Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Thirteen years later,HBO is returning toDeadwood.
One might even say that, like life, ranking episodes ofDeadwoodis one vile fucking task after another.
But dont get aggravated; then the enemy has you by the short hair.
Even worse, there are two (!)
), who, of course, arent quite what they claim to be.
On the whole, this ones a lot of resolution and setup, but not much of consequence happens.
True Colors (Season 3, Episode 3)The dreaded theater troupe arrives in camp.
Either way, viewers can relate.
Crop Ear, whos really a tough hang, even in his sole appearance.
Oh, and the episodes remarkably bad title certainly doesnt help.
Theres just something a tad sweaty about the fact that hes a murderer.
So, not great.
(Who expected Richardson to have a knack for juggling?
Certainly not E. B. Farnum, who cant stand to see his underling rewarded with applause.)
Its a welcome relief to watch the camp come together for an evening of entertainment.
Its all essentially wordless and lasts for just about three minutes, but it leaves an impression.
Back in town, theres the smallpox outbreak that gives this hour its title.
(Its enough to rattle Ricky Jays Eddie Sawyer and start a rift between him and Cy Tolliver.)
Hearing her speak for the first time leaves us as speechless as it does Alma.
Particularly consequential is Wolcotts landing in camp.
Regardless of whether hes being sincere, Farnum is dead-on about what awaits the people of Deadwood.
Also helping move things along?
Of course, no one cops to it.
get away with murder at the start ofDeadwood.
The guys declared innocent before this episode even hits the 40-minute mark.
Unauthorized Cinnamon (Season 3, Episode 7)This title references the most downrightSeinfeldian back-and-forthin the Old West.
There are few times when the sense of community in camp is more palpable.
When Steve the racist, leading an angry mob, screams, Fuck the future!
The future fucks you.
Its not quite a thesis statement for the show, but its not far off, either.
As memorable as that is, its not all this episode has to offer.
Swearengen and Alma finally meet, Calamity Janes alcoholism sinks to troubling new depths, and E.B.
Its Hearst, of course, and the mining magnate actually finds himself bested here.
Too bad the sense of victory wont last long.
At one point, the crowded outdoor service is too much to bear for Anna Gunns Mrs. Bullock.
Its perhaps the single most emotionally resonant moment in the whole series.
Its a gladiatorial fight to the death, perfectly suited to the muddy roadways of Deadwood.
Clawing, biting, headbutting anything goes, which is what makes the scene so realistic and so barbaric.
Alma, Ellsworth, and Sofia have moved into a new house.
For now,Deadwoodbreathes a bit easier, even as Hearst is tightening his grip around the entire camp.
A Rich Find is one such example, and exactly what its title promises.
Words to live by.
You know somethings coming, but youre not sure what.
In what turned out to be the shows final hour, Hearst gets pretty much everything he wants.
To be honest, there are worse ways to go out.
The Catbird Seat (Season 3, Episode 11)RIP, Ellsworth.
(Its a tough call between him and Sol.)
Its the one where Swearengen realizes that, actually, Bullock would make a good sheriff.
Its the one where Reverend Smiths mind deteriorates so much that he starts preaching to livestock.
Its the one where Sol and Trixie have sex for the first time.
Its the one where Swearengen finds out about Sol and Trixie having sex.
Its the one where Swearengen then gets problem-drunk and demands Sol pay for the sex with Trixie.
Its also the one where Swearengen gives a drunken monologue about his childhood while getting a blowjob.
Its a really good one.
With the towns various heavies gathered around a table at the Gem, posts are handed out.
(The silence that hangs in the air when Swearengen asks if anyone objects is priceless.)
Doc Cochran pleads with Calamity Jane to stop destroying herself and quit drinking.
Sol and Trixie start flirting in a scene thats electric and sweet.
Like Swearengen says early in the episode, Everything changes.
Even Wolcott asks about Williams condition.
Nothing brings the people of Deadwood together like a tragedy.
But its simply staggering how much David Milch fit into the pilot.
And thats all just in the prologue, before we even get a glimpse of the town.
And, to cap it all off, the episode ends with a genuine Western staple: a shootout.
By the time the viewer makes it into camp, the series has already staked out its territory.
Sofias got a tutor named Miss Isringhausen.
Bullock and Alma are fully having an affair now.
Telegraph poles are being installed around town.
And Bullocks wife and stepson are on their way to Deadwood.
When they arrive in their stagecoach, they receive quite a greeting: Welcome to fucking Deadwood!
Thats Swearengen, blurting out what is almost certainly the most iconic line of the shows whole run.
Yes, the two main characters finally come to blows and no, it does not disappoint.
Its the end of this season premiere thats most worth savoring, though.
Or should he shift his attention to the cavalry parade thats marching through the thoroughfare?
And those are just the things going on at that very instant, nevermind the entire episode.
Sold Under Sin is rich with several of the shows very best moments.
Doc Cochrans unforgettable prayer for the Reverend Smiths suffering to end.
Swearengen answering that prayer by suffocating the Reverend and describing his method as being similar to packin a snowball.
Bullock finally pinning the sheriffs star on his chest.
Swearengen looking over the banister at the Gem Saloon, watching Doc Cochran and Jewel dance together.
This episode fulfills the promise of not just the first season but really of the show as a whole.
This is when Deadwood the camp andDeadwoodthe show most feel like theyre bursting with life.
