Deadwood "Complications" Review (2x05)
May 29, 2015 17:41:12 GMT -5
nowimnothing and Lady Bones like this
Post by Pear on May 29, 2015 17:41:12 GMT -5
“You cannot fuck the future, Sir. The future fucks you.”
Even when Deadwood manages to be a well-oiled machine in and of itself, there are certain outside factors that it simply cannot control. After all, the series as a whole deals with the road from lawlessness to civilization, and any hope of controlling the future dissipates once the future actually rolls around. The outside world is marching in at a rapid rate, and all you can really do is attempt to make the most out of your current situation; perhaps that means changing your established role in the face of impending change.
“I’m not setting terms for nature,” Al tells Doc Cochran near the end of the episode. “I’m setting them for myself.” He can’t really control the environment around him or any natural sickness that may befall him, but he can certainly adapt by looking at himself with regards to nature. In his absence, the town has become Let’s Profit Central, but we all know that what Deadwood really needs is a guy like Al. Here’s someone who’s willing to reach out to the man who pummeled the shit out of him a few episodes back, someone who understands the importance of bonding over a shared goal (that is not merely cash).
We’ll see whether or not this alliance can help move Deadwood in a better direction, but right now, it seems as if the town consists of a huge pot of tension. Conflict is springing up all over the place, and keeping in line with the Civil War imagery of Sam’s (the N****r General's) uniform, it’s almost as if the town’s fighting against itself. And whether you’re someone like Alma or Trixie or Sam–the series is definitely interested in the struggles of minorities in this town–there are going to be complications along the way that you have to deal with. The words “complications” and “difficulties” are the two titles for this episode, but the former–the revised title–seems to suggest a more optimistic view of the situation.
After the riot breaks out at the Gem, Jane and Sam sit together and share a wonderful moment to close out the episode. “It’s my fucking pain,” Sam sighs heavily, and Jane’s response is key: “And I am suggesting an improved way of dealing with it, which is how progress occurs.” If progress is to occur in Deadwood, these individuals must find ways to deal with what’s thrown at them. They must connect with others in some way, whether that be bonding over a drink or tending to each other’s injuries. It is in this manner that Deadwood can thrive.
GRADE: B+
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Cocksucker count: 6
Total cocksucker count: 184
– “You have got one yawning fucking chasm of a mouth on you.”
– “That monkey just motherfucked me!” “I’ll motherfuck you and blow your head off.”
– “I ain’t exclusive to him no more,” Trixie tells Doc. Sort of connects to E.B.’s monologue in the last episode about expanded loyalties.
– “Yeah, they do get to mitigatin’ this last part here. I guess my question is who of us here didn’t know what government was before we came? Wasn’t half our purpose coming to get shed of the cocksucker? And here it catches up to us again, to do what’s in its nature—to lie to us—and confuse us and steal what we come to by toil and being lucky just once in our fucking lives. Are we gonna be surprised by that, boys, government bein’ government? Will we next be shocked by rivers runnin’ or trees casting’ fuckin’ shade?”