This show has great potential. It has a great foundation, fairly solid actors, and a relatively unknown frontier to explore for a gritty drama. (no pun inte…actually yes I’m not going lie, I wanted to put that in there… sue me!)
I can kind of see the direction they’re headed with the characters and how they will meet at certain crossroads (sonuva…), but it’s pretty much going to be a hell of a ride! (dammit!)
I tried watching it this afternoon, fell asleep after 10 minutes…Ill try it again
Another solid ep. AMC is churning out quality like it’s a reflex.
I just hope some humanity will be given to the Native Americans soon.
Some highlights from the 1/1/12 episode:
Bohannon edition
Bohannan is quickly rising the TV Badass tier list for all the reasons in Kurokun’s spoilers. Also
He shoots first, like always. That was a hell of a cliffhanger last episode.
Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, The Killing, and now Hell on Wheels. AMC is too broken. IMO television quality has been rising in indirect proportion to U.S. cinema since the 2000’s, now there are so many great shows we’re practically in a tv golden age. Curb, Always Sunny, Scrubs, AD, Friday Night Lights, Dexter, the list just goes on.
This show just keeps the pace and intensity every episode, love it!
Another awesome ep
[details=Spoiler]Bohannon whipping The Swede (or The Norde) like the little brat he is was magnificent. Something tells me he’s going to end up dying by the next season, although the writers probably enjoy writing his character.
Joseph’s brother’s ego is the main cause of this conflict, not the encroachment on their native land. I think a fraternal showdown is going to be the highlight of next week’s ep. Brother vs Brother.
[/details]
AMC is owning big time!
Some highlights from the 1/8/12 episode:
The last 2 episodes of Hell on Wheels have been fantastic, and the season finale was quite daring to say the least.
It’s hard to imagine
[details=Spoiler] …how they can retain the feel of the second season when Cullen pretty much has no room for redemption anymore. He murdered an innocent man in cold blood, and now there is no way of reclaiming his former title or be in proximity to the regular cast members who work and live on the rails.
"Choose Hate"
Damn Reverend Cole became a freaking Sith Lord or some shit. I mean damn, talk about giving a man with a slivers chance of hope absolutely no hope at all.
Lily Bell, I must admit I knew her role and wasn’t really that enthusiastic with her presence but respected her as a character. I have to admit now that seeing her in these last eps she’s quite gorgeous, in the loveliest way. [/details]
Season 2 is going to be a helluva ride! (dammit I did the pun thing again.)
Hell on Wheels is great but it’s not nearly as GDLKE as The Killing.
anytime Common, a “non violent rapper” caps a racist prick outside of my hometown of Omaha gets a S+ from me.
and he’s getting better with the aim, too! make that a S++
but too bad he doesn’t have anti-pussy. I know Irish woman are more prone to be thicker but don’t go out like that, son.
Stick to scalping Natives.
[media=youtube]abOvE2K_Hmk[/media]
Five more days…
Hell On Wheels S1 Recap
[media=youtube]EPz2GfIyBcI[/media]
Hell On Wheels S2 Preview
[media=youtube]Qpyt3UtjZuk[/media]
Bonus:
Bohannon ‘raising some Hell’ in S1
[media=youtube]HVNgjYoQWpo[/media]
Fucking no cable since the end of last season (my decision but still) … Gonna to have to search for a good place to watch this show online somewhere.
S2 premiere on 8/12/12
[LIST]
[]Bohannon is trying to make his way to Mexico and is with a group of Southerners who are robbing trains for cash. Things are looking up until he runs into Elam which complicates matters at that particular moment. Currently facing the possibility of execution by firing squad after the last robbery attempt. Also, he beats up some Yankees during the episode.
[]Durant continues on getting the railroad built but progress is slowed due to wages not being paid (result of Bohannon’s group interfering) and less effort by the workers to make distance quotas.
[]Lily is helping Durant with railroad stuffs.
[]Elam is enjoying his new status in the employ of Durant, who tasks him to protect the wages/money. Runs into Eva and Mr. Toole who are married. Runs into Bohannon later on during a train robbery and reports him to Durant and Lily.
