TV Review: HELL ON WHEELS 1.9, 'Timshel'
Hell on Wheels is so off-the-rails at this point that it feels like a waste of energy to even try and make sense of it all.
rating: 1
What in the hell is going on with Reverend Cole? In the span of two episodes, hes gone from a man on a mission of peace to a cold blooded killer, and all it took was a couple of slaps to the face from his estranged daughter and the sight of a few burned bodies to get him there. As far as character development goes, nothing has been handled as sloppily and as poorly as Reverend Cole his 180-degree turn a consequence of Hell on Wheels continual failures with both organic storytelling and pacing. To make matters worse, Coles decision to kill in the final moments of Timshel is handled in the most over-the-top way imaginable a violent beheading punctuated by a crazed look in Coles eyes. Timshel is chock-full of these ridiculous moments. Black Moon copes with killing his own flesh and blood by hooking up with Ruth, Cullen goes on the run (again), and Elam becomes Durants new off the books errand boy. All of these are big moments the type that are always found within a penultimate episode but because Hell on Wheels has done nothing whatsoever to earn them, instead of being shocking or revelatory, theyre comical. The exact same underlying problems plague all of the major plot turns in this episode, so for the sake of brevity, lets tackle one: the Cullen/Durant/Swede angle. Swedes been gunning for Cullen for quite some time now, but hes been virtually powerless to do anything to out him from the Hell on Wheels campsite to the extent that even revealing evidence of his murderous past has fallen on deaf ears. Durant has made it clear that Bohannon is quickly becoming an irreplaceable asset so much so that even if Durant recognizes Bohannon has an angle to play, its worth the risk to keep him by his side. Swedes decision to bypass this obstacle by informing the authorities of his suspicions makes sense if the ultimate m.o. is to eliminate Bohannon at all costs but the problem here is what Swede has to sacrifice in return his position as head of security for the campsite. That is, of course, if Durant still cares about Bohannon as much as hes continually stated he has throughout the past few weeks. The Swedes come close to being fired for his attempts to eliminate Bohannon before his decision to go to the authorities and undermine Durant should be the final nail in his coffin. But the writers have decided to add an extra element to the mix an out for themselves in the form of the timing of this occurrence. Durant reveals his information to Bohannon moments after catching him knocking back a few drinks with Lily Bell a moment that featured its fair share of flirtation between the two. Suddenly, all the issues stated above disappear the Swede wont get fired because Durant wont care anymore. Why? Because Durants desire for Bell outranks his need for Bohannon. Thats convenient, isnt it? Never mind the fact that Bell and Bohannon have only been slightly above passive acquaintances in weeks prior, or the fact that both characters core motivations revolve around the loss of their loved ones a loss that has affected them so strongly the last thing on either of their minds should be getting together with one another. If this all sounds a bit familiar, its because this plot thread is yet another example of what is continually killing this show convenient, sloppy, almost shockingly lazy writing. And since were on the topic of Lily Bell, why, exactly, is she even on this show? Why has she suddenly become a key player in Durants construction of the railroad? He already has her late husbands maps, and shes already turned down his romantic advances multiple times. Does being the wife of the guy who mapped out the plans for the railroad project somehow make her qualified enough to continue his work? And why does Durant continue to pursue her? Then again, why bother with logic when dealing with this show at all? Between Reverend Coles descent into madness, his daughters out-of-nowhere relationship with Black Moon, and the Swedes devolution from calculating villain into reactionary fool, Hell on Wheels is so off-the-rails at this point that it feels like a waste of energy to even try and make sense of it all. Whatever happens during next weeks finale, one thing is certain its going to be a mess.