the f word

While most of my close friends were busy frolicking here, I was sitting at home watching TV this weekend. Yay.
Sunday night I made a point to catch the second season premiere of Deadwood on HBO, due to the gobs of press the show's been getting.
Now, I like to consider myself a smart guy. I double majored in journalism and English, which meant I had to take two somewhat intense terms of Shakespeare. I loved the reading. Students tend to bristle at the Bard because they find the language so dense, but after reading the fifth or sixth play in a row things start to get easier.
What the hell does this have to do with Deadwood?
Plenty. In case you haven't seen the show, the language can be a mouthful. The characters speak in an antiquated, often haltingly formal, vernacular -- one reviewer calls it "archaic and demanding." No kidding.
As with my Shakespeare classes, I had to sneak and read the Cliff's Notes later just to figure out what the bejesus happened. It's hard work for Sunday night. Carrie and Samantha never were like this. And they never shot anyone, either.
Characters on Deadwood also swear. A lot. The aptly named Swearengen lets an f-bomb fly every six seconds or so, while another character couldn't stop saying "cunt." I'm not one to be offended by profanity, and I've been known to cuss a few people out in my day, but is this really the way the West was run?
The episode led to a discussion between the bf and me about when exactly folks started using the f word. Turns out I was wrong in saying it was a 20th Century invention.
After "Deadwood" we caught another riveting episode of "The L Word," which just get juicier by the hour. Not sure about the cameo appearance by Betty, though. Those dykes are fucked up.
Still, "The L Word" is some must-see TV. I haven't been this fascinated by a group of fish since I worked in a pet store.
(God, I wish we'd gone to Winter Party.)