Boardwalk Empire Season 4

[red snow]

Richard Harrow smash! If that's the last we see of him it's a great send off. Thing is there are two ways we will see him again. Without the kid he has nothing to live for and we know he has suicidal tendencies. So why not become Nucky's enforcer and hope someone does the job for you. He left one hell of a CV at the hotel. The second is that he left the kid thinking the war was going to continue and Rosetti possibly winning. Rosetti lost so the child is safe from everyone other than his grandmother (and didn't she know who Richard's girlfriend was eg incredibly easy to get the grandkid back).

Shame about the MArgaret scenes dragging things down again. So she had the abortion in the end which i guess gives some sense of closure to her whole (rather pointless) season arc. I'd rather they'd get rid of her but maybe they will continue setting her up as somekind of women's rights character, There was a real life woman in New York who did a lot of work at that time trying to improve women's family planning at that time, so they could steal that person adn stick it on Margaret.

I was contemplating whether it was Nucky's plan all along to set Rothstein up or was it just a case of getting revenge for not helping him sooner? Rothstein is the man though and ran cirlces around lucky and Masseria.

I think one of the season's big successes though was turning Eli into a character I now like and root for. Considering he was one of the characters i actively disliked (by the intention of the writers) this is quite a turn around and the actor deserves a lot of the credit. I hope season 4 will cement himand Nucky as true partners - it seems as though Nucky knows who his friends are now which are Eli, Chalky and Capone(not sure how long Caponewill be reliable). If this means more of those characters next season I'm happy.

Van Alden was left at sea. There wasn't any room for him this episode but I'd rather there had been more clarity on his situation from his last appearance. I hope he is back next season.

[Lady Olenna]

I was really hoping Harrow would end up with Julia. At least her father seemed to understand harrow and now has a "son" to fill the void of the son he lost. I feel very sorry for tommy. Poor kid.

I'm not sure what to infer with Margaret. That was an odd storyline.

I loved Gyp singing his song about Barney Google eyes. Classic.

[Crazydog7]

One of the best part was the Mayor saying "Hey lets get one thing straight Thompson doesn't run this city I do"

and all the reporters thinking it was the best joke they ever heard.

That sex scene between Gyp and Jimmy's mom felt like it took 15 minutes and it was just fucking creepy.

[delete this account pls]

Nucky figuring out a way to screw over Masseria AND Rothstein, while getting them to help him, was pretty awesome, but not as awesome as Harrow's clinical, brutal one-man assault on Rossetti's crew.

And what really underlined Nucky's transformation into a full-on gangster, rather than a corrupt politician, or a shady businessman? The fact that he blew up the deal he had with James Cromwell, just to stick it to Rothstein. So much for the old "It's just business, it's nothing personal" routine.

[red snow]

Nucky figuring out a way to screw over Masseria AND Rothstein, while getting them to help him, was pretty awesome, but not as awesome as Harrow's clinical, brutal one-man assault on Rossetti's crew.

And what really underlined Nucky's transformation into a full-on gangster, rather than a corrupt politician, or a shady businessman? The fact that he blew up the deal he had with James Cromwell, just to stick it to Rothstein. So much for the old "It's just business, it's nothing personal" routine.

That's a good interpretation given Rosetti's trigger was the whole "nothing personal" line and his reiteration of the fact at the end.

[Daniel Dario]

Nice finale though it lacked the big surprises and much of what happened was expected to happen. The Rothstein-parts were pretty much the only suprising moments.

At the moment Margaret must be the least interesing character of the series, even in the finale it felt like 'meh'. I hope she'll go all Livia Soprano on Nucky in the coming season. There's not much else left to do with her character. Harrow...will he be back? His arc is finished and he hasn't anything to live for anymore. Would be a shame to lose him.

" You can't be half a gangster, Nucky, not anymore", is probably the most defining line of the series.

In season 1 we saw Nucky, the corrupt politician, trying to juggle politics and criminal activities. In season 2 Nucky finally embraces his 'being a gangster' and kills Jimmy himself, soaking his hands in blood for the first time. Now, in season 3 the finale shows a Nucky willing to retire from public attention, therefore most likely giving up his political career(how could he continue after the war with Rosetti?) and just being a gangster. It took 3 seasons but now his transition from corrupt politician to gangster is finally complete.

[The BlackBear]

I felt it was an acceptable end episode. But overall I was impressed how dull they made a gang war. And much to my own amazement sticking Capone and Chalky together, just didn't work. I felt absolutely nothing between them.

Also they wrote Lucky off as a chump, which annoys me, but that's just a general moan.

