Godless

Haven’t seen anything as methodical in ages. Completely stunned. Maybe that’s due to the fact that it is a miniseries, so they didn’t have to leave any hanging plotlines. But maybe that’s why I love miniseries format so much: it allows for somewhat slower pace and character development on one hand, but doesn’t deteriorate into “who dates who” as most of the regular series do.
This is a strange twist on a classical Western. On one hand, you have sheriffs, bandits and people shoot each other from the hip. At one point character even shoots the head of a badly rendered snake. On the other, you have cowboys do some cowboy stuff: like actually care about horses, and not treat them like some meaty bikes. Here horses are something expensive (Alice can move to Boston after selling hers), that need training (or breaking) and constant care. Care themes are very strong here in general. One of the main characters is punished for not caring for his daughter by “loosing his shadow”. Now here the series allow some level of ambiguity: you can view it as him losing his eyesight due to his drinking habit, after his wife died giving birth to the aforementioned daughter, or a punishment by some gods. Same is with the Indian that accompanies Bill. Roy might have pulled Bill’s leg by saying that he saw the man drown with his dog. Or maybe he, same as Bill, was just able to see “the other side”, because he came too close to it on a number of occasions.
Speaking of which, to bury a treasure in a grave is a Western classic. But here grave is were Roy Goode “dies”, and humble Ward is “born” (wearing other clothes). Then, Roy Goode is reborn again in the same grave.
Frank Griffin quotes his adoptive father, (and also the killer of his family) that “America is a godless country”. God in his case is the moral judge. And if there is no God, there is no one to judge him, and he can do whatever he pleases. And that in the most literal meaning: Griffin’s actions are not all destructive, because he is a complete chaotic, acting on a whim.
The final episode is a huge tribute to Tarantino. Which is of course ironic, since Tarantinogave a lot of tribute to westerns in his movies. From a charged literally “guns under the table scene” to almost a Biblical Armageddon, with bits of wood flying everywhere, and horse galloping into the hotel foyer (one can also see Gog and Magog as some kind of evil twins).
Another Tarantino trick is a Babylonian mix of languages: English, Paiute, Norwegian, German, often miscaptioned on purpose, so the spectators would understand as much as characters. Which is not much.
Another interesting element: the preacher, that some of the townsfolk were waiting for, arrives only Frank is dead. We as spectators had some doubts that he even existed, with Whitey reassuring the simple girl that the preacher is on his way as an act of kindness. But he’s here. Just not very helpful, except when you need some condolences.
Finally, a lesbian plotline that makes a lot of sense in the context the series was building (men letting women down). And this time, doesn’t feel forced at all.
What about the bees that fly around Frank? I saw bees as Samsonian Lion bees, “the king is dead” sign. But maybe those are just Christian bees, as “all insects are evil, yes, including snails and frogs”.
And it’s funny how Roy is literally “riding into the sunset” and the end.