signalnoise

Loves it.

We finished off the Deadwood boxed set last night, which was a bummer because we loved watching it just that much.

Like most things that I enjoy, a lot of the pleasure I got out of the show was way over-analyzing what was happening. The premise of the show is that "establishment" of the mining town of Deadwood. At the beginning of the show, Deadwood is essentially just a bustling camp that exists *outside* the territorial United States. It is, very literally, a place where there is no such thing as law.

We tend to associate law, of course, with lots of positive social benefits. But, in many ways, law doesn't offer us everything that we want. Law offers a *process* that is fair and just; it in no way promises just *outcomes.* Ideally, perhaps, we would create processes that favor just outcomes, but there are no guarantees.

What is interesting is that in Deadwood, since there is no law, a lot of really terrible things happen - murders and robbings and other unfortunate incidents. *But* "just men" (such as Wild Bill Hickock and Seth Bullock) can pursue justice without constraint of the law. [This means they can kill folks that need killing. Because some cocksuckers just have it coming.]

As the show slowly builds over twelve episodes, the reality of Deadwood being annexed into the United States looms. The danger for residents is that should such an event occur, there is no guarantee that the property and gold claims held by the current residents would be recognized by the federal government. To combat this, Deadwood has to assemble a rudiemntary government. Even the most villainous of villains have to join - because at their core they are property holders who want their stakes protected.

The show really builds on the interesting tension between "legal" and "just." Thus, what is legal (and the stability of a legal system) is not always what is *good) - in fact, the law can often protect the interests of Very Bad Men. But, all of the interets of even the Worst of the Worst are not all wrong. Thus, setting up things like legal claims, a sherrif, and due process probably right more injustices in the camp than harm they do. What you end up with is a compromise between property rights (liberalism) and what is actually right (justice) in order to please everyone a little and get the best possible outcome.

Without being overhanded, and taking its time, the show really starts to pull out these ideas. The show is about the founding of community and establishment of order - the trade-offs we make and the wily men and women who are necessary to forge something out of nothing. It is - simply put - fucking aces.

Plus - they really do say "cocksucker" a lot.