WINNER OF 8 EMMYS
Deadwood
3 Seasons | 36 Episodes | TV-MA
It is 1876 and the richest gold strike in U.S. history draws a throng of restless misfits to an outlaw settlement in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Featured Characters
A Lie Agreed Upon, Part 1
An anxious Swearengen calls out Bullock over the Sheriff's relationship with Alma; the resulting confrontation turns inadvertently public -- and violent.
A Lie Agreed Upon, Part 2
As the day's injured recoup, the night brings a new set of tensions; Alma and Bullock face a tough decision on their future.
New Money
Francis Wolcott, tricky chief scout for a powerful mining operation, arrives to shake up the status quo -- beginning with Tolliver. Dority, Burns and Trixie fret as an ailing Swearengen refuses visitors and medical attention.
Requiem for a Gleet
Cochran contemplates a procedure that could cure Swearengen -- or kill him. His employer indisposed, Dority must attend to a former fellow-bushwacker come to request Swearengen's permission to pull a job.
Complications
As a convalescing Swearengen bridles, Cochran schools Burns and Dority in how best to assist his recovery. Alma is also feeling unwell, in the mornings.
Something Very Expensive
Alma proposes forming a bank, and looks to familiar faces to run it. To test himself, Swearengen grants audience to a long line of supplicants. Talks with Farnum and Miss Isringhausen prove most illuminating.
E.B. Was Left Out
Tolliver enlists Lee to clean up Wolcott's mess. Stubbs confides in Utter, who overreacts when Wolcott "steps on his toe." Swearengen informs Alma of a Pinkerton agent in camp. She and Bullock confer about her bank -- and other expanding prospects.
Childish Things
Wolcott offers on a rich claim operated by two ornery brothers, and reports to Hearst on their progress. Nuttall unveils his new bicycle -- but some doubt he can ride it. Swearengen and Bullock discuss alternatives to annexing the Hills to Dakota.
Amalgamation and Capital
Merrick goes overboard printing rumors in the "Pioneer," earning rebuke from Swearengen. Tolliver aims to fleece Mose Manuel of his bloodstained profits. Alma's note causes Swearengen to amend his deal with Miss Isringhausen.
Advances, None Miraculous
When Cochran delivers a dire prognosis, the entire camp stands vigil. Swearengen enlists Star and Adams to plan a con on Commissioner Jarry. Andy Cramed offers himself as the camp's new minister.
The Whores Can Come
Telegraph lines to Yankton heat up as Jarry fears Bullock and Hearst have each thrown their weight behind Montana. Swearengen uses a camp tragedy to delay an altercation between Wu and Lee.
Boy the Earth Talks To
As Deadwood readies for a celebration, George Hearst's arrival in camp brings upheaval.
Tell Your God to Ready for Blood
Deadwood's first true elections are approaching, with the offices of sheriff (Bullock vs. Harry Manning) and mayor (E.B. Farnum vs. Sol Star) to be contested. Hearst offers Bullock his backing in exchange for Bullock's help.
I Am Not the Fine Man You Take Me For
A cryptic note delivered by Captain Turner tips off Swearengen to another bloody incident at the Gem. Later, Hearst makes his intentions known in a more straightforward message.
True Colors
Deadwood ushers in some new arrivals on the stagecoach: Jack Langrishe, a flamboyant stage promoter and old friend of Swearengen; and Aunt Lou Marchbanks, Hearst's longtime cook who settles in nicely as the Grand Central chef.
Full Faith and Credit
Amidst as much fanfare as Deadwood can muster, Alma opens Deadwood's first bank. Cochran ministers to Tolliver, but it's unclear now who's sicker. Hearst meets with Swearengen and Tolliver; Bullock brokers a deal.
A Two-Headed Beast
<div class='episode-body-left-aligned' style='text-align: left'><p><b>Directed by</b> Dan Minahan<br><b>Written by</b> David Milch</p><p>Tolliver interrupts Stapleton, playing 'Captain' with the breasts of a voluptuous Bella Union whore. Cy is looking for an underling to represent him in his dealings with Hearst, mimicking Swearengen's approach. Stapleton recuses himself, as he's in the midst of a "spasm of sex interest," having had his urges awakened by Claudia. Cy agrees he's of no use at the moment.<br><br>Hearst tries to discern Adams' loyalty to Swearengen, and whether he can win it away. In the end, all Hearst offers is a message that Turner demands Adams take to Dority: "Tell your friend I know he's afraid of me."<br><br>Steve washes himself outside the Number Ten Saloon, scrubbing off the spittoon contents that Nuttall poured on his head. It's a big day for Steve -- the livery deal signing -- and Nuttall wants Steve to comport himself with respect.<br><br>Merrick interviews an unusually loquacious Alma Ellsworth. He is moved by her words, but Trixie, watching, is suspicious of her enlightened state.<br><br>Swearengen debriefs Adams on his meeting. Dority, riled that he's been called out, is ready to fight. But Al wants to think first. "It's Hearst calling you out, and I'm tying to decipher his reason."<br><br>Bullock draws his gun to fire the signal for Hostetler (with Star and Harry observing at the Hardware store) and Steve (observed by Fields at the Number Ten) to sign their agreement simultaneously.<br><br>Merrick reads his article about the bank to Blazanov. He's beginning to voice his suspicions of Mrs. Ellsworth's altered state when Blazanov spies a body, stabbed in the heart, being dumped in the street. Merrick fetches the Sheriff.<br><br>Cy quizzes Leon on his getting-high habits and whether he's been trying to earn extra funds by copping for Lila, but Leon swears he's not. When Cy threatens him, he admits he copped for that "c**t at the bank."