| "Deadwood" | |||
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| Deadwood episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
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| Directed by | Walter Hill | ||
| Written by | David Milch | ||
| Original air date | March 21, 2004 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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"Deadwood" is the first episode of the first season of the eponymous HBO original series, Deadwood. The episode was written by David Milch and directed by Walter Hill. It first aired on March 21, 2004.
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Seth Bullock, a Montana Territory marshal, watches over inmate Clell Watson, a man sentenced to death for stealing a horse. Lamenting his misfortune, Watson mentions that he, like Bullock, was headed to Deadwood, a camp on Indian land in the Dakota Territory. While Watson seeks to make his fortune prospecting in the gold-rich region, Bullock aspires to open a hardware store there with his business partner, Sol Star.
Watson attempts to make a deal with Bullock to secure his release, claiming to know of easy opportunities for thievery along the way to Deadwood, but his pleas are cut short by Star, who arrives informing Bullock that the owner of the stolen horse has gathered together a drunken mob and is descending upon them. Rather than turn Watson over to the angry mob, Bullock takes him out to face them and publicly hangs him on the front porch of the sheriff's office, but not before writing down his last words and giving them, along with his marshal's badge, to a member of the mob who volunteers to convey them to Watson's sister. Star and Bullock then leave for Deadwood on a wagon full of hardware goods.
Upon arrival in Deadwood, Star and Bullock rent a vacant lot from Dan Dority, who tells them that payment is due every morning to Al Swearengen, the proprietor of the Gem Saloon, a local brothel.
At the Gem, Swearengen converses with Whitney Ellsworth, a local prospector, when a gunshot rings out. Rushing upstairs, he discovers that Trixie, one of the prostitutes, has shot a customer in the head after he became abusive with her. The customer manages to survive for twenty minutes, but dies shortly after the arrival of Doc Cochran. Swearengen ruthlessly beats Trixie in his office, furious at the possible effect of a customer's death on his business and reputation. Meanwhile, Cochran and Johnny Burns deliver the corpse to Mr. Wu, an associate of Swearengen's and leader of the Deadwood Chinese community, who feeds it to his pigs.
Wild Bill Hickok, a famous gunslinger, arrives in Deadwood, along with his companions Charlie Utter and Calamity Jane. During a delay on the road, Jane encounters a Norwegian family returning home to Minnesota. One of the Norwegian children, Sofia Metz, smiles at Jane as they pass.
As Jane tends to the stock, Hickok and Utter check into E. B. Farnum's Grand Central Hotel and then visit Tom Nuttall's No. 10 Saloon. Nuttall and A. W. Merrick, editor of the local newspaper The Deadwood Pioneer, are noticeably impressed to meet the famous Hickok, but Jack McCall, a man at one of the poker tables, whispers to his fellow players that he is not impressed. As Hickok sits to play poker at McCall's table, Utter and Nuttall negotiate a fee for Hickok's regular appearance in the saloon.
Farnum reports Hickok's arrival to Swearengen, who is annoyed by the complication of having a famous former lawman in the camp. Dority reports that Brom Garret, a wealthy aspiring prospector from New York City, has arrived at the Gem. Swearengen dispatches Farnum to collect Tim Driscoll, the owner of a nearby gold claim eyed by Garret. Swearengen then greets Garret and, upon the arrival of a drunk Driscoll, tricks Garret into paying $20,000, instead of $14,000, for Driscoll's claim. As Driscoll is heavily indebted to the Gem, Swearengen pockets the money and later has Dority stab Driscoll to death in Farnum's hotel.
Star and Bullock set up shop in a tent on their lot. At nightfall they hire Reverend Smith, the local pastor, to watch their goods as they explore the camp. Upon leaving their tent, Star and Bullock run into Ned Mason, a disoriented man who claims to have witnessed the massacre of a white family by Sioux along the road to Spearfish. Though Mason wishes to visit the Gem, Bullock takes him to Nuttall's saloon, where he forces him to recount the story. Despite Bullock's urging to return to the scene to check for survivors, Mason is reluctant, worried for his own safety. Hickok, who had remained at the saloon at poker, offers to ride with them as protection. As the search party leaves the saloon, Bullock confides to Hickok his suspicions about Mason's story.
News of the departing party reaches Swearengen, who is furious at the potential disruption to his business and resorts to offering free liquor and prostitutes at half price in an effort to keep his customers from joining the search. Upon arrival at the scene, the search party finds a ransacked wagon and the mutilated corpses of the Norwegian family earlier encountered by Jane. After chasing off some wolves, Bullock searches the area and finds Sofia Metz, wounded but alive, lying under a bush nearby.
After dropping Sofia off with Doc Cochran, Bullock and Hickok confront Mason on the camp thoroughfare, stating that there was too much ransacking at the scene to be consistent with an Indian attack and that it was more likely a staged robbery. Mason tries to defend himself, arguing that he never would have returned to camp had he been involved, but Hickok says that he, like Mason, had often felt the need for sex and gambling after a kill. Cornered, Mason attempts to attack but is outdrawn and shot dead by Hickok and Bullock. From his window on the second floor of the Gem, Swearengen watches the events unfold until Trixie enters and, despite the brutal beating earlier, climbs into bed with him.
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