Every now and then, a TV series comes out that revolutionizes the way that a genre is perceived. The Sopranos reinvigorated the mafia genre. The Wire revolutionized the procedural (and TV narration in general). Even then, there has long been taboos over the western genre, which remained a landscape of horseback heroes and villains in black spouting John Wayne-esque patriot quotes. At best, Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci added a necessary violence, adding danger into the mix. Even then, no show had addressed the racism, masochism, and greediness in ways that made for invigorating storytelling with profanity so rich that it became poetry. The west was, after all, a land where men were men and fought for their morals with regularity. For this and many other reasons, what David Milch did with Deadwood is a miracle of unsurpassed art, creating a landscape that no show has come close to.
What gives Deadwood an edge is that it is a historical drama that is almost rooted entirely in fact. The real life Deadwood, currently located in South Dakota, featured the likes of Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) and Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) running a town from its bare essentials. In the first season, it introduces the world and the politics. It features sympathetic prostitutes such as Trixie (Paula Malcomson) and alcoholic gunsmiths like Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert) who lost her partner early on in the series. Full of crass language and monologues told during oral sex, the series glamorizes the despicable men who ran the west and their quest to overtake the landscape.
While there were great people in the town, the series had an eclectic bunch of people who could be associated with "no man's land." They talked loudly and didn't have a civilized personality. There were epidemics and deaths in almost every episode. It was a dangerous land where anything happened. It was a tale of capitalizing the west, and there were none more keen at this than Swearengen, whose foul mouth, sex-obsessed psyche paved the way for grand moments of order and violence. He knew that he was a part of the change, and over time, he became more accepting of the men he once despised.
Despite the vulgarity, the charm of Deadwood was that it was about progress and building a town into civility. Over the course of the series and the expanding cast, there is a rise of hotels, banks, schoolhouses, performing arts houses, and eventually law. It doesn't come immediately and each season builds to something bigger. The characters all equate to a grand picture of Deadwood and how it functions. It is a fine tuned machine with traumatic parts thrown in. By the end, it isn't the individuality that defines Deadwood, but the community that gathers in the streets at the start of every day and watches as the forces that be watch from their balconies at people passing by like hawks on their prey. By the end, Deadwood loses some of its unruly nature, but gains a deeper personal wisdom. It is a society about to be accepted into the South Dakota state. It needs to start acting civilized.
Through all of the poignant character moments that help to develop pairs that riff against each other in hilarious fashions, The show becomes about unity. It is a prequel to the decay of society that is present in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. It is like a young cousin pulling at your coattails looking for respect. It will do anything to become part of the family. As a result, Deadwood's ambitions, no matter how dour in language, remains an optimistic portrait of trying to do right while not knowing how every step of the way. There's drinking, sex, and a whole lot of fighting that runs through the system before it develops into something more.
It does help that creator David Milch is a veteran in the TV world who previously challenged network TV with NYPD Blue. He found catharsis in using foul language because it was more honest to the characters. To accuse the show of sexism is to be right, though it undermines the eventual uprising of the female counterpart of the series as they develop a community with education and finances. It is still impossible to get the respect, but at least the keener ones know their way around avoiding beatings or getting the worst jobs imaginable.
It also helps that Milch has a penchant for the English language. If George Carlin wrote a western, this is likely the rough draft before he polished the eloquence. As gritty as things get, the use of profanity, a notorious attribute, result in something more raw and open. These were after all frustrated types who longed to screw over their competitors and be the heroes of the town, no matter how despicable they were. It was a capitalistic story that no matter how much about community, ended up as a grand statement about how money always wins, even in politics.
For several, the ending diminishes the value of Deadwood as a great dramatic series. While this seems reductive to the impressive 35 episodes prior, it is only in the request of seasons past. Season two ended in a hootenanny of deaths, proving that chaos still reigned. In fact, it was apparent that Milch was hinting at violence in the season three opener "Tell Your God to Prepare for Blood." Yes, there were many deaths on the way to the finale, but the "blood" in question belonged to tycoon Hearst, who threatened to corrupt the community. With armies formed, the ending was set for a grand fight that would undoubtedly cost the town its efforts. Instead, as Bullock stares Hearst in the face, he lets him go. Swearengen ends up wiping blood off of the floor of his saloon.
