When Hell on Wheels began, Cullen Bohannan was a man with blood on his hands, and revenge in his heart. He joined the railroad to find the man who killed his family, and quickly rose up the ranks to become the head of the railroad, second only to Thomas Durant. His ultimate rise to a position of power became the show’s primary example of the fact that people can change, often for the better. It was also one of the finest arcs in the show. However, now that we’ve experienced this arc, “Chicken Hill” shows Cullen starting once again at the bottom, working his way back up to the top. This time around, there’s really no question as to whether or not Cullen will rise to greatness again. It’s happening; it’s just a matter of time.
According to the local Cheyenne paper, Cullen is a hero around the country now. This makes him a clear threat to Durant (who has always feared the power that Cullen can amass from the “little people”), and Campbell (who realizes Cullen could ruin everything that he wants to accomplish). Now that he’s back at Cheyenne, Cullen turns down a job that would basically make him the bouncer for Mickey McGinnes and later on in the episode, an employee for Campbell. Instead, Cullen decides to go back and take a job for a much smaller wage at the railroad, since—as he tells his new wife Naomi—if he doesn’t help finish the road, all his suffering so far will be for nothing.
His first day on the job it seems very clear that it won’t be long before Cullen takes his rightful place, watching over the railroad. His new boss Delaney refuses to listen to him, and almost (accidentally) kills everyone on his team. This actually works to make Cullen look good. His friendship with Psalms and his team of freemen also shows that it wouldn’t take much to raise the troops up against Delaney.
This idea of Cullen working his way to the top should be interesting, but it’s also starting to feel like the plot may just be a way to pass the time on Hell on Wheels. With Cullen’s newfound popularity and the entire town’s disdain for Campbell and his cronies, it just seems like we’re watching Cullen wait around until he gains his next great opportunity. At the very least, we do have his return to Cheyenne, which automatically makes all of the other side stories far more compelling.
Thankfully, Durant and Campbell’s fight over the territory takes up little time this episode (it’s had plenty of screen time in the past two installments). With Cullen back in the area, there’s plenty more shaking up that deserves our attention.
Eva continues her journey of despair, finding new ways to have the world beat her down. She starts gambling the little amount of money she does have, telling Mickey she doesn’t have anything left in her life to lose… except of course her money and her pride. After being cheated out of cards, she offers sex in exchange for learning the tricks of the card-cheating trade. As one of the strongest female characters on Hell on Wheels, it’s just a shame to watch her decline, without much of a hope for the future. And people say The Leftovers is bleak.
Cullen’s return to Cheyenne is finally getting Hell on Wheels where it needs to be, but the backtracking of Cullen at this point feels like a return to earlier stories, just so the writers can figure out what to do next. Cullen clearly has a plan in mind for him and his family, but watching the pieces move into place feels like old ideas are simply being rehashed.
Ross Bonaime is a D.C.-based freelance writer and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow him on Twitter.