TV Show Review: Hell on Wheels

Trains, plains, and conflagrations.

Year: 2011-2016

Genre: Western, Drama

Seasons: 5

Episodes: 55

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The story begins with the lead, Cullen Bohannon, joining the building of the Transcontinental Railroad to find the people who killed his wife and son. Through a series of events, he becomes one of the main guys in charge of overseeing the completion of the railroad. As the rail goes west, friendships are made and broken, lives are lost, and the future of a country is changed forever. 

The building of the rail is what the whole show revolves around. Whether it’s gathering supplies for tracks, navigating the treacherous terrain, setting up/moving camp, protecting the workers, finding new workers, or fighting the intangible beast of bureaucracy, it all comes back to the track. I always like a good historical show, and getting a glimpse of what this feat of engineering involved is both fascinating and harrowing. Seeing this one moment in American history gives me a greater appreciation for all those who made this land what it is, warts and all. A part of me wishes I could’ve lived during that time and seen the empty wilderness.

Something I really like about this show is the train. Steam-powered locomotives are one of the coolest modes of transportation. That, and wind-powered ships, which I’ve touched upon HERE. There’s something timeless and romantic about steam trains and they just look cool. Who doesn’t like the sound of a cheery choo-choo as it rattles along the tracks? Whether it’s murder, derailment, explosions or some other (probably) horrifying incident, a train makes it instantly more intriguing, so already we’re off to a good start.

Talking about the trains leads me nicely to the set and costume designs. I’m no historian but the sets look especially good. Everything is used and lived-in and muddy. Really, really muddy. The presence of mud is almost comically over-the-top and people fall into it more than once. The costumes feel appropriate too.

When the train isn’t chugging along, the story turns to the characters’ personal problems and struggles. Some are more interesting than others and a few I don’t really care for, but overall it’s a decent cast.

But let’s get this right out in the open: the glue that holds everything together and the top reason for why I’m even talking about this show, is Cullen Bohannon. What a guy. He’d probably make my top five favorite male leads in any tv show I’ve watched. 

He is a man of few words and you might think that doesn’t work so well with the lead of a tv show. But actions speak louder than words and Bohannon is not a man to sit around doing nothing. His ability to see the problem and identify what needs to be done, and his willingness and ability to get it done, is not only extremely satisfying, but keeps his story chugging along at an engaging pace. I love a guy who wastes no time in cleaning up a mess that has gotten out of control. (He reminds me of Rip Wheeler from Yellowstone, who is my favorite character in that show.) He is the fixer of issues and the automatic leader in pretty much every situation. Whatever the problem and no matter who’s involved, everyone looks to Bohannon for his help, or at least his input. And they’re right to do so, because he’s one of those guys that has the natural leadership gene. 

At one point in the series he has to work with the black men on the track and most of them don’t know who he is. During lunch he can sense their hostility, so he tells a joke, everyone starts laughing, and the tension is gone. He wins people over left, right and center, unless they’re his enemy, in which case he kills them. 

The lead, Cullen Bohannon, drawn by yours truly.

Another thing I appreciate is that he doesn’t shirk from killing the baddies. He is a veteran of the Civil War and has seen untold horrors, but when a baddie comes along who needs to be dispatched, he’ll do the dispatching. That is something a lot of protagonists in television shy away from; they think ridding the world of evil will somehow make them the villain. Last I checked, morals aren’t transferable like that and whenever I see someone vacillating between saving their family/friends and killing the legit murderer, I roll my eyes. The choice is obvious and Bohannon makes it. One of my favorite moments in the show is in season 5 episode 11; it’s the pinnacle of him doing something he doesn’t want to do, but what has to be done. It’s not a funny scene, but I was grinning the whole time because it’s an incredibly gratifying and cathartic scene.  

But that’s where his main conflict lies: is he a murderer with no soul, destined to never wash the blood from his hands? Or can he cleanse himself and find peace if he sets aside the six-shooter? He wrestles with this for the entire show, and frequently meets others who will ask him if he hates his actions, or if he will join them and dance with the devil. It’s a violent and dangerous world he lives in and trouble finds him whether he courts it or not. Killing isn’t an easy habit to leave behind for one with his undeniable skill, but the road towards peace beckons. 

That’s not necessarily the case for the other characters. Thomas Durant, based off the actual historical person, is determined to be remembered for his role in the railroad’s construction, no matter what kind of deals he has to make. He and Bohannon have a tangled connection, and often times do not get along, even though they kinda need each other to get their jobs done. But seeing them play off each other is always entertaining. One of my favorite lines of his is when he’s talking with a reporter who has expressed an interest in what Bohannon’s doing, and Durant says, “He’s not that interesting.” It’s hilarious because Bohannon is that interesting, everyone knows it, and Durant’s upset that he doesn’t command the same presence as Bohannon, despite being the face of the railroad. It’s a nice summary of the two men. 

Two other men I’ll touch on briefly are Mickey, an Irish immigrant, and The Swede, who is, in fact, Norwegian. Mickey starts out all wide-eyed and (mostly) innocent, taken by the idea of going out west and building a new life. He goes through the wringer and changes quite drastically, but in a way that is somewhat expected given the life he’s living. I like him, which is more than I can say for The Swede, who is absolutely horrible. He is the villain, but where other baddies in the show are a bit more understandable or generic amoralists, The Swede is just evil. He’s also really good at tricking people into thinking he’s not evil and perhaps even their friend. This makes viewing his actions frustrating, but villains like that are memorable.

The women in this show are a mixed bag for me. Some are fine and fit the world, and others feel a bit 21^st century. But to be honest, as a woman myself, I don’t find women the most fascinating/important part of a story. If this show had half as many women, I wouldn’t necessarily notice. No offense meant, it’s just how I feel.

I rarely discuss themes in any of my reviews because it’s subjective and perhaps what I see isn’t at all what was intended. Religion, murder, prostitution, revenge, racism, prejudice, fraud, betrayal, opportunism, power dynamics, and shady morals in general…they’re all in the show. Some of it is portrayed as obviously bad and other parts I think are bad. I appreciate that there’s a variety of issues; it keeps things interesting. But I don’t feel the need to dissect any of them here.

In the end, it seems that the world of modern entertainment has disenchanted many people and they’re looking back toward older movies/tv shows to find something to watch. This show isn’t perfect, but if you like Westerns, I’d recommend you give it a shot. 

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