What I’m Watching: Hell on Wheels

Hell on Wheels: Season 3, Episode 7 “Cholera” (B+)

Would an episode of this show that didn’t feature Cullen crawling around the desert knocking at death’s door feel right, I wonder? All jokes aside, things on the railroad have not been easy for Cullen recently, and having a good number of workers leave to try to get to the Mormon camp is almost as bad as the cholera that was spreading through Hell on Wheels and taking many people with it. Cullen pulling a rat out of the water was rather blunt but certainly effective, and I’m glad that, their personal differences notwithstanding, Elam and Cullen are able to work together very well on behalf of their traveling town. Asking Durant for help meant things were not good, but it wasn’t as if the greedy mastermind would have ever helped him anyway. The star of the hour was Mickey, who sprung into action and used magic to protect Sean and save Durant. We’ve never seen him be so confident and honest, and it made his ultimate wish to never see Sean again all the more devastating. Durant is digging himself into a big hole, and I don’t see a way out for him anytime soon. The Swede pretending to be the Mormon bishop is going to be interesting, and let’s hope he doesn’t opt for mass murder just for the hell of it. Eva giving away her baby to Declan is not going to sit well with Elam, and it’s going to send him spiraling. On a more optimistic note, it’s nice to see on a regular basis the very positive and affirming relationship that Ruth and Cullen have developed.