Hell on Wheels (Hell on Wheels episode)

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"Hell on Wheels"
Hell on Wheels episode
HOWPilot.jpg
Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) begins his vengeful search.
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by David Von Ancken
Written by
Produced by
Featured music
Editing by Skip Macdonald
Production code101
Original air dateNovember 6, 2011 (2011-11-06)
Guest appearances
  • James D. Hopkin as Senator Jordan Crane
  • Ted Levine as Daniel Johnson
  • Robert Moloney as Robert Bell
  • Tom Carey as the Union soldier
Episode chronology
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"Immoral Mathematics"
List of episodes

"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 (Anson Mount), a former Confederate soldier whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Contents

The pilot episode was filmed entirely in Alberta, Canada, with assistance from the provincial government of Alberta's film-development program. "Hell on Wheels" garnered a 3.1 HH rating, attracting 4.4 million viewers (2.4 million, aged 18–49; 2.3 million, aged 25–54) to become the second highest series premiere in AMC’s history. [1] Critical reception of the pilot was mediocre. The Los Angeles Times said the show "gathers steam as it goes on," The Wall Street Journal called it "a bag of unpolished stones," and Variety pegged it as "a diluted, herky-jerky ride." [2] [3] [4]

Plot

The series opens in the year 1865, shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. A young Union soldier (Tom Carey) enters a church in Washington, D.C. to confess his sins. Shortly after he begins, the priest asks the soldier about Meridian. The soldier, confused, asks the priest how he knows about Meridian and is then shot dead by the priest, who exits the confessional to reveal that he is not a priest, but Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), a former Confederate soldier.

Meanwhile, Thomas "Doc" Durant gives an inspiring speech about building the Transcontinental Railroad to a group of prominent Americans, including Senator Jordan Crane (James D. Hopkin). Afterward, Durant reveals to Crane that, through the use of Durant's company, Crédit Mobilier, Durant will essentially pay himself to build the railroad with government subsidies. Durant bribes Crane with shares in Crédit Mobilier to secure his assistance in this endeavor, ensuring Crane's support by threatening to route his railroad to exclude the Nebraska lands Crane owns, which would significantly lower their value.

Arriving at the Hell on Wheels encampment, Bohannon seeks work from Foreman Daniel Johnson (Ted Levine), and though Bohannon has no experience in railroad work, Johnson hires him as a "walking boss" after learning Bohannon had owned slaves before the Civil War. Johnson introduces Bohannon to the "cut crew" - the men who dig the trail for the rails to be laid in - which is predominantly black.

In a nearby river, the idealistic Reverend Cole (Tom Noonan) baptizes a young Native American, Joseph Black Moon (Eddie Spears). Afterward, the two ride into the Hell on Wheels camp, to set up their church.

Deep in the Nebraska Territory, surveyor Robert Bell (Robert Moloney) plots the railroad's path, with a small surveying team that includes his wife, Lily (Dominique McElligott). Robert urges Lily to return to Chicago, as they are entering hostile Cheyenne territory, but he is ill, and she refuses to leave him. The following day, they are attacked by a small group of Cheyenne, which slaughters all the surveyors (most of whom are unarmed) except Robert and Lily, who manage to escape. However, they are caught by one of the Native American braves, who kills Robert and wounds Lily. She kills the brave, in self-defense, and takes Robert's maps, which show the route through the Rocky Mountains discovered by the team, and flees into the woods. On his way to Hell on Wheels, Durant learns of Bell's death, which greatly complicates things.

While digging the cut, Willie, one of Bohannon's workers, almost collapses because of the heat. Elam Ferguson (Common) aids him to get drinking water, but before they can return to the cut, Johnson arrives on horseback. A nearby explosion startles the horse, which kicks Willie twice, killing him. Although the death was unintentional, Johnson tells his workers, "This is what happens when you break my rules."

After the day's work is finished, Bohannon visits Elam's tent. He finds Elam sharpening a knife, intent on killing Johnson to avenge Willie's death. Bohannon tries to talk him out of it and later joins Johnson for a drink.

After they discuss the war, Bohannon asks Johnson if he has ever been to Meridian. Johnson responds by taking Bohannon hostage. Johnson tells Bohannon that he read of the Union soldier killed in Washington, DC by a Griswold revolver, and seeing Bohannon's Griswold when he hired him, coupled with Bohannon's mention of Meridian, confirmed his suspicions.

Johnson lets slip that Bohannon's wife was murdered; she did not commit suicide as the widower had thought. Rather, Johnson claims "the sergeant" strangled Bohannon's wife and hung her to cover up the murder, but Johnson refuses to grant Bohannon's request to name the sergeant. Elam appears and slits Johnson's throat, saving Bohannon but killing his chances learning the sergeant's identity.

