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 The
year is 1876 and the town of Deadwood in the state of South Dakota
in the weeks following the death of General George Armstrong Custer
in the famous battle of the Little Bighorn is a lawless sinkhole
of crime and corruption. Deadwood is an illegal settlement, a violent
and uncivilized outpost that attracts a colorful array of characters
looking to get rich — from outlaws and entrepreneurs to ex-soldiers
and racketeers, Chinese labourers, prostitutes, city dudes and gunfighters.
Into this uncivilised outpost ride a disillusioned and bitter ex-lawman,
Wild Bill Hickok, and Seth Bullock, a man hoping to find a new start
for himself. Both men find themselves quickly on opposite sides
of the legal and moral fence from Al Swearengen, saloon owner, hotel
operator, and incipient boss of Deadwood.
The lives of these three intertwine with many others, the high-minded
and the low-lifes who populate Deadwood. The show stars Timothy
Olyphant, Ian McShane and Molly Parker. Deadwood's lovable bad guy
is Machiavellian saloonkeeper McShane, who has a vested interest
in keeping his unincorporated South Dakota camp lawless. He batters
his prostitutes, harangues his lackeys, and arranges murders to
protect his gold-mining swindles. He's an incorrigible wheeler-dealer,
contracting services for "$10 or a ball of dope," and
keeping his customers from fleeing the saloon to join a lynch mob
by promising "pussy half-off, next 15 minutes."
Olyphant plays the town's conscience, a department-store proprietor
Timothy Olyphant. Powers Boothe meanwhile plays another negative
character. He opens a classier saloon/casino/brothel across the
street, but quickly reveals himself to be just as ruthlessly amoral
as McShane. The show's creator David `and his crew study how civilisations
get built out of chaos, through subtle power plays and calculated
bloodletting in a place "in the middle of nowhere, where nobody's
looking."
The show is said to have unflinching realism, adult themes and
inventive storylines. While it is good to see a Western back on
screen after quite a while how well it attracts Indian viewers will
remain to be seen.
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