"You, Al, are an object lesson...

"You, Al, are an object lesson in the healing powers of obstinacy and a hostile disposition.... In the overall, sir, I call you a miracle." Doc to Swearengen. Damn nice of you, Doc. He's been called a lot of other things in his time, certainly sometimes by you.

Oh, how the scheming continues in earnest, to the point where it makes my widdle head hurt just trying to keep up, and I'm pretty sure I'm failing at that... miserably, if you must know. I realized Trixie was a con artist born, but she's sure at the top of her game now. Reporting on Sol to Swearengen and setting up a marriage between Ellsworth and Alma. She's swinging for the bleachers, huh?

And that's just the beginning, as we've got Tolliver dealing every which way and Miss Isringhausen proving to be no slouch in the manipulation department herself. I said last week she was a player, but I had no idea. Though I must admit I still can't figure out exactly what she's up to, I'll say again that Adams is going to come out the loser for letting his little brain guide his big one.

Then, of course, we come to the "Mother, look at the blood!" moment. Did anyone out there think Wolcott was capable of that much slaughter, and did you, like me, start to wonder where it would end?

I'm betting the credits people on this show must be the busiest in Hollywood, what with all the comings and goings. I'm also betting that Garret Dillahunt would like to know when he'll get to play a role that doesn't involve committing cowardly, heinous murders. Or, at least, when he'll get to play one on this show, since being asked back when Wolcott's time ends wouldn't be that crazy.

What else is there to say about this episode? Between the triple-throat-slashing homicide of three women, the bestiality and all sorts of alliances forming and dissolving on top of the usual conniving, is it any wonder I'm ending this hour with my stomach all dancy? The best line of the night did not belong to Al Swearengen, for once, but to Hostetler. "You need to die, Steve." If you didn't see it, you can't know how well it worked, and this site's devotion to family-friendly discourse prevents me from explaining more, even if I could do it justice. Let's just say Roy Rogers was never so passionate about Trigger as Steve was with Bullock's ride.

"Was it a difficult day?" Martha asks Bullock. "No," he answers. Maybe, but he's about the only who can say that this week.