The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, August 1, 2014 2 By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media W ho doesn't love a rip- roaring Western? Throw in a major episode in America's history and you've got "Hell on Wheels," AMC's exciting peri- od drama surrounding the con- struction of the First Transconti- nental Railroad across the U.S. The show's fourth season kicks off Saturday, Aug. 2, on the ca- ble network. If you haven't caught the show before, Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount, "In Her Shoes," 2005) is a former Confederate soldier haunted by his past and driven to avenge the murders of his wife and son by Union soldiers during the Civil War. He joins the Union Pacific Rail- road's western construction in the first season, which is how he comes to Hell on Wheels – a lawless, mobile town that fol- lows the railhead across the country to service its construc- tion. The series left a lot up in the air at the end of season 3, so fans will be glad to have a few questions answered this year. One of last season's major driv- ing points was the battle for control of the railroad between Bohannon and Thomas "Doc" Durant (Colm Meaney, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), an entrepreneur and investor hoping to make his fortune with the railroad. Bohannon had finally turned the tables and gotten himself into a posi- tion of power, which, before the third season, had previous- ly been held by Durant. (Fun fact: Meaney's charac- ter is based off the real Thomas C. Durant, a 19th-century American railroad financier who was vice-president of Union Pacific in 1869.) Then his circumstances changed. Bohannon ended last season as a married man. After discovering that he had gotten a young Mormon woman with child, Bohannon agreed to marry her. "This is a man of integrity and this is a man of honor and he's going to do the right thing," says Mount in a recap of the season 3 finale. One stipulation of his mar- riage is that he live at the Mor- mon fort, which means giving up his position with Hell on Wheels (beats hanging, though, which is the alterna- tive). The actor has also hinted that this change in his circum- stances will also begin to change Bohannon as a man. He has a new set of respon- sibilities now that he has promised to be the father of Naomi's (MacKenzie Porter, "The Horses of McBride," 2012) child, which means he may have to tone down his recklessness and put himself in fewer situations that could po- tentially get him hanged. More than that, though, this season will give us a different side to Bohannon as a real love begins to form between him and the woman he married out of duty and necessity. Executive producer and showrunner John Wirth has discussed the relative freedom cable writers have when it comes to character develop- ment and making major changes as a series progresses. As he told "Yahoo TV:" "In the days prior to cable, when there were just three networks and we were all do- ing broadcast shows — 22 or 26 episodes a year — your main character really didn't change much. His or her cir- cumstances might go from A to B in any given season. But on these cable shows, you can re- ally radically change your char- acters' circumstances, and the audience stays with you." Bohannon's abrupt change in position — and narrow sur- vival — wasn't the only thing that dropped viewers' jaws last season. Another major cliff- hanger was the state of Elam Ferguson (Common, "Smokin' Aces," 2006), who wasn't looking altogether alive after being mauled by a bear. Many were concerned that this was the end of the former slave, but Wirth has confirmed that he'll be back for season 4. "He survives the bear at- tack, but I think you will be sur- prised to see the manner in which he survives," he tells "Entertainment Weekly." "The circumstances of his survival are unique." There will be some new fac- es cropping up this year as well. If you don't recognize Bohan- non's blushing bride, Naomi, it's because she's been recast. With Siobhan Williams going on to star in ABC's drama, "Black Box," Canadian actress MacKenzie Porter has stepped in as a replacement. Though she wasn't Wirth's first choice for the part, he's got nothing but good things to say to "EW" about her performance. "I think we were really lucky to get MacKenzie. She's a hel- luva actress and has really grabbed onto this part and brought a soulfulness to it." Jonathan Scarfe ("Raising the Bar"), another Canadian actor, will appear in the fifth episode as Sydney Snow, an old friend of Bohannon's from the war who's now on the run from the law. Another new character to look for is no-nonsense John Campbell (Jake Weber, "Medi- um"), whose uncompromising, law-abiding attitude will have him clashing with Bohannon. He's been posted in Cheyenne to get a handle on Durant and the town as the railroad is be- ing built, but his idea of order in society may prove to be a lit- tle too unyielding. So there's definitely a lot to look forward to this season, and showrunners are excited to bring us the next chapter of "Hell on Wheels." "The consequences of the stories we told last year will continue to reverberate throughout the season," said Wirth in a news release, "and fans can expect to see some shocking events that will not only change the lives of our characters, but the landscape of the series as the railroad continues its relentless march west- ward." Be sure to tune in for the season 4 premiere of this excit- ing period drama. "Hell on Wheels" returns to AMC Satur- day, Aug. 2. Christopher's Coins 2 x 2 coverstory Christopher Heyerdahl as seen in "Hell on Wheels" Back on track The fourth season of 'Hell on Wheels' kicks off on AMC By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Where was "Harry and the Hendersons" filmed? A: A movie about a sasquatch that moves in with a family in the suburbs doesn't seem likely to get too concerned about authenticity, but "Harry and the Hendersons" was actually filmed at various locations around Washington state, where it was set. The woods where they discover (and eventually banish, in a surprisingly heartbreaking scene) the real-life Bigfoot, which they of course name Harry, are actual Washington woods. Most of the forest scenes were reportedly shot in the wilder- ness near North Bend, Wash., the same forests where the cult- classic TV series "Twin Peaks" was shot. This is where the authenticity starts to fall apart, though. For example, the fictitious North American Museum of Anthropol- ogy where Don Ameche's character, Dr. Wallace Wrightwood, works, was a set built along Interstate 2 near Index, Wash. (though it still stands today, with a plaque on the door com- memorating the film). Q: I watched a movie with Kristin Scott Thomas but missed the name. She played a journalist trying to track down a girl who escaped capture in 1940s France. What was the name? A: The name of the movie depends on where you watched it and definitely what language you watched it in. It was re- leased under the name "Elle s'appelait Sarah" in France, where it was produced, but in the U.S., it went by "Sarah's Key." Indeed, despite starring an American actress — the great character actress Kristin Scott Thomas (best known for her Os- car-nominated turn in 1996's "The English Patient") — the film didn't appear in the U.S. for nearly a year after its initial re- lease in the fall of 2010. Though Thomas does indeed speak French, she plays an American journalist in the film (a divergence from the book), and so speaks English for much of it, making it a truly bilingual production (and making it heavy on the subtitles no matter where you're watching it, so bring your glasses). She's appeared in quite a number of French films, appearing in at least one per year for the last few years. She most recently appeared opposite aging French heartthrob Daniel Auteuil in last year's "Avant l'hiver" (released here as "Before the Winter Chill"). She may just be doing it for the commute, though — she currently resides in Paris. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A