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[[caption-width-right:300:''"[[Blog/{{Boatmurdered}} Welcome to fucking Deadwood! Can be combative!]]"'']]
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Changed line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
[[caption-width-right:300:''"[[VillainProtagonist Welcome to fucking Deadwood! Can be combative!]]"'']]
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* SaloonOwner: The kind that likes to run all sorts of profitable schemes through it, regardless of legality or morality.
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Changed line(s) 36 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Al:''' I won't need no fucking knife.
to:
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-->''"Every fuckin’ beatin’ I’m grateful for. Every fuckin’ one of them. Get all the trust beat outta you. And you know what the fuckin’ world is."''
Albert "Al" Swearengen is the proprietor of the Gem Saloon, born in England but raised in a Chicago orphanage under an abusive figure known as Mrs. Anderson. He mentions on occasion that Mrs. Anderson ran a brothel at the girls' orphanage before running the boys' orphanage. Swearengen was among the first settlers of Deadwood, earning him several land claims and a position of power. The Gem Saloon, offering alcohol, prostitution and faro, also acts as Swearengen’s base of operations.
Albert "Al" Swearengen is the proprietor of the Gem Saloon, born in England but raised in a Chicago orphanage under an abusive figure known as Mrs. Anderson. He mentions on occasion that Mrs. Anderson ran a brothel at the girls' orphanage before running the boys' orphanage. Swearengen was among the first settlers of Deadwood, earning him several land claims and a position of power. The Gem Saloon, offering alcohol, prostitution and faro, also acts as Swearengen’s base of operations.
to:
-->''"Every fuckin’ beatin’ I’m fuckin' beatin' I'm grateful for. Every fuckin’ fuckin' one of them. Get all the trust beat outta you. And you know what the fuckin’ fuckin' world is."''
Albert "Al" Swearengen is the proprietor of the Gem Saloon, born in England but raised in a Chicago orphanage under an abusive figure known as Mrs. Anderson. He mentions on occasion that Mrs. Anderson ran a brothel at the girls' orphanage before running the boys' orphanage. Swearengen was among the first settlers of Deadwood, earning him several land claims and a position of power. The Gem Saloon, offering alcohol, prostitution and faro, also acts asSwearengen’s Swearengen's base of operations.
Albert "Al" Swearengen is the proprietor of the Gem Saloon, born in England but raised in a Chicago orphanage under an abusive figure known as Mrs. Anderson. He mentions on occasion that Mrs. Anderson ran a brothel at the girls' orphanage before running the boys' orphanage. Swearengen was among the first settlers of Deadwood, earning him several land claims and a position of power. The Gem Saloon, offering alcohol, prostitution and faro, also acts as
Changed line(s) 26,27 (click to see context) from:
* TheAlcoholic: Al drinks heavily and is frequently seen drunk throughout the show, although he's a rather functional alcoholic and doesn't get sloppy drunk often. [[spoiler: In the movie, his addiction has finally caught up to him and he's dying of liver failure.]]
* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler: Did he die at the end of the movie, or manage to hold on a bit longer?]]
* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler: Did he die at the end of the movie, or manage to hold on a bit longer?]]
to:
* TheAlcoholic: Al drinks heavily and is frequently seen drunk throughout the show, although he's a rather functional alcoholic and doesn't get sloppy drunk often. [[spoiler: In [[spoiler:In the movie, his addiction has finally caught up to him and he's dying of liver failure.]]
* AmbiguousEnding:[[spoiler: Did [[spoiler:Did he die at the end of the movie, or manage to hold on a bit longer?]]
* AmbiguousEnding:
Changed line(s) 29,35 (click to see context) from:
-->''"Say what you’re gonna say or prepare for eternal fucking silence."''
-->'''Al:''' What if I come for you? You ready for that?
-->'''Bullock:''' I guess I'd better be.
-->'''Al:''' Then close your fuckin' store, 'cause being ready for me'll take care of your wakin' hours, and you'd better have someone to hand the task off to when you close your fuckin' eyes.
-->'''Bullock:''' Will I find you've got a knife on you?
-->'''Al:''' What if I come for you? You ready for that?
-->'''Bullock:''' I guess I'd better be.
-->'''Al:''' Then close your fuckin' store, 'cause being ready for me'll take care of your wakin' hours, and you'd better have someone to hand the task off to when you close your fuckin' eyes.
-->'''Bullock:''' Will I find you've got a knife on you?
to:
-->''"Say what you’re you're gonna say or prepare for eternal fucking silence."''
-->'''Al:'''"''\\
\\
'''Al:''' What if I come for you? You ready forthat?
-->'''Bullock:'''that?\\
'''Bullock:''' I guess I'd betterbe.
-->'''Al:'''be.\\
'''Al:''' Then close your fuckin' store, 'cause being ready for me'll take care of your wakin' hours, and you'd better have someone to hand the task off to when you close your fuckin'eyes.
-->'''Bullock:'''eyes.\\
\\
'''Bullock:''' Will I find you've got a knife onyou?you?\\
-->'''Al:'''
\\
'''Al:''' What if I come for you? You ready for
-->'''Bullock:'''
'''Bullock:''' I guess I'd better
-->'''Al:'''
'''Al:''' Then close your fuckin' store, 'cause being ready for me'll take care of your wakin' hours, and you'd better have someone to hand the task off to when you close your fuckin'
-->'''Bullock:'''
\\
'''Bullock:''' Will I find you've got a knife on
Changed line(s) 48,57 (click to see context) from:
-->''"I'm declaring myself conductor of this meeting as I have the bribe sheet."''
-->''"How does Hearst hope to defeat me? Allied as I am with the imbecile, the contemptible, and the promiscuous fucking insane."''
-->''"Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face."''
-->''"I’d rather try touching the moon than take on a whore’s thinking."''
-->''"You can't just cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve."''
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: The owner of Deadwood's preeminent saloon, by the time of TheMovie he's at death's door from liver failure, owing to his constant drinking.]][[note]]This is in stark contrast to the real Swearengen's death, which occurred fifteen years later under mysterious circumstances, with his dead body discovered in the street with a massive head wound, likely murder.[[/note]]
-->''"How does Hearst hope to defeat me? Allied as I am with the imbecile, the contemptible, and the promiscuous fucking insane."''
-->''"Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face."''
-->''"I’d rather try touching the moon than take on a whore’s thinking."''
-->''"You can't just cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve."''
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: The owner of Deadwood's preeminent saloon, by the time of TheMovie he's at death's door from liver failure, owing to his constant drinking.]][[note]]This is in stark contrast to the real Swearengen's death, which occurred fifteen years later under mysterious circumstances, with his dead body discovered in the street with a massive head wound, likely murder.[[/note]]
to:
-->''"I'm declaring myself conductor of this meeting as I have the bribe sheet."''
-->''"How"''\\
\\
''"How does Hearst hope to defeat me? Allied as I am with the imbecile, the contemptible, and the promiscuous fucking insane."''
-->''"Over"''\\
\\
''"Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face."''
