Deadwood - The Complete First Season

Set in a burgeoning mining camp in 1876 in modern day South Dakota, Deadwood brings together honest businessmen, dreamers intent on striking it rich with a gold claim and crooks who go where the money is and the law isn't. The action boils around the Gem saloon owned and operated by Al Swearengen who knows everything that's going on in camp and how to profit from it. Seth Bullock and his friend Sol Starr are ex-lawmen from Montana who arrive to open a hardware store and immediately butt heads with Swearengen who they have to buy the plot from. Wild Bill Hickok rides into town burdened by demons and accompanied by ultra foul mouthed Calamity Jane. E.B. Farnum owns a hotel, sells information to Swearengen and talks in circles using big words and phrases in an attempt to elevate himself above his station. The only doctor in town has to deal with a plague, all the whores at two saloons and taking care of a Scandinavian child whose family has been killed.

Deadwood is so well written and acted you almost forget how base it is. Until someone opens their mouth. This is probably the best depiction of a lawless old west town you'll ever see, but they do go overboard on the language. Sometimes the words are flying so frequently I start to laugh and that's not a good thing when you're presenting a drama. That being said, everything else about the show is wonderful. Ian McShane as Swearengen is unreal. Brad Dourif as the doctor gets better with each show, cresting with the episode when Rev. Smith dies. Dourif's scenes at the end are amazing. William Sanderson as E.B. Farnum continues to add to his resume of odd characters, both in comedies and dramas. It takes special talent to do both.

I don't have HBO so I'm late getting on the Deadwood train, renting them from Blockbuster. Learning that there are only three seasons was a sad moment. This is one the best series I've ever watched.

You get 6 single sided discs smartly packaged in a bookcase style cover. These contain 12 episodes with the 6th disc containing extras. The extras are- Making Deadwood:The Show Behind The Show- The Real Deadwood- The New Language Of The Old West- and An Imaginative Reality which is a discussion between David Milch the creator and executive producer and Keith Carradine who plays Wild Bill.

DeadWood is Gritty, Callous, Full of Blasphemy, Ultra Violent, Sexist, Racist, Sadistic and Unforgivingly Great.

If you are a western fan, you have to have this series. Your wife or girlfriend will pobably not like it and its not for the kiddies, but if your a true western fan and you buy it, I guarantee you will watch it over and over.

Mr Woos pigs are calling, can you hear them?

I was unable to get through the first episode, being a big fan of the Soprano's, profanity used creatively and with a purpose does not bother me, however, using it to where it becomes a comedic distraction does.
I really doubt, in the era they have sorely attempted to depict, did they repeatedly use the words "mother f@#king c@nt" and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
I did not find this to be entertainment at all, best used as a door-stop.

One of my favorite childhood memories comes from Deadwood Gulch. During a cross-country road trip, my family stopped here during a heavy storm and my brother and I were thrilled to have front-row seats for "The Trial of Jack McCall," a vaudeville production of the trial of the murderer of Wild Bill Hickock. Of all the things we saw that trip, my brother and I still talk about that show.

So imagine my delight at seeing an entire TV series dedicated to Deadwood, that infamous frontier settlement where Wild Bill met his end. I was even more delighted because "Deadwood" is an HBO production, and HBO has quite simply made the best TV series over the past decade.

Even with all that hype, I was not prepared to like "Deadwood" as much as I did. Created by David Milch, this is a sumptuous, profane, dirty, conflicted, sexy, and hilarious series populated by characters who get under your skin and into your hearts. What more can one ask for?

"Deadwood" revolves around the sordid lives of a bizarre cast of characters. The "town" is actually a mere "camp" at the outset of the story, set in the days following Custer's defeat at Little Big Horn. Not part of any state or territory, the camp has no sanctioned law enforcement authority. This dubious fact, coupled with the local gold rush, makes Deadwood the land of opportunity for America's thrill-seekers, fortune hunters, desperados, and adventurers.

What local law there is can be found in the corrupt soul of Al Swearengen (Ian McShane). Swearengen runs the only saloon in town and has his fingers into virtually every pie. His saloon, the "Gem," is an NC-17 version of Rick's Cafe in "Casablanca" - everyone goes there, but not everyone walks out.

Swearengen's hold on Deadwood is threatened by two men - Seth Bullock (Tim Olyphant) and Wild Bill Hickock (Keith Carradine). Hickock is the only man in town Swearengen fears, but Swearengen knows that Hickock is too focused on his private demons to care a whit for Swearengen's plots and schemes. Bullock is another matter. A former marshall from Montana, Bullock is ruthless but wants to live a quiet life, opening a hardware store. But it is clear that Bullock and Swearengen are going to be the two leading characters in this drama . . . and they are going to butt heads.

"Deadwood" is populated by a large, rich cast of characters, too many to list here. My personal favorite is Doc Cochran, played with exquisite rage and humanity by Brad Dourif. But other key players include E.B. Farnum (William Sanderson), Swearengen's flunky and ultimate mayor of Deadwood, Cy Tolliver (Powers Boothe), the proprietor of a rival saloon that opens up mid-season, and Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert).

Deadwood is the kind of town where murderers as well as businessmen have standing agreements with the local Chinese pigkeepers to dispose of dead bodies by feeding them to the pigs. It is also a town that is susceptible to plague, local Sioux raids, and the prospect of imminent statehood . . . which can be either a joyous boon or the destruction of paradise, depending on which character you're talking to.

Just as with HBO's other period series "Carnivale," look for a dirty, realistic setting for these wonderful characters. Virtually no character represents an archetype - all have their flaws and virtues, hopes and dreams. Here's looking forward to Season 2!

This is truly one of the greatest TV series ever made. The story is dense, verbose and incredibly moving. David Milch may have not been successful with John From Cincinnati but this show includes all his favorite elements in a successful venue. The story of a town full of bad/good/in-between guys and gals. We have miners, hardware store owners, gamblers, prostitutes and ladies all trying to make a living in an illegally created town. The lure is gold and it makes for a very alluring setting for interesting characters - some real and some fictional, all very mythical.