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• "Oh good, now that they're busy trying to kill the Indians maybe they'll forget about us"

There was a charge against "Pan Am" at the beginning of its (now cancelled?) season that the show was like a beautiful ornament with nothing inside: all style and no substance. This was levied against it as an (inevitable) comparison to "Mad Men," which has always maintained great emotional depth. I've written a great deal about the differences between "Hell on Wheels" and "Deadwood" and can't ever quite put my finger on what it is that, for me, makes "Hell on Wheels" so much less compelling. Is it the acting? The quality of dialogue? The lack of frisky scenes? Or is it an inability to connect emotionally to any of the characters. Was there ever enough time spent with Cullen, around whom the show presumably revolves? Even in last week's fight, Cullen is mostly just there. He's still two-dimensional as a character, and while this was a virtue I praised early on to orient us with the camp, we know who everyone is now. Give us depth!

"Hell On Wheels" does give complexity to the tale of Pawnee. In fact, this may currently be the show's greatest virtue, even in episodes like this that play out a bit like a historical documentary. The Pawnee are not ignored, nor are they strong and stoic without troubles of their own. The conflict between the Chief and Durant culminated in the John Henry-like race of man versus machine (or in this case, put-upon pony versus a train), but the emotional conflict of the Pawnee and the white men came to a head between Lily and the widow of the man she slayed (who had, in turn, killed her own husband). The interconnectivity and the hopelessness of the cause were deeply felt last night in such moments. It also seemed to prove that if women were running things, there would be a lot fewer silly races, and more hat-trading and apologies.

I happened to catch the film The Station Agent on TV this weekend (a must-see, if you haven't watched it before). The background of the movie is a sweet letter to the love of trains, something deeply ingrained in our national conscious. I would bet there are few among you who have not sometimes been a little excited to see a train pass closely by, maybe imagining hopping on for a ride, or just standing in awe of its size and power. One thing that struck me in the film particularly is when the main character describes what "walking the right of way" means. Essentially, that the government (much like when they parcel off a part of your yard to build a sidewalk because it's 'city right of way') declared the land on which the rail line was to be built as automatically part of the U.S. Government's "right of way" (sounds like Manifest Destiny). As the Chief pointed out in last night's episode, "did they buy it? trade for it? Then how do they own it?" "He's right," Reverend Cole pipes in, and Durant dismisses it by saying, and I'm paraphrasing, "well fine then, we will crush you." The Chief assures him that his men are ready for a fight, but he cannot know here that the U.S. Government was acting upon the rule that "Might Is Right." While the Senator and Durant's arguments that the Pawnee should want to enter modernity rang hollow after we had just seen some of the hellish particulars of the camp, that is not to say that the Pawnee couldn't have done with a few industrial-age conveniences themselves. In Georgia history, it's well known that the local tribes got along pretty well with the settlers. It wasn't until the federal government mandated they move to a reservation that things turned ugly for everyone involved. Stubborn leaders, unwilling to compromise, caused the ruination of an entire people. It's a lesson for the ages! How many times do I have to use Elam's quote from the Pilot, "some things don't never change."

We knew, of course, there was never a real sense that the railroad would stop operating. After all, history doesn't exist in a vacuum. We know that the railroad gets built. Lily hands over the maps, Durant will presumably be saved, and his money-flow restored (watch-partner Jeff said "but he still stole all of that money!" to which I replied, "Has 'Boardwalk Empire' taught you nothing? Sometimes the bad guys win!). The most interesting twist was that The Swede seems to be on the Senator's payroll. The Swede also wants to hunt down Frank Harper, probably not to hand over to Cullen but to find out why Cullen wants to kill him in the first place. He also happens to show up at the most opportune times to support Cullen and peace in the camp, although one would think he or his henchmen might have followed that rowdy asshole who's always stirring up discontent in the camp once he was told he couldn't kill any Indians. Well what do you think he's going to do next? Would it be so hard to tail him and then just shoot him in the head when he tried something else? (Do you see how this show plus "Breaking Bad," "Sons of Anarchy" and "Boardwalk Empire" has compromised my television morals?)

I'm curious to hear your reactions to the show. It could well be that for the last few weeks, the emotional impact of "Boardwalk Empire" directly preceding "Hell on Wheels" has colored my opinion of the show. Am I being too harsh on it?

Next week: We see Lily returning home (and fighting with people, which means she'll find her way back to the camp, somehow), Elam about to be hanged (I am certain Cullen, or someone, will rescue him), Eva similarly in danger, and generally just all hell breaking loose.

Musings and Miscellanea:

— The Reverend's daughter seems to have very few Christian virtues (or at least, lacks a polite and sensible tongue). She called Joseph a savage to his face and then said his mother wasn't in Heaven. Even though that latter part may be true if you follow literal church doctrine, she didn't have to bring it up!

— Another Durant saying I will start using in real life, "unfounded rumors, concocted by my rivals!"

— So Cullen broke his silence over the cheating, though it didn't seem to worry Elam all that much. I wonder if this will be Cullen's next quest, leading him to the McGinnes brothers.

— "Assholes and elbows, or I'll fire all of you!" - Cullen

— If you've been wondering why Americans stopped riding trains, in a "How Stuff Works" podcast I learned that Henry Ford, GM and Firestone killed a growing light and heavy rail passenger transport system in the United States (thanks a lot, guys) in favor of bus transport so that they could, of course, make more money.

— Durant: "What kind of music are you playing?" Violinist: "Dixie." Durant: "You IDIOT!!"

— I actually like the modern music soundtrack - thoughts?

— "She takes my arm, even as she stabs me in the back. Extortion does not become a lady." - Durant

— "I have your pecker in my pocket" - Senator Crane.