Post by Pear on Jun 21, 2015 19:50:23 GMT -5
“I will be so grateful if you will trust me with your sadness, and I will trust you with mine, so that even when we are sad…we will be grateful for how much we love each other, and know that we are in the world as much in our pain as in our happiness.”
The first two seasons of the show are bookended by two deaths and their subsequent funerals, and it’s interesting to note how the two differ. Seeing as the show is depicting Deadwood moving toward civilization, it comes as no surprise when we see a funeral for William that seems more “civilized”–although no less affecting–than Wild Bill’s. And while there’s certainly palpable grief in the air, one of the big implicit rules in society seems to be the idea of putting another face on our true feelings; certain things are kept bottled up as we interact with others, and as Al advises Mr. Lee in this episode: “act civilized even if you ain’t”.
Al, after all, is still trying to get business done, and the boy’s death is used to his and the town’s advantage throughout the episode. At the same time, it’s clear that William’s death strikes at Al’s history with his brother, as he states later on during another marvelously written blowjob monologue. My favorite Al moment in this hour, though, is the shot of him on the balcony while the funeral’s going on beneath him. It’s not that he doesn’t care; in fact, it’s the exact opposite, and it’s a great little moment that speaks volumes about Al’s mindset and his connection to all of this.
The most devastating storyline of the episode is–and has been for the last few episodes–that of Martha and Seth Bullock. The hour is filled with wordless images, whether it be Martha washing William’s body or brushing his hair, and during the funeral, she tears up and runs away to see the son who’s still lying in his casket. It’s such a heartbreaking scene, and I really love how the moment lines up with Andy’s words: his bit about worms destroying the body is the trigger for Martha running inside, but after he says “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help”, she walks back out of the house. Furthermore, Seth reaches his hand out to her after Andy’s “The Lord is thy keeper”, and following “The Lord is thy shade upon the right hand”, the two right hands are joined. There’s quite a bit of powerful imagery here–due to the great editing as well–and at the end of the funeral, the two decide to let this community, this body, see their beloved son. And at the end of the episode, they’re closer than they ever were before, standing next to each other as Seth holds Martha’s hands to his chest. “Whatever will let us live…as we are now.”
It’s a similar idea highlighted in the fantastic scene between Sofia and Alma, one all about the value of having other people to care for through both pain and happiness. Sadness is an indelible part of life, and how you live with that sadness is what determines whether or not you can push on. What helps is the sharing of sadness, whether that be through an agreement like this or through a funeral in the middle of the camp or through an intimate emotional moment between husband and wife. It can be a cruel world, but it’s not without its value.
GRADE: B+ (I have a feeling that if I were writing these as a professional reviewer, the comment sections would be filled with complaints about the grades. I love giving B+s to things.)
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Cocksucker count: 8 (Even with Wu in the episode…)
Total cocksucker count: 222
– “Go wash your fuckin’ mouth. You got seven kinds of cock breath.” I haven’t spent a lot of time writing about Trixie, but I’ve been really liking how the show’s handled her recently. This quote from her is also pretty telling: “My new opinion is, few choices as are ours to make, others should stay the fuck out of the process”. Whether that be the process of marriage, grief, death, etc., it’s an idea that can apply.
-Ellsworth is a good guy. I hope he doesn’t die.
– “I ain’t afraid of newness. It’s the blisters give me pause.”
– “Ain’t it the idle hours that try us? Ain’t they what lead us sometimes to the cliff, sometimes fuckin’ over?”
-One more episode left this season! Then, the final season.
– “I ain’t afraid of newness. It’s the blisters give me pause.”
– “Ain’t it the idle hours that try us? Ain’t they what lead us sometimes to the cliff, sometimes fuckin’ over?”
-One more episode left this season! Then, the final season.
