HBO's Boardwalk Empire - Part 1

[runawayboulder]

WOW.....just simply WOW.

 

[Longshot777]

Yup very well done finale!!!

No words to describe it especially the last minutes interlocking flashbacks at the end.

One of the great series finales.

 

[Matt]

Very fitting ending. I was skeptical of the flashbacks when first announced. But the way they paralleled the beginning of Nucky's rise, through selling his soul, down to his demise was beautiful.

I loved Jillian's role in the finale. The scene was very reminiscent of that final meeting between Tony and Junior Soprano. However, it had more meaning behind it. It was Nucky's final chance at redemption...and rather than seize it, he lashed out at her and tried to buy her off with her own room and a trust fund she could never have any hope of seeing. As Tommy said, that's his solution to everything. If Nucky made right with Jillian, he may not have endured his fate. If Nucky never sold Jillian to begin with, he wouldn't have endured his fate. And that is what made that final shot so fitting...Nucky basically drowning, to grab that which was most important to him, money.

 

[runawayboulder]

Very fitting ending. I was skeptical of the flashbacks when first announced. But the way they paralleled the beginning of Nucky's rise, through selling his soul, down to his demise was beautiful.

I loved Jillian's role in the finale. The scene was very reminiscent of that final meeting between Tony and Junior Soprano. However, it had more meaning behind it. It was Nucky's final chance at redemption...and rather than seize it, he lashed out at her and tried to buy her off with her own room and a trust fund she could never have any hope of seeing. As Tommy said, that's his solution to everything. If Nucky made right with Jillian, he may not have endured his fate. If Nucky never sold Jillian to begin with, he wouldn't have endured his fate. And that is what made that final shot so fitting...Nucky basically drowning, to grab that which was most important to him, money.

Nailed it

 

[kguillou]

Hm, interesting, so you guys think Jillian orchestrated the final scene?

 

[runawayboulder]

Hm, interesting, so you guys think Jillian orchestrated the final scene?

I don't think she specifically tried to but her ramblings to [BLACKOUT]Tommy[/BLACKOUT] certainly planted the seed.

It's possible though, she was very calculating over the course of the show. She pitted Jimmy against Nucky to begin with and coerced him to kill the Commodore.

 

[Matt]

Nailed it

It all came down to money, with Nucky. Even the way he treated Margret in their final encounter. "Do you expect me to apologize?" Of course not. He cut a deal to give her money...nothing more. No real remorse or regret about how he had treated her emotionally. Just cold, hard, cash. And it worked for her, because she was very much like Nucky. She jumped in bed with him because he could provide for her. Margret, like Nucky, sold her soul for money.

Jillian didn't. Jillian was maybe the one pure person in Nucky's life, until he corrupted her. Jillian was an orphan, she simply wanted a loving home. Nucky wouldn't give her that. She had no value to him. He told his wife, they couldn't afford to keep her. She was a cost, not a benefit, so he shipped her off. Until she became of value. Then he took this pure child and sold her to the Commodore.

And Nucky repeated his mistake with Jimmy. Early on, before his turn, Jimmy didn't want money, per se. He wanted the approval and love of the only father figure that he had really known (Nucky). Nucky's response? Ship him off to college and pay for it. Money. And when Jimmy got back from the war, Nucky could've done it again, by treating Jimmy with some love and respect. Instead he relegated him and treated him like a burden rather than a son, all the while, expecting Jimmy to be grateful for the money. This is why it was so damn easy for the Commodore to exploit Jimmy's desire for a true father and turn him against Nucky.

And then it happened for a third time. Tommy didn't want Nucky's money. He wanted his love. He wasn't sure if his grandmother loved or hated Nucky. Look at that scene between the two of them in the hotel...he reaches out to Nucky (who, in a weird way, is his grandfather). And Nucky screams at him, gives him money and throws him out. He tried again...and Nucky tried again to buy him, then he snapped.

In a weird way, the Darmondy family were the only pure people on Boardwalk Empire....until Nucky sunk his claws into each of them and one by one destroyed them. To Tommy's credit, he brought Nucky down with him.

 

[Matt]

Hm, interesting, so you guys think Jillian orchestrated the final scene?

No. Say what you will about Jillian, she genuinely loved Jimmy and Tommy. She wouldn't encourage Tommy to kill Nucky in broad view of a hundred people. Beyond that, Jillian has truly mentally deteriorated. She isn't capable of that anymore.

Beyond that, Tommy tried to reach out to Nucky. He didn't want to kill him. Killing him was an emotional response to how damn dismissive Nucky was being. For better or worse, Nucky was the one bit of family that Tommy had left. And Nucky just completely dismissed him. That drove Tommy over the edge.

 

[runawayboulder]

The only question I have is if those two cops were there to arrest Nucky or were they just there? I guess it doesn't matter at this point.

 

[galmorzu]

I gotta say, even with everything else in the finale, the biggest tear-jerker was Capone and his son. For a guy that scared the bejeezus out of me before, that scene was incredibly touching.

