Hell on Wheels s03e01 Episode Script

Cullen.
It's been a long winter, son.
Stretch out on your bunk.
Get some sleep.
Go away, doc.
You a you ain't real.
You ain't real.
Your candle is burning low, Cullen.
Soon it's gonna go out.
That's just the wind.
What that was, that was just the wind.
Uhh! Get on out of here! Get on out of here! Get out of here, you miserable son of a bitch! Get off my damn railroad.
Off my damn railroad.
Sparky? 3x01 Big Bad Wolf You know where there's a nigger with a marked-up white woman? He's he's down there behind the sawmill.
I'll be damned.
Yup.
Heard you froze up solid.
Thanks for looking in.
Shut the door! Woman's suffering.
Baby near? Mmhmm.
Baby's gonna come whether you're here or not.
What the hell that's supposed to mean? I need you to come with me to New York.
Railroad business.
Right now I ain't got no stake in no railroad.
Well, I'm the railroad boss, and this here's a railroad town.
Come with me now or you don't be here when I come back through.
Take your talk outside, please.
What is it you want me to do? Watch over me while I sleep.
Against who? Some you can see, some you can't.
You lost your mind in that snow.
You crazy.
On the contrary, my negro friend I have never been thinking more clearly.
Say your piece, get your coat.
Train's waiting.
I heard.
Go.
- I can't leave you like this.
- Well, he's right.
The baby's gonna come either way.
Yeah.
- I wanna be here for it.
- I said go.
Birthing ain't a man's business.
Best thing you can do is get us a job.
Mm.
Hey, boy.
The negro car's two cars down.
This is where I aim to be.
Now, don't make me throw you off this train.
It's all right.
He's mine.
How come you show up now? Stopped snowing.
What the hell happened to your ear? Some trespassers.
Come on.
Mr.
Bohannon? I'm Clement Beale, Secretary of Credit Mobilier.
Good, you got my telegram.
Let's go.
Mr.
Bohannon, I'm afraid you've made a trip for naught.
What do you mean "for naught"? The board of Credit Mobilier and the Undersecretary of Railroads has already filled the position of Chief Engineer last month.
I tried answering your telegram.
- I knew this was snakebit.
- Now hold on.
Senator Howard hisself offered me that job last fall.
Senator Howard lost his bid for reelection.
Frankly, Mr.
Bohannon, word came back to us that you didn't survive the winter.
- Word was wrong.
- Yes, well, thankfully so, but the decision has already been made.
I'm here to unmake it.
Is Durant back in? Is that it? No.
Mr.
Durant is still in Hudson Prison.
Show me a train back to Omaha.
You hold your damn horses.
You take me to see Durant right now.
I won't if this is a vendetta.
Not all at once it ain't.
I'll have some hot water for tea.
A visitor, Mr.
Durant.
Hmm? Good God.
I thought you were dead.
Yet here I stand.
And what the hell are you doing here? Oh, wait, don't tell me.
No.
- You've come to gloat.
- No, sir.
No.
No.
Gloating is not in your character, is it, Bohannon? Too much integrity.
That was always your problem.
I came to ask for help.
Haven't you heard? I'm ruined.
There's nothing I could possibly do for you.
Even if I wanted to.
Union Pacific offered me a job, and they gave it to someone else.
I need you to tell 'em I'm their man.
I need you to vouch for me.
Vouch for you? Those spineless, myopic weasels are in no mood to listen to me.
You've lost your nerve.
Not so sure you actually can run the railroad.
And once upon a time, I told you that you could.
That's why you're here.
You're scared.
I came to see you behind bars for what you done.
There was a time you could have done it.
When I was your champion.
When I was your advocate.
Now look at you.
You're tragic.
Your hour has passed.
Your railroad will fail without me.
It's no longer my railroad.
For now.
The board won't accept you.
You wanna know why? Because you are not one of us.
You will never be from Massachusetts or New York.
You will always be from Mississippi.
You suffer from a preposterous miscalculation of possibilities.
Like all southerners, you're deluded.
And you smell.
What type of dressing are you requiring today? Business.
What type of business might it be? Railroad, but cut the top and the overcoat, - so I can wear this.
- Very good.
Maybe an open frock with a Fuller waist? Sounds right.
Inch or two of the cuff showing, neat in the pants, and I dress to the left.
