Season | Episode |
2 | 7 |
Production number |
Running time | 42 minutes |
Original airdate | May 18, 2015 |
Nielsen rating | 18-49 rating: 0.20 Viewers (million): 0.76 |
Written by | Aïda Mashaka Croal |
Directed by | Kimberly Peirce |
Previous | Next |
"Houses Divided" | "Providence" |
Washington faces a personal crisis with the help of his slave, Billy Lee. Abe struggles to maintain his cover while in prison.
Summary[]
At Valley Forge, Billy Lee informs General Washington that the messenger to Connecticut must depart no later than midnight because of an impending storm. Washington hallucinates that his teeth are falling out of his mouth, and asks Billy to summon the doctor.
A doctor diagnoses Washington with melancholia, brought on by “deep moral conflict within the soul,” and notes that the condition can sometimes lead to madness. Washington attributes the melancholia to his indecision over a written request from Major Hewlett’s captor in Connecticut, Lt. Chaffee, to execute Hewlett. He enlists Billy to help him decide Hewlett’s fate, noting the execution will go forward if he does not dispatch the messenger to Connecticut in time.
Flashback to 28 days earlier at the Continental outpost in Connecticut: Hewlett insists he did not kill Lt. Chaffee’s captain, despite the blood-scrawled note with his name on it. Lt. Chaffee strips Hewlett naked and throws him into an outdoor stockade, exposing Hewlett to the harsh winter conditions.
Washington informs Billy that Culper (Abe) has been captured and imprisoned in York City on charges of espionage. Flashback to 15 days earlier: Abe is shackled in a sugar house prison. A fellow prisoner, Gareth, offers Abe bread and false sympathy, then turns around and tells a guard that Abe confessed to spying. Gareth asks Officer Yates, the prison warden, to honor his promise to free him if he could get Abe to confess. Yates notes the lack of proof and dismisses the confession as hearsay.

General Washington playing Whist with Billy Lee.
Washington agonizes over his decision to execute or pardon Hewlett, who is the only man who can prove Abe’s innocence. He challenges Billy to a game of whist and reminisces about his deceased half-brother, Lawrence, who he revered. As they play, Billy suggests that Washington might be overthinking the decision, and Washington explodes at Billy. As they resume the game, Washington surmises that Abe is still alive — which means he probably has not confessed. Billy points out that Hewlett didn’t confess, either.
In the stockade, Hewlett distracts himself from the freezing cold by pretending to describe the constellations to Anna. Lt. Chaffee stops by and leaves Hewlett a knife, encouraging Hewlett to kill himself. After Lt. Chaffee leaves, it dawns on Hewlett that Simcoe framed him for the captain’s murder.

General Washington making his way into the woods.
Billy tells Washington that Lawrence would never have let Hewlett live — and that Washington does not need to be like Lawrence. Washington shoves Billy onto the table and orders him never to speak of Lawrence again. Washington then storms outside for a walk, and hallucinates a trail of bloody footprints leading into the woods.
Richard visits Abe in the sugar house prison and tells him Hewlett has been abducted and Simcoe has returned to Setauket. Abe immediately asks about Anna’s safety. Richard tells him she belongs to Simcoe, noting that half the town saw them kissing. Richard is there to get Abe out of jail, but changes his mind when confronted with Abe’s stubbornness. “You wanted to be caught. You know what you’re doing is wrong,” Richard says. “Perhaps this is the safest place for you, at least until this war is over.” As Richard leaves, Abe vows to never stop what he’s doing.