[]Mr. Gundersen (aka: The Swede) now has a lesser job status in life because of the Irish McGinnes boys ruining him. Does some body disposal in the episode. Also, does a bit of a funeral service (at the behest of Lily) for one of the town whores who was killed and offers a bit of a prayer in the place of Reverend Cole who still seems to be ‘out of sorts’ as of late.
[]Joseph and Ruth are apparently having ‘relations’, while Reverend Cole seemingly tries to get himself together.
[/LIST]
The preview for next week’s episode looks to be Bohannon’s homecoming/return to Hell On Wheels.
Hell On Wheels - S2 E2
[LIST]
[]Durant receives word that the settlement bearing his name has been raided by Indians. After organizing a party to check on the status of the settlement, the party, while en route via train to the settlement, runs into the survivors of the attack, which include Mr. Toole and Eva. Initially, it is thought to be the Cheyenne who had attacked but it turns out to be the Sioux who had raided the settlement, as noted by Joseph who had accompanied Durant’s party and sees the raiding party along with Durant and the others. Durant wonders why the Sioux have done this and Joseph tells him that they have sent him a message - that he (Durant) is now at war with the Sioux nation.
[]Elam is happy to see that Eva is among the survivors but he probably doesn’t seem to feel the same way toward Mr. Toole. He offers Eva some money to help her out but she turns him down.
[]Lily has a meeting with Eva where they talk about the murder of the whore/prostitute (who apparently was a friend of Eva’s). Eva wants justice done but Lily tells her that it may be difficult for others to view her idea as ‘doing the right thing.’
[]Ruth and Joseph tend to the survivors at the church tent, which is full for a change. Reverend Cole come by to the tent to preach but is turned away by Ruth and Joseph because they both see Cole as unfit to lead a sermon in his current state of being.
[]Bohannon is currently awaiting execution at a fort in Kansas. He resists giving up his Confederate companions to the Union soldiers. Though he resigns himself to his fate of death by firing squad, Bohannon is ‘saved’ from execution by Durant who says that they both have unfinished business and offers him a choice of ‘life’ (pardon) or ‘death’ (execution). The two men share a train ride where they both wonder if they each have made a mistake in their choices. Though Durant keeps a watchful eye on Bohannon (who is chained up) with a pistol (while drinking), after some choice talk, Bohannon manages to subdue Durant for a moment before letting him go. Both men go on to wonder on who is the ‘Devil’ in the deal that they have made with each other. Afterwards, Durant leaves Bohannon alone in the train car and tosses him the key to release himself from the chains.
[]The Swede and Reverend Cole have a convo about religion/philosophy where the topic of a ‘white spirit’ comes up that will bring destruction, which Cole alludes to the Pale Rider, Death. Things get a little macabre for a moment when The Swede shows Cole an animal skull that he found and says that there are mysterious forces at work here.
[]Lily seeks out Elam at the bar and requests for him to ‘take care of business’ regarding the murder of the whore/prostitute. He initially turns down the job but Lily goes on to say that it was Eva who asked her (Lily) to ask him (Elam) to take up the task. The next morning, Elam confronts the last customer of the whore and asks if he had killed her. The man appears standoffish even when Elam draws his gun on him but eventually says that he did kill the whore. Elam ends up stabbing the man with his knife, killing him while out of sight of the housing tents.
[]Bohannon (along with Durant) arrive back in Hell On Wheels and has a brief moment with Elam who greets him after Durant leaves the area. After a walk through the town where the other notable characters see him (Sean, Lily, Cole, Ruth, and Joseph), he makes his way to the train car that was The Swede’s former residence. After entering and opening a side door, he sees The Swede off in the distance after a train car has passed by on the train track. Initially, The Swede looks at Bohannon, but then he glances toward the sky for a moment, then back at Bohannon before leaving, all the while with an eerie grin on his face. Bohannon then closes the door and sits down on the floor, wondering if he had made the right choice.
[/LIST]
Hell On Wheels - S2 E3
[LIST]
[]The episode opens with The Swede talking about the nature of man and of the land with the backdrop being that of a pig being slaughtered. Apparently, the man who was killed for murdering the whore is a German migrant and a friend of the town butcher who wants justice done as he tells The Swede. The opening scene ends with The Swede feeding the other pigs the discarded organs of a freshly butchered pig, saying (via voice-over) that ‘nothing is wasted.’
