E.B. Was Left Out (Deadwood episode)
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| “E.B. Was Left Out” | |
|---|---|
| Deadwood episode | |
 |
|
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 19 |
| Guest stars | see main article |
| Written by | Jody Worth |
| Directed by | Michael Almereyda |
| Production no. | 99763 |
| Original airdate | April 17, 2005 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Something Very Expensive" | "Childish Things" |
E.B. Was Left Out was the seventh episode of the second season of the HBO series Deadwood. The episode was written by Jody Worth and directed by Michael Almereyda. It first aired on April 17, 2005.
[edit] Plot summary
Swearengen goes down to visit Merrick who is depressed, not so much over the damage which can be repaired, but over the psychological blow. Al advises, “pain or damage don’t end the word, or despair or f**king beatings. The world ends when you’re dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man. And give some back.” Merrick is left thinking.
Joannie goes to see Tolliver to discuss what happened. She says she has sent the other girls away and won’t be a problem for Tolliver or Wolcott. She then goes to visit Utter who has returned and tells him what happened. He is shocked and embraces her. Toward the end, we find her in a daze walking around the Bella Union. Tolliver talks to her about the situation and eventually asks her to come back and work for him. She refuses and goes back to the empty Chez Ami to sit alone, the scene on which the episode ends. .
An angry Utter provokes a fight in the Grand Hotel with Wolcott. He lays a beating on him out in the street. Tolliver sees and walks past and eventually Bullock breaks it up. When questioned, Utter only says Wolcott stepped on the painful corn on his foot. Tolliver is concerned enough about the incident and talks to Swearengen to arrange a meeting to persuade people that Wolcott is an agent of Hearst and “the wrong ox to gore”. Attended by the doctor, Wolcott learns that Utter was a friend of Wild Bill Hickock’s. He asks the doctor to tell Utter to visit him and he will give him Wild Bill’s final letter.
Al tells E.B. to arrange a meeting with Alma Garrett. Swearengen visits Alma and Sofia is scared by her presence while Alma is offended by his constant swearing in a very well scripted dialogue. He tells her that Miss Issinghausen is a Pinkerton who, on behalf of Mr. Garrett’s family, wants to blame the murder on both of them in order to get Alma’s gold. When questioned on his motive, he says he hates the interference of the Pinkerton’s and other like Hearst who have their eye on taking over. He believes her presence here will help prevent that. Besides those reasons, he offers as motivation his plan to charge her $50,000 for his help. Al has a plan to get them to sign a document that will ensure they won’t bother her any more on the matter.
Stapleton and Leon are supposed to be promoting the Chinese whores. Their selling point is price, charging 10 cents a visit whereas a regular prostitute costs 50 cents. They go to see Tolliver because people are still not drawn in. He gives them some advice in marketing the idea, telling them to spread the word that Chinese women are something special. They are impressed saying “We are dwarves in the company of a giant”. They try to persuade white men to visit them, but the whites are reluctant. They do talk to one white who comes out from visiting the whores (market research) and learn from him that the mixed Chinaman is drawing in miners who like his Chinese whores at that price.
At the meeting, all the main men of the town are there except E.B. Farnum (thus the title for this episode). Tolliver makes it clear that the Hearst interest should not be offended but others do not seem to care and as Utter maintains his motive as his foot being stepped on and Wolcott is not pressing charges, Swearengen ends the meeting.
Bullock visits Alma and they discuss both the pregnancy (in shaded terms) and the bank situation, which he now approves of because it will be good for the camp. He asks her if she wants him to leave. She says she will not make the decision for him but does indicate that she doesn’t want him to leave. It seems as if she won’t publicze him as the father.
Trixie visits Al frustrated about the accounting. Al urges her to learn and wants her their to listen, especially for any talk regarding “Hearst’s geologist”. She goes back to the hardware store apologize for her impatient attitude.
Al delivers a soliloquy to a head in a box reviewing his understanding of things. Tolliver planned to keep his connection with Hearst exclusive and a secret, using his knowledge of Wolcott’s murder as leverage over Wolcott. He had a clear upper hand at that point, but Utter’s beating brought it all out and Tolliver’s meeting was an effort at damage control. Al now plans to ply the details of the incident out of Utter using the box as pretense of wanting to send a delivery. However, Utter is reticent to talk and insists he’s “done talking about it”. Al pursues, cleverly pretending to know already, and makes some progress, but Utter grows suspicious and gruffly dismisses Al who remains in the dark. Al walks away saying to the head, “every fracas ain’t a victory, chief”. E.B. accosts him on his way back and Al tells him he wasn’t invited to the meeting because E.B. would have been tempted by blackmail and pursuing it would have gotten him murdered. Al confirms his position of mayor and E.B. seems satisfied.
Jane also comes to see Utter and confesses her drunkenness is becoming a problem. She was beat up and can’t remember a thing about it. She also forgot her delivery for Utter because she had no idea what day of the week it was.
Utter visits Wolcott and receives the letter. During their tense conversation, Utter betrays his association with Joannie but insists he doesn’t want to talk about anything to anyone. Wolcott is satisfied with this as his purpose in exchange for the letter was to keep Utter silent about the killings.
