"Deadwood" question for Actual God

[youtalkfunny]

I'm renting the Season Two DVD's for the commentary tracks.

I noticed that Episode 5 is titled "Complications (formerly 'Difficulties')".

I've never noticed an episode of any series ever change its title. Why the change? Any idea?

[youtalkfunny]

Fifty views tells me that there's still plenty of interest in Deadwood, so allow me to share my impressions David Milch's commentary on tonight's Episode 2.3, "New Money":

--This is the episode where Al gets laid out by kidney stones. Milch was afraid that "Deadwood" was turning into "The Al Swearengen Show", so he debilitated Al to shift the focus to the other characters.

--As William Sanderson (Farnum) gave his famous line about Wolcott's arrival, "Al, if you're not already dead and moldering, I send news to revive you: A fish to rival the fabled Leviathan has swum into our waters...", Milch noted about Sanderson, "Look at that face. When you're a writer, and you see faces like that, you feel like you're stealing your money. Because you don't have to do anything!"

--Milch couldn't resist saying "Look at that face," every time Richardson was on screen.

--The first time we see Dayton Callie (Charlie Utter), we get another "Look at that face." Callie was friends with Ed O'Neil (Al Bundy) and Michael Madsen, who worked on Milch's previous series, "Big Apple". I had never heard of Big Apple, but looking at that cast (not to mention Milch's involvement), I'm going to look for this as soon as I'm done typing this post.

Milch wrote the part of Utter with Callie in mind, no audition necessary. Milch says he hates auditions, as they necessarily mean that the people who don't get the part will have their hopes dashed and their feelings hurt. He says he'd "prefer to cast people who've never acted before."

--Another casting note: he says he got a lot of grief from people about bringing back Garrett Dillahunt, who had played Jack McCall in Season One, to play Francis Wolcott in Season Two. "Why should that matter? Nobody ever says, 'Tom Cruise was in Risky Business, I can't go see him in War of the Worlds!'" Another good reason to give the part to Dillahunt: one less audition necessary.

--When John Hawkes (Sol Starr) makes his first appearance in the episode, Milch immediately launches into this tale: "I was just in NY, speaking to some Hebrew association about Sol Starr. I cannot believe that I flew there. I'm a Jewish person myself. I think I must have some ambivalence about it, because it was supposed to be about the anti-Semitism of the portrayal of Starr. I charter a plane, fifty-thousand bucks, to go there and say I'm not an anti-Semite. I'm an idiot....(Hawkes) was supposed to go with me to the inquisition there in New York. He got smart. He said that unfortunately he had been murdered the night before, so he couldn't attend."

Milch also mentioned that Tim Blake Nelson (Clooney's and Turturro's buddy "Delmar" from "O Brother Where Art Thou") was originally cast to play Starr--and unlike Hawkes, is Jewish.

--Milch has a great speech about the prodigious use of profanity on the show, saying it was intended to illustrate the lawlessness of the time and era. Traditional social niceties did not apply. "What I was trying to do with that (the profanity) was sort of break down the conventions of language." These people, in this lawless place, would obey no laws, even the conventions of language, "their way of saying, 'I am equal to this environment.'"

--Milch meandered into the story about how he dealt with the audience's worry about replacing David Caruso in "NYPD Blue". (It was funny, he wouldn't say Caruso's name, called him "the guy, the red-headed actor from NYPD Blue".)

The point of the story was how he anticipated the audience's reluctance to give Jimmy Smits a chance, so he wrote a scene where Smits makes his first entrance, and says "Hey Andy, how's it going?" to Dennis Franz. Franz runs from the room to his boss, saying, "This isn't going to work at all." The boss says, "Why what happened? What did he do?" Franz explains, "Him and his 'How are you?' BS. No good." The boss suggests that Andy should give the new guy a chance--which is exactly what Milch was asking of the audience.

When Milch finished telling the story, he said, "You know what? I think I told that same story last year (on the Season One commentary)...Well, I only know so many stories."

