by Lee Padrick, November 25, 2013
Boardwalk Empire S4E12
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Witness the ebb and flow of organized crime.
Going into the season finale of Boardwalk Empire's fourth season, the viewer knows that someone that is germane to the series is going to die. The second double-cross of Nucky by his brother Eli suggests that Eli is not long for this world, set in the 1920s. And Eli does everything in his power to earn a bullet between the eyes. He has turned on his brother, not once, but twice. One more time, and we have a Roaring 20's Peter on our hands.
by Lee Padrick, November 2, 2013
Boardwalk Empire S4E8
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Lots of danger comes to Atlantic City. And not everyone will survive.
This episode delivers that slow burn tension that is the hallmark of Boardwalk Empire. There are many dangers in this gangster life, and not all of them involve an underling with a gun and a contract.
by Lee Padrick, November 1, 2013
Boardwalk Empire S4E6
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Nucky (Steve Buscemi) is in a different place, and not just geographically. He is looking for something in Tampa, and it appears he may have found it in Sally Wheet (Patricia Arquette).
He meets with Margaret (Kelly MacDonald) in New York City as he is travelling to Tampa, and the reception he receives from his estranged wife is lukewarm, to be kind. He leaves her the gift he bought for Teddy's birthday, then continues his journey.
by Lee Padrick, October 14, 2013
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
This episode of Boardwalk Empire established the rise of one Meyer Lansky. We see Agent Knox, Hoover, and the FBI charting the gangs that run criminal enterprises throughout the northeastern portion of the country, and we know historically that Lansky, along with Lucky Luciano, is credited as the founder of organized crime.
by Lee Padrick, October 14, 2013
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
Well, I didn't see that coming. Maybe there was lots of foreshadowing, but I somehow missed it. So I was surprised at what transpired at the end of this good episode.
Clayton's being charged with the murder of Bucky!
by Lee Padrick, September 27, 2013
WARNING - This review contains spoilers
Change of venue! We're in Tampa this week.
Our anti-hero, Nucky, goes down to Tampa to hear a proposition about expanding his empire, without newly minted consigliere, Eddie. Nuck meets up with Bill McCoy, who has set up a meeting with Gus Tucker, the local Tampa crime boss. While he's enjoying a drink, he overhears Skeeter, a young real estate hustler, closing a deal on a lot in a new subdivision. He strikes up a conversation with Skeeter and finds out about the residential development that's happening in 1920's Tampa ($1,000 lots, I'll take 10!). Armed with this information, he attends his meeting with Tucker, a rather unsophisticated (i.e. redneck) gentleman. The plan is to bring in the liquor by boat, and ship it via trucks to distribution points. Nucky's concerned about the influx of new residents flocking to the area, and turns the deal down.
by Lee Padrick, September 19, 2013
WARNING - This review contains spoilers!
Richard Harrow has lost his desire to kill!
Our favorite disfigured psychopath has developed Dexter-like feelings. We find out from his visit with his pregnant sister that their father died last April, and it appears Sis is in danger of losing the family homestead. Also, the folks he killed last week from the Old Mission Title Insurance company were targets identified by a Harrow acquaintance, and Richard was hired to dispatch them. But Richard, who throughout the show's history has always appeared to long for a normal family life, is having difficulty with killing. First, he can't put the suffering family dog down, and then he can't take care of his target after finding out the man has a family. What a difference a week makes! But we all know that he will likely be drawn back into the assassination game before this season concludes. His character development will be fun to watch.
Eddie wants some R-E-S-P-E-C-T! He's being passive-aggressive at first, then demands that Nucky either accept his resignation or give him a "promotion." The scene where Nuck asks Eddie his opinion in front of the Mayor is priceless! Nucky extorts a cut of the Mayor's new construction project with the assistance of Eddie's soliloquy and by the end of the episode, Eddie has been given a more active role in the financial dealings of the Nuckster's racket. He's even going to get a safe deposit box in his own name. I don't think that bodes well for him, but we'll watch to see how that plays out.