-->''"I’d"''\\
\\
''"I'd rather try touching the moon than take on awhore’s whore's thinking."''
-->''"You"''\\
\\
''"You can't just cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve."''
* DeathByIrony:[[spoiler: The [[spoiler:The owner of Deadwood's preeminent saloon, by the time of TheMovie he's at death's door from liver failure, owing to his constant drinking.]][[note]]This is in stark contrast to the real Swearengen's death, which occurred fifteen years later under mysterious circumstances, with his dead body discovered in the street with a massive head wound, likely murder.[[/note]]
-->''"How
\\
''"How does Hearst hope to defeat me? Allied as I am with the imbecile, the contemptible, and the promiscuous fucking insane.
-->''"Over
\\
''"Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face.
-->''"I’d
\\
''"I'd rather try touching the moon than take on a
-->''"You
\\
''"You can't just cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve."''
* DeathByIrony:
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
* NotSoAboveItAll: [[spoiler:Singing (to his empty bar) during Amateur Night]]
to:
* NotSoAboveItAll: [[spoiler:Singing (to his empty bar) during Amateur Night]]Night]].
Changed line(s) 93,94 (click to see context) from:
-->''"Do not put unauthorized cinnamon on the goddamn meeting table! That’s all the fuck we need."''
to:
-->''"Do not put unauthorized cinnamon on the goddamn meeting table! That’s That's all the fuck we need."''
Changed line(s) 213,214 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Al:''' What was your purpose at Doc's?
-->'''Jewel:''' I'm knocked up.
-->'''Jewel:''' I'm knocked up.
to:
-->'''Al:''' What was your purpose at Doc's?
-->'''Jewel:'''Doc's?\\
'''Jewel:''' I'm knocked up.
-->'''Jewel:'''
'''Jewel:''' I'm knocked up.
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"Is there any fucking chance you and me don’t end up in blood?"'']]
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"Is there any fucking chance you and me don’t don't end up in blood?"'']]
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[[/folder]]
to:
----
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dewicking Knife Nut per trs disambig
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* KnifeNut: To the point he laments not being as good with a gun.
-->''"I'm a fucking terrible shot. Work better closer in."''
-->''"I'm a fucking terrible shot. Work better closer in."''
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Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* PetTheDog: He occasionally gives out some tough love to various characters who need a kick in the rear to get them over some problem. He also seems to have a genuine concern about the Reverend's physical and mental declines, citing a brother who used to have similar afflictions, [[spoiler:leading eventually to performing a MercyKill on the poor man of the cloth]].
to:
* PetTheDog: He occasionally gives out some tough love to various characters who need a kick in the rear to get them over some problem. He also seems to have a genuine concern about the Reverend's physical and mental declines, declines in the first season, citing a brother who used to have similar afflictions, [[spoiler:leading [[spoiler:and eventually leading him to performing perform a tearful MercyKill on the poor man of the cloth]].
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Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* PetTheDog: He occasionally gives out some tough love to various character who need a kick in the rear to get them over some problem.
to:
* PetTheDog: He occasionally gives out some tough love to various character characters who need a kick in the rear to get them over some problem.problem. He also seems to have a genuine concern about the Reverend's physical and mental declines, citing a brother who used to have similar afflictions, [[spoiler:leading eventually to performing a MercyKill on the poor man of the cloth]].
Changed line(s) 80,81 (click to see context) from:
* SelfMadeMan: Al prides himself on pulling himself up from nothing, an abused orphan who has gone on to become a powerful man in Deadwood who decides life and death.
* SirSwearsALot: Even in swear-heavy Deadwood, Al swears a great deal.
* SirSwearsALot: Even in swear-heavy Deadwood, Al swears a great deal.
to:
* SelfMadeMan: Al prides himself on pulling himself up from nothing, nothing: an abused orphan who has gone on to become a powerful man in Deadwood who decides life and death.
* SirSwearsALot: Even in swear-heavy Deadwood, Al swears a great deal. Alma calls him out on it when they have their first serious conversation.
* SirSwearsALot: Even in swear-heavy Deadwood, Al swears a great deal. Alma calls him out on it when they have their first serious conversation.
Changed line(s) 131 (click to see context) from:
* PunchClockVillain: He's a henchman for Al, but he never kills anyone and the one time he almost shoots someone, he feels terrible.
to:
* PunchClockVillain: He's a henchman for Al, but he never kills anyone and the one time he shoots (and almost shoots kills) someone, he feels terrible.
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* BeleaguredAssistant: From time to time, she can seem a little weary with the constant chaos that occurs around her.
to:
* BeleaguredAssistant: BeleagueredAssistant: From time to time, she can seem a little weary with the constant chaos that occurs around her.
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* {{BBW}}: She's gorgeous and full-figured; particularly in contrast to the more slender Trixie.
to:
* {{BBW}}: BigBeautifulWoman: She's gorgeous and full-figured; particularly in contrast to the more slender Trixie.
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Badass Mustache and Badass Beard are being merged into Manly Facial Hair. Examples that don't fit or are zero-context are removed. Having facial hair is not enough to qualify. To qualify for Manly Facial Hair, the facial hair must be associated with masculinity/manliness in some way. Please read the trope description before readding to make sure the example qualifies.
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* BadassMoustache: He has a very thick moustache, but keeps the rest of his face clean-shaven.
Deleted line(s) 102 (click to see context) :
* BadassBeard: He has one.
Deleted line(s) 234 (click to see context) :
* BadassBeard: He sports muttonchips in Season 1, but grows a full, impressive beard come Season 2, which ends up being his signature look.
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* TheDreaded: Everyone in Deadwood is terrified of Al and with good reason.
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->'''Portrayed By:''' Jade Pettyjohn
to:
->'''Portrayed By:''' Jade Pettyjohn
Creator/JadePettyjohn
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Deleted line(s) 233 (click to see context) :
* {{Adorkable}}: Shockingly, this cold-blooded and highly efficient killer turns into a smitten schoolboy when Miss Isringhausen works her charms on him.
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Changed line(s) 128,132 (click to see context) from:
%%* ButtMonkey
%%* CompletelyMissingThePoint
%%* DumbAssHasAPoint
* HiddenDepths: Johnny is a bit dim, but he can decipher Wu's drawings when even Al can't, and was teaching Jen to read.
* HypocriticalHumor: When he asks Wu "Why don't ya learn to talk[sic] AMERICAN?!"
%%* CompletelyMissingThePoint
%%* DumbAssHasAPoint
* HiddenDepths: Johnny is a bit dim, but he can decipher Wu's drawings when even Al can't, and was teaching Jen to read.
* HypocriticalHumor: When he asks Wu "Why don't ya learn to talk[sic] AMERICAN?!"
to:
%%* CompletelyMissingThePoint
%%* DumbAssHasAPoint
* HypocriticalHumor: When he asks
Changed line(s) 134,135 (click to see context) from:
%%* NiceGuy
%%* NonActionGuy
%%* NonActionGuy
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%%* NonActionGuy
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* {{BBW}}: Gorgeous and full-figured; particularly in contrast to the more slender Trixie.