--Sarah Paulson (Miss Isringhausen) had to be written out, because she got a role on Broadway in a Tennessee Williams play. So Alma fired Miss Isringhausen.

--Milch mentions that "The Tit Licker" had a scene in this episode, but it was cut. Milch told the origin of The Tit Licker for those of us who hadn't seen Season One, and finished the story with, "...so I figured that wouldn't be a bad thing to play." That makes me wonder if Milch played The Tit Licker.

--Incredibly fascinating backstory: Remember the funny-looking kid who had one scene, talking to young William Bullock in front of the Bullock house? He told William, "I watched the sheriff build this house," and about the trout that lived in the stream they were standing over. William was excited that he might have just met his first friend, but the funny-looking kid said, "My Pa and me are going to grow apples in Oregon," and he hops on his Pa's wagon and waves goodbye to William. Remember that kid? (I'm trying to get a screen shot for you, but I suck at the internet.)

Milch said he's friends with the kid's father. The kid was dying, and the father told Milch that the kid wanted to be an actor, so Milch promised to write a small part for the kid. The kid died three days before the episode aired.

--Before watching this tonight, I had been under the impression that David Milch is my favorite person in the world, the one guy I'd love to spend a day with. Nothing happened tonight to change that impression. I love this guy.

[Actual God]

No idea about the change of episode title.

[ QUOTE ]
--Before watching this tonight, I had been under the impression that David Milch is my favorite person in the world, the one guy I'd love to spend a day with. Nothing happened tonight to change that impression. I love this guy.

[/ QUOTE ]

He is magnetic and fascinating, and a true balla and badass. Much like Swearingen, he doesn't suffer idiots (or anyone, for that matter) and is thus hard to be around sometimes.

[jackdaniels]

Hey Actual God - are you affiliated with this show? It is a great show and I was wondering if there will be a season 4? If so, when?

[Kratzer]

ytf,
thanks for the post, very interesting.

i love this show. watched the first two seasons on dvd last month. just an absolutely brilliant show

AG,
i apologize for not already knowing, but obviously you were involved in the show, what did you do?

[SBR]

Cool summary, I need to grab these on DVD and listen to the commentary.

[Actual God]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Actual God - are you affiliated with this show? It is a great show and I was wondering if there will be a season 4? If so, when?

[/ QUOTE ]
Barring unforeseen catastrophes, there will be two 2-hour HBO movies. But it'll be at least a year.

[Actual God]

[ QUOTE ]
ytf,
thanks for the post, very interesting.

i love this show. watched the first two seasons on dvd last month. just an absolutely brilliant show

AG,
i apologize for not already knowing, but obviously you were involved in the show, what did you do?

[/ QUOTE ]

Writer - but Milch writes 100% of every episode, so us writers who work for him are kind of a joke. It's still fun though.

[youtalkfunny]

Since a couple of posters expressed gratitude for the summary of Milch's commentary, I thought I'd share another.

This episode was "E.B. Was Left Out". It featured two different commentary tracks.

Notes from the commentary track to the Episode "E.B. Was Left Out", featuring William Sanderson, Kim Dickens, and Dayton Callie:

--In this episode, Charlie Utter gives Mr Wolcott a beating in the street. Dickens asked Callie if filming the scene left him sore, which led to this exchange:

CALLIE: My hands were so [censored] sore after this, the next day.
SANDERSON: I can imagine.
DICKENS: I bet Garret (who played Wolcott) was sore.
SANDERSON: I know.
CALLIE: No! Actually Garret, he's got, like, metal on him. He's got a flak jacket on under there.
DICKENS. Oh...
CALLIE: I'm punching the [censored] out of [censored] metal.
DICKENS: Oh, I didn't know that!
CALLIE: We made sure it didn't hurt (Garret). He said, "Man, you can hardly feel it."
DICKENS: Wow.
CALLIE: But my [censored] hands were like all...oh, there's Tim!

(Tim Olyphant, playing Bullock, makes his first entrance of the episode at the 13:20 mark, coming to pull Utter off of Wolcott, and drag him away.)

