[skordamou]

I am pretty much a lazy wastrel these days, I cannot quite remember enough to join in your interesting conversations and I haven't yet gotten around to watching the episodes again. But I am really enjoying reading these posts and I just wanted to let you know that your continuing interest in this show really means a lot to me. Thank you for this.

[Eccles]

I don't mean to change the subject ( I hope we may have more enlightenment on the numbers question) but I have a burning question that I need to pose.

At this time I can view the following on HBO "On Demand":

Band of Brothers
Entourage
Masterclass
Rome
Bill Maher
Hung
John Adams
The Neistat Brothers
Sex and The City
The Wire
Treme
True Blood
and the Sopranos

Why no Deadwood or JFC?  And what does this say about the possibility of 'Luck" making it to my TV screen?
 

Each series on the list falls into a category: Current, Mini-Series, or Series which enjoyed a beginning, a middle, and a finale.  No "Carnivale, No Lucky Louie (thankfully!), and so forth. My take.

~ Pollyanna

[Waxon]

Fits and stops and starts.

I don't know about that.  Rome, Soprano's, - no more beginning or ending than Milch's shows - (cut short and all)

I can understand JFC not being there (maybe) , but Deadwood?   It must be more than that.

[SaveJFC Admin]

Has anyone tried asking over on the HBO forums?  I know that right after the switch they were deleting any mention of JFC from any thread it was entered on.  But maybe someone there has an answer for us now?

[Eccles]

Fits and stops and starts.

:D :D ;D

I was so upset when HBO decided not to film another season of Deadwood it took several days for me to accept it with equanimity.

[Sven2]

Fits and stops and starts.

:D :D ;D

I was so upset when HBO decided not to film another season of Deadwood it took several days for me to accept it with equanimity.

There is Milch's monologue on one of Deadwood DVDs where he talks about the cancellation of Deadwood, mostly looking at his feet, I've read, so angry he is. Would anyone care enough to post the video, or, if it's not possible, tell what was he saying?

The equanimity - I still don't have enough of that calm, thinking about JFC.  :-[

[Sven2]

Not meaning to close the discussion, just an observation about the obvious in the numbers of JFC.

10 is Pythagorean symbol of perfection, so being forced to cut the episodes short, the show creators tried to better the odds, bring "the happy outcome", in Bill Jacks words. John's prescience at the end of the parade is that promise: "Dr. Smith comes back from Cincinnati 20 years younger, Cissy is knocked up, Earth keeps Dickstein on retainer", etc.

The combination of 1 and 0 is at work here as well. God as One needs all the Zeroes to complete his task. Thus the humanity and the deity are united. The only way to perfection.

Very abbreviated thoughts, not even correct, I know. I was watching "Oxford Murders", it reminded me of JFC "mathematical"symbolism, as so many things still do.

[skordamou]

Too tired to write more. Just want to say, "yes."

[Eccles]

"Dr. Smith comes back from Cincinnati 20 years younger ... "

One of the things I really enjoyed was watching Dr. Smith struggle with his normal view of the world being turned upside down. Here was a man who at a young age became Mercy Hospital's Head of Internal Medicine. His mother should shep naches. And now, he has resigned and is about to open up a free clinic in a dicey part of town. And yet, he is "so happy."

I loved the scene in which he speaks with a still hallucinating Palaka who is being chilled in a bathtub of ice. He asks himself whether his pride is keeping him from seeing that Palaka gets the best care possible, being embarrassed to show up at the very place he once ran and have to ask an orderly to take over due to loss of privileges. Only his struggle with Freddy in the parking lot forces him to conclude that he is in fact giving Palaka exactly the care needs right then.

In the scene where he is looking over the empty building soon to be his new clinic he gets spooked and hightails it out of there. The day before he had imagined all the praise he might get for this wonderful thing he was about to do. "Not hearing the Hallelujah" Chorus soundtrack in the background felt like a push back on all his good plans. A few minutes later he sees Barry in a very similar state. As it happens, "the Doctor is in" exactly the right situation and place to be of some help.

[Sven2]

It's pure speculation, however I think anyone who loved the show and was saddened by it's forced termination, still ponders last John's phrases, trying to envision the future of the IB "unholy family" and their fate. Maybe I should speak for myself only, though.

Anyways, my questions.
Why would Dr.Smith get to be 20 years younger? What would he train Dwayne and Ramon in and for what task? What would merit Mitch getting a shrine built in his honor?

Any thoughts and maybe more questions?

[Eccles]

Why would Dr.Smith get to be 20 years younger? What would he train Dwayne and Ramon in and for what task? What would merit Mitch getting a shrine built in his honor?

Any thoughts and maybe more questions?

I've tended not to take John's words concerning Dr. Smith literally. I think he begins again and spends the next twenty years as a doctor not rising to the top of his profession or building his career but simply by being what he is: a physician helping those least able to repay him, caring for those who tend to fall between the cracks. I think that the young man shown during John's final voice-over concerning Dr. Smith was supposed to be representative of him, not actually him twenty years younger (and apparantly six inches shorter.)

I heard or read somewhere that Dwayne will help Ramon care for those seeking medical attention for cleft lip or palate. Dr. Smith would help them in this, I think. It could be what he heard the drums say.

[Waxon]

Agreed.  Seeing the light can take 20 years off a person.  ;)

But, no telling what Milch was cooking up in his head.  A lot of that last part of the episode is intriguing, though.

Dr Smith comes back 20 years younger from Cincinnati. (We see a young guy siding up to the nurse who was at Shaun's bedside) Cissy gets knocked up. She's bigger than Leona Helmsley. Earth puts Dickstein on retainer. (We see Dickstein and Daphne in a very hot kiss) Daphne keeps his head straight. Jerri meets a slew of new hairlips. My father four-walls Barry's bar. Dr Smith trains Dwayne and Ramon. My father freelances in Cass' Camera.

[Sven2]

Thank you, Eccles and Waxon, really, there's no need to see Dr. Smith turned into a college kid. Though Walkara (oh, how very long ago!) wrote hilarious couple of scenes with that young incarnation of Dr. Smith.

It seems that we have the least trouble defining John nature and his goal on Earth. I have to "confess":  :D my questions are not entirely speculative as I  still carry that stubborn hope of seeing the story of John's visit to its end. So any hypothesis and all the discussions are priceless, it could bring more clarity or simply inspire someone to write a scene, wherever it goes and whenever it happens.


No ideas about Mitch and the shrine?

[Sven2]

Apologize if that was already answered, I don't remember. Did Austin Nichols have a double/stunt man/professional surfer in the scene of John and Shaun return from "Cincinnati"? Their moves on the water are so beautifully synchronized, it could take your breath away. It takes away mine, even after three years.

[Sven2]

I know some are wondering where is our dear friend Eccles. Do not worry, he is well, I saw his post on Deadwood crowd forum, Kokoo's Nest. Hope he would be able to stop by someday...

A question. What do you think have happened (grammar?) with Shaun in "Cincinnati"?