I often have to scan Heather's articles as they often try experimental writing that in my old age have trouble following. But here on Deadwood, she hits the perfect mix of information, opinion, and homage to the subject.

Deadwood is one of the best of HBO's allowing a vision to take fruit, a vision that astounds episode to episode. It would be nice if that vision was allowed to play out as Deadwood's characters get drowned by the inevitable march of progress and civilization.

...your Deadwood-speak. I'm one of the riff-raff without HBO, but am furiously catching up on S2 this week.

Between Deadwood and Veronica Mars (and fancy the connection between those two shows-yeah!), tv, it's okay.

Ahhhhhhhhh .... that feels better

Whenever I tire of the usual mealy mouther platitudes of most writers I just tune into Heather, she never disappoints. Other aspire to colourful turns of phrase but only Heather feels like she *means* it.

ps I really must checkout Deadwood.

That's it. That's all. It'll just be between us. My wife doesn't even have to know. And if she finds out, she'll be fine with it. (She loves "Deadwood" too.)

Normally I hate the uber-clever critic that tries to use a column to show how smart or funny he or she is... but Heather truly nails it here. It's funny and perfectly captures Swearengen... This thing is spot-on and doesn't waver for the whole four pages. Bravo cocksucker!

Once again, she is more interested in trying to shock the reader with her expletives and curse words instead of doing the job for which she was hired; television reviewer. Just like her brother, who was more praised for his witty and caustic turn of a phrase than his understanding of what was appearing on the movie screen in front of him, Rex's sis seems to have impressed the early posters with her verbal jackbooting over the subject of Deadwood.

This is the choice we're left with in television critics, and you have your choice. You can have the media whores who simply repeat the press releases of the networks and add a few superlatives - you can find them on Entertainment Tonight or Ain't It Cool News. They are the equivalent of the White House reporters so accurately described by Stephen Colbert. Or you can have the Reed equivalent (and no, although my surname is Reed, they are no relation, thank God) whose criticism is mainly "TV sucks! Look at me instead!"

At least it's summertime, full of reruns, busted pilots and PR pieces for summer movies, and Havrilesky won't have anything to "critique." Maybe, like a naga, she'll chew on her own tail and swallow herself whole.

And I hope others will get on board. I've already told HBO (by mail) that I will cancel after this season. "...MBAs, CEOs, and other assorted acronyms will, no doubt, understand your business decision. I don’t. Even Al Swearengen, who would murder a child to guard his interests, values the community he operates in. You’re about to break faith with yours."

Best piece of writin I seen in some time.

Not to wax conspiratorial, but could it be HBO looks ahead and cowers at threatened fascist crackdowns on colorful speech? And to head off the inevitable sensitive asshole who is going to write in complaining about profanity, I say Milch (and Havrilesky) be given medals for not fearing the seven deadly words and spraying them widely across the ears of the cowed hoopleheads.

For lavishing the epithet 'cocksucker' upon us all with a relish usually reserved by a lonely cowboy feeling a fire down below and fixin' to put it out by servicing a herd of fecund steer.

what i liked most about last season's "deadwood" was the emergence of alma garrett as a power player in the camp. i'm really hoping that her apparent re-addiction to laudunum (as evinced by the season 3 teaser trailer) isn't the sum-total of her contribtion to the plot or the camp. molly parker's a much better actress than to be subjected to wallowing about on the bed like a cockroach for 12 episodes. swearengen and bullock are hearst's obvious foes; wouldn't a hearst-alma confrontation be a stirring conclusion to this great series?

I noticd that you called one of the girls from "The Hills" a "sad little trumpet". Is "trumpet" some sort of old West lingo that I'm not familiar with? Or do they play a humourous "wah waaah" sound whenever she comes on screen? Or maybe this is your copy editor's way of asking for a raise?

As the conceiver of the Variety ad paid for and placed by bone-deep Deadwood fans, I find myself emerging, with your help, from a laudanum-like stupor brought on by relief at the announcement that some form of closure will be wrought by the HBO/Milch two-movie deal and my delerious anticipation of the S3 opener tonight. After a year of waiting.

The mule-headed absurdity of HBO's behavior in regards to this situation has been amply sussed out by yourself and a multitude of other entertainment scribes. The fans have raised a hue and cry not seen or heard since Commissioner Jarry found himself at the mercy of a mob of angry hooples in the Bella Union cage.

I feel like a pox survivor stumbling healed from the pest tent, awakened and recommitted to dedicating my unswerving energies and attention to one thing. My focus, undiluted by variables familiar and unforseen, like Hearst's obsession with the color, will be brought to bear on one goal and one goal only: a full, 12 episode S4 of Deadwood.

I am not alone. Given the givens of Deadwood fans, yourself included, with multitudes joining us daily, we will continue to pressure HBO to take the appropriate action which any half-witted donkey would already have taken: continue the best show ever seen on TV, winner of Golden Globes, Emmys, and The Peabody, critically acclaimed by the vast majority of those charged with such interpretatin', to the intended conclusion of its creator. Sometimes, to get a donkey's attention, you gotta bring a pole down between its ears, being my point.

Anyways, thanks for your help Heather, Trixie-like in your interventionist capabilities. I'm sure I can sally fucking forth now, ready to battle the HBO cocksuckers while simultaneously over-indulging in my favorite addiction, Deadwood.

And once the Deadwood supply pinches out, well, I'll be looing someplace else for my "Not TV."

Huzzah,

DWO