S04.E01: The Elusive Eden

[maraleia]

 

Cullen awaits the birth of his baby, laboring under The Swede's thumb at Fort Smith. Durant deals with the fallout from a railroad accident.

 

[Skyfall]

Can't wait!

[riverheightsnancy]

The one thing that you can count on in Hell on Wheels is that it is NOT predictable. I did not think Ellam (sp?) dead. I was watching for Common's name in the credits and when I did not see it, I figured he was gone. That sucks. I hated the recast of Cullen's wife. The original actress had an innocence in her face and had good chemistry with Cullen. The new girl, her teeth were too white, her eyebrows too plucked (denoting modern in my eyes, especially because she is supposed to be a Mormon),and she did not have that sweetness or purity that the other actress brought. The recast of the mother was the same. She was too outspoken. The original woman was more passive and quiet. Submissive. These issues so took me out of the scenes, when I was really looking forward to the opener. Sick of the Swede and cannot wait until he is exposed to the Mormon people. I wonder what they will do. Will they keep him on? Crushed about Eva and I want her to rise up. Maybe she could open a little store or something. That giant guy that attacked her, he tried to attack the reporter too. I wonder if he is a serial killer and rapist and the reporter will write the story about him and help solve the crime? I am now wondering about the murders in Boston and Mickey. Seems he has serious issues too.  That's Hell on Wheels for ya! 

[Skyfall]

The one thing that you can count on in Hell on Wheels is that it is NOT predictable. I did not think Ellam (sp?) dead. I was watching for Common's name in the credits and when I did not see it, I figured he was gone. That sucks.

Just because Common wasn't in the credits doesn't mean he is dead, it just means he didn't appear in this episode.

[riverheightsnancy]

Ahhh. Really hoping that the character comes back. I want to know if he survived the bear attack. I know that it is often very expensive for TV production to continually change the opening sequence for a show. So, I figured that if he wasn't listed at all he might be gone from the show entirely. 

[nodorothyparker]

I'm really hoping they wrap us this trapped with the evil Mormons storyline by next week and get our hero back into the main action.  I get that the Swede is supposed to be the greatest adversary ever (and he and Bohannon do have mad chemistry the way they play off each other)  but a little of that goes a long way and I'm really not interested in sitting through multiple weeks of them trying to outcrazy and torture each other.

 

The naming of the baby scene was very weirdly set up.  This woman just had a baby and is trying to nurse and you have her sitting in a straight chair in the middle of the room.  It was so wrong to look at it it was distracting.

 

The scenes of Durant floundering and Hell on Wheels going to, well, hell were very reminiscent of the beginning of season 2 when Durant had to admit he needed Bohannon and ended up going to some lengths to retrieve him from a near hanging.   Surely they're not going to recycle that storyline but Durant clearly needs someone stronger and more reliable than Mickey if he doesn't want to end up losing everything.

 

The Eva-Mickey bathtub scene was beyond squicky.  I think I used to sort of like Mickey too. 

[Ohwell]

I'm kind of bummed that Mickey has turned out to be even creepier than Sean, and that Mickey might be the killer of the prostitutes after all, instead of Sean.  I hate being wrong, lol.

 

I agree about the new actress playing Cullen's wife.  She's lacking that sweetness and innocence that the first actress had, and I do think that Cullen had more chemistry with her. 

 

I don't think Elam is dead.

 

How long will the Swede continue to torture Cullen--and me?  Can somebody end this by driving a stake through his heart?  Please?

[justmehere]

I'm afraid I didn't enjoy that at all. The Swede absolutely needs to go. It's torturous to watch him at this point. As good as the actor is, it's gone too far. --There's not much they could do but recast since the actress playing Naomi took another job, but I agree that this actress doesn't have the same energy. I don't think I saw Kasha Kropinski (Ruth) in the credits. There wasn't an end to her story; maybe she's not considered a regular anymore. I hope she isn't just gone or that they don't have a one-line "she left town" deal. Ugh.

 

I don't believe Elam is dead because he's been a major character, and I'd hope they wouldn't treat his death so minimally.

