I was a bit hesitant to start watching the series finale for Boardwalk Empire. I didn’t even have it in me to watch it until a few days after it aired. Why was I so hesitant? Probably for a number of reasons. A part of me wasn’t ready to say goodbye to a series I …
“Too late” was the operative phrase for Boardwalk Empire’s final hour. Too late for salvation, too late for romance, too late for redemption, and ultimately, too late for survival.
Three seasons ago Enoch “Nucky” Thompson met his former protege, Jimmy Darmody, in a dusty field and told him that he wasn’t seeking redemption. And then he shot him in the head. Twice. Things have changed.
Two of Boardwalk Empire’s most longstanding veterans waved the long goodbye tonight in one of the hardest, heaviest, and most integral episodes the series has ever delivered.
As Boardwalk Empire rounds the curve toward its curtain call, we’re given an episode that moves things along nicely while calling several characters to account for their actions.
With “Cuanto” we mark the halfway point of the final season, and its first major death. As fans of Boardwalk will attest, though, the only real surprise was that it took as long as it did. If you were running the numbers in Vegas, or Atlantic City for that matter, the odds would come up quick that there will likely be a lot more to come. If only Arnold Rothstein was still around to roll the dice on that one.
There is an air of finality to even this first episode of Boardwalk Empire’s final season. From the opening scene to the final moments, “Golden Days for Boys & Girls” has the distinct feeling of a ticking clock. Ironically while the episode takes its sweet time, from skipping out on several of the shows most notable characters to adding in a recurring flashbacks of the childhood of the Thompsons, it only further solidifies the fact that this is the end. Like the last ruminating drink of a dying man, the simplest of things only matter more with the end in sight.
So far this season, being a new viewer of Boardwalk Empire has not been a hindrance. While there are undoubtedly depths to character motivations and emotional shadings that have gone unremarked upon over the past five weeks, on the whole the storylines have been fairly clear. This changes with “The North Star”, with a solid chunk of the episode dedicated to characters those of us who jumped in at season four barely know. This is the risk of jumping in mid-series, one this critic believes is worth taking, but which becomes difficult to deal with none the less.
Anna Karenina Written for the screen by Tom Stoppard Directed by Joe Wright UK/France, 2012 For most of its running time, Joe Wright’s version of Anna Karenina takes place within interior confines, with nearly every scene occurring on a set of noticeable stages. There are no attempts to disguise the artificiality of the film’s appearance: …
Boardwalk Empire Episode 3.09 ‘A Milkmaid’s Lot’ Written by: Rolin Jones Directed by: Ed Bianchi Airs Sunday 9.00pm EST on HBO Three episodes out and we’re building for the season finale. This is always a difficult time for a series fan. The writers have to keep the big plot twists both secret, but also completely …
Boardwalk Empire, Season 3, Episode 6: “Ging Gang Goolie” Written by Steve Kornacki Directed by Ed Bianchi Airs Sunday 9.00pm EST on Sunday Ever since the sad departure of showgirl Lucy Danziger from the show in Season 2, leaving her baby girl to the tender care of Nelson Van Alden (which is a bit like …
Boardwalk Empire, Season 3, Episode 4: “Blue Bell Boy” Written by David Stenn Directed by Kari Skogland Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO Another episode without Michael Shannon and that disappointed me. I love the way he keeps his features granite still, signifying extreme emotional stress, like when Nelson Van Alden’s wife makes a …
Boardwalk Empire, Season 3, Episode 3, “Bone For Tuna” Written by Chris Haddock Directed by Jeremy Podeswa Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO Top moment this week: watching Bobby Cannavale and Gretchen Mol in their first scene together. It’s like watching a Great White and a cobra face off. Two entirely different but equally …
Boardwalk Empire Review, Season 3, Episode 2, “Spaghetti and Coffee” Directed by Howard Korder Written by Alik Sakharov Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO I knew this episode of Boardwalk Empire was in trouble before it even started and that was because of the length of the recap. We’re only two episodes into the …
Anna Karenina Written for the screen by Tom Stoppard Directed by Joe Wright UK/France, 2012 For most of its running time, Joe Wright’s version of Anna Karenina takes place within interior confines, with nearly every scene occurring on a set of noticeable stages. There are no attempts to disguise the artificiality of the film’s appearance: …
Boardwalk Empire Review, Season 3, Episode 1, “Resolution” Directed by Tim Van Patten Written by Terence Winter Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO If we were all asking ourselves how Season 3’s premiere would top the dark and bloody finale to Season 2, it took about thirty seconds for the answer to be handed …
Brave Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman Written by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman USA, 2012 2012 has undoubtedly been the year of the strong female heroine in cinema. Brave has followed suit in keeping up with the trend after The Hunger Games and Snow White and the Huntsmen both killed at the box-office, each riding high on the oppressed …