The other night I was sorting through some of my DVDs and I came across a promotional disc for the first episode of Deadwood. What is this? I asked myself, scratching my beard as if the answer hid somewhere inside it. I have the first episode of Deadwood here and yet I've never watched it? Am I duh-duh-dumb?
Well, let's backtrack. You see, in college I knew a girl that worked promotions for some distribution company. She got us free tickets to movies, advance tickets to not-yet-released flicks, posters, and, I guess, promotional DVDs. So I think it was when I went to see the craptastically overladen sapfest Miracle for free that I got a gift bag. Inside that gift bag, among other things, was a free DVD of the first episode of Deadwood, a show that was just about to come out. Or something like that. It might have already been out at that point; I've never had HBO and so I can't claim to truly know this.
I'm pretty sure I tossed the DVD aside with hopes to watch it at some point. Unfortunately, that never happened. Even after hearing about Deadwood and how great a show it was, I still never dug through my collection to retrieve that which I had not watched. That is, until the other night.
So, the first episode was definitely enough to get me interested in the show. It's a Western set in Deadwood, Dakota Territory in the 1870s, a destination rising in popularity due to the prospect of gold in the Black Hills. The show follows a bunch of characters around--some historic names such as Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Al Swearengen--as the camp grows from a stop on the road to a thriving town. The premiere episode is mostly setup, allowing the characters to get to Deadwood, and once there, interact with the folk.
As expected, the show's language and graphic nature is R-rated. Granted I know nothing about the Old West, but I found it a bit odd that everyone seemed to enjoy cursing so much. I liked the hidden politics of Al and his saloon of prostitutes, and Seth Bullock is an aimable fellow: quiet, law-abiding, and yet forceful when need be. I'm not quite certain of what his backstory is and why he and his partner headed to Deadwood to start a business, but I'm assuming some of that is revealed later. Also, pigs eating the dead? Sure, sure.
Anyways, Deadwood's got me hooked. I think I might have to splurge and buy the first season. Damn you, HBO, for your expensive DVDs. Actually, in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't watch this college because then I'd have had to sell all my school books and possibly my body to science just to watch the rest of the season. See? It's all working out in the end.
Now, if you're a fanboy/fangirl, feel free to yell at me for whatever reason you'd like.
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2 comments:
I got hooked I much the same way. I've since purchased first and second seasons on DVD, a nearly fatal move for my wallet, but well worth it. The second season is just as good as the first, possibly better. And from what I hear, season 3 is just as good as the other two.
As to the "historical accuracy," from what I hear, it's pretty close on the language, but I'm too young to know first-hand.
Besides, the language is just backfill on the great characters. And the flower-talk by some of the "upstanding" citizen's is to die for.
Yeah, I've been reading up on the show over the past few days and it's really making me want to get all the seasons at once. Though that would be I'd be eating Ramen for 12 weeks. Hmm...tough one.
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