Don't listen to this commentary to get much insight; Timothy Olyphant even makes a joke that he's going to try to give even less inside information than the last time. Olyphant and Ian McShane mainly just fun messing with each other and laughing at what's on the screen. They sound like they just have a great time working together and being on the show. They do give a little bit of background on the infamous line: "Welcome to f***ing Deadwood! Can be combative!"

Olyphant and McShane deliver pretty much the same commentary as their season 1 track. It's a fun listen, and more informative that the second commentary for this episode, but if I want a "fun commentary," I'll put on Spinal Tap. I listen to commentaries to deepen my appreciation of the movie/TV show. This one barely qualifies.

The ladies are much more "ooh" and "aah" and "mmm" while watching the episode, kind of annoying actor-talk. They're foreshadowing that Season 2 will be more focused on the women of the town, so they're trying to imagine what it was like to be a woman in that time period. As a man, BORED NOW.

Mysoginistic as juggyhayd's review is, the first sentence is spot-on. After a slight amount of actual insight into character and story, at around 11:20, we are treated to this exchange:

- Earl Brown is such a good actor, and he’s just...
- Yes
- ...I am also sooo amaaaazed by... (with notable valley girl drawl) ...watching his work
- And also, like you say, because...I...there's lots of people I haven't done scenes with...
- Yeah! Yeah.
- ...and I remember having a moment with Earl...in a scene last season, and...I- I, his eye-, you know, (verging on tears)...
- Yeah, yeah.
- ...he met my eyes, and it was sooo electric, I felt...
- Yeah, he's really really great.
- Liam!
- (laughs) I love...! I love Liam!
- He is sooo funny, and fun, and such a generous actor.
- Oh. Yes. Indeed. And Callie...
- Mmm-hmm.
- This is a great line...

A full minute of that kind of enlightening commentary. I really wish commentators (particularly actors) would learn that I don't need to be told that someone is a great actor, or that an effect is really good, or any aspect of the product is "just the best". I'll handle those opinions myself, thank you.

Yeah. Easily skippable.

David Milch is the type of filmmaker that you could listen to all day. His voice may be a little low and monotonous at times but his insights are anything but boring. On this particular track Milch, as always, willingly delves deep into his creative process and discusses the motivations he had to take characters, story arcs, and dialogue in one direction or the other. I will admit that he does start off slow. Fortunately he quickly picks up his pace once he finds his rhythm. My only wish is that he could have talked on every episode. Highly recommended for any Deadwood fans.


9/10

Talks about some of the extras being given speaking parts because of how they looked.

Tim Blake Nelson was originally cast for the part of Sol Starr. Milch said he had to go speak to a Jewish group in New York to say that Sol Starr was not an anti-Semitic character.

He hates auditions because he hates to hurt feelings, so he likes casting people who have never acted before. That's also why he used Garrett Dillahunt again after using him in the last season.

Talks a little more about the language on the show -- that the cursing on the show reflects the lawlessness of the town. A lot of this is repeated from his commentary in the first season.

Talks about killing off Wild Bill and how it created a backlash about killing off the hero of the show.


If you like listening to Milch, you'll know it in the first three minutes. If he doesn't interest you at first, it'll be the same the whole way through.

Explained the meaning of the horse in the main theme. Some explanation about the minor characters who have been given more lines and how some of the shows are shot, such as the actors growing their own facial hair or always having some kind of candles or other fire around for nighttime scenes. Talks about how a director can never have a set plan since David Milch can always have new ideas or writing on the spot.

The sound mixer of the episode sound was up too high. Combine that with the monotone of the director's voice, and it's hard to pay attention.

I agree with jugghayd, it's an informative but not engaging commentary. The primary problem is that the commentary volume is low relative to the show volume. When Fienberg comments over dialogue, the concurrent voices make it hard to focus.

An odd mix. Dayton Callie comes off as a moron and kind of a creep to Kim Dickens. Kim Dickens is a little boring. William Sanderson keeps making comments that are pretty funny if you like his sense of humor but they're kind of lost on Dickens and Callie. Not a whole lot revealed about the show.

A better commentary on this episode. Both Powers Boothe and Garrett Dillahunt have a wry sense of humor; Booth is defending the actions of his character and Dillahunt has a lot of self-deprecating humor about his character. Also, Dillahunt gives out a pretty big spoiler about the end of the season, so be sure to watch all the episodes first before listening to this commentary.

I'd just like to add that there is a spoiler mentioned in this commentary, something that doesn't happen until the end of the season. If you're watching the series for the first time on DVD, consider waiting before diving into this commentary.

They introduce themselves as Trixie the Whore and Sol Starr the Hardware Jew. The biggest thing I learned is that Paula Malcomson is actually Irish. Other than that, there was nothing earth-shattering, mostly complimenting the writing, directing, and acting.

Timothy Olyphant and Anna Gunn take to the notion that if you are not going to be insightful on your commentary, you might as well be funny. They inform their listeners fairly quickly that they will not be providing any illumination into the creation of the show. Instead the two laugh their way through this particularly somber episode. Olyphant is nothing like his serious character, Seth Bullock, and even shares that whenever he is acting out a particularly dramatic moment he is usually thinking about what's for dinner. Needless to say, nothing is really gained by listening to this track, but it is fun nonetheless.


7/10

Ian McShane and Paula Malcomson give a less than entertaining commentary for this episode. There are very few pauses in between their comments, however what they say is usually insubstantial.


6/10

I think it was at least somewhat entertaining. They do a good job of discussing what their characters were/thinking and maybe doing when they appear on the scene. There is talk about what was adlibbed, scripted, and references to conversations from earlier and later episodes. There is talk about the actors.

But still, there are definitely some long pauses with no comments, and nothing to earth shattering or incredibly helpful is ever brought up.