Agent Knox is undercover for a young J. Edgar Hoover! Nice twist from the writers, especially considering this is only the second episode of the season. We should have known that the "simpleton" persona was just an act. But there's more going on with Knox than his undercover work. Last episode, he set Sawicki up when Van Alden's old partner walked into a booby trap. I like the way Knox has been introduced and developed so far, and the addition of Hoover will give the show some new creative avenues to pursue.
Speaking of simpletons, we get our first look at Van Alden, presently in the employ of O'Bannion. He is loaned to Capone and is part of the goon squad that shows up at a mayoral candidate's campaign rally. Sadly, Van Alden appears to be the only thug that gets bloodied, as the campaign event crashers take bats, pipes, and fists to the candidate's supporters. Gotta love democracy in the 1920's. And Van Alden's wife is still spunky and doting. I can't figure out where Van Alden's story is going; he was much more ominous early in the series, now he just serves as comic relief. Let's hope his character gets a more prominent role as the season progresses.
Lastly, we get an introduction to Dr. Valentine Narcisse, played by veteran character actor Jeffrey Wright. Dr. Narcisse is a Marcus Garvey accolate, and to quote the great Slim Pickens:
"You use your tongue prettier than a $20 whore."
Likely this season's antagonist (we'll see), the voluble Narcisse approaches Chalky about the killing of Dickie, who was Narcisse's employee. And he has the missing Mrs. Dickie with him! Chalky feels inferior around the literate and educated Narcisse, and acts out when Narcisse asks for Dunn, in retaliation for Dickie. Nucky intervenes and gives Narcisse a 10% cut of the Onyx Club, much to the chagrin of Chalky. Then Narcisse eliminates Mrs. Dickie after her usefulness is exhausted. And where does he dispose of the body? Why, the Mayor's construction site, of course.
This season is shaping up nicely, and I'm looking forward to how Narcisse will mix with the main characters. Plus, we're going on a vacation to Florida with the Nuckster soon, so Boardwalk's world will expand. So far, so good.
Random Thoughts:
- Gaston Means gets a cameo!
- No Margaret so far, we'll have to see if she's still a player.
- Who is the mystery man that kills Harrow's target at the end?
What did you think?
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by Lee Padrick, September 16, 2013
WARNING - This review contains spoilers - WARNING
Boardwalk Empire kicked off their fourth season on September 8th. This fall period piece, for me, is fun to watch. Not only does it take place in an interesting time in American history (the 1920s, pre-Great Depression), but it contains some of the best developed characters of any contemporary show. The creator/executive producer is Terrence Winter of Sopranos fame, and he brings a similar level of intensity that David Chase used to make TV history about ten years ago.
The season kicks off with two guys at a bar in a nondescript midwestern town. These two unknowns (because of the dark lighting, I thought one of the guys was Van Alden; thankfully not) are delivering an envelope from Old Mission Title Insurance to Ohio. We quickly get a Richard Harrow sighting as he dispatches the two gentlemen, courtesy of a Columbian necktie and a bullet, respectively. Later, our favorite disfigured sociopath kills the President of Old Mission. Then shows up on his sister's doorstep. Why? I dunno, but any Richard is better than no Richard.
Gillian is trying to sell the mansion and herself ($30 for the regular, plus $10 for oral gymnastics, don't know how much that comes to in present dollars), possibly to support her new heroin habit that Gyp introduced her to last season. I don't know much about disclosure laws back in 1924, but she should probably mention to potential buyers that the property was a Bunny Ranch precursor and the site of the infamous Richard Harrow massacre. And she's also in court, fighting a custody battle for young Tommy against the Sagorsky lady. But she meets a potential buyer that will likely be with us all season, in the form of Roy Phillips (Ron Livingston from Office Space and Band of Brothers), a Piggly Wiggly executive that is in charge of expanding operations in the Northeast.
Al Capone is bringing his brothers in on his operations, and one of them is Herc from The Wire! Al's complaining that a local reporter spelled his name wrong, so he goes down to the newspaper's office and slaps the young 22 year old writer on the back of the head. A tense scene, but the young Jimmy Olsen-wannabe faired very well in the exchange, considering he gets to keep writing and breathing. If Stephen Graham had shown this kind of moxy in Snatch, I bet Brick Top would have shown him more respect. Also, his brothers call him "Snorky."
