Few things on this show are as exciting or enervating as when the town of Deadwood closes ranks to protect its own, and the ensuing chess matches in order to keep anyone from being caught off balance. So when Hearst's men (at least, we're given every indication it's Hearst's men) take a couple of warning shots at Alma, it's one of the most thrilling developments in the cold war between Swearengen and Hearst, between Alma's claim and those who'd take it from her, between the citizens of Deadwood and those from without.
And you can tell it's serious business not just because of the gunfire in the public thoroughfare, but from how Charlie races into action to protect her, and how Al Swearengen himself jumps over his own damn balcony to ferry her to the safety of his saloon. We're not used to seeing Al play hero. Sure, he has his own interests at stake; this isn't just out of the kindness of his heart. But still, the last time we saw Al go over the balcony, it was because he'd gotten into a nigh-lethal brawl with Bullock. His springing into action to save Mrs. Elsworth is another sign that this is not business as usual, that things are heating up, and that something is about to go down.
But after that excitement, as he is wont to do, Al doesn't just go for a full force retaliation. Instead, he calms everyone, marshals his men, and thinks things through. Of course, he ferrets out Hearst's plan in the process. Hearst suspects, quite correctly, that such provocation would send Elsworth and/or Bullock into a rage against him, as his insinuating himself into Alma's life raised their hackles before, thereby giving him the moral and legal recourse to eliminate them. Al understands this (or Dan does, or both) and they tie up Elsworth and explain the situation to him so that they can keep things under control. Bullock, thankfully, is away, and they wire him advising calm, leaving them with enough time to defuse things, at least long enough for them to bolster their forces, without Bullock going off half-cocked.
It's one of Al's finest hours, a great example of how he knows just how to play the game and not overplay his hand or let his allies be baited into a trap, but it's one of Alma's finest hours as well. The way that she agrees to walk the rest of the way to the bank shows a good amount of bravery and an admirable bit of, as she puts it, defiance on her part, especially declining Elsworth's help. The sequence when she does walk across the thoroughfare is one of the series' most fraught and tension-filled moments. The way Alma walks down the street, steady but clearly anxious, and agents for both sides of the war slither at her periphery creates a supreme sense of unease and concern for the trip, and relief and catharsis when she makes it unharmed.
Despite his recommending caution, Al finds a way to retaliate that gives him plausible deniability and yet makes his point clear. The brutality he shows to Hearst's hatchetman, the repeated kicks to the groin, the broken ribs, the torture, not only get him the information he wants, but show that for however much Al has grown a bit cuddlier in the kindnesses he's shown to various members of the camp, he is still a cruel, cruel man. It's one of the more visceral beatings delivered in this show, and the following scene, where he feigns that Hearst's man must have run off as he bellows across the way to Hearst himself, it's also defiant, a way to thumb his nose at Hearst. Gone is Hearst's hoped for casus belli. Instead, he's down another enforcer, with Al being smart enough to let Hearst know he's responsible, but never come straight out and admit it.
What started as a simmer is coming to a boil here. You can see it in Bullock's standard barely contained rage at his dinner table, where he's trying to make conversation, but very clearly ready to go tear Hearst a new asshole, even though he seems to acknowledge that it's not what's best. There's other good stuff in the episode, but it tends to pale in comparison the main event of that incident and its aftermath. Langrishe having a secret mistress and the emotional fall out of that is kind of a strange juxtaposition, and I'm not sure yet what purpose it serves beyond adding more texture to this world. The exception is the major scene between Jane and Joanie, where Jane recounts a dream she's had about reliving some of her harshest days. There's a lot to unpack there, and I'm not sure I got the full import yet, but it's another stellar performance from the actress who plays Jane.
