Boardwalk Empire

[Grouchy]

I'm the complete opposite of everything Mr. Pink is saying. The moral ambiguity and the focus on sexual kinks and psychology of the characters is what keeps me hooked. If you take that away, the show becomes a gangster routine with predictable outcomes. We all know Nucky won't go to prison or die before the end of the show so he will have to defeat his enemies.

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I don't think Jimmy fucked his mom just because he was drunk, but because there was an incest dynamic in his relationship with her that was already pretty established.

]

[Mr. Pink]

I'm the complete opposite of everything Mr. Pink is saying. The moral ambiguity and the focus on sexual kinks and psychology of the characters is what keeps me hooked. If you take that away, the show becomes a gangster routine with predictable outcomes. We all know Nucky won't go to prison or die before the end of the show so he will have to defeat his enemies.

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I don't think Jimmy fucked his mom just because he was drunk, but because there was an incest dynamic in his relationship with her that was already pretty established.

]

Moral ambiguity is okay with me, but the extreme detail given to the sexual kinks and psychology of the characters seems almost entirely unnecessary.

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Consider the scene from season one where Van Alden is whipping himself. Okay, he's a sado-masochist. Is that important? Don't we already know he's bat-shit crazy from previous scenes? So why is that important in any way? I mean, I like the scene, but I don't see how it's that important/necessary.

Prior to showing us Jimmy slept with his mom, Jimmy didn't seem to be playing into her unhealthy obsession with him. But it turns out he slept with her, and they're both weirdos, so I can't relate to him as a character anymore. Not only that, but I don't like him as a character anymore (even though he's dead). They could have left it at her unhealthy obsession with him without destroying his character in the process. So he left for the war to escape the shame he felt for sleeping with his mom? Yeah, it sucks, but if they wanted me to feel sorry for him, that's not the way to do it.


I can handle a certain level of weirdness in small doses, but this show overloads basically every main character with some sort of incredibly strange personal flaw that, taken as a whole, is too much to take seriously. They've managed to assemble the strangest group of people I've seen on any show, and I don't really buy it anymore. It doesn't seem like an accurate portrayal of reality, even considering how weird a lot of people are.

Jimmy is married to a lesbian, has a incestuous relationship with his crazy mom, hangs out with a suicidal guy with half his face missing, does heroine, plots against his father figure with said father figure's insane brother, all the while being chased by a religious sado-masochist that is cheating on his wife with another crazy person. I know people aren't perfect, but holy shit.

]

So that's where my frustration comes from. The relationships on that show are just too fuckin' weird for me to handle.

[Scar]

Definitely like the show, finished S2 a week or so ago. I like the Butcher character (surprise, surprise) so much that I'll talk like him around the house. Not sure if my wife is annoyed at it yet.

[Acapelli]

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Consider the scene from season one where Van Alden is whipping himself. Okay, he's a sado-masochist. Is that important? Don't we already know he's bat-shit crazy from previous scenes? So why is that important in any way? I mean, I like the scene, but I don't see how it's that important/necessary.

]

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he wasn't whipping himself to get some kind of pleasure out of it, at least that's not the way i saw it. i thought he was executing some kind of religious penance

anyway, the only thing that made me happy to see jimmy get killed is that we'd never have to suffer through some "jimmy's heroin addiction" storyline, which i thought for sure was coming

]

[Morris Schæffer]

I hadn't seen that ending coming although, by its very nature, tv shows must have some cliffhangery shit going on. [

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So to be clear, it's still Eli that's the rotten apple here right? Jimmy was genuinely meaning to make amends with Nuck?

]

[Qrazy]

I hadn't seen that ending coming although, by its very nature, tv shows must have some cliffhangery shit going on. [

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So to be clear, it's still Eli that's the rotten apple here right? Jimmy was genuinely meaning to make amends with Nuck?

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Yes, Eli will be trouble down the road and my guess is will tell Nuck that he was wrong about Jimmy at some point (when Eli gets his comeuppance) which will probably crush Nuck somewhat.

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[amberlita]

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Yes, Eli will be trouble down the road and my guess is will tell Nuck that he was wrong about Jimmy at some point (when Eli gets his comeuppance) which will probably crush Nuck somewhat.

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But it's not that simple is it? I don't believe Nucky killed Jimmy because he didn't think Jimmy genuinely wanted to patch things up. He killed him because no matter how you slice it, Jimmy betrayed him this season and he couldn't let that go. The trouble is that so did Eli and Nucky will be pissed that he believed Eli when he said he had nothing to do with the attempt on Nucky's life. He may regret killing Jimmy down the line for other reasons but they both lied to him in a way. Jimmy may have tried to avoid the assassination attempt at one or two points but ultimately he did give the go and Eli pushed for the decision.

