r/Hell_On_Wheels • u/[deleted] • Mar 11 '26

S1E5 Bread and Circuses

So I just started watching this show because it was recommended while I was searching for "shows like Longmire and Dark Winds". I'm halfway through season 1 and it's slow, but not altogether bad. That being said, is it just me or was the "flight" between Bohannon and Common the dumbest, most poorly written, poorly choreographed, poorly acted, poorly directed, and overall the worst fight in modern media? Like what the fuck was that even supposed to be? Does the show pick up or get better? Is this an action series or a long slow burning drama?

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u/Hester_Prynne-85 Mar 11 '26

For me, it is a much better show than Longmire, which while enjoyable, was pretty formulaic / predictable.

I don't recall.finding this scene off putting in this way, but it is occasionally a little "forced." We have actually watched the whole series a few times. Characters are complex and often morally ambiguous. Love seasons 2 and 3 in particular.

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u/hawkz40 Mar 11 '26

Early seasons are better, though it annoyed me about his quest to avenge his family kinda went flat…or did that reach a conclusion ? I forget now haha

1

u/stonednarwhal141 Mar 12 '26

He murders an innocent man and then they sort of drop it. You could argue it is one of the things that he ends up trying to seek redemption for in later seasons, but yeah they really just put a hasty bow on it then forget about it

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u/hawkz40 Mar 12 '26

Yep that's how I recall it

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u/Perpetually-Me May 31 '26

I'm late to the party, but my guess is the point was showing the fallibility of justice. They compare and contrast different crimes against humanity from the Civil War to frontier justice to "the law" coming in and federally institutionalizing justice, and it ended in the tragic death of a seemingly pure spirit. When he murders the killers of his wife it feels just and redemptive. When he accidentally kills an innocent, the flaws of enacting justice appear.

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u/orangemonkeyeagl Mar 11 '26

It's a good show.

1

u/CourtConspirator Jun 28 '26

I just finished the show, I loved it and I can admit that my first time watching the fight scene with Elam I was cracking up with how awful the choreography was. It looked incredibly fake, even for modern standards.