Boardwalk Empire

I remember this one time last year when Nucky shot a motherfucker*. Starts tomorrow.


*literally!

Interesting developments! I really appreciated the timely Egypt party (Tut's tomb was found in November 1922) and all the other stuff. Bobby Cannavale's character seems to have added a loose cannon factor.

Anyone know how much time passed since last season?

Two years was the amount that got bandied about. Really glad this show is back and obviously the highlight of the first episode was the third and final death. Jack Huston also continues to be the best character in the show, as Richard Harrow, as well. It's absolutely wonderful how he can display such emotion with that tin mask covering half his face.

I'm eagerly awaiting the next episode as it is going to be directed by Alik Sakharov (he directed GoT's "What is Dead May Never Die" and was in my mind the best shot episode of the second season).

I've gotta wonder - why would Nucky let Richard wander around unsupervised. He knows how dangerous that guy is, and his connection with Jimmy.

Harrow don't work for Nucky. Nucky ain't got shit on Harrow.

Calling it right now: series ending. Harrow standing over the corpses of all the male main characters. Silently, he reaches into a nearby suitcase and pulls out a mask made of gold. A rare smirk comes to his half-mouth. Scene.

15 months

Season 2 ended in August 1921. Season 3 picks up on December 31, 1922

So there were two kinds of frying bacon in this episode!

I meant more, why didn't they kill Harrow along with Jimmy. Seems like a big oversight on Nucky's part.

Collateral damage.

I knew in the back of my head (HA!) that Nucky wasn't going to let him go, but dear god did I sympathize with Owen right there.

What is Nucky's beef with Owen? I don't quite understand the tensions and loyalty talk between them. Did I forget some larger dispute they had?

When Nucky demands that Doyle take the backroads, Doyle looks to Owen for confirmation, which Nucky saw as a major slight against him. Owen was also ordered to take care of Rowland Smith three episodes ago, and in the end Nucky has to take care of it because Owen won't. It's more about establishing that Nucky intends to be feared by everyone, including his men.

I will be shocked if Nucky lets Mickey live in the next episode.

Also, while I'm posting, why is Van Alden even still in this series? I'm betting his subplot goes absolutely fucking nowhere.

This isn't True Blood! (I hope!)

Watching his fall from grace is a hell of a lot more interesting than Mrs. Thompson vs. The Hospital Guys. I've been assuming that where they're taking it is his transformation from the super-righteous to a life of crime. I'm interested to see if they make him a complete badass when he finally snaps and has an outlet for all his pent-up emotion.

I like how Owen starts by saying he respects Nucky because he made a place for him and then segues into "because you pay me". In the end, it's clear Nucky's saying you should respect him because he might put one in the back of your skull if you cross him.

I love how proper people were in the 20s. Even while asphyxiating someone during sex, it's a sign of good upbringing to refer to your partner as Mr. Rosetti.

Good call, that last episode pretty much ensures this.

It's a transition that's taking far too long. I realize it's about the journey, not the destination, but we've seen far too many scenes of Van Alden being lost in normal social situations. The point's been made and overmade. He's already done several things that were unconscionable for the pre-series Van Alden; a life of crime is a small step after the adultery, separation, murder, lying and so forth.

If he ends up working with the Irish, it'll be interesting to see how he interacts with Capone who, true to style, is escalating conflicts.

Is what happened with Gillian and the new "Jimmy" technically a Freudian slip?

Man, using Fimmy as a body was the first thing that popped up into my head when he came on the screen, but I didn't think they'd take Gillian all the way there. I figured he would just be her love slave forever. Dark. HARROW AIN'T GONNA LIKE THIS.

You could almost see Oedipus waving as Gillian's crazy train past him by.

On more general matters I'm getting fairly disappointed about how this season is shaping up. The central conflict between Gyp Rosetti and Nucky is taking too long to get into full gear, probably because they now have too many characters and plot threads ongoing. For instance while I think we've gotten a good amount of Harrow and Luciano most of the other smaller characters just haven't been around. When is the last time Nucky's butler came around? Has Michael Shannon - ostensibly the third bill star - had more than a dozen scenes this year? Where the hell has Stephen Graham's Al Capone gone? I understand they've decided to really focus on Nucky and his interactions in New York and Washington and how those segway into the Teapot Dome scandal and the Rothstein/Luciano/Rosetti/Eddie Cantor angles but it's really given short shrift to a number of the other characters. Likewise I think the whole crumbling marriage between Nucky and Margaret could have been condensed as it almost seems that the whole women's health class subplot was merely to set up that wonderful burn Margaret got on Billie Kent.

To be fair, Gillian doesn't have the cash flow for therapy right now.

This week's episode pays off the agent Van Alden side story in a great way. I haven't laughed so hard/been so horrified since the Mad Men lawnmower episode.

Why were the other crime lords so willing to abandon Enoch?

I suspect that Rothstein was a major deciding factor. But Rothstein's been clearly unhappy with Nucky's ability to manage his shit this season, so..

I think they had serious doubts Nucky could take on one of the five NY families and live (which is what Masseria represents).

Goddammit.

Ah, St. Louis is crap anyway.

Well saw that one coming. I just thought it'd be Nucky that pulled the trigger.

I wonder where the heroin dealers got the intel that they passed along to Masseria.

Seemed to me that they were just giving a warning since they had both attended Nucky`s get together.

Ah, you're probably right. I thought we were meant to infer more than that, but that's probably sufficient for a heightened alert and

I have to say I'm in love with the ongoing heroin subplot. Luciano and Lansky have been trying to get a partner for almost two seasons now. Basically half their scenes are "Hey. We got this great opportunity involving heroin. You want in?"

That season finale was pretty good.

Also,

I liked it a lot. I thought the season got stronger as they went along. I love it when they take a mundane concept like backstabbing and literally show you the old-timey version of it.

Also, can the guy who played Harrow get some recognition at Emmy time? Holy crap I bought that character all season long and what a way to end his storyline!

I would SO watch a Harrow spin-off.

I'm not sure Harrow could sell a show by himself, but I'd certainly be willing to watch him try.

Agreed that the season got stronger as it went on. After the mindblowing ending that was the S2 finale, I was sort of expecting.. more. More character deaths, more dramatic shake-up. It was solid, I'm just spoiled.

Our seasons, to me, have felt like: 1. Nucky is a popular and corrupt politician. 2. Nucky has to embrace being a violent boss sometimes. 3. Nucky mourns his path with distraction (through most of S3) and finally turns into a 'pure' mob boss. I thought the flower bit at the end was nicely symbolic of Nucky dropping his last bits of nice guy. On this road, S4 may be bloodier still.

I'm kind of relieved that Margaret is out. She was just hard to watch for most of this season, as her plotlines didn't really seem to be connected to anything other than period setting (and I guess as a last string for Nucky).

I loved Harrow's "I am a murderous force of nature" scene and how all the characters are like "wtf????"

Even with the stupid characters that pop in from time to time this is definitely one of the most consistently watchable shows I've seen.

I finally finished the last two episodes last night and wow, this was good.

All in all, can't wait until next season. This show has just gotten better as it's gone on.