Deadwood (HBO) Season 1 Finale *****
As this first season of Deadwood went along, my admiration for the script writers and actors grew. The finale was so good that I've watched it twice, and may watch it again. One of my early worries was that the darker characters were far too one-dimensional, but that did not turn out to be true. Al Swaerengen (seen here), the owner of the Gem saloon has turned out to be an extremely complex character, oddly likeable in a limited sort of way. You can condemn him for his lack of morales, but he is also capable of compassion, as was seen in a particularly surprising scene in this finale, when he comforts a man who is dying in great agony from a tumor, and then... helps him along.
Seth Bullock, who is his opposite in most (but not all) ways, has also evolved over the season to the point where he recognizes that he cannot deny his own nature, but has to learn to harness it. Alma Garrett, the widow of a foolish man, well educated, intelligent, prone to addiction, is finally finding her own way in the world. I like these characters a great deal, and I'm really glad that they are starting to film the second season. As someone posted on an earlier review of the first episode, this is not a story meant for families, and certainly not for children; for those who cannot accept those basic facts, perhaps old Bonanza reruns are a better choice.