By Pearse Riendeau

The tv show TURN: Washington’s Spies, originally produced and aired by AMC in 2014, first appeared on Netflix on June 4, 2017. The show is based on the book Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring, by Alexander Rose, and consists of four seasons of 10 episodes each, which range from 40 to 50 minutes each in length. The show is based on a true story and follows that plotline; however, some of the details in the show are fabricated.

TURN encapsulates the formation and operation of George Washington’s very own spy ring during the American Revolution, which enabled the Continental Army to discover valuable information about the British Army and their plans for the war while they occupied New York City. TURN shows how a small group of courageous and patriotic men and women helped the Continental Army win the Revolutionary War with the information they were able to provide during the span of 1775 to 1783. The story begins in a sleepy Redcoat-occupied town called Setauket on Long Island, New York, and follows the characters all around the colonies. TURN was recommended to me by a friend, and as soon as I began my week-and-a-half long binge, I knew it would be a show I wouldn’t be able to stop watching, due to the fast-paced plot and well-written characters involved in the show. 

Actor Jamie Bell. Photo credit: Harald Krichel.

In the first episode, main characters Abraham Woodhull (played by Jamie Bell) and Benjamin Tallmadge (played by Seth Numrich) are introduced. Tallmadge is an officer in the Continental Army and one of the founders of the Culper Ring, the network of patriot spies. Woodhull is a struggling farmer who lives with his wife Mary and son Thomas. He is seen walking out to his field to check on his crops when he realizes the majority of his harvest is infested with maggots, leaving it unfit for sale. He attempts to sell what is left of his crops but is captured by the Continental Army and recruited as a spy. This begins Woodhull’s spying career. Other important characters include Caleb Brewster (played by Daniel Henshall), who is an Officer in the Continental Army, Edmund Hewlett (played by Burn Gorman), a major in the British Army, John Graves Simcoe (played by Samuel Roukin), also a member of the British Army, Richard Woodhull (played by Kevin McNally), father to Abraham, and also, notably, George Washington (played by Ian Kahn), leader of the Continental Army and future president of the newly founded United States of America.

Although the plot was captivating, I was almost more intrigued when I found out that many parts of the show were filmed locally in Virginia. The producers used many places all over the state to film certain scenes in the show. Scenes for the show’s fourth and final season showing the final surrender of the British were filmed on location in Yorktown. “Richmond, Petersburg, Tuckahoe Plantation, the campus of William & Mary, and Shirley, Berkeley, Westover, and Scotchtown plantations” were all used during filming. The show’s popularity prompted many fans to come to the area where it was being filmed, “But for hardcore fans of the show — some of whom waited the four hours before the actors took a lunch break — they simply wanted to see and meet some of the stars from one of their favorite shows.” While the show was filming in Williamsburg, many fans got to meet and take pictures with some of their favorite actors from the show.

Williamsburg. Photo credit: Joe Ross.

For all who do choose to watch the show, I strongly encourage that you watch it without the help of Google or other sources to find information on the characters or the storyline. Although it may be tempting to look up the characters and read about their history while watching, because the show is based on a true story, spoilers can easily be found simply by looking up names. A Google search of almost any main character will bring up a Wikipedia page about them and reveal valuable information about their lives and reveal spoilers. I did this while watching the show and did not Google anything to avoid spoiling any possible plot, and, after finishing the series, I found myself on a two-hour internet search trying to find information about all of the characters. This way of watching felt much more rewarding than searching up characters and information about them, and I also found myself watching much more intently and more focused on the plot and characters, allowing for a much better understanding of the show. After finishing, I found myself feeling like I had lost a part of myself simply because of how attached I had become to the show. TURN was a show that had me emotionally attached to the characters and their journeys, while also learning about important parts of American history I would have never known about had I not taken the time to watch it.