by Sam Mantell
Follow @SLMantell
I sat down to watch Hell On Wheel, On Demand yesterday.
I was feeling pretty good; I had gotten a lot done so far that day, and watching Hell On Wheels would be constructive, and I’d write about it and that should
bring me to Monday Night Football, and that should be a full day of obligations
filled.
I was
infinitely more exited for Hell On Wheels 102 than I was for Walking Dead
102-204. Since Hell On Wheels premiered, my faith in AMC’s streak of quality
programming has inflated slightly. In my opinion,it suffered a real dip with The Walking Dead Season Two thus far. To be honest, I wasn’t real thrilled with Season One, but the housemates and I did a little Walking Dead streak on
Netflix the Saturday and Sunday before the Season Two premier, and it was fun to
feel the fever. And then, that night, Season Two premieres and WOOooaaauhhhhmmm…..lame.I think all of us feigned enthusiasm
for the next episode. We did it for each other. And then the second episode was
going to come on and it was an awesome day of football and we can’t wait to see
some zombies get decimated and Shane finally have it out with Rick and
WOOHOoooooyyeaaahhh….what the fuck?! Why is everything still way it was? Where
are the zombies? Where’s Sofia? Oh, good question. By the way, we’re gonna have
this be the same question for the next five episodes!
 |
| Actual, physical zombies. |
The
similarities between the current story line and the actual, physical zombies in the
story are striking. Both get really excited for a few minutes while they smell
blood, but the scene usually ends without satisfaction. And as has been the case with the last few episodes, both are
barely there at all. Now, if that analogy holds up, then we should be in for a
real onslaught of storyline, just as soon as it breaks out of that barn of of the doctor's and gets into everyone’s shit. That could be exciting! But, since they
show us the most exciting scene of every episode in the “Exiting look at next
week’s episode” we know the most that will happen is Glenn threatening to do
the BLATANTLY OBVIOUS and tell his folks there’s a massacre waiting in the
barn. And why doesn’t he step up to the plate? For poon, that’s why. Glenn
apparently didn’t watch any Scorsese before the apocalypse.
And here we
are, deep in to the second season, and Rick is still struggling with,
literally, every single word he says. Be a MAN Rick, Jesus! Shane still hasn’t
beat his ass, like we know he’s going to. I swear to God if Rick beats Shane in
a fight I’ll stop watching the show. There’s no way.
Now, given
all that hatred I just showered upon The Walking Dead, you can imagine how much
of my interest in Hell On Wheels stems from wanting something else to entertain
me. Yes, I could just stop watching Walking Dead, instead of sitting here
bitching about it, but that would leave my Sunday night TV lineup less
populated, which I’m not real keen on. So amid my gushing about Hell On Wheels
that is to follow, remember that it’s partially, if not all, a reaction to the
absence of The Walking Dead.
Hell On
Wheels opens with a murder in a church, just after the conclusion of the Civil
War. What times these must be! Clearly we’re being thrown into an unstable
situation. The only person we have to count on so far has just shot a man
through the eye, in a confessional.
Thankfully,
we’re presented with a calm setting thereafter: the lush, wide open plains of
Council Bluffs, Iowa. Here we find the western-most edge of the Union Pacific
Railroad. For those of us who LOVED America:
The Story of Us, the time and setting alone are reason enough to keep
watching. We know the kind of drama that unfolded at the American Frontier
while we were still bridging the gap between the coasts. Native Americans,
sickness, and plenty of hatred left over between the once-warring factions in
the Civil War comprise a tasty recipe for disaster.
At the
center of all this turmoil is our hero, Cullen Bohannan, played by Anson Mount.
Cullen is seeking to avenge his wife’s death, and he seems to be on the right
track. He’s managed to find his way to the leading edge of the Union Pacific Railroad. Here, whether by accident or by
design, are some people who might know a thing or two about
the tragedy that took Mrs. Bohannan, an event referred to only by the name of
the town; Missionary. Bohannan’s solitary goal is, of course, obstructed by the
usual cast of liars and thieves, one of which is played excellently by Ted
Levine, who delivers an excellent performance in the pilot, as well as in Heat
(and Silence of the Lambs, and Monk, etc, but most importantly, Heat). Levine’s
character is in charge of labor at Hell On Wheels, and he’s a fierce drunkard and
racist to boot.
Colm Meany plays Thomas Durant, and is thoroughly convincing as a corrupt boss, so common in the early days of the
Union. His main goal is to extort the government, which he has coerced into
subsidizing the construction costs of his railroad. He is a tyrant, and he has
a fierce hold on the railroad, his kingdom, of sorts. In him we see the greed
and immorality embodied in all the extortionists we’ve had in our history.
 |
| The Swede |
Durant's head of security, The Swede, is a terrible force we’ve discovered in the second
episode. His “Immoral Mathematics” loom as we see his desire to bring Bohannan
down, if for no other reason than Bohannan’s ability to outsmart The Swede
twice in the course of a day. If I’m being honest, The Swede is the best hope
Hell On Wheels has for the success of this show. His lack of emotion and
unplugged demeanor seem to be the tone-setter for the plot, and both are dark
and mysterious enough keep me watching. Sorry, but I’m rooting for The Swede.
Thankfully,
Bohannan’s safety/success is not all we have to worry about. There’s also a
love-stricken, fair-haired maiden wandering about somewhere with some maps that
are VERY important to Durant. We have Common, who plays Elam, making trouble on
Bohannan’s labor squad. And we have two unassuming young immigrants who have
only innocence to offer. They’re just a couple boys trying to raise money for
their Ma back in Ireland. It’s going to be a real surprise when they either die
or kill someone.
 |
| Poor Frank Darabonte |
Sure, it’s
hard to claim success after two episodes of a show. Where would we be if that
were the standard? Well, we might be saying The Walking Dead is the finest show
around. So it is with caution that I champion Hell On Wheels as a good new show. But it is with resounding
confidence that I deem it a better choice than The Walking Dead. Sure, sure,
the zombies in the barn. I know. But I’m also counting on Hell On Wheels to hold their production ship together, something The Walking Dead couldn't do. The producer/director of the first two episodes of Hell On Wheels,
David Von Ancken, seems to have a handle on what creators Tony and Joe Gayton
had envisioned. Of course, he may not direct every episode, but he’s done a
fine job thus far.
To add a
proper conclusion, Hell On Wheels is capturing my fancy much more so than The
Walking Dead. I’m more interested in Cullen Bohannan than Rick Grimes. I’m more
afraid of The Swede and those sly, skilled Indians than I am of the zombies. I
don’t care about Sophia, I DO care about the maps. And I’m more curious about
Meany’s intent for malice than I am about the Doctor’s intentions with the barn
zombies, mostly because now I’ll see any jump in excitement as a ploy for
ratings boosts already in The Walking Dead. Now of course, tune in Sunday for
what will probably be the best Walking Dead episode yet, now that I’ve posted a
rant about it. And if you do that, be sure to stick around for Hell On Wheels,
which will most likely be awesome.
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