Hell on Wheels 1x1

Pilot

Washington, D. C. 1865.
The war is over, Lincoln is dead
The nation is an open wound

& Thomas ’Doc’ Durant: A nation, which nearly destroyed itself by civil war between north and south, can only be healed by the binding together of east and west. Mark my words, gentlemen, it will be built. The only question which remains is which one of you will join me in this mad, noble quest? Who among you will have to say in years hence that he stood idly by as this nation became an empire? And who among you will be able to say he lent a hand in making manifest our destiny as a great nation?
    Senator Jordan Crane: ... Bravo.
    ’Doc’: It’s all horse crap. The faster I shovel, the faster they eat it up.
    Crane: But it was a truly inspirational speech.
    ’Doc’: Twattle and shite, I say.
    Crane: Then why am I here?
    ’Doc’: You are here to play your part.

& Crane: I can’t afford these on a senator’s salary.
    ’Doc’: As head of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Railroads, I’m sure you will find a way to pay for them over and over and over again.
    Crane: Might I ask how many shares are here?
    ’Doc’: Two hundred. I think you’ll find that’s fair.
    Crane: Four hundred sounds fairer...
    ’Doc’: Are you trying to renegotiate a bribe?
    Crane: No. “Bribe” is such a dirty word. Hmm?

& Mickey McGinnes: Do you not believe in a higher power?
    Cullen Bohannan: Yes, sir, I wear it on my hip.
    Sean McGinnes: Are you a gunslinger then?
    Cullen: No. I was just heading out west, looking for work on the railroad.
    Sean: Yeah, so are we. To seek our fortune, as it were.

& Sean: Mickey has twelve toes.
    Mickey: And Sean but eight.
    Sean: Individually, we’re freaks.
    Mickey: But together, we’re whole.

The Dead Weather — So Far from Your Weapon

♪ There’s a bullet in my pocket burning a hole ♪
♪ It’s so far from your weapon, the place you were born ♪
♪ There’s a bullet in my pocket burning a hole ♪
♪ You’re so far from your weapon and you wanna go home ♪
♪ I tried to give you whiskey but it never did work ♪
♪ Suddenly you’re begging me to do so much work ♪
♪ Right away from the get go, the bullet was cursed ♪
♪ Ever since I had you, every little thing hurts ♪
♪ You wanna get up, let go, I said no ♪
♪ You wanna get up, let go ♪

---

& Daniel Johnson: Say, did you own slaves, Mr. Bohannon?
    Cullen: ... I did.
    Johnson: Well, then... I imagine you know your way around a nigger.

& Johnson: This is Mr. Bohannon, your walking boss. You can address him as Boss or Boss Man or Walking Boss. Mr. Bohannon is a former master of slaves.
    Elam Ferguson: Some things don’t never change...
    Johnson: So he’s up to your tricks. He’s going to work the blue out of your gums, boys. Any coffee boilers or otherwise slack work ethic will be dealt with severely.

& Reverend Nathaniel Cole: Right here. Unload the tent. Raise the church. In this den of thieves, I shall build a house of the Lord.

& ’Doc’: Why have you made my roads so straight?
    Engineer: Are we not in a race with the Central Pacific?.. We’re building over flat land, why wouldn’t we make it straight?
    ’Doc’: “Why wouldn’t we make it straight?” he asks. Take a closer look. Let me elucidate. In case you haven’t heard, this undertaking is being subsidized by the enormous teat of the Federal Government. This never-ending, money-gushing nipple pays me $16,000, per mile, yet you build my road straight! You’re fired. Get out.

& Lily Bell: Do you ever wonder if our work here will be the ruin of all of this?
    Robert Bell: Progress comes with a cost, Lily.
    Lily: I just think it’s so much more beautiful without people...

& Johnson: Rise and shine, Bohannon. It’s another beautiful day on the railroad.

& Sean: Do you not pine for your own homeland, Mr. Bohannon?
    Cullen: No.
    Sean: And why is that?
    Cullen: It’s gone.

& Johnson: I loved the war! The best thing that ever happened to me.
    Cullen: I thought you said you were against it?
    Johnson: Oh, yeah, I was. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy myself once pressed into service.

& Johnson: I... I must admit that there were certain lines that I crossed, lines of morality that I didn’t think myself capable of crossing. But that’s what men do in war.
    Cullen: Moral men don’t...
    Johnson: So, you did nothing that you were ashamed of?
    Cullen: I did plenty I was ashamed of... You ever been to Meridian, Mississippi, Mr. Johnson?

& ’Doc’: Is it a villain you want?.. I’ll play the part. After all, what is a drama without a villain? What is the building of this grand road if not a drama?
    This business is not for the weak of heart. It is a thorny, brutal affair that rewards the lion for his ferocity.
    What of the zebra? What of the poor zebra? Well, the zebra is eaten as the zebra should be.
    Make no mistake. Blood will be spilled. Lives will be lost. Fortunes will be made. Men will be ruined. There will be betrayal and scandal. And perfidy of epic proportions. But the lion shall prevail.
    You see, the secret I know is this. All of history is driven by the lion. We drag the poor zebra, kicking and braying, staining the earth with his cheap blood. History doesn’t remember us fondly, but then history is written by the zebra for the zebra.
    One hundred years hence, when this railroad spans the continent and America rises to be the greatest power the world has seen, I will be remembered as a caitiff*, malefactor*, who only operated out of greed for personal gain.
    All true. All true. But remember this, without me, and men like me, your glorious railroad would never have been built.

--
elucidate — разъяснять; проливать свет
caitiff — негодяй
malefactor — злодей

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