Deadwood

"God rest the souls of that poor family... and pussy's half price for the next 15 minutes."

Such is the way in the town of Deadwood, setting for HBO's series titled by the same name. You might get killed but you best be sure that life will continue on without you in this lawless town. The series chronicles the lives of the residents of Deadwood around the Wild West years. The first season deals a lot with Wild Bill Hickok and his eventual demise in the town. Sorry for spoiling anything there but it's based on history and much of the events portrayed are true with little fiction thrown in for dramatic effect.

Some of the show stars are Seth Bullock, the sheriff, and Al Swearengen, the bad but in a good way saloon owner. There are cameos and main roles for famous figures in history like Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and Charlie Utter. You get a good sense as to what it was like living in a mining town on the edge of the frontier and get to watch it develop from a lawless and corrupt camp to a semi-functioning town with elected officials. Along the way there are feuds between saloon owners, bar room brawls, cold hearted murders, and plenty of whores.

The series is alone worth watching for the interactions between Wu, the local Chineseman who speaks very little English, and Swearengen. Swearengen often employs Wu to "dispose" of evidence to his stable of pigs and the communications between the two are some of the most quotable lines of the show.

The show was originally planned for 4 seasons worth of shows just closed it's 3rd season on Sunday. Although HBO planned on pulling the plug after the 3rd season (an offer of a half a season was turned down by the writers) it has been extended to wrap up with 2 2-hour movies in lieu of a 4th season.

The Ups: Plenty of action in each episode. The episodes move along at a good pace and you are rarely left with the feeling that the writer's copped out somewhere. Put it in a few words, do not get too attached to a particular character cause they might be dead in the next scene.

The Downs: It takes a bit to really get into the dialogue. The show really gets authentic with the script and often conversations will go by and you have to ask, "What did he just say?" Since a lot of the show setup is done with backroom deals and political posturing it is difficult to follow at times what exactly are the intentions of everyone in the town. However the flowery language is definitely what sets this show above the others once you get the handle on it.

Overall: Great television and it will be sad to see this one go, but since it is based on real events it can't last forever. This is definitely worth a purchase on DVD as you'll want to watch a few of the memorable scenes over again.

The Verdict: Three shots a whiskey and a visit with Trixie.