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S05.E01: Chinatown

Black Kettle

By Black Kettle
in Hell On Wheels [V]

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Bort

Bort

Synopsis:

The Season 5 opener finds Cullen in California with the Central Pacific Railroad, building east through the mountains. As he contends with new bosses and workers, word on his family comes in from Salt Lake City.

 

It's weird, I had to manually set my DVR to record this episode, the guide has it marked as a repeat. Everybody who's DVRing, double check!

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Ohwell

Ohwell

Last season was so depressing, with Ruth and that poor kid getting killed.  I'm almost scared to watch tonight.  They'd better keep their paws off of Psalms though.

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Ohwell

Ohwell

While I can understand the focus on the Chinese given their role in building the railroad, I'm not sure I like this angle.  I definitely am not looking forward to what else the Chinese business owner has in store for Cullen.  And now the fucking Swede is going to be working for Cullen?  The man was standing on his doorstep so why didn't Cullen shoot him and then say that he was trespassing?  Does he feel some sort of weird connection to the Swede? 

 

I know the show had to move forward but all I know is, I miss Psalms and his crew, and and even Durant.

  • Love 1
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Pogojoco

Pogojoco

They made a mistake making Bohannon's wife so damn dull, because I find myself not caring that he's looking for her. I just don't care. 

 

It's weird that she's dull, because Eva, Ruth, Lily and Louise are/were all interesting characters-so it's not like they can't write interesting women. 

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I-Kare

I-Kare

(edited)

They made a mistake making Bohannon's wife so damn dull, because I find myself not caring that he's looking for her. I just don't care. 

 

It's weird that she's dull, because Eva, Ruth, Lily and Louise are/were all interesting characters-so it's not like they can't write interesting women. 

 

Didn't some interviews with the showrunners indicate they offed Lily because they didn't want Cullen to become too domestic and now he's saddled with a wife and child and last season was basically him being force-domesticated? Good god. I almost stopped watching the show last season due to the wife. Beyond boring and now he's pining for her? (or am I over reading that?) 

 

 

And now the fucking Swede is going to be working for Cullen?  The man was standing on his doorstep so why didn't Cullen shoot him and then say that he was trespassing?  Does he feel some sort of weird connection to the Swede? 

 

That makes zero sense. ZERO. He even tried to hang him after he killed Lily and now it's a shrug and let's work together? 

 

Either the Cullen has a weird connection to the Swede or TPTB have a boner for him. 

Edited by I-Kare
  • Love 3
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Pogojoco

Pogojoco

(edited)

I think the actress who played Lily actually wanted out, so they might be covering. If they didn't want Bonhannon to be too domestic, they could've broken them up. Deadwood did that with Mrs. Garrett and Seth Bullock- which I think is this show's more prestigious cousin. She's on that Astronaut Wives show now, with red hair. 

 

And yeah, having him pine over the extremely boring wife is not good. 

 

I'm probably going to watch till the end, because I might as well, but I think they seriously made a mistake killing off so many characters that people cared about. I just recently re-watched the Ruth gets hanged episode, which is so well acted and so depressing. Of all the killing that has happened in this show, it's Ruth that has to pay? And the Swede is now somehow working for him now? After he killed Lily? And tried to hang him? And various other things.  It's things like that that hang over this show that sour what could actually be good. 

Edited by Pogojoco
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BLKKettle

BLKKettle

(edited)

Ruth and the boy were probably killed off to free up some money so they could bring on some new characters for this season. I recall Anson Mount saying in an interview prior to the start of Season 3 that his character was going to be "reinvented". Redeemed if you will. Guess that explains why the Swede is still alive and other things.

Edited by BLKKettle
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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

They made a mistake making Bohannon's wife so damn dull, because I find myself not caring that he's looking for her. I just don't care.

 

It's not just that they made her dull.  It's that they portrayed her as disapproving/disappointed of everything he is and is trying to be while he seemed to barely be able to contain his irritation with her presence.  Even before that, they were never portrayed as more than two people who barely knew each other but were stuck together through circumstances and sharing a child while tentatively trying to figure it out.  

 

Sure, lots of marriages throughout history based on something other than romantic love have worked out.  But the pretty gauzy daydreaming about a life with her feels out of character for a character who's always been pretty firmly grounded in the reality of the world as it is.

