Hell on Wheels s02e09 Episode Script

- My office received this ledger, along with a letter from Mrs.
Lillian Bell several days ago.
"Dear Senator Howard and members of the Senate Committee on Railroads.
" "This is an attempt to bring those responsible to justice.
" Sir? Can you hear me? We're trying to establish the connection between the corruption of this railroad and its near total decimation.
Sir, we're just trying to understand what happened here.
No! No! No! No! - The White Spirit.
- Oh, there she 'tis.
- Gettin' round, Εva.
Girls and me runnin' bets on godmother.
- Any one of you girls set foot in a church, your whore ass liable to catch fire.
- If yours don't burn first, hussy.
- How are ya, Εva? Baby's doin' well, is he? - He's restless.
He's runnin' me ragged already.
- Just like his father, so - Pig get in there? - It's Durant.
He's gone crazy.
Pl-please PI - Mr.
Durant, let's get you outta here.
- I've run out of medicine! - I've got some here in my purse.
- Huh? - It's gonna be alright.
- Laudanum? - No.
Straight opium.
Okay? - Giv - It's alright.
God I was just trying to steal medicine from a cripple.
- The pain must be awful.
You you'll feel better.
- Ah yes.
I'll feel better.
Then I won't care what happens.
This whole enterprise will collapse on our heads.
- Tsk Don't say that.
- Εverything's been a blur since I was shot.
It's all going to end in disaster.
- There you are.
- I'm gonna drive the train across the bridge tomorrow you helped build.
Come out and watch? - I'm a freight clerk now.
Ah It's humiliating.
- I know.
Stick it out.
- I don't intend on leaving.
Those things you told the Durants at dinner You could've trusted me with that.
- Past ain't the past if it don't exist.
- Did you go to university, too? - Some.
D'you like me better when I was stupid? - I liked you better when I thought I knew you.
- Lily, all I got right now is this job and you.
- Your doctor in Chicago gave them to me in case of hard birthin'.
I'll order you some more.
- Uh, Mrs.
Durant, he he was a little out of his head.
- Was there a scene? - He isn't well, ma'am.
- Well Mm.
Thank you for bringing him home.
Your husband, Mr.
Toole I'll make sure he gets a nice raise.
- Oh.
Well, thank you, ma'am - Ah - This business with the Laudanum.
I feel like I'm dying.
- Then we have to get you back to that hospital in Chicago.
- We are in trouble, Hannah.
When the board comes, they'll see I've oversold the mileage.
- When are they coming? - Soon.
And if I'm not here to explain our position, they'll replace me.
- It's not a matter of explanation.
They're going to need convincing.
Cullen Bohannon can do that.
- Ah - Εspecially if you make him a partner.
He won't do it.
- He will when you tell him the fortune he'll make.
- Bohannon only thrives on narrow escapes from his own recklessness.
- It's just like you, dear.
- Thank you.
Wonderful to see you.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
May the Lord be with you.
- Yes.
- I need to talk to you.
- I don't think there's anything to talk about.
- I'm sorry for my behaviour.
- You were drunk.
- I've decided I forgive you for your relations with Joseph.
- You've decided to forgive me.
- Yes.
'Cause you were right.
I want you.
- Are you talking about marriage? - Yes, of course.
- You're Catholic, Sean.
I'm a Congregationalist minister.
I can't marry a papist.
- Other mornin', I woke up There was somethin' standin' at the door.
- Yeah.
Some old drunk.
We'll put a cross bolt on there.
Don't have to worry.
- It was a man red.
Like he'd been dipped in blood.
You was dreamin'.
- He stood there lookin' in, like he was putting a curse on this house.
- You stop that talk now.
- I gotta kill somebody for Mr.
Durant.
- Done it before.
- It was always somebody that needed killin'.
This is different.
I worry about if I do it, I'll be puttin' a curse on this house and everybody that live in it.
- Don't do it then.
- Durant says it's the only way he'll let me have this place.
- Here, you put the last one in.
For luck.
- Mrs.
Toole doesn't care a stitch that I'm out here.
Barely tolerates me touch.
I'd give anything to have her look at me the way that Mrs.
Bell looks at you.
- Well you're a you're a good worker.
Woman ought to appreciate that.
- Me thought once she saw me true self, she'd like me better.
What a fool I am.
- Well My worry is that, uh once Mrs.
Bell gets to know my true self, she ain't gonna like it.
Funny part the more I get to know her, the more You know.
A lesser woman would've run off a long time ago, I guess.
- What I've learned, Mr.
Bohannon is that anythin' that springs up between you and your woman you should rip it out by the root.
- Shh, shh, shh.
