Deadwood on Blu-ray

[Dreamliner330]

Originally Posted by ckenisell

It depends on if you are an "enjoy the journey" kind of guy or if you're an "I need a satisfying ending" kind of guy.

It's a good show, but it's really a bummer that it didn't have a final season.

Why?

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

I just finished season 1. I ended up playing it at 1.5x to get through it. It got better, but then I read that the whole series just ends with no conclusion. I'm wondering if I should just stop now.

If you are watching something on fast forward, I can't imagine you like it enough to continue.

[Dreamliner330]

Originally Posted by rock, stone

If you are watching something on fast forward, I can't imagine you like it enough to continue.

That's kind of what I'm thinking. I have a difficult time with TV and movies before present day. I like Vikings a lot, Game of Thrones and sort of like LOTR.....lol. I just think it may not be my cup of tea.

Interestingly enough, I thoroughly enjoy Revolution.

[balthazar_bee]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

I'm 5 episodes in...it's so boring. What am I missing?

Who knows? There are plenty of people who find Hamlet boring too.

[anephric]

Nope - HBO handled the domestic US release, Paramount foreign territories. And they've made a complete bodge of it (and going from their lack of response, don't care much either).

[mzupeman]

All I know is regardless of where anyone stands on the 'how Deadwood sort of ended' debate... I really do hope for a Deadwood film or something that makes it worth HBO's while to wrap things up. Pretty much the entire cast has continued to be in the acting game and would likely return. The tricky part would be lining up schedules.

[ChoppedUp]

I've seen digital copies of this pop up for sale here but I've never seen a version that includes digital copies. Does anybody know where they're coming from?

[mzupeman]

There's news recently that discussion over a Deadwood film has been had, but it's very preliminary and nothing is solid yet.

[balthazar_bee]

For my part, maybe I wasn't clear:

I want more Deadwood. Please.

But just because the show didn't have the opportunity to arrive at Milch's intended ending doesn't make the final episode any less remarkable -- even if the gracefulness of its exit is something that only became apparent (for me) upon reflection.

And it certainly sounds like some people around here just want the show to "tell 'em something pretty" a la the finale of, say, Breaking Bad -- all neat and tidy. Rest assured that such people probably wouldn't be satisfied with whatever organic ending Milch would have been able to come up with, whether he had four, six or eight seasons. As a writer, he's too smart and too willful to indulge in that kind of fan service.

There's a blog post over at The Guardian that makes the case that Deadwood is HBO's greatest drama, and I agree, but the writer goes on to vociferously argue that Swearengen has to die in order for the show to achieve a satisfactory resolution. Moreover, this person repeats this point several times and even ends with it.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think Deadwood viewers have been pining for the death of the key character(s) "just 'cause", especially after such a magnificent evolution over the course of three seasons. It just seems like another manifestation of some viewers' addiction to closure -- and the more absolute the better, so "closure through annihilation" is preferred. If people want to know how the historical Swearengen met his end, they can look it up.

But then, I think the final episode of The Sopranos is devastatingly brilliant, so what do I know?

[Brown]

As I have written before, I am fine with how the series ended. Milch himself spoke of how the expectation that a finale be a grand summation isn't dramatically realistic or even fair to a show itself. That said I think that Swearenger's fate is integral to Deadwood should it continue. One of the lessons of the show concerns the usefulness of a person to the community.

[Show spoiler]For example, when Bullock abandons the town to seek personal vengeance after Wild Bill's death, he is "punished" when he is attacked by the Indian. When Tolliver sees that the drug-addled Leon is oblivious to the events that have threatened everyone, he is disgusted and guts him.

It has been written that after the great fire and subsequent rebuilding of Deadwood Swearengen's influence decreased. Foreshadowed in the opening of season 2, his heavy drinking affected his judgment. I doubt Milch would ignore this possible character "arc." However, I don't think it would be necessary to see Swearengen's death

[Show spoiler], a possibly suspicious train accident around Denver, if I recall correctly

. Could all be accomplished in a single movie?

It would have been neat to see

[Show spoiler]Bullock meet and become friends with Theodore Roosevelt

, though.

[Lincoln6Echo]

It's funny that this thread is on the front page as I'm in my second attempt at watching this series. I get about 2 discs in, and then I quit. I'm going on S1E7 right now. The problem is that I get some other new stuff that I wanna watch before finishing Deadwood.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by balthazar_bee

For my part, maybe I wasn't clear:

I want more Deadwood. Please.

But just because the show didn't have the opportunity to arrive at Milch's intended ending doesn't make the final episode any less remarkable -- even if the gracefulness of its exit is something that only became apparent (for me) upon reflection.

