Come Monday...Hell on Wheels

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about,  websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).

If you have been waiting for the return of a good western television series, [AMC’s Hell on Wheels] shows great potential.  For it has all of the elements necessary, such as loss, sorrow, revenge, greed and a lot of frontier justice mixed in for good measure.

Ah, but the writers had to throw something in to drive me crazy.  For in one of the first scenes, they have a Union soldier confessing that he was with Gen. Sherman on his infamous [March to the Sea], and then being asked about Meridian before the back of his head explodes.

Okay, I suppose it doesn’t matter to most of you morons, and as a matter of fact, Sherman’s army did ransack [Meridian, MS].  This didn’t occur on his march to the sea, however.

Anyway, Hell on Wheels is set just after the Civil War is over, and it follows the Union Pacific Railroad’s own march to the sea.  It stars [Anson Mount] as Cullen Bohannan, who is on a mission to hunt down and kill all of the men responsible for the very unnecessary murder of his wife in Meridian, MS during the war.

Also starring is [Colm Meaney], who can make for a real meanie.  Therefore, he was a realistic choice for the part of leading the Union Pacific march to the sea.

[Dominique McElligott] plays Lilly Bell, and I am beginning to wonder if she might be a truly great actress.  For I can remember her in a few other roles, and she has always displayed the same face full of agony—even when it could be beaming with joy.  Nonetheless, she is capable of showing a smile that could light up the darkest of rooms, as you can see from her image over there.

Another most certainly worth mentioning is [Common], who plays an ex-slave/hard laborer who forms an uneasy alliance with Bohannan.  Hopefully, their alliance will become much easier much sooner than later.

Yes, Hell on Wheels has the potential to become very dark.  For it is set in an age when the [Law of theJungle] appeared to be the only one observed, but in the first two episodes, the show gives some indications that it will refrain from sinking as low as it could, which will keep me watching.

Link: [On YouTube]

Please Also Visit:

[FishHawk Droppings]

and

[The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter]