Deadwood "Suffer the Little Children" Review (1x08)

“You’ve gotta figure out a way to mean it. And if you don’t kill me or let me go, I’m gonna kill you.”

Jeez. That was rough.

While it’s certainly a valid argument to say that the Flora-Miles story is a bit too rushed, I think that’s exactly what makes it work. The suddenness and brutality of their deaths emphasizes an “anything goes” narrative mentality in the show, and it’s incredibly jarring and effective coming after a string of episodes in which people come together and find some semblance of compassion. Now, I won’t pretend that the Deadwood we’ve seen so far has been all sunshine and rainbows, but this is the sort of situation we might’ve expected to see early on; it also brings up the topic of justice that has been brought up since the very first scene of the series, justice and how exactly it’s determined in a lawless town.

It seems as if these characters are getting closer and closer to having that decided for them. It’s revealed in this episode that there’s word of a possible treaty with the Sioux, one that will eventually lead to Deadwood officially becoming part of the U.S., and as Bullock says: “Before you know it, we’ll have laws here and every fucking thing.” Laws will determine the appropriate response to stealing and stabbing, but for now, Cy Tolliver is carrying out his form of justice with his hands and a gun. It’s a terrifying performance by Powers Boothe, and it’s a scene in which the realization dawns on you: Flora and Miles are going to die. By the time Flora is swaying from side to side, unable to grasp the knife due to possible skull damage, we realize that very little mercy is going to be shown here.

Another major element to that scene is Joanie Stubbs, who ends up shooting and killing Flora in order to spare her from any more pain; she then turns the gun on herself–or Cy–before Cy stops her, and the scene ends as one of the most brutal, fucked up things I’ve seen on television. It’s also very well done, and the subsequent conversation the two have is impeccably acted by Kim Dickens and Powers Boothe. The first shot we get of Cy in the episode is of him on a balcony, shot from a low angle to establish him as someone looming over the town and attempting to rule with an iron fist. The final shot is of him and Joanie on the balcony, seemingly on equal ground but most certainly not; I assume these two instances are meant to reflect what’s going on in Cy’s mind, as he sees himself as above others while also allowing Joanie a looser leash. In the end, though, Joanie on the balcony could be a sign of her truly asserting herself, but it also reveals an underlying truth: the women in this town are trapped, and it’s very hard to get out.

That’s definitely the case with Trixie, who ends the episode in the same position she was in back at the end of the pilot. She already gave up her gun, and in “Suffer the Little Children”, she’s slapping the gold on the desk before she slips into the bed. It’s a heartbreaking situation for her, and it seems as if she blames herself here; she can’t see a life for herself outside of Deadwood, and she even attempts to kill herself early on in the episode. Gold means getting back into Al’s good graces rather than freedom, sadly.

Still standing in the midst of all this, however, is Sophia, the little girl who finally reveals her name in this episode. Whereas Flora and Miles are children who aren’t really innocent, Sophia is a child who seems to be the epitome of innocence, and she brings people together and brings out the best in them. The name “Sophia” is derived from the Greek word for “wisdom”, and in the name’s Wikipedia article, Sophia is referred to as being “expressed in all creation and the natural world as well as…integral to the spiritual well-being of humankind, the church, and the cosmos.” She is also “considered [by some] to have fallen from grace in some way, in so doing creating or helping to create the material world.” Seeing as the show certainly has religious undertones, these descriptions are pretty apt within the context of Deadwood. Even in this type of rough environment, Sophia bridges gaps and represents grace and turns on a flickering light in the darkness.

GRADE: A-

OTHER THOUGHTS:

-Cocksucker count: 3 (WHAT IS THIS?!?)

Total cocksucker count: 66

– “That’s what the ‘B’ in E.B. Farnum stands for.” “Bold.” “You’re goddamned right.” Looks like we got a pre-Heisenberg here.

– “I wouldn’t trust a man who wouldn’t try to steal a little.”

– “You geek-looking fuck. Get away from me before I cut your fucking heart out.” Chill it, Veronica.

But really. I’m watching this at the same time I’m watching Veronica Mars, and it’s like I’m watching Veronica’s evil twin.

– “My oath is this: Every day that the widow sits on her ass in New York City, looks west at sunset and thinks to herself, ‘God bless you ignorant cocksuckers in Deadwood, who do strive mightily and at little money to add to my ever-increasing fortune,’ she’ll be safe from the wiles of Al Swearengen.”

– “You did go to the limit?” “I went to the limit’s precipice.” “Sounds like you didn’t go to the limit.”