Deadwood recap - “A Rich Find” (S3E6)

The dropping: This is another transitional episode and not much seems to happen (at least we don't get bogged down with that dying actor). Bullock and Al chase their tails trying to figure out how best to oust Hearst while Hearst, for his part, seems to be hiring reinforcements, all of which means bad things for the campfolk caught in the middle. Alma's opium supply seems to have dried up but not before she clashes with a concerned Trixie over getting back on the dope. There's some stuff going on with Steve and with Aunt Lou and her son but it doesn't seem all that important. And Joanie tries again to help an increasingly sodden Jane.

ONLY TWO F-BOMBS IN THE FOLLOWING RECAP

-- DEFINITELY A SLOW DAY IN DEADWOOD

The next morning, Hearst is fuming in his cell as Charlie struggles to bring in the morning’s mail. Charlie tries to provoke Hearst a bit, first playing dumb as to who he is, then revealing the dead Cornish miner in the cell next to Hearst: “Is that your knife, George Hearst?” Calamity Jane is helping N.G. bury Hostetler, which prompts N.G. to say that such an act won’t endear her to the other whites in camp. Jane scoffs: “[That’s] a question I wake to in the mornin’ and pass out with at night: ‘what’s my popularity with my fellow white people?” Hee hee. She’d rather help a friend, no matter what color he is, plus she owes a visit up to the graveyard anyway.

Al interrupts Bullock and Mrs. Bullock at breakfast. She excuses herself so the menfolk can talk. Al’s position regarding going after Hearst: “Our hour is wrong. Having lost his man Turner, being embarrassed by you, Hearst will be on the muscle. We, his wrath’s object, ought to stay close and confide – our alternative is flight.” Bullock doesn’t want to run either and gets the message.

Dan lurches out of the back room of the Gem, looking terrible. Johnny fills him in on the evening’s events (Bullock twisting Hearst’s ear) and Dan just stares at him, incredulous. Then, blah blah blah – it’s Steve, ranting and raving, and I just don’t care. After walking Martha to school, Bullock goes the freight office and lets Hearst out of the cell. Hearst pulls his knife out of the dead miner, wipes the bloody blade on the banister and walks out, glowering at the sheriff. He then goes to send a message at the telegraph office, snarling at both Blazenoff and Merrick.

A concerned Charlie tags along as Bullock walks through the thoroughfare. Bullock bemusedly tells his self-appointed bodyguard that he’s just going to the hardware store. Good, says Charlie, “it’s a little early to start drinkin’.” (I expect an immediate cut to Jane drunk in an alley but am disappointed.) At the hardware store, Sol joins Bullock and Charlie in rehashing the Hearst issue. Charlie thinks that “Hearst is fuckin’ comin’” and that Bullock should strike first, setting up an ambush and working with Al and Cy to destroy Hearst’s men. Sol objects that there’ll be nothing left of the camp. “How much you figure’ll stand once Hearst’s had his fuckin’ say?” retorts Charlie. He’s got a point. Bullock looks thoughtful.

Cy tells Hearst that Alma Garrett-Ellsworth is back on the dope and insinuates that he could have Alma killed by tweaking the quality of the product. Hearst finds this interesting but wishes he’d heard this yesterday – might have saved him the loss of his man and a night in jail. I’m not sure where he’s going with this line of thought but okay. In any event, Hearst tells Cy not to kill Alma yet. On his way out, Cy gives E.B. $200 and tells the innkeeper to keep him posted on Hearst’s activities. If not, the consequence would be for Cy to cut E.B.’s throat. “Oh my,” says E.B. After Cy leaves, E.B. scurries off to let Al know what just transpired. “Save us,” squeaks E.B., “think of something!” Al is lost in thought but murmurs, “When have I not?”

Not knowing that Hearst doesn’t want to kill Alma quite yet, Leon gets really twitchy and goes to the bank. Trixie gets disgusted at the sight of him and goes out for a smoke. Leon tells Alma he’s shutting her off. She’s all snooty and on her high horse – I hate it when she does that, even to icky drug dealers. After Leon leaves, Trixie confronts Alma, saying she knows about her drug habit. Alma gets even snootier and fires Trixie from her bank teller job. Trixie clears off her desk (hee hee!) and leaves. She goes to report in to Al who gives her a pep talk, Swearengen-style.

Aunt Lou’s son Odell has arrived in camp. Great – more new characters. Odell has been in Liberia where his mom sent him to keep him away from Hearst. I have a thought that Hearst is perhaps Odell’s father. Anyhow, Odell has come to speak with Hearst about mining operations in Africa. Aunt Lou thinks this is a bad idea and fears for her son, who seems to possibly be trying to get some sort of revenge on his mother’s employer. It’s vague and confusing and, again, I really don’t care. I want to get back to Al and Dan and Bullock and Charlie and Jane and Sol and E.B. and Doc – where the hell has Doc been? Moving on.

Here we go: Dan comes up to see Al in his office. Dan is a little testy but Al just wants to know if Dan has gotten over killing the Captain. Dan quotes the light going out of the eyes line and Al wryly points out there was only one eye left for it to go out of. Dan looks crestfallen at this and Al leans in, kindly saying, “Better the one of his than both of yours.” Al wants Dan to go to Cheyenne to hire guns for the upcoming battle with Hearst. Dan’s down with that as he’s ready to get out of camp for a while.

More Odell. Plus Steve, drunk and raving. Spare me. Is Steve supposed to be funny? Because he just makes me scream obscenities at the t.v.

Bullock goes to the Gem to talk to Al. He says that perhaps he and Al should strike first against Hearst. Al echoes Sol as he says that if they battle Hearst, the camp will be destroyed. He calls to Dan to hold off leaving for Cheyenne tonight as he and the sheriff call a meeting of the camp elders: “Let’s be baffled among friends.” Hee.

Jane is drunk off her ass and in an alley – I knew it would happen sooner or later, usually after a visit to Bill's grave. Joanie finds her and convinces Jane to come back to Shaunessey’s with her. Jane manages to puke en route but Joanie is sweet and patient with her. Better to puke in the thoroughfare than in the boarding house, I guess.

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