Episode Report Card Al Lowe: B+ | 3 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT No Other Sons Or Daughters
By Al Lowe | Season 1 | Episode 9 | Aired on 05.15.2004
At the sick tent, Doc tells the shaking and twitching Rev that he's headed to the Gem. On his way there, he passes an extremely inebriated Jane, who is leaning against a wall, propped only by her forehead. He tells her also that he's headed for the Gem. "Hooray for you," she groans, and he tells her that the Rev is back at the tent, trying to hide another seizure. "Ain't you clever," she says, "to see through the subterfuge." Doc sighs. He says he's been letting it go, but if she is trying to just drink more and more until he finally says something, then he is hereby officially saying it: "I wish you would stop. Fuckin'. Drinkin'." Jane rouses herself, saying she has no such ideas about anything she does; she's railing against him like a crazy loon and the BRILLIANT Brad Dourif soaks it in with a mixture of fear, pity and confusion. "All right, Jane," he says, and we see over his shoulder that Charlie is walking by and hearing all. "You happen to be fuckin' overlooking," she goes on, "that you think it's just one day after another with the same fuckin' seizure, as if it happened a week before. And that just shows how much you fuckin' know, goddamn you." Doc lowers his head; we're all sad about the Rev. It must be hard to lose a friend every single day of the week to the varying evils of the hills -- Indians, murder, syphilis, whatever -- but when one of the very few nice guys like the Rev is going down, it's got to seem like the death of hope itself. Doc rambles off, leaving Charlie to deal with Jane. She makes fun of his new freight business, but he overlooks it, once again offering her a position. "I'm in a position," she says, "you eternally meddling cocksucker." Charlie shrugs. "Yeah," he says, "leaning forward, shit-faced drunk." Jane is offended. "I am talking," she says, with feeling, "about nursing the plague." He offers her any job she wants with his freight company, but she keeps telling him to go away. "Congratulations on being a big, fuckin' deal," she says. Sighing, he tells her that no one is any big deal, but all his offers stand. She runs him off at last by insulting his frock coat.
Doc's nursing the whores at the Gem, and takes the time to check on Trixie's track marks. He gets out some salve, dabbing it on, and she thanks him.
In the saloon, the staff is getting ready for the big meeting as the attendees slowly arrive. Everyone nervously tips their hats at each other. Al comes in, noticing that Johnny has taken the initiative to get more pears and peaches, and tells him to pass them around. Pulling out the paper on which Claggett earlier listed the Yankton bigwigs, Al announces that he's "declaring myself conductor of this meeting, as I have the bribe sheet." They are interrupted by Tom Nuttall walking in. "If I'm excluded," he says, "just say so, Al. Don't leave me to die the death of a thousand cuts." Al tells him to take a seat, but Tom's not done with his drama. "Don't subject me to death by water torture," he says, causing Al to sigh loudly. "Take a seat, Tom," he says, "and tell us whatever book you've been reading on the fuckin' Yellow Peril, huh?" Tom takes his seat, and they're about to finally get started when Charlie makes an appearance. He says he just opened across the way, and asks pointedly if he was supposed to attend. Merrick does the introductions, explaining with a smile that Charlie was of Utter Freight and Postal Delivery, and by the way, had a lovely advert in the most recent issue of The Pioneer. Al nods, telling Charlie to take a seat as well. He gets right to it, and while Johnny passes out the traditional Gem meeting fruit, Al explains to all the men about what he learned in the meeting with the Yankton magistrate that morning and what they'll have to do to keep their titles on the claims, property, and businesses. It cracks me up how Ian McShane says "an-NEXED." It also cracks me up how Cy leans over to Al, like a snake, saying he'll be glad to be involved in all future dealings with the magistrates. "Yeah," Al says, "thanks, Cy," secretly shooting him the look of death as, across the table, E.B. wonders if they, as the informal government, couldn't levy a tax on the people in the camp who want to license business, in order to pay off the bribes. From a seat by the wall, Eddie asks if women who pay the licenses will have the same rights to open brothels as men. This earns a few giggles from the Gem whores gathered at the door, and a few alarmed and stern looks from most of the men at the meeting. Instead of responding, Al says that their proper order of business is to make titles of camp officers. E.B. asks who is to fill the various positions and Al says he doesn't care, that they might as well pick names from a hat for all he's concerned. "I'd like to be mayor!" E.B. says, with more jubilance than we've ever seen on this show, and though there are some incredulous faces around the table, none of them object fast enough, and Al declares E.B. mayor. Bullock looks nauseated, and asks if, since they're talking about levying taxes, shouldn't they also provide some kind of services to the people of the camp. E.B. says sure, they can provide a few services, but the most important thing is to get the taxes to pay off bribes. "Taking people's money is what makes organizations real," he says like a true politician, "be they formal, informal or temporary."