All Things:AMC television

HELL ON WHEELS Season 2 Review Recap | Collider

The first two episodes of AMC?s post-Civil War Western drama Hell on Wheels almost immediately remedies everything that made it likable but ultimately very uneven fare last year. I reviewed that first season knowing the series was not Deadwood and couldn?t be, but given the similarities of timeframe and location, comparisons were inevitable. Though Hell on Wheels? primary protagonist Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), a Confederate vigilante, shares somewhat similar emotional reluctant-hero complexities with Deadwood?s Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), railroad magnate Doc Durant (Colm Meaney) is no Al Swearengen (Ian McShane). There are plenty of character parallels to be drawn, and Deadwood wins almost all of them, but it doesn?t mean Hell on Wheels isn?t good television. It?s just not great television. At least, it wasn?t. But its second season is already looking up. Hit the jump for why you should consider tuning in for another dose of this worthy Western.



My biggest gripe during the first season was lack of development among any of the characters other than Bohannon. We got a snippet of Elam?s (Common) life, and truly the very best part of the show are the interactions between Bohannon and Elam (more on that in a minute). The secondary characters all felt shallow: the mustache-twirler persona of Durant, the liberated Lily (Dominique McElligott), the Reverend Cole?s (Tom Noonan) fall from grace, and the noble Cheyenne, Joseph Black Moon (Eddie Spears), who converted to the white man?s ways. In a film these broad strokes might have worked fine, and early in the series it was helpful shorthand in remembering the characters. But as Hell on Wheels ambled on, there was never much more depth to really invest us in the character?s plights.

The exceptions were Bohannon and Elam. It probably has less to do with the writing and more to do with the fantastic chemistry between Anson Mount and Common, but the relationship between these two characters has always been a fantastic driving force in the series. In the upcoming season, some time has passed since we last met our heroes, and they are far flung from one another. But as they start making their way back to common ground, the emotional payoff is enormous ? something no one other aspect of the series has yet to offer.

The highlights of Hell on Wheels are its exceptional soundtrack and cinematography, but points have to be deducted for nitpicky things, like the cleanliness of the whores (seriously, have you ever seen such squeaky clean women? We are talking about prostitutes who live in a moving encampment of convicts and men who have no other options in life, and we?re supposed to expect them to be good looking women who just stepped out of the shower?) as well as the straightness and whiteness of everyone?s teeth. Don?t tell me bad teeth on main characters can?t be done ? HBO did it in their John Adams miniseries, and it was disgusting and fantastic all at once. That?s the other thing about Hell on Wheels - a much bigger issue. It has never felt sufficiently historically accurate. Many of its storylines, particularly those which focus (as so many in the first season do) on race and gender, seem forcibly progressive, like a white-washed twenty-first century tint poured over much rougher times. An argument can be made, I suppose, that maybe a little feel-good story never hurt anyone. It?s just a question of what this show wants to be. Oftentimes, it doesn?t seem to know.

On to the things Season Two has begun to correct: even in just its first two episodes, everyone?s stories have gotten much more interesting, and even if their depths have not yet been explored, they have been greatly implied. I can?t say much about the new couplings or friendships or work status of the returning cast without spoiling anything (and yes, there are so many unexpected changes it?s best not to have any idea what?s coming), but I will say that they are all pretty satisfactory, narratively speaking. After watching the premiere episode of the new season, I couldn?t wait to watch the next one. It was a compulsion not felt very strongly in the first season.
Click to expand...
 
Well, that last BB episode escalated quickly. For a while it was an uncharacteristic "caper" kind of episode, made you feel kinda good when they pulled it off. And then, boom. Holy ****, what a well-written show. Anyone still bored?
 
santiclaws said:
Well, that last BB episode escalated quickly. For a while it was an uncharacteristic "caper" kind of episode, made you feel kinda good when they pulled it off. And then, boom. Holy ****, what a well-written show. Anyone still bored?
Click to expand...


