to the rule; in what I’d assumed was very poor soil, he’s produced a gorgeously living thing.
“Deadwood” is set, of course, in Deadwood, in the Dakota Territory. It begins in 1876, when the settlement was just a few buildings in the crease between two hills, lining the sides of a muddy street, there to meet the needs of the men who flocked to the Black Hills after gold was discovered in the area. The settlement is so small that your eye can take in the whole town at a glance; in a sense, viewers have the same perspective as Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), the saloonkeeper and power broker of the camp, who conducts much of his business from his second-story quarters, above the bar, but often goes out on his balcony to observe the goings on in town below. Over the first two seasons, we have watched Deadwood grow—the real Deadwood went from being a cluster of prospectors to a roiling community in less than a year. In the show, the cemetery expands; bigger, louder equipment is brought in to get at the gold deep underground; more prostitutes are shipped in. Seeing America being built in this way, we see what it is made of. Men are constantly digging, hauling, and hammering, and the desire, hard work, and risk that it took to create this place are always front and center. “Deadwood” takes you past the familiar cardboard cutouts of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and “the Old West,” and acquaints you with the real forces and peoples that converged to form our country.
Milch, who co-created “NYPD Blue,” with Steven Bochco, has a deep understanding of tortured souls and a gift for depicting the ways in which people are torn apart and come together. You never feel as though he were imposing a contemporary outlook onto the past in order to make his drama more “relatable”; instead, he shows how the past still lives in us. It’s obvious that serious research went into “Deadwood,” but, as Milch says, he learned as much as he could and then threw out most of what he knew when he began writing the show. “Deadwood” draws on history without being slavishly beholden to the facts; it smells and sounds right, and every aspect of the luxuriant production contributes to that sense: the costumes and sets seem to have perfectly calibrated levels of wear and tear. There are at least a dozen sensational performances, among them Keith Carradine as Hickok; Dayton Callie as his sidekick, Charlie Utter; Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane; Jeffrey Jones as the nosy newspaper publisher A. W. Merrick; Paula Malcomson as Trixie, a prostitute with higher aspirations; and Geri Jewell as Jewel, Swearengen’s crippled maid. Ian McShane’s Swearengen is a murderer, a monster, a clever beast you cannot help being drawn to; he wears a pin-striped suit over long johns, which emphasizes his hugely thick neck and his large head—he’s an unstoppable wall of man coming at you, episode after episode (except when he is pitiably felled, temporarily, by a kidney stone). But you don’t really notice the casting per se, because you’re too engrossed in the characters, listening to what they say, and trying to get inside their heads and hearts.
“Deadwood” has ten or so writers and nearly as many directors, but there is a unity to the dialogue (Milch is one of the executive producers). It is ornate and profane—far beyond, on both counts, anything that’s ever been on television. But you never feel that the show’s creators have injected the swearing gratuitously. It even has different colors, depending on who’s doing it—when Calamity Jane is trying to comfort a little girl whose family has just been hacked to death, by singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” to her with Charlie Utter, there’s something touching about the way she yells “God damn it!” when he screws up the timing. What I find more brutal than the language is seeing freshly dead bodies fed to the pigs, or people not stopping to help Jewel when she falls in the street. (In the scene, a horse walks by in the foreground, its large, all-seeing eye rebuking human cruelty.) People just go about their business, and their business is making money.
But even making money the Deadwood way is small potatoes compared to the interests that start descending on the town when the stakes get big—one of whom is George Hearst (Gerald McRaney), the father of William Randolph Hearst, whose arrival signals the beginning of strong-arm capitalism. It remains to be seen whether, in season three, Swearengen and his cohorts will adapt to the new ways. What we surely won’t see is Deadwood evolving into what it is today—a tourist trap. “Deadwood” has not been renewed for a fourth season, though there is a slim chance that it will return. Milch is now working on another pilot for HBO, called “John from Cincinnati,” which he has described as “surf noir.” Sounds iffy, but so did a show about a mafioso who goes to a psychiatrist. |
Projects Dude
Citizen
Username: Quakes
Post Number: 166
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 9:29 pm: |
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Is it me or do the characters in the new season look cleaner than last season? I mean last season the look and feel of a gritty grimey town seemed very realistic... this time around the characters seem... umm... washed.
