A knock is heard at the door, and Leon and Stapleton stagger in with the sled carrying Mose Manual.
Down at Nuttall's, Steve is getting hammered, blaming Hostetler and the NG for the horse getting loose and trampling William. Didn't Steve have a broken leg of some kind as a result of the accident? I thought I remembered that he was hurt -- worse than he appears to be hurt now. Apparently, it's just his back that's "torn up." Whatever, I can't concentrate on Steve, who delivers a stunning racist rant about the livery, because the guy I hate is jabbering on about presenting Martha with a white satin comforter for the coffin. Yes, I am sure white satin ABOUNDS in the Dirtiest Town on Earth. You can buy it down at Bed, No Baths & Beyond. This whole scene was to determine two things: the NG and Hostetler left a sign on their door saying they'd be back in three hours; and Tom returns to his place, looking much worse for wear. He sees the boneshaker leaning against the wall, and tells the bartender to get rid of it. He sits down and starts drinking, and it's such a sad comparison to the overly jovial, jocular Tom of the last few episodes, a man in love with his bike, that his understated grief is quite moving.
The guy I hate wanders over and gives Tom his condolences, on behalf of the whole camp, which is...nice, I guess, and Steve who is becoming exponentially more drunk by the nanosecond, makes a declaration that Tom bears no more responsibility than he does himself, "an innocent, fuckin' helpful bystander," and again places the blame squarely on Hostetler and the NG. Tom just puts his head down and says no more.
Back in the Gem, Sol has finally been called into his meeting. It's an impenetrable scene which I will now summarize for you, for which you should be damn grateful. Al starts off by insulting Sol's Jewishness again, a tactic he has employed in the past. This time, Sol's not so nice about it. "I don't find those funny," he says. Al apologizes, with all the fake sincerity he can muster. "If you want my help, don't insult me," Sol reiterates. "Oh, Jesus Christ," Al smarts, rolling his eyes, "show me the secret grip that proves my regret and let's be about our fuckin' business." The camera cuts to Adams, still in the room, giving Al a warning look. They need Sol's help.
In fact, Al wants Sol to "salt" Adams with enough information about the Montana officials he knows to allow Adams to convincingly shine Jarry on about Montana's extreme interest -- their "stiff-pricked" interest -- in offering an annexation bid on the camp. Sol considers it, all serious, finally standing and toughly announcing that "yeah, I'll school him." Hee. Sol as a tough guy is not something I think I'll be able to get used to.