HBO's acclaimed Western series Deadwood is filled with people who will stab anyone in the back if it benefits their own interests. Needless to say, it is a hard place to make friends. One of the strangest relationships in the show is between Al Swearengen and E.B. Farnum.
Al is the owner of the Gem Saloon and perhaps the biggest crime boss in town. E.B. is the owner of the local motel who usually acts as Al's spy on various matters. The two men work closely throughout the series, but it's hard to define what their ultimate relationship is and how they view each other overall.
10 Aren't Friends: Constant Disloyalty
Deadwood is a lawless town filled with people attempting to make their own fortunes. E.B. is no different from the rest of them, although his means of finding success might be more underhanded. He knows the kind of business Al operates in but also knows there is money to be had working as his lackey.
But E.B. is also a very greedy man and his constant desire to have more means that he often works behind Al's back. E.B. has worked for Al's biggest enemies in the town, and regardless of the danger it puts him in, he cannot seem to help himself.
9 Are Friends: Trust And Understanding
There is a strange paradox in the relationship between these two men. Al knows that E.B. is disloyal but that makes him able to trust him. Al understands how E.B's mind works and uses that information to make their relationship work.
It doesn't seem to really bother Al that E.B. goes behind his back because it is so predictable. Al can actually use E.B. to feed false information and keep his enemies at a distance. It might be unorthodox, but it seems to work.
8 Aren't Friends: E.B. Is Scared Of Al
Few people in Deadwood are as intimidating as Al Swearengen. In the first episode of the series, we see as he orchestrated several nefarious plots and murders one of his own men without blinking an eye. Violence comes very naturally to a man like him.
Given Al's penchant for bloodshed, E.B. is terrified of him, and rightfully so. Every time E.B. has to be in the same room as Al, he looks like he is half expecting to be killed at any moment. Fear is certainly not a good way to build a healthy friendship.
7 Are Friends: Their Financial Gains
Despite the many differences between these two men, they can find a common goal in simple desires. Both men want to make money by whatever means necessary. They will step over just about anyone if it means they will come out richer on the other end.
As strange as their working relationship is at times, it's clear they are both getting what they want from it. They have both risen in power and wealth considerably since joining forces. If one were to ask them, it seems likely they would deem the partnership as fruitful overall.
6 Aren't Friends: The Threat Of Murder
Al has remained one of the most powerful men in Deadwood not just because he is dangerous, but also because he is smart. He knows how to tie up loose ends and get rid of people who might be a problem for him later. Often, that can mean people who work for him.
E.B. is well aware of the fact that many people in Al's employ have met violent ends or simply disappeared, never to be heard from again. Having a reputation such as this likely makes it hard for anyone to consider Al a true friend if they're always wondering if he'll kill them next.
5 Are Friends: Al's Release
Al has a few close allies he knows he can count on, but then there are a lot of other minions whom he seems to hate keeping around. E.B. falls somewhere in the middle of these two camps. Unlike someone like Dan Dority, Al doesn't see E.B. as someone he has to keep by his side. But E.B. is also not someone Al would kill off so easily.
Whether or not either of them realizes it, E.B. serves a very important function in Al's operation as he is someone Al can take his frustrations out on without ever losing them. Al has such little respect for E.B. that sometimes it seems like he has him around just to insult him — which seems to make Al feel better.
4 Aren't Friends: E.B.'s Stress
E.B. enjoys profiting off of whatever criminal activity Al is involved in, but he is not cut out for this kind of world. He is someone who seems out of place in Deadwood in general. The lawless nature of the town feels like it would make a victim of E.B. in a matter of time.
The situations he finds himself in as Al's lackey cause E.B. considerable stress. He is a sweaty mess all the time, can often be seen talking to himself about his worries, and he takes his stress out on his simple employee, Richardson.
3 Are Friends: E.B.'s Purpose
As much as E.B. might feel out of place in Al's operation, it is that position that gives him an actual purpose. Despite his best efforts which can often come off as desperate, E.B. has little to no respect in the town.
Without Al, it's likely E.B. would be a nobody in Deadwood. His work with Al gives him something to be a part of and makes him feel more important than he actually is. Though that ego boost can be negative at times, it works out well for E.B..
2 Aren't Friends: Al Doesn't Care About E.B.
It's true that Al might not be willing to kill E.B. out of hand, but that seems to be as far as his affection for the man will reach. Al is capable of caring about certain people and will even put himself at risk to protect them, but E.B. is not part of that group.
To Al, E.B. is an entirely expendable part of his operation. It feels like it would only be a minor inconvenience to lose his services and find some sort of replacement.
1 Are Friends: Mayor E.B.
E.B. seems like a perfect example of the fact that someone entirely without merits or qualifications can achieve positions of power. When Al assembles the town's most important figures to form some sort of government, E.B. quickly throws his hat into the ring as mayor.
Al doesn't seem to care one way or another who gets the job, but with his lukewarm endorsement, E.B. achieves the position. It is more than he ever could have hoped for or deserved and it is all because of Al.
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