11 Great Things You Only Notice Rewatching Deadwood

4. Approach To Gender Roles

Garret Dillahunt Deadwood
HBO

In the second watching of the show, there is a scene where one of the unnamed whores of The Gem Saloon points out Alma Ellsworth's absence from the meeting of the town elders; revealing that even with her power and influence as the owner of the only bank, a woman doesn't get offered a seat.

Much like minorities, women are forced into the margins in Deadwood, with the main female characters being defined as wives, widows, or whores; with the exception of Jane, who is punished for her rough demeanour.

Also like racism, sexism is more prevalent in the more unsavoury characters of the show, but still permeates throughout the town in subtle but authentic ways.

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Conor Spielberg is a freelance writer who has worked for various publications including CBR, Multiversity Comics, and of course WhatCulture. Armed with nothing more than a laptop and strong opinions about things of little consequence; he has managed to write about comics, film, television, tabletop games, and video games. He has even managed to trick people into paying him to do it.