found drama

Coming to Deadwood‘s anti-climactic finale last night, I decided to append a few follow-up notes and thought questions to my earlier assertion that the show was David Milch’s attempt at a purely American creation myth:

1. Upon further reflection, Milch is attempting some important inversions on the creation myth paradigm.  We’ve already discussed how his women do not give birth; instead, their quests would have less to do with “pure creation” and more to do with resisting destruction, fending off entropy.  In particular here, focus on Alma’s trials and tribulations.
2. Thought question:  what is the significance of “Jewel” ¹ in light of saloon’s name (i.e., “the Gem”)?
3. Though “Wild Bill” Hickcock dies in the first season ², his presence stays with us through – even making a reprise in the final minutes of the series finale.  He’s there to humanize mortality – on account of we have quite a bit of seemingly mechanistic killing and dying.
4. Thought questions:  what’s the importance of the symmetry of the blood-stain scrubbing?

1. As in “Jewel’s name being ‘Jewel'”.[↩]
2. And relatively early on, for that matter.[↩]

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