To many, the ending is rather pathetic. However, to consider what the show was at its core, it is a grand statement that while unfortunate in a lot of ways, summarizes the series. In a show all about forming a civilization, there have been tempers and unwarranted deaths. There continued to be until the end. However, when faced with Hearst, a figure that was an inimitable threat, they were helpless. Capitalism had finally won in the form of a random passerby with power beyond their control. Those armies wouldn't do anything productive to society. Hearst had already won, and the realities set in. Deadwood was a civilized community of law and order, only realizing that after hard effort was lead to a fully functioning society that could hold elections and have a diverse population. Was it perfect? No. Still, those disappointed by the end are only so because they hate Hearst and the tragic realization that he fooled them all into falling for his plans.
You could blame history. Even if Milch doesn't reveal any other things about Deadwood, research will suggest what happens to the real life characters. The town does eventually burn and the hard work is wasted. While history buffs will know all of this, the desire to be transplanted into this community overshadows the "accuracy" that Milch applied. We want Swearengen talking smack on people. We want to see how these stories are resolved. It is the typical story of every series to end without definition. However, it is thankful that it ended here, because it would seem antithetical to the core concepts for the series to end with Deadwood in flames. It was about progress, not spite. Do we hate Hearst? Yes. However, the west is a cruel place that if nobody is paying attention, can be swallowed up and marketed in a new way. It's how the show started and ended. The effort stands and the new governance has taken effect. This is tragic.
To say that the show ended with a whimper is to want something outside of quaint thematic closure. Deadwood now has civility. It simply came at a price. Even then, the passion for more Deadwood is warranted and exciting in the ways it built up to that. There were countless great characters and some of the most uniquely crass dialogue to ever hit TV. It was a wonderful creation that leaves many wanting more. If nothing else, it serves as a great promoter for local libraries and the chance to read up on this South Dakotan landscape. Deadwood existed in a troubling world and like history, it wasn't always conveniently wrapped up. There weren't any big battles, just the avoidance of utter destruction. We could have more, but almost a decade later and with Milch two shows out from it (John from Cincinnati, Luck), there's too much space and the actors have taken too much of a hold on pop culture's realm (John Hawkes got an Oscar nomination). Either way, where The Wire ended perfectly, the fractured assembly of Deadwood leaves countless ways for the audience to embrace the series. It was great, but it was also despicable at times. It was about finding justice and realizing that it can never be fully achieved.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5
What gives Deadwood an edge is that it is a historical drama that is almost rooted entirely in fact. The real life Deadwood, currently located in South Dakota, featured the likes of Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) and Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) running a town from its bare essentials. In the first season, it introduces the world and the politics. It features sympathetic prostitutes such as Trixie (Paula Malcomson) and alcoholic gunsmiths like Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert) who lost her partner early on in the series. Full of crass language and monologues told during oral sex, the series glamorizes the despicable men who ran the west and their quest to overtake the landscape.
While there were great people in the town, the series had an eclectic bunch of people who could be associated with "no man's land." They talked loudly and didn't have a civilized personality. There were epidemics and deaths in almost every episode. It was a dangerous land where anything happened. It was a tale of capitalizing the west, and there were none more keen at this than Swearengen, whose foul mouth, sex-obsessed psyche paved the way for grand moments of order and violence. He knew that he was a part of the change, and over time, he became more accepting of the men he once despised.
Despite the vulgarity, the charm of Deadwood was that it was about progress and building a town into civility. Over the course of the series and the expanding cast, there is a rise of hotels, banks, schoolhouses, performing arts houses, and eventually law. It doesn't come immediately and each season builds to something bigger. The characters all equate to a grand picture of Deadwood and how it functions. It is a fine tuned machine with traumatic parts thrown in. By the end, it isn't the individuality that defines Deadwood, but the community that gathers in the streets at the start of every day and watches as the forces that be watch from their balconies at people passing by like hawks on their prey. By the end, Deadwood loses some of its unruly nature, but gains a deeper personal wisdom. It is a society about to be accepted into the South Dakota state. It needs to start acting civilized.