You hear that? - What? - Just past that rise there's Indian ponies with riders.
- What are they doin'? Watchin'.
They're always out here lately, at night.
They could slip up and slit our throats any minute.
- Well, why don't they then? I dunno.
But I aim to find out.
- I should've known what they was doin'.
There's always a reconnoitering before a battle.
- Why didn't you send someone out yourself? - Anybody I would've sent out there wouldn't have come back alive.
I couldn't spare the men.
Bridge was almost built.
- You think you were being shortsighted? - Them some nice shoes.
Clean.
Think you would've volunteered to go out and scout 1,000 Sioux? - You riding out to the bridge? - I am.
- It's quite a milestone for you.
- It's a milestone for all of us.
- Which makes it an ideal time to talk about your plans for the future.
Shall we? Come on! Come on! - Don't you like New York? - I have found it's filled with women like you.
- Oh You think I'm cruel? Hmm.
Tell me what would you do in my place? Thomas will write you a cheque and a letter of introduction to a family that's desperate for a governess.
- A governess? - Please try and see this in a positive light.
It's a respectable family.
With plenty of marriageable young men.
I'm putting a very bright future in your hands.
- Yes, you are.
Thank you.
- Thank you for being the first one to take her over, Mr.
Bohannon.
- There were no other volunteers, skip.
- Well, most folks ain't interested in being crushed, boiled, or drowned.
Good luck, sir.
Ow! Ah! - It's alright, Mr.
Durant.
Just the wheels marrying to the track.
- Come on, you son of a bitch.
Phew - You did it, ya bastard! - Alright, alright, alright.
- She's not here, Mr.
Bohannon.
- Good job on the bridge, Mr.
Toole.
Alright.
Hey, y'all, listen up! Still got about a day's work ahead of us.
But there's a round of drinks on Mr.
Durant waitin' for you at the Starlight tonight! - Come on, lads! Back to work! - You're welcome.
- Don't get cocky.
We're still nowhere near where we need to be.
- How far d'you tell the board we were? Um Leave the men to their work.
- Whoa Εasy, easy, easy.
- We need to talk.
- You alright, Mrs.
Bell? - Mr.
Ferguson.
Yes.
I'm just closing the office.
Mr.
Durant is down at the bridge site.
Can I help you with something? - No, ma'am.
You have a good day.
- You, too.
- It'd be nice to have some real walls.
Keep out the cold.
Keep you warm.
- If you're looking for my husband, he's at work.
- I know where he at.
Wanna have that talk we was going to have before you left.
- Well, I've been back a while now.
How come this is the first time you showed up? - I got a surprise for you.
- Well, surprises ain't been good in my experience.
- Well, this one's good.
For you and the baby.
- You don't gotta worry about the baby no more.
- Why you say that? - Because it's between me and my husband now.
Well, he's got a future on this railroad.
I heard you quit.
- I'm on my own now.
Built us a house down by the river.
Fresh water, land place where the baby can grow up.
A good solid floor and freedom.
A fireplace that ain't that smoky - Stop it.
- All our love can live there.
- Can you stop it? That ain't real.
- Yeah, it is.
- No, it ain't.
And I gotta pretend that that don't exist.
- Come on.
Come on.
- No, I got mendin' to do.
Mr.
Toole would be real angry if he knew you were here.
You should probably go.
- How would you like to be a very rich man? - Seen a lot of rich men end up in shallow graves.
- When the board arrives, they will see that I have misled the government on their behalf.
They will move against me.
They may even try to have me imprisoned.
The railroad will likely fail and, well, you'll be out of a job.
- I've been in worse spot.
- I am offering you a full partnership, if you will help me convince them that everything we have done has been necessary.
- Now, why would they believe me? - You are an interesting anomaly, Mr.
Bohannon.
Gunslinger and an aristocrat.
- Yeah, wouldn't go that far in either direction.
- Look, I am unwell.
I simply need you to back me up.
- What if they don't believe me? - Well, there's a good chance that you will share in the blame.
- And a jail cell.
- The moment you accept my offer, all your debts owing to me will be forgiven.
- Y'know, all my debts to you were buried with Doc Whitehead.
- Sign the cheque.
- Ah I know her.
She will not leave the railroad.
- This is the best way for us to be rid of her.
- Is it? - Have you done something you haven't told me about? - I will do this my way if your way fails.
- Your way.
As long as there's no mess.
Do you assure me? - I'll sign the cheque.
And then her fate will be briefly in her hands before it's in mine.
- Mr.
Durant has offered me a permanent place with the railroad.
- Hm! He, uh He offered me a partnership.
- Then it must be your job he's offerin' me.
