In which I talk A LOT about the idea of "community" as depicted in Season 2 of
Deadwood.
Spoilers on Season 2 of Deadwood Below:
“You can love your country but it can’t love you,” a
professor of mine used to say. He was referring to modern nation states and
their formation. Modern nation states are social, psychological constructs; in
essence they’re (like the title of the first two episodes) “lies agreed upon”.
The determined physical and abstract boundaries of the state and kinship and
ties between people within the states aren’t real. They’re formations made out
of self-interest, selfishness, and necessity. That might seem like an
absolutely crazy thing to say, but it’s a point argued by a number of
historians. And to me, it seems like
Deadwood
in its portrayal of the formation of societies (and a modern one at that)
is depicting a fair amount of this truth. We lie to ourselves about how our
nations are formed (through violence, deception, and more than a few evil
deeds). We’re also oftentimes devout, to a fault, towards our nation when in
all honesty the “nation” is an idea; an abstract concept that though we may
fight for and fervently believe in, can’t love us.
However, it’s hard not to root for the denizens of Deadwood
and the bonds they’ve formed. It’s also hard not to be nervous about Mr.
Wolcott and Hearst’s encroachments on what Al and Seth and co. have created out
of nothing. Watch in the 5th episode as Bullock immediately sides
with Al the moment he’s told that Wolcott and the Commissioner, along with Cy,
have been stirring up trouble to threaten the community they’ve formed. Al and
Seth have just had a fight that had them tumbling over the balcony of the Gem,
but they put aside their differences for the greater good of Deadwood. The
community may be merely an idea, but damn if it doesn’t feel like it’s one
worth fighting for.
And whenever people act out of self-interest or for selfish
reasons rather than for the good of the community that is when things go
seriously amiss in Deadwood. Seth, in
trying to deal with the consequences of his wife’s arrival and his affair with
Alma, is forced to think of himself and his family and ignores the issues
emerging in the camp. Al’s failure to acknowledge his ailments, and later
treating and recovering from them, sidelines him for the better part of three
episodes. With both of them confronting their own problems, they’re heedless to
the trouble brewing that, had they been attentive to it, may have been nipped
in the bud. Cy, Wolcott, Commissioner Jarry, and Hearst’s intentions and
actions in the interest of profit and power, ultimately, continually breed complications
in the camp that threaten to fracture it. Deadwood
seems to argue (and quite optimistically) that good things come of individuals
working together for greater causes beyond themselves. Season 1 saw the camp
splintered with various people at odds over their beliefs; but by the end of
the First Season, we saw characters put aside their differences and accept
their roles as part of the community. Al accepted his position as pseudo-mayor
of Deadwood, and Seth accepted the need to be sheriff. Lo and behold when the
two of them fail to be the bigger man and forgo their selfish anger at one
another, not only does it lead to a nasty fight between the two of them, but it
in turn threatens the very foundation of community they’ve helped construct.
When external incursions arise and when our leading citizens
fail to consider the greater good of the community, it feels as if it’s only a
matter of time before everything explodes. Hearst isn’t the only outside force.
Miss Isringhausen, working for the Pinkertons, has manipulated Silas Adams, and
set her sights on taking down Alma. And if Al weren’t as bright as he is, she
may have twisted him to her will as well. Instead, Al sees right through her
and her scheme; he realizes the threat the Pinkertons hold against him and the
community, and tells Alma (who he’s oddly enough never had an interaction with
before). Alma reminds Al that he’s responsible for the death of her late
husband, and the death of the family of Sofia, who’s in her care. However, at
the moment, there are bigger problems than rightfully held grudges.
The 2nd season is partially about outside forces
upsetting the balance in Deadwood. Many shows use their second seasons to do
this. Once the characters and world have been built up, it’s interesting to
provide a conflict to put against them. In Deadwood,
it isn’t just one though, but several. Hearst and the Pinkertons are catalyzing
forces, but these create a rippling effect that create more and more problems.
Doc Cochran sees the poorly mistreated Asian prostitutes brought in by an agent
of Hearst, and is infuriated. He even begs Cy to let him treat them “pro bono”.
Mr. Wu is also in the lurch; Hearst’s agent is an Asian fluent in English who
threatens to displace Wu and his enterprises in the Asian part of Deadwood.
