Blu-ray Review: ‘Hell on Wheels – The Complete Third Season’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Hell on Wheels – The Complete Third Season’ on Blogcritics.

Entertainment One recently released the third season of AMC’s Hell on Wheels on Blu-ray and DVD. The Western, which is set around the building of the first cross-continental railroad after the Civil War, is a look at the various challenges the workers faced. Early seasons featured Indian attacks and North/South and racial tensions. Season three ups the ante with an outbreak of cholera, dangerous, rebellious Mormans, political backstabbing, and the past coming back to haunt the characters. It’s a thrilling, somewhat-fact-based look at a defining time in our nation’s history, done in a style that easily keeps viewers engaged.

A lot happens this season, in character development as well as action. Picking up in the aftermath of the attack that destroyed the railroad settlement, Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) has a renewed determination to complete the track. He is distracted by new antagonists, including Union General Ulysses S. Grant (Victor Slezak, Treme), and, of course, Thomas Durant (Colm Meaney) hasn’t given up on wrestling back control of the project. Brothers Sean (Ben Esler) and Mickey McGinnes (Phil Burke) come into conflict when they choose different sides in the struggle. The romance between Eva (Robin McLeavy) and Elam (Common) is tested when she makes a difficult choice. Ruth (Kasha Kropinski) is forced to face who she is.

All of these people have satisfying stories, and not all make it out alive, which is more surprising than I thought it would be, considering the previous deaths on the show. Hell on Wheels could very well be the gritty, realistic version of A Million Ways to Die in the West, sometimes almost funny in how brutal it can be. The setting is an unforgiving one, and folks didn’t live so long back then because of the types of tribulations these characters face.

More than the first two years, season three feels like a cohesive story. Lots of individual events happen, but almost all of the important ones merge nicely together in the excellent season finale. There is a through line and purpose as the story progresses, and while some things may not feel like they’re going to come back around, when they do, it’s very well done and serves to add greater meaning. Even The Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl), who has an isolated arc this season that doesn’t intersect with the rest of the cast until the very end, folds in nicely to the existing structure, rather than just being jammed back in where he doesn’t belong. The ending leaves many of the players in completely different places than where they spent most of the year, setting up a great fourth season, too.

Hell On Wheels also starts to address some topics I didn’t expect in this era. New character Louise Ellison (Jennifer Ferrin, The Following), a newspaper reporter, is a lesbian. Now, of course, homosexuality exists in this age. But I didn’t expect to see it not only acknowledged, but most of the characters that find out don’t care, even if Louise suffers potentially serious repercussions back East. Could it be that the adventurous spirit that would lead one out to the frontier would also make one naturally more open-minded? Or is this the show attempting to appeal to modern audiences and dropping the ball on authenticity?

There are a decent amount of extras on this set. One featurette catches fans up on where the show left off, while another looks at this season briefly, without spoilers, for those who might want a taste of what’s to come. Four behind-the-scenes extras, running a little under fifteen minutes combined, give us some insight into various elements, and there are also ten “Inside the Episode” bits for the ten episodes in this set. Unfortunately, all of these are light and fluffy, with nothing very meaningful included.

For this set, Blu-ray is the way to go. Hell on Wheels is a beautifully shot series, with many outdoor scenes and a broad color palette, more so in season three than in the first two years. Both establishing shots and close-ups are highly detailed in high definition, with crisp layers and stunning landscapes. The sound is also better than most television shows, with some really cool effects, as well as solidly built dialogue tracts and mixing. The HD presentation, both audio and visual, is nearly flawless, and really enhances the realism of the show.

Hell on Wheels – The Complete Third Season is available now.

HELL ON WHEELS Season 3 Premiere Review

Article first published as HELL ON WHEELS Review Season 3 on Seat42F.

AMC’s HELL ON WHEELS has been back a couple of weeks now, and the third season so far has really shown growth over the first two. There are new characters, new scenarios, and most of the threats come from the outside, rather than internal conflict these days. It’s been quite exciting.

As the season premiere, “Big Bad Wolf,” opens, Cullen Bohannan (Anson Mount) is living in a barren, ice-covered land by himself. Seeing the wolf attack him, finding his dead friend, and watching our hero succumb to cabin fever is almost like watching Cullen die, only to be re-born again as he takes the train to New York City, after a stop along the way to pick up Elam (Common).