Filming, cinematography, and environmentalism

"Much like each and every film we produce, it is imperative that when we shoot on a pristine, untouched tract of land, that we leave it in better shape than when we found it before we set foot on that land. For example, the site chosen on T'suu T'ina Native Indian Reservation for the actual tent town site of 'Hell on Wheels' was put back (seeded) into prairie grass, to ensure we left no scarred earth, tire marks or foot print behind." -- "Hell On Wheels" producer Chad Oakes. Calgary street map.png
"Much like each and every film we produce, it is imperative that when we shoot on a pristine, untouched tract of land, that we leave it in better shape than when we found it before we set foot on that land. For example, the site chosen on T'suu T'ina Native Indian Reservation for the actual tent town site of 'Hell on Wheels' was put back (seeded) into prairie grass, to ensure we left no scarred earth, tire marks or foot print behind." — "Hell On Wheels" producer Chad Oakes.

Filming of the pilot took place between August 2010 and September 2010 on location in Calgary as well as in central and southern Alberta, Canada. [6] The T'suu T'ina Native Indian Reservation, an Indian reserve in southern Alberta, was the location for most of the exteriors. The entire production team was mandated to preserve the environment in its wild state. They were also doing their part to protect the environment. "We were one of the first Canadian production companies to use the new Scenecronize System, which digitally distributes scripts and all production paperwork to the crew, network, studio and talent, cutting our photocopy usage down by 500,000 copies on the first season alone," producer Chad Oakes points out, adding that, after realizing that the crew consumed more than 25,000 bottles of water in the first half of the season, "We implemented water coolers and 'bring your own bottle to set' policy to cut down on our plastic bottle consumption." [5]

Reception

Critical reception

The show was rated 63 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 27 reviews, indicating mixed reviews. [7]

The Washington Post 's Hank Stuever rated the show highly, commenting, "Hands down, the most intriguing show on the fall slate. Though imbued with epic sweep, 'Hell on Wheels' is a western at heart, even if that heart is cold. Plenty of guns, knives, arrows, scalpings — mixed with the incendiary socio-psychological wounds left in the Civil War’s wake." [8]

Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times says the show "takes its cues more from the movies than from life. Never, in the episodes I watched, did I feel as if I were actually seeing how a railroad got built, and sometimes it took a bit of squinting not to see the characters as actors in a field, reading lines. Still, for all the unlikely things [the creators] make happen in order to get their characters into place, and the dogged refusal of a couple of those characters to become interesting at all, the show gathers steam as it goes on." [2]

Wall Street Journal 's Nancy Dewolf Smith considers the episode "like a bag of unpolished stones... 'Hell on Wheels' finds enough beauty, danger and emotion to make some part of every episode seem fresh and worth waiting for. Not that new is always a good thing. Despite striking performances even in many of the smaller roles, the actors sometimes are made to symbolize very modern obsessions, e.g., with race and gender. The sight of modern sensibilities lurking behind the curtains can break ye olde spell." [3]

Brian Lowry of Variety thinks: "while the diverse mix of characters could work to the program's advantage over the long haul, jumping to and fro among them creates a diluted, herky-jerky ride in the early going." [4]

Viewership

The pilot premiered on November 6, 2011. It was watched by 4.4 million viewers - AMC's second-highest series premiere in history, following The Walking Dead . Among key demographics, the pilot episode delivered 2.4 million viewers in adults aged 18–49 and 2.3 million viewers aged 25–54, according to Nielsen. The total viewership bested network slot rivals CSI: Miami and Pan Am . [9]

Related Research Articles

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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.

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"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.

<i>Hell on Wheels</i> (season 1) Season of television series

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"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.

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

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"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".

"Purged Away with Blood" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on September 16, 2012 on AMC. The sixteenth episode of the series is co-written by series co-creator Tony Gayton and Tom Brady and directed by series co-creator Joe Gayton. In the episode, The Swede reveals himself to be the "White Spirit" as he aids the Sioux in their war with the railroad. Reverend Cole also plays his role and hijacks the train taking Durant, Eva, and Doc Whitehead to Chicago.

<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.

"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, the railroad's chief engineer, Cullen Bohannon seeks justice. Louise Ellison, a New-York Tribune reporter, arrives in town to witness it all.

"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.

References

  1. ↑ Seldman, Robert. "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead,' 'Hell On Wheels' Lead AMC + 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on 2011-11-11., November 8, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Lloyd, Robert. 'Hell on Wheels' review: It takes a while to get chugging along, Los Angeles Times , November 4, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Nancy Dewolf. "Tales of the Old West", Wall Street Journal , November 4, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Lowry, Brian. Hell on Wheels, Variety , November 3, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Miller, Gerri., The greening of 'Hell on Wheels', Mother Nature Network , November 2, 2011.
  6. ↑ Wilton, Lisa (July 6, 2010). "New TV series to be filmed in Calgary". Calgary Sun . Archived from the original on June 13, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  7. ↑ Hell on Wheels: Season 1, Metacritic
  8. ↑ Stuever, Hank. 2011 TV season: Few smooth takeoffs, many bumpy arrivals, The Washington Post , September 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ Adalian, Josef. Hell on Wheels’ Ratings Archived 2011-11-11 at the Wayback Machine , NY Mag , November 7, 2011.
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