Hell on Wheels: Season 2, Episode 10 “Return to Hell” (B+)
Even though we have the benefit of three bonus installments in November, this episode did feel like a season finale in all the right ways. Cheyenne has become a very Western setting, with its streets rather bare and its landmarks all the more stark, seemingly designed for standoffs and other such classic encounters. Cullen didn’t waste any time in getting himself appointed to be the new sheriff, though it didn’t do him much good in this hour since the whole town was basically on his side anyway. Sidney barring the doors to the church and starting a fire was a vicious and horrible thing to do, and he likely wouldn’t have cared to know that the only life lost as a direct result of the fire was that of poor young Ezra. Eva did take advantage of the chaos to snuff out a particularly gruesome abuser, and it made for an interesting interaction later on with Louise, who, to her credit, has become an even more fascinating character from last week’s episode through this one, allowing herself to delight in material pleasures while sticking true to her convictions. The Swede is on an intriguing road back to redemption, and his path is most mesmerizing when Brigham yells at him for trying to be religious, since he’s well aware that he’s a faithful servant but not of the true Mormon sort. The episode’s final scene was the most impactful, because a woman of peace, Ruth, has now committed murder as a justified act of vengeance. Its repercussions on her well-being will surely be felt as the town picks up and rallies back together to fight off whatever’s coming from Brigham and the Swede in the season’s final three episodes.
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