Unless I'm recalling events incorrectly. I admit I didn't see every single episode.

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[Qrazy]

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But it's not that simple is it? I don't believe Nucky killed Jimmy because he didn't think Jimmy genuinely wanted to patch things up. He killed him because no matter how you slice it, Jimmy betrayed him this season and he couldn't let that go. The trouble is that so did Eli and Nucky will be pissed that he believed Eli when he said he had nothing to do with the attempt on Nucky's life. He may regret killing Jimmy down the line for other reasons but they both lied to him in a way. Jimmy may have tried to avoid the assassination attempt at one or two points but ultimately he did give the go and Eli pushed for the decision.

Unless I'm recalling events incorrectly. I admit I didn't see every single episode.

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I don't think that Nucky did think Jimmy genuinely wanted to patch things up. I think he bought Eli's lie. And the reason he bought it is because of the core beliefs he tells himself he believes... family first, always. Eli is his blood brother while Jimmy is just a sort of semi-adopted son. It was easier for him to accept Eli's lie than to accept Jimmy's honesty.

Eli suggested the decision. Jimmy didn't want to but did go along with it.

]

[Grouchy]

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Prior to showing us Jimmy slept with his mom, Jimmy didn't seem to be playing into her unhealthy obsession with him. But it turns out he slept with her, and they're both weirdos, so I can't relate to him as a character anymore.

]

Why?

So that's where my frustration comes from. The relationships on that show are just too fuckin' weird for me to handle.

That's a subjective reaction and I can understand it if not share it.

I think a lot of the crazy shit that you complain about comes from a historical perspective the show takes which focuses on the asexual and religious education the characters have because of the time period they grew up with. The writers are attempting to show how the characters don't understand their own sexual feelings. And, in that context, I think that bastard children, being married to a lesbian (or at least a woman who experiments with lesbianism) or having an Oedipal relationship are not completely incredible events.

[Mr. Pink]

Why?

Just the obvious reason. If I knew him in real life, that would definitely be the friendship deal-breaker for me. You know, not counting the murdering people and stuff.

That's a subjective reaction and I can understand it if not share it.

I think a lot of the crazy shit that you complain about comes from a historical perspective the show takes which focuses on the asexual and religious education the characters have because of the time period they grew up with. The writers are attempting to show how the characters don't understand their own sexual feelings. And, in that context, I think that bastard children, being married to a lesbian (or at least a woman who experiments with lesbianism) or having an Oedipal relationship are not completely incredible events.

That's what bugs me about the show. It seems like they are using the time period as an excuse to cram all these dysfunctional relationships into the same small group of characters just for the hell of it. Those sorts of things aren't exclusive to that time period, so they're not as interesting as I think the writers think they are.

They definitely aren't incredible events, but the show comes off a bit phony for me, since I can't imagine any group of people that closely related with that many varied psychological problems/dysfunctional relationships. Or, rather, I'd prefer they didn't focus on it so much. A little is okay, but this show goes overboard with them. It's really just not that interesting, either way.

[Ezee E]

First two episodes. Meh.

But that appears to be the consensus here.

[Thirdmango]

I don't know if I said it here but I got up to episode 9 the other day. As long as I'm watching it I think this show is pretty good, whenever I'm not watching I forget it exists.

[Lucky]

I'm giving this show another chance in hopes that I'll be caught up in time for the S3 premiere. Halfway through S1 right now, better than I remembered it. I like Jimmy's transformation in this episode. Reminded me of Michael Corleone's restaurant scene, but perhaps that's because I just watched The Godfather last week.

[Lucky]

D'oh! Just read a spoiler on the last page that I wish I hadn't. You guys can't talk about sexual kinks and then throw in a spoiler box. I have no willpower.

Liking this more and more. Up to 1.9 now.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Solid premiere. Michael Shannon makes the most mundane of scenes super compelling.

[Acapelli]

loved the eli and chalky stuff in this ep

"Am I interesting now?"

[Morris Schæffer]

Season four confirmed.

[Qrazy]

Great ep.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Just came to say the same thing. Michael Shannon is unbelievable.

[Acapelli]

last night's ep was excellent

[ThePlashyBubbler]

"Bible Camp's canceled."

[slqrick]

Holy shit.

[Qrazy]

They are really stepping things up. This might be the best season yet.

[Acapelli]

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i fistpumped

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Great finale, solid season.

Apparently Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos are joining the writing staff for season 4, both did great work on the last two or three seasons of The Wire.