I personally think Deadwood doesn't fall short a pure art piece. Overall, I just felt like this season was just an unsatisfying continuation of the previous season's storylines that were expected to conclude in another season that never came. Doc Cochrane getting sick this season seemed like an interesting path, but didn't really end up doing anything for the character. I liked that Jane and Joanie Stubbs got to hook up, and that actually felt like a nice ending for them. Ellsworth never came to any kind of conclusion, almost like the show just didn't know what to do with that storyline. I felt like the tension between Bullock and Mrs. There were a couple moments where it felt like the show backed itself into a corner where it already established that the characters normally don't think twice about killing people they don't like, but they wanted to make George Hearst a lingering villain so they just didn't kill him when anyone could have easily done so. I felt that Trixie got far too much screen time and just became incredibly annoying to watch, and this season built her up into too much of an alpha to where it became hard to believe she would ever have become a prostitute and forced lover to Al in the first place. Al Swearengen was pushed to the side in favor of the big bad George Hearst, often relegating him to watching the action of the show from the porch of the Gem Saloon. Another well acted and well written season of Deadwood, but definitely the weaker of the 3 seasons.

Deadwood season 3 episode 3