Deadwood/Arm

[LucildaHunta]

I've become a really big fan of the HBO series Deadwood. For some reason, I think it parallels Zalanthas in a lot of ways.

For one, there are really no "Good" characters, sometimes the sheriff wears a white hat, but he's done some pretty dirty things in the last two seasons.

The setting is dirty, grimey and evil. They're taking the land from the native americans, but it's pretty lawless. There's murders, intrigue and loads of violence.

What's really striking to me is the dialogue. They use a lot of swear words, but then they use some pretty high brow sentence structure.

I think of Armageddon every time I watch this show. Anybody else see parallels?

[Marauder Moe]

I saw a lot of parallels in the recent 2-parter Enterprise episode set in the dark mirror universe.  At the end I thought "How Armageddon was THAT?"

Perhaps I should watch a few episodes of this Deadwood show, though.

[Spiegel]

Fan of deadwood myself, and I really say the parallel when the Sheriff and the main character were beating the crap out of eachother while the Sheriff's family was arriving to Town. After punching the Sheriff in the face a couple times, the beaten Swearangen looks up towards 'em and says "Welcome to Deadwood.." Couldn't stop laughing for a while.

The dirty feeling could really be match that of Arm, as I think the real actors only allow their clothes to be washed like twice a week or something like that. Just something I read in a magazine, but anyway, the constant swearing, prostitution and random acts of violence all seem to match that of the game.  Good parallel.

[jmordetsky]

Yes. Lots. Grim, dirty politicing. Lots of manipulation.

[Xygax]

The tavern owners in Deadwood, btw, mirror almost -exactly- the attitude I'd like to see in more of our merchant family members and low-ranking nobles.  Talk about grit.  That style may not suit everyone, but even a hint more behavior like this would make me endlessly happy.

-- X

[LucildaHunta]

After punching the Sheriff in the face a couple times, the beaten Swearangen looks up towards 'em and says "Welcome to Deadwood.." Couldn't stop laughing for a while.

This is exactly one of the scenes I was thinking about when I posted this! I like Swearangen, because he's evil, but not a caracature of evil. During the fight, he was about to kill the sheriff, in an underhanded way. But when the little boy looked at him, he hid the knife.

So the "evil" character isn't quite "evil." either, but most of the main characters fit into a grey area.

I was also thinking of the episode where the sheriff beat the heiress' father to a pulp because he was trying to blackmail her.

So many examples in that show.

[Anonymous]

Ian McShane's Al Swearengen makes me wonder about my sexuality.

[Tamarin]

I saw a lot of parallels in the recent 2-parter Enterprise episode set in the dark mirror universe...

At the risk of sounding like a fat comic book shoppe guy who eats 100 tacos and goes to dr. who marathons...

Best...

...episodes...

...ever.

T'pol in a revealing half-top?  T'pol vs Hoshi cat fight?

Oh man.

[Angela Christine]

Best...

...episodes...

...ever.

You aren't the only one who thinks so.  http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show.cgi?show=71  It was nifty.


Angela Christine

[House Rising Sun]

I've loved Deadwood from scene one, and I totally agree with the similarities. To me, Armageddon is more a western at times than it is a fantasy. Low-tech fantasy-western? Let's have more spurs a-jingling and shoot-outs in the street put down by lord templar Timothy Olyphant. In fact, I know at least one relatively important pc that was going to go the way of Swearengen in several ways. In all, it's hard to miss the little crumbs of Zalanthas stamped into the thoroughfare, and I think anyone looking for some new flavor for their rp should check out the show.

About the dialogue, I have very strong feelings of fondness. It seems to me that the writers are trying to resurrect old coinage by making the whole thing seem like a play written in smooth, poetic old english. Or maybe they just want the characters to seem like noble, wizened souls stuck in all the grime of their lives. They could just be showing the West Wing how to do smooth banter proper. Any way, I can't get enough.

[Anonymous]

Too bad Carnivale is a superior show in all regards yet probably won't get renewed.

The scene where Ben Hawkins heals the little girl's legs in season 1 episode one just screamed defiler the way the plants were dying.

[Spiegel]

I hope that isn't true. Been watching Carnivale quite a bit and think it's a great show. Really scary at some points. Think a scene within the second second (I think) where a massive shadowy figure appears before the female fortune teller after Hawking's left, whispering "So yoour the ooonee.." screamed out Defiler to me the best.

However, the way their healing works really does portay a sort of Defiling comparable to Arm. Still, the way the normal people within Deadwood act, seems to relate more towards the general population, atleast from what I've seen.

[Nidhogg]

Al Swearengen is the quintessential guilder. Great show, and then there is the gritty! Great stuff.

[sarahjc]

Yes, I almost instantly log onto Arm right after watching deadwood. Not only does the gritty feel, manipulation, murder and the all around deprived, uneducated, unwashed masses get me in the mood to play, but also the poetic nature of the writing.

Ian Mcshane blends phrases like cock-sucker and shit heel into his monologues with such eloquence, you'd have to think about it a few moments to decide if the words are offensive. And the rest of the cast is just icing on the McShane cake.

It is hands down everything I feel Zalanthas should be, set in a western theme. And also by far one of the best shows on Televison.

[Vox]

As I'm sure many of you did, I promised myself I'd make an Al Swearengen character for the Guild after I watched the first season... I had missed the actual airing dates and caught it on Comcast On-Demand. I watched 10 episodes before I passed out and then when I woke up the next day I watched the next 7. I have to finish the second season to round out my take on that cool cocksucker.. but my version of him is coming and so help me if I don't try to get an upstairs built on the Gaj and whores brought in.

Obsess much? A'not too much... a'much too much.

:twisted:

[EvilRoeSlade]

The tavern owners in Deadwood, btw, mirror almost -exactly- the attitude I'd like to see in more of our merchant family members and low-ranking nobles.  Talk about grit.  That style may not suit everyone, but even a hint more behavior like this would make me endlessly happy.

-- X

How about some elaboration for those of us who don't have cable?

[jmordetsky]

We should pitch a "Zalanthas" script to HBO.

[Bakha]

Old thread, but I was pretty sure that I remembered something of this nature.


Anyway, I borrowed a friend's copy of season 1&2 of this show. I have to agree with the OP in that Deadwood is Zalanthas. While I think the grittiness is part of it, the thing that really compares to me is the intrigue, politicing and subterfuge mixed with spectacular violence when necessary.

In the previously mentioned episode where Al and Seth roll in the street, the great Arm parallel to me is that Al ends up swallowing his pride and letting Seth live in the end, because he knows it is going to profit him in the long run, due to the esteem in which Seth is held in Montana.

I also like Xygax's point that while Al makes an obvious Guild PC, he could just as easily be a merchant house family member. To me, the way that business is done in Deadwood would be the norm for Zalanthas and not necessarily relegated to the realm of the criminal (the Guild and rinth).