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Seeing this for the 1st took the series to another level . Unbelievable acting and story telling.

As a sufferer of severe epilepsy, so much so I can barely function, I wish there was an Al Swearangen to deliver me this existence of pain and near death I've lived with for years 😂

This was one of the greatest and heartbreaking scenes..

First time I watched Deadwood, I was much younger. Back then I felt much similar to how Bullock viewed the reverend. Watching again, much older now, I find myself appreciating Reverend Smith far more than I do Seth Bullock.

This shows dialogue was modern day Shakespeare

Al is evil, proudly so, yet this was a great kindness.

If Al was ever a godly man, it's in this scene. He took this act of mercy, knowing he was already damned, to spare not only Rev. Smith from his suffering, but to save the souls of any of Deadwood's less-Hellbound members from the terrible act.

“Do I have to separate you boys?”

RIP Snowflake.

I thought I remembered Nate talking gibberish at his end.???

Brad Dourif is a fucking legend. 💯

Strawberry Letter 23 has been a favorite of mine for a while…now I’m gonna be thinking of this every time I hear it now…

I can't believe I never thought about it, but this dream echoes Lisa's death! Maybe a part of Nate was joining Lisa...

Carrying the ghosts of his Civil War service.

The thing is, Doc, there ain’t no God. And that makes all the suffering humans do make perfect sense. There’s no “Maker”. No “Creator”. Human beings evolved from the Primordial ooze, to sit at the top of the food chain on Earth. There’s no fate. No karma. No afterlife. We’re flesh and bone, and our time on Earth is all we get. So I would humbly suggest that the meaning of life, of our Earthly existence is to enjoy it. To cherish little moments of joy. I’ve had my share. So when my eyes close for the last time, I won’t be scared. I expect I’ll feel grateful for those moments. That’s the best any human being could hope for, and they’re lucky if they get it.

There's a reason you see NO smiling in Civil War pictures. None. Perhaps the only thing worse than being on the line getting torn apart by artillery and minie' balls would be the preachers, doctors and nurses working on and trying to comfort the wounded. Probably half of whom died from infection and shock after making it off of the battlefield.

Anyone else here think it was David's dream instead entirely?

Al embraced the preacher before delivering this act of mercy. I guess the fans of the show already know that his character was a mixture of cold blooded business with occasional acts of generosity. One of the best characters in episodic television.

You saw deep into Al's soul in this scene

Clagget gets his next scene

What an amazing show

IN THE LEAST HE SERVED HIS BROTHER AS WELL AS HE MAY HAVE HAD THE OCCASION TO HAVE DONE AT LEAST IN REGARDS TO WHAT MUST SURELY HAVE BEEN THE SADDEST DUTY THAT HAD TO BE ACCOMPLISHED.

I saw this happen to a family member. He was good and kind, yet he slipped from reality day by day for several years before a failed surgery put him into a coma. I've been an atheist ever since. No god would do that to a good person like him. And if it did, it's not something I would put my faith in, ever.

How do other Hollywood script writers see this....and still get out of bed in the morning?

Doc wrap himself into a spiritual principle to justify paying for that man's murder 😂

for those that would like greater and real life context to al's monologue here. the real al swearengen had a brother who was afflicted similar to the reverend here. al, is being more than "the man for the job" here, he's familiar with the suffering and is truly delivering the reverend to his keeper in mercy. here's a reference: An unknown boy was part of the family who adopted Al Swearengen from an orphanage belonging to Mrs. Anderson. The boy suffered from seizures which deeply affected his father, leading him to brutally beat Al and help shape him into the cold-blooded murderer he would become years later. Eventually, the boy passed away, and his father gave Al a particularly harsh beating which he'd never forget.[

Few people can grasp the kindness of the act.

And to think, that preacher came so so close to taking the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original down... I was rootin for him.

This is the best show I have ever watched.

The doc was one of the most human characters iv ever seen.. he’s tormented

Gotta love Al. Dude is a scumbag through and through. But every now and then, you get this tiny glimmer of humanity.

It baffles me how people have always believed in mythical sky faeries. It is easier to understand how our ancient ancestors could have been drawn to that belief to help make sense out of things they didn't understand and couldn't explain how or why things happened due to limited knowledge of science and math and no access to reliable information. In today's society though we have instantaneous access to vast amounts of knowledge that can prove so many things that occur naturally over time are in fact just the way the universe works and how things develop and evolve without the need for a god to explain them. But sadly there are still billions of people who are weak minded and can't live without having a mythical supernatural entity to whine too, ask for help, use to explain what they do not comprehend, and have a reason to give away money they themselves need for rent, food, gas, utilities, etc. These people are idiots because they believe that a man was created by their god and then this god made a woman from the man's rib and they lived in paradise until a talking snake convinced them to eat an apple from an apple tree that for some reason that god forbid eating from for whatever stupid selfish reason. After eating the forbidden fruit they were cast out from paradise because that god was petty and selfish. So that man and woman went on to populate the entire Earth from just the two of them which puts the bible saying that everyone who has or does exist is a result of inbreeding and incest which science has proven to be impossible because the dna of different groups of people are not from the same origins so there is no way possible we all originated from just a man and a woman. That is just one ridiculous unbelievable story from the bible which is chock full of stories that are so asinine anyone who believes that crap is mentally ill in my opinion. This world would be an exponentially better place with no gods and no religion because religion is just used as a divisive force and for a place to hide when so called religious people need an excuse for the horrible atrocities they commit

Gorilla Blanco

Brad Dourif (Doc Cocran) gave one of the greatest performances of all time

Don’t forget, Doc Cochran played Chucky in the original Child’s Play movie. No wonder that thing scared the crap outta me!!!

Mammmmmy mammmmmy

The reverend and the doc represent how the civil war irreparably damaged the relationship Americans had with god and Christianity up til that point.

butn.

01:19 If you notice, Nate sees the light and dies at this second. The dream sequence is David dreaming and Nate is already gone. Reference Nate's eyes at 04:41, they are the same as in 01:19 when he dies. Amazing production on this show, even 20 years later I am finding things I missed like this while watching it even after many times.

What a magnificent scene. This show is so good.

Nothing better seen on TV ever. and its 2022

In this scene the roles are reversed. The Doc is emotional with angry outbursts the way Al runs the Gem. Whereas Al is technical like a surgeon teaching another how to perform a procedure in a routine like manner. Damn Milch is good

Even though Al is a backstabbing scumbag, i think this was technically the nicest thing he did. What do i mean by that? He saw and heard smith suffering so he decided to help put an end to it so he didn’t have to be in pain anymore…..or i could be wrong and Al decided to kill him because of some sorta beef he had with the preacher. Been a while since I’ve seen Deadwood and i only remember Al being a pompous bastard of man

I love how the doctor is good enough to know that even with all of his medications and all of his training and education, all of his medicine is still just primitive bullshit that's not good enough to do what needs to be done about 70% of the time and it's crushing him. I imagine there are doctors right now who feel the same way.

What true believer has not ever felt this way...at least once.

I think this scene is one of the most powerful in the entire series. Brad, Ian...they all turned in powerhouse performances. Very moving.

This is really what made the show. Not only were the stars spectacular actors, but even those with small parts.

FOr all the things he is Al is not a monster. You want to be in the game he will play you and win. But he does not permit the suffering of innocents.

If I ever had any doubt (didn't), this is an ultimate demonstration of Brad Dourif's absolute character immersion. This scene brings me to tears.