TV Review: Hell on Wheels 1.10, 'God of Chaos'
One of Hell on Wheels’ biggest issues is that it has continually felt like a show without a center...
rating: 2
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Ive said it before, but one of Hell on Wheels biggest issues is that it has continually felt like a show without a center. Its oversized cast and schizophrenic plot focus are a few of the many reasons for this, but the root of it all lands squarely on the shows treatment of its protagonist. Cullen Bohannons drive for vengeance was established from the get-go as the block from which everything else would be built. Yes, it was a central premise that couldnt help but have an air of familiarity to it, but nonetheless, it virtually guaranteed a lot of conflict and a high body count as the show moved throughout the weeks. Things started off smoothly enough in the pilot, but as the show went on, Bohannon got lost in the mix becoming a supporting player in a show overstuffed with them. Even more confounding was the shows choice to put Bohannons revenge on the backburner almost as quickly as it introduced it. By the time last weeks episode rolled around, the plot thread was so severed it almost felt as if the writers had abandoned it completely. Given this, it comes as a bit of a shock that God of Chaos spends a huge chunk of its runtime back on this central conflict. As it turns out, the Swedes plan to have Bohannon picked up by federal marshals goes deeper than what was initially laid out last week in Timshel. Swede also has a key testimony to back up his evidence from the Union sergeant Bohannon believes was the primary perpetrator behind his wifes murder. With the marshals already in transit, the Swede and the sergeant return to the Hell on Wheels campsite to wait for their arrival, and it is here that God of Chaos shines. Guided only by his bloodlust, Bohannon stalks the campgrounds, tent by tent, in search of the man who murdered his wife. Its the endgame for Bohannon culminating in a showdown that comes at a substantial cost. Moments after Bohannon enacts his revenge, he discovers a letter of military discharge proving the sergeants innocence leaving Bohannon with no choice but to abandon the campsite and any shred of moral high ground he had left. Its a fairly thrilling turn of events that works in large part because Anson Mount sells the entire transition so well. From blind rage as he stalks the campgrounds to utter despair when he uncovers the truth about the sergeant, Mount makes sure each and every moment carries weight. What this all adds up to is a plot thread that had genuine focus, and with it, all the elements the shows been so desperately in need of: tension, conflict, tragedy, character development, and depth. Which makes God of Chaos rather bittersweet. Because for all of the success it had with its Bohannon plotline, the rest continued to be as monotonous as ever. Durant and Bell come up with new and increasingly forced justifications to need one another. Elam and Eva squabble over their relationship. Reverend Coles crisis of faith grows deeper. Its all business as usual theres slight advances, slight changes, and slight repositioning all adding up to a measure of progression that is minuscule at best. One of the biggest pleasures one can get out of a finale episode is the opportunity to take a step back and absorb just how much things have developed since the season began. In the very best shows, the amount of progression can be mammoth. Here, its nowhere to be found. Any development the writers allowed these characters was only at the most superficial of levels resulting in a lot of actions and a lot of decisions with very little meaning or importance behind them. But lets be honest Hell on Wheels was never going to be a top-tier drama. I have no doubt thats what it aspired to be, given both its home network and its creative leanings, but its flaws were too numerous and too deeply ingrained for it to ever achieve that type of greatness. That being said, the show did find a measure of success when it chose to forgo scope and substance altogether and instead pump up the action. Its second episode, Immoral Mathematics, remains the strongest example of this. For the most part, that episode skipped the clunky speeches, the big ideas, and the constant shifting between characters and plot in order to focus the majority of its hour on the conflict between Bohannon and the Swede. As a result, it had a liveliness to it that the majority of the season lacked. Hell on Wheels may have failed when it attempted complexity, but when stripped down to its very basics, it occasionally managed to be a pretty decent, but ultimately mindless, action piece. And that about sums it up, doesnt it? The show only worked when it left its aspirations for greatness at the door the sort of small victory that is ultimately tied much more to failure than it is success.