I didn't see a thread for this yet, so I thought I'd create one.
After always being a very entertaining drama not quite up to par with the tier of Mad Men, Breaking Bad, et al., I thought this really turned a corner in the back half of Season 2. Tonight's premiere was pretty strong, and I'll certainly be tuning in every week. Bobby Cannavale's character seemed pretty stereotypical. The portrayal of O'Banion in the Chicago scenes seems a lot more promising in terms of season-long villains.
With the loss of Jimmy Darmody and, more crushing to me, the loss of Angela Darmody, my main interest was in how those two losses would effect the new season. Were those two deaths about shocking audiences, about behind the show problems (as rumored), or could they possibly be a path to something more profound? Boardwalk Empire has always been a slight disappointment and now, shorn of both it's 2nd main character and the one woman who seemed most to stand for 20's liberation, where would it go to. Yet tonight's episode of Boardwalk Empire was dazzling and points to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, it is ready to make a run at a season that could top the other drama's it is usually unfavorably compared to.
This episode actually felt invigorating. Bobby Cannavale, coming off a solid turn on Nurse Jackie, is a welcome foil, differing from the sharp machinations of Nucky and Arnold Rothstein but standing out in comparison to the violence of Capone. Gyp is not a dolt but a person in an environment he feels somewhat lost in. His paranoia over perceived attacks on him makes him the chaotic force needed to make him a dangerous problem for Nucky. Cannavale did not seem like all that promising a casting decision but this already looks like it has a chance to be his finest work. The opening provides a much needed menace and from there we get a scene that shows Buscemi's Nucky is continuing on the path of uncompromising malevolence he exhibited late last year. The scene is well written as is most of the episode. If the dialogue is sharper so is the flow of the episode. The only threat are the Chicago excursions. Yet, even here the presence of Van Alden shores up what have always been the weakest moments on Boardwalk Empire. Shannon is superb here as a lost man who seems headed to the life of a criminal.
The best sequences though are in Atlantic City. Margaret has now become the new symbol of female liberation and the final sequence of her going to the shore to see an aviatrix fly a plane is as glorious in it's way as Angela walking through the bohemian party. MacDonald, who ridiculously was robbed of an Emmy nomination, continues to give one of best performances on television. Buscemi is just as good. The actor nails ever scene and, even with Olyphant on Justified and Cranston on Breaking Bad, this may be the most challenging and best acted performance on a television drama.
Yet the most powerful sequences tonight belong to Richard Harrow. Huston is riveting. His desire to keep alive both the memory of his best friend and, more importantly, the woman (unknown to her) that he had fallen in love with is poignant. The sequences are permeated with loss and made more tragic as we see the despicable Gillian's attempts to revise a child's memory. The show focuses on two boys heavily. Whereas Nucky seems to be failing his obligations to his stepson (who has taken his last name), Richard works to keep a boy's mind from being corrupted by an evil figure. This culminates in a final welcome act. We know it must be coming (there is no other choice with Richard) but it is thoroughly satisfying to see Richard kill Manny, the killer of his beloved Angela. That he does so in with a shotgun to the face as Manny stands in his house with his wife nearby is a purposeful act of revenge. The difference between Richard and Manny is evident. Manny killed two women for the purpose of punishing a man, Richard's focus is solely Manny. While Gyp may seem to be Nucky's biggest threat, it is Richard who is even more dangerous. And unlike Gyp, Richard's hostility comes from a place of true loss.
Boardwalk, to me, has always been a show that works best in marathons, when the weird little rhythms and idiosyncracies of the program make more sense within the pattern of the whole season. I usually get big batches on screener and can't imagine watching it week to week (I think it would seem painfully slow). So I've watched the first five of this season and very much enjoyed them. I do think the show has turned a corner. It's more structurally daring, and killing so many characters at the end of last season really seemed to free it up to try new things and do whatever's best for the story. I think the addition of the brilliant Chris Haddock to the writing staff has paid dividends already.
HS
Van Patten's direction of last night's episode may win him a 2nd Emmy in a row. I had recently read David Thompson's new book which discussed Van Patten and tonight was an example of how the guy's direction seems to just lift these episodes to a higher degree. There were several sequences that were among the best the show has done and the best of the tv season.
