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Boardwalk Empire (NSF56K, some Season 1 Spoilers)

Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
edited October 2011 in Social Entropy++
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So I noticed there wasn't a thread for this, and I'd seen some people talking about it here and there, so I wanted to go ahead and do a thing (man why you even gotta do a thing) because it's a great show!

Boardwalk Empire takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, beginning immediately after the passage of the Volstead Act, which introduced that delightful period of American history known as Prohibition. It focuses on a lively cast of characters caught up in various groups' attempts to control the bootlegging and other illegal trades in the region, and generally is about the rise of the organized crime syndicates that have become so famous in history and pop culture.

It's also got a hell of a cast!

Enoch "Nucky" Thompson
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Treasurer of Atlantic City and the main character of the show, played by Steve Buscemi. Based on the real-life Nucky Johnson. While ostensibly in control of the city and its liquor trade, there are some recent developments that have made things a lot more complicated for him and a lot of people are scheming to take over or divide up his empire for themselves.

Jimmy Darmody
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Played by Michael Pitt, who's doing a pretty good Leonardo DiCaprio impression, Jimmy is Nucky's protege and enforcer at the start of the show. He's also a World War I vet, so he's seen some shit, man. He goes from being a fairly thuggish dude to hanging out with Al Capone and wearing really nice suits. He's also really smart and just ambitious enough to start chafing under Nucky, which is gonna be problematic. He also has a super-hot (and maybe kinda crazy) mom, played by Gretchen Mol.

Margaret Schroeder
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Nucky's mistress, played by Kelly MacDonald. A working-class Irishwoman who's smarter than she sometimes lets on, Margaret is slowly taking a bigger role in helping Nucky run the city and fend off those who are trying to muscle in on his territory. Pretty quick with a snappy comeback when the situation calls for it, too.

Nelson Van Alden
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Played by the awesome Michael Shannon, he's a Prohibition Agent for the Department of Internal Revenue leading a crusade against booze and, more specifically, Nucky Thompson. He's also batshit crazy. Strictly religious and staunchly anti-liquor, the dude is pretty single-minded in his pursuit of justice, but lately he's been having some conflicting feelings and has done some things that are starting to look less and less like appropriate behavior for a federal agent. Also? No sense of humor.

Louis Kaestner, a.k.a "The Commodore"
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Dabney Coleman! The Commodore is Nucky's mentor and the former crime boss of Atlantic City, and is also
Jimmy's biological father.
Though he was deathly ill for much of season one, he's back on the mend now and has decided he'd like to get back in the city-runnin' game, and is assembling a gang of other rich old dudes to do so.

Richard Harrow
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Richard is another WWI vet who had half of his face blown off, which hasn't stopped him from being a total badass. He meets Jimmy in an army hospital and accompanies him back to Atlantic City, joining him as an enforcer. The dude has some pretty serious psychological issues in addition to the actual scars, though lately he's been trying to fit into Jimmy's messed-up little family. We'll see how that works out. Still a crack shot with a rifle, and probably my favorite character on the show right now, with the possible exception of...

Albert "Chalky" White
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Omar comin' yo! Chalky (Michael Kenneth Williams) is sort of Nucky's counterpart in Atlantic City's black community, and has recently gotten involved more directly in the bootlegging business. Relations have been a little strained lately because Chalky feels that Nucky isn't giving enough thought to the needs of the black community, especially with increased KKK activity against them. I don't know what else to tell you about him except that Williams is a fantastic actor and every scene with Chalky is just phenomenal. "These here my daddy's tools."

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Arnold Rothstein! Al Capone! Lucky Luciano! You know these guys. They're real guys. You ain't know? Look 'em up.

Anyway, this is a great show, but I feel like it's always just a step away from whatever it needs to do to really explode and become the hit that so many other HBO shows have been, especially with this kind of creative talent involved. So, let's rap. About some booze.

Grey Ghost on
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Posts

  • Baroque And RollBaroque And Roll Every spark of friendship and love Will die without a homeRegistered User regular
    Fuckin' love this show

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    SteamID: Baroque And Roll
  • CampionCampion Registered User regular
    I like watching this show because shit just keeps hitting the fan, and every episode more gets spread around.

    Although this season's been developing Harrow a lot and that's been really cool.

