Keeping quiet about the events of “Here Was a Man” was an exercise in restraint for me. For weeks, Josh and I have discussed Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine). We’ve explored his relationship with Charlie (Dayton Callie) and Jane (Robin Weigert) and wondered at whatever drove him to come to Deadwood. And now, with one capricious act of violence, the head of Bill’s story arc has been cut off.

In his wake, several characters step into the spotlight. This week marks the first episode written by a woman, Elizabeth Sarnoff, and the results are immediately apparent. Alma Garret (Molly Parker) receives more lines in “Here Was a Man” than she has in the last three episodes. We learn about the circumstances of her marriage, that she was married to the late Brom Garret (Timothy Omundson) in order to satisfy her father’s debt.

As she begins to share the tragedy of her loss, she gains the sympathy of Jane and Bill who both work hard to set her up with a network in the town. With Alma now linked to Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), she might stand a chance of surviving Al’s (Ian McShane) wrath. Meanwhile, Joanie Stubbs (Kim Dickens) and Cy Tolliver (Powers Boothe) meet with an old friend whose illness worsens as the episode goes on.

~ Søren

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Stay tuned for our next podcast where we’ll discuss “The Trial of Jack McCall.”

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