Deadwood

Voting day dawns in Deadwood. Utter wakes Hearst to tell him a casket's arrived with his name on it - with a body inside. "Evidently not mine," Hearst retorts. But Utter continues to provoke him, telling him he doesn't like his tone, and next time he'd better change it. Hearst, amazed at Utter's gall, closes the door in his face. In the empty theater, Langrishe reviews the state of tensions in the camp, and whether it should prevent their debut, as Claudia listens. less

Trixie, Utter, Sol and Bullock gather pre-dawn in the Hardware store, while Tolliver and Swearengen independently wonder what they are up to. Al heads over to find out, running into Merrick who's come to show Al his article about Mrs. Ellsworth's shooting. Blazanov interrupts them with a telegram for Al, trumpeting the arrival of 23 guns hired by Hawkeye. But the news comes too soon on the heels of the message sent to Hawkeye and Al, not trusting the reply, is angry he allowed Adams to talk him into wiring Hawkeye for help. less

Doc Cochran chastises Cy for abrading his healing wound, as he attends to him. Hearst has breakfast with Jarry. The Langrishe troupe rehashes the Amatuer Night talent. As Alma walks to the bank, a gun shot is fired in her direction. Swearengen and Utter rush to escort her to safety at the Gem. Al orders Utter to wire Bullock (gone to campaign in Sturgis), summons Trixie to watch over Alma, and dispatches Adams to guard the schoolhouse and Dority to fetch Mr. Ellsworth. less

As Deadwood is overrun by Hearst's men, Bullock issues contingency plans to Martha. Wu, caught in a Pinkerton stampede, delivers a cryptic message to Swearengen; it takes Burns, of all people, to decipher it. Barrett makes Merrick pay for embarrassing Hearst in The Pioneer; Morgan Earp calls out one of the "Pistoleros"; Commissioner Jarry arrives from Yankton to solicit Hearst; Aunt Lou gets some bad news; and Joannie survives an encounter with her former boss. As night falls, Langrishe mines Deadwood's talent pool with an amateur-night performance in front of his future theater, financed in part by a loan from Alma's bank. less