But yeah, I was really hard to feel bad for Nucky. Sure, it was too bad to see him go, but he really did it to himself, and had so many times to make some peace with his past and himself. This did feel like the only way for the show to end, and it was satisfying.

Now that the series is over, I can say that Richard still holds the title for most sob-inducing death.

 

[runawayboulder]

It was poetic justice that

Spoiler

Nucky was shot in the left cheek, in the same place he shot Jimmy.

 

[CrypticOne]

No. No.... Why did it have to end like that?!

 

[squeekness]

I thought it was sufficiently awesome. This show gave us consistency throughout. I am satisfied. Can't say that with Dexter or True Blood.

 

[Thundercrack85]

So... **** history?

Well, I didn't see that coming.

I have to say, it wasn't entirely unsatisfying, but I still wish this show had gone out on a high note in its prime. These last two seasons, well, will not be in my collection.

The scene with the primitive television was very well done though. Very eerie.

 

[The Shape]

It was the ending most of us saw coming, but still well done nonetheless. Boardwalk will be missed.

 

[Brother Jack]

The scene with the primitive television was very well done though. Very eerie.

Reminded me a little of Eraserhead.

 

[James]

It was a good ending, but I always found Nucky a hard character to root for and I think that really effected my opinion toward the show as a whole. If I'm not invested in the 'hero', I find it hard to keep interested. When Richard was around it was fun to cheer for him, and other characters (Van Alden, Capone) were fun to watch just to see what crazy nonsense they did next. But Nucky was just too cold, too uncaring (with occasional exceptions) for me to ever really get behind him.

I did enjoy Nucky's final scene with Eli, that was a nice bit.

Overall I really feel like my main reason for watching this season all the way through is because I'd watched all the others. The time jump, now that everything's over and done, was too long I think. I'm a fan of skipping forward, a year or two here and there, but making a seven year leap was a little much and I don't think it served the show well in the end.

On a positive note, the young actors they selected to play past version of Nucky, Eli and Gillian were spectacular -capturing nuances in the speech patterns of their older counterparts, and their general appearances (makeup obviously being a key factor). Probably the best 'past versions' of anything I've seen in live action. I hope they set the standard for future movies and TV shows.

All in all it was a darn good show, but not a great one in my personal rankings. It was a fun ride, although I can't see myself sitting through repeat viewings as I can with other series'. Steve Buscemi did an amazing job throughout, and that final moment was particularly well done, I just hope his next character is a bit more loveable than Nucky.

 

[L.A.]

It seemed right that Gillian's grandson was the one that killed Knuck. Thought he had went off with Richard's fiancee last season. I wanted Knucky to live but when u look back at how grimmey he was, that man had to die.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I do think they could have really done more to capture the mood / atmosphere of the thirties. The Great Depression was barely touched one. No mention of Dust Bowl, hyperinflation, the Nazis, the Scotsboro trial, etc.

But just little things. If this was season 1 they would have elaborate scenes with airplanes, art deco skyscrapers, etc.

That might be why I appreciated the scene with the mechanical television. That seemed like something Scorsese shot.

 

[antsman41]

Damn, that was beautiful.

Those flashbacks sure paid off, I'll eat crow on that.

Stunninf finale and final season. This show rarely had a weak point in its run... yes, I wish the time gap never happened/this season wasn't cut short/this being the last season but they sure made it count.

I'm curious on the whole cop thing at the end? Really satisfied that everything Nucky wanted in life actually bite him in the end. He never balanced money and family, how many times did children and a happy marriage weigh on him and how close he came time and time again yet he never took the leap (into that ocean).

Loved the Capone tie-back into his family, that's one thing I missed about his character. They sadly left that behind after they made him into the 'famous crime boss'.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

great, yet sad, finale but it was executed beautifully. i am really going to miss this show. despite how rushed and short this last season was, it was really well done.

that scene with Capone and his son

 

[Supernova]

The overall opinion is the time jump n short season hurt the show overall. There's positive and negatives but part of me cant help but think they did the time jump just to put[BLACKOUT] tommy in there[/BLACKOUT].

I'm glad Eli made it out alive but I feel his story is far from over. I still feel bad though for the actor portraying rothstein because we never got closure on him.

 

[StarLord]

What a truly great show it has been. You will be missed Boardwalk...

''To the lost''

 

[Longshot777]

Even though we all know the twist and what's going to happen, Terrence Winter and Co. still executed it beautifully and brilliantly.

From Capone's glamorous downfall, to Luciano's establishing the American Mafia, all the way to Nucky's flashback's rise and present fall intertwined with the Darmody Family.

What a great ending to a great show!!

While I think the Sopranos overall is still more of an innovating crime show than this, Boardwalk's finale, hands down, kills the Sopranos' one.

 

[antsman41]

The overall opinion is the time jump n short season hurt the show overall. There's positive and negatives but part of me cant help but think they did the time jump just to put[BLACKOUT] tommy in there[/BLACKOUT].

That's what I'm thinking... they said they wanted the closure of Prohibition but honestly they barely touched on that. You'd think we'd actually see the vote pass.