%%* BeleagueredAssistant
* TheConfidant: For Al; he confides a great deal of himself and his past to her in times of stress, but it isn't so much that he trusts her as it is that she fears him, so her status as his confidant is almost incidental. He becomes angry if she ever tries to engage with him in conversation.
%%* BeleagueredAssistant
* TheConfidant: For Al; he confides a great deal of himself and his past to her in times of stress, but it isn't so much that he trusts her as it is that she fears him, so her status as his confidant is almost incidental. He becomes angry if she ever tries to engage with him in conversation.
to:
* {{BBW}}: Gorgeous She's gorgeous and full-figured; particularly in contrast to the more slender Trixie.
%%* BeleagueredAssistant
* TheConfidant: For Al; Al: he confides a great deal of himself and his past to her in times of stress, but it isn't so much that he trusts her as it is that she fears him, so her status as his confidant is almost incidental. He becomes angry if she ever tries to engage with him in conversation.
[[folder:Caroline]]
!!Caroline Woolgarden
->'''Portrayed By:''' Jade Pettyjohn
* HighClassCallGirl: She's notably more high class than the Gem's usual offerings; she's decked out in a beautiful dress and her manner of speaking implies some good education.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that she'll wind up in a relationship with Johnny, who's old enough to be her father. Dan is a little critical of him for this.
[[/folder]]
!!Caroline Woolgarden
->'''Portrayed By:''' Jade Pettyjohn
* HighClassCallGirl: She's notably more high class than the Gem's usual offerings; she's decked out in a beautiful dress and her manner of speaking implies some good education.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that she'll wind up in a relationship with Johnny, who's old enough to be her father. Dan is a little critical of him for this.
[[/folder]]
Deleted line(s) 222,223 (click to see context) :
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!The Gem Saloon
[[foldercontrol]]
!!!Ownership
[[folder:Al]]
!!Albert "Al" Swearengen
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swearengen_albert_ellis_4.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"[[VillainProtagonist Welcome to fucking Deadwood! Can be combative!]]"'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/IanMcShane
-->''"Every fuckin’ beatin’ I’m grateful for. Every fuckin’ one of them. Get all the trust beat outta you. And you know what the fuckin’ world is."''
Albert "Al" Swearengen is the proprietor of the Gem Saloon, born in England but raised in a Chicago orphanage under an abusive figure known as Mrs. Anderson. He mentions on occasion that Mrs. Anderson ran a brothel at the girls' orphanage before running the boys' orphanage. Swearengen was among the first settlers of Deadwood, earning him several land claims and a position of power. The Gem Saloon, offering alcohol, prostitution and faro, also acts as Swearengen’s base of operations.
Swearengen is cunning, manipulative and initially appears to be the most cynically amoral of all the characters, showing no hesitation in resorting to violence and murder when it serves his business interests.
----
* AbusiveParents: Abusive ''adoptive'' parents. He might as well have never known his biological family.
* AdaptationNameChange: His full name in the show is Albert Swearengen, whereas in real life it was Ellis Alfred Swearengen.
* AdaptationalNationality: His history of being born in England and immigrating to the US at a young age is an invention of the show; the real Swearengen was born in Iowa to a Dutch family.
* AffablyEvil:
** Swearengen makes no secret of the fact that he'll kill little girls, or even burn down the town, if it's in his interest... but also that he would prefer not to if there was any other way. Overall he's a pretty charming guy, and even Bullock eventually agrees to work with him, as long as it's in Deadwood's best interest.
** He and Cy act as a good case study for the differences between AffablyEvil and FauxAffablyEvil, respectively.
* AgeLift: The real Al Swearengen was born in 1845. However, the ''Deadwood'' character refers to events in his childhood happening "about 30 years before you [Dolly] were born". Since the series takes place in 1876-77, this suggests that the character has an age closer to that of actor Ian [=McShane=].
* TheAlcoholic: Al drinks heavily and is frequently seen drunk throughout the show, although he's a rather functional alcoholic and doesn't get sloppy drunk often. [[spoiler: In the movie, his addiction has finally caught up to him and he's dying of liver failure.]]
* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler: Did he die at the end of the movie, or manage to hold on a bit longer?]]
* BadassBoast: Al makes a few of them, and only when he means it. He has the power to back them all up.
-->''"Say what you’re gonna say or prepare for eternal fucking silence."''
-->'''Al:''' What if I come for you? You ready for that?
-->'''Bullock:''' I guess I'd better be.
-->'''Al:''' Then close your fuckin' store, 'cause being ready for me'll take care of your wakin' hours, and you'd better have someone to hand the task off to when you close your fuckin' eyes.
-->'''Bullock:''' Will I find you've got a knife on you?
-->'''Al:''' I won't need no fucking knife.
* BadassMoustache: He has a very thick moustache, but keeps the rest of his face clean-shaven.
* BadBoss: To his prostitutes, who he treats terribly. Still, they're better off with him than with Cy.
* TheBartender: When Dan isn't tending bar.
* BodyHorror: The 'kidney stones' story arc which is depicted every agonizing step of the way.
* TheChessmaster: He's quite the skilled schemer and manipulator.
* ClusterFBomb: About one per sentence.
* CombatPragmatist: Guess what. [[ILied He was carrying his knife]], after all...
* CompanionCube: "Chief", the dead Indian's head, who Al talks to in private.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He's hardly a high-powered businessman, but within Deadwood, he might as well be the CEO of a fortune 500 company.
* CruelToBeKind: Killing Jen to save Trixie.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He was abandoned by his biological family and raised in an orphanage by an abusive woman named Mrs. Anderson, who as it turned, had the orphanage moonlight as a brothel.
* DeadpanSnarker: He is a wonderful source of sharp, witty lines and it feeds into his AffablyEvil persona.
-->''"I'm declaring myself conductor of this meeting as I have the bribe sheet."''
-->''"How does Hearst hope to defeat me? Allied as I am with the imbecile, the contemptible, and the promiscuous fucking insane."''
-->''"Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face."''
-->''"I’d rather try touching the moon than take on a whore’s thinking."''
-->''"You can't just cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve."''
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: The owner of Deadwood's preeminent saloon, by the time of TheMovie he's at death's door from liver failure, owing to his constant drinking.]][[note]]This is in stark contrast to the real Swearengen's death, which occurred fifteen years later under mysterious circumstances, with his dead body discovered in the street with a massive head wound, likely murder.[[/note]]
* DragonInChief: When Farnum is the mayor. Other than maybe the people who directly work for Farnum at the hotel, there's not a single person in the town who thinks he's actually in charge of anything. Everyone else knows Al is running the show.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Cy Tolliver's complete sociopathy grinds against Al's simple ruthlessness. And Swearengen certainly ends up hating Hearst, who uses borderline slave labor, rape, and other things to extend his mining empire.
* EvilBrit: He was born in Britain, and he once expresses a desire to retire there. Despite his lack of an English accent, Jane still occasionally refers to him as a "limey."
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: He does swear a bit.