Yes I enjoyed it quite well and wanted more.
 
jerseydevil said:
The Walking Dead Season 3 Will Be Broken In Two | Shock Till You Drop

Oh dandy...momentum:KILLED again. I realize that they think the Holiday season isn't appropriate for zombies...but a)GET OVER IT. People will watch. and b)Ok, then start it sooner instead of clinging to Halloween. It's a terrible plan and it really is a shameless way to stretch out ratings(I assume the month of December is pretty much a dead zone across the board) so they can end the year strong and start the year strong too. We see what you are doing AMC. And, we are not amused.
Click to expand...

This is going to be especially bad if they don't fix the pacing problems they had last season. Ugh. I hate this trend.
 
santiclaws said:
Well, that last BB episode escalated quickly. For a while it was an uncharacteristic "caper" kind of episode, made you feel kinda good when they pulled it off. And then, boom. Holy ****, what a well-written show. Anyone still bored?
Click to expand...

Now I have high expectations for the DVR tonight.

Thanks for the non-spoiler review. :beerchug:
 
Ok...so Breaking Bad...spoilers. Anyone feel slightly manipulated? Haven't ever felt this way before regarding BB. The show has unfolded completely organically, until Sunday night. First off. The Great Train Robbery. It takes a LOT of suspension of disbelief. A LOT! And Jesse 2 times this season has gone all 'RAINMAN' and come up with ridiculous solutions to things. But, that's not the worst of it. I feel horribly manipulated regarding the kid. It just seems forced. And of course it's going to trigger Jesse's clear issues with the protection of children. Yeah, it was a powerful moment, but for the first time I can remember, it felt WRITTEN.

That being said, I hope someone let the spider out.
 
I don't know, it doesn't seem to me like it was that much more organic last season. The Gus story line, and especially the conclusion of that story line, seemed a bit forced at times as well. The show is past its peak, in my opinion, but it is still very, very good. It's just that at its peak it was so amazing. It didn't even seem like a TV show at its best.
 
I disagree about the Fring stuff. I believed that all so much more. When Walt came up with the wheelchair solution it seemed that it was cobbled together using situations/objects in hand. Came together from desperation that was almost palpable and was a case of the tension dictating the story. The entire episode the other night felt as if they were trying to create tension with story, and it doesn't work as well. The seams show a little bit more. I don't think the show has 'jumped the shark' but I do think they are having trouble rebooting.
 
jerseydevil said:
I disagree about the Fring stuff. I believed that all so much more. When Walt came up with the wheelchair solution it seemed that it was cobbled together using situations/objects in hand. Came together from desperation that was almost palpable and was a case of the tension dictating the story. The entire episode the other night felt as if they were trying to create tension with story, and it doesn't work as well. The seams show a little bit more. I don't think the show has 'jumped the shark' but I do think they are having trouble rebooting.
Click to expand...

**SPOILERS***
I thought the Fring killing was very contrived. Walt convinces the old man to be a suicide bomber, makes a bomb that connects to the bell, and then Fring, ever-so-conveniently, promptly makes his way to the old folks' home to gloat in private, just as required by the plot. Way too neat, tidy and far-fetched for my taste. I also thought the end of the scene, with him walking out and adjusting his tie with half his head gone was way too "Hollywood." That was something you'd see in a typical action flick.
 
santiclaws said:
**SPOILERS***
I thought the Fring killing was very contrived. Walt convinces the old man to be a suicide bomber, makes a bomb that connects to the bell, and then Fring, ever-so-conveniently, promptly makes his way to the old folks' home to gloat in private, just as required by the plot. Way too neat, tidy and far-fetched for my taste. I also thought the end of the scene, with him walking out and adjusting his tie with half his head gone was way too "Hollywood." That was something you'd see in a typical action flick.
Click to expand...


