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TURN: Washington’s Spies

Credits

Cast

Network

Reviewer

Paul Asay

TV Series Review

Quick—name a spy.

James Bond, right? Yeah, everybody knows good ol’ double-oh-seven. The gadgets, the tuxes, the Walther PPK, the Aston Martins, the vodka martinis. Oh yes, we know quite a bit about him. Which, come to think about it, suggests maybe Bond wasn’t so good at his gig.

But what about Abraham Woodhull? Robert Townsend? Samuel Culper? Were they among the spies you named? If you answered yes, congratulations. Because you’re either an American history major, or you’ve seen AMC’s TURN: Washington’s Spies.

Halt! Who Goes There?

Abraham and Robert are, as you might’ve gathered from the show’s title, spies. Their job? Funneling British secrets to none other than Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War. They sometimes go by the aliases “Samuel Culper Sr.” and “Samuel Culper Jr.” They’re a part of the Culper Ring, a group of dedicated patriots, devious scoundrels and some folks who are a bit of both whose shadowy exploits help pave the way for Washington’s eventual victory over the British.

Some familiar historical figures (George Washington makes frequent appearances, as does Benedict Arnold) turn up on TURN. But for the most part, the plots and counterplots of this well-regarded AMC show feel as labyrinthine and obscure as the historical espionage that inspired them.

What Would Washington Think?

TURN may take some dramatic liberties with history. But it does feel authentic. This is no CW historical romance like Reign or, worse yet, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Robert Townsend’s spiritual values—he’s a pacifistic Quaker—are treated with respect, for example.

But despite taking place in a more religious, more genteel time, TURN unpacks thematic elements that would never pass muster at an 18th-century dinner conversation. Many characters, both highborn and low, have out-of-wedlock sexual trysts, and some have longstanding extramarital affairs. When we don’t glimpse these racy interludes, we hear about them. In fact, key plot points sometimes hinge on such couplings. Likewise, the language used here would shock good General Washington. (In 1775, the real Washington issued an order to his new army, which forbade “profane cursing, swearing and drunkeness [sic].”)

And let’s not forget that there’s a war on. People are shot, stabbed and axed, leaving behind barrels of blood. Indeed, some characters positively revel in shedding it.

TURN isn’t the most salacious or violent drama on cable. It’s not even the most problematic spy show airing at the moment. (That would be The Americans.) Still, despite a couple of centuries’ separation from our own era, it depicts a world where James Bond—and all of his worldly habits—would feel right at home.

Episode Reviews

TURN: July 1, 2017 “Nightmare”

Abraham wakes up from a bad dream to find himself in a barn with his dead father lying nearby. (In the dream, Abraham’s father, Judge Richard Woodhull, had been kicking his son relentlessly for spilling a pot of ink.) We see the older man’s corpse a few times, often in stages of funerary preparation, and he’s buried near a wooden church. Abraham then begins to plot his revenge on Simcoe, the dastardly English lieutenant he holds responsible.

Caleb, another spy for the fledgling United States, finds himself in a military hospital, his chest cut to ribbons. He (and we) watch as a doctor tries to stitch him up. But when another patient vomits on himself (which we also see), Caleb hops on a horse and rides away. (We also glimpse a patient who apparently lost an arm; the stump is covered with a bloody bandage.)

Part of the Colonial army mutinies. They’ve not been paid for three years, so they begin a march on Philadelphia to demand their promised wages—shooting and stabbing a few soldiers who stand in their way. The mutineers are eventually caught, and the leaders are executed by firing squad. They’re tied to poles and shot at nearly point-blank range by their own troops. We see blood fly from the wounds, and one man’s blindfolded head catches fire. Some of the executioners vomit afterward.

People discuss a bloody massacre. We hear a reference to Ares, the Greek god of war. Someone is overheard repeating a Catholic prayer. Someone else prays for the safety of her husband. Characters drink alcoholic beverages, and Benedict Arnold buys a round of ale for patrons at a local bar. We hear a variation of the s-word, along with “b–tard” twice, “h—” once as well as one use of the British profanity “bloody.”

TURN: Washington’s Spies: May 30, 2016

“Many Mickles Make a Muckle”

It’s a memorable Thanksgiving at the house of Samuel Townsend, Robert’s father. Several spies come for a visit, leading to an uncomfortable showdown where guns are pointed and secrets spilled. Meanwhile, Benedict Arnold pleads with Washington to allow him to face a court martial to clear his name. That’s much to the chagrin of his fiancée, Peggy, who is pushing Arnold to commit treason (and who happens to be the secret lover of British Major John Andre, too).

No guns are fired during the Townsends’ Thanksgiving dinner. But one of the guests earlier killed a pursuer with a hatchet, leading to a splatter of blood (and a gory corpse later on). A woman—the wife of a man being questioned by Lt. John Simcoe of the British Queen’s Watch—is sexually assaulted by one of Simcoe’s men. (A look from Simcoe ends the attack.) Men are beaten and kicked. A barn is burned down, and we learn that the animals inside are all slaughtered.

At a party, some women (wearing gowns exposing a great deal of cleavage) have a frank, biologically descriptive conversation about sex, including verbal references to an aphrodisiac and discussion about one man’s anatomy falling off.

Robert and Samuel Townsend adhere to the Quakers’ pacifist ideal. “The spirit of Christ will not move us to war,” they say. Elsewhere, characters use variations of the s-word four times. Twice we hear unfinished f-words (“What the f—?”). God’s name is misused twice. We hear “b–tard” and the British profanities “b—locks” and “bloody.” Characters drink wine and champagne, and one appears to get drunk (after which she confesses sexual indiscretions).

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Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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