Must be something in the actors' contract. |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 2248
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 1:30 am: |
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I think some of the characters polished up for this episode because many of them are running for office. This whole election is attempting to put some legitimacy to the encampment so I guess it wouldn't be surprising to me that the citizens might have even put a little spit and elbow grease to shine up the place. And some are competing with polished bazillionaire gold tycoons. On the other hand I couldn't help noticing the absolute filth upon Jane in every scene. So the dirt is still there. Open your eyes and you'll see it. Even before she pissed herself your pants were completely stained in weird private places. I felt dirty even noticing it.
Having to rewind tons of scenes to make out what they were saying I was once again reminded by how sharp the wit and language is in this show. I know it is a cliche to say that this is the best written thing on T.V. but c'mon folks, what other show is being written right now where the language is this well crafted?
I really enjoyed this episode. It was a long time coming and I wasn't disappointed. That is not to say it was better than other seasons eps., but while watching it I felt like I was returning home again. The story feels fluid from where we left off last season. After the deep disappointment of the Sopranos slow decline, I am heartened that Deadwood can maintain its quality and my interest into it's third season. Bravo.
I'm not in love with the Hearst character but maybe he will grow on me. He definitely seems to have the manipulations down pat. He truly might be good competition for Al after all. They both fight dirty but in radically different ways. Both seems sharp as a tack. Maybe that story will end up having some legs. I'm disappointed in Joaney for going back to Cy. I wonder what Cy will be like if he survives this knifing. He already was a c*cks*cker where else is there for him to go? Man, Farnum took a beating. We knew the sheriff had a temper but this was pretty out of control. And it definitely seems like wars a coming. Welcome back to Deadwood. Yee ha!!!
I'll leave you off with this short story about Jane's trevails with General Custer. I hope I'm remembering the words right. Here goes;
Custer was a c*nt. The end. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2338
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 9:49 am: |
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Alley - I really enjoyed the episode, too. It will take me a while to switch gears from very simple "Sopranos" language to the very ornate "Deadwood" language. I need to go back to rewatch it so I can understand more than half of what the characters said!
Farnum took a long-overdue beating in my opinion, but I am not sure how this will bode for the sheriff's reputation.
Jane was hysterical, as usual. Asking everyone to speak up was priceless, as was her story about Custer.
really really looking forward to savoring this season. Am still very sad that this show won't continue indefinitely
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buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 5015
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 4:17 pm: |
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^
It's really strange to see the actors in real life.
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buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 5052
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 19, 2006 - 1:30 pm: |
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I was bummed to see Al S beat-up last night |
Alleygater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 2283
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 2:07 pm: |
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Can someone put Cy out of his misery already? And Swearengen knew the war was coming and he knew he wasn't going to win the first battle. It was weird to see him beaten up like that (since he's usually the one dishing out the punishing) but I do think it will be interesting to see how the little fish competes against the big one.
The only thing that seems odd to me is how easy it must be to assinate someone back then. Don't like someone, kill them. |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 4024
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 6:19 pm: |
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Nothing has changed, Gater.
-s. |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1586
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 7:05 am: |
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The fight between Dan Dority and Hearst's guy was so unspeakably vicious. I had to turn away for most of it. The whole episode was packed with really upsetting developments - the fight, Hostettler's end, Alma's backsliding.
I was just thinking about how amazing it is that even with all their viciousness, I feel so fond of Swearengen and Dan Dority. The show is just so f*@#in' brilliantly acted and written!
I loved the scene between Sol and Trixie - "yes, please." |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2547
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 9:45 am: |
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jem - I didn't think the fight was partuclarly vicious until the end.. I had to turn away at the eyeball. I was rooting hard for Dan.
Alma's backsliding upset me too, but I thought her attempts to seduce Ellsworth were sweet. What I don't get is his lack of response and his desire to pack his bags and leave.
(jem - nice meeting you yesterday!)
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buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 5241
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 10:42 am: |
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I wasn't clear to me why Hostettler did what he did......did I miss something |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2548
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 10:56 am: |
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Buzz - do you you mean Ellsworth? |
buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 5243
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 11:00 am: |
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No - I was talking about the guy that killed himself - I couldn't figure out why he did that.