General Washington kneeling alone in the woods after asking Lawrence for advice.
In the woods, Washington sees an apparition of Lawrence and begs for his advice. Lawrence says he would never have lost Long Island or retreated at White Plains — but he also would not have crossed the Delaware to victory or taken on the mightiest empire on earth. “Then again, I am not you,” Lawrence says, then disappears.
Washington returns to his tent and thanks Billy for his help. He then writes to Lt. Chaffee, staying Hewlett’s execution so they can trade Hewlett for high-ranking Patriot POWs. Back in his own tent, Billy looks inside his bag and finds Washington’s beloved pocket watch, given to Washington by Lawrence. It is now a gift from Washington to Billy.
In his stockade, Hewlett uses Lt. Chaffee’s knife to slice off a frostbitten toe. As Lt. Chaffee reads Washington’s stay of execution, Simcoe and the Queen’s Rangers ambush the camp. Simcoe enters the stockade and tells Hewlett he had hoped they would execute him sooner. Hewlett stabs Simcoe in the side with Lt. Chaffee’s knife and escapes. A shocked and bleeding Simcoe vows to kill Hewlett.
Quotes[]
- "I am not afraid."
- ―George Washington as he begins to make his way into the woods.
Credits[]
Cast[]
Starring
- Jamie Bell as Abraham Woodhull
- Seth Numrich as Major Benjamin Tallmadge (credited only)
- Daniel Henshall as Lieutenant Caleb Brewster (credited only)
- Heather Lind as Anna Strong (dream only)
- Meegan Warner as Mary Woodhull (credited only)
- Kevin R. McNally as Judge Richard Woodhull
- Burn Gorman as Major Edmund Hewlett
- Angus Macfadyen as Major Robert Rogers (credited only)
- Samuel Roukin as Captain John Graves Simcoe
- JJ Feild as Major John André (credited only)
- Ian Kahn as General George Washington
- Owain Yeoman as General Benedict Arnold (credited only)
- Ksenia Solo as Peggy Shippen (credited only)
Also Starring
- Aldis Hodge as Akinbode
- Charlie Hofheimer as Lieutenant Chaffee
- Gentry White as William Lee
- Stuart Greer as Officer Yates
Co-Starring
- Jason Musick as Washington's Life Guard
- Scott Poythress as Dr. Thatcher
- Huntington Daly as Life Guard
- Johnny Landers as Singer #1
- Randy Spence as Gareth
- Jesse Ruda as Lawrence Washington
- Bryan Adrian as Young Washington
- Joe Blankenship as Soldier #1
- Liam Ireson as Soldier #2
- Trevor Garner as Soldier #3
- Michael Alban as Singer #2
- Jeff Sandor as Post Rider
- Justin Xavier Smith as Cameron
- Phillip Roebuck as Singer #3
Crew[]
Opening credits
- Based on the book Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose
- Developed by Craig Silverstein
- Casting by Laura Schiff, CSA and Carrie Audino, CSA
- Music by Marco Beltrami and Brandon Roberts
- Edited by Harry B. Miller III, ACE
- Production Designer Caroline Hanania
- Director of Photography Marvin V. Rush, ASC
- Produced by Henry Bronchtein
- Producer Mitchell Akselrad
- Supervising Producer Andrew Colville
- Executive Producer Michael Taylor
- Executive Producer Barry Josephson
- Executive Producer Craig Silverstein
- Written by Aïda Mashaka Croal
- Directed by Kimberly Peirce
Closing credits
- Co-Producer Aïda Mashaka Croal
- Co-Producer Alexander Rose
- Associate Producer Erin Mitchell
- Executive Story Editor LaToya Morgan
- Unit Production Manager Henry Bronchtein
- First Assistant Director Jason Ivey
- Second Assistant Director Caroline Stephenson
- Virginia Casting by Erica Arvold, CSA
- Virginia Casting Associate Jen Ingulli, CSA
- Costume Designer Donna Zakowska
- Production Supervisor Kate Amer
- Art Director Richard Blankenship
- Set Decorator Catherine Davis
- Property Master Kelly Farrah
- Head Hair Stylist Ardis Cohen
- Head Make-Up Artist Ashley Fetterman
- Key Wrangler Doug Sloan
- A Cam First Assistant Camera Liz Heslep
- B Cam First Assistant Camera Tim Risch
- Assistant Costume Designer Marina Reti
- Costume Supervisor Sheila Grover
- Key Greensman David Broome
- Script Supervisor Rachel Atkinson
- Key Make-Up Stylist Rhonda Bareford
- Key Hair Stylist Nicole Tucker
- Assistant Prop Master Patrick Storey
- Transportation Captain Ronald "Bo" Jenkins Jr.
- LA Casting Associate Kendra Shay Clark, CSA
- Production Sound Mixer William Britt
- Re-Recording Mixers Dan Hiland, Gary Rogers
- Supervising Sound Editor George Haddad
- Music Supervisor Thomas Golubić
- Music Consultant Tony Berg
- Music Editor Angela Claverie
- Post Production Supervisor Brandon Krzyminski
- Post Production Coordinator Ky Reeves
- Post Production Assistant Robert Conchas
- VFX Supervisor Jon Massey
- On Set VFX Supervisor Terry Windell
- VFX Producer Casey Conroy
- Assistant Editor John Mullin
- Production Services Provided by Stalwart Films, LLC
- Visual Effects by FuseFX
- Post Production Sound Services by Warner Bros. Post Production Services
- Digital Dailies Rex Teese
- High Definition Post Production ArsenalFX Color
- Main Title Design by Shine
- Main Title Theme "Hush" by Joy Williams, Charlie Peacock & Matt Berninger
- Performed by Joy Williams & Matt Berninger
- Filmed with ARRI Cameras and Lenses
- Special Thanks to The Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Film Office, Virginia Department of Corrections
Appearances[]
Characters | Creatures | Events | Locations | |
Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Events
Locations
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Organizations and titles
Sentient species
Miscellanea
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Links and references[]
External links[]
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Valley Forge" - official site
- Turn: Washington's Spies - "Valley Forge"' at the Internet Movie Database
Turn: Washington's Spies Season 2 (2015) | ||
---|---|---|
"Rivals"
| ||
201. "Thoughts of a Free Man" |
206. "Houses Divided" | |
| ||
DVD | ||
See also: S1 • S2 • S3 • S4 |