 

The retcon of Mickey's character is too much. Compared to earlier Mickey, this isn't evolvement, it's an aboutface. I know they hinted last season that maybe he wasn't as clean as we'd thought, but even that felt like a stretch given previous material and conversations with Sean. Going back to seasons 1 & 2, I don't remember any of this in his character. He was kind of afraid of women as I recall. He didn't hesitate with opportunities to make money off of them, but there wasn't any mania or psychosis in it. He even gave Nell (?) a fairly "loving" eulogy. The scene with Eva in this episode was horrible. He sort of zoned out as if he wasn't in control, yet he knew what he did. I liked that he offered her chances to leave Cheyenne, and I don't have trouble with him being a business opportunist -- I can see that as natural due to the living circumstances -- but this is too far out of the blue with no such breaks before.

 

It's really the new showrunner(s) I don't like. Last season was the poorest, in my opinion, which is when he/they came on board. I remember Anson Mount saying in very early promotion that they weren't going to make it the white guy/black guy buddy show, and yet that's kind of what happened last season -- but also, Cullen started acting all superior again after having built some respect for Elam (I'm saying this with distance - except for the first episode of season 3, I haven't watched any of it since it aired). The whole thing with Naomi in the barn felt out of character too. The new showrunner(s) changed the whole tone of the show, and not for the better. Ironically, I think the audience is growing and rather supportive, so maybe it's just me, but I don't like what they've done. I'll watch for now to see where this season goes. However, it's not must-see like it used to be.

Edited August 3, 2014 by bets

[BestestAuntEver]

There was so much I didn't like about last night's show. Count me in as one of those who is tired of the Swede & the Morman storyline. Durant was every freaking where.

No scene or mention of Elam, Ruth or the Morman boy. I actually went back to see if, Common was listed. Common wasn't in the promo photo either. I'll wait to see if & how Common is part of the story. Elam's story was a big draw for me.

I'll give it a few more episodes for them to find their footing before I bow out. What they are currently producing is not my taste in viewing at all.

Edited August 3, 2014 by BestestAuntEver

[nodorothyparker]

Last season was the poorest, in my opinion, which is when he/they came on board. I remember Anson Mount saying in very early promotion that they weren't going to make it the white guy/black guy buddy show, and yet that's kind of what happened last season -- but also, Cullen started acting all superior again after having built some respect for Elam (I'm saying this with distance - except for the first episode of season 3, I haven't watched any of it since it aired). The whole thing with Naomi in the barn felt out of character too. The new showrunner(s) changed the whole tone of the show, and not for the better.

 

 

I enjoyed the world building of season 3 as the canvas expanded to include the politics of getting the railroad built and how its coming affected more than just the grubby crew actually laying track.  But you're right in that having sex with the Mormon leader's daughter in the barn while he was there in what he knew was already a very delicate situation that might end in bloodshed felt wildly out of character and just plain stupid.  And while Bohannon has at times been terribly impulsive and reckless, he's always been portrayed as someone who reads people and situations fairly well.  He's also not stupid. So while I think the notion of giving him an instant wife and child to fear losing could be interesting in light of his back story, this entire storyline makes him foolish.

 

I kept waiting and looking for some sign of Elam too.  I could have sworn we saw at least the steeple of Ruth's church, but with yesterday's marathon I'm no longer sure if that was in the season 3 finale as the camp finally moved to Cheyenne or in the new episode.  I haven't always cared for Ruth but I don't want to see her written out in a throwaway line either.

[Ohwell]

I loved the opening scenes when the train fell through the ice:  the look on Durant's face that said "oh shit!" and the look on Psalms' face that said "dumbass!" 

[riverheightsnancy]

I loved the opening scenes when the train fell through the ice:  the look on Durant's face that said "oh shit!" and the look on Psalms' face that said "dumbass!" 

 

I have to say I was wondering about this as well. Does anyone know about building during this time period and would an attempt be made to create a structure or lay rail over a frozen river? To what end would this serve? Once spring comes, the track would fall in. Shouldn't they have been attempting to make the parts for a bridge and then assemble the bridge in the spring?  I really thought that I must be missing somehting after I saw this scene. 

