'Lots of Noise from Such a Little Box': Boardwalk Empire Recapped
Now that Mad Men has closed up the home office for the year, Boardwalk Empire stands alone as required Sunday night viewing (apologies to Desperate Housewives and Al Michaels), so it's good that the episodes have gotten into a reliable -- if unspectacular -- groove.
"Family Limitations" found our anti-heroes of prohibition moving forward toward the status quo. Fresh off their tryst at the end of last week's episode, Nucky and Margaret were now taking things to the next level: clothed sex, Lysol contraception, paid-for three-bedroom flats, and infidelity. Y'know, the usual.
(About "clothed sex": At first, I thought Nucky and Margaret post-coital-y wearing their underwear was just a case of Kelly MacDonald having a no-nudity clause in her contract. Then she got fully naked, like two minutes later, meaning the scene was meant to juxtapose the wild nudity of Nucky's sex life with Lucy. On paper that works, but not in theory; Margaret is chaste, but not that chaste. Also, like it would take her so long to notice Nucky's chest scratches? Come on.)
In Chicago, Jimmy was relevant for the first time in weeks, as he helped plan the murder of Sheridan and his hammy Chicaaaaago accent. Then Jimmy friend-fought with Al Capone, stared wistfully into space and still hasn't gotten any closer to returning home. Y'know, the usual.
And in New York, Arnold Rothstein still knows all -- crystal balls are handy in this world! -- and seems to be getting a little fed up with Lucky Luciano and his horse co...well, y'know. The usual.
In some of these cases, the wheel spinning has provided opportunity for some brilliance. As in: the Torio Gang's takeover of Greektown was one of the best segments of the series thus far. You knew this particular massacre was coming -- that shot of Michael Pitt pointing a gun toward the camera has been shown on HBO promos for Boardwalk Empire since August -- but that didn't make the end result any less tense and visceral. It was the first time in six episodes that Boardwalk Empire left me slack-jawed. And it all goes back to Jimmy.
Here's why Jimmy is such a key to the Boardwalk Empire universe: He's not real. Whereas we know the fates of Lucky Luciano, Al Capone and Arnold Rothstein -- or can Wikipedia them at a moment's notice -- anything can happen to Jimmy. I couldn't have been the only one to think that Capone was going to kill him when the two had their "clear the air" meeting at the episode's end. (Michael Pitt has second billing, but he's not that famous where his death would be a crippling fame blow to the incubating series.) The scenes centered on Jimmy have an air of mystery, suspense and surprise; they work and they need to be more frequently folded into the action. When Jimmy is done right -- i.e.; not pining over cut hookers and orange ads -- his arc is what Boardwalk Empire does best.
(I know what you're thinking: Nucky isn't real either. Well, he is and he isn't -- Terence Winter might have changed his surname from "Johnson" to "Thompson," but he's not going to change that much. Plus, Steve Buscemi is the lead, so duh: Any retribution -- from the mafia or the FBI -- will not be happening to the Nuckster any time soon.)
Speaking of Nucky (in the parenthetical sense at least): Nose, meet On The. Did we really need multiple assertions that Nucky is a bad guy trying to be good? Isn't that the entire point of the show? When I complain about Boardwalk Empire lacking in comparison to The Sopranos or Mad Men, this is what I mean: On those shows, no one would have to say that they were trying to be good; on Empire, they closed an episode with the words, as if they were some big character reveal. Memo to the writers: Stop telling, start showing.
Anyway, another solid, slowly cooked episode -- though it might be time for an Amber Alert to be put out for Michael K. Williams -- that seems to be leading toward an explosive season finale. Like Sheridan, let's end in a hail of bullets:
· The less said about Nelson Van Alden's self-flagellation, the better. The Da Vinci Code called, etc. We knew Van Alden was a crazy, conservative maniac, we didn't need to see him whip himself with a belt.
· I had a hard time believing that Nucky would automatically assume Lucky Luciano was responsible for the robbery and not someone else. Though perhaps his prejudice against Italians usurped any basic logic or reason.
· Vincent Piazza and Gretchen Mol make quite a hot couple. That is all.
· Is it hard to believe that Jimmy would go from war hero errand boy to slick-haired mob kingpin in less than a few months? Yes. Do I care? Not really.
· More of this: "Maybe your cunnie isn't quite the draw you think it is." Kelly MacDonald, start picking out Emmy dresses.
Subscribe to the new Movieline on YouTube
Comments
The Kelly MacDonald nude scenes did not show her face. It was clearly a body double.
Also, like it would take her so long to notice Nucky’s chest scratches? Come on.
I don't think it was the first time she noticed the scars I believe it was the first time she called him out on it.
The Da Vinci Code called, etc. We knew Van Alden was a crazy, conservative maniac, we didn’t need to see him whip himself with a belt.
Yes we did. I've never seen or read The Da Vinci Code so I know nothing about Van Alden. In fact I think that was the best scene in the entire episode.
I was a bit hard on you last week Christopher, maybe unnecessarily, but the fact still remains that you have hard time with this show. And for those of us who are enjoying it, it is almost headache inducing to hear you rattle off week after week about what you don't like about it. It is as if you are constantly hoping for a scene or dialogue you won't like so you can say "See, See, I told you it's not as good as Mad Men." Well for those of us who are enjoying it we don't want it to be Mad Men or the Sopranos we just want to be Boardwalk Empire.
