S01.E08: Suffer the Little Children

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Deadwood breathes easier when riders arrive with precious vaccine--and word of a possible treaty with the Sioux. Awaiting Trixie's return, a pragmatic Swearengen resists counsel from a bloody-minded Farnum; results of Bullock's assay of her gold claim moves Alma to reassess her plans and sets up a confrontation between Bullock and Swearengen; and Tolliver teaches Stubbs a deadly lesson at the expense of a couple of con artists.

[formerlyfreedom]

Even though I know I'd seen this episode before, watching Tolliver torture and kill Veronica Mars and her brother still had me covering my eyes (and peeking). Brutal. Poor Joanie. And that Veronica, what a cold-hearted little bitch...

[Drogo]

Cy was not about forgiving and forgetting Sarah Marshall. 

[purist]

Still trying to catch up to the rest of you! I'm watching every episode twice, first just soaking it up and then the second time making notes for my posts here. Here are my comments on this brutal and pretty sad episode.

Al's response to EB's ridiculous plan to murder the widow and Clench in their beds was delicious, especially his deadpan 'Dan, loan EB your knife.'

The men who rode into the camp said the Sioux had been 'called back to the Agency'. What is the Agency?

Loved the use of the colour red in this episode. Usually the colour palette of Deadwood is brown, black, grey and the occasional blue, but here we had the vivid scarlet of the back of Al's waistcoat and the lining of his coat, the bloodstain on the floor, and Joanie's dress in the last few scenes. They really stood out. Stunning work by the costumers and set dressers.

Joanie's robe with the ruff-style neck was another beautiful piece of costuming. That woman wears clothes so well.

Wow, Flora was a piece of work. She switched from innocent and shy to cold and calculating in a heartbeat. Really well played by Kristen Bell. Cy's punishment of Flora and Miles was brutal and surely a bit over the top - I mean, they only robbed him. It's not like they trashed his place or killed someone. Although I suppose Flora did stab him in the leg. The scene of the beatdown in the street with Sol, Doc and Jane looking on but not really moving to do anything said a lot about the lawlessness of Deadwood. I felt very sorry for Eddie and Joanie having to witness Cy in 'pure evil' mode as he tortured and killed the two kids. And later he has the gall to say to Joanie, 'Don't think I enjoyed that bullshit, Joanie.' Really, Cy??? Could have fooled me.

Doc was great in this episode, again. Poking out his tongue at Sophia to distract her from her smallpox jab, telling Merrick to pull himself together and eat less, his tenderness with Trixie after her attempted overdose, and his telling Alma the facts regarding Trixie - honestly, what would the camp do without him?

I love the relationship between Al and Jewel. Even though he refers to her as 'the gimp', mocks her disability, swears at her and orders her around, somehow it's clear that he cares for her. Ian McShane is just so brilliant in this role.

This episode allowed us to contrast the respective control exerted over their no.1 whore by Cy and Al. Cy makes Joanie watch him kill Miles, and then makes her kill Flora, and later offers to set her up in her own place. He tells her, fairly unconvincingly: 'You bring warmth into my life. I can't bear to see you unhappy like this.' Meanwhile, Al worries all day about the whereabouts of Trixie, even though he pretends he's angry with her. When she finally turns up at the Gem, she comes into his bedroom and lays the gold nugget (given to her by Alma to get out of Deadwood) on his side table. He forces her hand away from the evidence on her arm that she has tried to kill herself with drugs, and by the look on his face he is shocked that she would do something like that. She slaps him, then begins to take off her clothes. He draws back the covers for her and she gets into bed with him, fully naked. To me, although that scene was wordless, Al might as well have been saying what Cy said to Joanie, only Al would actually mean it: 'You bring warmth into my life. I can't bear to see you unhappy like this.'

And my favourite dialogue of the episode:

EB (to Seth and Alma): May I inquire as to the assay's outcome?

Seth: Ask the owner.

EB: Mrs Garret ...?

Alma (to Seth): Is the technical term 'bonanza'?

Seth: Has the look of it.

Alma: It's a bonanza, Mr Farnum.

EB (as the camera slowly zooms in on him): I see. [through gritted teeth] Congratulations. [a small groan/whimper escapes him]

[nyxy]

Totally agree- and that quote is great. I didn't see how funny it was till now.