<br><br>Bullock arrives at the abandoned body - another Cornish union organizer. Outraged, he busts in on Al at the Gem, insisting the third body calls for his withdrawal of their agreement that he leave Hearst alone. Al begs more time, adamant he has a plan. Bullock agrees to see to one other piece of business first.<br><br>At the bank, Alma reviews the agreement between Steve and Hostetler. With all in order, Trixie fetches Hostetler's payment in gold. Alma presses for a handshake between the two men to seal the deal. But Steve wonâ€TMt oblige, insisting to Hostetler "you will return to me that board you made me sign."<br><br>Farnum complains at the Gem that he misses the camaraderie he enjoyed before he was exiled for selling his hotel to Hearst. "We was never your f**king boon companions, E.B." replies Dority. Al tells Farnum that Hearst wants violence between Turner and Dority. "The why's what f**king confounds me," Al says. But E.B. has no useful information to offer and Al refuses to confide his plans.<br><br>Langrishe greets the invalid Chesterton, his company's dying star, who arrives by stagecoach. Langrishe tells him the camp is "yearning for elevation and festering with wealth" as they struggle to get the man moved inside.<br><br>Al, unable to figure the angle, sends Dority off to fight. Dority prepares, greasing himself up. Burns offers to shoot Turner if Dan signals something is going wrong, but Dority won't have it. As Turner prepares, Hearst and Turner recollect past fights, Hearst insinuating he should make the fight an object lesson for everyone watching.<br><br>Dority and Turner charge towards each other and a long and brutal battle ensues in the thoroughfare while Al and Hearst watch from their lookouts. It appears Dan is finished but he manages to gouge Turner's eye and rises, victorious, to finish him off.<br><br>Langrishe sees to Chesterton, suggesting that the arts do not provide enough for them to nurse him through an illness from which he will not recover. Chesterton agrees to earn his keep by helping with the conversion of the theater. Langrishe holds a company meeting, assigning roles for the next production: costumes, civic relations, the renovation of the bordello.<br><br>Doc Cochran arrives asking to make his last call of the day on Dority. But Dan refuses to see him, or even to accept an offer of a bottle and whores.<br><br>Mrs. Ellsworth drinks her drug, and offers to help her husband with his bath. He jumps out, nervous at her overture. Alma attempts to seduce Ellsworth but he suspects something and tells her he'll arrange to collect his things. "Will you have me bring the little one back?" Alma says she will fetch her. "Don't forget," he warns her.<br><br>Sol bangs on the wall to signal Trixie, who insists she doesn't want to see him, but enters through the secret door adjoining their quarters. She alludes to her concerns about Alma, but Sol doesn't catch her meaning.<br><br>Bullock, Steve, Hostetler and the General search the livery for the board Steve signed, but when they uncover it, it is blank. Steve has a tantrum, insisting he won't accept it as the board. Hostetler can't take being called a liar anymore and in his own fit, shoots himself.<br><br>Burns asks Al to look in on Dan, but Al refuses: "Some shit's best walked through alone." As they sit, Burns asks what they are waiting for. "To see what kind of hell breaks loose," Al replies.<br><br>Hearst comes to the Bella Union to drink after seeing to Turner's body. Cy joins him and Hearst is drunk by the time Bullock bursts in. When Hearst tells Bullock to f**k himself, Bullock arrests him, dragging him through camp. Al sees them go. "The Sheriff has eliminated several of our options," he notes. Spying Merrick below, Al warns: "Not a f**kin' word comes to print." Merrick nods: "Understood."</p></div>
A Rich Find
Aunt Lou's long-lost son, Odell Marchbanks, arrives in Deadwood after a circuitous trip from Liberia, although his mother soon attempts to orchestrate his immediate departure. Bullock and Swearengen contemplate a preemptive strike against Hearst.
Unauthorized Cinnamon
Odell makes Hearst a proposition involving "the color," causing his mother to fret for his safety. The camp elders hold another Gem meeting, complete with peaches and cinnamon, to map out a strategy to deal with Hearst.
Leviathan Smiles
The Pioneer edition featuring Bullock's letter is published, raising concerns about Hearst's response. Erstwhile lawman Wyatt Earp and his brother Morgan ride into town, having defended a stagecoach against sabotage.
Amateur Night
As Deadwood is overrun by Hearst's men, Bullock issues contingency plans to Martha. Wu, caught in a Pinkerton stampede, delivers a cryptic message to Swearengen; it takes Burns, of all people, to decipher it.
A Constant Throb
With Bullock campaigning away from camp, Alma finds herself targeted by Hearst's henchmen, and finds shelter with (of all people) Swearengen. Sent to the Gem with a missive from Hearst, Barrett is treated rudely by its proprietor.
The Catbird Seat
Bullock holds a meeting to determine which emergencies warrant wiring him in Sturgis, where he and Harry are delivering pitches. The first summons doesn't take long, as Hearst follows up Alma's close call with one that's decidedly more on-target.
Tell Him Something Pretty
Deadwood turns out to vote; Alma makes a deal; Utter receives one body for Hearst, who demands to see another; and Stubbs reaches out to a frustrated Tolliver, who finds himself with a folded hand as the action heats up.