Deadwood S1 Ep3: Reconnoitering The Rim

One of the wonderful things about taking a look at the Ian McShane highlights from the HBO series Deadwood is that it gives you a good flavor for the story and the ideas in play in David Milch's recreation of the wild west. Through the highlights presented featuring co-lead Ian McShane, you really get a sense of this place called Deadwood and the hardships and the cutthroat nature of frontier America in the 1800s.

This is a beautiful, classic moment. I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone deliver the word "fucknut" with such utter flair. It also speaks volumes about the perception of Al Swearengen's tactics as a businessman.

What I love about Al Swearengen's character is how in-your-face and up front he is about his feelings. He doesn't hide his intentions and comes right at you. Here he greets the new town arrivals in the form of the Bella Union, led by actor Powers Boothe [Tombstone]. Swearengen is a dog and lacks the political acuity or sophistication of the likes of Boothe's character who plays opposite McShane here.

Farting takes on a whole other level of business here. It almost puts the farting sequence in Blazing Saddles [1974] to shame, not really, but of course that was a comedy.

McShane is a treacherous and savvy villain and this sequence plays it with some deliciously intimate, close-up and personal shots opposite William Sanderson. Sanderson [Blade Runner], like many of the players in Deadwood, has a number of agendas. Survival in Deadwood is the end game and a dangerous business. It's amazing how far we've come.

Swearwengen returns to sealing the deal with the "hardware boys" further illustrating just how good Timothy Olyphant [The Crazies, Justified] and John Hawkes [Identity, The Perfect Storm] are in their respective roles in this series.

Again, this is merely a brief synopsis of the latest installment of Deadwood. It's a deliciously addictive show like many of the shows on HBO.
*

Reconnoitering The Rim: B

Writer: Jody Worth [Hill Street Blues]

Director: Davis Guggenheim