I think your comments on visual beauty of this episode are also spot on. Joanie really dresses beautifully and with less means at her disposal than Alma. I started paying attention to her clothes (and to clothes in general on this show) after reading a few recaps- most notably Al Lowe's for TWOP which can still be accessed even though the forums have gone (:sob:). She always singles out Joanie too. I agree the costume/set design crew was superb. Hope they won a lot of recognition.

I love the period detail. Sometimes I'll rewatch a scene over and over just to see the objects in people's homes.

There's something I can't quite figure out. Are there any practical reasons for Alma to stay on in Deadwood even after the gold is discovered? The mine can be managed long distance. Is her presence here likely to prevent people exploiting her claim? To me that seems unlikely, given that it's the men who support her who actually fight for her claims and even figure out what her rights are- that's certainly the case with Bullock at this point in the season. And he'll be here to look out for her even if she leaves.

And is there still more danger in her staying than leaving- danger to Sophia in particular? Or is everyone simply reassured by A's oath to give up his shenanigans and stop trying to undermine her? Or have they decided that with Bullock behind her and Sophia, Al will not succeed if he decides to continue undermining Alma?

Even if there is no danger, is there an actual positive reason for her to stay on- or is the only reason the mutual attraction between Bullock and Alma?

I was surprised to find at the start of the episode that Alma had decided to leave. So she was persuaded by the doctor's advice to take Trixie and Sophia and get out; or by Trixie's words  that staying was at best pointless, and at worst, dangerous (though of course she's not pursuing Trixie's suggestion that she could just get Bullock out of her system by screwing him). But then all it takes for her to change her mind again is a little persuasion from Bullock. He asks why she can't care for Sophia and stay in Deadwood.  The doctor's concern and Trixie's are instantly forgotten. My question isn't  why she can't care for Sophia in Deadwood but why she couldn't care for Sophia elsewhere- a place where she might be more comfortable such as New York. Does Deadwood have a hold on her for any reason? Or is Bullock the only real appeal of Deadwood?

If so, they've both taken a BIG step once they decide to arrange matters so she can stay. It's not the obvious or practical choice; it might be the opposite of these things.

I also am curious just how much she actually knows about Bullock at this point- about his life before Deadwood.

Edited July 17, 2016 by nyxy

[purist]

11 hours ago, nyxy said:

My question isn't  why she can't care for Sophia in Deadwood but why she couldn't care for Sophia elsewhere- a place where she might be more comfortable such as New York. Does Deadwood have a hold on her for any reason? Or is Bullock the only real appeal of Deadwood?

I think the Bullock attraction is a big part of it, but also, she has a degree of autonomy in Deadwood that she certainly wouldn't have in the rigid hierarchy of high society in New York (see Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, which is set in New York at exactly this time). I'm sure she is enjoying not being answerable to a husband, father or other male relative. Remember she married Brom to help her father get out of debt, so she's no doubt sick of doing things because other people tell her she must. She's a smart woman - I can see the attraction of staying in lawless Deadwood.

[Mindthinkr]

Does Alma know at this point that Bullock is married? The chemistry between the two is pretty high up there. I liked that Alma is learning tenderness towards Sophia in the singing of Row Row Row Your Boat. Making it about someone else's happiness instead of her own. I remember when Jane taught her that song and bet when Jane is able to hear her sing it, that it will bring tears to her eyes. 

I agree with all of you posters about the costumes and cinematography. This is a well done series. 

[Pallas]

On 6/25/2016 at 11:51 PM, saoirse said:

Even though I know I'd seen this episode before, watching Tolliver torture and kill Veronica Mars and her brother still had me covering my eyes (and peeking). Brutal. Poor Joanie. And that Veronica, what a cold-hearted little bitch...

That was the first I'd seen of Kristen Bell.  The performance astonished me.  Along with the hideous, gorgeously portrayed, misogynistic malevolence of the late Powers Boothe.   

 

On 7/16/2016 at 4:52 AM, purist said:

Cy's punishment of Flora and Miles was brutal and surely a bit over the top - I mean, they only robbed him. It's not like they trashed his place or killed someone.

Flora tried to take what Cy's. Flora, a girl not much older than Joanie was when Cy suborned her, tried to show him up -- to his employees and the whole town -- by playing him and robbing him. And tried to reverse the natural order of things by using a male as her henchman. More, she did show him up where, arguably, it mattered to Cy even more: she won Joanie's heart. And didn't do a thing to get it; didn't give a damn about it. She used but despised Cy's prize.

Cy tortured her to send a message to both Joanie and Eddie. And he tortured her to undo Joanie, and force her to feel how much she is essential to his feelings about himself.