Slaughterhouse (Hell on Wheels)

Lore & Background

The episode opens with the Swede goading Bauer, the town butcher, over the murder of his friend Schmidt. Bauer is upset that Schmidt was killed over a prostitute. Durant asks a hungover Elam to monitor Cullen, and Elam agrees but mutters that he could have done Cullen's job. At the brothel, Mickey promises prostitute Ginny that anyone who threatens her will end up like Schmidt, and when asked if he killed Schmidt, Mickey does not deny it. Eva thanks Elam for killing Schmidt, they kiss, but she scolds him for wanting money more than a good woman and leaves.

Reverend Cole complains to the Swede about his daughter Ruth, believing she has taken his place in the church and corrupted Joseph. The Swede encourages Cole with the biblical story of Jesus casting out the temple's moneychangers, adding, "We must cast them out." During Schmidt's eulogy, Cole accuses Ruth of sleeping with Joseph, calling her a fornicator. Enraged, Bauer lunges at Cole, but the Swede redirects his anger toward the Irish brothers. Bauer and his friends, along with the Swede, hunt down Sean and Mickey and take them to the slaughterhouse.

Elam alerts Durant about the abduction, and Durant orders Elam to assist Cullen. The mob hangs the brothers by their bound hands from meat hooks as the butcher sharpens his knife. Cullen and Elam storm in, free the brothers, and lead them to the jail car. Mickey protests he did not kill Schmidt but acknowledges he let everyone think so. The butcher warns that either Cullen kills them or he will. In the jail car, Mickey admits he liked people thinking he was the killer. Sean predicts the "Kraut" will butcher them. Cullen tells Durant he believes the brothers are innocent; Durant agrees to spare Sean but insists Mickey dies since he confessed. Lily later asks Elam to confess, but he refuses. She confesses to Durant that she paid a man to kill Schmidt in the name of justice. Durant angrily asks if she would like to take Mickey's place on the gallows.

Cullen interrupts the Swede's bath, pointing the Swede's own gun at his head, suggesting the Swede is taking revenge for being tarred-and-feathered. The Swede retorts that he and Cullen are alike, but he hates Cullen more. Cullen lowers the gun and warns he will kill the Swede if he tries anything. Reverend Cole urges Joseph to leave town, but Joseph says he no longer belongs with his tribe and will not abandon Ruth. Durant relents and authorizes the brothers' release. Cullen says the butcher may inflict a worse fate on them and will not protect them. Cullen confronts Elam about killing Schmidt with a warning. He tells Bauer that Durant has pardoned the brothers and orders him to leave town; when Bauer resists, Cullen punches him. As Bauer packs his knives, the released brothers attack and kill him, feeding his body parts to the pigs.

Reader's Guide

"Slaughterhouse" was watched by 2.50 million viewers and received a 0.6 rating among viewers aged 18–49, the season's highest ratings to date. The episode received positive reviews. The A.V. Club's Alasdair Wilkins gave it a B− grade, calling it "weirdly admirable" but noting that while the episode has a theme it wants to explore—people are bloodthirsty animals—the creative team still doesn't quite have the skill to bring it all together. He added that the episode is full of stuff happening, but the underlying connective tissue is missing. Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic rated the episode with 4.7 out of 5 stars, saying it "proved that the season is getting better with each week" and that "the lawlessness of the land continues to prove intriguing, as the lines of friendship and alliances are as quickly crossed out as they are made." The episode's significance lies in its exploration of mob justice, personal vengeance, and the moral compromises of the characters, particularly Cullen's attempt to maintain order and Lily's confession of her role in Schmidt's murder.

Did You Know?

• The episode was co-written by Jami O'Brien & Bruce Marshall Romans and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan.
• It aired on August 26, 2012 on AMC as the third episode of the second season.
• The episode features the Swede goading Bauer by referencing the biblical story of Jesus casting out the temple's moneychangers.
• The released McGinnes brothers kill Bauer and feed his body parts to the pigs.