I’m a little behind the times, but I finally managed to watch the 3rd season of AMC’s TURN, the historical drama that tells the story of the spy ring that helped Washington win the Revolutionary War. I’m not going to go into too much detail about the show itself (check out my other TURN post, here), but I thought I’d go ahead and share some random thoughts I had after watching the season finale.
Probably needless to say, but THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.
01 – First of all, I’m glad I watched the season late. This way, I’d already heard that there’s a confirmed 4th and final season on the way. I’d hate to be left wondering.
02 – The core cast of characters seems to have run out of steam. Their storylines were all kind of scattered in the 3rd season. I never could make sense of what Abe was up to from episode to episode, or for that matter, where his romantic interest really was.
03 – The big bads this season were clearly Simcoe and Robert Rogers, both of whom are historical figures. Now, I assume the show is being more or less true to history by keeping them alive, but I feel like these two have morphed into some sort of superhuman boogeymen. They simply can’t be killed. It started to feel ridiculous that the countless ambushes set up to kill them inevitably fail. I mean, why even bother? It’s like watching a Marvel movie — you know they’re not going to kill Hulk or Iron Man or Captain America, so automatically there’s no actual tension. Simcoe and Rogers ended up being cartoon-like figures of evil intent, and overall I think this weakened the storytelling.
Simcoe is seemingly bullet-proof.
Rogers too.
04 – What’s always been phenomenal is the show’s handling of the grand historical figures like George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and John Andre. Season 3’s climax centered on Arnold’s treason, and was exciting, captivating television. Sadly, with this piece of the storytelling over and done with, I’m a little worried about how the show is going to keep season 4 as interesting.
John Andre – you’ll be missed!
05 – The hard thing about a show that’s about historical figures is when you know what history says about their fate. John Andre was truly the best character in every season of TURN. And as we know from history, the real John Andre was captured by the Americans and hanged as a spy. So there’s really no way that the show could claim to be sticking closely to historical events and not hang him, but man, what a loss in terms of character! Not to mention the fact that Peggy Shippen is also likely to be removed from the story or at most a peripheral character in season 4. Good-bye to my favorite parts of the story!
Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold
06 – I can’t help but feel concerned that the spy ring itself — Abe, Caleb, Ben, and Anna — end up being the murkiest part of the overall story. Their plots and motivations can be hard to track, and this season especially, none of them really stood out in any significant way. Sorry, but I just wasn’t that interested in the push/pull between Abe and his father, or Ben’s professional frustration, or Anna’s weird non-romance with Major Hewlett. And Caleb has never had much of an independent story to play out — he’s fun to watch, but I really don’t know much more than that.
07 – Oh dear, does this make it sound like I didn’t enjoy season 3? I did! But the show is supposedly first and foremost about the spy ring, and that’s not the part that truly held my attention. Give me more Washington, Arnold, Shippen, and Andre per episode, and I’d be a happy camper.
08 – Ha, did I mention my geek-out/freak-out in the final episodes, when Washington arrives at West Point accompanied by Alexander Hamilton? Not this version:
But I still found myself breaking into song when he showed up!
Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton.
09 – Overall, I still consider TURN to be excellent television. It’s exciting, with a talented cast, amazing costumes and set designs, and a real eye toward making history come alive. I can’t help it that I get a little thrill whenever George Washington is in a scene (which is yet another testament to the strong casting). I wish the storyline this season had a more cohesive feel to it in regard to the Culper ring, but the Andre/Arnold/Shippen intrigue was more than enough to keep me glued to the TV for episode after episode.
The father of our country.
Season 4 — the final season — of TURN premieres June 17, 2017. It’s not too late to catch up on the first 3 seasons before then!
Will you be watching?
Bookshelf Fantasies 
I binged the first two seasons I think it was last year. Or maybe it was three? I honestly don’t remember but I kinda liked the show, although Abe frustrated me to no end. And as I read the rest of your post- okay it must have been all three I binged, because I remember Andre being hanged. So I guess I just need season 4 whenever it comes. I pretty much agree with your thoughts though- it was SO irritating the way Simcoe and Rogers could not die!
Oh my gosh Simcoe- I HATED him. He’s awful lol. I rather liked Hewlett though, and when it looked like they were going to have him and Anna together I was like REALLY? But that didn’t last obviously. Nice to be reminded of this show- I’ll be watching season 4!
Simcoe really is the worst. He doesn’t feel like a real human being, just a crazy arch-nemesis. (I do love the voice, though.) I agree about Abe. He’s very frustrating. He’s supposed to be the central character, but I just never understand what he’s doing or why. I like Hewlett too. He was a bit of a joke at the beginning, but by the end of the 3rd character, I found him such a sad man with more depth than I’d originally thought. They might it seem like Anna might actually have had a decent life with him.