Post by Pear on Mar 9, 2015 18:51:59 GMT -5
“I see as much misery outta them movin’ to justify themselves as them that set out to do harm.”
The pilot set up Al Swearengen and Seth Bullock on opposite sides of each other, and “Deep Water” brings them crashing together in a tense confrontation at the bar. Bullock wears the disdain he has for Al out in the open, and this is most certainly a result of his tough transition from being the law to watching as criminals run rampant; of course, the problem is the fact that his notions of criminality are still aligned with his past occupation. He’s no longer a marshal, but he still feels the need to watch Al like a marshal would, and he still takes the moral high ground as he’s doing so. That, of course, directly clashes with what Al’s trying to do, and he undoubtedly sees the problems popping up all around as Bullock remains in town.
In “Deep Water”, we gain more insight into Al, and it becomes clear that for all his ruthlessness, he still can’t be considered a one-note character. He’s a complicated individual, someone who’s willing to handle some of those problems through murder–whether it be by himself or by those who work for him–but also someone who realizes exactly what needs to be done outside the arena of violence. He doesn’t shy away from his problems, and him walking into Doc’s office and crushing Jane emotionally speaks to the power he wields…even if he may not be the most imposing presence in the town (see exhibit A: Nick Offerman’s penis).
Of course, it isn’t just Al and Seth in this town. Doc Cochran seems to have a better perspective on things than either of them do, and he recognizes the danger of disclosing the child’s true condition to both; if he tells Al, she’ll likely end up dead, and if he tells Bullock, she’ll likely end up dead as well. Doc isn’t afraid to stand up to Al, and we get an indication of this early on when he calls Alma Garret out on wasting his time. This guy is all about the good of the town as a whole, and he’s a necessary character to have in this environment as conflicts spring up all around him. Like Al, he understands his place in this world, and he isn’t afraid to do what he feels needs to be done. Eventually, that’s to the girl’s benefit, as Dan Dority can’t bring himself to kill her, and Jane and Charlie end up getting her out of Deadwood while they sing “Row Row Row Your Boat”.
That final scene is especially poignant, considering the very first image we had of the girl was her in a wagon with her family. As we know, one of the major themes of the series is the creation of a community, the connections between very different individuals in the same town, and we see an instance of that in the final scene of the episode. The girl provides a problem for some that inevitably leads to violence, but at the same time, Charlie and Jane have a fierce protectiveness of her that is heartwarming and honorable; it’s just as important that the girl is alive as it is that Persimmon Phil is dead.
In the end, appearances may not tell the whole story. Whether it’s with the people in the town or the town itself, you may get the rough exterior, but if you look a little closer, the compassion may shine through before you are hit in the face with Tom Mason’s dick.
GRADE: B+
OTHER THOUGHTS:
– “How’s that pussy lotion? Should I try some on my ass?”
– “Here’s my counter offer to your counter offer: go fuck yourself.”
-It’s interesting that Bullock gets angry when Al tells him he drew too early on Ned, but then, he supports Hickok even though Hickok definitely draws too early on Ned’s brother. This, once again, brings up the idea of justice and how you go about it, and it further connects Bullock and Hickok. We also see that the latter is in, as the title suggests, deep water, e.g. with his gambling problems.
– “You think he’s the first? I’ve been fucked plenty, and by tougher fucks than he was, and littler than her by plenty. They fucked me plenty.” Definitely hinting at a very dark past for Calamity Jane, and Al is reminiscent of the people she’s talking about here.