Has it really been 13 years since Deadwood was sadly, heartbreakingly canceled by HBO? What were you doing in 2006? Can you even remember?
— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —
Ask me to name my favorite TV shows of all time and Deadwood would be one of the three I list. Yet with each passing year, my memories of the series fade. I could go back any time and watch the show on HBO GO, but haven’t done so. There’s too much other TV to watch now, and I can’t keep with it. Adding an old favorite to the mix would just complicate matters.
But now, Deadwood fans are finally getting the ending we were deprived of 13 years ago. Unfortunately, it won’t be the finale we really wanted. It’s not a full fourth season. It won’t even be the two movies that series creator David Milch and HBO once agreed to. This will be whatever Milch (with the help of True Detective‘s Nic Pizzolatto) could distill into one two-hour movie which takes places years after we last saw Seth Bullock, Al Swearengen, and so many other residents of Deadwood, South Dakota.
I loved Deadwood so much that I even started a short-lived blog about the show, mostly to create a place where my friend A. and I could share our thoughts on various episodes and use some of the many memorable lines of dialogue from the series. Here’s raising a glass to Requiems For A Gleet! I’m proud of what we created there.
Deadwood: The Movie will premiere on HBO May 31. That leaves plenty of time to re-watch the series’ three seasons of 36 episodes.
But my TV plate is already way too full, with shows falling off all the time. Re-watching all of Game of Thrones before Season 8 premieres on April 14 isn’t going to happen. I have until April 1 to watch Luther before it leaves Netflix. I still haven’t finished Russian Doll. I’d like to start Shrill on Hulu. What about Billions? Should I be watching Billions? And don’t even ask me about Breaking Bad, OK?
I know; I need some real problems. Actually, I do have a problem: I love watching TV, but there’s just too goddamn much of it now. Watching some of these shows when they were originally on probably would’ve helped.
** We’re a week away from Batman’s 80th anniversary. The Caped Crusader debuted in Detective Comics #27 on March 30, 1939 and issue No. 1000 of the title will hit comic book stores this coming Wednesday (March 27). With the help of comics creators and historians, George Gene Gustines highlighted key moments from the past eight decades. [New York Times]
The Instagram photo I embedded above is from Detective #400 (reprinted in the Detective Comics 80th anniversary book just published by DC). I didn’t have the original issue, but I remember my father giving me a version of the story that came with an audio tape.
** I love my Apple AirPods. It was a slow-developing love affair, though. I bought them with credit from turning in an old iPhone because Apple ditched the headphones jack. I didn’t like how they felt in my ear for a while, but I now consider them indispensable for listening to podcasts and making hands-free calls (especially useful when on the radio). So naturally, they’ll probably be giving out on me soon. [The Atlantic]
Double Hinterland
I enjoyed Triple Frontier, though it’s not nearly as good a film as it could’ve been. (We reviewed it on this week’s Amusement Park Podcast.) The cast might be the best part of the movie. At the very least, it gave us the fun pairing of Oscar Isaac and Pedro Pascal, who are very entertaining in WIRED‘s latest auto-complete interview.
Are we still using the term “man-crush”? These two are my Batman and Robin in that category. (Unfortunately, Isaac will not be playing Batman, which probably means Pascal will not be a too-old Robin.) I’ll see anything they’re in, while hoping I can someday become best friends with them.
** My old boss Kevin Kaduk wrote about the man who may have created the very first NCAA Tournament bracket pool. Considering what a phenomenon March Madness has become, that would be a hell of an accomplishment. Someone had to be the first, right? [Yahoo Sports]
Is this a good place to mention that I haven’t filled out a bracket or participated in a pool in the past three years? And I’ve won a couple too. Maybe I’ll get back in next year.
Words in Print
Seeing my name in print is more satisfying than I thought it would be in 2019. It certainly helps when it’s in a publication I enjoy. My second movie review in this past week’s Mountain Xpress. I wrote about The Wedding Guest, starring Dev Patel and directed by Michael Winterbottom.
The title sounds like a romantic comedy and Patel is known more for lighter roles, but he was good playing a grimmer, more intense character. Also, the story doesn’t go in the direction you might think. So if it’s playing in your area or when it’s available on demand, The Wedding Guest is worth checking out.
** I don’t enjoy Morning Joe nearly as much as I once did, but Willie Geist keeps me coming back. He’s the glue for the show, and maybe even its witty soul. If and when the world becomes less serious, and current events aren’t a daily shitshow, maybe Geist will bring some much-needed humor back to MSNBC mornings.
In the meantime, he’s owning the Sunday Today show — especially with his longform interviews. Sunday mornings are crowded with political talk, and I usually watch or listen to Geist’s interviews later because of it, but they’re worth your time. [Variety]
** South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg is intriguing many people as a Democratic presidential candidate. Many of my friends (real and social media) have posted something about him and his sensible, thoughtful positions in recent weeks. He might embody the dilemma of “the candidate we want” versus “the candidate we think will win.” [Washington Post]
Musical Interlude
** In my continuing effort to listen to and discover more music in 2019, I’ve been listening to Jenny Lewis’s new album, On the Line, a lot this weekend. (And really, for the past few weeks, when three songs from the album were released earlier.) I’ve also enjoyed the many interviews Lewis has given to promote On the Line. I’m long overdue in listening to her first two solo albums. [A.V. Club]
This quote from Lewis stood out to me: “I just write every day. I live and I write, and hopefully I’ll always be able to write. Because if not, then I’d just have to live, and that’s terrifying.”
** What I remember most about NBC’s Kings is that I wanted to watch because of Ian McShane, but a two-hour pilot seemed like too much of a commitment. I complained to A. about it and she laughed for minutes. (I’d expect anyone associated with the show to throw a punch at me.) Did any other potential viewers feel the same way? And was that really 10 years ago? [The Hollywood Reporter]
** Which brand of mayonnaise did 20 Southern chefs prefer in a blind taste test? (Asheville chefs Katie Button and Meherwan Irani participated.) Should we just assume Duke’s was the choice? And I’ve never tried Kewpie mayo, but will look for it next time I make an Asian grocery run. [Garden & Gun]
** Most of this doesn’t apply for me because it’s a parenting blog, but I appreciated this piece of writing advice from Daniel Pink:
I used to read a few parenting blogs and columns when I was watching my nieces (and offered some ideas to my sister). As they get older and I see less of them, I read less of that stuff. But sometimes, there’s advice that many people can follow. [Offspring]
** The most intriguing comic book released this week — and maybe this month — is Dark Horse’s Invisible Kingdom. Part of the Berger Books imprint (overseen by former Vertigo/DC Comics editor Karen Berger), the sci-fi epic is written by G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel, Wonder Woman, and her just-released novel The Bird King) and illustrated by Christian Ward (Black Bolt). Hey, how many comic books get a trailer? [Entertainment Weekly]
Ian Casselberry 