Eminent Domain (Hell on Wheels)

Last updated

"Eminent Domain"
Hell on Wheels episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 2
Directed by Adam Davidson
Written by John Wirth
Featured music
Production code302
Original air dateAugust 10, 2013 (2013-08-10)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Big Bad Wolf"		Next →
"Range War"
Hell on Wheels (season 3)
List of episodes

"Eminent Domain" is the second episode of the third season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels , which aired on August 10, 2013, on AMC. The twenty-second episode of the series is written by showrunner John Wirth and directed by Adam Davidson. In the episode, the railroad progress is interrupted by a family of Mormons in its path. When a family member kills Dick Barlow (Matthew Glave), the railroad's chief engineer, Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) seeks justice. Louise Ellison (Jennifer Ferrin), a New-York Tribune reporter, arrives in town to witness it all.

Contents

Plot

Cullen gives Louise, who's writing a story about the First transcontinental railroad, a tour of the town. He claims he doesn't need Thomas C. Durant's (Colm Meaney) help in the race against the Central Pacific Railroad. She asks where Lily Bell is buried. Cullen replies Lily is in a wildflower field, adding that Hell on Wheels is no place for a lady. Elam Ferguson (Common) meets Dick Bartlow, who says Elam now works for him.

Three armed riders enter town and order Cullen to keep the railroad off their property. Cullen rides to a nearby farm and meets Aaron Hatch (James Shanklin), a Mormon, and his family. Hatch invites him to dinner, during which he insists his family is not moving. Cullen says he'll try to find a route around the farm, but the family will have to move if none can be found. Cullen spends the night and, in the barn, he and the eldest daughter, Naomi (Siobhan Williams), begin to kiss. Her inquisitive younger brother Henry (Christian Laurian-Kerr) interrupts them.

The next day, Cullen is told an alternate route can be built but would put them five weeks behind schedule. Back in town, Sean McGinnes (Ben Esler), the railroad's new bookkeeper, tells Cullen that Durant has cancelled the livestock contracts and cornered the market. An angry Cullen says he should have killed Durant long ago. Louise overhears this. Later in the church, Cullen tells Ruth Cole (Kasha Kropinski) about the Hatch family situation. She cautions that Mormons are a "violent people."

In Omaha, Nebraska, Durant dines with some ranchers, one of which is a woman whom he proposes building a commercial railroad terminus on her land. As a representative of Crédit Mobilier, he offers $100 per acre to prevent the railroad from claiming eminent domain. At the bar, he is joined by Sean, who slips him an envelope stuffed with money and the Union Pacific telegraph routing code. Durant can now eavesdrop on Cullen. Sensing Sean's unease, Durant assures him that he's not doing anything wrong. At Hell on Wheels, Louise is cornered by a large, drunk worker, who forces himself on her. She slashes his face with a razor and he strikes her.

The next day, Elam and Dick have breakfast together. Cullen arrives and instructs them to ride out and order the Mormons off their land. At the Hatch farm, Dick approaches the boarded-up house. He hears Hatch yell that, again, the family isn't leaving. Dick is shot in the stomach. Elam drags him away and rides back to town with him draped over the horse. Elam tells Cullen he doesn't know who fired the shot. Eva declares Dick has no chance of surviving. Dick asks to see Elam's baby. declaring her beautiful as Elam had described. Dick dies and Cullen places his police badge on Elam's vest. Elam says he didn't want the job in this manner.

Cullen, Elam, Louise and a cavalry arrive at the farm with a writ of execution. Hatch and his two sons approach the railroad group with weapons. Cullen tells Hatch that he must be accountable for the murder. After Hatch insists his family will not survive without him, Cullen assures him they'll be taken to a Mormon settlement. Hatch grabs his eldest son, Jeb (Ben Sullivan), and says the boy killed Dick. A reluctant Jeb agrees with his father and is hanged as his family watches. Hatch tells Cullen that he now owes him a life. Cullen rides off and stakes the property for the railroad. Later, Louise composes her newspaper story, writing that the railroad business has always involved unscrupulous and corrupt people, neither of which Cullen Bohannon seems to be.

Production

In an August 2013 interview, Anson Mount (Cullen Bohannon) discussed the scene with the seemingly young daughter (Siobhan Williams, who is actually 23 [1] ) in the barn: "The network almost made us cut that [sex] scene out, and we fought for it to stay in. I'm not interested in pure, untainted heroes, just like I'm not that interested in strength. I'm interested in weakness, and I'm interested in what makes somebody human. Just because somebody's had their heart broken doesn't mean that they don't get a hard on every now and then. Okay. It's just realistic. He's out there alone. The only thing he's seen is whores, and half of 'em have syphilis. What's he gonna do?" He added, "The reason the sex is so important in that scene is that he has to hang her brother the next day and he doesn't even question it. He has to get on with the railroad. The law is the law. It makes the killing of that boy much more difficult, but he does it. We also had a scene in that episode in which I was reading to her little sister before she went to bed. We didn't have room for it, unfortunately, but that's the kind of stuff that we were trying to set up to make that ending so much more difficult." [1]

