"Slaughterhouse" is the third episode of the second season of the American television drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired on August 26, 2012 on AMC.
The thirteenth episode of the series is co-written by Jami O'Brien & Bruce Marshall Romans, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan.
With no help from Elam (Common), Lily (Dominique McElligott) admits her involvement with Schmidt's murder to Durant (Colm Meaney), who asks Cullen (Anson Mount) to control the angry mob.
Ruth delivers Schmidt's eulogy at church but is interrupted when Cole accuses her of sleeping with Joseph, calling her a fornicator.
Enraged by the interruption, Bauer lunges at Cole, but the Swede redirects his anger toward "the Irish brothers" who killed Schmidt.
The mob hangs Sean and Mickey by their bound hands from slaughterhouse's meat hooks as the butcher sharpens his knife.
She decides to speak to Durant without mentioning Elam's involvement, confessing that she paid a man to kill Schmidt in the name of justice.
Cullen confronts Elam about killing Schmidt with a warning: "Next time a noose goes round your neck, might not slip off so easy."
Club's Alasdair Wilkins gave "Slaughterhouse" a B− grade, calling it "weirdly admirable", but adding the episode "has a theme it wants to explore—people are bloodthirsty animals, per the Swede’s opening narration— the creative team still doesn't quite have the skill to bring it all together.
"[2] Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic rated the episode with 4.7 out of 5 stars, saying "Slaughterhouse" "proved that the season is getting better with each week."
He added "the lawlessness of the land continues to prove intriguing, as the lines of friendship and alliances are as quickly crossed out as they are made.