(S03E06) Omar Gooding?!?! This is too much to handle. From Wild and Crazy Kids to Deadwood. And yes, before people go comment crazy, I realize he's done plenty since then. But c'mon, he hosted a show where kids threw water balloons full of whipped cream and chocolate syrup at each other. Regardless, I'm not sure what adding his character (he plays Odell, Aunt Lou's son) will accomplish. I was starting to become content with all the players we had. Now we add Odell and leave out someone like Jack Langrishe, who I absolutely love. But I shouldn't discriminate... or else I'll come off sounding like E.B. or Steve the Drunk.

Odell's business in camp seems pretty straightforward though. He knows of a rich gold claim in Liberia and wants to bring Hearst in on the project. Lou wants her son to stay away from George. I couldn't figure out why though. Was it because she wanted her son to stay away from dealing in such business or was it because she feared for her son's life in Hearst's company? Either way, I wasn't too attached to the storyline. It seemed like filler to me unless it ties into something else later on.

Alma played a huge role in this episode. Via Leon's big mouth, Cy clued Hearst in on Alma's addiction. They conspired to kill her by way of an overdose, but instead decided to hold-off. Hearst wants her claim and he doesn't care how he gets it. He even admitted to Richardson that he wants to take the camp down. It'll work too if he keeps setting Tolliver up against Swearengen.

They may not need to kill Alma though. She might do it herself. She fired Trixie, Sofia hates her it seems, and Mr. Ellsworth has left her. Things aren't too good for her right now anyway.

Back to Hearst, Al is no idiot. He sent Dan off to Cheyenne to hire recruits to help defend the town for when Hearst retaliates. Charlie knows it's coming and he can't figure out why Bullock doesn't seem to think so too. It's starting to seem more and more like that'll be how the season ends. I know from some of the articles I've read, that the actual town of Deadwood burnt down once or twice... the cause of which escapes me. Granted this show is a re-telling of some partial truths, but I wonder if Hearst's disgust of Deadwood may lead to it's razing.

Something to chew on. But what exactly would his endgame be? If he destroys the town, why bother staying for the gold? It'd bankrupt most of the people in town anyway, people that Hearst needs to man the mines. Al is the real x-factor here though. I think he knows (or at least has a hunch) more than he's letting on.

If there is something though, he's willing to get more input on it because he and Bullock decide to meet with the other camp elders and "be baffled among friends." They'll stop Hearst if they can, but it's not going to be easy. And something tells me that we may see the demise of some of those players I was becoming content with.