- Whoa, whoa.
It's one of our horses.
- Shit.
- It's too dangerous for you to be out here now.
- I've been thinking about what you said.
About all you have is your job and me.
All I have is this railroad and you.
We can build it together.
- We already are.
- Εverything everything to remove the Durants is in this ledger.
False mileage, skimming profits, the whole lot.
We can do this.
Hey, no! Wait! - Burning it before Durant finds out and has you killed.
I guaran-damn-tee he's already thought about it.
- How do you know? - Like you said, me and him's different sides of the same coin.
- Mr.
Bohannon! What is it? - Just an Indian.
- I dunno, sir.
Mr.
Bohannon! - Bring the lantern.
- Up there? - Shine that light over here.
Nicked him.
Go on back to the camp with Toole.
Lily burn that book.
- Would you keep this for me, and ship it back east ship it back east if something happens? - What kind of happen? - In case I am killed, Mr.
Ferguson.
Why not? - White woman die and a black man in the stew, who gonna hang? - I'm just asking you to keep it.
- And I'm just sayin' no.
- What have I done to offend you? Please.
Please.
- Get on from here.
You on my property.
- This is for Εva.
It's beautiful.
- Gimme the damn package.
- Thank you, thank you.
Hyah! Hyah! - What's it mean when an Indian paints itself white? - Where d'you see the White Spirit? - Down at the gorge.
What's it mean? - The Sioux nation wants everyone here to die.
- When? - Soon.
- It'll be a bloodbath.
- I don't care what happens to anyone here but Ruth.
- No offense taken.
- You've changed, Mr.
Bohannon.
- Yeah? I'd say it's you.
Take me out there.
- If they catch us, they'll kill you.
- Take me out there right now.
You wanted to see me? - It's your take from the saloon.
- You were holdin' out on me.
- Oh, it's for your own good.
Against the church woman.
Word is you separated from her, yeah? - Actually, we're closer than ever.
- She'll never convert to the faith.
- I'm gonna convert to hers.
- Would you listen to yourself? She's infected your mind.
- I thought it through.
- That'd kill Mum.
You'll burn in hell, Sean.
"You're forever cast in the lake of fire.
" - Children's catechism - It's in the Bible.
- I came to America to build a life in this world, not the next.
- Then I'll have to disown ya.
Phew.
- You know who I am? - You're Εlam's friend.
- I'm his brother.
I'd be that baby's uncle.
- I appreciate your thoughts, but I'm Mrs.
Toole, and this is his baby.
- If that how you see it, then you need to talk to Εlam, 'cause his heart's tearin' all apart.
- It isn't time for the gathering of tribes.
A blood moon is coming.
- What's a blood moon? - It's a time for bloodletting the settling of scores.
- Between who? The tribes? - They'll come against you.
- I want you to come and tell Durant, so he don't think I'm crazy.
- You'll never see me again.
- What did you do after you discovered the Sioux threat? - Telegraphed the fort and asked for soldiers.
- We sent men and weapons.
- Yeah, five recruits and a small cannon.
Much obliged.
- Baptism is a sacramental cleansing of a life.
Do you understand that? - Of course.
- You affirm your love of God above all things.
All people.
- God should be so lucky.
- This is serious, Sean.
You're going to have to renounce your faith.
You're going to have to give up your saloon, the Pleasure House - And? - And I just can't believe you're going to do that.
- Doesn't your church compel you to baptize anyone who asks? - If you are sincere, Sean.
- And does your god allow you to deny me access to him? - Of course not.
- Well To the river, then.
- Ah Is it that ugly? - Ah No.
It's beautiful.
- I knew you'd come around once you saw it and saw that I was serious.
- Ah I'm married, Εlam.
- Don't matter out here.
- No.
My husband is, um He's he's a good provider, and, uh he's gonna be a good father.
- Me, too.
- No.
- Think about it.
- No, um I'll always love you, Εlam, but I My future is with Mr.
Toole.
- You know you don't want that.
- It doesn't matter what I want.
It's what's best.
Goodbye.
Εva! - Oh Oh, no.
- I look all over for ya.
Prayed to God and Christ you weren't here, but here you are.
- It's not what it's not what you think.
- Steady, Mr.
Ferguson! I thought we were on our way.
- We are.
- God spared me once.
For what? I thought it was for you.
Now I see God is a malicious bastard, a streak of cruelty as wide as the sky.
- No.
I came here to tell him that it's over between us, I swear it.
- I love you, Εva, and you made me think that you loved me just a little bit as well.
I do.
- Your heart is for this black son of a bitch! - Don't, please.
Please.
- Forgive me, Father.
CNST, Montreal