    4484-7718-8470
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    The latest episode was, uh, something.
    I'm not sure about the Nucky - Eli fight. It felt weirdly out of place for Nucky, to me. Also the end of the episode where Jimmy's mother starts hitting The Commodore is so uncomfortable to watch but damn was it amazing.

    Also you should introduce the new additions of season 2! A certain Irishman deserves some praise.

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  • CampionCampion Registered User regular
    You think two brothers fighting is out of place? Especially after being thoroughly, metaphorically, stabbed in the back by the other??

    4484-7718-8470
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    Campion wrote:
    You think two brothers fighting is out of place? Especially after being thoroughly, metaphorically, stabbed in the back by the other??
    No, but...it felt jarring to me. I'm not sure how to best explain it.

    jkZziGc.png
  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    Every scene with Harrow is the best scene in the show.

  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    Hacksaw wrote:
    Every scene with Harrow is the best scene in the show.

    tumblr_lpcgj94QBc1r0d71zo1_500.jpg

    05-omar-the-wire-boardwalk-empire-091910-xlg.jpg

    Now that's just flat out wrong.

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  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    I see someone finally did something after all the hints I was dropping.

    Anyways, I love the shit out of this show. Episode 4's ending was I want to say cathartic. Mol's creepy peepee kissing ass needed it, though.

    As gory as it was I got a kick out of the old cane racists fate.

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  • FAQFAQ Registered User regular
    I wasn't mad about the first season, how's this one doing for someone who aint currently in love with the show?

  • lostwordslostwords Registered User regular
    More like Boobswalk Empire am I right?

    Love this show

    rat.jpg tumbler? steam/ps3 thingie: lostwords Amazon Wishlist!
  • LanglyLangly Registered User regular
    My favorite scene so far has been the prison scene with chalky and the other black inmates, I can't really explain why though.

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    Cause you love boobs.

    I am a week behind.

    But all of my favourite scenes involve Richard.

    He knows exactly who to fuck with, and who not to fuck with.

    (Also I thought him and Jimmy met in Chicago? And that they were just both in the war together)

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    Oh my favourite scene though is the intro.

    Don't fastforward that stuff. Watch it every damn time.

  • LanglyLangly Registered User regular
    faq this season has had more of a direct storyline, if you were ambivalent because things just kind of happened in the first season (there wasn't really a central story, although lots of stuff was going on, and then it ended back where everything started), then you might like it more.

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    Langly wrote: »
    My favorite scene so far has been the prison scene with chalky and the other black inmates, I can't really explain why though.

    Yes

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    Blake T wrote: »
    Cause you love boobs.

    I am a week behind.

    But all of my favourite scenes involve Richard.

    He knows exactly who to fuck with, and who not to fuck with.

    (Also I thought him and Jimmy met in Chicago? And that they were just both in the war together)

    Oh, sorry, it was an army clinic in Chicago where Jimmy had gone for like, a checkup and a psych evaluation
    I realize the way I wrote it is unclear

  • StaleghotiStaleghoti Registered User regular
    YEAAAAAA LOVE THIS SHOOOOWWW

    Richard Harrow is the best character by far, if you disagree you have brain problems

    tmmysta-sig.png2wT1Q.gifYAH!YAH!STEAMYoutubeMixesPSN: Clintown
    Dear satan I wish for this or maybe some of this....oh and I'm a medium or a large.
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    You and I grey ghost, enemies now forever.

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    I might stop it now.

    Unless, you don't want to.

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    Yeah he keeps saying that

    good luck

  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    Yeah, I think we may be able to make a calendar and use it to judge time based on the times we've heard him or others say the same thing.

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  • KrunkMcGrunkKrunkMcGrunk Registered User regular
    I really want to see this show, but ffffuuuu- the Season 1 DVDs cost $42!

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  • HobnailHobnail Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    Staleghoti wrote:
    YEAAAAAA LOVE THIS SHOOOOWWW

    Richard Harrow is the best character by far, if you disagree you have brain problems

    "Who the hell are you!"

    "A soldier."

    Hobnail on
    Broke as fuck in the style of the times. Gratitude is all that can return on your generosity.

    https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
  • babypp2babypp2 Registered User regular
    I like watching the video.
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  • Penguin IncarnatePenguin Incarnate King of Kafiristan Registered User regular
    The end of episode 4 of season 2 is the kind of mad shit I was hoping for in the first season.