[]Lily visits Bohannon and the two of them engage in some small talk about her involvement with Durant in the building of the railroad. She then tells him to go to the rail site to order the men to go to work and who happen to be without a foreman. Bohannon goes to the rail site but the workers don’t take to his giving of orders because of the payroll that was ‘appropriated’ by the Confederate group raiding the trains. Mr. Toole gets appointed as the new foreman by Bohannon which somewhat diffuses the situation of the work status. Later on, Durant and Bohannon are looking over a gorge where the rail is likely to be headed and talk about the business in getting the railroad built.
[]Elam receives orders from Durant to keep an eye on Bohannon when he is visited by his employer who wakes him from his slumber in the bar. Eva pays a visit to Elam and asks him if he killed the man who killed the whore but he doesn’t say much about it. The pair have a moment and somewhat give in to their emotions but Eva reminds Elam that she’s married to Mr. Toole now though the couple might have had some domestic problems and Elam is quick to say that he’ll do something if he sees Toole harm Eva.
[]Micky McGinnes is spending some time in the whorehouse and somewhat approves of the killing of the man and tells the whore that she and her friends are under the protection of the McGinnes brothers.
[]The Swede brings the body of the deceased killer to Reverend Cole who is constructing a box coffin. They talk about how they have been usurped from their positions (Cole with the church and The Swede with his former status). The Swede tells Cole that they should take back what is rightfully theirs.
[]Later at the church, Ruth is holding a service for the deceased killer (who’s name is Schmidt IIRC) but Cole interrupts Ruth with her sins of passion being told to all who will listen. This causes a disruption that causes the butcher to react to Cole’s ranting but The Swede diffuses the situation saying that the blame should be placed on the Irish McGinnes brother, who according to The Swede have been bragging about the killing of German man. The butcher leads some other German migrants and goes off to get both brothers. Meanwhile, Durant and Bohannon, along with Lily, talk about the gorge site and she says that the scale of construction for the railroad is going to be difficult because a bridge will likely have to be built and the Sioux are likely to interfere in the project. Elam barges into the office area and tells the trio that a band of Germans, led by the butcher, are rounding up the Irish brothers. Bohannon goes off to see what is going on but Elam hangs back saying that it isn’t his ‘job’ and Durant reminds him that this is ‘railroad business’ which prompts Elam to go off after Bohannon.
[]Bohannon and Elam approach the slaughterhouse and though initially Bohannon says he’ll take the front while Elam takes the back, Elam speaks up saying that he’ll take the front instead. Inside, the Germans string up the Irish brothers while the butcher sharpens his knives to exact some ‘justice’ for his dead friend. Elam makes his way in and interrupts them while Bohannon approaches from behind them. One of the Germans tries to make a move on the two men in the employ of Durant and both Bohannon and Elam shoot and wound their attackers. Bohannon then frees the brothers and they make their way out of the slaughterhouse. Outside, Bohannon leads the McGinnes brothers to a rail car that functions as a jail (the one Bohannon was put into) and orders Mickey to enter, who says that he’s been owning up to the killing of the German man (though he didn’t do it) which makes him look guilty to the townsfolk. Sean is also ordered to go into rail car as well. After Bohannon locks up the rail car, the butcher tells him that if they aren’t killed, he will kill them himself, then leaves the area with his men.
[]Durant, Bohannon, and Lily are talking about the killed man, who turns out to be the former foreman of the rail construction group. Of the two McGinnes brothers, Durant feels that Mickey is guilty and should be hanged while Sean could be save because he has some worth to Durant’s railroad business. Lily argues that the Irish men are innocent. Bohannon wants no part of of the discussion and leaves. Later, Lily meets with Elam and tells him that he should do something about it and says that she might come forward, which doesn’t sit well with Elam. Bohannon happens to pass by the spot of their meeting and sees the two of them together.
[]Ruth is walking along to somewhere with Joseph trailing behind her and he gets accosted by some men who think Ruth is being bothered by an Indian but says she isn’t. They talk about Cole’s ranting and Joseph reveals his feeling for Ruth and says that they should leave town together but Ruth says she can’t leave for the sake of her father. Joseph is holding an afternoon service until it is interrupted by the same men who accosted him earlier. He fights against them but is overwhelmed until Cole scares off the men while wielding a saber. Cole tells Joseph to leave town for his safety but Joseph replies saying that he has nowhere to go if he does.