Oh man...so disagree. The tie straightening was seriously flamboyant, but man that was probably the most epic thing I have ever seen on television. It was all sleight of hand and if you look too closely your points are valid...but they just had so much on the line and such a ticking clock going thru the whole season that it really played better than you make it sound, i.m.o. Just the subtle little touches like Walt's 'Money Pit' moment when he realizes all the cash is gone...all the flourishes just added up to that one big kaboom. And the old man was fleshed out to the point that you really did get he would blow himself up to get vengeance. The downhill physics of the whole season really culminated with that. This Sundays episode seemed more insincere, because there was no 'ticking clock' in the background. Things are almost too good and they had to manufacture some event to wratchet things up. And it felt forced.
 
didn''t fring show up to the nursing home to see why the hell hector was talking to the DEA and not particularly to gloat? i thought he was there to kill him himself because of the DEA chat.

as for this last episode. *SPOILERS*


ya, it did seem a like you really had to suspend disbelief, for sure. that train caper seems highly unlikely to pull off. personally, i feel like it would've been even harder to believe if it had gone as flawlessly as it seemed it was going so when the kid showed up, despite the perhaps predictable nature of it, it helped me believe it a little bit more. i like how they started the show with the kid like they have in past episodes, starting with an allusion to the future.

as for jesse's rainman moments, i feel like he's the "innocent" half of the duo, in a child-like way to walt's evil father figure character. it seems a lot like he's the kid in the group as everyone's busy fumbling about for a solution and he sort of struggles to make his opinion/solution/etc heard. that happens a lot with children.

still pretty entertaining.
 
lunchbox said:
didn''t fring show up to the nursing home to see why the hell hector was talking to the DEA and not particularly to gloat? i thought he was there to kill him himself because of the DEA chat.

as for this last episode. *SPOILERS*


ya, it did seem a like you really had to suspend disbelief, for sure. that train caper seems highly unlikely to pull off. personally, i feel like it would've been even harder to believe if it had gone as flawlessly as it seemed it was going so when the kid showed up, despite the perhaps predictable nature of it, it helped me believe it a little bit more. i like how they started the show with the kid like they have in past episodes, starting with an allusion to the future.as for jesse's rainman moments, i feel like he's the "innocent" half of the duo, in a child-like way to walt's evil father figure character. it seems a lot like he's the kid in the group as everyone's busy fumbling about for a solution and he sort of struggles to make his opinion/solution/etc heard. that happens a lot with children.

still pretty entertaining.
Click to expand...

That rang a little hollow for me too. Once again, the foreshadowing has always been so subtle and almost playfully teasing. The bear...man oh man...that pink teddy bear. How long did it take for that to pay off? It may be the 8 episodes, but it just feels like they have no time to let things gradually build so they are forcing the issue. It played like a 'best of' episode. The foreshadowing with the end payoff, the best laid plans being altered by a good samaritan, the man-oh-man are they gonna make it moment. Things are just too easy. And to have it be a kid. Manipulative. Why couldn't it have been the samaritan they had to kill instead? Take the kid thing out out of the equation.
 
because the kid makes you go "OH MAN, WTF?!" more. sort of like the reaction (yours or jesse's) to Tomas' fate.
 
lunchbox said:
because the kid makes you go "OH MAN, WTF?!" more. sort of like the reaction (yours or jesse's) to Tomas' fate.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but it being a kid is what tweaks me. That's the manipulation. I'd like to see somebody get as bent about an adult getting killed. It's hypocritical. I have spent time around children...they aren't that special. Look at the kid just tooled around the desert on a dirtbike. He probably had lousy parents and was a punk. Who knows what he was gonna do with that spider? Either tear it's legs off or use it to poison his classmates. The world is a better place without him if you ask me.
 
jerseydevil said:
Yeah, but it being a kid is what tweaks me. That's the manipulation. I'd like to see somebody get as bent about an adult getting killed. It's hypocritical. I have spent time around children...they aren't that special. Look at the kid just tooled around the desert on a dirtbike. He probably had lousy parents and was a punk. Who knows what he was gonna do with that spider? Either tear it's legs off or use it to poison his classmates. The world is a better place without him if you ask me.
Click to expand...
LOL. jd is available for Bar Mitzvah's and children's parties.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Now Chirping

  • No one is chatting at the moment.

Share this page

Back
Top