Since I've been feelin' poorly, I have spent the odd evening and weekend with a book (including some fine ones: Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men," Paul Bowles' "The Sheltering Sky" [now one of my all-time favorite novels], Graham Greene's "The Heart of the Matter," among them) and -- alas, most belatedly -- have been catching up with the first season of David Milch's "Deadwood." How to describe my feelings? "Blown away" would be one accurate, but inadequate, way to describe my response thus far. Unfortunately for me, I was so spellbound by my introduction to the program that I exhausted Season One in but a few days, and now must wait for the goddamn, c-----cking US Post to bring me f---ing Seasons Two and Three. (All due respect, and no offense intended.)
For the moment, I'm pleased to share with you -- gratis free -- some words of wisdom from creator Milch (on the DVD extras) and Doc Cochran. Somehow, I think they're all interconnected:
"Reason is about seventeenth on the list of the attributes that define us as a species." -- David Milch
"They say in certain rooms today, you can't think your way to right write action, you only act your way to right write thinking." -- David Milch
"I find that most moral codes are kind of elevated expressions of economic necessities." -- David Milch
"I see as much misery outta them movin' to justify theirselves as in them that set out to do harm." -- Doc Cochran (Brad Dourif)
(P.S. And I would never have known, from "An Inconvenient Truth," that Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim was a f---ing movie director!!!)
Deadwood is my favorite series HBO has ever produced (which is saying a lot considering how much I love The Sopranos and Six Feet Under), a large reason being how much it appeals to my linguaphile nature. I recall Roger Ebert writing of Pulp Fiction (I believe in his Great Movie essay on it) that it's a movie that would still be enjoyable listening to the audio alone, which I think can be said of every episode of Deadwood. The dialogue is almost musical at times. It's a show that requires of you to listen intently to the elegant, roundabout ways characters often have of saying what they mean (keeping track of how often someone says "is my meaning" or "my point is" or some equivalent could make a fun drinking game). I'd list my favorite quotes, but I wouldn't want to risk spoiling any of them (although the gratis/free exchange is certainly one of them).
It's such a shame the show seems to have met an early demise thanks to John From Cincinnati (which seems to bounce between "interesting..." and "garbage" week to week), especially since it was only getting better and better (the third season was my favorite). Hopefully Milch and HBO will eventually be able to get the two two-hour Deadwood movies made and give this series the conclusion it deserves.
Has Brad Dourif ever played or voiced someone without a dark turn of mind?
Hope you start feeling better.
Welcome to the fold, Jim. :-)
Deadwood is the best damn TV show ever made. About the only bad thing I can say about it (especially the absolutely electric seasons 1 and 2) is that it made all other TV drama look absolutely insipid by comparison.
I haven't tuned in to a drama series since Season 3 ended - beacuse I suspect I'm just going to be disappointed.
I might as well let you know now, Season 3 ends sort of flat, (I guess because everyone thought they were going to get a Saeson 4, but alas, it was not to be) but don't let it put you off. It is still better than anything I have ever seen on TV.
Deadwood was a fantastic program. I still don't understand why HBO cancelled it.
Holy crap, Jim! You've never seen Deadwood? Oh, how I envy you... you're getting that experience for the first time.
A few years back, the second season of Deadwood and (I believe) the fifth season of the Sopranos were running back to back Sunday night. Those were some of the best 2-hour blocks I spent in front of any kind of screen. Oh my but you're in for a treat.
I think I made a mistake watching John from Cincinnati before Deadwood, now I don't know if I can bring myself to watch Deadwood, even though everyone tells me I should. Man, JFC is a terrible, terrible show. Yet me and everyone I know who has HBO keep watching it every week in the hopes this will be the week when our hours of misery will be paid off, and it never is. I keep saying, "If something doesn't happen this week, I'm going to stop watching," yet I say that every week, and still nothing. Maybe this is actually brilliant marketing, although there are no commercials and it's Big Love and Entourage (and now Flight of the Conchords) that keep me paying 9.99 a month, so there really is no justification for this show. JFC is like really, really bad David Lynch (and I love Lynch.) Please someone explain to me how much better Deadwood is, I want to watch it, really I do.
Jim,
Glad to see you have finally discovered the masterful "Deadwood", which to me demonstrates all of the richness, complexity, nuance, entertainment value, and yes, morality that I have never found in "The Sopranos". You will not be disappointed by seasons two and three, I guarantee it.
Late June and all of July has seen me see all of _Deadwood_, finally. And boy is it worth it. Still need to write up the second and third seasons but I got the first up on VINYL. I mean, it's sad there aren't any more episodes, but the final image is still rather fitting. And, I must admit, each season finale leaves me in tears. In a beautiful way. It's easily the best serial television narrative I've ever watched.
You have such a treat in store for you...as brilliant as the first season is, the second season's even better. I've never loved a show as much as Deadwood. The dialogue is so intricate, and the characters so richly detailed, that it rewards repeated viewing. All the actors are perfectly cast, and as wonderful as they all are, Ian McShane outdoes them all.
Like others on the board, it's also spoiled me for other TV shows. It's so rare that each character has his/her own voice, so that one character's words wouldn't work for someone else. After watching Deadwood, your typical network shows (and some movies) sound very flat and scripted. Enjoy!!
I must differ with WillM. I'm not saying it's on the level of "Deadwood" yet and I doubt it ever will be, but, at three episodes in, I'm really digging "John From Cinncinati," almost despite myself. (I really wanted to be able to delete all those back episodes from my DVR and now I can't!) I may be the only person, but I'm hooked, even if I'm not sure how the magic realism, or whatever it is, works with the other aspects of the show. What it does have is some great, wonderfully self-conscious dialogue and another first rate cast. Milch has a way of orchestrating his characters which seems either totally unique, or totally Shakespearean, I'm not sure which.
Oh, and I hope you're feeling better soon, Jim.
Hey Jeem, love your blog and also glad you're loving Deadwood. In reaching for comparisons, Shakespeare comes to mind. For further quotables, you might want to refer to the profile of Milch that appeared in The New Yorker a few years back, which relates to the second quote you referenced. However, a crucial correction to the quote as you've rendered it: "right" should be "write." From the profile:
"I try consciously to frustrate the impulse to think about a scene before I sit down to it, because—you know the highfalutin’ expression ‘You can’t think your way to write action; you can only act your way to write thinking.’ ”
You can find the profile here: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/02/14/050214fa_fact_singer
Methinks Deadwood is the second best show ever produced by HBO, the first being The Wire. One thing The Wire doesn't have, though...
SWEDGEN!
Bob: I was still with JFC at the first few episodes, too. Talk to me when you've slogged through 8 or 9 episodes and see if you're not clawing your eyes out with frustration. It really seems like the writers have no idea where any of this is going.
Although from the outset I must disagree with your top-rate cast comment. Between the hysterical overacting of Rebecca de Mornay and the cue-card line readings of the two nonactors/surfers, to the criminally underused Luis Guzman, the cast is one of my biggest problems with the show. Ed O'Neill's a hoot though. I think he's the reason I keep coming back every week.
I can only think of one non-actor surfer on the show that I've seen so far and I know he's been getting a lot of criticism, but I think he hits just the right note of flatness. I'm a native Southern Californian (L.A. division) and I knew lots of surfer/beach kids who talked and acted pretty much exactly that way. That said, a non-pro in this group really does stand out, but for me, so far, it works. As for the rest, Will, time will tell...and I almost hope you're right. Too much too watch these days.