1) Gillian and Richard at Jimmy's cremation.
2) Gillian and Nucky's confrontation.
3) Van Alden's breakdown and assault in the office.
4) Nucky and Billie coming to terms with their romance.
5) The shared moment between Billie and Nucky before she dies.
The Van Alden breakdown is palpable with tension. Shannon does rage scenes with the best of them (Take Shelter being my favorite) and this one was so grueling to watch as we know what he is compelled to do and that this time he won't be able to control himself. The choices here in the shots are terrific and I love that the sound of the ironed man screaming never ends. Gillian's sequences are disturbing and yet there is was a sliver of empathy for this abhorrent individual as she rips into Nucky.
But it was the Billie and Nucky scenes that hit hard. That shared look at the end is poetic as it occurs and haunting in retrospect. Just a wonderfully filmed sequence. And Buscemi's acting so far this season is second to no one on tv.
Geez, I feel like someone should tell the show's writer, "We GET it! Gyp is a sadistic bastard!"
Wow!
Anyway, this episode included quite the shocker. I can't wait to see what happens the last couple of shows.
I've been going in spoiler-free this season for the show and did a mini-marathon while in hospital on Friday to catch up. This week's episode. Yowzah with the box.
Agree that Buscemi has been top-notch this season.
"It's better to over analyse than not analyse at all." NM. 2000.
At this point, I don't think any drama is having a better season of television. It has shown a bigtime improvement in terms of the writing (particularly the dialogue which has always been it's weakest areas), it is more involving, and I think the loss of Jimmy last year may have been a good thing. That was not something I would have thought at the time. As it is now, if I regret the loss of any character from last season, it would actually be Angela.
The strengths are still there. Steve Buscemi continues to give one of the finest performances on television by a lead actor (he is in the Bryan Cranston and Timothy Olyphant echelon). Kelly MacDonald and Gretchen Moll continue to deliver during their screentime. The direction is strong and when Van Patten is at the helm it soars (that last shot of Billie Kent - wow). Here are some improvements I have seen.
1) Billie Kent and Owen Sleater - Billie added a sense of possibility, of a younger person making their way as neither an innocent nor as someone utterly cynical. There was a certain hope there - a positivity that makes it understandable why Nucky would fall hard. Billie was not, as Eddie Cantor stated, another Lucy Danziger. She was talented and sweet and, while she may have been motivated by Nucky's power, there was a sense that she did have an affection for Nucky. Owen was on last season but this season is where he made his impact. It was not as the resident tough guy (replacing the role Jimmy held in season 1). Instead it was a person that seemed trapped, who didn't much care for this world and was more than ready for a different adventure in life. As he watched Nucky kill the teen, one could see his heart was not in it. Both of these persons were ready to move on, to strike off on their own (even if Billie would still have the financial support from Nucky). Both seemed like genuinely flawed and genuinely likeable individuals. Billie and Owen held a powerful (and optimism inspiring) hold on Nucky and Margaret respectfully. And when they died their loss was not just felt on Nucky and Margaret, it was felt on the viewer in a way Jimmy's death never really was. Jimmy was already a dead man walking. These were two very alive individuals.
2) Richard Harrow - Harrow has always had the potential. This season has taken him from a character given a few choice moments a season to one of the main characters on the show. If last season had that great sequence in the woods with the two hunters, this season has been chockful of those moments. The relation between him and the child of his two dead friends to the new tentative romance are involving. It is of a person who was once a detached murderer (out of a sense of loyalty to the person not horrified by his face) to a man finding his humanity again. Which of course does not make him any less dangerous. However it does make an already compelling figure even more so.
3) Nelson Van Alden - Van Alden was once there for the enjoyment of deranged moments of piousness. He is still a scary loose cannon but now he is someone who actually can provoke empathy. The winding journey to Al Capone's gang may feel too contrived but I think it serves Van Alden well. Not as much because of the irony but because they are using the very talented actor Michael Shannon in a way that has gone from waiting from some intense moments of rage each week to enjoying the path his character has undertaken.
