I wouldn't say
"Deadwood" is a show nobody has ever heard of. It has critical raves from all of its three seasons, a devoted following and it has sold very well on DVD. True it doesn't have the kind of phenomenal Pop Culture recognition that HBO's
"The Sopranos" or
"Sex and the City" received, but that hardly relegates it to a show "nobody" has ever heard of. I'm a fan, and I know there are other MoFoers who dig it.
I've liked it from episode one, but it can be a tough one to recommend to people casually. It's very dense and overwhelming and some simply can't get past the foul language, which is damn near fu*kin' constant.
I think everything about
"Deadwood" can be overwhelming at first glance, including the use of language - foul and otherwise. But if you get into the show a few episodes I think most will find the profanity is very much character-based. There's also a level at which, like David Mamet's stuff for example, there's a poetry to the cadence and sheer thickness of the cussin'.
I don't ever get the feeling David Milch has made it so full of cursing simply because it's HBO and he
can. And to be fair, on his last show, the long-running
"NYPD Blue", he used profanity there too, on prime-time ABC television no less, including by the end of the run a very generous helping of "*******"s and "dick"s and even a "bullsh!t" or three, the "F"-bomb being about the only he couldn't get away with there. I think initially the
"NYPD Blue" swearing was there at least partially for some kind of titilation factor, sure (or at least that's how it was marketed), but mostly it was just Milch writing the way he hears the characters talk, and Bocchco having the guts to stand up for it and push the envelope a bit on the network airwaves.
I suppose it's a style thing, but I don't find the plentiful "mutherf*cker"s and "co*ks*cker"s of
"Deadwood" to be extraneous or there simply for some kind of shock value. There is a purpose, both artistic and character-wise, for all of it. But certainly the profanity is a common point of contention for many.
I really love Al Searengen. McShane's Swearengen is much more layered than a simple "bad guy". He's a great character. He'll definitely have somebody killed if he thinks they're in his way or if he can profit from it, but he also has a larger vision for keeping the camp of Deadwood alive and independent, and he does have a core of a couple people he is fiercely loyal to (which he demands in kind). But the best thing about him is his attitude and how he deals with folks. He can go from bemused to threatening in a flash.
One of the many strengths of the show is that all the characters are layered and complex. Timothy Olyphant's Seth Bullock is the "hero" of the show, but he is beset by problems of his own, and where Swearengen is good at the big picture and longer term consequences (from years of schemes and being a defacto Godfather of anything crooked that can bring riches or power in the region), Bullock can be more hot-tempered and caught up in the moment.
What's even more remarkable is how many of the characters are based on historical figures. Even a casual Western or history buff knows the names of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, but Swearengen, Bullock, E.B. Farnum, George Hearst and many of the other principles are drawn from real people who lived in Deadwood (not-yet South Dakota) during that period. So on top of everything else, this is terrific historical fiction. Alma Garret, the character played by the wonderful Molly Parker, is one of the few major characters who isn't historically based. She's a composite of a type of woman, but not an actual person.
I love Ian McShane
so much.
"Deadwood" is really his show in many ways, and boy is he making the most of the opportunity. I've always liked Olyphant too, especially in
Go and
The Safety of Objects, and I'm glad he's getting such a high-profile gig and a great part. I was a huge fan of the Canadian sitcom
"Twitch City" which co-starred Molly Parker, so I've been an admirer of hers for years (see also
Wonderland, The Five Senses, The Center of the World and
Kissed - the latter being the best and most romantic flick about necrophelia ever made!). The durable Brad Dourif is spectacular as Doc Cochran. He's had a long fine career, but nobody other than Milos Forman seemed to know how to use him right (
Ragtime and
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are still his most impressive film outings, though he's damn strong in
Mississippi Burning and the best of his creepy supporting roles is in
Exorcist III), so I'm thrilled he wound up in
"Deadwood" in such a great role. Powers Boothe, the man who will always be the Reverend Jim Jones for so many of us, is great as Swearengen's rival Cy Tolliver, William Sanderson (
BladeRunner, "Newhart") is perfect as the annoying and little-respected weasel Farnum, Jeffrey Jones (
Beetlejuice, Amadeus) is just right for newspaper man Merrick, Garrett Dillahunt in his two unrelated roles from the fist two seasons, John Hawkes as Sol Star, Dayton Callie as Charlie Utter, Paula Malcomson as Trixie, Kim Dickens as Joanie Stubbs, W. Earl Brown as Dan Dorrity, Keith Carradine, Brian Cox, Gerald McRaney and on and on and on. Great characters inhabited so well by a spot-on cast.
But at the end of the day all of
"Deadwood"'s brilliance rests squarely on the shoulders of one man: David Milch. He's the creator and chief writer, and wow what a masterpiece.
"NYPD Blue" was a good show for a lot of years, but while it was a high-water mark for series drama on network TV and broke some ground, it seems it was just a warm-up for
"Deadwood". What a vision. And besides a talented cast, he's also collected great behind-the-scenes crew. The look of his Deadwood rivals the towns built for Altman's
McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Eastwood's
Unforgiven for most distinctive and layered and authentic ever created for a Western production. It's all filthy and unglamorous, and watching the show you can just feel how cold and wet the place is. Every costume and prop feels absolutely right. And the music! The cinematography and editing are top notch too. A great company from top to bottom.
"Deadwood" is great television. I love all three seasons and it got better and better as it went along, which is really saying something because it was great right from the beginning. For those of you who don't have HBO, do head down to your local rental outfit and get a hold of the DVDs. Give yourself two or even three episodes to get into it. At least. It's very densely layered on many levels (dialogue, character, plot, visuals), so you have to let yourself get into the rhythm of the show. Once you've got it, you'll be hooked, more than likely. And if not, well as Al Swearengen might say, pardon the f*ck outta me. Go and rot, you mealy bunch of c*cksu*kers.
When Milch agreed to do
"John from Cincinnati" HBO promised him at least four hours of airtime, perhaps to be done essentially as a pair of two-hour TV movies, to complete his
Deadwood" saga. Haven't heard anything about it lately, but I'm getting tired of waiting.
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