Boss (on Starz) - season 1 thread (1 Viewer)

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by Joe Bernardi

My wife has been watching this series. I watched part of a recorded episode today. I didn't see enough to make any comment about the script or acting, but the cinematography almost gave me motion sickness. The almost constant panning of the camera - slowly in, slowly out, slowly left, right up, down and combinations thereof were too dizzying for me to continue watching. The extreme closeups were also annoying.
I regret that I didn't have a chance to make an informed judgment on the series itself.

The camera techniques haven't bothered me, but I will say this show does some things with the camera I don't remember ever seeing in a television series. Particularly the over the shoulder shots where an out of focus figure takes up more than half of the screen to focus on the person sitting across from them.

 

[mattCR]

Kane is definitely one bad man. But he used his own counsel, played a confidence plan, and managed to get Kitty to upend everything about Zajac's plan to run for mayor.


What I find really interesting here is how much they focus - in a silent way - on the "power behind the throne". Mrs Kane definitely views herself as the power behind Tom; which may or may not be true - she definitely provided him the start. But Mrs. Zajac is also the one with the talent to put him in the right place, right time, and to push him toward something. You get a feeling he wasn't really a person who was motivated for the political life, she pushed him.

And the willingness to garner sympathy through his daughter.. OUCH.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Wow, what a bone-chilling episode. Grammer needs to submit this episode for his Emmy nomination.

 

[mattCR]

Season Finale... I figured it'd go dark but... wow. Very surprised at exactly HOW dark the thing would go.. that ending was BRUTAL

 

[JonZ]

I thought that was one of the best season finales Ive ever seen.




Loved Beethoven on guitar playing continuously through the last 10minutes. Very effective.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Quite a load of Shakespearian tragedy on display last night, very well done. Where does this show go from here (that's if Starz brings it back in light of so-so ratings).

 

[ScottH]

Wow, that was pretty compelling TV. Although I'm not even sure I understood everything that went on. Who ordered the hits on the nurse and Ezra?

 

[mylan]

Wow, that was pretty compelling TV.  Although I'm not even sure I understood everything that went on.  Who ordered the hits on the nurse and Ezra?

Before the finale I thought that Ezra was silently "taking care of business" but it appears that Kane directly is ordering the hits. Kane thought that the nurse was leaking information to the press but it was really Ezra who was, her hit was an unfortunate mistake. Ezra had become disgusted with Kane's tactics and was facilitating his fall from politics. I didn't get this at first but my wife pointed out that the entire exchange between Kane and Ezra in Kane's office was not real but rather Kane imagining how the conversation would have gone as Kane's hit man was dispatching Ezra. Note that after Ezra's hit the next scene Kane was alone in his office with Ezra's "confession" playing out in his head. I am really surprised that I liked Boss as much as I did considering my distaste for all things politics but the acting on this show, especially from Grammer, have been unreal great. That whole seven minute beginning to the finale with Kane and his wife was as good as tv as I have ever seen. If Grammer doesn't win an Emmy for this, it'll be a crime.

 

[mattCR]

He's got tough competition with how good Homeland has been. It'll be interesting, good to have a year where Mad Men isn't eligible and get some run for others; but it's two freshmen series that really got me this year: Boss & Homeland..

Grammer was sensational; I loved how he played that entire scene in his mind at the end, imagining what Ezra thought of him, why Ezra was the one who facilitated the fall.


Someone was right: the opening "battle" between Kane and his wife.. and her sacrifice, when she came home to tell him and he was on the floor - damn, that was some brutal television

Originally Posted by mylan


Before the finale I thought that Ezra was silently "taking care of business" but it appears that Kane directly is ordering the hits. Kane thought that the nurse was leaking information to the press but it was really Ezra who was, her hit was an unfortunate mistake. Ezra had become disgusted with Kane's tactics and was facilitating his fall from politics.
I didn't get this at first but my wife pointed out that the entire exchange between Kane and Ezra in Kane's office was not real but rather Kane imagining how the conversation would have gone as Kane's hit man was dispatching Ezra. Note that after Ezra's hit the next scene Kane was alone in his office with Ezra's "confession" playing out in his head.
I am really surprised that I liked Boss as much as I did considering my distaste for all things politics but the acting on this show, especially from Grammer, have been unreal great. That whole seven minute beginning to the finale with Kane and his wife was as good as tv as I have ever seen. If Grammer doesn't win an Emmy for this, it'll be a crime.

/t/315519/boss-on-starz-season-1-thread#post_3878453

 

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by mylan


Before the finale I thought that Ezra was silently "taking care of business" but it appears that Kane directly is ordering the hits. Kane thought that the nurse was leaking information to the press but it was really Ezra who was, her hit was an unfortunate mistake. Ezra had become disgusted with Kane's tactics and was facilitating his fall from politics.
I didn't get this at first but my wife pointed out that the entire exchange between Kane and Ezra in Kane's office was not real but rather Kane imagining how the conversation would have gone as Kane's hit man was dispatching Ezra. Note that after Ezra's hit the next scene Kane was alone in his office with Ezra's "confession" playing out in his head.
I am really surprised that I liked Boss as much as I did considering my distaste for all things politics but the acting on this show, especially from Grammer, have been unreal great. That whole seven minute beginning to the finale with Kane and his wife was as good as tv as I have ever seen. If Grammer doesn't win an Emmy for this, it'll be a crime.

See, I'm not convinced it was Kane that ordered the hits. Why did he ask the nurse "who did this to you?" if he was the one that did it to her? It's not like he was putting on a front for someone else since no one else was there. And as for Ezra, why would he even need him dead? My money is on the wife being behind both hits.

 

[Fridge Logic]

The use of soundtrack was great.. like really great.   Background music that just hit the right notes.   Early ominous tones, then a slow building soundtrack that always followed the characters (For example, when Kane was with his wife, Tori Amos "Battle of Trees" played light in the background), but when they picked something, it followed those characters or relationship, and that was a great subtle touch.

While you've correctly identified the music it was not by Tori Amos, but instead is the "inspiration" for "Battle of Trees." The piece we hear is part of a series by Erik Satie referred to as Gnossienne . It's been used in a few movies most famously "Chocolat." I believe it also was important in inspiring the OST for "In Bruge" but that's a personal opinion. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ I've been quite impressed with how the show has developed it's characters in alternating strokes of humanity and animal spirit. This is most notable in Kane, who shows great swings between his identity as a politician, a power monger, and a human. But it happens subtly in other characters Kitty, with her brusque exterior and soft underside; Zajak, with is charismatic white knight persona and his animalistic promiscuity; and in the finale Ezera cold and calculating in every situation to every advantage, but possessing a solid moral code which motivates and permits his every compromise. Honestly I didn't like Ezera until the last episode, he's one of the smartest and most in control characters, and yet he is always behind Kane and never appears to stop to question their motives despite his prime capacity to do so (of course the finale reveals otherwise which ultimately makes me like and respect the character).

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by Fridge Logic


While you've correctly identified the music it was not by Tori Amos, but instead is the "inspiration" for "Battle of Trees." [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLFVGwGQcB0]The piece we hear is part of a series by Erik Satie referred to as Gnossienne . It's been used in a few movies most famously "Chocolat." I believe it also was important in inspiring the OST for "In Bruge" but that's a personal opinion.

I realized the inspiration; but Tori's recording is a half-measure slower, which is why I picked this up... they also used another one of her numbers elsewhere, so I made the connection. It just seemed a fitting marketing link considering the companies involved. But I can get that. I'm very interested in where this all goes in Season2.