And the gentleman's gentleman? How come I gotta be a gentleman's gentleman? Why can't I be a gentleman plain? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, he's right.
War's given the negro the right to decide what he wants, so What type of suit will you have, sir? Let's see.
That one there, I can afford.
Yeah, I like that one.
Make that one up for me.
The black man chooses, and the white man pays.
It's a new reckoning of the world, Mr.
Collier.
That it is, Mr.
Bohannon.
And you, sir? What side do you dress on? What you mean what side I dress on? Psst.
Hey.
Thank you, Mr.
Bohannon.
And when you're hiring men for your railroad, don't forget your Irish kinsmen.
When I land this job, I'll need two or three.
That's for sure.
Hundred? - Thousand.
- Ah.
The man you'll need to see is Three-Piece Duffy down at the Points.
He knows all the railroad men.
If you're with the Union Pacific, he'll find ya.
He ain't with nobody.
He barely with me.
Oh, Mr.
Bohannon.
Burn it.
But shoot it first.
I think I dress to the right.
Cullen Bohannon.
The board's expecting me.
Elam Ferguson.
This way, sir.
Mr.
Bohannon.
We appreciate all you've done for the railroad.
Both Doc Durant and the late Mrs.
Lily Bell spoke highly of your achievements and abilities.
Let's go to it then.
The job of Chief Engineer and Senior Vice President of Union Pacific has been awarded to someone else.
Yes, sir.
And I aim for it to be mine before I walk out that door.
- What's it a question of? - Vision.
And temperament.
Someone whose pedigree speaks to getting things done in Washington as well as out on the plains.
Have you ever been to Washington, Mr.
Bohannon? I am familiar.
Well, then you know that even at the highest levels, it's dog eat dog.
This man you hired, he's a real dog fighter then? He comes with my personal recommendation.
He was the Chief Engineer of the Westwood and Upclair Railway.
Yeah, that sounds like a Shortline Railroad to me.
16 miles, but he oversaw the building of two major trestles.
Yes, your son-in-law comes well-appointed.
Especially with your new role as Undersecretary of the Railroad.
And he's a veteran.
Fought with Black Dave Hunter on the winning side.
All due respect, I don't doubt your son-in-law's ability to build pretty Bridges over stony brook streams, but that's not what we're facing out west at the moment.
Is this the best map you have? - It's current.
- It's not very accurate.
Here's where we are.
Plains extend here.
Here's the beginning of the red desert.
Now we'll be good along here.
Plenty of grazing for our feed cattle, mild weather.
Here's where we start running out of water.
I've drawn up some designs For water cars.
Here are some designs for dormitory cars.
Keep the men out of the elements, healthier, more productive.
Who will build these? We'll build 'em together, just like we'll build this railroad.
Now here we start hitting real Indian country hard.
Shoshone, Crow, Kiowa some friendly, some not.
Oh, um, your son-in-law, has he ever been in Indian territory? We've started stockpiling rail and ties here, waiting for the Missouri to thaw.
Mmmm, river's already breaking up here South.
Saw it myself coming over.
Central Pacific was able to work through most of the winter.
Collis Huntington has put them ahead of schedule.
Then the race is on, gentlemen.
No time to waste.
Now this These are plans for organizing the rail-layers and tie crews.
Think we can get more steel laid.
Probably 30% more steel if we follow these regimens.
Were we to take you on in some capacity, you'd be paid in U.
P.
stock.
We feel that that would make your involvement more of a personal investment.
Congressman Ames I'm already more invested than you'll ever know.
There's a lot of graves along this railroad, marked and unmarked.
Some I laid to rest myself and some time or two.
Point is I make no apologies for my temperament.
Mr.
Bohannon, I believe you're bleeding.
Surely not from shaking hands with a shaving razor.
Wolves, actually.
The kind that bite.
Why don't you shake hands with the new Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific railroad? I'd rather shake hands with the devil.
You may well before this is over.
You made 'em think I was your Butler or something? I did, and it worked.
Got the job.
Now we got men to hire.
Let's go.
I don't like this at all.
Safer back home with them Indians.
Meet me back at the hotel if we get split up.
I'm on you like a tick.
Show these lads their place of employ.
Caught a musket ball at a bowery party the other night.
It's festering a bit.
"Either the ball comes out or the leg comes off," says the barber.
Pardon the smell.
I'm Cullen Bohannon, - new Chief Engineer of the - I know who you are And who you're pretending to be.
