Just finished Ep5 -- The Trial of Jack McCall.

I find all of the characters so fascinating. It's such a damn shame Hickok has to die so early in the series, he's one of the best characters in the show. But, of course, what makes his character so damned good is that it's a portait of a man grimly walking (sauntering?) to his own death. Kind of locks you into the end of the arc.

And Saul Bullock. How do I love Saul? Let me count the ways. A man who is good and honorable, or at least want to be, yet is clearly haunted by the things he's done and seen, else why leave the law business to sell hardware? Good and honorable as he may be, it's surprisingly easy easy to get under his skin, isn't it? Perhaps it's because he truly doesn't know what he wants to be, and Hickok's presence in the camp and subsequent murder, not to mention the matter of Alma Garrett, aren't helping his conscience.

I enjoyed seeing the reference to 1 Corinthians: 12-13 so early in the show, seeing as how it was the primary feature of the ads for Season 3.

And since I'm taking over the tread and going all "Deadwood loves carrots," it seems S has a new idol in Al Swearingen. Every time I cut the cheese now, she threatens me with throwing me out the window.

Seth Bullock. and Sol Starr. Not that makes him less lovable, if tightly-wound. Yeah, I'd have enjoyed more Bill, too. But it's totally Swearingen's world and we're all living in it. The top Vocational Rehab guy in the state is Michael Swearingen. I foresee lots of gimps being trained to clean up bloodstains. I'm tempted to call up, yell "Sweargin." and hang up. I hope I would not be the first.

Hickok's short tenure in Deadwood is roughly true to life. The man casts a shadow, though.

Also, Milch has described Bullock as essentially a sociopath on the right side of the law. I don't think that's accurate, but it's out there.

But it's totally Swearingen's world and we're all living in it.

It surely is.

Hickok's short tenure in Deadwood is roughly true to life. The man casts a shadow, though.

Carradine portrays Hickok as a man who seems to know he's come to Deadwood to die, particularly in his last episode.

I think that's a little extreme, Corwood. Even though I find Milch insightful. Could that have something to do with Olyphant playing things that aren't on the page? Cause I would agree he's not sheriff out of big respect for the Law as an ideal, but "sociopath" makes me think of someone far more antisocial than Bullock.

"sociopath" makes me think of someone far more antisocial than Bullock.

Maybe in a very strict sense -- Bullock really doesn't like people very much. Sure there are a few exceptions, Sol being one, plus his protective instinct towards women, which surely springs from whatever western-chivalrous code he follows in his head. I've often thought there's a certain cowboy/knight parallel inherent in the western genre, and Deadwood continues that parallel to a certain degree.

Hickok's short tenure in Deadwood is roughly true to life.

When I realized this was going to happen, and that they were going to hew closely to history, I had to stop looking up stuff about the real Deadwood so as not to get spoiled!

When I realized this was going to happen, and that they were going to hew closely to history, I had to stop looking up stuff about the real Deadwood so as not to get spoiled!

Tell me about it. I've been depressed all third season knowing what I knew about Hearst.

I figured Hearst would survive the series, however, I was very disappointed there weren't dead Pinkertons in the thoroughfare at the end. Exited from this mortal coil with the help of Wu's men.

Olyphant seemed to play Bullock on the edge of a major explosion, for the entire run of the series, as I recall. That could be "sociopathic," I guess. I saw the episode from Season 3 where Swearingen looses his finger the other night, and loved Al & Seth putting up the "move along, nothing to see here" front.