Of course, the trouble with really long arcs is that, if something is resolved or dropped out in the middle of the arc, you might just give up on the whole show. That's what happened to me with The Wire, in the middle of season 2, when they killed of D'Angelo Barksdale. He was one of the few characters I actively cared about at that point, and without him, it wasn't really worth the intellectual effort of watching the rest of the season.

(I always did like Homicide better, because it had to do more with less.)

D'angelo was very special, Nutty. Mos def. If there was any character I would have wanted a Dickens ending for, where he was related to the President of some African nation? It would definitely be D'Angelo. Or possibly poor little Wallace.

This worked perfectly, because my laundry should be dry now. I win!

Yeah, it was a little bit warning to new viewers and a little bit trying to convince you to stick with it (because I'm still always surprised when people I respect don't love the things I love, for some reason)

Heh. No, I do understand the, "But how can you not like it, when it's so CLEARLY fantastic?!" reaction. The last episode of Deadwood I watched was "Here Was A Man," and it was great. I just... didn't want to keep watching. Whatever that magic is that makes you like a show and want more wasn't there for me. If I could point to something in particular I didn't like, it'd be easier. But that's why a "later you'll see..." pitch doesn't work for me. Unless it's: later you'll see that it becomes a totally different show. Where they're all actually in Westworld. And Swearingen turns out to be Yul Brenner. Because that would be awesome.

...But I digress.

The Wire, I'll probably try again at some point. In retrospect I think that I was profoundly not in the mood for it when I attempted to watch it.

I'm really surprised about the Deadwood thing. I thought I hated Westerns. I hate Clint Eastwood, I think. And I have John Wayne Issues. But maybe I don't hate Westerns.

Well, I have almost zero knowledge of anything that actually happens in Deadwood, but maybe the plots aren't Western-y, just the setting and atmosphere?

Maybe, maybe not. Or at least, it doesn't have whatever qualities that stand out in what I don't like about the form. Because I think it still is one. Just a different take. And well, Al is kind of crime boss, too.

I was about to say, "Al's no name for a crime boss," and then I checked myself before I wrecked myself.

And I have John Wayne Issues.

Don't talk bad about Marion, now.

I have heard that Deadwood was originally conceived as being set in the wilds of the Roman Empire. I think the creator said something like that in an interview. So, it would make sense that it's not super-Western

However, when he was talking about the language, I started wanting to argue with him. The period profanity would have been "goddamn" and that sort of thing (mostly religious). To make the effect for a modern audience, he translated it to "cocksucker" and "fuck". My point was that it's an entirely other vibe, a profaning of an entirely other part of the culture, which affects the entire atmosphere, especially with as much sexual stuff as there is on the show.

One of the posts about Deadwood over on Matt Zoller Seitz's blog is an interview with David Milch in which he talks about his love and admiration for McCabe and Mrs. Miller, if that helps set some context for the show.