[The BlackBear]

Also just saw this advert on 4od

which I couldn't help noticing about 35 seconds in stars Ivo Nandi (Masseria) as a football referee.

[Crown]

I'm disappointed. Why the hell did they spend time on Margareth's arc (at the beginning of the season) if it would have literally nothing to do with the main arc. Seriously, the entire story didn't even have closure for herself. It was a useless waste of time in which they could've done more Van Alden and O'Banion.

I stand corrected, I used to say everything will come back together, which it did except Van Alden and Margaret's stories.

Other than that I enjoyed the Littlefinger-esque scheming by Rothstein and Nucky and Harrow massacre.

'Tommy, close your eyes.' My heart stopped for a second when he said that.

[Francis Buck]

Terrence Winter answers quite a few questions in this interview. He definitely implies that Gillian, Harrow, and Margaret will all be back next season (which I'm glad about, especially for Harrow).

Although I would have liked to see some kind of "resolution" for Van Alden's arc, I do think it was more or less impossible with the other stories. I think this season was basically about getting the character settled into his current situation, which will definitely pay off next season. I think we'll see a lot more of Capone too, especially since that's when (history-wise) the whole war with Dean O'Banion really kicks off.

[Wun Drop]

Here's something for the Richard Harrow fans: a gallery of post-WWI reconstructive plastic surgery techniques (warning: some of the images are not for the faint-of-heart!)

http://www.projectfa...ndex.php?/case/

The horizontal scar running from Richard's ear is suggestive to me of the "tubed pedicle" technique shown here:

http://www.projectfa...ll_uk_army/109/

Some biographical info on the pioneer of these techniques:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Gillies

[Mark Antony]

WTF at Mickey Doyle turning me into a fan of his in one scene.

My favorite part of the episode was when Arnold demanded 99% of the distillery business and Nucky broke out in a big grin. Exactly what he expected Rothstein to do and he knew he had him.

[Wun Drop]

Another must-read for Richard Harrow fans:

http://www.thehistor...ing-ww-is-scars

Coincidence this article came out in 2009 and Richard debuted in 2010? ;) The guy in the photo even looks quite a bit like him.

[Relic]

Guess we can put the debate on Gyp's racism to bed. Turns out he's as prejudiced as he was a massive cliche.

[Wun Drop]

Can someone familiar with Barney Google confirm whether Rosetti was singing the "real" song, or just making up random crazy shit?

(edit) looked it up, it was for real

[Mark Antony]

Terrence Winter answers quite a few questions in this interview. He definitely implies that Gillian, Harrow, and Margaret will all be back next season (which I'm glad about, especially for Harrow).

That was a good read, So excited for next season with the new writers they have joining.

[Wun Drop]

Two random thoughts regarding the aftermath of Richard's rampage:

1. In Season 1 Richard gives Jimmy a list of weapons he owns, and then we see him cleaning them. Does anyone who knows firearms know if he used each of them in the spree? I know that he used his beloved Enfield rifle, and a shotgun, and at least 2 kinds of pistols (but they all look kind of the same to me).

2. All of Masseria's men were gone, but Gyp still had what, 9 men of his own, and he's a big strong ape himself. Was the plan for Eli and Nucky to storm the mansion and kill them all, just the 2 of them???? (Capone and his men were already on their way back to Chicago, with Gyp, their primary target still unaccounted for!) Nucky's plan makes no sense; it's suicide!

[Sam Huxley]

I wish Margaret and Gillian weren't coming back, first of all Margaret cheated on her husband who gave her everything and never beat her like her old husband did, and Gillian had sex with her own son.. :bawl:

Richard is just too cool, especially just steaming in like that and killing next to all of them. Glad Gyp died as well because he was really starting to get on my nerves at the end of the series after making a great start to it.

Huge congrats to Nucky on his scheme where he's put himself back on top again. Leaves New York for Luciano and Lansky to kill Masseria... Rothstein in prison and the Al Capone to take over in Chicago from Torrio, whilst using Van Aldern to help kill off his competition!! woo season 4

[NestorMakhnosLovechild]

2. All of Masseria's men were gone, but Gyp still had what, 9 men of his own, and he's a big strong ape himself. Was the plan for Eli and Nucky to storm the mansion and kill them all, just the 2 of them???? (Capone and his men were already on their way back to Chicago, with Gyp, their primary target still unaccounted for!) Nucky's plan makes no sense; it's suicide!

I agree. I was thinking the same thing. Made no sense to me.

[Wun Drop]

Huge congrats to Nucky on his scheme where he's put himself back on top again.

Nucky's brilliant scheme ends with him and Eli gunned down by Rosetti's remaining men, if not for Richard's completely deus ex machina rampage moments earlier.