Boardwalk Empire official discussion thread (1 Viewer)

[JohnS]

What was the importance of the end scene with Nucky walking into the hotel and seeing his dirty footprints across the floor.

They made it seem like it was poignant.


I like adam's take that "it's just like when Jimmy told him he can't be half a gangster anymore."

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by JohnS


He is noticing how his "dirty footprints" are visible everywhere he's been.

 

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by Mikah Cerucco

The show has not captured my attention yet. I don't look forward to it every week. The only thing that would make it better for me is having someone tying the events on the screen to actual historical events and relationships. But just going by what's on the screen, I can barely make sense of it because I don't know the history.

Pretty sure it's very loosely based on actual history.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The writer of this series stated the reason why he changed the last name of the actual Enock "Nucky" from Johnson to Thompson so he can take even more creative liberties with actual events.

Capone was born in NYC and that's where he started his criminal career. He later moved to Chicago to work for Johnny Torrio.


As I stated earlier, it's going to be interesting to see how they mix actual history with their creative scenarios in this series. A lot of what we're going to see in this series will not be accurate in the historical sense.






Crawdaddy

 

[joshEH]

Originally Posted by ScottH

I love this show. Liked every episode. Interesting casting Gretchen Mol as Jimmy's mother as not only is she only 8 years older than Michael Pitt, but she looks fairly young for her age and they didn't appear to do much to make her look older. A little surprising considering how much attention to detail appears to be given to this show. When they first introduced her in the previous episode I thought it was Jimmy's mistress or sister or something.

Gretchen MOLF.


Well, Jimmy is 22. So she got knocked up at age 6, I guess. It did seem weird. I had to turn on the closed captioning to make sure they were saying "mom." Visually, it just seems hard to buy.


Of course, in reality, it's not impossible to have a mom that young. And then there was the whole nearly-nude straddling-and-kissing that seemed to further confuse the nature of their relationship. The scene is initially played like she's his mistress.


I always let my mother straddle me and kiss my face when she says hello. It's just the way to properly greet a family member.

I vote step-mom.

 

[ScottH]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the possibility that Nucky is Jimmy's biological father. And he knocked Gretchen up when she was a teenager.

 

[JonZ]

I did kind of pick up on that. His GF also asked if he had any children.

 

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by JonZ

I did kind of pick up on that. His GF also asked if he had any children.

Well, the girl actually said, "You were smart not to have any children." And Nucky's reaction to that validated my theory even more, I thought.

 

[JohnS]

I also thought that Nucky is Jimmy's father.

I'm excited to see episode 4 and beyond to where they said it's really going to bloom out.

 

[todd stone]

yea I thought it was his mistress too... His mom? seems creepy

 

[Greg_S_H]

Originally Posted by joshEH
I always let my mother straddle me and kiss my face when she says hello. It's just the way to properly greet a family member.

I vote step-mom.

Or it's just some really twisted shit.

 

[Phil Florian]

It was a bit slow but I am hoping to see some more punch from Macdonald's character soon and some more action on the Boardwalk proper. It is interesting for a show about the Boardwalk so little of it takes place in context of it.

For example, with some many comparisons to DEADWOOD, that town felt real to me...I knew its layout and if you dropped me into it I felt I could find my way around (at least from what I think of the place). Like MASH before it, when you have an environment that is so important to the story it is good to make the place feel real and lived in. I still can't connect the Boardwalk to what is behind it...or next to it... or where Chawky's still is or the hospital etc. TRUE BLOOD is like this, too...all the setting elements feel disconnected (as much as I still like that show). I like a place to feel lived in and real and DEADWOOD had that in spades. BOARDWALK is still working on it.

That said, I love much of the cast and dig that Nucky is kind of a reluctant gangster. He isn't some mob monster...he really is just a ruthless business man with at least a few scruples left (unlike Lucky and Capone).