Reception

Ratings

Seen as the second hour of the third season's premiere, "Eminent Domain" was watched by 2.49 million viewers and received a 0.5 rating among viewers aged 18–49, an increase from the second season's premiere and double the network's Saturday prime time average. [2] [3]

Critical reception

The A.V. Club 's Alasdair Wilkins gave the episode a B− grade, stating "There's certainly some promise in this apparent new direction; if nothing else, the show seems to be more directly about railroads than it ever was in the first two seasons." [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hell on Wheels</i> (TV series) American Western television series

Hell on Wheels is an American Western television series about the construction of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States, which broadcast in the United States and Canada on the cable channel AMC, from November 6, 2011 to July 23, 2016. The series, which features Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Common, and Dominique McElligott, chronicles the Union Pacific Railroad and its laborers, mercenaries, prostitutes, surveyors, and others who lived, worked, and died in the mobile encampment, called "Hell on Wheels", that followed the railhead west across the Great Plains.

Hell on Wheels (<i>Hell on Wheels</i> episode) 1st episode of the 1st season of Hell on Wheels

"Hell on Wheels" or "Pilot" is the pilot and first episode of the first season of American television drama series of the same name, which premiered November 6, 2011, on AMC in the United States and on TCM in the UK. The episode was written by developers Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton, and directed by David Von Ancken. The pilot introduces the series' protagonist, Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A New Birth of Freedom</span> 3rd episode of the 1st season of Hell on Wheels

"A New Birth of Freedom" is the third episode of the first season of American television drama series Hell on Wheels; it premiered November 20, 2011 on AMC in the United States, and on TCM in the UK. The episode was written by John Shiban and directed by Phil Abraham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immoral Mathematics</span> 2nd episode of the 1st season of Hell on Wheels

"Immoral Mathematics" is the second episode of the first season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels; it aired November 13, 2011 on AMC, and was co-written by series co-creators Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton, and directed by David Von Ancken. Producers of this episode include: Tony Gayton, Joe Gayton, Jeremy Gold, John Shiban, and David Von Ancken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamais Je Ne T'oublierai</span> 4th episode of the 1st season of Hell on Wheels

"Jamais Je Ne T'oublierai" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels; it aired November 27, 2011 on AMC, and was written by Jami O'Brien, directed by Alex Zakrzewski, and produced by Tony Gayton, Joe Gayton, Jeremy Gold, and John Shiban.

"Bread and Circuses" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels; it aired December 4, 2011 on AMC, and was written by Mark Richard and directed by Adam Davidson. Its title is a reference to the phrase "bread and circuses" taken from Juvenal's poem, "Satire X". In the episode, Joseph Black Moon and Reverend Nathaniel Cole travel into Cheyenne territory in hopes of a peace talk, Joseph's brother endures a native ritual, Lily Bell and Thomas Durant continue to discuss the future of the railroad construction, and Cullen Bohannon and his crewman Elam Ferguson settle their differences in a public fight.

"Pride, Pomp and Circumstance" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels; it aired December 11, 2011 on AMC, and was written by Bruce Romans and directed by Michael Slovis. The episode title is a quote from Act III, Scene III of William Shakespeare's play Othello. In the episode, Senator Jordan Crane arrives in town for an arranged peace talk with the Cheyenne and to discuss the Union Pacific Railroad's future with Thomas Durant. Cullen Bohannon is put in charge of security while the natives are in town. He prevents Lily Bell from causing a scene, after she spots a female native wearing Lily's dead husband's hat.

"Revelations" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American television drama series Hell On Wheels; it December 18, 2011 on AMC and was written by the series co-creators Joe Gayton and Tony Gayton, and directed by Michelle MacLaren. In the episode, Thomas C. Durant and Lily Bell travel by train to Chicago, for different reasons; the Irishmen from Hell On Wheels intend to kill Elam (Common) to entertain themselves, but Cullen Bohannon interferes and helps Elam escape.

"Derailed" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Hell On Wheels, which aired on January 1, 2012 on AMC. It is written by Mark Richard, and directed by David Von Ancken. In the episode, a train is derailed by the Cheyenne and Durant orders Cullen to lead a team to track them; Lily moves out of Durant's coach and into her own tent beside the brothel, which allows her to become fast friends with Eva ; and tension mounts for Cullen's team in the pursuit of the renegade Indian tribe.

"Timshel" is the ninth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on January 8, 2012, on AMC. It is written and directed by John Shiban. In the episode, Cullen Bohannon and the search party find the Cheyenne who attacked the surveyor's camp and later derailed a train; Elam (Common) and Eva discuss their future, before getting a strange visitor; and the railroad crew reaches the important 40-mile mark. The episode title has several meanings – from the Mumford & Sons song of the same name, which was heard in the episode, to the actual Hebrew word translation of man's triumph over sin.