I think we need a moratorium on self-flagellation -- and I think it's another example of the Boardwalk Empire writers telling rather than showing. We didn't that scene. Unless, of course, it wasn't self-flagellation and was some perverse sex act, in which case, outstanding. That I have never seen on a television show.
These are recaps/reviews, Salty -- the point is to prattle on about stuff I liked and stuff I didn't like. I haven't actually disliked an episode of Boardwalk Empire since episode two, so right now the show has an 80 percent hit rate for me. That's pretty darn good.
I don't need a scene to say it's not as good as Mad Men; for me, it's not as good as Mad Men. Or The Sopranos. Case closed. That's fine -- it doesn't necessarily have to be -- but when a show is attempting to do what those shows did/do, comparisons must be made. Matthew Weiner and David Chase were much less clunky with how they established their stories and characters; to this point, Terence Winter has not followed in their deep footsteps.
Unless, of course, it wasn't self-flagellation and was some perverse sex act...
How were you unable to identify this? Did you not see him staring at the picture of Margaret the entire time? The flagellation was a way for him to to get off (some people get off from pain) and not have to masturbate, i.e. commit a sin.
but when a show is attempting to do what those shows did/do, comparisons must be made
Who says Boardwalk Empire is attempting to do what those shows do/did?
This show is trying to tell the story of prohibition Atlantic City through interesting and engrossing characters and plot lines. That is the job of every writer (and director). Why not just compare every show from Breaking Bad----Glee to Mad Men and The Sopranos on these grounds?
I don't need a scene to say it's not as good as Mad Men; for me, it's not as good as Mad Men
Thank You Christopher, I think you just proved my point. All t.v. shows are just a cumulation of scenes, so this simply means your intense love for two other television series are completely biasing your judgement of this one. You aren't watching it for what it can be, you are watching it to look for what it isn't.
Furthermore I consider The Sopranos to be nothing but a second rate Goodfellas, which is quite sad because Goodfellas was nothing but a second rate Godfather.
"How were you unable to identify this?"
Identify what, exactly? Van Alden's self-flagellation, with the information we currently possess, can either be viewed as punishment for his impure thoughts toward Margaret or for a way for him to get himself off. Considering he wasn't getting off, I'm guessing it was the former: Punishment. If it's the latter, which isn't very obvious or stated at this point, despite your remark about my ignorance, then that's a direction I'd enjoy seeing Boardwalk Empire go.
As for the other stuff: You're losing me. Everything biases everything. Your love of The Godfather biases your opinions of Goodfellas and The Sopranos. What's the point exactly?
Your love of The Godfather biases your opinions of Goodfellas and The Sopranos.
No. While I think The Godfather is a great film I definitely wouldn't say I love it. I try to view things objectively and not let my love of one thing impair my judgement of another. Unless one thing is blatantly copying or trying to be another, which is not the case with Boardwalk Empire.
False. Watch it again please.
Chris, I agree with you about Van Alden. If it was sexual pleasure for him than it was not obvious enough and therefore a big fail on the writers parts. I am happy leaving it as 'punishment for impure thoughts.' Im not sure why you have to compare it to the The DaVinci Code, like Dan Brown was the first person to write a character who whipped himself, the scene was still very intense and powerful, imo.
Salty, I also agree with you on the last part. Im pretty sick of reading these reviews every Monday and disagreeing with almost everything. Chris, Im sorry if you think Im just a hater, but your overall attitude/approach toward reviewing this show makes little to no sense to me. These reviews don't even read like reviews at all, they are more like comparisons to other shows that you like and complaining about what you didn't like. You spend more time talking about what you thought SHOULD have happened than analyzing the things that DID happen. And the constant comparisons to other shows is a though issue. Meaning we all compare the shows and films we watch to ones we've seen in the past, almost on a subconscious level. This is something I try very hard not to do because it takes me out of the reality of the world the show has created, therefore making the experience less enjoyable, and who wants that? I know it's hard to not make comparisons, but that doesn't mean they should be reiterated in a review of the show and cited as reasons for not liking it.
Maybe you should just make your own show called "Chriswalk Empire" and every week you can remake the Boardwalk episode any way you want.
You false. You watch again.
It was definitely a body double. They never show her face and her nakedness at the same time.
Maybe if the show did a better job of creating it's own world, instead of relying on The Sopranos, Mad Men and nearly every other mafia movie from the last twenty years for it's beats, I wouldn't have to compare it to other, superior shows/movies. Alas, that isn't the case.
As for your final comment: Why would I make my own show? That's such a ridiculous, knee-jerk comment that it renders the rest of your thoughts almost irrelevant.
Van Alden puts his wife's picture face down. He puts Margaret's picture where he can stare at it. He puts a towel under himself. His groans crescendo. What do you need? A camera in his pants?
He doesn't want his wife to see him punishing himself, he puts the picture down because he's ashamed of his thoughts. He puts Margaret's picture there because he wants to see his tormentor. His groans are actually moans of agony. Since he's beating himself. With a belt. What do you need? A camera, etc., etc.?
He is not a flagellant. A flagellant is proud to whip themselves because it provides them with a greater sense of afterlife. The pain felt in this world will be rewarded in the hereafter. If he were proud of his flagellant lifestyle, he wouldn't have turned his wife's picture over. Because she would probably be aware of it thus not making him feel ashamed. He is a crazy conservative pervert, like most dudes back then.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yml_-Mx82wY
Here is a clip of Nelson's self flagellation if you haven't seen it