Hell on Wheels Episode 4.09 Two Trains

Cullen enters the whorehouse, asks for the new marshal, and is directed upstairs. He kicks a door in and interrupts Sidney "conducting business." Cullen instructs Sidney to free the imprisoned rail workers by morning, but Sidney balks. When Cullen points out, "This here fight's between Durant and Campbell. Got nothing to do with you and me," Sidney accuses Cullen of losing his nerve. Cullen punches Sidney in the face and says, "That's for putting a gun on my wife and boy."

Cullen pulls a tarp off the steam shovel and tells Delaney they can be over Sherman Peak in a month and hit Laramie by July. Dutch shuffles up in ankle shackles, the jail keys pinned to his long johns, to deliver a message from Sidney: "You want the men, come get 'em."

Cullen marches Dutch back to the jail, where he finds Sidney lounging outside. Tossing the keys at Sidney’s feet, Cullen says, "I gave you a chance to let them out, easy like." Sidney replies, "And I gave you a chance to let them out yourself."

Cullen walks into the Palmer Hotel as Campbell is walking out. Campbell orders Sidney to shoot Cullen if he should "step a hair out of line," then heads to the jail.

Inside the jail, Durant insists there's no proof tying him to Heckard's death, but Campbell says that's for a judge in Omaha to decide. He then tells the prisoners, "All of you will be returned to the jurisdictions in which your alleged crimes were committed," on a train scheduled to leave that afternoon.

Cullen asks to use Maggie Palmer's ranchers for railroad work. Maggie refuses, noting that fighting Campbell will only lead to more bloodshed. She then rides off to see a parcel of land she bought from Mickey the day before.

Cullen finds Mickey inside the church. Mickey says he's got a plan for vengeance and that he has some men coming to deal with "these Campbell bastards." Cullen says there isn't time to wait -- they’re going to break the jailed men out that day. Mickey worries about the odds of the two of them against all of Campbell's men, but Cullen says, "All of them boils down to one man: Sidney Snow." When Mickey says they'll need guns, Cullen argues that "surprise is better than bullets." "I'll take the surprise, but I'll be having me bullets as well," Mickey replies.

Ruth interrupts their conversation and scolds them for "all this talk of guns and bullets." She then sends Ezra, who's been eavesdropping, to wash up for lunch. Ruth warns Cullen that Sidney is evil, saying she saw in his eyes "a wickedness there that is yet to be unleashed."

Cullen exits the church and finds Sidney and his men waiting outside. Sidney says he knows Cullen is planning something. Cullen suggests it's not too late to walk away, but Sidney responds that it is, for both of them.

At the railroad office, Delaney tries to distance himself from the feud, telling Cullen, "Going to war with the governor is insurrection." Cullen convinces Delaney to partner with him, and Delaney hands over the keys to the armory.Campbell visits Louise in the Cheyenne Leader office, where they connect over their shared perspective that "the world is neither black nor white, but decidedly gray." Campbell invites Louise to the hotel for lunch.

As Mickey tries to buy all of the shotguns and ammunition from the general store, Sidney arrives with some of his deputies and arrests him. Cullen and Delaney watch as Sidney’s men drag Mickey to jail.

Sidney beats Mickey, trying to extract information about Cullen's plan to free the inmates. Mickey reveals that Cullen plans to attack while the prisoners are being loaded onto the train. Sidney orders Atwood to prep the men for load-up immediately, two hours ahead of schedule.

Louise enters Campbell's hotel room. Campbell, who's been drinking, lunges for Louise. She initially stops him, but then allows him strip off her outer layers of clothing. He throws her onto the bed, and they make love.

In the jail cell, Psalms turns on Mickey for "singing like an Irish canary." Mickey pulls a handcuff key out of his pants: "Speaks for itself, don't it?"

Sidney corners Ruth in the church and demands to know where Cullen is. He holds a lit candle up to her face and warns, "Don't be playing with fire."

In bed, Campbell reveals he knows about Louise's "past romantic predilections." Louise confesses she used to think they made her abnormal, but covering the war made her realize that there were men who were "equally curious." She asks what Campbell wants from life. He answers, "One day. When I get what I deserve. Without a fight. Without regret." Louise laughs and asks if that's even possible. "So far, no," he answers.

Sidney inspects the train car before loading the prisoners. As the train leaves the station, Cullen jumps from the station roof to the roof of the train car without being detected. Inside the car, Sidney's men celebrate having outsmarted Cullen, but Sidney cautions, "This ain't over 'til I say it is."

One by one, the prisoners stealthily unlock their handcuffs with Mickey’s key. Mickey distracts the guards while Cullen climbs off the roof and removes the pin coupling the two train cars together. As the locomotive containing Sidney's men pulls away, Cullen applies the brake on the prisoner car. It lurches, throwing the guards off their feet and allowing the prisoners to overpower them. In the distance, another locomotive from Cheyenne approaches, with Delaney at the controls.

Sidney realizes the handcuff key is missing from his key ring. He looks out the back window and sees the prisoner car fading into the distance behind them. "Stop the train. We're going back," he orders.

Durant wants to know what Cullen plans to do next, noting, "If we return to Cheyenne with them on our tail, we're right back where we started." Cullen shows Durant the box of rifles that Delaney brought from the armory. He also urges him to "make it right" with Campbell when they return to Cheyenne: "He wants to keep his job. He'll negotiate with you."

Sidney's car backs up and rolls to a stop a hundred yards away from the prisoner car. Cullen calls for Sidney and motions to the prisoners to fan out with their rifles. Sidney comes outside and declares, "I reckon we just gonna have to shoot it out." Cullen suggests Sidney give himself up instead, but Sidney responds that Cullen will have to come get him.

Delaney opens the door of the prisoner car and rolls out a Gatling gun. Sidney responds by tossing a bundle of lit dynamite towards the prisoner car. After it explodes, a firefight erupts, and both sides suffer casualties. Delaney cowers on the floor of the prisoner car, but at Cullen’s urging, gets up and begins firing the Gatling gun. The bullets rip into Sidney's train car and take out Sidney's remaining men.

Cullen, Durant and Mickey enter Sidney's train car. Sidney isn't there, but a mortally wounded Atwood points towards the back. Cullen steps out on the rear balcony and scans the prairie, but Sidney is nowhere to be found. "Gone," Durant pronounces. "No, he ain't," broods Cullen.