Turn: Washington’s Spies season 4 episode 6 review: Peggy’s play
On tonight’s episode, Peggy found herself in a position that she hadn’t been in all that much before: She had information. She overheard Cicero talking with Woodhull, and she did what she thought was right: Telling her husband about it, even if she wasn’t altogether fond of the guy at the time (and for good reason). His response? Being horrible to her and demanding sons. Typical Benedict Arnold. What a Benedict Arnold betraying his wife’s better angels like that.
Let’s take the irony further for Arnold as we talk about the twist of the night, which is ironically Peggy betraying her husband the betrayer. At the end of the hour, Peggy surprised everyone — including Cicero — when he finally admitted to her that Woodhull was a spy. She wanted in on the plot to take him away, which is absolutely bad news for the not-so-nice Benedict.
At the moment, we would say that the story with Arnold is probably the strongest on the show in turns of pizzazz, just because the guy chews in so much of the scenery. Plus, seeing him get his comeuppance is going to be so satisfying.
Another man who certainly loves hearing himself talk over the course of time is Simcoe, and over the course of the hour tonight, we nearly saw him suffer another, very different fate. He was nearly killed in his brothel bed in one of the night’s more bizarre exchanges. This was one that actually did illuminate quiet a bit when it comes to him as a person and some of his desires — he wants to be loved because he actually has a perception of loving. He wants someone to have actual adoration rather than just an obligation. He’s an enemy of the heroes, but it would’ve been wrong to lose him here.
Are the villains more compelling than the heroes?
We wouldn’t say that, but watching their downfall is incredibly meaty and entertaining. It may just feel like the adversaries have the upper hand in entertainment value because this episode was so much about them. There were great moments with Brewster and Ben, but most of the good stuff with Abe (and his wife) was the two of them learning that it’s increasingly hart to keep their true identity and goal a secret. Abe’s obviously desperate to execute his plan — he’ll offer anything and everything to make it happen.
Overall Take
There were some excellent moments of high drama in this episode, just as there were also some moments of shocking violence — such as Brewster showing more of his marksman prowess. Still, nothing compared to the look of sheer and utter satisfaction on our face when he finally learned that Peggy was ready to make a move on Arnold in the closing minutes. A great end to a great episode. Grade: A-.
What’s next on Turn: Washington’s Spies?
If you are interested in securing some other news on the AMC series, including a further preview for what’s coming up, be sure to visit the link here! (Photo: AMC.)