+ Best Western Title of the Year + Best TV-series of the Year + Best Fight Scene of the Year (fight in the mud scene, episode 5: A Two-Headed Beast)
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| A ghoulish blue poster for the last season of David Milch's Deadwood |
The third and last season of David Milch's (Luck (2011-12)) fine HBO western show, - which takes place in the real, titular town of Deadwood, South Dakota around the year 1877, and is part-historical, part-fictional, - comes off to a poor start: Everyone speaks the same gutter mouth and mopes around in the same pestilential mood. The show continues to be overly theatrical and dourly obsessed with its own past for a while. The season kicks into speed rather late, but still manages to go out as a unique and strangely endearing series.
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| Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), Alma Garret (Molly Parker), Trixie (Paula Malcomson) and sheriff Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) on this neat character poster for the third season of David Milch's Deadwood |
The details:
The following summary will contain numerous SPOILERS:
The wealthy Hearst is responsible for the first murder of the season, while Mrs. Bullock opens the first school in town. Alma Garret (played very well by Molly Parker (The Playroom (2012))) loses her child, while mayor Farnum conducts a big speech on blatant anti-Semitism.
Brian Cox's (L.I.E. (2001)) actor character and Hearst's 'Aunt' Lou (Cleo King (Just Before I Go (2014))) are both amusing additions to the town's gallery of characters. The season paddles on with a subplot about the racist drunk Steve and his horse stable, while Garret's bank positions itself, and the town's unofficial boss Al Swearengen battles impotence.
Hearst's anger is feared in town, while Cy Tolliver spreads his gall as per usual. Calamity Jane starts a lesbian flirt with the otherwise vague Joanie Stubbs.
The season continues towards its conclusion mostly in twilight, with often driveling characters, always in fearful anticipation of the grand attack of Hearst. This kind of electricity accelerates with an assassination attempt and a clandestine murder and culminates when Hearst has Garret's husband Elcott murdered, which Trixie, - another often tiringly uniformly cussing character, - becomes so angered by that she shoots Hearst. - Which he survives!
Although Swearengen's alliance with Chinese boss Wu against Hearst is another enjoyable string of the plot, it never really amounts to much, because it all seems to seep out in the last episode, in which Swearengen murders another professional of his own as sacrifice for Trixie's hasty assassination attempt. And Hearst finally leaves camp by his own accord.
Thus the distinctive, uneven show ends with a familiar scrubbing of blood off the floor.
Best episodes:
5. A Two-Headed Beast - written by Milch and Regina Corrado (The Strain (2014-15)); directed by Daniel Minahan (Game of Thrones (2011-13))
The Hearst-loathing in Deadwood climaxes for the time being, as Swearengen's right hand man Dan beats Hearst's goon to death in the town's mud in an epic battle, and sheriff Bullock drags Hearst away by the nose!
6. A Rich Find - written by Milch, Corrado and Alix Lambert (John from Cincinnati (2007), TV-series); directed by Tim Hunter (Hannibal (2013-14))
The series finally gets back to its former, high quality level, and the swearing at times takes on a Mark Twain-like poetry.
11. The Catbird Seat - written by Milch and Bernadette McNamara (NYPD Blue (1999), TV-series); directed by Gregg Fienberg (True Blood (2014), TV-series)
The animosity between Hearst and Deadwood finally explodes.
Related reviews:
David Milch: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Deadwood - season 2 (2005) - The dirty frontier West continues to entertain thoroughly
Deadwood - season 1 (2004) - Milch presents a new f-ing take on the old frontier West
Budget: Reportedly 4.5 mil. $ per episode, or 54 mil. $
Box office: None - TV-series
= Unknown
[Deadwood season 3 was first aired in the summer of 2006 on HBO. It runs 12 48-60 min. episodes. According to Metacritic, the third season, with 85 % positive reviews, was nearly as well-reviewed as the second (at 93), which remains the best reviewed of the three. The costly show was canceled after the 3rd season, however a TV movie script has been commissioned by HBO in 2016, after Deadwood has remained a talked-about audience and critical favorite for years. The season won 1 of 6 Emmy nominations, for its outstanding makeup in a single episode. 62,621 IMDb users have given Deadwood an 8.8 rating.]
What do you think of Deadwood and its 3rd season?
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