34 replies to this topic

[Tippi Blevins]

Cullen recognized Harper because his face at half a mile away looked just like the one he saw in the picture.

[Dowel Jones]

I have to admit, the first thing that came to mind with the comment "What's the world coming to?" was

"What's it all mean, Mr. Natural?"
"Don't mean shit, kid".

[Janjan]

We need Mr. Natural to make sense of it all. Da Wah Ditty.

Cullen recognized Harper because his face at half a mile away looked just like the one he saw in the picture.

It must be his telescopic vision. At least Josey Wales carried a spy glass with him. And why start shooting from a half miles away, when he's clearly gaining on the guy and he's out in the open. Time to run for cover.

Nice of him to shoot the injured horse, but how did he get back?

And why is the Swede now protecting him? And Doc making excuses for him? And why is Mrs. Bell withholding the maps from Doc? Because he and Robert had a falling out? So why was Robert still out working for him? And where was her wardrobe stashed? With corsets, no less. Out in the wilderness. Handy if you need to do some self-surgery, but otherwise inconvenient attire.

The Irish guy is the only one who noticed the window to the whores' dressing room? And guys are willing to pay for a peek? Instead of trampling the the guy on their way to a free peek?

Mrs. Bell doesn't seem all that traumatized. Maybe she's stoic. But she must realize that she's now totally dependent on Doc for survival. But she feels free to be snitty anyway. Bizarre.

Meanwhile, is anybody building a railroad?

Edited by Janjan, Nov 28, 2011 @ 9:21 AM.

[Vanilla Siren]

Lots of things that didn't make sense in this episode. If Cullen was trying to kill Harper, why did he wind up saving him? Makes no senese.

I know the whole attraction/UST/possible future romance between Mrs. Bell and Cullen is practically a given, but I'd rather see them go the unexpected route and have her fall for Jospeh (if she has to fall for anyone), mainly because I find Joseph a more complex and interesting character than Cullen, who can be defined in a single word: "revenge."

So where are the maps? Wasn't Mrs. Bell carrying them with her a few episodes ago?

What happened to make the powder explode? Sabotage?

[Xbones]

I'm so glad I'm not alone in all these questions. While watching I kept asking DH - do you know what's going on? I really didn't get or understand much of it - I think the acting is good except for Cullin - but guess he does not have much to work with. Why isn't Mrs. Bell grieving? Where the hell or the maps?
Why were they steeling the black powder? What started the fire? What's with the Swede and where did he come from and what the heck is he wearing? When did it rain that they show so much mud? My list goes on, I want to really like this show but someone better get their shit together soon. This show is all over the place.

[scout56]

Gosh, this might bring in viewers just because it sounds so crazy with all the questions and loose ends. I havn't seen the latest episode yet, but now I will be watching for all this cluster f*%# of things not making any sense. I know, I KNOW I really want to like this, but.... oh well I will report back after I see this episode in a few hours.

[Dowel Jones]

Since the Swede addressed OneEar as "Mr. Bolan" during the confrontation in the bar, I got the impression that Bohannon shot the wrong guy, since Harper was not operating under an alias. Hence, the rescue. So much for telescopes. As to why "Bolan" shot first, I'm not sure.

Bohannon walked back to the logging camp, and then rode in to HOW on a wagon.

I think that Mrs. Bell is far from a shrinking violet. She hid the maps, knowing their value to Doc and the company, in hopes of reaping some profit down the road. After all, she is a widow on a rough frontier (witness the encounter at the brothel). she is also seen poring over some correspondence and maps in Durant's car. And he is equally conniving, looking to romance her as well. And since the railroad is essentially stuck in place until the surveying is done, and Durant's investors are unwilling to throw in more money, she may have a good hand.

[smithgirl]

There must be some sort of fancy ladies dress shop in Hell - Mrs Bell had 2 unbelievable dress changes. She is going to be the most interesting character, and the seems to be the only one with any brains: hiding the maps, playing Durant against himself, and being tough as nails in a crisis.

[Dowel Jones]

I do have a question, since the recap is not up yet. Does anyone know the translation of the title and (I assume) the song at the end of the episode?

[Xbones]

Where did Mrs. Bell get those 2 huge beautiful dresses. I'm sure the "whores" didn't own them and she came with nothing.

[Vanilla Siren]

Since the Swede addressed OneEar as "Mr. Bolan" during the confrontation in the bar, I got the impression that Bohannon shot the wrong guy, since Harper was not operating under an alias. Hence, the rescue. So much for telescopes. As to why "Bolan" shot first, I'm not sure.

