TV Review – Deadwood Season Three

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Deadwood Season Three (HBO)
Written by David Milch, Ted Mann, Regina Corrado, Alix Lambert, Kem Nunn, Nick Towne, Zack Whedon, W. Earl Brown, and Bernadette McNamara
Directed by Mark Tinker, Dan Attias, Gregg Fienberg, Ed Bianchi, Dan Minahan, Tim Hunter, and Adam Davidson

Ratings are the bane of good art. Because everything that involves money must be quantified into a system that evaluates for profit or potential profit, television executives chose to use viewership numbers to determine whether a piece of art continues. There is some logic behind this, as the production of shows involves a lot of money & resources. The idea is that art exists to be consumed in the instant it is delivered to the public. In the modern world, there is no discovery of something beautiful over time; this society prides itself on fantastic newness. Despite being the fourth highest-rated cable television series of 2006, Deadwood was ultimately canceled upon concluding its third season. 

Admittedly, this was never a “new viewer-friendly show.” You really did have to start at the beginning to understand the complexity of its characters and appreciate the rich language of the writing. In 2006, what dominated network television viewership was American Idol, CSI, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and Without a Trace. Not even my favorite, Lost, managed to crack the top 10, tied with CSI: NY and Law & Order: SVU down in 18th place. But let’s be honest, the American public has never flocked toward quality art, not because they don’t possess the means to appreciate it, but rather because it is more convenient to the leadership and institutions of the nation to maintain a populace that feels discomfort when presented with difficult & complex art. It’s no conspiracy, simply the class interests of the powerful at work done in the open air and without fear of impunity.

I’ve observed a reflexive notion in some people who you would likely place on the “liberal” side of whatever broken political spectrum exists in the States. They take a cursory glance at a show like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, or Deadwood, and, based purely on the surface level, they brand it as “for men” or some other pro-machismo bent. These people speak about Scorsese’s films as if he thinks the mafia and Jordan Belfort are “good guys.” If you have seen Deadwood, you know it is not a celebration of masculinity. It doesn’t pretend that women didn’t have it bad during the 19th century, especially in the frontier. If women appear to have limited roles as whores or mothers, that is not the writers’ perspective but a view of the narrow scope women could have at the time. The fact that many men are violently misogynistic is because they were, and too many still are. I understand if someone says they prefer not to watch a show with elements in it rather than placing a blanket judgment over something you haven’t really engaged with. I don’t like watching movies or shows where animals die, so I understand entirely. Some things can be too much.

That said, Deadwood delivers an incredible third season that goes deeper with its cast and further builds out its world. The outside is approaching more aggressively than ever, represented here by the arrival of George Hearst (Gerald McRaney). Hearst is based on the real-life figure of the same name, one of the original 49ers who headed west when news of gold arrived in the east. The show takes dramatic license and presents Hearst as a diabolically evil figure. I have no doubt the man did terrible things in real life to get where he did, but the show has to play things up to keep the audience engaged. That said, he’s no mustache-twirler. McRaney’s performance as Hearst is completely absorbing, a less eccentric version of Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood. Hearst sees people as something to be subjugated, and the idea of making someone an equal partner is anathema to his ideology. He must be the master and everyone else his servants. 

This approach puts him at odds with the former Mrs. Garrett, now Mrs. Ellsworth (Molly Parker), whose fruitful claim remains a piece of fruit Hearst is refused from the tree. After a tense attempt at a deal, the capricious man aims to drive Mrs. Ellsworth from Deadwood, even if that means killing people. It appears he’s already engaged in murders in the camp, with some of his pro-union Cornish miners turning up dead. Early in the season, Hearst displays his willingness to harm by severing one of Al Swearengen’s (Ian McShane) fingers. He’s aided by the Captain, a large bodyguard quick to serve his boss in whatever horrible scheme he cooks up.

The brutality that comes with “civilizing” is all over this season. Dan (W. Earl Brown) quickly comes to hate the Captain and mid-season, they have an unarmed brawl to the death in the streets. It is one of the most harrowing portrayals of violence in the Old West you’re likely to see, complete with graphic eye gouging. What I appreciated most about this was the fallout, not just in Hearst seeing red more than he did before but in Dan’s trauma over the fight. Al relates to Johnny that such a fight is one where you come right up to death, you feel the breath leave the other man’s body, and you see their soul evacuate through the eyes. There’s no joy in Dan’s victory; he becomes nastier and angrier. In too much popular media, people kill, and there’s an emotional distance from the act. Here, Dan cannot escape the images left behind by what he did, the implication being that such behavior is not what our souls are meant for. Peace and contentment are what soothe us, and when forced into situations where violence is the only method of resolution, we are left battered & scarred in ways that may not be visible to others.

Deadwood is in possession of so much story that its clear creator David Milch and his writers are self-indulging. It’s the best of that sort because we get unexpected divergences and take our time with side stories. In the back half of this season, the friendship between Joanie (Kim Dickens) and Jane (Robin Weigert) takes a turn as they become romantically involved. Jane has always been an outstanding character in this series, unlike the other women in her personality. She has lived a life that would have been considered that of a man. None of the men in the series ever seem to see her as sexually desirable, although she’s a beautiful person. 

As Ariana noted while we were watching this season, Jane is the most sensitive character in the show. Just feeling Joanie’s hand on her back is too overwhelming to Jane, much less to feel the emotions associated with love & sex. It is Jane who is always concerned about the children in the camp, but always from a distance in the background. She carries shame about herself and her demeanor when Mrs. Bullock (Anna Gunn) asks her to speak to the town’s schoolchildren about her exploits as a cowgirl. Jane bristles early on in her and Joanie’s romance because she fears that sooner or later, the other woman will reject her. The late Wild Bill seems to have been the only person in Jane’s life that never told her she was worthless. The characters like Jane make me want to share this show with people who think they won’t like it. The multidimensionality of the characters in this show is beyond anything you will find on a network television series, past or present or likely future.

The ubiquity of plotlines does mean some threads don’t seem to go anywhere. If there was a fourth season, perhaps they would have. In the season three premiere, Jack Langrishe (Brian Cox) brings his theater troupe to town with plans to set up a permanent theater. We spend time with Langrishe and his actors, but there really isn’t a strong plot that emerges from these scenes. The livery owner Hostetler (Richard Gant), returns to camp after the tragic events of the horse stampede from last season and takes an unexpected path in his dealings with the pathetic racist moron, Steve (Michael Harney). Given more time, I could see where this might go, but as for season three, it meanders. This is a show where it doesn’t feel like a waste to wander, though.

By the time I reached the end of these twelve episodes, I felt a pain in my heart that it was the end for all intents and purposes. Yes, we will be watching the 2019 Deadwood: The Movie, but that means I have around two hours left in this incredible setting and among these remarkably written and performed characters. I am certainly not ready to say goodbye, but when is anyone? Thirteen years will pass between Season Three, Episode Twelve, and the Movie. It has me wondering and thinking about where this or that character will be. Who will still be among the living? The Doc didn’t look too good in season three. Will he have made it? Does Hearst win in the end? Does the unresolved love between Bullock and Mrs. Ellsworth get an ending, or do they simply move on? Does Jane find a way to love herself and be happy? Do Sol and Trixie finally get a happy ending? What happens to all these people when Deadwood becomes fully absorbed by the state and the nation? I’m excited to see how it wraps up, but not wanting to rush it.