[Ohwell]

I thought I was missing something, too, because it seemed obvious that the engine and other train parts would be hot enough to melt the ice, just like Psalms said.  I just couldn't figure out how the so-called "engineer" couldn't foresee this.  Of course, Durant would never listen to Psalms and probably none of the other workers either. 

[Skyfall]

Anyone interested in Elam's fate:

 

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/06/27/hell-on-wheels-season-4-elam/

[Ohwell]

I totally agree about the retcon of Mickey.  I thought he shot Sean because he didn't want to be accused of being an accessory to Sean's murders, and that he was tired of cleaning up his messes, like he said.  I thought he just wanted just Sean to go away and keep his mouth shut.  Now, they've got Mickey acting all creepy with Eva, talking about "all women are whores" and such and there's no lead up to this about face.   It just doesn't make sense.

 

The other thing that bothered me was Cullen having sex in the barn with the Mormon girl.  He's never struck me as a man who didn't have restraint when warranted, and screwing a maiden in her father's barn was definitely a dangerous situation.  Even if it had been a long while since he had sex, I just can't believe he couldn't keep it in his pants, given the circumstances.  Again, it just doesn't make sense. 

[BusyOctober]

Can someone explain to me why Cullen is pretending to go along with the Swede's masquerade as the Bishop?  Why doesn't he tell the Mormons who he is for real?  Where's the little boy who's family was murdered by the Swede?  He would be an eye witness.to back up what Cullen knows.  I know the Mormons in the fort don't like or trust him, but they can't all be so blind and pig headed if the little boy were to tell his horrible story.  And if the whole fort o'Mormans hate Cullen so much, why not let him leave? 

 

Where did Mickey get all his money to buy the land?  I watched every episode of every season and I don't recall how he came into all that cash.  All I remember of his story was it looked like he was the murder back in Boston and not Sean. 

[leisawoo]

The show has "jumped the rails". So disappointed. I missed the airings first time around. During the great rewatch, I got hooked in season 1&2 only to be devastated by the ending of season 2. I'm still on 3 but it already seems like a different show. Frustrated, too, that I can't for the life of me figure out why Dominique left!! Ugh.

[beesknees]

I hate the actress that's been recast as Cullen's wife Naomi.  I want the old actress back.  The new characters don't seem to have a good chemistry/mix.  And if anyone watches RHOC doesn't Cullen's new wife look a little like Vicki's daughter Briana?  A thinner version?  Maybe that's why I don't like her.  No Elam (Common) in the opener.  I hope he's not going to be cut from the cast.  Someone up thread posted a spoiler regarding him.  I'm too chicken to open it!

[justmehere]

I read a comment elsewhere that the reason for crossing the river was to be able to continue building on the other side during the winter. Then in spring they would go back and build a bridge. The argument Durant had before the attempt was that they'd crossed the Missouri River that way, but the other guy said it was colder with thicker ice in that case. The engineer grossly miscalculated despite the warning (not sure who that other guy was), and so, disaster.

 

Cullen did try to tell the Mormons who the Swede was, but they didn't believe him. He stays mainly because the Swede won't let him leave, and he fears getting shot if he tries. Maybe the facade is to make the Swede think he's "winning," yet Cullen is still tweaking him in private. It does seem like the young boy would testify... unless he's so traumitized that he's blocked it out or still isn't speaking. Hopefully they'll address that.

[Irishmaple]

I was fine until the Bishop started speaking in tongues over Naomi in labour.  It was bad enough watching the other woman sing a hymn in the corner instead of being an active midwife, but the speaking in tongues was way too much.  For a hot second, I actually hated the show.  Then the Swede got to hold the baby before Cullen did and I detested the show.  It made sense from a Swede-tortures-Cullen point of view but I got tired of the Swede torturing Cullen two seasons ago.

