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.

I had quite a few thoughts about last night's Wire here. [link] Also, Clay Davis and...Teenage Guy with Pony Tail are about on the same mentality with the same quote: "I'll take any motherfucker's money, if he just giving it away." Which I'd like to judge, but the fact of it is, an SSI check only goes so far. I'd have a real decision to make if a man in an Escalade wanted me to pick up a package.(I'm surprised they don't ask us...we're home a lot and always short of cash and a lot of us are not very secure about our contribution to society. Sounds like a crew to me. And String could have gotten that tax break, too. Set up a dummy sheltered workshop along with all his other shells.)

Just saw the episode. I'm feeling the love more than ever this season, especially for those slow pans over the people back at the different campaign headquarters near the end.