I kind of hit upon this show by accident – on the French iTunes store of all places. It was pretty interesting if you missed it. Apparently, it is on AMC (home of the superb Breaking Bad I might add). The show is built around the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad as it approaches the Rockies from the East. Durant, played by an ex-Star Trek New Generation actor! – is the conniving leader of this enterprise both from a financial and motivational standpoint. There is, of course, a love interest. The main character though is Cullen, a Dixieland veteran of the Civil War here hunting down his wife’s Yankee rapists and killers. He befriends in a roundabout sort of way, an ex-slave. All that to say that there are loads of themes covered here: Manifest Destiny, post-Civil War racism, Irish immigration, government corruption, the “wild west”, life and war with the American Indians. It is all shot pretty well (very reminiscent of Deadwood in its realism) and pretty well written (although nowhere near the eloquence and guttural beauty of Deadwood). I think my favorite character is “The Swede” who, he will insist, is really Norwegian.
TV Show Reviews: Hell on Wheels (2012)
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It was shot beautifully but we’ll have to disagree about being well written. I watched the pilot and a few more episodes and just wasn’t into it. The thing is I wanted to be! Cheers!
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