 

I'm struggling with the show right now.  It's always been dark and I've been fine with that, but now Mickey's acting creepy, Eva's been raped and is taking shit from Mickey about doing the right thing for her baby girl, and the fucking Swede is still taunting Cullen.  It's season four and I think my darkness-induced apathy is sneaking in.  None of these people are going to catch a break and I'm not convinced I want to watch it, in spite of Anson Mount's smokin' hotness.  I actually like that he has a second chance with a wife and a child, but I'm almost certain he's either going to abandon them or be forced to leave them behind.  I never bought that a sheltered, religious girl would offer herself to a man in a barn, even one that looks like Anson Mount, but she did and the story moved on but I don't think it's going anywhere I want to see.  Can't he work for the railroad, and have a wife and kid?  Would it kill them to give the guy a reason to smile maybe once in an episode?

[nodorothyparker]

Can someone explain to me why Cullen is pretending to go along with the Swede's masquerade as the Bishop?  Why doesn't he tell the Mormons who he is for real?  Where's the little boy who's family was murdered by the Swede?  He would be an eye witness.to back up what Cullen knows.  I know the Mormons in the fort don't like or trust him, but they can't all be so blind and pig headed if the little boy were to tell his horrible story.  And if the whole fort o'Mormans hate Cullen so much, why not let him leave?

 

He tried to tell them who the Swede really is at the end of last season and got beat down for it.  The boy is presumably still with Ruth but I don't think even Bohannon knows who he really is.  At the time the Mormons took him, the boy had only just started to talk again and hadn't really said much beyond that his name is Ezra.  I'm sure if and when he ever sees the Swede again he'll be screaming it from the rooftops but how will that even happens if no one knows he's an eye witness and they stay in separate locations?

 

None of the Mormons like him or really want him there but they seem to be stuck on the idea of a life for a life.  Papa-in-law clearly wants him for to replace the labor of his dead son.

 

I still hate this storyline.

[Britty]

This show disappoints me.  Seasons 1 & 2 were fantastic.  Season 3 was bad, and Season 4 looks worse.  I said at the end of last season that they were going to have to really blow me away with the premiere for me to stay.  Instead I get way too much Durant, the worst birth scenes ever (The Swede has gotten ridiculous), and poor Eva gets raped by a stranger then felt up by a suddenly super-creepy Mickey.  No thanks.

[Suit and Tie]

I wonder if the Swede's "speaking in tongues" was actually him speaking Norwegian.

[riverheightsnancy]

Regarding the Swede and the speaking in tongues. My husband's family is Pentecostal and I have seen speaking in tongues. To be honest (not attempting to offend though), it comes across gibberish mostly, so a person who is motivated to fake it, probably can do so easily. Because the people who believe in it ascribe their own meaning to it, they do not actually require that the person "say" anything specific. The fact that a believer does it, means that God is speaking through them or they are having a religious experience which is then interpreted via hindsight. 

 

So, the fact that the Swede knows that these behaviors exists and the import placed upon them by the believers, he does them because that is what is required of him to continue his ruse.  He may have now convinced himself that he is a "Bishop" and speaking in tongues is given to the most holy, then he speaks in tongues. I suppose that the Swede does not thinking he is lying anymore. After all, it isn't a lie, IF YOU believe it (George Costanza). Personally, I think that the Swede would be considered anti-social personality disordered and would not be a stretch at all for him to do the things that he has done. And, he may have been speaking in Norwegian, because no one would know (that we know of). 

 

As a side note, I was struck at the concept of one man being the head of this large family (including other men). Godlike and not to be questioned. You can see how this could be abused by a manipulative sociopath (like the Swede). It is possible that this doctrine could lead to a man running off the younger males and how men who are predisposed to wanting young women sexually, would be drawn towards this lifestyle which could set up a situation where abuse can occur. I had that hindsight thought when seeing the baby handled by the other men first and how Cullen was basically "neutered" by the other more "important" men. It just reminded me of the stories that have come out in contemporary times regarding the sexual abuse, physical abuse, and casting out of rival boys and men from some of these types of religious sects. One last side note: In this society, I thought that the Swede being in the room of a birthing woman, was beyond the pale. If she is supposed to be chaste, I do not think any man is supposed to see any aspect her lady-parts other than her husband, just saying. 

[TexasChic]

Dammit! I liked Mickey! I was ready for him to have a romantic storyline. Why did they have to suddenly make him creepy and gross?

I was also taken out of the moment by replacement actress (Cullen's wife). They could have at least attempted to get someone who looked like the original.

