As the reluctant sheriff of Deadwood, Seth Bullock battled his inner demons to become a bastion of decency in a town of depravity. He wore the tin, but beneath it beat the heart of a man who saw himself in many of the criminals he brought to justice. As Alma Garret's father so poignantly pointed out, Seth pummeled bullies because he was bullied, but the context didn't make it any easier for him to cope with his methods, which were often indistinguishable from those he was opposing.
Though he was one of the most morally upright characters on Deadwood when compared to many others, his volatile tendencies undermined his righteousness at every turn. Over the course of three seasons he never was able to bring his anger problems to heel, curb his condescending attitude, nor rid himself of any number of traits presented here that sullied his reputation as a lawman.
HE COULDN'T CONTROL HIS ANGER
Whether it came down to breakfast or hoopleheads, Bullock was a powder keg. Remember the scene when asked what type of eggs he "had a taste for?"
Bullock pounded Alma's father into the ground before he had a chance to leave town, punched Steve every time a racial slur flew out of his mouth, and pulled E.B. over the counter for a whooping every chance he got. While his actions could be justified, once he got started displaying his anger, it was difficult to stop him from unleashing it.
HE HAD FEW INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Aside from Sol, Bullock had few friends due to his inability to make them. His lack of interpersonal skills made it difficult for him to relate to anyone on an intimate level, including those whose friendship he desired to have.
Even when Wild Bill wanted to have dinner with him, he forsook him on for other activities, and only realized after Bill was gone the void left by having someone who understood his way of life. Seth didn't know how to make friends with Al, never knew how to behave around Alma, and it took him over a decade to reach a place of conviviality with his own wife.
HE CONTINUED TO BE CONDESCENDING
While many viewers saw Bullock as a compassionate, empathetic, and fair lawman, some noted that he could be condescending to those he felt didn't deserve his best qualities. His respect was very conditional and economic when it came to the citizens of Deadwood.
Opportunists like Cy Tolliver were very different from E.B. Farnham, Trixie, and the Reverend, yet Seth treated them all the same. He loathed Farnham until the final season despite the fact that he accomplished very little in his quest for power, and the Reverend he walked over in the thoroughfare despite watching him convulse in his tent.
HE BIT OFF MORE THAN HE COULD CHEW
Bullock's desire for moral upstanding meant that he routinely bit off more than he could chew, and situations often meant that he was in over his head emotionally and physically. When viewers first encountered him in Season 1, he was facing down a mob that outnumbered him twenty to one.
By Season 2, he'd already charged into the Gem to confront Al, which ended in a violent exchange of blows. Seth further put his family at risk by trying to pin murder on George Hearst, whose clout would never allow that to happen.
HE CONTINUED TO LIE
Despite being a stalwart representation of law and order, Bullock was capable of subterfuge and clandestine maneuvers. Throughout Season 1 and 2, he had to keep his affair with Alma Garret a secret, as well as the fact that he was the father of her unborn child.
In the final season, Seth put aside his oath as a peace officer to lie to Hearst that Trixie had been brought to justice for attempting to murder him, despite knowing full well that hadn't happened.
HE WASN'T A GOOD HUSBAND
Seth Bullock's levirate marriage, while honorable to the memory of his dead brother, was not built on a foundation of love. In Season 1, viewers learned that he hadn't seen his wife and son for some time, and even when they arrived in the finale, he looked shocked — not elated — to see them.
In Season 2, he was cold to Martha, often disregarding her impressions of the camp proceedings in order to favor opinions of his associates. He often went to bed angry, rose early, and tolerated her with chaste affection. It caused some viewers to discredit his unbelievable development into a happy husband in Deadwood: The Movie.
HE DIDN'T ALWAYS FOLLOW THE LAW
Bullock began the series bringing road agents and horse thieves to justice, but eventually through his begrudging relationship with Al Swearengen, his commitment to the law became compromised.
He allowed the Earp brothers to leave Deadwood after they shot a Pinkerton agent; he didn't bring Mr. Wolcott (a serial killer) to justice for the deaths of three prostitutes; he stood guard outside Al's office while Hearst viewed the prostitute Al killed while running for sheriff.
HIS EMOTIONS CONTROLLED HIM
For a man who stalked the streets of Deadwood with a permanent scowl and an impervious attitude, Bullock could be incredibly emotional when his adrenaline overtook him. Unfortunately, this often meant he couldn't be as calm and collected as other members of the camp.
When he pummeled Jack McCall for Wild Bill's murder, he was in tears as he was swinging. When he knew his wife and son were due to arrive, Seth ran up to Alma's room and gushed about running away with her. Some viewers found this behavior erratic and nonsensical for how unemotional he was the rest of the time.
HE BECAME INCREASINGLY RECKLESS
Due to the duality in his nature, Bullock couldn't let sleeping dogs lie. As unruffled as he could appear the majority of the time, he had a temper and an emotional fountain that when it erupted, threatened his ability to see reason and logic.
Knowing his family was coming to Deadwood, he engaged in the wild and reckless affair with Alma. He went after his gun and badge from Al knowing it might cost him his life. He led Hearst to jail by his ear (twice) knowing full well it would only make him more determined to bring the citizens of Deadwood to their knees.
HE NEVER DEVELOPED AS A CHARACTER
Whether viewers blamed the writing or Timothy Olyphant's performance, they felt that Bullock was never fully developed as a character and remained two-dimensional throughout all three seasons.
Most of the time, Olyphant delivered his dialogue in the same cadence, with only predictable paroxysms of aggression to punctuate his delivery. Bullock continued to be a humorless stick-in-the-mud who sometimes dispensed justice and other times chose to ignore crimes happening right in front of him.