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Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 32 “Leviathan Smiles”

July 22, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield and Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/8-leviathan-smiles
https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/8-leviathan-smiles
https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/8-leviathan-smiles
https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/8-leviathan-smiles
https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/8-leviathan-smiles
https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/8-leviathan-smiles

In “Leviathan Smiles,” it is George Hearst (Gerald McRaney) who smiles widest at the prospect of prising yet more riches from the Earth. This episode picks up just as last episode ended: with Odell (Omar Gooding) entering the lion’s den. It turns out Hearst is keen to hear what Odell has to say — as long as there’s money at the end of his tale. If not, if indeed Esther is right that Odell is attempting a con, Hearst makes it clear that the consequences for Odell would be fatal. He does so, of course, by way of some odd claptrap about the so-called equalizing power of gold and wealth.

Again, the show’s politics laid bare in what it portrays as monstrous.

Meanwhile, the Earps have arrived in town. Wyatt (Gale Harold) and Morgan (Austin Nichols) enter as frauds and are immediately clocked by Al (Ian McShane) (recognizing his own trick) and Seth (Timothy Olyphant). It’s a fun twist on the legendary Earp brothers who are generally portrayed in a flattering, almost divine light. In Deadwood, they give off a sense of scumminess as they dupe prostitutes into giving away their labor for free. Their faux heroics remind me of the 2014 film, Hercules, where the central conceit is that Hercules’ god-like feats are really a tag-team effort by a regular man and his posse (which funny enough, includes Ian McShane).

And, of course, “Leviathan Smiles” features Steve (Michael Harney) and his fateful end. This was a welcome relief for Esther and me. Esther had worried the show might try for a redemption arc with Steve and fall into a tired and damaging trope that put Fields (Franklyn Ajaye) in a compromising position. Instead, the narrative is quickly tied off as Steve manages to find himself kicked in the head, functionally killing him. This allows Fields to close off their interaction on his terms. It may also mean that he sticks around to look after the livery, but that remains to be seen.

~ Søren

As always, you can subscribe to our podcast feed (including all episodes of Hoopleheads) using iTunes/Google Play/Spotify. You can also copy this link into your RSS reader. Alternatively, you can check out the episode online or download it here. Happy listening!

The show goes on next week as Esther and I discuss Season 3 Episode 9, “Amateur Night.”

This podcast uses a clip from the song “Western” by Dave Depper / CC BY 3.0.

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Esther Rosenfield

About Esther Rosenfield

Esther writes reviews and other features for Movie Fail. She has been writing reviews and essays about film since 2010, most recently on her Medium blog since 2010. When she's not watching movies, she's listening to film-related podcasts.

About Søren Hough

Søren is Editor-in-Chief at Movie Fail. He is a freelance journalist covering science, politics and film. He writes for RogerEbert.com, wrote for ScottFeinberg.com and served as the Assistant Arts Editor for Film and Television at The Massachusetts Daily Collegian.

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