 

 

The other thing that bothered me was Cullen having sex in the barn with the Mormon girl.  He's never struck me as a man who didn't have restraint when warranted, and screwing a maiden in her father's barn was definitely a dangerous situation.  Even if it had been a long while since he had sex, I just can't believe he couldn't keep it in his pants, given the circumstances. Again, it just doesn't make sense.

This bothered me too. It seemed out of character and awfully risky.

Despite these complaints, I still love this show and hope these inconsistencies aren't an indication of the show deteriorating. 

[blackwing]

I'm finally done with this show. It's hard to watch a show when you don't really care for any of the characters, and outright despise some of them. I watched this show because I like historical dramas. Kept waiting for it to really grip me, and it never did. I found it painfully slow and boring at times.

Deleted season pass. Life is too short to waste time watching tv that I think is a chore. I wish "Copper" was still airing, despite its flaws. Now I'm going to try "Turn".

[KnittingOwl]

I wonder if the Swede's "speaking in tongues" was actually him speaking Norwegian.

That was my assumption, too.

I also thought it was interesting that the Swede didn't look really dark and dangerous when Cullen was in the well until Cullen called him "the Swede."

[leisawoo]

I'm finally done with this show. It's hard to watch a show when you don't really care for any of the characters, and outright despise some of them. I watched this show because I like historical dramas. Kept waiting for it to really grip me, and it never did. I found it painfully slow and boring at times.

Deleted season pass. Life is too short to waste time watching tv that I think is a chore. I wish "Copper" was still airing, despite its flaws. Now I'm going to try "Turn".

I'd be interested in your opinion of "Turn". I thought there were a couple of good, not great, episodes in the 1st season. However, by the 3rd or 4th, I was lost!! It seemed convoluted and too many characters. I did dvr the reruns and am going to give it another try, mostly sober, lol.

[Suit and Tie]

I'd be interested in your opinion of "Turn". I thought there were a couple of good, not great, episodes in the 1st season. However, by the 3rd or 4th, I was lost!! It seemed convoluted and too many characters. I did dvr the reruns and am going to give it another try, mostly sober, lol.

In Turn, they have made a man that is revered here in Canada (Cpt. Simcoe) and made him a complete monster. So I am not going to watch it any more.

[annlaw78]

 

None of these people are going to catch a break and I'm not convinced I want to watch it, in spite of Anson Mount's smokin' hotness.  I actually like that he has a second chance with a wife and a child, but I'm almost certain he's either going to abandon them or be forced to leave them behind.  I never bought that a sheltered, religious girl would offer herself to a man in a barn, even one that looks like Anson Mount, but she did and the story moved on but I don't think it's going anywhere I want to see.  Can't he work for the railroad, and have a wife and kid?  Would it kill them to give the guy a reason to smile maybe once in an episode?

Never underestimate the power of Anson Mount's smokin' hotness, ha!  I get it, and I do hope that the gang can get back together under Cullen's leadership, and things start going better.  I'm not finding the Mormon fort stuff very interesting, and I think it's dicey when a TV show or movie focuses too much on a specific religion that the show's writers may not be very familiar with. 

 

 

One last side note: In this society, I thought that the Swede being in the room of a birthing woman, was beyond the pale. If she is supposed to be chaste, I do not think any man is supposed to see any aspect her lady-parts other than her husband, just saying.

I thought Naomi's calling for Cullen, and his being part of the birthing process, was anachronistic, too.  I mean, up until about 1970, men stayed in the waiting room of the hospital while their children were born!  I don't know if there is historical precedent for pioneer Mormon women not going into "confinement" when they started to show, but that, too, seemed a bit "off," that this great-with-child woman would be waddling around camp doing chores. 

Edited August 6, 2014 by annlaw78

[Ottis]

What the hell happened to this show? Aside from the open (train going into the river), this episode was more like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (a show Ms. Ottis used to watch) then HoW. And while I like good female characters, this ep was the Helen Reddy special:

 

- Businesswoman calls out and foils Durant

- Cullen's MIL chews him out and tells him to leave

- Cullen's "wife" (still inexplicable to me, but whatever) toughs out a difficult birth and then wins Cullen's heart and he wants to take her with him

- Eva is beaten and groped and comes back with retorts that shrivel Mickey

- All the men are fools, rapists or cowards

 

And the next episode's title is about Ruth?

