‘Hell on Wheels’ season 3, episode 9 review: Cullen Bohannon’s capture; the path to Cheyenne

On tonight’s “Hell on Wheels” episode, there was quite a bit to get through in order to prepare for what is going to be an epic finale next week. It was one about violence and destruction, redemption and loss, and a dozen or so other themes. Oh, and we also had one of the greatest moments in Common’s acting career, where he convinced the workers on the railroad to get the train to Cheyenne before they started to worry about finding Bohannon. It was powerful, and also surprising when it comes to the language that AMC allowed on the air. (Remember, this is a network that previously censored the f-word on “Breaking Bad.”)

So why was Bohannon captured in the first place? The easy way to put it is that it was a part of a trade-off, and the violent forces that collide when you have a place that really is as wild as the Old West and an entity as powerful as the railroad. (It also doesn’t help that Bohannon has done many wrong things in the past.) His transport took place over the final few scenes of the episode, while we were simultaneously treated to a spiritual anthem.

We almost want to sit here and ponder what happens next with the Bohannon character, as it surely does not look good for him now. There is a hangman’s noose, and he is clearly outnumbered.

What was actually rather interesting to us is that following a death as shocking as Sean’s was last week, we almost expected there to be more fallout. There was a scene with Mickey in which he expressed vehemently his belief that he did the right thing, but that was really it for whatever reason … for now. The Bohannon capture was the major story this week, though Eva did have a lovely little moment where she tried to identify who her real friends are.

Overall, what did you think about this “Hell on Wheels” episode? If you want to read some more news related to the show, and to also see a preview of the new episode airing next week, just be sure to head on over to the link here.

Photo: AMC