 

Of course the Swede was going to just knock on his door to share his latest bit of crazy.  Of course he was.

  • Love 1
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NorthstarATL

NorthstarATL

I've stuck it out this far, and I'm always up for new characters (the stagecoach was refreshingly anachronistic), but any time the Swede shows up my hate for previous seasons boils up. Of all the decent folks who have been sacrificed to further the story, why in the heck does he continue to plague us?

  

 

They made a mistake making Bohannon's wife so damn dull, because I find myself not caring that he's looking for her. I just don't care. 

 

It's weird that she's dull, because Eva, Ruth, Lily and Louise are/were all interesting characters-so it's not like they can't write interesting women. 

They've made more missteps with women than not, though, IMO. Eva left well last season, but her journey to that point was filled with failures at giving her a storyline that made sense, Lily, arguably the best of the female roles, was ruined, IMO, by the hook-up with Durant, which was both OOC and unnecessary to Lily's importance to the railroad. The hotel owner, the white woman whom Elam took from the Indians (not to mention the unwritten two Indian women!), and probably others always seemed to be going somewhere, and nothing ever came of them. The newspaper woman was wildly inconsistent. Ruth fared well by perseverence, and had a very sad end, but (and I'm probably alone in this) never really sold me on being the religious leader she was written as. She just seemed to step into her crazy father's shoes because.

  Is Eva suppoed to be in this season? It might be interesting to see her and her "business" lock horns with the Chinese pimp, and put she and Bohannon on the same side as far as having a mutual enemy.

  • Love 2
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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

(edited)

Eva and Mickey and crew left Cheyenne in the season finale under Campbell's orders.  I'd presume they'll be following the railroad, which seems like it should also be leaving Cheyenne to continue west after finally getting over that summit.

 

Presuming we follow the two rail camps toward their eventual meetup at Promontory Summit, Utah, I wonder where that leaves Campbell and Louise as characters.  Campbell is a historical figure and really has no place in the story as they leave Cheyenne and the Wyoming territory behind.  Despite the mess that Louise became last year with her affair with Campbell, I've always liked her and the actress who plays her so maybe she'll continue to follow the story.

Edited by nodorothyparker
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riverheightsnancy

riverheightsnancy

Yeah, I stuck with dull for the wife, but yeah, she's dull and a massive nag. Let her go, Cullen. 

Well the original actress seemed more appropriate for snagging Cullen. She obviously attracted him is some way to get him to sleep with her. The first girl was a bit more flirty and sexual. The replacement actress was a 180 degree turn in an opposite direction which I think is part of the problem with her to begin with. I never saw or got the thing with Ruth either. It was definitely one-sided on her part. I think that she was looking for a father figure.  I mean, Ruth so quickly forgets about Joseph too. Lily was a better match for Cullen in all ways. However, I do not think that anyone will measure up to his dead wife at this point. 

  • Love 3
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Ohwell

Ohwell

(edited)
Ruth and the boy were probably killed off to free up some money so they could bring on some new characters for this season

 

That makes sense, but they could have written the story a different way instead of killing them off.  Once Cullen came back to town with pissy wife and baby, they could have written it so that Ruth would be disappointed, and she and the boy leave for a different town and a different life, maybe back East.  But nooooooo....the writers just had to bring more sadness into Cullen's life. 

 

Well the original actress seemed more appropriate for snagging Cullen. She obviously attracted him is some way to get him to sleep with her. The first girl was a bit more flirty and sexual. The replacement actress was a 180 degree turn in an opposite direction which I think is part of the problem with her to begin with.

Agreed.  I thought the first actress was more attractive and approachable and sexual, so I could understand why Cullen would wind up in the barn with her.  Not miss pruneface though.

 

I'll stick with this show until the end since this is the last season, but I'm becoming more and more disappointed in the writing.

Edited by Ohwell
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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

I think despite complaints to the contrary that I'm sticking with it because I do want to see them reach the end.  I know it may not seem like it now, but the Transcontinental Railroad was a monumental achievement at the time and I want to see them acknowledge that with a proper conclusion.  And after investing four seasons of my time, I do want to see how they answer last season's question of what happens to men like us.

 

I'm already prepared to be frustrated and disappointed on that as I often am with the show at this point, particularly when we hit Chapter 42 of The Lunacy of Thor Gundersen: A Rhapsody in Madness That Should Have Ended with Season 2.