Ah, thanks, didn't catch that. Well, that clears up one question at least. I guess Cullen felt bad for blowing the (wrong) guy's ear off and tried to make amends by saving his life? Yeesh Cullen, if you're gonna be all about the revenge thing, at least be smart about the revenge thing! To say nothing of announcing to everyone the name of the (next) man you plan on killing ....

Where did Mrs. Bell get those 2 huge beautiful dresses. I'm sure the "whores" didn't own them and she came with nothing.

Maybe Doc got them for her? That's the only plausible explanation I can think of at the moment.

[Loza]

Google says that "Jamais Je Ne T'oublierai" means "Never shall I forget" in french.
The song at the end of the episode is "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen.

I assumed that the gay at the logging camp send Cullen after the wrong man. Maybe because he was actually Sergeant Harper himself (though I always assumed that the big revile would be that the good pastor is actually the big bad wolf) but most likely because he just had a good reason to wish the fella who took of from the camp bodily harm, and thought it would be a good idea to sent an armed and clearly dangerous man after him.

[Dowel Jones]

Thank you for that. I'll attempt to find some lyrics.

(though I always assumed that the big revile would be that the good pastor is actually the big bad wolf)

The writers did their best to point us in that direction with the preacher's speech about Kansas. Which could turn out to be a red herring, too.

[RooKanga]

Good thing Duran took that knife from Lilly - I have no doubt she'd gut him like fish - if sufficiently provoked.

The one eared man - is one of the 'rescue party' that Cullen shot up last episode.

He got back to Hell On Wheels - riding on a wagon from the lumber camp where he was looking for Harper.

[Melissa56789]

The actor that plays the guy that got his ear shot off is "Ian Tracey" - from several semi-successful Canadian TV shows.

The character he plays got his ear shot off in last week's episode. He was one of the guys trying to attack Ms Bell when she was with Mr. Bohanan.

Ian Tracey's character is not Sgt Harper.

[Bentley]

I'm much less bothered by Cullen's penchant for killing people than I am his poor work ethic. Where's the Cullen "My men would die for me" Bohannon who lobbied for the job? It's possible that some of his new crew just died for him too because he couldn't get his drunken ass out of bed.

Could anyone follow what happened with the black powder? Is this going to blow back on Cullen? (no pun intended) I couldn't tell if this was just an accident, sabotage or an attempt by the Swede to expose Cullen's corruption. I thought it was stupid of Cullen to accept a bribe from a man who was recently trying to hang him and is likely still out to get him. I know he was stone drunk but he might at least have taken 5 seconds to consider the possibilities before he said yes.

Were we allowed to see what happened to the maps last week? If not, I'm going to speculate that they're buried in that grave Lily was tending at the beginning of this episode.

[firstaid33]

It is interesting that alot of people here have questions regarding the episode. I too don't really understand what is going on. Are they building the railroad piece by piece or are they stuck in one place? I didn't understand how the train with the black powder would arrive since they have only one track.

Also Common sucks as an actor, it is like he has watched Roots one too many times and thinks that is how a slave acts. There is no depth to his performance. It is a shame that there are all these unknown black actors who could have shined in that role, but they gave it a rapper.

[hardy har]

I swear, I would like this show a whole lot more if Cullen wasn't in it. I think Anson Mount is doing the best he can, but goddamn the character is boring and I could care less about his quest for vengeance. Oh, wait ...... the Irish Brothers annoy the piss out of me too. Anyway, if the show was about Lily, The Swede, Doc, Joesph, the reverend, and the Tattooed Whore I'd be all over this show. Actually, I don't have much of an opinion w/r/t the tattooed whore yet. She reminds me of another actress who I can't place and it's driving me nuts. Anyway, I'm assuming she was a well-to-do lady in the past.

So, um, long story short. Lily Bell, FTW.

Edited by hardy har, Nov 29, 2011 @ 1:49 AM.

[Tippi Blevins]

I'm much less bothered by Cullen's penchant for killing people than I am his poor work ethic.

Same here. Shoot all the people you want, but do your damned job! I noticed that Durant said Cullen had cleared the trip with him first, and made it sound like Cullen had only been gone a day, which doesn't seem to jibe with the timeline.

As to the title of the episode, my French is rusty, so I spent the whole hour watching and mistakenly thinking that it meant "I'll never open you." I did not know what to expect from that.

Anyway, if the show was about Lily, The Swede, Doc, Joesph, the reverend, and the Tattooed Whore I'd be all over this show.

I hope Eddie Spears becomes the breakout star from this thing.

Edited by Tippi Blevins, Nov 29, 2011 @ 7:27 AM.

[Mikita]

The actor that plays the guy that got his ear shot off is "Ian Tracey" - from several semi-successful Canadian TV shows.