Man, I totally agree about Shannon. He is the best thing about the show. His improvising to get his investigation to work is fantastic. He is a powderkeg, though...I see him losing it at some point. I want more wordplay face offs with the various villains. His deadpan G-man stereotype is killer.

 

[joshEH]

"Well...I ain't buildin' no bookcase."


I've no doubt that Chalky's speech will be the universally-accepted moment when this show made the jump from promising to adored.

Rest of the episode was pretty damn great, too.

The Deadwood-shaped hole in my heart may never be completely filled, but Boardwalk Empire's doing a pretty good job of patching most of it.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

I am enjoying the show, but comparing it to Deadwood or even Carnivale, umm, Def don't see it.

 

[JonZ]

Josh,I loved the scene. The tools his father used to created beautiful things, now used to disfigure and destroy.


That really was a great scene.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Still enjoying the show but it hasn't peaked with me yet.


Definitely another slow week, and by now, I thought the

show would really be hitting its stride.

 

[joshEH]

Originally Posted by JonZ

Josh,I loved the scene. The tools his father used to created beautiful things, now used to disfigure and destroy.


That really was a great scene.

"There's a certain point where, if a man is stickin' to his story, he's tellin' the truth. And we passed that point ten minutes ago."


I don't get how people can feel lukewarm towards this show. At least performance-wise, there are all kinds of home runs getting hit. And almost every character gets something interesting and cool to do at some point or another.


And I wonder if Luciano thinks he's about to bang Jimmy's wife, and what the fallout will be when he finds out she's actually Jimmy's MOM.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

Maybe I just paid attention more this week but I really liked this episode. I didn't find it especially difficult to follow, though I was still confused by a few people/relationships. Mostly, I couldn't remember who the dancer and the guy talking to her were. But reading the message about, I guess that's Jimmy's mom and Lucky Luciano trying to talk to her. I'm still having trouble remembering names, especially names I didn't know coming in.


Capone is definitely a known name, and I'm pretty much at the point now where I know him as soon as he hits the screen. His character also seems basically in sync with what we know about him. What a hothead. If I were in Jimmy's shoes, I'd have had no humor about someone firing a gun off next to my ear (to the point of making me at least temporarily deaf, and my ear bleed) while I sleep. Anyway, I know there are artistic liberties taken, but I still need something to connect to with these characters, even if it takes awhile. This stuff helps.


Nucky was accessible, and his motivations were understandable. It's obvious to see he appreciates the learned widow more than the sexpot paramour.And while he may not be all "Up With Darky," he's practical enough to avoid letting push come to shove if it can reasonably be avoided. I was surprised to see the widow steal the slip even though I know why she did.


It's always a joy to watch a member of a class descriminated against debunk the basis for the discrimination.


The best thing I can say about Omar is I'm going to go ahead and make a concerted effort to remember his character's name in this story. Chalky White. Good stuff. Even when I didn't necessarily agree with his words, it was entertaining as heck watching them delivered. For instance, the whole, 'There comes a point..." statement about torture to obtain information. We've been told a lot lately that torture is unreliable as a means for gathering truth because tortured people will say anything. I'm sure there's truth in that, but for those who think the statement is 100% true, they obviously haven't met Chalky White. My gut feeling tells me that torture can routinely extract information from people, though if you're convinced someone did (or knows) something they didn't do (or know), and won't stop torturing them until they fess up, eventually they'll go ahead and fess up anyway. I'm sure it's an art.


I'm looking forward to next week now. I wasn't ready for it to end.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by joshEH

At least performance-wise, there are all kinds of home runs getting hit.

I agree. The acting alone makes this show one of the best things that I'm watching right now.

 

[Henry Gale]

I'm always bemused when people say, "We don't have a TV in our house" or some variation on that.

I suppose they think they're not watching [Fill In Name Of Crappy Show].


But, I always think they're not watching Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire or Deadwood.


Which makes me wonder what other art forms they have decided to completely reject.


Which makes me think they're, to put it nicely, misguided.


Loving this show, but as usual, think they should be consulting me about the music.