* AFatherToHisMen: Al has a paternalistic affection for Johnny, Dan and Silas even if he does treat them poorly from time to time.
* HeelFaceTurn: Downplayed; his fundamental character and morality don't change all that much, but he becomes less of an antagonistic force over the course of the series.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Al is a ruthless murderer who treats his employees with disdain, but he ''does'' care for a select few of them, treating them like his children and he's a particularly hard-to-please father. Special mention goes to Jewel, a disabled woman who Al frequently taunts and insults but keeps employed. Trixie considers it his way of 'protecting her'.
* KarmicDeath: Narrowly averted. When he's deathly ill and unable to call for help, none of his underlings enter his room despite their suspicions due to his terrible reputation.
* KnifeNut: To the point he laments not being as good with a gun.
-->''"I'm a fucking terrible shot. Work better closer in."''
* LimitedWardrobe: Most of the camp doesn't have much access to new clothes, but he and his black striped suit take it to the extreme. If he isn't wearing it, it's because he's in his underwear.
* TheManBehindTheMan: After Farnum is 'elected' mayor.
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* MeaningfulName: He was a real person, but seriously, how delicious is it that on a show like this one of the main characters has a name pronounced "Swear Engine"?
* NobleDemon: He's ruthlessly self-interested and not above murder and the like, but he does have ''some'' standards and a paternalistic affection for his employees.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Unleashes one on Hearst's [[PinkertonDetective Pinkerton Agent]] to [[WeHaveWaysOfMakingYouTalk make him talk]].
* NotSoAboveItAll: [[spoiler:Singing (to his empty bar) during Amateur Night]]
* PetTheDog: He occasionally gives out some tough love to various character who need a kick in the rear to get them over some problem.
* PragmaticVillainy: If it's [[CorruptCorporateExecutive good for business]], then it's good for Al.
* RapeAsBackstory: It's implied that he was among the children pimped out while being raised in Mrs. Anderson's orphanage/brothel, which would certainly explain why he buys his own whores from that same orphanage and his protective (if still abusive and dismissive) attitude towards them.
* RefugeInAudacity: A somewhat meta example. He's abusive, threatening, won't hesitate to murder people, drives enemies out of business, schemes and schemes and schemes, treats his employees like crap depending on his mood, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking swears somewhat frequently.]] And yet fans of the show love him, because he's just so ''entertaining'' in how he goes about doing it.
* SelfMadeMan: Al prides himself on pulling himself up from nothing, an abused orphan who has gone on to become a powerful man in Deadwood who decides life and death.
* SirSwearsALot: Even in swear-heavy Deadwood, Al swears a great deal.
* VillainProtagonist: He's the {{Deuteragonist}} of the first season and the BigBad.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: He settled in Deadwood because he was wanted for murder in Chicago.
* YouHaveFailedMe: He has a tendency to do this to his less trustworthy minions, such as Jimmy Irons.
[[/folder]]
!!!Bar Staff
[[folder:Dan]]
!!Dan Dority
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dority_daniel_7734.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I have come back from plenty of shit that looked like it was going wrong."'']]
->'''Played By:''' [[Creator/WEarlBrown W. Earl Brown]]
-->''"Do not put unauthorized cinnamon on the goddamn meeting table! That’s all the fuck we need."''
Dan Dority, probably based on the real-life Dan Doherty, is Al Swearengen's right-hand man. A former bushwhacker, he has been with Al for years and serves him as bodyguard, enforcer and killer. While violent and short-tempered he is not a heartless killer.
----
* AffablyEvil: Dan has little qualms about following commands to murder people and is prone to knee-jerk murders all on his own. For all that, he's usually quite personable.
* AlliterativeName: '''D'''an '''D'''ority.
* BadassBeard: He has one.
* TheBartender: When Al himself isn't.
* BerserkButton: Don't eye a ProperLady [[AllMenArePerverts like that]].
* TheDragon: To Al Swearengen.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: One of the first (and only) instances where he declines to follow Al's orders is when he sends him to [[WouldntHurtAChild kill Sofia Metz]].
* HitmanWithAHeart: Dan is a hired killer, but he's a very emotional man who feels strongly.
* HotBlooded: He's always ready to throw a punch or cut someone's throat, be it at Al's order or Dan's own anger issues.
* InelegantBlubbering: Whenever he's been truly upset, Dan tends to sob all the fluid out of his body in private.
* LoveAtFirstSight: In "Suffer the Little Children" he has an immediate crush on Flora, who he thinks to be a nice ProperLady, but gives up on her easily when he is informed that she is actually a crook.
* ManChild: As dangerous as he is, Dan is emotionally immature. He's quick-tempered and latches onto Al like a child to a distant but beloved father figure. In fact, Dan's rivalry with Adams is due entirely to childish jealousy that Al is favoring another "son."
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Sorry Dan, [[MyGirlIsASlut she is]].
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: His fight with the Captain is one of the most brutal examples seen on television. He also gives a good beating to Hawkeye and a few drunken yokels. His skull cracking of Brom is less severe and drawn out.
* TheRival: To Silas for a while. Later, with Hearst's man Captain Turner.
* TerribleTrio: He's part of one with Johnny and Silas.
* VillainousBSOD: An hilarious instance happens when he believes that Al prefers Silas to him, and he ''breaks down crying''. Deep inside, he's just [[ManChild a big child]].
* WouldntHurtAChild: Although fully intending to at first, the Doc convinces him otherwise.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Johnny]]
!!Johnny Burns
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burns_john.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Al... I have hoped for this conversation ever since you give me that Indian head to hide."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/SeanBridgers
John "Johnny" Burns is a worker at the Gem Saloon and one of Al's lackeys. His main jobs are tending bar, cleaning, and hauling corpses to Wu's pigsty. Young and ambitious, Johnny is also not too bright, leading Al to continually abuse him verbally and physically.
----
* TheBartender: He shares this duty with Dan at the Gem.
%%* ButtMonkey
%%* CompletelyMissingThePoint
%%* DumbAssHasAPoint
* HiddenDepths: Johnny is a bit dim, but he can decipher Wu's drawings when even Al can't, and was teaching Jen to read.
* HypocriticalHumor: When he asks Wu "Why don't ya learn to talk[sic] AMERICAN?!"
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Johnny might be a lackey of Al, but he's far from a cold-blooded killer and is friendly to just about everyone.
%%* NiceGuy
%%* NonActionGuy
* PunchClockVillain: He's a henchman for Al, but he never kills anyone and the one time he almost shoots someone, he feels terrible.
* TerribleTrio: With Dan and Silas.
[[/folder]]
!!!Sex Workers
[[folder:Trixie]]
!!Trixie
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/trixie.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"[[DeadpanSnarker Tread lightly who lives in hope of pussy.]]"'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/PaulaMalcomson
-->'''Sol Star:''' I don’t understand.
-->'''Trixie:''' You wouldn’t. You’re too fucking healthy-minded. You’ll sit here waiting for me to materialize from a piece of fucking furniture and think the world is normal.
