This week’s episode was all over the map, with scenes featuring almost the entire cast, save the theater troupe, thankfully. The main issue to be resolved from last week was George Hearst’s incarceration at the hands of Bullock. The next morning, Hearst is no less mouthy as Charlie picks up the jailhouse around him. Charlie is more than happy to point out, in the next cell, the corpse of the union organizer that Hearst is believed to have stabbed (via proxy, of course). Later, when Bullock releases Hearst, the magnate goes over to the corpse, pulls out the knife, wipes it off on the table and leaves. Though I’m not entirely sure why Bullock released him, one thing’s for sure – Hearst has balls.
Sy continues to kiss Hearst’s ass, and now that he’s got Alma’s dealer, Leon, in his pocket, he actually has something to deal. Sy claims he can deliver her claim, which is the one thing in Deadwood that Hearst desperately wants. Surprisingly, Hearst tells Sy, “Don’t kill her yet.” Meanwhile, Leon, who seems to have a relatively good moral compass, visits Alma at the bank and tells her to find her drugs elsewhere. Trixie, who went out for a smoke, jumps Leon when he leaves the bank and tells him to leave Alma alone. Her concern is for “the child,” and she doesn’t want to see Alma continue down this treacherous road. Trixie confronts her inside the bank, and Alma gets uppity and ends up firing her only teller. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.
Despite his willingness to side with Hearst, Sy doesn’t like the way the man treats him and he pays E.B. $200 for any information that might help him in the future. E.B. immediately goes to Al, confused at Sy’s approach and says to Swearengen, “Save us. Think of something.” Al’s reply? “Have I ever not?”
On the heels of her dismissal, Trixie comes to Al and says in passing that she feels like she could turn a trick and Al goes off on her, explaining, “I lose patience with c*nts too ignorant to know when their lot’s improved.” I don’t think Trixie was serious about going back to prostitution, but it was interesting to see Al’s reaction when she brought it up.
One of the emerging storylines this week was the arrival of Aunt Lou’s son, Odell. After a Hearst power play in the hotel over who should rightfully invite someone to stay in his hotel, proving just how big of a prick he can be, Hearst becomes intrigued with Odell when he mentions a gold mining operation in Liberia. Hearst invites Odell to dinner and Aunt Lou is not happy about it, eventually resorting to tipping the bottle with Jane. After she gets her drink on, Lou marches down the thoroughfare saying (to no one in particular) that Hearst is not going to take her son.
Just prior to Lou’s march through camp, Hearst had an interesting scene with Al and Bullock that pretty much sums up the contentiousness of the season thus far. As Hearst goes off to dinner with Odell, he raises his middle finger to Al and says, “How’s the finger?” Bullock, letting his emotions get to him once again, replies, “How’s the ear?” but it’s unclear if Hearst heard him. The conflict between these three men will definitely be the main storyline over next few episodes, and I’m interested to see how Hearst gets out of camp alive.
In the sweet final scene, Joanie takes a drunken Jane in. It’s clear that Joanie cares about Jane. What’s not clear is the source of these feelings – is it friendship or something more? Hopefully, the series will explore that question in the coming weeks as well.