 

This was both boring and a different HoW than I recall watching. It was also the first ep Mrs. Ottis has watched with me, and now she is interested in it. Coincidence?!

[Irishmaple]

I think the female characters acted appropriately to their situations and within the bounds of their established characters.

 

Maggie has always been a tough woman.  She's both a rancher and a town builder.  She has ambitions for herself and for Cheyenne, and will work with Durant as long as he doesn't get in her way.  Selling his land conflicted with her plans and she tried to stop him.  Durant wasn't foiled; he wiped out Mickey financially and got the money he needed to keep the railway going.  Maggie made it interesting.

 

I can understand Cullen's mother-in-law holding a grudge.  When her husband stayed silent, Cullen hanged her son for shooting the Army escort.  She has good reason for bitterness.  She can't take her anger and loss out on her husband, so makes Cullen culpable.  She's always hated him.

 

One thing I liked about last season's inexplicable marriage plot was how Cullen and his new wife resolved to make the best of their situation.  She seems like a nice person who cares about him.  I can understand why, after all the death and pain in his life, Cullen might be drawn to her.  If nothing else, he married her and fathered her child, so he has a duty of care towards both of them.  Why would he leave his wife and son in that place under the power of The Swede, with his wife compelled to change her son's name and raise him as her own brother? 

 

Mickey was being a complete shit to a rape victim.  He was groping and insulting Eva, and deserved every single word she said to him.  If she'd climbed out of the tub and kicked his ass, I would have been fine with that too.  As for why the writers decided Eva needed to be raped to further her plot, I've got nothing.     

[gaPeach]

It was bad enough watching the other woman sing a hymn in the corner instead of being an active midwife, but the speaking in tongues was way too much.  For a hot second, I actually hated the show.  Then the Swede got to hold the baby before Cullen did and I detested the show.  It made sense from a Swede-tortures-Cullen point of view but I got tired of the Swede torturing Cullen two seasons ago.

 

I always thought that speaking in tongue came from when Jesus spoke to the masses that not all understood the same language.  So when someone stood up and spoke in tongue it was to translate Jesus's word. 

 

I too am so tired of the Swede.  Him getting the baby before the mother alone was bad.  I have to wonder how he is fooling all of the Mormons?  I would think to be a priest or whatever Mormon's call their higher ups he would have to be well versed in their religion.  Any elder of the church should be able to spot a fake from a mile away.  I know he spent time with the Mormon family before he killed them but he could not have learned enough to fool other Mormons for too long.  How long have they been there?  Months I would assume.  The Swede's true colors would have come out by now.

[Ottis]

I think the female characters acted appropriately to their situations and within the bounds of their established characters.

 

 

I agree, and I don't have any problem with how the characters reacted. My issue is that it was all the episode was about (when you also include that all the men were fools, rapists or cowards).  It was a soap opera. What actually happened in this episode? What direction did it set? Ugh.

[beesknees]

Shout out to Ottis for referencing "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"!  Bwah ha ha ha.  The fact that we're both old enough to remember that show, well, we are dating ourselves on that one.

[Ottis]

It was only 1993-1998 - not *that* long ago! Though saying that probably really does make me old.

 

Mrs. Ottis would watch and I would sit down from time to time. The HoW shot from above the train showing the town felt a lot like a Dr. Quinn shot, as I recall. As did the drawn out baby birth and Cullen trapped in the well while his wife called for him. I'm not sure what that was supposed to trigger in the audience. Probably not annoyance, which was what I felt.

[Raja]

I always thought that speaking in tongue came from when Jesus spoke to the masses that not all understood the same language. So when someone stood up and spoke in tongue it was to translate Jesus's word.

Not Jesus, the Apostles in Acts. Pentecostals and charismatic Catholics also believe that some have the gift of a private prayer language and different churches have rules about how they are used in public. I have no ideal where Mormons fall in this issue. But it seemed to be accepted coming from the Bishop.