Today I clean up a bit, run a couple of errands, head for the Spit and clack and ear flap with the Menopausal Posse, and then run home, change, attempt to whip my hair into submission and go to the company holiday cheer partay. Then, collapse. Tomorrow, more cleaning and laundry and then, if the fates are propitious and the winds kind, I will see daughter Katie in the evening.
Katie K and I are through 2 episodes of Deadwood.
Regarding Deadwood: you advised against it – for me. Here’s a question: is it possible to “fall into” the world of Deadwood? Is it possible to relate to some/all of the characters? I don’t watch ANY reality programs because with the couple I tried, I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. Back when Roger Ebert was partnered with Gene Siskel, Gene talked about the quality of “felt life” in a movie, saying that if it wasn’t there he gave it thumbs down….What is the quality of “felt life” in Deadwood?
Let’s see. I personally think, yes, but that’s because the scripts and the acting are really great. And as for the language? That’s one thing that is universally noted about it, but the language in mining camps -was- atrocious. The first time you hear Robin Wiegert (as Calamity Jane) let the c word rip, which is like 10 minutes into the first episode, you jump like you got poked with a stick. I fail to see how you could learn to sit still for that.
As part of the DVD package there is an interview between Keith Carradine (an actor whose intelligence absolutely shines in this segment) and the series creator, David Milch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Milch). If, after watching that segment, you can prevent yourself from watching the show, no problem. I actually watched it after finishing the series, and I can’t think of a better advertisement for it.
Yes, it’s a brutal show. Innocent people die as well as wicked people; guilty people do well and good people get messed over. The overwhelming message is that ‘Times change… and when they do, the person you hated yesterday may be precisely the person who removes the sling from your ass today. Your helper may offer the help wrapped in ribbons of cheerful contempt and purest self-interest, but you’ll take that help because you’re RATIONAL.’ Over and over again the show is about where people draw the line between honour and rational self-interest, and therein lies the fascination.
Also, pigs are not nice in this show. They eat a lot of people. That may be an issue for you so I figured I would warn you.
Keith Carradine, in one of the top ten guest starring roles of all time in TV, plays Wild Bill Hickock. I don’t know how to describe his role except that he’s a dead man walking, and he keeps going because he literally doesn’t know what else to do. Fey is the word.