I like this Bohannan. We’ve seen a few different sides to the character already, but this Bohannan feels like I imagine the original Bohannan was, prior to the strife in his life, before the war and losing his wife. He is a good man, full of virtue, but also one whom can square himself with reality, rather than just spouting ideals. He does the right thing, and is concerned about his sins.

We see a lot of this when Bohannan visits a couple of churchs and talks with Ruth (Kasha Kropinski, now a main character). She judges him for the sin of killing men, and at first, he takes offense. Upon reflection, though, he realizes she is sort of right, and he needs to not only be sorry, but try to find a better way.

Not that getting out of killing is easy. In “Eminent Domain,” Bohannan has to evict a Morman family off of their land. One of them shoots the police chief, and Bohannan has to dole out justice. Is he right to hang the boy who is said to have pulled the trigger? Well, that may be arguable, but in keeping with the laws and doing no more than what is required to keep the peace and order, Bohannan stays on the right side. He feels some sort of regret at the boy’s death, but he isn’t haunted by it much, nor should he be. Fans of the show will think more highly of him than he does himself for his behavior.

Viewers may not be the only ones to admire Bohannan for long. A dogged, determined reporter named Louise Ellison (Jennifer Ferrin, the latest addition to the cast) comes to Hell on Wheels to write a story about the railroad and finds Bohannan far more interesting. Maybe her interest in him is strictly professional or maybe its romantic. Either way, it not only gives us an opportunity to see Bohannan through different eyes, but could improve the character’s position in life, so her presence is welcome.

As good as Bohannan might seem to be doing, he has no shortage of obstacles to overcome this year. Indianas pose a threat, The Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl) has survived and will presumably makes his way back, Union Army soliders tasked with protecting Bohannan’s crew are uncontrollable and brutal, Sean (Ben Esler) has made a bad deal that casts him as a secret mole, and Durant (Colm Meaney) will do everything he can to sabotage Bohannan so he can take back the project.

Is Durant HELL ON WHEEL’s ultimate villain? Vanquished at the end of season two, he slimily maneuvers his way out of jail and is soon the bee in Bohannan’s hat. He is not easy to get rid of, always working a new angle, and rarely in the public eye when doing so. It makes for some great scenes between Bohannan and Durant, including a recent one at a table with a corpse, and gives the series a pivotal relationship that should serve it well until the conclusion of the final season. Or Durant could die next week and be gone, which would be a shame, but not completely out of left field, considering the setting.

Death hangs heavy in the third season of HELL ON WHEELS. We’ve watched characters die, sure, but with main players taken out and danger all around, suddenly things seem to be just a little bit closer to the edge. Eva (Robin McLeavy),in particular, worries about Elam, especially when Elam’s predecessor as the enforcer in charge is murdered. The show is taking more care to convey the seriousness of the predicament the cast finds themselves in, and it provides an added interest level.

Basically, life on the frontier comes with risks, and while our beloved characters may seem up to the challenge, there is no guarantee. As heartwarming as it is to see them all reunite at the end of “Big Bad Wolf,” combining their skills and attitudes to begin construction anew, there is the definite sense that all will not be around to see completion of the project. Finding out their fates is just another reason to watch a great show.

Viva Hell On Wheels

Grade 78%

AMC’s HELL ON WHEELS rarely has an episode that is about something. That’s not to say that there is no story; the stories just don’t usually wrap up tidily in 42 minutes. One has to look at the bigger picture of the season or the series to get the context of what they just watched.

Last night’s second season premiere, “Viva La Mexico” is no different. Several months, at least, have passed since last we saw these characters. They have grown and moved on with their lives. Where they are now is informed by what they did and what happened to them in season one. “Viva La Mexico” simply sets several events in motion, rather than telling a new tale.

The anti-hero of the piece is, of course, Cullen Bohannan (Anson Mount). Bohannan is now on the run from the law, which admittedly was the case in season one, too. The difference is that now he’s living actually as an outlaw, instead of hiding in plain sight.

After learning that his family’s bodies have been dug up, Bohannan goes to an even darker place than before. He has fallen in with a train robbing gang, saving up the money he steals so he can escape to Mexico and start a life. Thing is, Bohannan has already offended a number of his cohorts, who are quite a bit less scrupulous than he. He does have one friend in the group, Doc Whitehead (Grainger Hines), who warns Bohannan to run, which he doesn’t do.

During a train robbery, Bohannan comes face to face with Elam (Common), and to save Elam’s life, Bohannan botches the robbery, which puts him even more on the outs with his comrades. It isn’t long before Bohannan ends up in army custody, awaiting an execution. There’s a bit of symmetry here, as a similar circumstance occurred in the pilot, and Bohannan managed to come out on top for the rest of the season. Let’s see if lightning can strike twice.