CALLIE: See, I had to let him drag me away! I was like (condescendingly), "Tim, please."

(Callie went on for a few moments incoherantly, implying that he could easily beat up a sissy like the skinny Olyphant. When Bullock finally releases his grip on Utter, Utter gives him a disdainful look. Callie explains his character's emotional state after being manhandled by Bullock):

CALLIE: "I ought to just smack the [censored] out of you!" I should've! I tried to get David to...but David said no, it wouldn't look good.

///

Tolliver calls a meeting of the town fathers after Wolcott's beating, to discuss why Wolcott should be treated with kid gloves. While watching this scene, Sanderson pulls out a copy of the script, eager to share some insight as to what it's like to work for David Milch:

SANDERSON: I would love to read one of David's stage directions....Here's Tolliver's stage direction: "Tolliver, relieved that Tolliver having provided occasion and oppurtunity, Utter does not reveal what Tolliver surmises, correctly, to be the real reason for the beating, takes a non-judgemental but educated tone implying what unanticipated catastrophic consequences for the collective can ensue from one individual yielding to casual irritations." So why shouldn't Powers Boothe be great in this scene?

(If you didn't laugh when you read that, go back and read it out loud, and imagine that you're an actor, and that's what the writer/director is telling you.)

///

In a scene where Farnum literally kicks Richardson in the ass, both Dickens and Callie let out an audible "Awww!", as if Farnum had just kicked a dog.

DICKENS: I love Richardson.
CALLIE: Aw, what did you do to poor Richardson?
SANDERSON: David is so hard on him. Last time instead of "hominid", he called him "prehensile".
DICKENS: What's that?
CALLIE: What the hell is a [censored] prehensile?
SANDERSON: I keep a dictionary. But Ralph Richardson is wonderful to work with.
CALLIE: I remember the first year, he was an extra.
DICKENS: Yeah, he was a background player, now he has a full-on important part.
SANDERSON: Yeah, Ian McShane said, "Nobody looks at anybody else when he's in the scene."
CALLIE: (laughs)
DICKENS: It's true...
SANDERSON: That doesn't leave me much to go on.
DICKENS: ...I have friends who say Richardson is their favorite character right now. He's great.
CALLIE: Well your friends are [censored] up.
DICKENS: Well, I know.

///

Same DVD, same episode, different commentary track, featuring Powers Boothe and Garret Dillahunt:

DILLAHUNT: Does anyone get more last-minute dialogue than Bill Sanderson?
BOOTHE: I dunno. And the poor thing, he can't remember his name...
DILLAHUNT: (laughs)
BOOTHE: ...much less when he gets the last-minute dialogue.
DILLAHUNT: I think they do it on purpose, because it's so delicious to see him...
BOOTHE: Squirm! The great unknown secret is that Bill Sanderson *is* E.B.

///

DILLAHUNT: (during a scene with Cy's flunkies, Leon and Conn) Those two have turned into the Laurel and Hardy of the show.
BOOTHE: (laughs) I love those guys.

///

DILLAHUNT: (during the scene leading up to his beating, when Charlie Utter is behind him in line for breakfast at the hotel) Dayton Callie blew a booger on my neck with that exhale...I did notice that this line was moving extraordinarily slow.
BOOTHE: It is. Way too many people in town.
DILLAHUNT: It's like a Starbucks in Deadwood. (in the scene, Utter calls Wolcott a c**t) See? That's two seasons in a row I've been called that.
BOOTHE: (laughs like hell) You think it's personal?
DILLAHUNT: (as Utter throws Wolcott into the mud) He tripped me there, and hurt my ribs. They hurt for a month.
BOOTHE: (watching the beating) You know what? It's like David hired you to get your face shoved in the mud again.
DILLAHUNT: If I come back again--and I've no doubt I will--I'm going to have it in my contract that I actually *win* a fight. I got my ass kicked by this old fella, and...
BOOTHE: I tried that. They wouldn't give it to me.
DILLAHUNT: ...Joanie Stubbs kicks my ass later. We did this (the beating scene with Callie) so many times. I actually had body armor on, so I really didn't feel much, unless Dayton accidentally hit me in the back of the head by mistake. But his hands were pretty messed up by the end of the day, from pounding on all that body armor.
BOOTHE: Well, these method actors, you know?
DILLAHUNT: Love this Deadwood mud, full of manure and urine. Great for the skin.

