As I’m sure you’ll know the month of Movember is upon us once again, and there’s a high chance that you or someone you know has spent the last couple of weeks squeezing hair out of their facial follicles. My own attempt is only gradually starting to look anything other than embarrassingly shitty, but I have been spurred on by the inspirationally incredible moustaches of HBO series Deadwood. Set during the 1870s during the time of the Dakota Black Hills gold rush - which saw thousands of hopeful miners settle in this area in hopes of making their fortune - the series begins with Deadwood, a lawless outpost controlled by those with sufficient strength and cunning. Since technically the land in this area belonged by treaty to the Sioux Indians, the fledgling town of Deadwood was not permitted any form of law or government, and those prospecting for gold could have their claims to land withdrawn without much notice. Despite this air of uncertainty there were clearly a great many people with the foresight or greed to pursue these elusive riches, and along with them a whole community of store owners, saloon keepers, pimps, whores, drug dealers, drunks, gamblers and outlaws, as well as many famous characters from history such as Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp and the gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok. In fact, most of the characters and events in Deadwood have some basis in historical fact, in a similar way to the detailed quasi-historical drama of more recent hit series Boardwalk Empire.
The show revolves around the establishment of civilisation from chaos, with creator David Milch having stated that his aim was to show how society arranges itself around symbols, in this case gold. Originally he had proposed a show set in ancient Rome but thankfully for us the action ended up taking place in the real-life outpost of Deadwood. As the series begins it is little more than a camp, with a few main buildings forming the centre of the settlement and providing the location for gambling, prostitution and the consumption of whisky. The plotlines and characters are largely based on historical counterparts, although Milch has taken fairly hefty liberties, adapting real life events to create the storylines which serve to demonstrate this development of society.
The first series introduces a whole host of characters. The smouldering rage and unswervable morality of ex-US Marshall Seth Bullock, who has travelled to Deadwood with friend and token Jew of the series Sol Star to open a hardware store, find themselves at odds with the seedy cunning of saloon proprietor Al Swearengen (played to fantastic effect by Ian McShane who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal). Around them an ensemble of other inhabitants flesh out the beginnings of society; the slightly pompous newspaper editor A.W. Merrick (whose paper The Pioneer is still published in contemporary Deadwood to this day) is one of the major proponents of modernization and culture. Wealthy aristocrats the Garrets have made the expedition from New York City in search of further riches and find themselves initially somewhat out of their depth while others are only too keen to part them from the wealth they have brought with them. Trixie, a working girl with a heart of gold and a derringer pistol between her bosoms, is the main example of the downtrodden women who have found their place within a society occupied mainly by men. Wild Bill Hickok, gunfighter and lawman of questionable reputation but a solid sense of right and wrong, finds himself in the camp in search of poker games, and asserts his strong personality to the distaste of certain others, meeting an unfortunate end at the hands of the coward Jack McCall.
To begin with Deadwood is a lawless place, as to impose law or government would risk the involvement of federal authorities and call into question the prospecting operations in place. Ex-US Marshall Bullock is at first reticent to exert any influence as a lawman, but as events continue it becomes evident that some presence of law is required in Deadwood to stand against Swearengen’s racketeering that initially imposes order. As the show progresses, larger outside forces of politics and business make themselves felt with the issue of Deadwood’s annexation to the United States becoming the most important concern of the town’s inhabitants, and the potential gains or losses to be made by alliance with one or other states become the major motivation behind everyone’s actions. At the same time, the busier Deadwood becomes, the more business interests find their way to the town, establishing new rivalries for the lucrative brothels, gambling tables and opium distribution. As Deadwood hurtles towards legitimacy and the evidence of rich gold deposits becomes proven fact, the attention of greater capitalist concerns is attracted, bringing a new level of ruthlessness just as a semblance of order had begun to be established. Industrialisation and consolidation arrive to replace the individualism of the pioneer spirit that drove those such as Bullock and Swearengen to the camp in the first place, and new forms of influence take over. The three series of Deadwood show the development of the society gradually, although at every stage there is corruption, violence and intrigue. The basic depiction of influence through the control and operation of vice could be told in many settings, but it works extremely well here.
The sets and costumes in Deadwood are beautifully detailed, with the buildings of the settlement developing in complexity and design over the course of time. The language of the dialogue is infectiously crude, although largely anachronistic with modern day profanities abounding. The word “fuck” apparently shows up way more than once a minute on average, with “cocksucker” probably coming a close second - especially enjoyable as pretty much the only English word spoken by Chinese gang leader Wu. Violence abounds, with many a disagreement solved with fists, knives or guns. One particular fist fight reaches a brutal crescendo as one of the two participants has his left eye gouged out, dangling by the cord of the optic nerve from his screaming face. This isn’t necessarily a show for the fainthearted, but there are plenty of other sides of human nature depicted with the influence of love, lust and morality felt just as profoundly as those of violence, coercion and intimidation. There’s a good chance that just like me you’ll find yourself immediately drawn to the impressive array of facial hair, but you’ll keep coming back for the wonderful depictions of human interaction and the forces of civilization in the closing days of the Wild West.