TURN Episode 7: “Affairs of Honor”

01 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Twistification in Alexander Hamilton, Duel, Revolutionary War, Stephen Decatur, TURN, War of 1812

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Ongoing observations on AMC’s TURN. Sunday nights. Check the listings.

TURN takes a significant upward tick as we find Simcoe and Woodhull squaring off in a traditional 18th century dual. Woodhull is somewhat strong armed into the affair, but once committed, he is determined to see the whole mess through to the end. Unlike most duels which fall short of actual gunfire and bloodshed, we are witness to an exchange of fire from at least one side. The duel is by far the high point of the series to date.

The writers of TURN seem to have done their homework on 18th century duels. One assumes that this is a historically accurate portrayal. Woodhull and Simcoe are to exchange fire until the duelists reach ‘satisfaction’. Who shoots first? Why that is a matter of a coin flip. I am left wondering when this affair of honor evolved into a simultaneous fire as was the case for a much more famous duel between Hamilton and Burr.

Stephen Decatur

Duels were much more common after the war (and into the war of 1812) and were a particular problem in the fledgling American Navy. One can only assume that men living in cramped quarters for months on end could get on each others nerves. Laws and orders were issued discouraging these duels, however the practice continued. The most famous duel outside of Hamilton, Burr and Jackson was between Stephen Decatur and James Barron. Like Hamilton, Decatur’s stellar career was cut short by a duelists bullet. It was an American tragedy spawned by the timeless sins of pride and ego.

The 18th century duel is custom made for a historically based TV drama and AMC does it justice in episode 7. The duel holds a significant place in the American consciousness mostly due to the popularity of Westerns. The fascination with the duel lives on today, yet it is important to note that that some of Americas’ best and brightest fell victim to this affair of honor long before the rise of pulp fiction and the colt revolver.

Turn Episode 5

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Twistification in Charles Lee, Revolutionary War, TURN

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Continued observations from the AMC Series Turn on Sunday nights.

Charles Lee played by Brian Finney

We are introduced to our secret American traitor and he turns out to be somewhat infamous Charles Lee. Lee, while actually not a traitor historically speaking (as far as we know), nonetheless was a good choice for the writers of TURN. Lee’s actions during The Revolution were at best not helpful, and a worst, downright subversive.

A former British officer turned Revolutionary, Charles Lee was captured by the British (by Banastre Tarleton actually) and eventually returned in a prisoner exchange. From there his career takes a turn for the worse as he steps in at the last moment in the battle of Monmouth and pulls rank over Lafayette to take command of the American army. A disaster ensues, ending with a legendary confrontation with an irate Washington. This yet untold confrontation offers a delightful chance for TV drama, as it is claimed that Washington went on a cursing spree of epic proportions.

“It would be a shame if someone fell into this icy river and missed the battle”

In another storyline, our protagonists Ben Tallmadge and Caleb Brewster cross the Delaware on the way to Trenton thanks to the intel they smuggled to Washington. As they cross however, Ben takes an unfortunate plunge into the frozen river of limited production budget and we miss the battle of Trenton while Ben recovers from hypothermia over the next three days.

We get a glimpse of a larger British force as it falls for an American campsite ruse, but we are also left with the sad conclusion that a sizable battle is simply beyond the scope and budget of this series. The technology is certainly here in 2014, but it may be a while before TV and Hollywood look past comic books and goblins to portray a substantial 18th century battle. I heard a while back that Spielberg is interested in doing a series on Napoleon. If so, then this could really be the epic portrayal that does the reality of war during this era justice.

This is not to say that TURN comes across as a low budget TV series. They do a fantastic job. It is authentic and aesthetically beautiful. The details around costuming and set lighting is fantastic, even though details such as reloading a musket have been left out.

Overall TURN gets more interesting as the characters get caught up in actual historcial happenings. Perhaps this is simply one armchair historians bias, but the plotlines surrounding forbidden romance and tombstone cannon barriers isn’t as compelling. The more we sink into the historically correcte history of the Revoltuion, the better the series holds water.

Next we will turn to episodes 6 and 7 and I come to the conclusion that the writers of TURN are reading my mind. Things get really good!

TURN: Episode 2, “Who By Fire”

18 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Twistification in AMC, George Washington, TURN

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Many twists and turns during this episode (some admittedly hard to follow with all that whispering). I will focus on one particular storyline for this post however.

Simcoe

The British soldier Simcoe finds himself and American prisoner after a failed ambush tipped off by Woodhull. The American captors, Brewster and Tallmadge, recognize that Simcoe’s low status on the British totem pole will gain them very little actionable intelligence. However Simcoe’s Imperialist taunts quickly set off the thin skinned Americans. In no time, we find ourselves witnessing an ‘enhanced interrogation’ session that almost ends in an execution if not for the timely entrance of American higher command. Tallmadge is reprimanded for his treatment of a British prisoner and subsequently threatened with court martial.

Caleb Brewster and Ben Tallmadge

Does Simcoe bring this fate upon himself? One is left unconvinced. Brewster and Tallmadge take a noticeable step down in the ranks of Patriot heroes. Lives are at stake as in any war, but there remains nothing to be gained from this scene other than perhaps a lightly veiled commentary on modern interrogation. Perhaps there was more at stake in the encounter that the series was letting on. We may never know why sending Simcoe off to a prison camp apparently was not an option.

Gentlemanly codes of conduct frowned on torture and harsh treatment of officers during the 18th century. The real harsh treatment fell upon enlisted men and civilians who were shipped off to prison camps or prison barges to suffer starvation and disease.

Washington insisted on fair and honorable treatment of prisoners. Even the dreaded Hessians were treated humanely. This was a policy that served he and the American cause well. Washington’s status of a man of honor grew as people realized he would not discard the principles of the Revolution in order to win the war.

These principles seem to be the same ones that saved our villain Simcoe. One certainly suspects he will be around much longer to prove to us that killing him would of been the better option. This is a moral conundrum that has been touched upon in movies like Saving Private Ryan. These situations (scripted or not) seem to test our faith in our principles and basic human dignity during a time of war.