///

DILLAHUNT: This has ruined me for other shows, man, this writing. I didn't even know how mediocre a lot of it was until I actually had some writing that had something *underneath* it, you know, instead of just right in the face.
BOOTHE: I think the biggest challenge with all this stuff--and it sounds like sucking up--is to catch up with the writing. To stay even with it. As opposed to trying to make something out of crap, which what most of the writing you get is.

///

DILLAHUNT: (as a scene featuring Swearengen and Tolliver together plays) This is kind of reminiscent of the scene in "Heat", where Pacino and DeNiro are finally in the same room. Did you ever think that?
BOOTHE: I dunno, I just wish we had more scenes together.
DILLAHUNT: You don't like working with, like...me?

///

(Dillahunt points out that he wearing a long-sleeve, button-down undershirt while Doc Cochrane is examining the ribs that were broken in the fight with Utter--an examination that usually requires the patient to remove his shirt.)

DILLAHUNT: This is a scene where you realize that I'm actually pretty "built". We couldn't take the shirt off, because....it's just not period. The level of definition...
BOOTHE: Ripped, rip-ped, um, rippedness.
DILLAHUNT: Rippedness? I see David Milch's linguistic skills have rubbed off.
BOOTHE: Yes.
DILLAHUNT: Yeah, see, I gotta win a fight. I mean, look at the size of me! It seems like I should be able to bust a few heads.

///

DILLAHUNT: (while McShane gives his Shakespearian soliloquy to the decapitated Indian's head) You'll notice that there's long periods of silence with me and Powers. It's not that we don't get along. It's just that we are rapt by what we're seeing on screen.

///

CALAMITY JANE: (onscreen, hungover, beaten and bruised) I woke up on the dirt, in the [censored] graveyard, questioning dusk or dawn...
CHARLIE UTTER: It was dusk.
CALAMITY JANE: I know it was dusk, because it's [censored] night now. [censored] bruises everywhere...
CHARLIE UTTER: Dished out by who?
CALAMITY JANE: (shrugs)
DILLAHUNT: (resuming commentary, trying to be funny) That reminds me of college, nights like that. "I got a tattoo I don't remember getting...I'm in Mexico...I'm bleeding..." It's a bad night.
BOOTHE: Well, a lot of this, seriously, is about Milch's experience, you know?
DILLAHUNT: (profoundly) Dang.

///

DILLAHUNT: (during a Sean Bridges scene) Do you think I look like Sean Bridgers? People on the set, new extras, are always calling me Sean. "Hey, Sean!" Which illustrates that he's much more popular.

///

DILLAHUNT: You know, before that fight scene, David came up to me. I said, "Why doesn't Wolcott resist? Why doesn't he throw a single punch? Why doesn't he block a punch?" And he said to me, "You know, Charlie just might be an angel from God," and then walked away. Because he knew he had dropped the pearl that I needed to pull out the performance. He was hoping that Utter would kill him, because he didn't have the courage to do it in the scene before (where Wolcott, while shaving, brought the razor to his own throat, but did not follow through). But you probably already knew that.

[Actual God]

[ QUOTE ]
SANDERSON: I would love to read one of David's stage directions....Here's Tolliver's stage direction: "Tolliver, relieved that Tolliver having provided occasion and oppurtunity, Utter does not reveal what Tolliver surmises, correctly, to be the real reason for the beating, takes a non-judgemental but educated tone implying what unanticipated catastrophic consequences for the collective can ensue from one individual yielding to casual irritations." So why shouldn't Powers Boothe be great in this scene?

(If you didn't laugh when you read that, go back and read it out loud, and imagine that you're an actor, and that's what the writer/director is telling you.)


[/ QUOTE ]

I read 50 pages of this nonsense every day.