Timothy Olyphant’s character in “Girl Next Door” is very similar to his role in “Go.”
Olyphant was also Delroy Lindo’s partner in Gone in 60 Seconds.
Here’s creator Milch describing “law” in Deadwood (re: Swearengen’s fear about the trial):
That meant no government. No organized religion. Not even basic law enforcement. When a prominent figure in town was murdered, for example, “they didn’t want Congress to take umbrage — what are you, secessionists, are you setting up your own government? So they just let the guy go,” Milch says. “Not only was there an absence of law, there was a premium on the continued absence of law. Economic forces organized the settlement.”
— Alan
Interesting! Does he mention the Pinkertons at all? Maybe Al really is faking his fear of them (as EB suggested during his excellent floor scrubbin’ monologue). What could they accomplish in Deadwood - justice-wise, I mean.
Is this interview linked somewhere?
Bub- The Pinkertons could shoot Al. That’s what they’d do justice wise. They were practically mercenaries.
The interview is in the “background” section I believe on the HBO Deadwood site.
— Alan
So? EB could shoot Al. Bullock could shoot Al. Jane almost did shoot Al. Technically “The Dude” could have shot Al. What stopped them?
Al’s got a lot of goons who’d shoot back. Yes, the Pinkerton’s were badass but they weren’t best known as “badass gunfighters willing to get into a scrap.” They worked as mercenaries but only on one side of the law and they used the law as backup and enforcement for their investigations. None of that applies in Deadwood, according to Milch anyway.
Also, EB really did say that Al was “faking his fear of the Pinkertons” during his blood scrubbing speech. Go ahead, watch it again, maybe invite Brett over. 
PS: No kidding around for a second Ben: did the Pinkertons really gather incriminating evidence and then just execute people? Were they really vigilantes? I always assumed they gathered evidence, fought back if attacked, but usually brought the evidence to the Marshall or Sherriff and then they attended court and the hanging.
Al was actually afraid of the Pinkertons when the dude was alive, after he found gold he was faking his fear of the Pinkertons as a justification for the buyback. Al had his handful of goons to stop Bullock, but the Pinkertons would ride in and kill the whole gang.
During this period, AFAIK, the Pinkertons weren’t detectives in the CSI sense, but rather private lawmen, used in posses and whatnot. They were strikebreakers and engaged in a small battle with striking unionmembers somewhere in Pennsylvania(or maybe New York. I forget).
Could they operate with impunity in a lawless unannexed territory? More to the point, would they?
Didn’t they also serve warrants, beef up posses, and – most of the time – offered protection to stagecoaches and trains? But they did all those things with the local law backing them up. I’ve never seen anything that said they’d enter Indian land (which is where Deadwood is) just to investigate a murder and possibly get into a gunfight with a local boss. I agree with you that they were private lawmen, but didn’t that mean they usually captured their targets or at least gathered enough evidence to be sure their target was guilty before trying to capture them (and maybe killing them during the attempt?)
Yeah, I’m not arguing your point that they could cause Al a mess of trouble and you agree that Al isn’t afraid of the wife calling the Pinkertons (for whatever reason) but I do recall reading that they were more CSI then you’re allowing. They pioneered fingerprinting, for one thing. Or did they do that later? (1890’s?)
To be specific, he wanted that drooped-eyed bastard set free because he knew Bullock would seek revenge. In seeking, he would be away from the camp for a day or three, which would allow Al and EB to go at the Dude’s widow (with Trixie softening her up) without having Bullock around to act as her proxy. Al says as much at the beginning of the episode.
I think Briscoe County Jr. did that…
— Alan
Nice catch Bill!
It’s been two episodes and I’m going to blanketly assert that the show
did not in fact jump the shark with Wild Bill’s death. While last night
wasn’t especially dramatic, it was smooth and kept the various plotlines
moving.
Swearengen as civic leader (and newspaper editor) scares me more
than Swearengen as Machiavellian bad guy.
Well it’s definately transitioned from edgy, seat-of-the-pants drama to more of a regular series. It’s much more understandable now why it was picked up for another season. Prior to these last two episodes, I didn’t think that they’d be able to keep up the pace. Guys going out, killing-time music playing, pigs, etc.
It’s very similiar to the opening fight scene of Gangs Of New York. Intense start, not so intense afterwards.
Swearaengen is an odd cookie; he very much threatens his “trusted” Trixie and in turn of course pushes for his wanted result with Alma. He organizes a town council of sorts to deal with the smallpox problem (albeit he does it because he realizes it’s in his overall best interests to do so, not to mention the fact that he knows he can handle it better than anyone else), and acts practically charitable to the epileptic reverend (and to the woman who thinks she had smallpox).
One thing that maybe bothers me is the timeframe… each episode is roughly the course of one day after the next. Charlie Utter left for Cheyenne in episode four and is already on his way back? Maybe there’s a bit more time between episodes than we thought, or at the least between 5&6.
— Alan
I also like how Swearengen is impressed/threatened that, um, Powers Boothe (who is excellent in this show, btw) has had the balls and foresight to buy up land near the Chinese Laundry (restaurant/pig farm/body disposal), because he anticipates more Chinese coming to Deadwood.
These two are on the same track and heading straight toward one another. I guessed wrong. I figured they introduced the Bella Union so early because they were going to have it die just as fast. Arson or maybe burned down because of the smallpox plague. Looks like it’s going to form a third wing in the Swearengen/Bullock tension triangle.
Anyone else falling in love with Kim Dickens? (she’s playing Joanie, Powers Booth’s top girl)
I’m enraptured!
I was far more impressed with Alma, when she was pretending she was high. Whew!
Yeah, Molly Parker’s one of those odd women who can look really hot and really strange by turns. Sometimes a babe, sometimes surprisingly amphibian-like, with that mottled skin and almond eyes and all. They ever make a movie version of The Shadow Over Innsmouth, she’d be a perfect Deep One.
Like Angelina Jolie and Claudia Black.
Really? Well Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah-nagl fhtaga baby. Loosely translated: Hubba hubba.