Patton Oswalt Is Returning To Standup Comedy Next Month And References A ‘Deadwood’ Scene As A Reason Why

Months after the sudden death of his wife, the author Michelle McNamara, Patton Oswalt announced that he is preparing to return to standup comedy at some point next month. In a tweet early Sunday morning, Oswalt revealed that he feels ready to be back on stage performing jokes for people again, and attached a famous Deadwood scene as an explanation why.

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) August 28, 2016

The scene, which includes Ian McShane’s Al talking to Jeffrey Jones’ Merrick, contains a quote that may be very relevant to Oswalt’s current mindset.

“Pain or damage don’t end the world — or despair, or f—ing beatings. The world ends when you’re dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man, and give some back.”

It’s as good a guiding principle as any, and that it stems from the wisdom of Al Swearengen only makes it more worthy of following. Oswalt has made few public appearances since his loss – one of them the recent Pete’s Dragon premiere – and made only slightly more public statements about Michelle’s passing. Returning to comedy shows without Michelle in his life must be a daunting task, so our support goes out to Patton as he gradually returns to work.