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For Sale Apr 2, 2026 at 12:17 PM

Watching Hell on wheels and cannot believe how much I'm having to suspend my disbelief just to get through it.

Posted by 420FappistMonk69

After having watched deadwood I decided to give Hell on Wheels a try. While it's interesting I'm having a difficult time suspending my disbelief at how Bohannan and Elam haven't been killed by season 2. First and the most obvious is Elams relationship with the white woman. In the years following the civil war that would have seen him hanged and almost did if not for Bohannans interference. The same interference that most likely would have seen Bohannon dead from a knife in the back. Then Bohannon decides to rob the train payroll which caused resentment towards him from the rail workers. Pissing off alot of people in a place where there is little if any law is not a smart move. Also why is it made to seem like Buchannan and Elam are the only ones with spines and everyone else backs down from them on everything?
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arcwh1sper Apr 2, 2026 +40
Hell on Wheels is basically “history-flavored comic book.” Bohannon has main-character armor thicker than locomotive steel. If you lean into it as a pulp revenge Western instead of Deadwood-level realism, it goes down easier.
40
sexandliquor Apr 2, 2026
Yeah I’m very confused by this post. Did OP think *Turn* the period piece drama about the revolutionary war also on AMC was historically accurate? Was Halt and Catch Fire, as good as it was, completely accurate and thorough in its realism of personal computing, programming and burgeoning early Internet? Or was it a drama that wasn’t completely accurate? What are we doing?
0
ruach137 Apr 2, 2026 +42
Its not HBO
42
Civil-Wish8673 Apr 2, 2026 +17
The writing definitely gets pretty hand-wavy with the consequences, especially compared to Deadwood where actions actually mattered AMC has this thing where they want gritty period drama but also need their main characters to survive ridiculous situations for plot armor reasons. Like yeah, realistically both those guys would've been dead multiple times over but then we wouldn't have a show I guess
17
MazzIsNoMore Apr 2, 2026 +8
That's basically how tv shows work. Imagine how many times Jack Bauer should've died during 24
8
somecasper Apr 2, 2026 +4
It's TV
4
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026 -5
What is it then?
-5
deathisyourgift2001 Apr 2, 2026 +25
I believe it was AMC
25
Angry_Robot Apr 2, 2026 +6
AMC was dropping some bangers there for a while. Breaking Bad, Halt and Catch Fire, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, etc.
6
mekese2000 Apr 2, 2026 +1
Walking Dead should not be on the above list.
1
Totally_PJ_Soles Apr 2, 2026 +7
Walking Dead seasons 1 & 2 absolutely fit the peak programming at the time.
7
shogunreaper Apr 2, 2026 +1
What? 2 is one of the worst seasons of walking Dead.
1
shogunreaper Apr 2, 2026 +12
One does not watch hell on wheels for historical accuracy.
12
Stryker412 Apr 2, 2026 +17
Wait until you get to season 3 and the Mormon plot...
17
VaderBinks Apr 2, 2026 +20
To be fair, seeing the Kool aid real life mormons drink, having them believe the Swede is a magnanimous preacher isnt that far fetched
20
MiPaKe Apr 2, 2026 +13
Mormonism has a lot of small extremist spin-off cults that arise specifically because of how gullible Mormon followers tend to be
13
Stryker412 Apr 2, 2026 +3
Probably not but it just dragged on for far too long.
3
Least1Difficulty Apr 2, 2026 +3
Man I remember how painful that c*** was. And finally was it over, I just didn't have the strength to keep watching it. Ended up finishing the show years later. Good show overall, but holy smokes the Mormon plot was just bad.
3
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026 +1
I'm going to have an aneurysm.
1
PeanutFarmer69 Apr 2, 2026 +4
I only watched a few episodes because I didn’t think it was very good but isn’t a huge part of the first season dealing with the ramifications of the interracial relationship? As you say, he would’ve been murdered had the main character not intervened. Not sure why thats a criticism you mention when it is clearly addressed.
4
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026 +2
> Not sure why thats a criticism you mention when it is clearly addressed. Except it isn't addressed. They try to kill him one time but get stopped and then everyone just magically drops it and moves on. In reality there would have been multiple attempts.
2
osmlol Apr 2, 2026 +7
I mean it's a TV show that was on AMC it's not supposed to be hyper real.
7
xamott Apr 2, 2026
What?? AMC famously has made some of the best shows ever. The only studio who said yes to Breaking Bad. And they made Mad Men.
0
osmlol Apr 2, 2026 +3
I didn't say they didn't make good shows. I said they don't make hyper real shows. So obviously they are not going to kill off main characters when in reality they should have long been shot. Which was the point of this gentlemans post.
3
xamott Apr 2, 2026 +1
Sure, sorry, fair enough. Personally I think the show is trash so I kind of reacted to my own thought, saying to myself AMC is not known for Trash. I guess I had a dialogue with myself.
1
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026 -9
> it's not supposed to be hyper real Who says?
-9
osmlol Apr 2, 2026 +4
The writers?
4
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026 -3
Their opinions don't count.
-3
OreoSpeedwaggon Apr 2, 2026 +2
Please feel free to explain why your opinion counts more than theirs or anyone else watching the series.
2
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026 +1
Because
1
OreoSpeedwaggon Apr 2, 2026 +2
Because?...
2
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026
Exactly
0
Directorshaggy Apr 2, 2026 +2
To quote my favorite TV theme, "repeat to yourself it's just a show and I really should relax."
2
heathers1 Apr 2, 2026 +1
We liked it
1
xamott Apr 2, 2026 +2
I tried to watch it. It was so “look at this handsome cowboy isn’t he handsome” and much worse, “ooo here’s the angry black man stereotype”. It looked like a beer commercial and I couldn’t get past ep 1.
2
FalconBurcham Apr 2, 2026 +2
Put your comic book/wrestling glasses on. Pure fantasy. 😂
2
Devolutionator Apr 2, 2026 +1
In general, any show that features an anti-hero also features extensive plot armor. Sons of anarchy, The shield, breaking bad, the list just goes on and on.
1
LosIngobernable Apr 2, 2026
I stop watching something if I start to question things often. When I watch a movie or show, I’m someone who has his brain off most of the time.
0
CortexCraft_ Apr 2, 2026 +1
yeah i felt the same like i get it’s for drama but they definitely gave bohannon and elam some serious plot armor compared to how brutal that setting is supposed to be
1
mrdalo Apr 2, 2026 +1
It started off amazing but was trash at the end unfortunately
1
Nuo_Vibro Apr 2, 2026 -1
You are definietely correct cos you were there to witness all such incidents
-1
420FappistMonk69 Apr 2, 2026 +2
History books exist
2
Nuo_Vibro Apr 2, 2026
yeah alright bud
0
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