Movie Fail

We have opinions.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • Op-Eds
  • Interviews
  • Academic
  • Television
  • Podcasts
    • Ghostwood Radio (Twin Peaks)
    • Hoopleheads (Deadwood)
    • Stark Contrast (Game of Thrones)
    • Ember Island Airwaves (Avatar/Korra)
    • Dueling Reviews
    • Søren and Josh’s Oscarcast
  • All
  • Meet Our Staff
  • FAQs
Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 1 “Deadwood”

July 6, 2016 By Søren Hough and J Rosenfield 2 Comments

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After wrapping up “Stark Contrast” (our Game of Thrones podcast) for the year, J and I have decided to take a detour out West. We’re delving into Deadwood, David Milch’s off-kilter Western series set in the historical frontier town of the same name. I’m a big fan of the show; I own the full box set on Blu-ray and consider it one of my all-time favorites. Meanwhile, J hasn’t ever seen what Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) and company have to offer — until now.

This week we get (re-)acquainted with the do-or-die nature of Deadwood. It’s a town that exists beyond the reach of the law. In its absence, power vacuum forms leaving the strongest to take charge. This conflict of civilization and order versus chaos and freedom is something David Milch has discussed since he pitched the show as a cop drama set in Nero’s Rome.

J and I can’t help but compare the dynamic, lived-in location of the town with the numerous sets in Game of Thrones. There’s a sense of realism here we just don’t see in Westeros and Essos, owing perhaps to the focused nature of this show. Again, the theme of a changing society permeates as the town continues to grow and new elements are introduced. From Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and Sol Star (John Hawkes) to Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine) and “the Dude” (Timothy Omundson), power structures immediately begin to shift in this episode.

Buried in our character discussions, J and I mention that the real Seth Bullock had a mustache for the ages. We wouldn’t say that and not deliver, so feast your eyes.

~ 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!

Thank you for joining us for our first installment! Be sure to stop by next week; we’ll be diving deeper into the world of Deadwood with Season 1 Episode 2, “Deep Water.” And remember to check out our other podcasts covering The Legend of Korra and, as aforementioned, Game of Thrones.

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

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • StumbleUpon
  • Share on Tumblr
  • More
  • Print
  • Email

Related

Avatar

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.

J Rosenfield

About J Rosenfield

J 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.

Subscribe to Movie Fail

Enter your email to stay up to date on all of the best articles from Movie Fail!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Large Association of Movie Blogs Listen on Spotify

About Us            Meet Our Staff             FAQs             Privacy

Creative Commons License
Movie Fail is licensed under Creative Commons.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at http://moviefail.com/faqs/.

Copyright © 2012–2021 Movie Fail · Magazine Pro Theme · WordPress

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.