S02.E02: A Lie Agreed Upon (Part 2)

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Alma and Bullock face an abrupt decision about their future; Swearengen prepares for another showdown with Bullock; Calamity Jane returns to camp.

[purist]

Al's beat-up face in this episode was truly horrible! Kudos to the make-up people on this show for making him look so awful.

I love love LOVE 'loaded' Sol. When he told Seth in no uncertain terms what he thought about the affair with Alma and about Seth's responsibilities, I was cheering. I also loved what he said to Trixie: 'I'd settle for a vigorous hand-holding.' Hee!

Speaking of Trixie, she really let us know what she thinks of Bullock in this episode. First she called him a 'self-deluded interfering motherfucker', then later a 'selfish cocksucker'. Best of all is how she described him to Sol: 'Your fucken stupid fuck of a stupid fucken partner.' Go, Trixie!

Good old Charlie Utter, stopping Seth by various means from going straight to the Gem to retrieve his gun and badge and possibly getting killed. His fake 'faintness' was perfect.

Other observations:

• Miss Is is a good sounding-board. Alma is lucky to have her.
• Welcome back, Jane, you entangled inebriate! It's great to see you back in Deadwood.
• Never take Dan Dority on in a fight. He will beat you to death unless someone stops him - and only Al can stop him.
• Al Swearengen + Dan Dority = Best Friends Forever.

Favourite quote this episode is from the weasel EB, reporting to Al about Bullock: 'He's come back to my hotel. Upstairs, to the widow. I can't say if they're in rut - I didn't linger for the song of the bedstead.' Eeeeew, but also hee.

Questions:

• Was Alma saying that she feared that giving up the care of Sophia might make her go back to taking laudanum?
• When Trixie had her rifle trained on the Gem doorway, was she planning to shoot Seth if he tried to kill Al?

[nyxy]

On July 27, 2016 at 11:22 AM, purist said:

 

Questions:

• Was Alma saying that she feared that giving up the care of Sophia might make her go back to taking laudanum?
• When Trixie had her rifle trained on the Gem doorway, was she planning to shoot Seth if he tried to kill Al?

Ho, really  want to get into all those things you opened up, purist, but I thought I'd start with these questions. Sorry though, coz it'll be long as per ususal. 

That speculation is really interesting- that she fears relapse without Soohia in her life. I guess that would mean she doesn't believe bodice-ripping passion with Bullock is enough in itself. Also, it's sad if she's using Sophia as a crutch...it should be about what's best for Sophia. I thought the latter worry dominated.

I will need to watch again and can't for another week or so, dang. I don't remember a direct mention of it, but I think that fear of slipping back into her first addiction is quite likely still a shaping thing in her life.

And on a related note, I found a lot of her statements confusing.  Why would she have to give up Sophia if she ran off with Seth anyway? As best I remember, it's Ms. Isringhausen who planted the seed in Alma's mind. Either that, or Alma herself decided that that's what he meant. He said nothing at all indicating he'd want to abandon Sophia IIR. So all Alma's worry about having to leave Sophia seems to be based on a strange hypothesis.  The only sense I could make of it was that she didn't really want to leave Deadwood and she was unconsciously using Sophia as an excuse. 

I can't imagine Seth demanding that she leave Sophia behind. Of the band of men that rode out, it was Seth who actually rescued Sophia. And leaving aside the questionn of what he said and what she heard, is it logical to think that Sophia can't go with them? Neither of them seems all that cincerned with respectability (to their credit imo) so it's not that Sophia would be tainted by association. I give up.    

On the question of Trixie...there's a recent discussion of this very issue on the Trixie thread. Just in case you are avoiding the character threads at this point (for fear of spoilers), let me just say I posted a response to that qn there and now  recently realize I was wrong. I thought Trixie had planned to shoot Al if there were any chance of him shooting Sol. But other posters were right: her gun is pointed at Bullock. So again this makes no sense to me. If she's there as backup for Al, then why did she wake up Sol who is most unlikely to back Al and be an ally to her, and instead much more likely to shoot Al if he's threatening Seth. Poor Sol is highly woozy headed at this point, and Trixie obviously cares for him, so why would she drag him over there in this sub-par state to support his buddy? Makes no sense.

Maybe she's seeing herself as a peace warrior. She'll shoot Seth if he looks like he's about to start shit and Sol will shoot Al if *he* looks ready to start shit and that way peace might prevail.

Someone from the show needs to be right here in this forum answering these questions imo. 

[Haleth]

Maybe Alma's fear of leaving Sophia was because Seth was willing to abandon his stepson?  Maybe she sees a parallel in the two children not being important to him?

It hadn't occurred to me that Trixie was pointing the gun at Seth.  That is a really interesting question!  Maybe she was ready to shoot whichever one made an aggressive move.

[walnutqueen]

Trixie loves Al.  Trixie loves Sol.  She knows Sol loves Seth and is the only one able to interfere with a raging Bull(ock).  She was covering all her bases.  ;-)

[purist]

On 29/07/2016 at 3:13 AM, nyxy said:

The only sense I could make of it was that she didn't really want to leave Deadwood and she was unconsciously using Sophia as an excuse.

I'd say you've hit the nail on the head with this.

[Mindthinkr]

Funny how Jane had enough self respect that when she needed to be cut down from her horse she wouldn't let the Doc do it. She asked to be lifted so she could cut her own self free.