The character he plays got his ear shot off in last week's episode. He was one of the guys trying to attack Ms Bell when she was with Mr. Bohanan.

Ian Tracey's character is not Sgt Harper.

Yes, Ian Tracey's character was not the one that Cullen was chasing. That was indeed Sgt. Harper. He shot Ian's character in the previous episode when Ian was about to capture/grab Lily Bell and bring her to Durant for the bounty.

[jamiecinti]

Also Common sucks as an actor, it is like he has watched Roots one too many times and thinks that is how a slave acts. There is no depth to his performance. It is a shame that there are all these unknown black actors who could have shined in that role, but they gave it a rapper.

Thats kind of funny because I kind of enjoyed Common last night, I'm liking the whole storline with the tatooed hooker. Have to admit that Common reminds me of something out of Roots though lol! Always loved Levar Burton in Roots. I have seen worse rapper actors, Ice T for example.

[bcharmer]

It is a shame that there are all these unknown black actors who could have shined in that role, but they gave it a rapper.

On the other hand, Mos Def did a really great job on Dexter this season. I was impressed. He was actually the only really good thing about this season. I don't think Common is doing such a bad job. I think he's out-acting our lead, in fact. Maybe if Cullen didn't talk like he has a mouthful of rocks, didn't squint all the time, and showed some nuance, it might help. If only he were played by Timothy Olyphant... but no, don't get any ideas HoW, Timothy is perfect right where he is. You can't have him.

[Saul]

What's with the Swede and where did he come from and what the heck is he wearing?

Clint Eastwood had some cool long jackets back in the day. But the Swede's immaculately pressed black overcoat is really good. I was raised a Catholic - those long coats spook me. The deathly pallor and nice vocabulary are good too. Love the pasty hair.

God, but those people must have stank back in the day.

The 'fight club' in the previews looks pretty stupid.

And Colm Meany needs fewer lines. He's a supporting actor. Kinda like Ned Beatty in "Network" - some actors just don't have the chops, or charisma, whatever, to carry a big part.

Who was that naked person on their knees scrubbing a floor? WTF was that? Was it the Swede?

Wishing I had a DVR, or at least a clear signal.

Strange show, I like it.

[jamiecinti]

The naked scrubbing dude is the Swede, dude has issues

[Xbones]

LOL - my same thoughts about the swede.

[scout56]

I admit, this show has it's issues, but I'm stickin with it. I like Cullen cause he's soo good to look at and I kinda like his voice.

[jamiecinti]

Cullen is not bad on the eyes, yeah I'm sticking with the show for now. I'm Hoping some of the storylines will come to fruition and start making sense. The production value is superb and its keeping me interested. I feel they need to limited all the scenes in the fancy train car, they bore me

[that one guy]

Thats kind of funny because I kind of enjoyed Common last night

Finally got around to watching this last night. Actually I enjoyed Common's performance last night, thought it was the best of anybody on the show. Although I could grow to like Lily.

Meanwhile, is anybody building a railroad?

That's actually pretty close to historical fact. These people have been screwing around not getting much done since 1862. Durant had a fat government contract due in part to his prior business relationship with Abraham Lincoln who used to be his lawyer. After the assassination, the new Administration wanted to see progress. Hence the sudden interest in reaching the arbitrary 40 mile goal, and need for the maps. This wasn't explained very well on the show, but it's fairly realistic.

I'm much less bothered by Cullen's penchant for killing people than I am his poor work ethic.

I'm bothered by both, by his casual bribe-taking, and by his rudeness to the guy who saved his life. I'm all for complicated flawed characters, but there's really not much to like about Cullen so far. At least he didn't turn in Elam. But it's hard enough for me to sympathize with a Confederate anyway, they let these guys go home with their horses when they would have been on firm legal and moral ground hanging them all for treason. I'm sorry about what happened, dude, but like a million people died in that war. Time to get a grip and have a life. If I'm supposed to empathize with him, I need a little more to work with. Right now he's just a filthy, drunken, hate-filled thug. I'm guessing his wife would be appalled if she could see him now.

But I keep watching the Walking Dead too, and those people are just horrible. So I guess liking the leads isn't that essential to being entertained.

The worst actor on this show is the fake looking mockup train. And they're so proud of it, they made a little video on the AMC website. Every time I see it sitting there and belching smoke from the funnel while it's not moving, I yell "dude, your train is on fire" at the TV. It's called basic research, people.

[scout56]

The train is pretty pathetic looking. I have to wonder if they do that (make it so awful looking) on purpose. For what reason, I don't know, but MY GOD it's laughable!

[Xbones]

Maybe they spent so much money on make-up and wardrobe, they had nothing left for the train.