Trixie is Al Swearengen's favorite girl at the Gem. Swearengen is often abusive toward her, but she always returns to him and he in turn often shows great affection for her, though not openly.
----
* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: Al intends her to be this to Alma so she'll be more willing to sell her gold claim, but she refuses.
* BetaCouple: With Sol.
* BrokenBird: She's had a rough life, to the point it becomes something of a cycle. Part of the reason she returns to Al rather than take Alma's offer to leave Deadwood is that she's too used to suffering to see Alma's offer of escape as something more than a joke.
* DeadpanSnarker: She has plenty of sharp lines.
-->''"For chrissakes, Mr. Star, my cherry is obstructing my work. Sir, would you take it from me, free?"''
* DrivenToSuicide: In "Suffer the Little Children". She fails and Doc heals her back.
* FirstNameBasis: She even uses the name "Trixie, the Whore" for a bank account, apparently because not even herself knows what her surname is.
* FullFrontalAssault: Attempts to assassinate Hearst while topless.
* HappinessInSlavery: How much 'happiness' is debatable, but she doesn't seek to leave the Gem and feels bad for Al when he is ill.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: She's a prostitute with a strong sense of morality and justice.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's got a sharp tongue, but she cares about people unable to help themselves.
* MsFanservice: Often nude.
* VictoriasSecretCompartment: She keeps a small gun in her undies.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dolly]]
!!Dolly
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TropeDolly_9058.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I don't like it either. When they hold you down."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/AshleyKizer
Dolly is a prostitute at the Gem Saloon. Swearengen begins a relationship with her after Trixie leaves his employ. Although he doesn't harbor the same affection for her as Trixie, Swearengen confides his innermost vulnerabilities with Dolly.
----
* {{BBW}}: Gorgeous and full-figured; particularly in contrast to the more slender Trixie.
%%* BeleagueredAssistant
* TheConfidant: For Al; he confides a great deal of himself and his past to her in times of stress, but it isn't so much that he trusts her as it is that she fears him, so her status as his confidant is almost incidental. He becomes angry if she ever tries to engage with him in conversation.
* FieryRedhead: ''Completely'' {{averted}}. She's one of the only redheads in town, and is probably the most placid, passive character on the show.
* FirstNameBasis: She's known solely as Dolly, with no last name known.
* HappinessInSlavery: Dolly isn't exactly ''happy'', but she's certainly resigned and does seem to care for Al in a way.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Despite Al's shabby treatment of her, Dolly still manages to muster up a sense of compassion and sympathy for him.
* ReplacementGoldfish: After Trixie leaves the Gem, Al replaces her with Dolly, although he doesn't regard her with nearly the same affection.
* TheQuietOne: She's plenty demure and knows enough to keep quiet.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There's no sign of her following the TimeSkip, with no explanation given for her absence. One imagines that prostitutes in boomtowns don't have very long careers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jen]]
!!Jen
->'''Played By:''' Creator/JenniferLutheran
Another prostitute at the Gem. She is closer to Johnny, who teaches her to read.
----
* DisposableSexWorker: Averted; she's murdered by Al to save Trixie's life, but TheMovie shows that Trixie and Al still recall her death with considerable regret, and Johnny still mourns for her.
* ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted; 13 years later, Johnny still mourns her and fondly recalls their burgeoning relationship.
* NeverLearnedToRead: She's illiterate, with Johnny Burns teaching her to read.
* SacrificialLamb: Jen is a very literal sacrifice, since she's killed by Al to save the life of Trixie, using her body to appease Hearst, who didn't get a good look at his attacker.
* SlashedThroat: Al kills her via his usual method.
[[/folder]]
!!!Other Employees
[[folder:Jewel]]
!!Jewel Caulfield
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/JewelCaulfield_786.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Say I'm as nimble as a forest creature."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/GeriJewell
Jewel is the disabled cleaning woman at the Gem, Al Swearengen's saloon and brothel. Jewel often uses her job in the Gem to "overhear" what is really going on. Coffee and most of the meals from the Gem kitchen are prepared by her. Al makes a public show of barely tolerating her, often publicly referring to her as "the gimp" or complaining about her noisily dragging her stiff leg. Jewel responds with a cheerful, mocking disrespect Al would tolerate from no one else.
----
* BeleaguredAssistant: From time to time, she can seem a little weary with the constant chaos that occurs around her.
* DisabledSnarker: Her disability impedes her ability to walk, but not her ability to spit witty one-liners at every given opportunity.
-->'''Al:''' What was your purpose at Doc's?
-->'''Jewel:''' I'm knocked up.
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Averted; Jewel is as fully rounded a character as any other recurring character on the show, and she isn't considered particularly saintly or inspirational. She's just an intelligent, hard-working woman who happens to have a disability in a period of time where people were not kind to those with disabilities.
* LimitedWardrobe: Jewel only has the one dress, and it is clearly old and torn apart.
* MoralityPet: She's one of Al's; he's cruel, abusive and mocking toward her, forever yelling at her about dragging her "gimp leg", but the fact that he tolerates her sass and keeps her around is one of the first hints that he's not quite the heartless monster he might appear to be. Trixie says [[spoiler:When he's dying, Jewel is one of those present by his bedside, showing that he truly does love Jewel and considers her family.]]
-->'''Trixie:''' Jewel - that he says he's got around against some hooplehead only having 9 cents and wanting a piece of pussy. That ain't it. Why she's around is...it's his sick fucking way of protectin' her.
* ServileSnarker: Jewel sasses Al with a frequency that would get virtually anyone else a forwarding address in the bellies of Wu's pigs, but as much as he mocks her back, Al does tolerate it. Sometimes he even seems to enjoy it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Adams]]
!!Silas Adams
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adams_silas_4457.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Is there any fucking chance you and me don’t end up in blood?"'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/TitusWelliver
Silas Adams, also known as "the bagman from Yankton", who comes to camp to collect bribe money for Magistrate Clagget. Swearengen hires Adams to join his operation, as he is smarter than Al's other lackeys, paying him to slice Clagget's throat for extorting money from Swearengen. Adams serves Swearengen as his contact in Yankton to bring him news of the territorial changes, as well as relying on his legal counsel when dealing with Commissioner Jarry and his election proposals. He also serves as middleman between Hearst and Swearengen.
----
* {{Adorkable}}: Shockingly, this cold-blooded and highly efficient killer turns into a smitten schoolboy when Miss Isringhausen works her charms on him.
* BadassBeard: He sports muttonchips in Season 1, but grows a full, impressive beard come Season 2, which ends up being his signature look.
* BerserkButton: Adams is usually placid and bored, but insult him the wrong way, and he becomes a very dangerous man.
* CoDragons: After Season 1, he becomes one of Al's main go-to henchmen alongside Dan Dority, with both of them showing more physical aptitude for rough work than gentle, good-hearted Johnny Burns.
* DeadpanSnarker: Al quickly notes Adams' adeptness at handing out snark.
-->'''Al:''' Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Silas looks completely different in the first season, sporting muttonchops, short hair and a top hat. In the second season, he grows his hair long, grows a beard, and typically goes hatless.
