Deadwood is one of the greatest TV shows of the 2000s, and E.B. Farnum is one of the greatest characters on it. Serving as the proprietor of a hotel and later as the town's mayor, Farnum has ridiculous delusions of grandeur, often thinking he is far smarter and more important than he actually is.
As such, he often serves as the show's comedic relief - often bumbling his way through the town in various failed plots and plans. And even though he is wickedly funny, he's also a deceitful, squirrely rat of a man. These are 10 ways that E.B. Farnum got worse and worse throughout Deadwood.
10 Appointing Himself Mayor
When the series begins, Deadwood is a nasty little outpost on stolen Native American territory. As it grew as a legitimate town, various citizens were rewarded with prosperous jobs.
Farnum, owing to his wicked delusions of grandeur, appointed himself the mayor of Deadwood. It's perhaps the greatest act of self-aggrandizing one could possibly do. Luckily, he is all but powerless, as he is completely controlled by Swearengen.
9 His Treatment Of Richardson
Farnum is not a friendly person. Even though he often puts on a friendly show, it's usually in the name of some larger scheme or ploy. However, he is openly spiteful of his poor cook, Richardson. Farnum often bullies and demeans Richardson, and it's truly despicable to watch.
Why he has such an intense hatred for Richardson isn't really known, but it probably has something to do with stoking his own ego and power.
8 His Cowardice
There's nothing inherently wrong with being a coward. But cowards should at least have the self-knowledge to know and admit their cowardice.
Pretending to be brave and cunning when you're not is laughable, and everyone can see through the deception. Farnum is just such a man. He tries to be the big bad around Deadwood, but everyone rightfully treats him like the cowardly little lapdog that he is.
7 Serving As An Informant
The reason everyone treats Farnum with disrespect is twofold - for one, he's a cowardly little lapdog, as previously mentioned.
However, he is also a thinly-veiled informant for Swearengen, so anything that happens in town without Swearengen's knowledge is sure to get back to him eventually. It makes people hesitant around Farnum, as they both distrust and disrespect him for blabbing.
6 His Treatment Of Alma
If there's one person who gets it just as bad as Richardson, it's Alma Garret. Garret is the owner of a prosperous gold claim that was sold to her husband by Farnum and Swearengen.
However, they sold it to her husband on false pretenses, thinking that the piece of land was barren and worthless. When it proved valuable, Farnum and Swearengen did everything in their power to buy it back from Garret.
5 His Snark
Viewers have to hand it to Farnum - he certainly has a way with words. Farnum is one of the most "poetic" characters on the show, often waxing poetic about various subjects (and deceptions).
He also has a wicked sense of humor and isn't afraid to get snarky with whoever he's speaking to. It once again speaks to his inflated sense of worth - he believes that he can speak down to whomever he wishes because he's smarter and better than them.
4 His Vocabulary
Even though Farnum's vocabulary is large, it's often used in the service of comedy. Many people have trouble getting into Deadwood owing to its poetic, Shakespearean language, and Farnum is perhaps the greatest representative of this.
However, his ridiculous, exaggerated way of speaking is meant to be a joke - just another aspect of Farnum trying his absolute hardest to sound smarter than he actually is.
3 His Constant Envy & Belittling
It's natural to feel envious towards others, but Farnum takes this to a ridiculous degree. Farnum is envious of anyone who shows even a semblance of happiness, and he isn't afraid to latch on and suck it out of them.
He can't stand the thought of others being happy because he's so unhappy. He's bullied on a regular basis by those around him, so he bullies others as a means to rise above and give himself an inflated sense of self.
2 His Political Incorrectness
As if Farnum wasn't a detestable enough person, he is also an open racist, misogynist, and anti-Semite. He is openly racist to Mr. Wu and the Asians of Deadwood, often treating him with humiliating disdain.
He treats Alma like a stupid child, simply because she's a woman (even though she always gets the best of him). And he makes thinly-veiled anti-Semitic remarks towards Sol's Jewish heritage. Put simply, he's a horrible person.
1 Allowing Himself To Get Bullied
Despite all his flaws, Farnum isn't without some sympathy. While he mostly remains a completely remorseless character throughout the first two seasons, Farnum is dropped down a peg when Hearst arrives at the camp.
Hearst often treats Farnum the worst of all, by doing things like making him stand in place for hours on end or spitting directly in his face and not allowing him to wipe it off. It's pitiful, and quite honestly, it makes viewers think even less of Farnum.
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