[]The McGinnes brothers ponder their fate and Mickey says that the reason he owned up to the killing was for the recognition and that he wanted to do something on his own. Ruth delivers a meal that Sean ends up thanking her for then she asks if the men have made their peace. Sean doesn’t want to hear that from her right now and he just wants Ruth to be there for him.
[]That evening, Lily admits to Durant that she caused the foreman to be killed, which Durant doesn’t believe at first but then he becomes angry with her for her actions despite everything that he has done for her up until this point.
[]The Swede is enjoying a bath but is interrupted by Bohannon who manages to take a hold of The Swede’s short-barrel shotgun. Bohannon tells The Swede that he knew that he got the blame placed on the McGinnes brothers as payback for the ‘tar and feathering’ that they had caused upon him, but The Swede doesn’t really give it away. He tells Bohannon that he hates him for all that he has done (to him). As a final insult, Bohannon returns the gun to The Swede but in the process of handing him the gun, he drops it into the bathtub causing The Swede to cry out in anguish.
[]The next day, with the hanging of the McGinnes brothers imminent, Durant grants them their freedom and orders their release. Lily relays the news to Bohannon who releases the Irish men from the rail car.
[]Bohannon meets with Elam, saying that he knows that it was him who killed the foreman but Elam doesnt let on and continues to work on sharpening his knife. He warns Elam to watch out for himself, saying that the next time that he has a noose around his neck, it won’t easily slip off that time.
[]After releasing the McGinnes brothers, Bohannon informs the butcher and tells him to leave town on the next train. He appears defiant at Bohannon’s suggestion and then the butcher gets punched in the face as Bohannon lets him know that this is the only warning that he’ll get.
[]In the final scene, Mickey and Sean confront the butcher in the slaughterhouse as he is preparing to leave town. The Irish men attack him with Mickey at point but Sean joins in and the two men kill the butcher. The episode ends with the McGinnes brothers, who are covered with blood, going off to feed the pigs.
[/LIST]
Interesting episode.
Lots of things happening with various characters.
The Swede is doing work.
how did that dude end up in jail in season premiere? he went from being shot in the head to in jail and i was like huh
Bohannon, S2 E1 stuff
In what was supposed to be the last train heist for Bohannon and the group of Confederates before they go to Mexico, Hawkins (the group’s leader), harasses a mother and son aboard the train and Bohannon draws his gun on him and tells him to stop. Hawkins’ men turn their guns toward Bohannon and one of the men (probably Doc, maybe) knocks Bohannon out. After the group finished up their business, Bohannon, who was left behind, was likely picked up by the Union soldiers and taken away to the fort in Kansas as a prisoner to face execution by firing squad.
Hell On Wheels - S2 E4
[LIST]
[]Railroad work is continuing on until it is interrupted by the cries of a man. It turns out to be a man named Fleming, who was captured by some Sioux and is being tortured in plain view of the work site. Bohannon takes up a long rifle and prepares to shoot, but unbeknownst to the onlookers who think that he is going to shoot Fleming’s captors, Bohannon instead shoots Fleming in the head and kills him, which scares off the Sioux and surprises the railroad workers.
[]Somewhere, Elam and Eva are partaking in a midday tryst. Eva tells Elam that she is with child and tells him to respond but he leaves the area silent.
[]Back in town, Bohannon comes upon Reverend Cole, who continues to be down on his luck, at the bar. Finding out that Cole has been cast out of his church by Ruth and has resorted to sleeping in the graveyard at night, Bohannon offers to take the reverend in.
[]A train comes into town with the railroad workers from earlier. Bohannon orders them back to work but they refuse. Mr. Toole speaks up saying how they don’t feel safe working knowing that the Sioux are out there. In a convo, Lily says that they should reroute the railroad to avoid the Sioux lands. Bohannon tells Durant that they should fight the Sioux but Durant reminds him that the men won’t work for him.
[]Eva is drawing some water from the river and Elam offers to help her. She tells him that Mr. Toole doesn’t know about the situation yet. Though he is a free man, Elam worries about his freedom and the fact that Eva is carrying his child. He then offers her some cash to deal with the situation but Eva refuses him saying that she’ll handle on her own if need be.
