Deadwood "The Catbird Seat" Review (3x11)
Aug 18, 2016 13:26:18 GMT -5
Albert Fish Taco, jerkassimo, and 2 more like this
Post by Pear on Aug 18, 2016 13:26:18 GMT -5
“The world is less than perfect.”
Oh, Ellsworth. What a good, decent man he was, someone who stood out in the crowd right from the beginning and could be counted on to do the right thing. As said a few episodes ago, though, “no one gets out alive”, and it’s just plain cruel that Ellsworth has to be the one to fulfill that statement. The death scene itself is incredibly difficult to watch, but it’s handled brilliantly by Jim Beaver; the moment in which Ellsworth sees the gun and prepares himself for death is one of the finest acting moments I’ve ever seen. And later, the shot from the wagon of Alma and Charlie is one of the finest–and one of the most chilling–shots I’ve ever seen.
Some shows feature death for death’s sake–ahem, shows still airing right now–but I’d never say that about this one. Ellsworth’s death reverberates throughout Deadwood, immediately causing Trixie to storm up to Hearst’s room and shoot him in the shoulder. She isn’t able to kill him, which is probably for the best, but it’s nonetheless an awesome scene brimming with tension and palpable anger. Aside from this, though, the reaction from the characters isn’t all out war; even Cy seems a little horrified that this is what it’s all come to. The expressions of humanity from the other characters and the lack of immediate violence as retaliation are exactly what confuse Hearst and set him off. Maybe they’ll have to fight him at some point, but they sure are taking longer than he’d like.
Based on the past, Seth is the one to target when you’re trying to get a rise out of somebody, but that strategy isn’t going over so well at the moment. His big scene in this episode isn’t him losing his cool; instead, it’s him hugging Sofia and Alma, all of them finding comfort in each other following Ellsworth’s death. When Hearst sees Seth and Alma walking down the boardwalk together, this is his response: “The camp is galvanized. People scurry about. They’ve tasks to perform. They feel important. I oughtn’t to work in these places. I was not born to crush my own kind.” He’s used to feeling important and getting what he wants, but what he’s not used to is people putting humanity and community at a higher level of importance than anything else. Maybe he wasn’t born to live with his own kind, either, and that’s a troubling thought for anyone.
GRADE: A-
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Cocksucker count: 4
Total cocksucker count: 285
-E.B.’s reaction to seeing Trixie baring all is great. Also, E.B. is able to wipe the spit off of his face. You go, E.B.
-Hearst staring at Jack in the hallway. Holy shit.
-Doc talking to Alma about Sofia seeing Ellsworth is one of my favorite scenes of the series.
-Doc talking to Alma about Sofia seeing Ellsworth is one of my favorite scenes of the series.
-Jane playing duck duck goose with the kids in the schoolhouse is really heartwarming, as is her decision to shuffle back into the building after looking back at everyone sitting there. Having this go along at the same time as the shooting aftermath makes both all the more powerful.
-"Big man. Wu—big man."
-"Big man. Wu—big man."
-Well, we are almost at the end of this great show. I can only hope that we get a semi satisfying resolution due to the unplanned ending, and I hope that the movie gets here soon. I also hope that we get a ton of cocksuckers to push us over the 300 mark.