Here Was a Man

Here Was a Man
Season 1, Episode 4
Air Date	April 11, 2004
Written By	Elizabeth Sarnoff
Directed By	Alan Taylor
U.S. Viewers	5.40 million
Episode Guide
← previous	"Reconnoitering the Rim"
next →	"The Trial of Jack McCall"

"Here Was a Man" is the fourth episode of the first season of Deadwood. It is the fourth episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 11, 2004. It was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and directed by Alan Taylor.

Synopsis

Swearengen directs Farnum to buy back the Garret claim; Alma prevails on Calamity Jane and Hickok for help.

Plot

Jack McCall and Wild Bill Hickok are back at the poker table, and this time, it's Bill who cleans out the foul-mouthed McCall. Rising from the table, McCall begins a typical stream of insults, but Cy Tolliver stops him, and Bill tosses him a dollar for a meal. Leaving the saloon to get some air, Hickok visits Seth Bullock, who is in the process of building out his hardware store, even at three in the morning. The two exchange quick pleasantries, and the mutual respect between the two is apparent.

In the morning, the body of Brom Garret is returned to Deadwood after his "accident" at the hands of Dan Dority. Alma Garret, his widow, immediately suspects foul play, and enlists Doc Cochran to perform an examination of the body. Her suspicions grow further when the doctor won't completely rule out foul play, and E.B. Farnum, prompted by Swearengen, makes an offer on the claim that's supposed to be pinched out.

Cy Tolliver recruits Doc Cochran to take care of his whores, paying him substantially more than Swearengen does for the same services. Soon after, a man named Andy Cramed enters into the Bella Union throwing around cash, earning him extra attention and services from Tolliver. Moments later we see that Cramed and Tolliver are acquaintances and have run scams together in the past.

Alma pleads to Wild Bill, begging him to help solve the case of Brom's murder and bring justice to those that may have done her husband wrong. Hickok heads to The Gem Saloon to question Swearengen, but as usual, Swearengen is able to deflect any inquiry directed towards him. Hickok takes an alternate approach by intentionally accepting a bribe from Swearengen. Wild Bill takes Swearengen's money and then enlists Bullock to do a review of the Garret gold claim. Bullock agrees to help, but says that he'll need to bring in somebody from Montana to do the work.

Whitney Ellsworth comes into town and lets Dority know that he's more than willing to mind his own business regarding the "accident" befalling Brom, if that keeps him from getting murdered himself. Later, Trixie tells Dority to leave Ellsworth alone, and he grudgingly agrees. Meanwhile Swearengen tells Farnum that he believes that "Hickok's got to die if I have to kill him myself..." Shocked, Farnum convinces his boss that he's got too much on his plate for such an ambitious idea.

Back at the hotel, Andy Cramed has fallen ill in his hotel room, and Joanie Stubbs fetches Doctor Cochran to attend to him. Cramed is in bad shape, delirious, and Cochran becomes very concerned.

Exhausted and nearly incoherent, Jack McCall tells the story of his poker showdown with Hickok to his pals at Tom Nuttall's; even these world-weary men are concerned by what they see. Later, returning to the saloon wild-eyed, the long-simmering anger has come to a boil. McCall strides up to the poker table and shoots Hickok in the back of the head. Word spreads quickly through town, as people take to the street, and McCall is immediately apprehended. Drawn almost by instinct, Bullock and Calamity Jane find their way to Nuttall's saloon, but an era has already ended: Wild Bill Hickok is dead.

Appearances

First

• Andy Cramed
• Barney
• Captain Massey

Deaths

• Wild Bill Hickok

Cast

Starring Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock Ian McShane as Al Swearengen Molly Parker as Alma Garret Jim Beaver as Whitney Ellsworth Brad Dourif as Doc Cochran John Hawkes as Sol Star Paula Malcomson as Trixie Leon Rippy as Tom Nuttall William Sanderson as E.B. Farnum Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane W. Earl Brown as Dan Dority Dayton Callie as Charlie Utter Powers Boothe as Cy Tolliver Keith Carradine as Wild Bill Hickok Guest Starring Jeffrey Jones as A.W. Merrick Timothy Omundson as Brom Garret Garret Dillahunt as Jack McCall Kim Dickens as Joanie Stubbs Sean Bridgers as Johnny Burns Ricky Jay as Eddie Sawyer Gareth Williams as Gem Saloon Patron Zach Grenier as Andy Cramed Peter Jason as Con Stapleton Nicolas Surovy as Captain Massey

Co-Starring Larry Cedar as Leon Tom Simmons as Lou Bree Seanna Wall as Sofia Metz Uncredited Frank Turner as Barney Candice T. Cain as Gem Whore Michael Keyes as Gun Store Owner

Cast notes

• All fourteen starring cast members appear in this episode.

Memorable Quotes

Can you let me go to hell the way I want to? - Wild Bill