And it certainly sounds like some people around here just want the show to "tell 'em something pretty" a la the finale of, say, Breaking Bad -- all neat and tidy. Rest assured that such people probably wouldn't be satisfied with whatever organic ending Milch would have been able to come up with, whether he had four, six or eight seasons. As a writer, he's too smart and too willful to indulge in that kind of fan service.

There's a blog post over at The Guardian that makes the case that Deadwood is HBO's greatest drama, and I agree, but the writer goes on to vociferously argue that Swearengen has to die in order for the show to achieve a satisfactory resolution. Moreover, this person repeats this point several times and even ends with it.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think Deadwood viewers have been pining for the death of the key character(s) "just 'cause", especially after such a magnificent evolution over the course of three seasons. It just seems like another manifestation of some viewers' addiction to closure -- and the more absolute the better, so "closure through annihilation" is preferred. If people want to know how the historical Swearengen met his end, they can look it up.

But then, I think the final episode of The Sopranos is devastatingly brilliant, so what do I know?

"And it certainly sounds like some people around here just want the show to "tell 'em something pretty" a la the finale of, say, Breaking Bad -- all neat and tidy. Rest assured that such people probably wouldn't be satisfied with whatever organic ending Milch would have been able to come up with, whether he had four, six or eight seasons. As a writer, he's too smart and too willful to indulge in that kind of fan service."

I am so sick and tired of people using that brush to paint anyone who didn't like the ending of The Sopranos or the Deadwood finale as some sort of troglodyte who just doesn't understand the beauty of artistic ambiguity.

It's such a lazy argument.

No one who expects a show to "tell 'em something pretty" would be a fan of Deadwood to begin with. I do think that the idea of certain fans essentially arguing with David Milch about whether the show ended the way it should have is freaking hilarious.

Thinking that a story is ending too early and demanding that a finale tie up all the loose ends with a pretty red ribbon aren't the same thing.

[lhslancers]

I didn't care if the show went off the rails and Milch decided to go wherever he wanted to with the show. I thought it was great and had at least two seasons left. I'll take a movie at this point and it doesn't even have to pick up where it left off or finalize anything.

[ckenisell]

I wish they would do three and a half episodes, page peal to black mid-sentence and leave us with no answers.

[balthazar_bee]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

No one who expects a show to "tell 'em something pretty" would be a fan of Deadwood to begin with. I do think that the idea of certain fans essentially arguing with David Milch about whether the show ended the way it should have is freaking hilarious.

Thinking that a story is ending too early and demanding that a finale tie up all the loose ends with a pretty red ribbon aren't the same thing.

All right, let me just say this: I think all three season finales are masterful episodes of television; I think they stand among the very finest in the history of the medium. But of course a person is going to feel a sense of disappointment should any of these three be branded "The Final Episode".

So I understand. I understand your reluctance to appreciate "Tell Him Something Pretty" if it means accepting that Deadwood may have ended. It hurts.

But end it did. And in the cold like of day, it's a great episode. And, like many great episodes, when it is bequeathed some added gravity for reasons beyond the creators' control, its narrative weight can be inadvertently increased. Because the fact is, Deadwood would always have ended "too soon" for me -- I would always have wanted more.

Not arguing with David Milch; I'm saying that, as is, we have some of the greatest television in history, and that in a pinch, it serves as a very worthy conclusion.

I'm with Velvet -- this thread has got some strange, contrarian shit going on, considering most of us love the show. It's not about "mind freaking" ourselves or some sort of delusion; it's a valid, honest opinion.

And I'll say it a fourth time: I WANT MORE DEADWOOD. Show me where I said otherwise and I'll something something by choice.

[HornyRhino"]

so is the current price @$49.96 the cheapest amazon has had it at?

was just wondering as black friday approaches and i feel this is the year i buy it finally

[CraigThom]

The second season of Carnivale was too rushed, but they knew they had to finish the story. I guess they were also reacting to complaints that the first season was too slow. I thought the pacing of the first season was perfect.

[ckenisell]

Originally Posted by CraigThom

The second season of Carnivale was too rushed, but they knew they had to finish the story. I guess they were also reacting to complaints that the first season was too slow. I thought the pacing of the first season was perfect.

I don't think they knew that it was going to end with season 2. It didn't have a proper ending. The show was planned for 6 seasons.

Actually, I believe that they could actually bring the show back if they wanted to. Apparently, the third season's story was supposed to begin several years later. I say, bring the actors back and let's get going!

[HornyRhino"]

and now the Deadwood Digibook is the same price $49.96 (Save 72%)

just grabbed a copy

Black Friday come early

[bayoozen]

Does anyone know if the repackaged version comes with digital copy? I've had mixed responses so far.