Last weekend I had a discussion at dinner out with my brother-in-law who had just graduated from law school. We were out with his and my wife's parents. The discussion was about Deadwood. I was telling him all the christ-figure imagery I pick up in the show, usually revolving around Seth Bullock. There was the foregrounded bloody hand, followed by walking across town with his son's coffin on his shoulder like a cross. There was the foregrounded image of the preacher standing in the stream shaking his hand, like John the Baptist. What an amazing show, both visually and verbally!

He told me today that that night his mom watched the show. She wasn't supposed to do that! The ending with Al's oration about his childhood beatings while getting oral sex performed on him by his favorite whore must have left such a good impression with mom!