AMC does like to strain the definition of hero with its dark, morally ambiguous characters. Bohannan lives by a code, to be sure, but this code allows him to be a thief. It seems the only thing he doesn’t do is unjustified murder, though there is some wiggle room there, too. Still, it’s hard to judge a man living in these semi-lawless times, who has been through so much tragedy. The fact that he saves Elam should be enough to keep him likable, and it is. But can he remain likable if he keeps going down these paths?

Elam is also suffering a setback in the eyes of viewers, if not professionally. Having given up Eva (Robin McLeavy, now a main character), he has become a hired gun for Durant (Colm Meaney). Elam only does what he is paid to do, lifting not a finger in the name of righteousness, figuring this gives him more leverage with Durant. Durant appreciates this, and rewards Elam for his actions, which always must be paid for up front.

Is there any hope for Elam? Like Bohannan, Elam has a chip on his shoulder, only more so. The two men do seem to have some sort of connection, but Elam has no problem selling out Bohannan to Durant. This won’t help his reputation, as many of his co-workers now see him exactly as he is, in an unfavorable light. A man has to stand for something, and it can’t just be money. The sooner Elam realizes that, the sooner he can try to win Eva back, and find something worthwhile to do.

Durant, on the other hand, is the self-proclaimed villain of the piece, which means he’s winning. In these hard times, being rich and in power means everything. Durant has not only continued his railroad, he now has profits from leasing land, and he seems to have worn down Lily Bell (Dominique McElligott). Why does HELL ON WHEELS allow the wicked to come out on top? Was it ever really this bad, even in the wilderness?

Lily can hardly be blamed for taking up with Durant. It’s not like she is won over to his way of thinking. She is a survivor, and like her struggle to make it out of the woods after her husband’s slaughter, her new position shows her clawing through the muck just to go on. She won’t stay with Durant a minute longer than she has to. But her new station does allow her some liberties to help others, such as paying for a murdered prostitute’s funeral, proving her soul remains intact.

The souls of everyone but Lily are much less assured. Sean (Ben Esler) and Mickey (Phil Burke) are now Durant’s hired hands, selling land and collecting rent. Yes, the brothers try to behave fairly towards their tenants, and probably do a better job than most would. But when Ruth (Kasha Kropinski) has to tell them that her father can’t pay the rent, they only bend a little, and Sean even tries to leverage sex out of the deal, which, thankfully, he fails to do.

Their work may be honest, somewhat, but working for a man such as Durant limits the compassion they can have, and corrupts them a bit with their new, albeit limited, sway. This will likely turn them into bullies. This is kind of already happening as they step into The Swede’s old protectionist deal with the whorehouse. Sure, they may be offering help, but they’re also leveraging influence and wealth. Not exactly the pursuits of the noble.

What is up with Ruth? She knows her father, Reverend Cole (Tom Noonan), needs to preach to pay their rent, and yet she brings him booze. Is this to test his resolve? Is it so he will pass out and she can have carnal relations with Joseph Black Moon (Eddie Spears)? This doesn’t quite work, since Cole hears them, even if he does nothing about it. Is she trying to control her dad, help him, or just keep him out of her way? Why doesn’t she encourage Joseph to preach so that they all don’t get evicted? She is definitely the strangest character of the piece, and the one whose actions are least clear.

The bit of hope in “Viva La Mexico” is found in the most unexpected person: The Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl, promoted to series regular). The Swede has lost everything, having fallen from chief of security to garbage, toilet, and dead body collector after the tar and feather incident. And yet, alone of the characters, he remains optimistic about his future. He carries on with his work, uncomplaining, and doesn’t plot revenge, except perhaps against Bohannan, should their paths cross. He is an inspiration, and comes across as quite noble, even after the things we’ve seen him do. For the writers to accomplish this feat is quite impressive.

HELL ON WHEELS finds it within to surprise us and provide quality entertainment. The plot is a little slow moving and plodding at times. But there are some very interesting characters with depth, and it does a pretty good job by brushing off modern sensibilities in favor of the time period in which it is set. There are elements that could be improved upon, but it got a second season for a reason, and maintains the quality it delivered in season one. Most importantly, it continues to be worth watching, and fans of the first year should not be disappointed in “Viva La Mexico.”

HELL ON WHEELS airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.