Poor Merrick refuses to post a notice in his paper written by Wolcott, instead
posting it outside his door in protest. In retaliation, Cy wrecks his newspaper
building, destroying the equipment and even leaving dog crap in the corner. Even
goodhearted Charlie Utter, who at times feels as if he could hardly hurt a fly,
goes off the handle and relentlessly beats up Wolcott for killing 3 prostitutes
in Joanie’s brothel. Joanie survives the attack on the Chez Ami, sending away
her remaining employees for fear of their lives, but she’s now become
emotionally devastated and constantly fears for her life. Steve the Drunk,
pissed off by Merrick’s posted notice, takes out his anger on one of the two
members of Deadwood’s African American community, Sam. If it weren’t for a last
minute intervention by Seth, Sam may very well have been tarred and feathered.
The incursions are affecting nearly everyone in Deadwood.
Most people, except Alma, end up selling
off their claims when Wolcott spreads rumors that titles may be taken away by
the government (in a ploy to scoop up all the land claims for Hearst). Mose
Manuel kills his brother when he refuses to sell over his share of their land
claim, all for some money. When Mose gets a power trip off this, it ultimately
leads to him getting shot in the following episode.
Seth is also facing a newly arrived outside force on the
homefront in the form of his wife Martha and son William. There’s little love
between them, and the fact that Seth clearly had an affair with Alma only helps
to make matters worse. The relationship strains to fall apart underneath all
the feigned courtesies. There’s little love between them, and only a seemingly
misplaced sense of obligation. Alma is also burdened by the consequences of her
affair with Seth. Not only has the gossip been going around about their relationship,
but now Alma finds herself pregnant with his child and uncertain as to whether
she should get rid of it or not. This is made all the more tense when Mrs.
Bullock seeks out Alma, and though they never speak of the affair, it’s clearly
the subtext underwriting all the pleasantries.
Perhaps the most obvious outside encroachment is the
advancement of civilization. The telegraph poles are slowly creeping towards
the camp (and telegraph operator Blazanov eventually arrives in the camp).
Deadwood may very well soon become absorbed into the U.S. (by season’s end, it
will in fact have). Hearst’s mere interest in the town suggests that the camp
has made significant strides towards unifying and civilizing. The citizens of
Deadwood aren’t always fighting these encroachments (although they often do),
but rather they would like to see them happen on their own terms. Al uses Seth's previous
standing with contacts in Montana to convince Yankton officials that Montana
intends to annex Deadwood (in order to get a better offer from Dakota).
It’s ultimately when Al and Seth (ostensibly the series’s
protagonists) are confronting these external problems, Mrs. Bullock (and Alma
for that matter as well) and Ms. Isringhausen (and they seem to finally be
alleviating these issues), that tragedy strikes and Bullock’s son is trampled
by a horse. Perhaps if Seth hadn’t let the affair go as far he did or perhaps
if Al had admitted to himself that his illness needed to be dealt with right
away, events would have transpired differently and young William would still be
alive. When the community fails to act together, bad things happen. When they
act for individual gain (unless it serves the dual purpose of bettering
Deadwood as well), the community and in turn themselves are put at risk.
It’s no coincidence that Alma and Ellesworth’s marriage is
intercut with shots of Al negotiating Deadwood’s annexation. They’re both odd
and hesitant mergers, but entirely necessary ones. They’re both needed for the bettering of
the community. They both bring together people who for a long time were at odds
with one another but now see the value of coming together.
So yes, Deadwood as a community is an abstract, intangible
notion, much as are modern nation states might be. But by coming together (the
series is constantly creating connections between various characters either
through camerawork or writing), the people of Deadwood tend to better
themselves, eachother, and the community as a whole.
Deadwood’s second season alleviated many of my problems with
the first season. Better plotting of storylines led to stories that carried out
throughout the season and that reached satisfying conclusions in the last few
episodes. Even as its cast deepened and its writing and narrative became denser,
Deadwood pulled off one of the best
seasons of television in recent memory. After fighting Wolcott, Hearst, and
Commissioner Jarry’s advances all season, Al finally gets the upper hand in the
finale. Wolcott has been disgraced and committed suicide; Wu’s Asian rival has
been killed; Deadwood is soon to be annexed and hold elections. Seth and Martha
have patched up their marriage as best they can (albeit mostly sadly due to William's death). Miss Isringhausen has fled the
camp and Al has given proof of her intentions to Alma to use against her scheming
family. Problems obviously still exist (Hearst is finally in town and will
probably stir up more trouble next season), but for now, our foulmouthed
Western town is at peace.