[]That night, a wake is held for Fleming at the bar. Bohannon stops by to pay his respects and tries to rally the men to fight/work but to no avail. Psalms, a vocal spokesperson for the Negros, comes into the bar with his group and proposes that his group is willing to protect the rail site from the Sioux if they are given guns but the idea is shot down by Bohannon and the immigrant folk who don’t support the action of arming the Negroes/ex-slaves.
[]The next day, the striking rail workers burn an effigy of Durant in protest. Durant wants Bohannon to do something about it and Bohannon wants the authority to put a plan into motion. Durant grants Bohannon his request.
[]Eva tells Mr. Toole that she is with child and that it isn’t his. Though she tries soften the news, Toole doesn’t seem to take to it well and storms off.
[]Bohannon has a telegraph sent out requesting for some new railroad workers to be sent in.
[]The Swede and Cole talk about the current event of the railroad strike and The Swede tells him that war is coming and that they should ‘choose a side’ to be on.
[]That evening, a drunk Mr. Toole runs into Elam who threatens him should he hurt Eva. Toole tells Elam off saying he isn’t a father but is instead a coward.
[]The train with the new workers comes into town. Mr. Toole and the other striking railroad workers greet them and a fight breaks out. Toole’s side is losing but Psalms group arrives as backup and beat the new workers back onto the train. At one point, Toole beats down a man in view of Bohannon and Elam and Psalms stops him before he goes too far. The striking railroad workers chase the new workers off successfully. As the men celebrate in the bar afterwards, Toole tells Bohannon that the men are willing to go back to work and tries to propose a condition but Bohannon shoots him down saying that he could have another group of men come in if need be. Toole understands the situation and says that the immigrant folk are okay with the Negroes having guns and protecting the rail site from the Sioux. Elam ‘congratulates’ Bohannon on his ‘plan’ but it doesn’t seem like things are done yet as though the immigrant folk have agreed to go back to work, it is unsure what the stance is in regard to the Negroes. Bohannon says that he’s done his part and now Elam has to do his.
[]Elam visits the Negro quarter of town and tells the men that they can either work of go back to prison. Psalms stand in defiance of Elam and a fight breaks out between the two men. It goes back-and-forth between the men (Psalms punches Elam in the dick and Elam bites Psalms’ arm) as they fight in the mud with the other men looking on but Elam appears to get the upper hand as he punches Psalms with a flurry of shots to his kidneys. As Elam stands tall over a downed Psalms and utters a noteworthy line, Psalms gets up and surprises Elam with a punch to the face that knocks him out. With the fight over, the other men tend to Psalms, while Elam continues to lay on the ground and in the mud.
[]Bohannon tells Durant that the strike is over and that the men are going back to work with the Negroes protecting the rail site with guns. Durant initially protests the idea but Bohannon reminds him that the railroad is going to get built to which Durant comes around and accepts the idea. Lily doesn’t agree with how things resulted and has a bit of an argument with Bohannon who tells her that this is the way it has to be.
[]Mr. Toole returns to his home and finds Eva already in bed. He cozies up to her and places his hand on her belly and Eva feels reassured that her husband cares for her regardless of the child not being his.
[]Later on, Bohannon trains the Negroes in the usage of rifles. Elam looks on from afar and sees Bohannon and Psalms glancing over at him. Psalms still feels the effects from the kidney punches as he spits up some blood during Bohannon’s rifle instruction.
[*]The episode ends with the railroad workers continuing on at the rail site with the armed Negroes watching out for the Sioux. Bohannon rides in and gives one order to Psalms and his men, “If it moves, shoot the shit out of it.”
[/LIST]
This season feels weird, it’s hard to connect with a character who doesn’t even want redemption and claims to have no remorse. Bohannon is just grasping at the little bit of humanity he has left.
This last episode was very good though, it seems like a lack of communication is one of the principle reasons why things go awry in this seres. Case in point:
[Spoiler=] If Cullen had informed the Irish Bros. that he took care of the German butcher they wouldn’t have to “meat” out justice. Get it! Mete/ Meat?! Bad joke…[/Spoiler]
And these were the so called good ol’ days of freedom and adventure…