Boardwalk Empire - Thread #2 (apparently this evolved into a SPOILER thread behind my back)

[Kalbear]

Yes, but all the good looking guys have thousand-yard stares like this.

[fitheach]

Yes, but all the good looking guys have thousand-yard stares like this.

Unfortunately the image you linked has been removed <_< ... Would love to see the thousand yard stare, sounds drreeeamy. :P

[Kalbear]

Hmm. Maybe this will work.

[karaddin]

Hmm. Maybe this will work.

Those are the eyes of someone that has truly seen unspeakable horrors.

[Kalbear]

Yeah. They should have cast him instead of that pretty boy. WTF, Boardwalk Empire? How dare you cast attractive doughy actors in semi-lead roles! YOU DON"T KNOW MY PAIN ARRGHGHSLGKHDG mmmmcupcakes

[oneeye]

I am surprised Jimmy did not get in more trouble for beating up that guy in public. Also loved the decline of the uptight fed. I am surprised Mrs. Schroeder hasn't fought back more.

[drawkcabi]

I am surprised Jimmy did not get in more trouble for beating up that guy in public. Also loved the decline of the uptight fed. I am surprised Mrs. Schroeder hasn't fought back more.

Who's he going to get in trouble with? The police are run by Eli and currently by that none too bright deputy (I see a big [attempted] betrayal there coming when Eli comes back for his job) and they all take their cues from Nucky.

Even if Nucky isn't happy with what Jimmy did he's not going to sick the law on him especially after what he did to get him out of trouble.

[oneeye]

I am looking forward to the Nucky vs Rothstein showdown.

I wonder where the Chicago guys will fit in, they seem to be friendly with AC right now.

[jurble]

i liked this episode, commodore was jimmy's dad as expected.

[SwordoftheMorning]

I have to say Van Alden's murder of Agent Sesbo is definitely the silliest writing this show has degenerated to so far. It simply makes no sense whatsoever. The blowup between Margaret and Nucky was expected, as was the Commodore supposedly being Jimmy's father. I'm gonna have to be honest. After showing some promise, this show is sliding downward. Just too much on it's plate. Nucky's dumping of Eli also rings false. The whole thing is losing me.

[Jacen]

I'm still on board, but yeah, the Van Alden murder in the river was just way too over the top for me. Although, we have to see what comes of it. The Deacon knows his freakin' NAME and agency, so there better be some major repercussions. If they just tuck this incident and say the people were too scared to talk or something, or otherwise sweep it under the rug I'll be mightily disapointed.

I did like that they finally showed Nucky's nasty side. Up till now we are most frequently presented him as this charming huckster, but he really showed his inner prick with Eli and Margaret.

Anyway, this was definitely the "let's tidy things up" episode before the finale. Which leaves a lot of major shit to be handled in the finale, which seems to so rarely happen. So I expect the finale to end with many issues still up in the air awaiting the next season.

One thing I've always wondered about the show is they frequently flash that image of Al Capone like opening a door or something and shooting someone. Who could it be? Hopefully not Jimmy.

[Ran]

Agreed on Sebso. Way too many witnesses. If Van Alden isn't pasting his brains across the wall of his apartment in this final episode or under arrest, I suspect I'll be a bit disappointed.

So... what was going on with Gillian and the Commodore? Clearly, she was feeding him rat poison while cozying up to him. That's why the dog died -- we've seen that the Commodore feeds his dog scraps from his table.

But to what purpose? Why now? It seems clear that she was trying to be there so that he'd leave her something that would take care of financial worries. But... was she hoping for money for herself, or for the Commodore to leave it all to Jimmy? Does she think Jimmy's going to need the financial clout a big bequest will give him? Or is she hoping it'll pull him out of his life of crime and maybe preserve his life? Hrm...

I can't help but think that Jimmy's brush with Luciano and Rothstein is playing a part in her motivations.

[drawkcabi]

I'm also in the camp that Van Alden's character has gone way over the top, but aside from his absurdity I'm still loving the show for everything else.

I think there was a hidden message with the gathering with Hardini. Misdirection. Something in last night's episode was not what it seems to be.

My guess is that it's Eli's and Nucky's falling out. I'm expecting Eli to turn up at some point just when it looks like Nucky's done for.

[Crazydog7]

I loved how the dude with the Tin mask was all I could go to Philadelphia and kill six people. As Slim Charles would say Murder ain't no Thing.

[SwordoftheMorning]

I was discussing the movie "World Trade Center" with my SO last night and it hit me dead between the eyes. The actor playing Van Alden was the gung ho ex-marine guy who just walked up and volunteered. If I remember the movie correctly, he was also the guy that found the survivors.

I'm glad to see we seems to have a consensus on how bad the Sebso murder scene was. So it's not just me. Lol

[Sheep the Evicted]

I'm glad to see we seems to have a consensus on how bad the Sebso murder scene was. So it's not just me. Lol

Well to be honest I think its consistent with Van Holdens character that he would do something that crazy, it was just one short step from that interrogation scene in the dentists. He seems to be the "Joker" of this piece. Which IS wrong because this show isn't a comic.

Did anyone else laugh out loud at the "because daddy has already been to paris. He didn't like it. " line.

[drawkcabi]

Did anyone else laugh out loud at the "because daddy has already been to paris. He didn't like it. " line.

No, but I understond what she meant. I did laugh out at the mention of the Carlo Ponzi, the originator of the Ponzi Scheme. I like the brief references of notorious people from history that were around at that time, adds to the texture of the series.

[Stego]

Stupid show is getting stupider.

[Bronn Stone]

I'm willing to withhold judgment on Van Alden's murder of Sebso until we see how it plays out. If the body is never found and there is no investigation, I can accept that. African-Americans of that era are NOT going to go to the police to accuse another law enforcement officer of murder. Word might get back to Chalky, but interaction between the Black and White communities of that time was minimal. Trust even less.

But I don't expect to find the answer satisfactory. I am enjoying parts of it enough to stick with it.

[Guest Raidne]

They put a twist on nearly everyone's character last night.

Magnanimous Nucky was a bastard; polite, self-possessed Margaret acted like Lucy; sanctimonious Van Alden is a murderer; sympathetic Richard Harrow offered to whack a mother, her daughters, and a dentist, etc. That's a lot of drama.

I thought Gillian was just taking the chance to get back at the Commodore for what he did to her at the age of 13. I don't care who you are, or what period it is: we're talking about a 13 year old and a 57 year old. It's not totally unlikely that she might hold a grudge.

I will only accept the Van Alden plotline if he kills himself in the next episode. Otherwise, what's going on here? He just killed a fellow federal agent in front of two dozen witnesses. You can't sweep that under the rug. Somebody is going to want to know what happened to him. Plus, he left the body there. I doubt the congregation is going to bury it for him.

It's too bad, because when you think about it, it's an interesting juxtaposition. I mean, you get really annoyed at him for badgering Sebso, but he's right. So why are we annoyed? Why do we want him to drop it? I guess he's just that detestable. If only they'd walked the line with the character just a little bit more.

But anyway, I still like the show. It works much better for me that Margaret is actually a completely terrible person and we like her. I mean, she really is just the absolute worst kind of hypocrite - all her actions are driven by her own desire for power. She plays her moral ojections like a card to get more information out of Nucky. Last week, they even showed her being more upset about her dress than she was about that woman getting shot and we still like her. It's great.