* EvilGenius: Adams is easily the smartest of Al's henchmen, and as such Al trusts him with matters that require a more cunning mind than Dan or Johnny. Al sends Adams to negotiate on his behalf with Hearst, a fact which rubs Dan the wrong way.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: Not that Al is bumbling in any way, but Silas is the smartest and most sensible of the three henchmen.
* PunchClockVillain: When he's not cutting throats on behalf of Al, Adams is a genial enough fellow.
* NotSoStoic: Adams remains cool and collected much of the time, but when he loses his temper, he can fly into a violent rage.
* TerribleTrio: With Dan and Johnny.
* TheRival: Dan views him as this. Silas knows it, but doesn't reciprocate.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: He's nowhere to be seen after the TimeSkip, and it's never explained what happened to him. Welliver was unable to return for the film due to scheduling conflicts.
[[/folder]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!!!Ownership
[[folder:Al]]
!!Albert "Al" Swearengen
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swearengen_albert_ellis_4.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"[[VillainProtagonist Welcome to fucking Deadwood! Can be combative!]]"'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/IanMcShane
-->''"Every fuckin’ beatin’ I’m grateful for. Every fuckin’ one of them. Get all the trust beat outta you. And you know what the fuckin’ world is."''
Albert "Al" Swearengen is the proprietor of the Gem Saloon, born in England but raised in a Chicago orphanage under an abusive figure known as Mrs. Anderson. He mentions on occasion that Mrs. Anderson ran a brothel at the girls' orphanage before running the boys' orphanage. Swearengen was among the first settlers of Deadwood, earning him several land claims and a position of power. The Gem Saloon, offering alcohol, prostitution and faro, also acts as Swearengen’s base of operations.
Swearengen is cunning, manipulative and initially appears to be the most cynically amoral of all the characters, showing no hesitation in resorting to violence and murder when it serves his business interests.
----
* AbusiveParents: Abusive ''adoptive'' parents. He might as well have never known his biological family.
* AdaptationNameChange: His full name in the show is Albert Swearengen, whereas in real life it was Ellis Alfred Swearengen.
* AdaptationalNationality: His history of being born in England and immigrating to the US at a young age is an invention of the show; the real Swearengen was born in Iowa to a Dutch family.
* AffablyEvil:
** Swearengen makes no secret of the fact that he'll kill little girls, or even burn down the town, if it's in his interest... but also that he would prefer not to if there was any other way. Overall he's a pretty charming guy, and even Bullock eventually agrees to work with him, as long as it's in Deadwood's best interest.
** He and Cy act as a good case study for the differences between AffablyEvil and FauxAffablyEvil, respectively.
* AgeLift: The real Al Swearengen was born in 1845. However, the ''Deadwood'' character refers to events in his childhood happening "about 30 years before you [Dolly] were born". Since the series takes place in 1876-77, this suggests that the character has an age closer to that of actor Ian [=McShane=].
* TheAlcoholic: Al drinks heavily and is frequently seen drunk throughout the show, although he's a rather functional alcoholic and doesn't get sloppy drunk often. [[spoiler: In the movie, his addiction has finally caught up to him and he's dying of liver failure.]]
* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler: Did he die at the end of the movie, or manage to hold on a bit longer?]]
* BadassBoast: Al makes a few of them, and only when he means it. He has the power to back them all up.
-->''"Say what you’re gonna say or prepare for eternal fucking silence."''
-->'''Al:''' What if I come for you? You ready for that?
-->'''Bullock:''' I guess I'd better be.
-->'''Al:''' Then close your fuckin' store, 'cause being ready for me'll take care of your wakin' hours, and you'd better have someone to hand the task off to when you close your fuckin' eyes.
-->'''Bullock:''' Will I find you've got a knife on you?
-->'''Al:''' I won't need no fucking knife.
* BadassMoustache: He has a very thick moustache, but keeps the rest of his face clean-shaven.
* BadBoss: To his prostitutes, who he treats terribly. Still, they're better off with him than with Cy.
* TheBartender: When Dan isn't tending bar.
* BodyHorror: The 'kidney stones' story arc which is depicted every agonizing step of the way.
* TheChessmaster: He's quite the skilled schemer and manipulator.
* ClusterFBomb: About one per sentence.
* CombatPragmatist: Guess what. [[ILied He was carrying his knife]], after all...
* CompanionCube: "Chief", the dead Indian's head, who Al talks to in private.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He's hardly a high-powered businessman, but within Deadwood, he might as well be the CEO of a fortune 500 company.
* CruelToBeKind: Killing Jen to save Trixie.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He was abandoned by his biological family and raised in an orphanage by an abusive woman named Mrs. Anderson, who as it turned, had the orphanage moonlight as a brothel.
* DeadpanSnarker: He is a wonderful source of sharp, witty lines and it feeds into his AffablyEvil persona.
-->''"I'm declaring myself conductor of this meeting as I have the bribe sheet."''
-->''"How does Hearst hope to defeat me? Allied as I am with the imbecile, the contemptible, and the promiscuous fucking insane."''
-->''"Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face."''
-->''"I’d rather try touching the moon than take on a whore’s thinking."''
-->''"You can't just cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve."''
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: The owner of Deadwood's preeminent saloon, by the time of TheMovie he's at death's door from liver failure, owing to his constant drinking.]][[note]]This is in stark contrast to the real Swearengen's death, which occurred fifteen years later under mysterious circumstances, with his dead body discovered in the street with a massive head wound, likely murder.[[/note]]
* DragonInChief: When Farnum is the mayor. Other than maybe the people who directly work for Farnum at the hotel, there's not a single person in the town who thinks he's actually in charge of anything. Everyone else knows Al is running the show.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Cy Tolliver's complete sociopathy grinds against Al's simple ruthlessness. And Swearengen certainly ends up hating Hearst, who uses borderline slave labor, rape, and other things to extend his mining empire.
* EvilBrit: He was born in Britain, and he once expresses a desire to retire there. Despite his lack of an English accent, Jane still occasionally refers to him as a "limey."
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: He does swear a bit.
* AFatherToHisMen: Al has a paternalistic affection for Johnny, Dan and Silas even if he does treat them poorly from time to time.
* HeelFaceTurn: Downplayed; his fundamental character and morality don't change all that much, but he becomes less of an antagonistic force over the course of the series.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Al is a ruthless murderer who treats his employees with disdain, but he ''does'' care for a select few of them, treating them like his children and he's a particularly hard-to-please father. Special mention goes to Jewel, a disabled woman who Al frequently taunts and insults but keeps employed. Trixie considers it his way of 'protecting her'.
* KarmicDeath: Narrowly averted. When he's deathly ill and unable to call for help, none of his underlings enter his room despite their suspicions due to his terrible reputation.
* KnifeNut: To the point he laments not being as good with a gun.
-->''"I'm a fucking terrible shot. Work better closer in."''
* LimitedWardrobe: Most of the camp doesn't have much access to new clothes, but he and his black striped suit take it to the extreme. If he isn't wearing it, it's because he's in his underwear.
