Hell on Wheels Season 4 Finale Review: There Goes the Neighborhood
Hell on Wheels S04E13: "Further West"
Another season come and gone, another set of characters laid to rest in the wake of the Union Pacific. Hey "Further West" wouldn't've been a Hell on Wheels season finale without a ton of dead folks. I gotta say, though, in some ways, last week's episode felt like the real end to this year's tale of ambition and loss. There was definitely way more emotional stuff. What'd we get in "Further West"? Cullen acting kind of sad because he couldn't find his family.
In the past 12 episodes, the reformed Cullen Bohannon has been sidelined so much as the driving force of Hell on Wheels (opting instead to put his head down and work) that when it came time to care about whether or not he could reconnect with Naomi and his baby boy, the answer didn't seem all that appealing. Nevermind that he doesn't even seem to like his Mormon family that much. That said, even though "Further West" felt way more like the first episode of Season 5, the taste of what's to come was an enjoyable one.
Of course, if you were hoping for a stand-off between Mickey and Governor Campbell, then disappointment likely ensued. But if you were raring for a goofy mud fight between the Guv' and Durant over the deed to Chicken Hill, then I hope you enjoyed your smiles. I found it kind of awkward, frankly. So no Dandy Johnny Shea using his pointy boots, no Eva using her new gambling talents in one especially taut poker match, and no Maggie Palmer—really, at all. It was clear the Feds had won (how could they not?), and the lesson here seemed to be that there's still pride in recognizing defeat and continuing to live. Basically the townsfolk of Hell on Wheels accepted government in exchange for more time on Earth.
Normally I'd be upset that some huge gunfight didn't go down, but honestly I was thankful for the mellowed-out change of pace. Like, the major events of "Further West" were Eva entering the whoring business on the management side of things, and Thor "Carrot Snipper" Gundersen angling to join the Central Pacific as an inside man, just as Cullen accepted a power position with the same enterprise. Oh yeah also Cullen sat with his mother-in-law on her deathbed basically to talk shit to her until smallpox worked its magic. So there was that. Mother Hatch told him that Naomi and the baby were out west, and more specifically, far away from Cullen's Gentile influence—and his thoughts on the subject were so mean that she died there on the spot. Is that the ultimate son-in-law fantasy?
From that point on, the rest of the episode was falling action. There were no mysteries left to be solved—Campbell had won Cheyenne, Durant had renewed his race with Collis P. Huntington, the Swede had gotten his wish, Eva and Mickey were headed "Further West," and Cullen had agreed to use the Central Pacific's resources to find Naomi and his baby. Though to be fair, every season of Hell on Wheels has ended with decamping, so this one didn't do anything that hasn't been done before.
I guess if I had a problem with the episode it's not a new one. So I'll put it to you, the readers: Do you feel like the characters of Hell on Wheels have an especially strong community? Going from railroad camp to railroad camp, I'd like to think the draw is getting to spend time with the denizenry like Eva, Mickey, Durant, and Louise (even if Cullen says "denizenry" ain't a word). However, I can't recall one truly compelling interaction that any of these folks have had with each other. Perhaps they're all such hustlers and self-made go-getters that it's asking too much by wanting to see them be vulnerable enough with someone else to establish some strong bonds. Maybe I'm wrong, but let me know what you think?
Regardless, Hell on Wheels is what it is, no point in wishing it was "this" or "that." If it wants to be a show about a guy working on the railroad and trying to find his family, then fine! I'll never tire of the Swede facing off against Cullen, I sincerely enjoy everything about Brigham Young's role in American History, and love the show's impending relocation to my home state. But man—how long has it been since things were as simple as revenge? And maybe that's the issue. Maybe Cullen hasn't had a chance to be the badass we once knew him to be, and maybe this new position of power and formidable opponents in Brigham Young and the Swede could bring out that side of him again. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
What did you think of "Further West"? How about Season 4 as a whole?