No pretense, Mr.
Duffy.
- I'm in need of railroad workers.
- I know, I know.
Who the hell do you think put the last two years on to Durant's pay but was me? I was hoping we could maintain it similar.
Pleased with the quality of men, were ya? For the most part.
"For the most part.
" Thems were the Creme de La Creme I sent Durant.
Not the, uh, consumptive or the weak-backed.
I winnowed 'em clean.
You know why? Mr.
Durant's a fine man.
He backs up his word with solid gold.
Locked away in prison now.
Because of Tatterducks.
They're jealous of his acumen.
The man's a genius.
Wouldn't you agree, Mr.
Bohannon? Well reckon even a genius can run afoul of the law, Mr.
Duffy.
$1,000 in gold coins for each lot of 500 men boarded at the station.
McFee counts 'em for me.
Maybe you can have your nigger there count 'em for you.
That is, of course, if he can count beyond his fingers and toes.
The ones that fall off the train or that arrive with rigor mortis are not my concern.
It's called attrition, according to Mr.
Durant.
Something pretty you wanna say to me, boy? The day it's just me and you is the day your Irish luck run out.
You gonna let your nigger speak to me that way, Mr.
Bohannon? He ain't my nigger.
So when do you think you'll be able to send out the first shipment of men? Let us see your gold.
I wouldn't show you how much money even if I had it on me.
So you come around here wasting my time, not planning to commence business? Mr.
Durant would never do that.
How much coin do you have on you? Not enough to trouble you, Mr.
Duffy.
It's no trouble at all, sir.
Whatever you have on you will recompense me for speaking with you today.
See, I'm a fine judge of character, Mr.
Bohannon, and I can tell you have no interest in dealing with me or my enterprise.
Now that's the first truth you spoke since we met.
Now me and my friend here, we're gonna back out slow, and this'll be done.
Boy, don't you ever step out of line like that again.
Don't go for my gun.
Like to got us killed.
Well, you should have let me have a gun.
My grandpappy was right about you people.
You mean when he owned us? Tore a thousand-acre plantation out of nothing, he did.
Well, you tell your grandpappy we a free people now.
- You tell him that.
- Free? Well, shit.
Don't you go telling me about your freedom, son.
I know all about it.
I'm the one that paid full price for.
You may be free, but you sure as shit ain't my equal.
Take 'em off.
Take 'em off.
Oh, yeah? All right.
Shh.
Might be the landlady.
Come in.
Mr.
Beale.
Mr.
Bohannon.
Telegram.
Actually, it's for Mr.
Ferguson.
Thank you, sir.
Yeah, he can read.
He's also a free man, in case you hadn't heard.
Eva had the baby.
Yeah.
What is it? There you go talking that again.
I meant is it a boy or girl? Don't say.
Boy's fine.
Girl's sweet too.
- Just say it's healthy.
- Hey.
You remember this minute, all right? Might only come once.
Yes, sir.
I got me a baby.
I'm sorry for the things I've done.
And for the things I left undone.
Feeling like I bit off more than I can chew, you know? Course you do.
Take off your gun! We'll have no guns in the house of the Lord.
This is not a shooting gallery, sir.
Reverend Corner.
It's me, Cullen Bohannon.
You married me and Mary Elizabeth Tate here back in '56.
Uh We we don't recognize you.
You're welcome to stay and pray with us, but You'll have to leave the guns outside.
Good day to y'all then.
I did what I was supposed to do.
I voted against Bohannon.
Your job was not to vote against Bohannon.
Your job was to get everyone else to vote against Bohannon! He was very compelling.
Well, you tell that to your constituents when the Union Pacific bankrupts your state coffers.
You promised that wouldn't happen.
No No.
Not when I could run things through that cloddish son-in-law of yours.
You have got to get me out of here.
Thomas, I don't think I can get you out of here.
We frankly have run out of friendly judges.
There's always some new appointee, some someone freshly elected, a holder of a lien, a witness with a faulty memory.
Perhaps a Peeping Tom or a chambermaid with a tail.
Now you listen to me, you pissant! Your fall will be far greater than mine if Bohannon is not stopped and I am not returned the railroad.
I understand.
Good.
Good.
Looks a lot like Durant's old car.
It is Durant's old car, just refurbished.
Better sleeping quarters, heating throughout.
Can we get a cot in here or something for Mr.
