Trixie is one of the first characters that fans meet in Deadwood – and at first, she seems like a true victim. Her first scene involves her having shot a patron in the head after he got rough with her, and ends with Al brutally beating her in response. It’s impossible not to feel sorry for her in that kind of situation… but this isn’t the case throughout the series.
As the show goes on, fans see Trixie really come into her own. She leaves the Gem, she starts working with her mind, she forms a relationship based on love, not money… but she also does some fairly terrible things along the way. Whether she is betraying and hurting people or just hurting herself, these are some of the times she was a sympathetic character – and some times it was easier to hate her.
Felt Bad: Al Beating Her
This is a bit obvious, but of course fans felt for Trixie when Al was beating her. She may have accepted it as part of her lot in life, but it was heartbreaking to see her bruised and battered when all she did was stand up for herself. The fact that Al seemed to really care about her (in his own way) just made things worse, as her complicated feelings added a level of heartbreak to the situation.
Hated: Spied For Al
Admittedly, Trixie ended up feeling so bad for Alma that she couldn’t follow Al’s instructions to the letter – and in fact, went entirely against them when she got Alma clean instead of keeping her drugged! However, the fact that she was so loyal to Al in the first place that she would be duplicitous and spy for him was not an action that endeared her to fans.
Felt Bad: Trying To Overdose
Trixie ended up actually becoming a good friend to Alma (as much as either of them were capable of that friendship), and when it came down to it, she just couldn’t cope with what Al was telling her to do… and ended up trying to kill herself over it.
Luckily, she was found and taken care of, but it was a close call – and it was hearbreaking to see just how conflicted she was, and how much she hated herself in this moment.
Hated: Shooting Hearst
Not because she shot him, of course. In fact, most fans were rooting for Trixie, and wished that she had actually managed to take him down! However, this became a moment that everyone hated her for because she didn’t think it through – she just stormed off, tried to shoot him, and failed… and that ended up leading to the death of poor innocent Jen.
Felt Bad: How Alma Treated Her
Trixie, much as she may have started out wanting to work against Alma, ended up truly helping her. She got her off the drugs in the first place, supported and sympathized with her, helped her raise her adopted child… and got treated terribly for it. Alma continually looked down on her, treated her poorly, and acted like a snob around her. It was completely unfair.
Hated: Can Never Control Her Temper
Trixie is the definition of a ‘firecracker’ – and while this makes for some great viewing, as a personality trait, it’s just kind of annoying. You would think that after so much time, and so much experience of the world, Trixie would learn to control herself – if only for self preservation purposes. However, she is constantly flying off the handle and creating drama instead.
Felt Bad: Trying To Protect Sofia
This may fall more into the category of feeling for her, rather than feeling outright ‘bad for’ her – but Trixie is definitely at her most sympathetic when she wants to protect Sofia.
Between her, Alma, and Calamity Jane, Sofia may have more allies than anyone else in Deadwood – but seeing someone like Trixie, who is usually only out for herself, take sure care… is absolutely incredible.
Hated: Tried To Go Back To The Gem
Thankfully, Al turned her down for this one – but it was incredibly frustrating to watch Trixie move on with her life and start creating a new career for herself at the store… only to get into a strop with Sol and stomp back to the Gem. No one wanted to see her return to a toxic relationship and regular beatings, so watching her try and throw away all the progress she had made as part of a temper tantrum wasn’t something any fan loved.
Felt Bad: Her Son’s Birth
While fans were thrilled with her relationship and finding love with Sol, and eventually becoming pregnant – the scene where she gives birth (in the film) was more than a little heart-rending. First, there were arguments going on because she called out Hearst (going back to that inability to think things through), but then fans got to watch her sobbing, claiming that she doesn’t deserve happiness. It was a stark picture of her emotional damage, and one that created a huge amount of sympathy for her.
Hated: How She Treated Sol
Admittedly, most of her treatment of Sol came from her own trauma and inability to be vulnerable, but it was still hard to watch Trixie treating such a sweet man like trash. She constantly put him down, yelled at him, left him… if she had just been able to accept his love earlier, everyone would have been much happier.
