In order to say a fond farewell to Turn: Washington’s Spies a have to go character by character.
Let me start with Abraham Woodhull portrayed by Jamie Bell. Abe was younger brother to Thomas who was
killed in an uprising before the war. He married his brother’s girl Mary, portrayed by Meegan Warner and they had a son named after his brother. Before the Revaluation
Abe was a cabbage farmer in Setauket New York. When the opportunity to fight, as
a spy not a soldier, came to his doorstep he knew he had no choice. So without
his father a judge and loyalist portrayed by Kevin McNally
knowledge and in honor of his
brother he became a key member of the spy ring. Under the name Culper, Abe
would go on to fight the British from the inside. Abraham Woodhull was a good man who loved his family, even when
they were against him and along with others knew that a new nation was worth
fighting for.
Then there was Maj. Ben Talmadge portrayed by Seth Numrich who if I am being honest was my favorite
character. Ben was the one who brought Abe and others into the spy ring.
Throughout most of the war he was the one within Washington’s camp working with
him as they planned each new mission for the spies. Friends with Abe and Lt.
Caleb Brewster, portrayed by Daniel
Henshall, since they were kids he always had their back and wanted them to
stay safe and come home.
Yes there were women who believe in the cause and there was
none more ready to be part of the war than Anna Strong, portrayed by Heather Lind, married to another man but in love with
Abe, Anna quickly joined the fight and worked alongside Abe and Ben since the
beginning. She was as strong as her name suggested and never let down the men
or herself.
On the side of the spies and working with them were a couple
of recurring characters-
Abigail, played by Idara Victor a black woman who served in
the household of Andre and Arnold, she was able to work both sides and passed
on important information about the British tactics to Anna. Her son Cicero, played by Darren Alford would join her
in the effort. A man named Akinbode played
by Aldis Hodge would come to help the cause and love her.
And finally fighting for America’s freedom we had Robert
Townsend, portrayed by Nick Westrate.
Townsend a Quaker by religion and a Tavern keeper in life was in a prime
situation to become known as Culper jr. because of his religion he tried to
stay neutral but working behind a bar everyone, even a redcoat, will talk to
you and after a few drinks will tell you anything. With the local newspapers
printing press in his tavern’s basement he was able to pass on information in
plain sight.
SIMCOE, portrayed by
Samuel Roukin, what can I say about Lt.Col. John Graves Simcoe? 1) He is not the 1st British
officer I love to hate on TV or in film. 2) Simcoe was pure evil from day one.
He and Abe were enemies almost from their first meeting when Simcoe was walking
around Setauket like he owned the place. He was one of those guys who thought
they knew everything and believed he was better than anyone. All he cared about
was power which was evident when it came to his relationship to Major Edmund
Hewlett, played by Torchwood’s own Burn
Gorman (Hewlett was in command at Setauket and for most of the series Abe
used him and played him like a fiddle to get him to do what was best in order
to mover along each mission and gain information for Ben and Washington). When
Simcoe got some real power in the command of the Queen’s Rangers he used them
to try and kill his enemies. Abe and Simcoe were the definition of good vs
evil. Every time they met the friction that came across the screen was
electric. Bell and Roukin made these two men come (back) to life and every second
was a joy to watch, a week after it and I still got goosebumps after watching
their final fight. SIMCOE
And then there is the one “character” in this series that I
knew a thing or two about before but now feel I have better insight of- General
Benedict Arnold portrayed by Owain Yeoman
(I don’t know what is worst portraying a traitor or being an undercover Brit,
where was that accent during The Mentalist?) History nerd alert-If you visit
the Historical National Park and Battlefield in Saratoga NY you can see a
statue of Gen. Arnold’s boot and this series picked up shortly after he was
shot in the leg during that battle. Where Simcoe was evil, Arnold was an opportunist.
When he didn’t receive a promotion and raise from the continental congress he
and his knowledge of Washington’s tactics joined the British. Arnold would go
on to marry Peggy Shippen, played by
Ksenia Solo who never really loved him but grew up with money and believed
Arnold was key to keeping her social status. It seemed Benedict never loved
Peggy even as she became a spy in her own right as it was Major John Andre portrayed by JJ Field who was in love
with her. When it became clear Andre couldn’t be with her he had an actress
dress as Peggy. As creepy and out of line as that sounds John Andre may have
been on the wrong side of the war but he still had a heart and Spoiler Alert
while assisting in a plot devised by Arnold he was quickly hanged and I did
shed a tear or two while the scene played out.
Last but certainly not least there was the man himself-
General George Washington and really there isn’t anything I can say that the
history books haven’t said although like with those mentioned above and the
rest of the cast Ian Kahn who played the prodigious General and 1st
president was superb and made this series a treasure to watch.
When Turn: Washington’s
Spies (based on a book of the same name written by Alexander Rose) premiered
it moved slowly and I was unable to follow the plot and characters but by the
beginning of the second season I was hooked and involved in this real yet
little known story from US history. These men and women to whom I never heard
of before came alive in a TV show that stayed under the radar. I enjoyed
learning about this time in our history and those on both sides. Although it
was one of those shows that never got recognized by The Emmys, the storytelling
was on par the best I’ve seen (and as a TV fan and amateur historian that is
saying a lot) and the acting by even those in small supporting roles (they
added Alexander Hamilton only after Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Musical was a hit) was
excellent. Every actor knew their role and every role was important.
When a season ended I didn’t know if the show would return
but Turn: Washington’s Spies had 4
good years and I for one will never forget it, in fact I may watch it in its entirely
again once the finale airs. I raise a pint to the cast and crew of this one of
a kind show. Thank you for teaching and entertaining me every step of the way.
RIP
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