Episode Guide
Death Runs Riot
Series: The West
A 85-minute history episode from The West, Season 1, Episode 4.
At a Glance
Series Snapshot
Synopsis
Episode Four of director Stephen Ives' epic series covers the period from 1856 to 1868 -- during which the new communities of the West found themselves racked by divisive hatreds and social unrest. The boom was far outpacing any government attempts to regulate the new territories from Washington, so the outlaw justice that would fuel so much of our mythology about the West reigned. Local leaders fought bitterly over the issue of slavery -- which would also be an important contributor to the civil war exploding back east -- and self-governing communities obsessed with maintaining their land and their absolute freedom were at each other's throats. Specific topics include: the Civil War battle at Glorietta Pass, the Mountain Meadows massacre in Utah, the 1864 massacre of a Cheyenne camp by Colonel John Chivington, Juan Cortina's attempted revolt against American power in Texas, a young Samuel Clemens' infatuation with the Western landscape, and the beginning of Custer's campaign against Native American warriors.
Director
Series Binge Profile
Total Content Density: 11 hours 50 minutes (8 episodes)
Intensity Rating: Relaxed Watch - Easy viewing. Perfect for casual watches.
Binge Milestones
1 episode/day: 8 days
3 episodes/day: 3 days
5 episodes/day: 2 days
Episodes (8)
- S01E01 - The People
- S01E02 - Empire upon the Trails
- S01E03 - The Speck of the Future
- S01E04 - Death Runs Riot Viewing
- S01E05 - The Grandest Enterprise Under God
- S01E06 - Fight No More Forever
- S01E07 - The Geography of Hope
- S01E08 - One Sky Above Us
