The first season of the AMC western-drama television series Hell on Wheels premiered on November 6, 2011 and concluded on January 15, 2012, comprising 10 episodes. The series was created and produced by Joe and Tony Gayton, who wrote four episodes. They also served as the series' showrunners. The series' executive producers include the Gaytons, Jeremy Gold, John Shiban, and David Von Ancken.
The season follows Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier who works as a foreman on the railroad as he tries to track down the Union soldiers who murdered his wife. His quest leads him to the settlement that accompanied the construction of First Transcontinental Railroad, referred to as "Hell on Wheels" by the Union Pacific company men, laborers, mercenaries, prostitutes, support workers, surveyors, and others who make the mobile encampment their home.
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Filming of the first season took place in Calgary, as well as areas in central and southern Alberta, Canada.[11] The T'suu T'ina Native Indian Reservation, an Indian reserve in southern Alberta, was the location for most of the exteriors.[12]
In May 2012, AMC released the first season of Hell on Wheels in DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats. Entitled "Hell on Wheels - The Complete 1st Season", the package includes three discs that contain all 10 episodes; extras such as "Recreating the Past: The Making of Hell on Wheels", "Crashing a Train: From Concept to Camera"; and episode, character, and making-of featurettes; as well as behind-the-scenes footage.[29]
In August 2012, the network released the soundtrack from the first season, featuring the Emmy-nominated theme song by Gustavo Santaolalla[30] and music by Kevin Kiner. It is only available on iTunes for now.[31]
Hell on Wheels looked like good quality production, and the fact that it contained more than three seasons was a huge selling point (looking at you, Deadwood). Apparently I also spent about half of what my dad paid for the series a year ago.
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.
Bottom line, Hell on Wheels appears to be getting better and better, and the first two episodes of its new season certainly seem to suggest it's headed in a more complex and satisfying direction. Still, AMC was right to wedge it in now before the much more competitive fall lineup comes into play. It may not be Deadwood, but it still has plenty of liquor, fightin', scoundrels, heroes and the beauty and tragedy of the Wild West to be worthy of a watch.
Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) continues to use a Colt 1860 Army as his primary sidearm in "Viva La Mexico" (S2E01) as he did for much of the first season. However, after he is captured, and subsequently released by the US Army, he switches to a Remington 1858 New Army for the remainder of the season. Some of the former Confederate soldiers-turned-train-robbers also use the Colt 1860 Army, including Hawkins (Ryan Robbins). US Cavalry soldiers also use the Colt 1860 Army revolver during the season. Gregory Toole (Duncan Ollerenshaw) also uses a one in "Blood Moon" (S2E09). The 1860 was the most common handgun in the United States at the time, most had a brass trigger guard (see photo), they were not originally manufactured with a brass frame.
Several people use Colt 1851 Navy revolver during the season. Hawkins' (Ryan Robbins) gang members use Colt 1851 Navy revolvers in "The Railroad Job" (S2E05). Most of the revolvers in the series appear to be brass-framed copies of the Colt 1851 Navy revolver, which did not exist until the Italians started making them during the 1960s.
Thomas Durant (Colm Meaney) sometimes carries a small two-shot Percussion Pocket Pistol on him during the season. Lily Bell (Dominique McElligott) also uses Durant's pocket pistol during the season. Durant gives the pocket pistol to her wife, Hanna Durant (Virginia Madsen) to defend herself when the Sioux attack the town in "Blood Moon Rising" (S2E10).
The Winchester 1866 "Yellow Boy" rifle is used by many characters throughout the series, and Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) carries one on his saddle throughout the season. Elam Ferguson (Common) also keeps a Winchester 1866 "Yellow Boy" at his home. Reverend Nathaniel Cole (Tom Noonan) also supplies Sioux warriors with Winchesters in "Purged Away With Blood" (S2E06).
Cullen Bohannon uses a Sharps 1874 rifle fitted with a Malcolm-style scope in "Scabs" (S2E04) to shoot a railroad worker who's being tortured by the Sioux. The rifle is a bit of anachronism, since the season takes place in 1866, and the Sharps rifle was available after 1874.
Thor "The Swede" Gundersen (Christopher Heyerdahl) still keeps his sawed-off double barreled percussion shotgun named "Beauty" around during the season, altough it is rarely seen. Elam Ferguson (Common) also keeps a full-sized double barreled percussion shotgun at his house, and uses it several times as he is patrolling Hell on Wheels as the Chief of Railroad Police. Elam gives the shotgun temporarily to Psalms in "The Railroad Job" (S2E05), who uses it during a shootout. Eva (Robin McLeavy) also uses a sawed-off percussion shotgun to defend Elam's house in "Blood Moon Rising" (S2E10).
A lot of the established plot-points that we spent Season 2 exploring are over. The love triangle between Eva, Elam, and Mr. Toole. The other love triangle, between Cullen, Lily, and Durant. The tension of having the Swede present in town, and yet secretly plotting his villainy. The way the townspeople treat Joseph. The looming threat of a Sioux attack. All of that is over with the season, and whatever Season 3 brings will be brand new.
BTW I read an interview thing of Anson Mount on reddit, mostly kind of dumb, but he did say that it was in the interests of the various companies to renew in December right before the contracts expire, so we may have to wait a couple of months to find out if the show gets another season. e24fc04721
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