4) Not hitting us over the head - In the 1st episode of season 3, Harrow is advised by Gillian not to tell Tommy stories of Angela. Harrow looks at a painting. The figure is walking away. Later Harrow will blow off Manny's face. Granted, some critics and viewers missed the boat and said Harrow killed Manny as revenge for Jimmy or even pondered if Harrow had been hired by someone to kill Manny. However most of us knew it was about Angela and the moment was cathartic for it was tough to watch Manny walk around untouched after what he had done to Angela. The show did not spell it out in that episode. By paying attention to the episode, most viewers picked up what Harrow's motivation. When Harrow later advised Nucky why he killed Manny it did not feel like redundant exposition. It felt like Harrow laying down the groundrules in a way we understood Nucky could appreciate. And while it may have helped people who misread Harrow's motivations, it did not annoy those who understood all along. Not all members of an audience will understand something but that doesn't mean a show should get lost in exposition. Boardwalk Empire is spending a lot less time explaining to us what we are already seeing and it is welcome.
As for Gyp Rossetti, I think Gyp's brutality (stemming from a staggering inferiority complex and a penchant for sadism) is a set up. We have seen one murder from Harrow this season. Yet who would one take in a bet between Harrow and Gyp. A man who simply puts an end to problems with all due precision or a man who practices acts of violence in the most grotesque way possible. I don't think Nucky and Harrow are done. I really see Harrow entering Nucky's orbit again in a way that finds them being allies. Harrow is the anti-Rossetti and I do think this will be demonstrated as season 3 comes to an end.
Can I just say that I'm a little tired of Bobby Cannavale's character. It has become almost cartoonish. You just know that whenever a character so much as blinks at him he will be brutally killed.
I do love Buscemi so much this season though. Macdonald also had some great scenes and I was devastated by her reaction to the last scene.
It has run its course, for sure. Hopefully he's going to be killed in the next week or two though lol.Originally Posted by Ciro
Also, I'm kinda pissed at the show for now killing the only two hot guys on it.
And both were Nucky's proteges... coincidence?It has run its course, for sure. Hopefully he's going to be killed in the next week or two though lol.
Also, I'm kinda pissed at the show for now killing the only two hot guys on it.
Actually, I meant Owen (Charlie Cox) and Roger (Billy Magnussen, killed by Gillian). Michael Pitt is a no for me.
JGL would disagree. And Canavale's full frontal was disappointing.Actually, I meant Owen (Charlie Cox) and Roger (Billy Magnussen, killed by Gillian). Michael Pitt is a no for me.
We have one chance to get Margaret out of this show, and they fuck it up! Sad to see Owen die though, I liked him.
What does it say about me that my favorite characters are the vilest people on this show (Gyp, Capone, Masseria)?
I will marshall all the forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide - Peter Capaldi, In The Loop
So I will forever remember last night's episode because it was the first time ever I heard the city I was born in (Castellammare) mentioned in American fiction. And of course it was related to the mafia
Come to think of it I never heard it mentioned in any Italian show/movie ever. It was fun, especially because of the English accent!
Last night's episode was great! This show certainly knows how to build to an endgame.
The reveal of Capone at the end was chilling.
Of the shows I currently follow (granted, only three), this is absolutely my favorite.
The reveal at the end of Capone was not chilling, it was. I love Stephen Graham so much in this.
I will marshall all the forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide - Peter Capaldi, In The Loop
Season Three has been on par with Season One in terms of the quality. Love that Nucky and Capone are teaming up. Though I'd love it if Richard would bop Gillian off. Chances of that happening are zero.
"It's better to over analyse than not analyse at all." NM. 2000.
So I think Season 3 was a masterpiece and the show imo is unrivaled in quality right now. This is the first time since The Wire that I have watched a show and felt that every single scene that happened in a season has been a vital piece in the overarching narrative. Also how fucking awesome was that massacre in the Artemis Club!?
Edit:
Seeing American Horror Story reach 5 pages already and this still at one is heartbreaking.
Holy shit, that was awesome.
I know right!
Holy shit, that was awesome.
This show is a machine when it comes to making amazing characters and Richard Harrow is hands down the greatest thing to come out of it.
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