George Hearst is one tricky bastard. He sends Al a note, giving him the positions of two/four killers in his saloon, which allows Al to defend the Gem. I’m not sure why Al trusted Hearst enough to visit him at his digs, but when he does, Hearst shows his true colors (Alma’s stake in the camp) and wants Al’s help. Al doesn’t cooperate, which was actually a bit surprising given his penchant for survival, and Hearst takes a finger as punishment. After the meeting, Al stumbles out into the camp, causing Bullock’s ears to perk up. Bullock wants to take the bastard down, but Al rebukes the idea by saying, “I’m having mine served cold.” This represents some serious foreshadowing, which will likely take several episodes to come to fruition.
Meanwhile, Alma’s pregnancy has gone South, causing her to get her affairs in order. She surprises Ellsworth by giving custody of Sofia to Bullock, if anything were to happen to her. It’s clear that, for all Ellsworth has done, she still prefers Bullock, especially if someone is going to have to defend Sofia’s claim in the camp. Seth and Martha seem to be getting on a bit better, though their scenes together are still extremely uncomfortable and I wonder if the two will ever be happy as husband and wife. When you think about it – how weird would it be to marry your brother’s widow?
Jane is on the wagon again and her speech to the “little ones” was endearing. There was a nice moment between her and Martha as Jane left the school house. Speaking of nice moments, Joanie – who is still having a tough time dealing with Cy – opened up to Charlie. This is a romance that hasn’t quite gotten off the ground, but with his speech convincing Joanie that she shouldn’t be too hard on herself, I suspect he scored a few points.
So what’s up next? You can bet that Al is going to be spending most of his time figuring out a way to put Hearst in the ground. His uneasy alliance with Bullock has been an interesting twist in the series. Alma’s abortion appears to have gone well, but her entrusting Bullock with Sofia has to cause problems in her relationship with Ellsworth. I look forward to seeing some more of Trixie and Star – Sol bought a house and it looks like the duo will be able to spend many a night together without the camp knowing. Finally, based on the crowd’s reaction to the candidate’s speeches, Star and Bullock will with the mayoral and sheriff races, respectively.
