Plainview: example father

Throughout the movie, it is clear that Daniel Plainview always does what is best for H.W. Be it giving him a respectable oilman name a la H.M.Tilford and J.J.Carter, be it pacifying him by putting whisky in his milk when H.W.'s father dies, be it bonding with H.W. over camping, hunting for quail, searching oil, be it keeping H.W. in the room when discussing serious business, teaching him about the business...Be it indirectly hooking him up with Mary Sunday, be it consoling him by singing to him when he first gets deaf, be it sending him to a school for the deaf in San Francisco, be it buying him a big, strong, expensive meal to put decent food inside of him -- Daniel Plainview is a model father to be emulated.

It is only natural that in the end he also, as a good father, needs to tell H.W. when he is wrong, a bastard from a basket in setting up competition against Plainview.  

Redemption for the restaurant owner

At first, the nice restaurant owner gives preference to H. M. Tilford and crew, and serves them drinks out of order even though Plainview ordered his drinks first. While this in principle is despicable, the owner did redeem himself and told Daniel he'd have his steaks right out. And in the extras on the DVD, the restaurant even offers Plainview additional drinks to make up for their mistake.

And Daniel accepts the apology, in a similar way to how he accepts Abel Sunday's apology for not having bread earlier in the movie. Given that even good people like Peter engaged in the denial of Jesus, so did good people in the movie deny the truth in the Gospel of Plainview, the Third Revelation, the One Who the Lord Has Chosen.  

Prayer for Daniel Plainview (Full Text)

Our Daniel Plainview who is the Third Revelation,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy mansion come.

Thy will be done

on earth as it is in the fields.

Give us this day our daily potatoes,

and forgive us our following song and dance and superstition,

as we forgive HWs who misstep,

and lead us not into false prophets,

but deliver us from Eli. Amen.

Daniel's kindness towards Bandy's grandson William

When Eli mentions that William Bandy is one of the finest members Eli has at the Church of the Third Revelation and that William wants to come to Hollywood to be in movies, and Eli says William is very good looking and Eli thinks William will have success, Daniel encourages it by saying "That's wonderful!"