  • Love 3
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JWalker

JWalker

Looks like were in for some big changes as far as Season 5 is concerned. With Cullen and the main action moving out to California I guess well be seeing less of some characters. For me, Mr. Durant in particular. Ive enjoyed watching Cullen and Mr. Durant spar over the years. I will certainly miss that. Didn't take long for the Swede to turn up did it?

Cullen has changed a lot as well. I guess it goes back to an interview I heard Anson Mount give prior to the start of Season 3 I believe. He stated in an interview he gave prior to the start of Season 3 that his character was going be "Reinvented". I guess that explains why he is so bent on finding his family and giving the Swede a pass for now at least.

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Ottis

Ottis

I'm probably going to watch till the end, because I might as well, but I think they seriously made a mistake killing off so many characters that people cared about.

 

 

For me, this is one reason I keep watching. The show hasn't been afraid to make some major changes.

 

Of course, at this point I don't know who Cullen is. I guess he is a war-weary vet who lost his first family and is striving to create and hold onto another one, as he works on the railroad on the side. Less interesrting than a dangerous former soldier bent on revenge, but maybe that is the redemption arc.

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catrice2

catrice2

I need some help. What happened to his wife? Did she leave or did someone take her? Also was it ever revealed that Ezra was the son of the minister whose identity that the Swede assumed or did that die with him? I cannot remember if he ever spoke again or if he could write.

Are Mikey and Eva in this series or not?

Thanks in advance!

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JWalker

JWalker

Cullens wife(Naomi) is supposedly out west somewhere with their baby. Cullen is looking for them. It seems they left the mormon fort with family or friends after a smallpox epidemic broke out.

To the best of my knowledge Ezras secret died with him. He never did get the chance to point a finger at the Swede.

Yes Mickey and Eva are still around.

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ennui

ennui

Yeah, I stuck with dull for the wife, but yeah, she's dull and a massive nag. Let her go, Cullen.

It's not about the wife. It's about the son. Cullen clearly forgot about her until she showed up pregnant.
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lidarose9

lidarose9

(edited)

I'm calling bullshit on the plot thread with the corrupt Chinese labor provider. While it's all right and good to feature the Chinese contribution to this important historical event, I am just not gonna buy a smarmy guy in a suit with a menacing gangster vibe. Once in a while, this show just runs off the rails of plausibility. This is one, imho.

 

I also am weary of this meandering tale of woe. We started out with a nice and rather tidy little story that worked pretty well up until the time when Lily died. Then it had to change direction, and became a show about Cullen learning how to go on living after Lily was gone. And that worked ok for a while but then it just got stupid, somewhere after the time Durant's wife came out to kick ass. It lost the momentum you feel with a natural arc of narrative action. Myself I think the writers were trying so hard to avoid cliche TV tropes, they ended up killing most of the best characters, and shot themselves in the foot. They wanted to surprise us, keep us on our toes. Throw in some sudden left turns. But what it accomplished is this mess of (the last couple seasons) Bohannon running around trying to look intent and purposeful when in fact he's just wandering from one tragedy to the next. It almost has the feeling of a Greek myth and he is a flawed hero undergoing ordeals and trials, merely dancing under the hand of a capricious god. Well. If that is what they're going for, they're going to need a big finish. I'm dubious. 

Edited by lidarose9
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ennui

ennui

(edited)

I also am weary of this meandering tale of woe. ... Bohannon running around trying to look intent and purposeful when in fact he's just wandering from one tragedy to the next. It almost has the feeling of a Greek myth and he is a flawed hero undergoing ordeals and trials, merely dancing under the hand of a capricious god. Well. If that is what they're going for, they're going to need a big finish. I'm dubious.

Welcome to Life. And, just so you're prepared, you don't always get the "big finish."

Edited by ennui
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Raja

Raja

(edited)

Welcome to Life. And, just so you're prepared, you don't always get the "big finish."

True, while we have been following one war veteran engineer through his woe most of the people on the screen are just digging and swinging a hammer all day. many die along the way with no big finish. Being quasi historical we know the big finish, the show is about the journey

Edited by Raja
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SororitySue

SororitySue

I don't think Cullen is pining for his wife so much as doing what he thinks is the right thing by looking for her. He's not perfect, but he does have a sense of honor and he would never just abandon Naomi and William to their fates.

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