I started watching Hell on Wheels a while back and then stopped in the last season. I finally finished it and while I still missed Elam, played by Common, it was a satisfactory ending. The show centers on Cullen Bohannons life, loosely based on John “Jack” Casement, after the U.S. Civil War. He finds himself seeking revenge for the death of his family and as an ex-Confederate soldier, he doesn’t need many friends and prefers to be alone. When the Pacific Railway Act of 1864 allowed for a transcontinental railroad line to be built, the Union Pacific Railroad of Thomas Durant from the east and the Central Pacific Railroad of Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mary Hopkins from the west was a lucrative opportunity for many including Bohannon. As more tracks are laid and the show evolves, Bohannon forms more meaningful relationships (well sort of) and dynamics really change when he finds love again (again sort of). What happens around the railroad construction where freed slaves, Irish immigrants, Chinese immigrants, Indians pushed off their lands, and brothel prostitutes rarely get along and if they do, it comes at a price is what Bohannon is trying to stay away from although as the protagonist, he can’t stay away for too long. The other two characters in addition to Bohannan and Durant that are loosely based on real life are Olive Oatman (Eva) and Mary Fields (Stagecoach Mary), but the one character not based on anyone was my favorite. His nickname was “The Swede” although his character name was Thor Gundersen. He is played by Christopher Heyerdahl, and honestly should have been nominated for an Emmy. The showdown between him and Bohannon was first rate. Watch the show. You won’t regret it.
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