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Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2549
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 11:08 am: |
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ohhhhh THAT guy.
Good question....can't figure that one out either
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jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1587
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 11:24 am: |
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My take on Hostettler was that he had bent over backwards to do the right thing - he'd come back to town, taken responsibility for the runaway horse, sold the livery, dug up the freakin' board, and Steve the drunk just never quit escalating his ridiculous demands and so Hostettler just couldn't take it any more. That was really sad and such a waste - he had all that gold and could have started fresh in Oregon.
As for Ellsworth's reaction to Alma, at first he was responsive and then it hit him that she was high as a kite, that it wasn't about him at all, but just sort of a sensory thing for her.
Trixie is so on to Alma, and it really bugs her. Looks like next week the story will revolve around Alma and her habit. Wonder if Trixie will even be willing to help her kick it, should Alma want to get straight again.
It was nice meeting you yesterday, too, Pippi! |
buzzsaw
Citizen
Username: Buzzsaw
Post Number: 5244
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 11:29 am: |
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I haven't missed a deadwood yet -- but I am still missing the board - what was the big deal about the board hostettler had.......? |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1589
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 12:01 pm: |
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Darned if I know. I just went to the HBO web site to scan old episode synopses, and couldn't find anything about it. I can't find much about Steve the Drunk - he's not listed as a major character on the cast and crew page - often you learn alot of back story and motivation there, but no luck with this one. Anyone else have a clue? |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2551
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 12:10 pm: |
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I have only the vaguest memory of the board
Jem - you watch the show much more closely than I do, it didn't even occur to me Ellsworth might realize Alma was high. I do know Trixie is quite on to her, should be an interesting episode next week
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mtierney
Citizen
Username: Mtierney
Post Number: 945
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 12:25 pm: |
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An article in yesterday's Parade section said that due to much pressure from fans, Deadwood will return next season to wrap it up in two, two-hour episodes!
It was obvious that Alma took a drug, pinched her cheeks and then tried to seduce her husband. What I can't figure out is why? He has demonstrated his loyality to her and the little girl, as well as his fondness for Alma. But, he picked up on her drug use and had the strength to walk away from her invitation.
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Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1630
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 1:14 pm: |
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I forget what the contents of the board actually said, but I believe that they were the original sale terms of the livery to Hostetler. |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1590
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 1:17 pm: |
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My question right after the show was, "why did Alma go back to drugs?" My husband then reminded me that the Doc had forced her to take laudanum, and against her wishes, when she was having problems with her pregnancy. Maybe the doctor didn't expect her to survive and so he thought it was the better option. Guess she got hooked again, as she feared.
My first clue that she was slipping was when she was looking sort of appraisingly at Leon, who was, as always, flying. Not sure if that was the first time that she started going to him for drugs - there's alot that we don't see from episode to episode.
I think Molly Parker is a wonderful actress, and you really see and feel the difference between her character straight and stoned. Ellsworth opened his eyes and saw her face, and he could tell she was groovin' on something and it wasn't him. My take is that she was seducing Elllsworth purely for the sake of the sensation, to feed her high. He's such a sympathetic character, and it was sad to see him walk away, but it was understandable. |
Madden 11
Citizen
Username: Madden_11
Post Number: 973
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 2:24 pm: |
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The board had on it Steve's confession that he "romanced" the sheriff's horse after Bullock had humiliated him in public (I forget how). Hostetler and the "African-American" General caught him at it, and Hostetler was going to kill him over it. The General brokered this compromise...Steve could live in exchange for signing the confession on the chalkboard.
Deadwood...if you want to discuss it, better bring your euphimisms. |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 4027
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 2:26 pm: |
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"The Board" was Hostettler's blackboard, and Steve wanted it because it contained his confession to a drunken molestation of Bullock's horse at the Livery, where he was discovered "en flagrante" by Hostettler & The N***** General.
Last night's episode was excellent, imho.
-s. |
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1592
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 3:01 pm: |
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That's it!! Thanks, Madden and Soda. Now it's all coming back to me....Steve and his rendez-vous with the horse. Not a pretty thought. Euphemisms are indeed required. |
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