    The problem with the first seasons is that when you lead with a MARTIN FUCKING SCORSESE pilot is that things are going to go a bit downhill. As good looking and as well acted as the first season was there was a lot of wasted space and on-the-nose episode themes. Despite the severe lack of Scorsese in the second season (why does he still get a producer's credit, by the way?) the second season feels like they've actually started the main story. Things have begun to move and they've inserted characters and plot points that are more interesting than Nucky getting laid.

    And, again, there is some crazy Shotgun Stories meets Misery shit going on and that is full blown fine with me.

  • HobnailHobnail Registered User regular
    edited October 2011
    It seemed like a lot of thought went into that skull getting busted open. You know, in make-up, not in the the show. At all.

    Eli is such a fucking idiot.

    Hobnail on
    Broke as fuck in the style of the times. Gratitude is all that can return on your generosity.

    https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    Episode 4's ending was something I think we needed to see.

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  • HobnailHobnail Registered User regular
    Everyone on this show over the age of sixty needs a bullet.

    Except Pete.

    Broke as fuck in the style of the times. Gratitude is all that can return on your generosity.

    https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    I enjoyed the first season of this slow, but the pacing was really getting to me by the end. So much character development and so little... anything else.

    I like what they're doing with nucky/margaret a lot. Nelson is an interesting character, but a lot of his scenes felt sort of disconnected from the rest of the show, especially
    the lead up to him drowning his partner. Just like, what the hell was that?

    season 2 is out on dvd now, right? should probably go buy that

    NREqxl5.jpg
    it was the smallest on the list but
    Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
  • Baroque And RollBaroque And Roll Every spark of friendship and love Will die without a homeRegistered User regular
    Season two literally just started last month.

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    SteamID: Baroque And Roll
  • shalmeloshalmelo sees no evil Registered User regular
    Look, I love Richard Harrow and Chalky White as much as the next guy, but the greatest character on this show by miles is Rothstein. Or possibly Eddie the butler.

    Steam ID: Shalmelo || LoL: melo2boogaloo || tweets
  • HobnailHobnail Registered User regular
    The man is a butler. He gets shot at, pulls a pistol and clips the shooter. Best butler.

    Broke as fuck in the style of the times. Gratitude is all that can return on your generosity.

    https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    The end of episode 4 of season 2 is the kind of mad shit I was hoping for in the first season.

    The problem with the first seasons is that when you lead with a MARTIN FUCKING SCORSESE pilot is that things are going to go a bit downhill. As good looking and as well acted as the first season was there was a lot of wasted space and on-the-nose episode themes. Despite the severe lack of Scorsese in the second season (why does he still get a producer's credit, by the way?) the second season feels like they've actually started the main story. Things have begun to move and they've inserted characters and plot points that are more interesting than Nucky getting laid.

    And, again, there is some crazy Shotgun Stories meets Misery shit going on and that is full blown fine with me.

    What exactly does one do to get a producer's credit, anyway? I am mostly ignorant of such things
    Mark Wahlberg gets one, but I don't see a whole lot of actual influence from him

  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    Are people still watching this? It's still really good.

    I laughed my ass off at the "They're made in America, I'm American."

    Also, you done fucked up, boychick.

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  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited November 2011
    Shit is getting so fucking real on this show, guys

    I know a lot of people have complained that this show moves too slowly and they're like WHY ISN'T EVERYBODY GETTING SHOT (when it's a show about guys making desperate back-room deals in order to avoid having to shoot people) but seriously things are picking up like crazy now

    Grey Ghost on
  • HobnailHobnail Registered User regular
    Chekov's Crate of Tommy Guns

    Broke as fuck in the style of the times. Gratitude is all that can return on your generosity.

    https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
  • Dorktron9000Dorktron9000 Registered User regular
    I love this show

  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    Macro9 wrote:
    You done fucked up, boychick.

    God damn.

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  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    Pharezon wrote:
    Macro9 wrote:
    You done fucked up, boychick.

    God damn.
    Yeah, I don't know what in the hell Jimmy was thinking with that. Pay the man the money you owe him.

    Dude got some power and has decided it's time to go off the rails and fuck with a dude he knows will fuck his shit up.

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