* TheManBehindTheMan: After Farnum is 'elected' mayor.
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* MeaningfulName: He was a real person, but seriously, how delicious is it that on a show like this one of the main characters has a name pronounced "Swear Engine"?
* NobleDemon: He's ruthlessly self-interested and not above murder and the like, but he does have ''some'' standards and a paternalistic affection for his employees.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Unleashes one on Hearst's [[PinkertonDetective Pinkerton Agent]] to [[WeHaveWaysOfMakingYouTalk make him talk]].
* NotSoAboveItAll: [[spoiler:Singing (to his empty bar) during Amateur Night]]
* PetTheDog: He occasionally gives out some tough love to various character who need a kick in the rear to get them over some problem.
* PragmaticVillainy: If it's [[CorruptCorporateExecutive good for business]], then it's good for Al.
* RapeAsBackstory: It's implied that he was among the children pimped out while being raised in Mrs. Anderson's orphanage/brothel, which would certainly explain why he buys his own whores from that same orphanage and his protective (if still abusive and dismissive) attitude towards them.
* RefugeInAudacity: A somewhat meta example. He's abusive, threatening, won't hesitate to murder people, drives enemies out of business, schemes and schemes and schemes, treats his employees like crap depending on his mood, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking swears somewhat frequently.]] And yet fans of the show love him, because he's just so ''entertaining'' in how he goes about doing it.
* SelfMadeMan: Al prides himself on pulling himself up from nothing, an abused orphan who has gone on to become a powerful man in Deadwood who decides life and death.
* SirSwearsALot: Even in swear-heavy Deadwood, Al swears a great deal.
* VillainProtagonist: He's the {{Deuteragonist}} of the first season and the BigBad.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: He settled in Deadwood because he was wanted for murder in Chicago.
* YouHaveFailedMe: He has a tendency to do this to his less trustworthy minions, such as Jimmy Irons.
[[/folder]]
!!!Bar Staff
[[folder:Dan]]
!!Dan Dority
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dority_daniel_7734.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I have come back from plenty of shit that looked like it was going wrong."'']]
->'''Played By:''' [[Creator/WEarlBrown W. Earl Brown]]
-->''"Do not put unauthorized cinnamon on the goddamn meeting table! That’s all the fuck we need."''
Dan Dority, probably based on the real-life Dan Doherty, is Al Swearengen's right-hand man. A former bushwhacker, he has been with Al for years and serves him as bodyguard, enforcer and killer. While violent and short-tempered he is not a heartless killer.
----
* AffablyEvil: Dan has little qualms about following commands to murder people and is prone to knee-jerk murders all on his own. For all that, he's usually quite personable.
* AlliterativeName: '''D'''an '''D'''ority.
* BadassBeard: He has one.
* TheBartender: When Al himself isn't.
* BerserkButton: Don't eye a ProperLady [[AllMenArePerverts like that]].
* TheDragon: To Al Swearengen.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: One of the first (and only) instances where he declines to follow Al's orders is when he sends him to [[WouldntHurtAChild kill Sofia Metz]].
* HitmanWithAHeart: Dan is a hired killer, but he's a very emotional man who feels strongly.
* HotBlooded: He's always ready to throw a punch or cut someone's throat, be it at Al's order or Dan's own anger issues.
* InelegantBlubbering: Whenever he's been truly upset, Dan tends to sob all the fluid out of his body in private.
* LoveAtFirstSight: In "Suffer the Little Children" he has an immediate crush on Flora, who he thinks to be a nice ProperLady, but gives up on her easily when he is informed that she is actually a crook.
* ManChild: As dangerous as he is, Dan is emotionally immature. He's quick-tempered and latches onto Al like a child to a distant but beloved father figure. In fact, Dan's rivalry with Adams is due entirely to childish jealousy that Al is favoring another "son."
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Sorry Dan, [[MyGirlIsASlut she is]].
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: His fight with the Captain is one of the most brutal examples seen on television. He also gives a good beating to Hawkeye and a few drunken yokels. His skull cracking of Brom is less severe and drawn out.
* TheRival: To Silas for a while. Later, with Hearst's man Captain Turner.
* TerribleTrio: He's part of one with Johnny and Silas.
* VillainousBSOD: An hilarious instance happens when he believes that Al prefers Silas to him, and he ''breaks down crying''. Deep inside, he's just [[ManChild a big child]].
* WouldntHurtAChild: Although fully intending to at first, the Doc convinces him otherwise.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Johnny]]
!!Johnny Burns
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burns_john.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Al... I have hoped for this conversation ever since you give me that Indian head to hide."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/SeanBridgers
John "Johnny" Burns is a worker at the Gem Saloon and one of Al's lackeys. His main jobs are tending bar, cleaning, and hauling corpses to Wu's pigsty. Young and ambitious, Johnny is also not too bright, leading Al to continually abuse him verbally and physically.
----
* TheBartender: He shares this duty with Dan at the Gem.
%%* ButtMonkey
%%* CompletelyMissingThePoint
%%* DumbAssHasAPoint
* HiddenDepths: Johnny is a bit dim, but he can decipher Wu's drawings when even Al can't, and was teaching Jen to read.
* HypocriticalHumor: When he asks Wu "Why don't ya learn to talk[sic] AMERICAN?!"
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Johnny might be a lackey of Al, but he's far from a cold-blooded killer and is friendly to just about everyone.
%%* NiceGuy
%%* NonActionGuy
* PunchClockVillain: He's a henchman for Al, but he never kills anyone and the one time he almost shoots someone, he feels terrible.
* TerribleTrio: With Dan and Silas.
[[/folder]]
!!!Sex Workers
[[folder:Trixie]]
!!Trixie
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/trixie.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"[[DeadpanSnarker Tread lightly who lives in hope of pussy.]]"'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/PaulaMalcomson
-->'''Sol Star:''' I don’t understand.
-->'''Trixie:''' You wouldn’t. You’re too fucking healthy-minded. You’ll sit here waiting for me to materialize from a piece of fucking furniture and think the world is normal.
Trixie is Al Swearengen's favorite girl at the Gem. Swearengen is often abusive toward her, but she always returns to him and he in turn often shows great affection for her, though not openly.
----
* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: Al intends her to be this to Alma so she'll be more willing to sell her gold claim, but she refuses.
* BetaCouple: With Sol.
* BrokenBird: She's had a rough life, to the point it becomes something of a cycle. Part of the reason she returns to Al rather than take Alma's offer to leave Deadwood is that she's too used to suffering to see Alma's offer of escape as something more than a joke.
* DeadpanSnarker: She has plenty of sharp lines.
-->''"For chrissakes, Mr. Star, my cherry is obstructing my work. Sir, would you take it from me, free?"''
* DrivenToSuicide: In "Suffer the Little Children". She fails and Doc heals her back.
* FirstNameBasis: She even uses the name "Trixie, the Whore" for a bank account, apparently because not even herself knows what her surname is.
* FullFrontalAssault: Attempts to assassinate Hearst while topless.