"God of Chaos" is the tenth episode and the season finale of the first season of the American television drama series Hell On Wheels, which aired on January 15, 2012 on AMC. It is written by Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton, and directed by David Von Ancken. In the episode, Thomas C. Durant and Lily Bell conspire to gain arriving investors' interests, after she pleads for Cullen Bohannon to not let his vengeful path ruin him; Sean and Mickey McGinnes exact their own revenge on The Swede ; and Elam (Common) and Eva each begin to see the future differently.

<i>Hell on Wheels</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the AMC western-drama television series Hell on Wheels premiered on August 12, 2012, and concluded on October 7, 2012. The series was created and produced by Joe and Tony Gayton who wrote and co-wrote two episodes. They also serve as the show's showrunners. In addition to the Gaytons, Jeremy Gold, John Shiban, and David Von Ancken also serve as series executive producers.

"Viva la Mexico" is the season premiere of the second season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on August 12, 2012 on AMC. The eleventh episode of the series is written by Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton, and directed by David Von Ancken. In the episode, on the run for his crimes, Cullen Bohannon robs trains with a group of ex-Confederate soldiers, while Lily Bell and Thomas Durant continue the Union Pacific Railroad's westward progress.

"Durant, Nebraska" is the second episode of the second season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on August 19, 2012 on AMC. The twelfth episode of the series is written by John Shiban, and directed by Adam Davidson. In the episode, Thomas Durant takes some men to a ransacked town of his namesake, where he learns the Sioux Nation has declared war on him. Cullen Bohannon is freed from the Union Army prison by an unlikely ally. Lily Bell promises Eva justice in the prostitute's murder, which Elam (Common) investigates.

"The Railroad Job" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on September 9, 2012 on AMC. The fifteenth episode of the series is written by Mark Richard and directed by Michael Nankin. In the episode, Cullen's former train-robbing gang sets their sights on Hell on Wheels and its safe. Elam (Common) struggles to maintain order and has to rely on Cullen's help, causing the town to shun him. The Swede continues to prepare Reverend Cole for his prophetic "war".

<i>Hell on Wheels</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the AMC television series Hell on Wheels aired from August 10 through October 5, 2013, and consists of 10 episodes. The season follows Cullen Bohannon as he abandons seeking revenge for the deaths of his family in order to continue to drive the westward expansion of Union Pacific Railroad, while battling Thomas "Doc" Durant for control.

"Big Bad Wolf" is the first episode of the third season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on August 10, 2013, on AMC. The twenty-first episode of the series is written by Mark Richard and directed by David Von Ancken. In the episode, Cullen Bohannon attempts to obtain engineer control of the Union Pacific Railroad, while an imprisoned Thomas C. Durant wishes to prevent that. Elam (Common) and Eva welcome their new baby.

"Range War" is the third episode of the third season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on August 17, 2013 on AMC. The twenty-third episode of the series is co-written by Mark Richard and Reed Steiner and directed by Dennie Gordon. In the episode, when his railroad crew is attacked, Cullen Bohannon first suspects the natives but learns Thomas Durant might be behind it. Declan Toole arrives in town to claim Eva and her baby to honor his brother's memory and Irish custom. The Swede, now calling himself "Mr. Anderson," helps a stranded family.

<i>Hell on Wheels</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the AMC television series Hell on Wheels premiered on August 2, 2014 and comprised 13 episodes. This season continued to focus on the westward expansion of the Union Pacific Railroad. Conflicts among the government, businesses, ranchers, homesteaders, and the railroad are also depicted, as all of those interests compete with one another for control of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the most important railroad hub in 1867.

<i>Hell on Wheels</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth and final season of the AMC television series Hell on Wheels premiered on July 18, 2015 and comprised 14 episodes. The season was evenly split; the first half aired in late 2015, and the second half aired in mid-2016. This season, set in California and Laramie, Wyoming, focused on the race to complete America's First transcontinental railroad, as Cullen Bohannon switched from working with the Union Pacific to the Central Pacific Railroad, upon the CP developer's promise to help find Cullen's family.

References

  1. 1 2 Bierly, Mandi (August 10, 2013). "Hell on Wheels: Anson Mount on the scene he fought to keep in the season premiere". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ Yanan, Travis (August 13, 2013). "Saturday's Cable Ratings: "Hell on Wheels" Tops Total Viewers for AMC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ Bibel, Sara (August 12, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' Premiere Delivers 5.9 Million Viewers, 3.6 Million Adults 18-49, 'Low Winter Sun' Premiere Garners 2.5 Million Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ Wilkins, Alasdair (August 10, 2013). ""Big Bad Wolf"/"Eminent Domain"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved August 11, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.