Ferguson for the ride back to Omaha? I loaned Mr.
Ferguson money for passage on the negro car.
Mr.
Huntington.
Collis Huntington, head of Central Pacific.
Whoa.
I'm glad I caught you, sir.
Been wanting to meet you.
Especially when I heard you weren't dead.
Mr.
Beale, may I have a moment with Mr.
Bohannon, please? The package on the desk contains your issued stock.
Thank you, Mr.
Beale.
You're being paid in stock because the Union Pacific's lenders have closed their books.
Government's guaranteeing us.
Government's in chaos.
Senate wants to impeach the president for reconstruction.
The house is investigating him for the assassination of Lincoln.
There'll be no new vote on railroad funding until next session.
In short, Mr.
Bohannon, you and your railroad are broke.
Got stockpiles in Missouri.
I'll be in Wyoming by fall.
No, you won't, Mr.
Bohannon, regardless of your pace.
I was making 2 mile a day.
Sometimes 5 when the work was good.
You know what progress I'm making? - Hmm? - 12 a day.
12 miles? 12 inches a day.
Through solid granite.
Now that may not sound like much, but I'm almost through the sierras.
And I just received 5,000 pounds of Nitroglycerin and 11,000 Chinamen who do not get sick and are happy to work with half pay.
Now I am backed by the Bank of England, funded by all the tons of glittering gold found in the streams of California.
It's the Golden State, Mr.
Bohannon.
Looking forward to meeting you there at the border then.
Oh, you haven't read the papers, sir.
My friends in congress have just voted to lift my building restrictions.
Now, once I'm through the mountains, it's all downhill.
I intend to cross the California border and be in your camp before you know it.
The stretch between Nebraska and California is mine.
No, sir, it belongs to whomever can cross it first.
Now, based on your reputation, I'm offering you a chance to cross it with me, but from the west, and you'll be paid in gold.
Not in some worthless paper.
Huh.
Well, I Already gave my word to the gentleman at Credit Mobilier, and that's about all I got left, so Board.
All aboard.
Chicago, Omaha, and all points west.
It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr.
Bohannon.
Board! Hmm.
Omaha! The stop is Omaha.
Well look at you.
How you feeling? She came out kicking and tearing.
- She? - Mm-hmm.
Can I see her? Yeah.
She's moving all right.
- You all right? - Yeah.
You can't tell much with newborns.
They're all wrinkled up and splotchy-looking.
She's beautiful.
Thank you.
She like her daddy.
I'm glad you're back.
Ladies.
Aye, Mr.
Bohannon.
You look great.
How was New York? It was an open sewer, Mr.
McGinnes.
Mm.
My new hat don't fit me either.
Welcome back, sir.
We're all very excited about, um, our new prospects west, aren't we, girls? Yes.
It'll be a few more days before we ship out.
We need to collect some crews.
Actually, um Once the word got back that you're the new Chief Engineer, workers started coming in from all over, began loading up the trains.
That's a nice vote of confidence, I would say.
Wouldn't you, Mr.
Bohannon? When do we roll out? At your leisure and signal.
Sir.
Yes, sir.
Mr.
Bohannon.
Freedmen ready to get to work? Hmm, damn lowlife scrabble hereabouts taking all our hard-saved railroad money.
- Mm? - Mm-hmm.
Treating us like it's backsliding times.
- Mm-mm.
- Yes, sir.
Anywhere but here.
- Even Hell On Wheels? - Hmm.
Sound like heaven when you say it.
Don't forget your man Psalms here when you make your, uh, Walking Boss list, huh? There's a lady on the cowcatcher, Mr.
Bohannon.
Alive or dead? I'm not sure what's going on.
Say, Mr.
Bohannon, is that, um Is that Sparky's pipe? Was.
Ruth? I'm so sorry, Mr.
Bohannon.
I was gathering my thoughts for a prayer before we set off.
You can pray with me if you want.
I'll leave you in charge of that department.
Heavenly Father, You have given us a vision of this railroad which will bind our nation.
Lord Christ, when you came among us, you proclaimed God's Kingdom in towns and lonely places such as these.
Grant that your presence be known as this railroad is built across this land.
Have mercy on those who labor on it.
Send us honest and able leaders.
May peace prevail with righteousness, justice with order, and help us eliminate poverty, oppression along the way.
And especially eliminate evil.
All this we ask in God's Holy name.
Amen.