°Amalgamation and capital
Deadwood, like all westerns - such as The Proposition - sits at the cusp between colonisation and industrialisation, between the theft of land and landed property, lawless plunder and legalised exploitation - and, in this case, between the individual rush for gold and the emergence of a mining industry.
It’s no surprise, then, that an episode titled ‘Amalgamation and Capital” forms the mid-series pivot between frontier-gold rush town and company town. Across the duration of the series, the violence and exploitation meted out by the brothel-saloon owner Al Swearengen is, successively, outdone in intensity by the ruthless malice of casino-brothel owner Cy Tolliver, and then the sociopathic mining industrialist George Hearst, backed by Pinkerton thugs (depicted above).
But if the classic western suggested that the arrival of the law brought with it peace, Deadwood suggests quite otherwise. Here, violence both gets worse and becomes organised on a larger scale. Moreover, the coming of democracy to Deadwood is quite indistinguishable from the organisation of kleptocracy.
But as bleak and gruesome as Deadwood is, it’s also I think the most literary of television series, a hyperbolic Shakespearanism heavily laced with cussing, often brutal, at times hilarious. Strangely enough, after watching the whole series, it doesn’t surprise that the majority of writers, from the Second Season on, were women.
Speaking of HBO, ever seen Carnivale? I recently rented the boxed set of the first season. The whole supernatural conflict between good and evil in Depression-era America is kind of interesting. I thought it would just follow the lead of other stories set during the American Depression, but I should have expected better from Ron D. Moore of BSG fame. For instance, it actually shows Mexicans existed in the 1930’s. But the story just hasn’t grabbed me and I’m still not sure if I like it or not. Perhaps things pick up later?
Sarapen [September 26, 2006 @ 4:21 am]
I did like Carnivale [+], but if the first season didn’t grab you, then not sure that you should persist. But, then, I’ve some attachment to Carnivale’s lineage: Grapes of Wrath, Freaks, and in particular Night of the Hunter. {Sidenote: the Caleb character in Buffy is I think directly modelled on that of the preacher in Night of the Hunter - as is the character of Brother Justin from Carnivale too.}
That said, (fundie) Christianity fares much worse in Carnivale than in BSG, though a very similiar, critical attitude is evident. So, I would recommend watching the rest. It just gets crazier.
s0metim3s [September 26, 2006 @ 12:51 pm]