The final episode of Hell on Wheels ties most of the story arcs up, including Eva, Cullen, Durant, Mickey etc, although I wish we saw I bit more of Psalms and other characters, the fight scene at the beginning was hilarious as well but I wish the finale was longer though, I would have given it a 10 if it weren't so rushed, it deserved better than 45 minutes! overall I have watched all 57 episodes from this series since the beginning and its has been a great historical/drama but why end it now? there is so much potential story to be told, I hope that AMC gives this gem a spin-off, we need more shows like this!!! PS: The Swede AKA: Christopher Heyerdahl is the best villain I have ever seen or a TV show
3 Reviews
It's a really good show
kurt782528 August 2021
Nice but disappointing
hoplite-9941521 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed this show a great deal and I am sad it's done. I liked this episode but I can't help but feel sad and disappointed by the final scene. I will explain.
First of all, the whole relationship with Mei didn't fit as they had no chemistry and felt like he'd be a father figure for her instead of a lover. Seeing them intimate together does not feel right at all. He has a son whom he gave up to be with this Mei so it also comes with a great cost. The build up for the relationship seemed just wrong. But how does that fit in?
Here is the thing, the story of Bohannon is a story of an honorable man whom went to hell and back several times and managed to maintain a certain level of humanity and honor. It's a story of a man who fought to protect the people he'd loved and yet buried them. It's the story of a man who had the major contribution in the construction of the biggest railroad in the country. He's done so much for his country and all he got back was sadness, loss and grief.
Then when the punchline comes, he finds happiness in China, far away from his country. That is very disappointing. The message it sends is that his reward for all he did for his country was misery and death, while his salvation was far, far away.
This was the moment I realized how bad of an idea was it to write Lilly off the show. She was the perfect candidate to bring salvation to Bohannon. She was the first one to get his heart like his dead wife Mary did. She was the one to remind him of his humanity and help him restore it. She was in the country and she felt the misery same as Bohannon, yet she fought and stood by his side. An ending with her was a much better ending, because it would've meant Bohannon's salvation was in his country, the one he served. While what we got was an ending with Mei, who (without own fault) ended up forcing Bohannon to start killing again even after he refused to kill when his own wife and son were in danger (the Swede in Ep. 8). If you really think of it, Mei's character played negatively, not positively, in Bohannon's development. To bring the ending with that character, that's just disappointing.
It was that ending scene where he took off on that ship that suddenly brought this episode from 9 stars rating to 6.
First of all, the whole relationship with Mei didn't fit as they had no chemistry and felt like he'd be a father figure for her instead of a lover. Seeing them intimate together does not feel right at all. He has a son whom he gave up to be with this Mei so it also comes with a great cost. The build up for the relationship seemed just wrong. But how does that fit in?
Here is the thing, the story of Bohannon is a story of an honorable man whom went to hell and back several times and managed to maintain a certain level of humanity and honor. It's a story of a man who fought to protect the people he'd loved and yet buried them. It's the story of a man who had the major contribution in the construction of the biggest railroad in the country. He's done so much for his country and all he got back was sadness, loss and grief.
Then when the punchline comes, he finds happiness in China, far away from his country. That is very disappointing. The message it sends is that his reward for all he did for his country was misery and death, while his salvation was far, far away.
This was the moment I realized how bad of an idea was it to write Lilly off the show. She was the perfect candidate to bring salvation to Bohannon. She was the first one to get his heart like his dead wife Mary did. She was the one to remind him of his humanity and help him restore it. She was in the country and she felt the misery same as Bohannon, yet she fought and stood by his side. An ending with her was a much better ending, because it would've meant Bohannon's salvation was in his country, the one he served. While what we got was an ending with Mei, who (without own fault) ended up forcing Bohannon to start killing again even after he refused to kill when his own wife and son were in danger (the Swede in Ep. 8). If you really think of it, Mei's character played negatively, not positively, in Bohannon's development. To bring the ending with that character, that's just disappointing.
It was that ending scene where he took off on that ship that suddenly brought this episode from 9 stars rating to 6.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