We check in on Nucky, and he's meeting with Joe Massiera, Lucky, Arnold Rothstein, and Meyer Lansky. Lucky is now firmly the Number Two in the Massiera organization, and Lansky is A.R.'s Assistant Gangster In Charge (AGIC?), so it will be interesting to see how the Lucky/Lansky partnership develops under these constraints.
Eli's oldest son, Billy, is now attending Temple, but he's homesick and wants to get a gig in the family business. And he has a mancrush on his Uncle Nucky. He admits to Nucky that he now smokes, and Nucky warns him that college and smoking is where his own bad habits originated. So let that be a warning to you kids out there, a cigarette today can lead to a future RICO indictment.
Also, Nucky is Margaret-less and has his eye on a new starlet in town, who's willing to trade her womanly wiles for a shot at a starring role on Broadway. Once she admits her intentions (post-coital, of course), Nucky has a recovered-but-disabled Eddie show her the door.
But let's not forget Chalky's new adventure. He's running the Onyx Club (formerly Babette's) and he's working with Dickie, a talent manager. Dickie's perky wife has the hots for Dunn Purnsley, even playing Charades on a cocktail napkin to illustrate her willingness to engage in pre-Depression kama sutra with the Chalkster's Number Two (I think I like AGIC for Number Two). AGIC Purnsley engages in the tryst, only to get caught in the middle of some odd voyeurism thing that Dickie and his wife engage in. After suffering a racial slur and Dickie touching himself while Dunn re-engages the Mrs. Dickie, Dunn snaps and kills the talent scout with a broken bottle. Chalky gives him a lecture about playing well with others, and the two of them with Nucky and Eli dispose of the body somewhere on the frozen tundra of the greater Atlantic City area.
Boardwalk Empire is back and the season looks promising.
Random Thoughts:
- The bartender in the opening scene looked familiar, but I can't place him.
- Did I mention Dickie's wife was perky?
- No Van Alden (boo!), Jeffrey Wright, or Margaret in the opener.
- Is $40 a good deal 60 years prior to the invention of aciclovir?
What did you think?
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by Lee Padrick, Friday, September 13, 2013
The mornings and nights are getting cooler, the leaves are turning brown, and football season has started. What does that mean? The fish are feasting for the winter ahead and TV shows are premiering. Its a beautiful time of the year.
Fall, just a few years ago, meant the broadcast and cable networks kick-started stalwarts and unveiled new scripted fare. That "new show/fall" mentality has been upended somewhat over the past ten years, but this is still the time of year that most networks refresh themselves.
Between now and the Christmas break, I'll be reviewing some select shows. Those on my list include:
- Homeland (Season 3)
- Masters of Sex (Season 1, new on Showtime)
- Walking Dead (Season 4)
- Boardwalk Empire (Season 4)
TV shows often are at their peak in seasons three and four. Many theories abound, but I believe that networks, producers, writers, actors, and fans have sufficiently built a world with well developed characters within the show by 24 - 36 episodes, and all are at their creative peak. We'll test this theory over the next 3 months together.
I'll also be talking about shows that are finishing up their seasons, like Dexter, Ray Donovan, The Bridge, and The Newsroom. I have a few Tivos full of stuff I've been trying to find some time to watch, like Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun, Broadchurch, and the History Channel's Vikings (which has been sitting in a folder on a Tivo, only gotten through 4 episodes thus far). Plus, I'll be watching random stuff on Netflix and I'm sure I'll feel compelled to write about it.
So keep checking back regularly and enjoy some of the best TV that we may ever see. The Golden Age of TV is here!
Random Thoughts:
- Had to edit Broadchurch because I spelled it "Broadchuck." Did I mention I'm going to miss Yvonne Strahovski when Dexter ends?
- Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) deserves a spin-off.
- Jesse "Todd Landry" Plemons is cast in a potential HBO project called The Missionary.
- Scandal is going to be my guilty pleasure this fall.
What will you be watching?
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