Whatever happens, Deadwood is one of those rare - and becoming almost extinct - dramas that entertain and capture the imagination of its viewers. In a broadcast world inundated with video cameras following pseudocelebrities and want-to-be-someone’s through increasingly fake competitions and paper mache worlds, Deadwood is qualifies as art. It is "reality" as I really imagine it was in the mud and muck of the Dakota frontiers in the late 1800's. With writers and scripts becoming useless relics in television today, Deadwood is one of the last beacons of what the broadcast medium can and should be. Along with FX's "The Shield," "Rescue Me," and “Nip/Tuck” and a few rare other exceptions, let us hope that this sort of artistry and creativity can survive the Pet Rock craze of reality television.
For, in comparison, I will take Deadwood's "fantasy" over what euphemistically is called “reality television” every day of the year, and twice in leap years.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Shouldn't this be under Video?
Fine post
2 - Eric Berlin
Somebody switched it over, Aaman.
3 - gonzo marx
watch Deadwood or i'll toss all you cocksuckers feet first into the woodchipper...
nuff said?
Excelsior!
4 - Eric Berlin
I don't get HBO and can only get three Netflix DVDs at a time, so Deadwood has been on my list for a while now. Trying to get through Carnivale Season One, then Sopranos Season Five, then...
If only the wife would stop insisting on mixing in a movie every now and again!
5 - Nicolette Rivers
I love this show. Swearengen is a character you can loathe and like in the same episode.
You can do a whole drinking game based on how many times they same "cocksucker" per episode.
6 - dietdoc
Nicolette write: You can do a whole drinking game based on how many times they same "cocksucker" per episode.
Reply: You would be pretty drunk after each show. (grin) Maybe one shot for every 5 for Al, and one shot for 3 from Jane and Trixie, and one shot per utterance of "cocksucker" from every one else. There would be a bonus of two shots for every utterance of the word from Alma or Seth. Keeping up with Al and Jane would be enough to put me under the table.
Al is the most lovable villain ever, IMHO. Just when you start to think he is totally corrupt, you see him do something so off character it is downright tender.
I just love the writing. It is truly becoming a lost art. And Milch has the touch. The scripts turn the whole cast of serviceable but ordinary actors into complete stars.
Stars are made from scripts and script choices not just talent. I watched one of our generation's best, DeNiro, recently in "Godsend." Even an actor of his quality couldn't save that crap. And then you think back to "Godfather II" and "Raging Bull." It's the writing, not the acting, that makes stars. And the script writing never gets enough credit.
Sorry for the tangent.
Cheers,
Ron
Cheers,
Ron
7 - Nicolette Rivers
If you really want to get drunk fast you do the drinking game during the episode called Mr Wu. That's the one where Wu is in Al's office trying to explain that someone stole the dope.
8 - dietdoc
Postscript:
Season 2 ended 05/22/2005 and the ending bodes well for the future of the series.
In the finale, Al gets what he wants from Yankton, Alma marries Ellsworth, Mr. Lee gets taken out by Mr. Wu (with a big assist from Al's henchmen), Mr. Hurst arrives (the only disappointment was his seemingly banal character), Mr. Wolcott is discovered by his employer (Mr. Hurst) and hangs himself and, to my great joy, Powers Booth (the evil Tolliver) gets gutted by the new preacher who earlier in the day married Alma and Ellsworth.
I am sure this make no sense to anyone who has not followed the series but it was a classic setup for Season 3 and I thought I would give it a notice in this thread. David Milch continues to excel in writing and the series remains a classic tale of the real old west.
Cheers,
Ron
9 - Temple Stark
From two weeks ago -- Blogcritics' editors liked this one. It's a pick of the week. Congrats. Put the news up proudly on your site.
Here's a link to the rest of this week's picks where we say why we chose 'em.
10 - Paul Dennis
For fans of the magnificent HBO Deadwood series there is a new source of all things Deadwood, both real and fictional -- The Real Deadwood Podcast. Hosted by Paul Dennis, it is a variety show from the real Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota for fans of the award-winning Deadwood series all over the world combining interviews, entertainment and news from both Deadwoods.
11 - Jesse
long time coming but i love this show, three years since the last post uh oh, best drinking game, dress up like cowboys, (with a modern twist if you have to) take a shot when they cocksucker, or they themselves take a shot, choose a character and drink along with them. 4 or 5 of us all above 23 years of age up to 35 get sloppy with Deadwood classic, I can't wait to do it again.