Still, the meat of the episode is in the chess moves being made between Al and Hearst, and the looming threat of more to come. The antagonism continues, and so does the sense that the fragile, fractured peace of Deadwood is set to end any minute now.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-08-03T02:31:04Z
Few things on this show are as exciting or enervating as when the town of Deadwood closes ranks to protect its own, and the ensuing chess matches in order to keep anyone from being caught off balance. So when Hearst's men (at least, we're given every indication it's Hearst's men) take a couple of warning shots at Alma, it's one of the most thrilling developments in the cold war between Swearengen and Hearst, between Alma's claim and those who'd take it from her, between the citizens of Deadwood and those from without.
And you can tell it's serious business not just because of the gunfire in the public thoroughfare, but from how Charlie races into action to protect her, and how Al Swearengen himself jumps over his own damn balcony to ferry her to the safety of his saloon. We're not used to seeing Al play hero. Sure, he has his own interests at stake; this isn't just out of the kindness of his heart. But still, the last time we saw Al go over the balcony, it was because he'd gotten into a nigh-lethal brawl with Bullock. His springing into action to save Mrs. Elsworth is another sign that this is not business as usual, that things are heating up, and that something is about to go down.
But after that excitement, as he is wont to do, Al doesn't just go for a full force retaliation. Instead, he calms everyone, marshals his men, and thinks things through. Of course, he ferrets out Hearst's plan in the process. Hearst suspects, quite correctly, that such provocation would send Elsworth and/or Bullock into a rage against him, as his insinuating himself into Alma's life raised their hackles before, thereby giving him the moral and legal recourse to eliminate them. Al understands this (or Dan does, or both) and they tie up Elsworth and explain the situation to him so that they can keep things under control. Bullock, thankfully, is away, and they wire him advising calm, leaving them with enough time to defuse things, at least long enough for them to bolster their forces, without Bullock going off half-cocked.
It's one of Al's finest hours, a great example of how he knows just how to play the game and not overplay his hand or let his allies be baited into a trap, but it's one of Alma's finest hours as well. The way that she agrees to walk the rest of the way to the bank shows a good amount of bravery and an admirable bit of, as she puts it, defiance on her part, especially declining Elsworth's help. The sequence when she does walk across the thoroughfare is one of the series' most fraught and tension-filled moments. The way Alma walks down the street, steady but clearly anxious, and agents for both sides of the war slither at her periphery creates a supreme sense of unease and concern for the trip, and relief and catharsis when she makes it unharmed.
Despite his recommending caution, Al finds a way to retaliate that gives him plausible deniability and yet makes his point clear. The brutality he shows to Hearst's hatchetman, the repeated kicks to the groin, the broken ribs, the torture, not only get him the information he wants, but show that for however much Al has grown a bit cuddlier in the kindnesses he's shown to various members of the camp, he is still a cruel, cruel man. It's one of the more visceral beatings delivered in this show, and the following scene, where he feigns that Hearst's man must have run off as he bellows across the way to Hearst himself, it's also defiant, a way to thumb his nose at Hearst. Gone is Hearst's hoped for casus belli. Instead, he's down another enforcer, with Al being smart enough to let Hearst know he's responsible, but never come straight out and admit it.
What started as a simmer is coming to a boil here. You can see it in Bullock's standard barely contained rage at his dinner table, where he's trying to make conversation, but very clearly ready to go tear Hearst a new asshole, even though he seems to acknowledge that it's not what's best. There's other good stuff in the episode, but it tends to pale in comparison the main event of that incident and its aftermath. Langrishe having a secret mistress and the emotional fall out of that is kind of a strange juxtaposition, and I'm not sure yet what purpose it serves beyond adding more texture to this world. The exception is the major scene between Jane and Joanie, where Jane recounts a dream she's had about reliving some of her harshest days. There's a lot to unpack there, and I'm not sure I got the full import yet, but it's another stellar performance from the actress who plays Jane.
Still, the meat of the episode is in the chess moves being made between Al and Hearst, and the looming threat of more to come. The antagonism continues, and so does the sense that the fragile, fractured peace of Deadwood is set to end any minute now.