Turn S1E9 - "Against Thy Neighbor" Recap

It's Spring 1777 in Setauket and Abe picks up some flowers from the marketplace. Anna then sees those flowers left for her, forming a trail. She follows it. Simcoe warns Hewlett that the rebel conspirators are plotting something but he has no proof. Hewlett warns him not to get swept up in gossip. Meanwhile, Anna and Abe have sex in a cellar. Abe wishes he could run away with Anna but he has obligations to his family and both of them have obligations to Washington. Simcoe and Hewlett find a white horse that has somehow managed to injure itself so Hewlett shoots it to put it out of its misery. A vet examines the horse and finds it was poisoned. The toxic fruit was actually intended for Hewlett and came from the Brewster farm (belonging to Caleb).

General Washington, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, and Nathaniel Sackett are being strategic in moving their troops to convince their enemy that their "plan" is working. This is causing the British to move many of their troops to Staten Island.

Mary tends to her home and looks after her son when their British roomer, Mr. Baker, comes inside. She offers to cook something up for him and he offers to leave. She asks why and adds that he's the only one seems to live there now, rather unsubtly expressing her displeasure at Abe's frequent absences. He shares that he was an orphan and it is implied that the two may develop more of a relationship.

Richard Woodhull meets with Simcoe and tries to explain why Brewster (Caleb's father) couldn't have committed any crime, saying he has a "pasied hand." Richard adds that more proof is needed before they go so far as to hang him. They head outside and then Richard is shot from an unknown shooter from afar. Abe tries to help his father while Simcoe sends another soldier off to try to find the shooter. Richard is brought inside, a doctor is called, and the bullet is removed. Richard passes out from the pain. Simcoe shows some wadding apparently used by the shooter, a Bible verse from the book of Judges. Hewlett orders that Simcoe get all the town's weapons collected and their owner's names recorded.

The townspeople turn their weapons in but they are very angry about it. Simcoe overhears Nathaniel Tallmadge being particularly vocal against the rounding up of the weapons and wants a word with him. Simcoe declares he has found a Bible discovered with a page torn from the book of Judges. Hewlett orders that every name on a list that Simcoe has to be arrested and for a gallows to be built. Paine is arrested too, despite being the one who brought forth evidence. Since Richard is still recovering, Abe offers to be the judge, as he has been to law school.

Washington's army is on the move. Ben tells Caleb that the men only need to know what they need to know to keep them out of harm's way and Caleb questions about Anna's still not knowing that her husband is actually alive.

Abe tells Anna that the charges are false and that he is trying to save the people by losing the case so they won't be hanged immediately. Anna tells him he will lose but Abe continues to study. The listed men are arrested late at night, the gallows are built, and Simcoe is shown to be shooting someone.

The trial begins and begins hounding the elderly Mr. Brewster. His aggression towards him garners sympathy from the townsfolk watching (all part of the strategy). Brewster had claimed that the bottle of cyanide must have been planted on his farm by the Redcoats. Simcoe tells Abe he knows he's putting on a show but Abe says this isn't true and carries on with the trial. He dishes out the same harsh treatment towards Nathaniel Tallmadge, who says he swore an oath to never take the life of another man. Abe begins to load Nathaniel's weapon and attempts to get the bullet into the weapon. He's unable to and then Simcoe comes over ready to help. It still won't go in. The reason is that the musket ball won't fit in a Pennsylvania weapon, but is instead like those used by the King's Men. His gun has a grooved barrel that won't hold that musket ball. Nathaniel tells the crowd that the worst form of tyranny is not allowing men to form their own opinions and make up their own mind. He tells Abe off, of course not knowing that Abe is actually on the same side as all of them.

Hewlett later commends Abe for his efforts, saying that his father would be very proud. Hewlett admits that he'd like to hang them but it would be best to show a measure of mercy. He sentences them all to ten years aboard the prison ship. Abe point out that this is still equivalent to a death sentence, considering that the conditions aboard it are dismal but there's nothing else he can do to change Hewlett's mind. He does however announce his mission to catch the true assassin, already knowing that Simcoe and his men were responsible for all of it.

Ben, Caleb, and the other men of the Continental Army are on their way to meet with a pre-traitorous Benedict Arnold. Ben learns of the recent arrests in Setauket and he's not happy about it, deciding to round everyone up and head home to confront this injustice

Mary prepares to put her son Thomas down for a nap. He lifts up a loose board and when Mary comes over, she finds Abe's code book hidden underneath it and begins looking through it.

Turn airs on Sundays on AMC at 9PM.