The tension between Dan and the Captain has been brewing now for a few weeks, and things came to a head in the thoroughfare. The Captain, thru Adams, called Dan out and Al had to rein him in as he tried to determine Hearst’s motives. After much pontificating, even posing questions to the Chief’s head in the box, Al couldn’t figure Hearst out, so he sent Dan off to do his worst.
The four-minute fight in the thoroughfare was brutal. It was evenly matched for the first half, with each guy getting his shots, but the Captain took advantage in the second half, and it looked like Al, who was watching from the balcony of the Gem, was about to give up on his man. But Dan fought back and ripped the Captain’s eye from his socket, which has to go down as one of the most violent moments in television history. Al gave Dan the OK to kill the Captain, and he didn’t waste any time in doing so.
Prior to the fight, Hearst tipped his hand when he was talking to the Captain about the fight being an “object lesson.” It was definitely a risky move for him to send the Captain, his only bodyguard in Deadwood, off to fight the camp’s toughest man, just to prove a point. It leaves him vulnerable, and it will cost him later.
Meanwhile, Bullock saw that Steve and Hostetler closed out their business, signing over the stable simultaneously to satisfy both of their egos. Steve is quickly becoming one of the most annoying characters on television, whining and complaining about every little thing. He challenged Hostetler to find the board he signed after the horse trampled Bullock’s kid, and when Hostetler produced it, the writing had been wiped off. Steve kept calling Hostetler dishonest and, finally, the old man had enough and shot himself in the head. I would have left Steve in the dust after the transaction, but I guess Hostetler cared too much about what Steve thought of him.
Hostetler’s death, which was ultimately caused by the death of Bullock’s son, sent the sheriff off the deep end and he went to confront Hearst about the murders of the union organizers. Hearst was drunk and insulted Bullock repeatedly, and it was all the sheriff could do to contain himself. Bullock dragged Hearst by his ear to jail, a move that will certainly have ramifications in the coming weeks.
Alma is using again, and it’s hurting her reputation at work and at home. Trixie had the line of the week when describing Alma’s actions to Sol:
“The bank’s founder and president, chief officer as well, of air-headed smugness and headlong plunges unawares into the f*cking abyss.”
That’s great stuff.
Alma tried to woo Ellsworth at home, but he pulled away (tasting the drugs on her lips?) and indicated that he was leaving her. Just when she was getting her life back together, Alma is once again navigating a very slippery slope.
The series is spending a lot of time with the theater troupe and I wish we could see more of Jane and Joanie. Other than that, the season is going well.