* HappinessInSlavery: How much 'happiness' is debatable, but she doesn't seek to leave the Gem and feels bad for Al when he is ill.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: She's a prostitute with a strong sense of morality and justice.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's got a sharp tongue, but she cares about people unable to help themselves.
* MsFanservice: Often nude.
* VictoriasSecretCompartment: She keeps a small gun in her undies.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dolly]]
!!Dolly
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TropeDolly_9058.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I don't like it either. When they hold you down."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/AshleyKizer
Dolly is a prostitute at the Gem Saloon. Swearengen begins a relationship with her after Trixie leaves his employ. Although he doesn't harbor the same affection for her as Trixie, Swearengen confides his innermost vulnerabilities with Dolly.
----
* {{BBW}}: Gorgeous and full-figured; particularly in contrast to the more slender Trixie.
%%* BeleagueredAssistant
* TheConfidant: For Al; he confides a great deal of himself and his past to her in times of stress, but it isn't so much that he trusts her as it is that she fears him, so her status as his confidant is almost incidental. He becomes angry if she ever tries to engage with him in conversation.
* FieryRedhead: ''Completely'' {{averted}}. She's one of the only redheads in town, and is probably the most placid, passive character on the show.
* FirstNameBasis: She's known solely as Dolly, with no last name known.
* HappinessInSlavery: Dolly isn't exactly ''happy'', but she's certainly resigned and does seem to care for Al in a way.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Despite Al's shabby treatment of her, Dolly still manages to muster up a sense of compassion and sympathy for him.
* ReplacementGoldfish: After Trixie leaves the Gem, Al replaces her with Dolly, although he doesn't regard her with nearly the same affection.
* TheQuietOne: She's plenty demure and knows enough to keep quiet.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There's no sign of her following the TimeSkip, with no explanation given for her absence. One imagines that prostitutes in boomtowns don't have very long careers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Jen]]
!!Jen
->'''Played By:''' Creator/JenniferLutheran
Another prostitute at the Gem. She is closer to Johnny, who teaches her to read.
----
* DisposableSexWorker: Averted; she's murdered by Al to save Trixie's life, but TheMovie shows that Trixie and Al still recall her death with considerable regret, and Johnny still mourns for her.
* ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted; 13 years later, Johnny still mourns her and fondly recalls their burgeoning relationship.
* NeverLearnedToRead: She's illiterate, with Johnny Burns teaching her to read.
* SacrificialLamb: Jen is a very literal sacrifice, since she's killed by Al to save the life of Trixie, using her body to appease Hearst, who didn't get a good look at his attacker.
* SlashedThroat: Al kills her via his usual method.
[[/folder]]
!!!Other Employees
[[folder:Jewel]]
!!Jewel Caulfield
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/JewelCaulfield_786.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Say I'm as nimble as a forest creature."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/GeriJewell
Jewel is the disabled cleaning woman at the Gem, Al Swearengen's saloon and brothel. Jewel often uses her job in the Gem to "overhear" what is really going on. Coffee and most of the meals from the Gem kitchen are prepared by her. Al makes a public show of barely tolerating her, often publicly referring to her as "the gimp" or complaining about her noisily dragging her stiff leg. Jewel responds with a cheerful, mocking disrespect Al would tolerate from no one else.
----
* BeleaguredAssistant: From time to time, she can seem a little weary with the constant chaos that occurs around her.
* DisabledSnarker: Her disability impedes her ability to walk, but not her ability to spit witty one-liners at every given opportunity.
-->'''Al:''' What was your purpose at Doc's?
-->'''Jewel:''' I'm knocked up.
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Averted; Jewel is as fully rounded a character as any other recurring character on the show, and she isn't considered particularly saintly or inspirational. She's just an intelligent, hard-working woman who happens to have a disability in a period of time where people were not kind to those with disabilities.
* LimitedWardrobe: Jewel only has the one dress, and it is clearly old and torn apart.
* MoralityPet: She's one of Al's; he's cruel, abusive and mocking toward her, forever yelling at her about dragging her "gimp leg", but the fact that he tolerates her sass and keeps her around is one of the first hints that he's not quite the heartless monster he might appear to be. Trixie says [[spoiler:When he's dying, Jewel is one of those present by his bedside, showing that he truly does love Jewel and considers her family.]]
-->'''Trixie:''' Jewel - that he says he's got around against some hooplehead only having 9 cents and wanting a piece of pussy. That ain't it. Why she's around is...it's his sick fucking way of protectin' her.
* ServileSnarker: Jewel sasses Al with a frequency that would get virtually anyone else a forwarding address in the bellies of Wu's pigs, but as much as he mocks her back, Al does tolerate it. Sometimes he even seems to enjoy it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Adams]]
!!Silas Adams
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adams_silas_4457.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Is there any fucking chance you and me don’t end up in blood?"'']]
->'''Played By:''' Creator/TitusWelliver
Silas Adams, also known as "the bagman from Yankton", who comes to camp to collect bribe money for Magistrate Clagget. Swearengen hires Adams to join his operation, as he is smarter than Al's other lackeys, paying him to slice Clagget's throat for extorting money from Swearengen. Adams serves Swearengen as his contact in Yankton to bring him news of the territorial changes, as well as relying on his legal counsel when dealing with Commissioner Jarry and his election proposals. He also serves as middleman between Hearst and Swearengen.
----
* {{Adorkable}}: Shockingly, this cold-blooded and highly efficient killer turns into a smitten schoolboy when Miss Isringhausen works her charms on him.
* BadassBeard: He sports muttonchips in Season 1, but grows a full, impressive beard come Season 2, which ends up being his signature look.
* BerserkButton: Adams is usually placid and bored, but insult him the wrong way, and he becomes a very dangerous man.
* CoDragons: After Season 1, he becomes one of Al's main go-to henchmen alongside Dan Dority, with both of them showing more physical aptitude for rough work than gentle, good-hearted Johnny Burns.
* DeadpanSnarker: Al quickly notes Adams' adeptness at handing out snark.
-->'''Al:''' Over time, your quickness with a cocky rejoinder must have gotten you many punches in the face.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Silas looks completely different in the first season, sporting muttonchops, short hair and a top hat. In the second season, he grows his hair long, grows a beard, and typically goes hatless.
* EvilGenius: Adams is easily the smartest of Al's henchmen, and as such Al trusts him with matters that require a more cunning mind than Dan or Johnny. Al sends Adams to negotiate on his behalf with Hearst, a fact which rubs Dan the wrong way.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: Not that Al is bumbling in any way, but Silas is the smartest and most sensible of the three henchmen.
* PunchClockVillain: When he's not cutting throats on behalf of Al, Adams is a genial enough fellow.
* NotSoStoic: Adams remains cool and collected much of the time, but when he loses his temper, he can fly into a violent rage.
* TerribleTrio: With Dan and Johnny.
* TheRival: Dan views him as this. Silas knows it, but doesn't reciprocate.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: He's nowhere to be seen after the TimeSkip, and it's never explained what happened to him. Welliver was unable to return for the film due to scheduling conflicts.
[[/folder]]