Through all of the poignant character moments that help to develop pairs that riff against each other in hilarious fashions, The show becomes about unity. It is a prequel to the decay of society that is present in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. It is like a young cousin pulling at your coattails looking for respect. It will do anything to become part of the family. As a result, Deadwood's ambitions, no matter how dour in language, remains an optimistic portrait of trying to do right while not knowing how every step of the way. There's drinking, sex, and a whole lot of fighting that runs through the system before it develops into something more.
It does help that creator David Milch is a veteran in the TV world who previously challenged network TV with NYPD Blue. He found catharsis in using foul language because it was more honest to the characters. To accuse the show of sexism is to be right, though it undermines the eventual uprising of the female counterpart of the series as they develop a community with education and finances. It is still impossible to get the respect, but at least the keener ones know their way around avoiding beatings or getting the worst jobs imaginable.
It also helps that Milch has a penchant for the English language. If George Carlin wrote a western, this is likely the rough draft before he polished the eloquence. As gritty as things get, the use of profanity, a notorious attribute, result in something more raw and open. These were after all frustrated types who longed to screw over their competitors and be the heroes of the town, no matter how despicable they were. It was a capitalistic story that no matter how much about community, ended up as a grand statement about how money always wins, even in politics.
For several, the ending diminishes the value of Deadwood as a great dramatic series. While this seems reductive to the impressive 35 episodes prior, it is only in the request of seasons past. Season two ended in a hootenanny of deaths, proving that chaos still reigned. In fact, it was apparent that Milch was hinting at violence in the season three opener "Tell Your God to Prepare for Blood." Yes, there were many deaths on the way to the finale, but the "blood" in question belonged to tycoon Hearst, who threatened to corrupt the community. With armies formed, the ending was set for a grand fight that would undoubtedly cost the town its efforts. Instead, as Bullock stares Hearst in the face, he lets him go. Swearengen ends up wiping blood off of the floor of his saloon.
To many, the ending is rather pathetic. However, to consider what the show was at its core, it is a grand statement that while unfortunate in a lot of ways, summarizes the series. In a show all about forming a civilization, there have been tempers and unwarranted deaths. There continued to be until the end. However, when faced with Hearst, a figure that was an inimitable threat, they were helpless. Capitalism had finally won in the form of a random passerby with power beyond their control. Those armies wouldn't do anything productive to society. Hearst had already won, and the realities set in. Deadwood was a civilized community of law and order, only realizing that after hard effort was lead to a fully functioning society that could hold elections and have a diverse population. Was it perfect? No. Still, those disappointed by the end are only so because they hate Hearst and the tragic realization that he fooled them all into falling for his plans.
You could blame history. Even if Milch doesn't reveal any other things about Deadwood, research will suggest what happens to the real life characters. The town does eventually burn and the hard work is wasted. While history buffs will know all of this, the desire to be transplanted into this community overshadows the "accuracy" that Milch applied. We want Swearengen talking smack on people. We want to see how these stories are resolved. It is the typical story of every series to end without definition. However, it is thankful that it ended here, because it would seem antithetical to the core concepts for the series to end with Deadwood in flames. It was about progress, not spite. Do we hate Hearst? Yes. However, the west is a cruel place that if nobody is paying attention, can be swallowed up and marketed in a new way. It's how the show started and ended. The effort stands and the new governance has taken effect. This is tragic.
To say that the show ended with a whimper is to want something outside of quaint thematic closure. Deadwood now has civility. It simply came at a price. Even then, the passion for more Deadwood is warranted and exciting in the ways it built up to that. There were countless great characters and some of the most uniquely crass dialogue to ever hit TV. It was a wonderful creation that leaves many wanting more. If nothing else, it serves as a great promoter for local libraries and the chance to read up on this South Dakotan landscape. Deadwood existed in a troubling world and like history, it wasn't always conveniently wrapped up. There weren't any big battles, just the avoidance of utter destruction. We could have more, but almost a decade later and with Milch two shows out from it (John from Cincinnati, Luck), there's too much space and the actors have taken too much of a hold on pop culture's realm (John Hawkes got an Oscar nomination). Either way, where The Wire ended perfectly, the fractured assembly of Deadwood leaves countless ways for the audience to embrace the series. It was great, but it was also despicable at times. It was about finding justice and realizing that it can never be fully achieved.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5
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