Boardwalk Empire:

[MikeK]

Isn't anyone else watching this excellent HBO series?

Steve Buscemi has proven to be a flexible and really good actor having played everything from a degenerate low-life thief and killer in Fargo and a likeable dimwit lackey in The Big Lebowski to, now, Enoch Thompson, a very real, very corrupt New Jersey politician and bootlegger during the Prohibition era.

In case anyone else has been following this series, I've been fascinated with the progress of the Margaret Schroeder character, from a beaten and dejected wife of a brutal drunk to the concubine of the racketeering titular King of Atlantic City. She is a substantive and resourceful woman to say the least. And the depictions of the Roaring Twenties era are as good as it gets -- from the sets to the costumes, the music, the background situations, the parade of interesting, colorful characters and the fascinating turns of events.

I'd say Boardwalk Empire ranks with Deadwood and Rome as another of HBO's most artful productions. It has me looking forward to Sunday nights and I'd be interested in knowing what others think of it.

Love it. I watch it every week. Have you seen Homeland?

I've been watching Homeland but it's moving very slowly and I haven't gotten a grip on it yet. I really liked the principal character (Damian something) in Band of Brothers but I don't like him in this role. Offhand, I can think of half-a-dozen other actors who would fit the part much better.

At this point, and in spite of his Islamic adaptation, I don't believe he's been "turned" as the Carrie character believes he has. But she has moved closer to him now and a relationship is beginning to form. He seems attracted to her which makes me think his impotence with his wife is, rather than a psychological affliction, rooted in his adopted Islamic faith, which abhors adultery moreso than any other. Believing (correctly) that his wife has been intimate with another man (regardless of circumstances) she has become "unclean" to him.

So, it's getting interesting and we'll see what happens.

 

[MikeK]

Isn't anyone else watching this excellent HBO series?

Steve Buscemi has proven to be a flexible and really good actor having played everything from a degenerate low-life thief and killer in Fargo and a likeable dimwit lackey in The Big Lebowski to, now, Enoch Thompson, a very real, very corrupt New Jersey politician and bootlegger during the Prohibition era.

In case anyone else has been following this series, I've been fascinated with the progress of the Margaret Schroeder character, from a beaten and dejected wife of a brutal drunk to the concubine of the racketeering titular King of Atlantic City. She is a substantive and resourceful woman to say the least. And the depictions of the Roaring Twenties era are as good as it gets -- from the sets to the costumes, the music, the background situations, the parade of interesting, colorful characters and the fascinating turns of events.

I'd say Boardwalk Empire ranks with Deadwood and Rome as another of HBO's most artful productions. It has me looking forward to Sunday nights and I'd be interested in knowing what others think of it.

Love it. I watch it every week. Have you seen Homeland?

Homeland is ok. Id love to see them do something more realistic instead of turning a Marine, maybe having the President be a closet Muslim and Jihadist dedicated to destroying the country

That's a bit too cliche and warmed over from 24. Thus far it seems the Homeland writers are aiming for something a bit more exotic and unpredictable. However they bring it off I have a quiet suspicion that it's going to have an anti-Iraq involvement message.

At this stage I believe they are playing on awareness that most Americans harbor antipathy for the Islamic faith, which makes them assume this damaged Marine has adopted what is an evil bomb-throwers religion, thus orientation. But I think the anti-war message will be carried when this mistaken impression is revealed.

But, we'll see.

 

[MikeK]

Isn't anyone else watching this excellent HBO series?

Steve Buscemi has proven to be a flexible and really good actor having played everything from a degenerate low-life thief and killer in Fargo and a likeable dimwit lackey in The Big Lebowski to, now, Enoch Thompson, a very real, very corrupt New Jersey politician and bootlegger during the Prohibition era.

In case anyone else has been following this series, I've been fascinated with the progress of the Margaret Schroeder character, from a beaten and dejected wife of a brutal drunk to the concubine of the racketeering titular King of Atlantic City. She is a substantive and resourceful woman to say the least. And the depictions of the Roaring Twenties era are as good as it gets -- from the sets to the costumes, the music, the background situations, the parade of interesting, colorful characters and the fascinating turns of events.

I'd say Boardwalk Empire ranks with Deadwood and Rome as another of HBO's most artful productions. It has me looking forward to Sunday nights and I'd be interested in knowing what others think of it.

Love it. I watch it every week. Have you seen Homeland?

Me too. I just watched all of the Homeland episodes the other day. It's pretty good. It's copied off of an Israeli show. I wonder if the Israeli's had Gilad Shalit in mind?

Interesting thought.

I would like to be present during that young Israeli's de-briefing.

 

[Gem]

I thoroughly enjoy Boardwalk. Margaret is one of my favorite characters...reminds me a bit of the grit and will to survive that I imagine my grandmother and grandfather must have had when they left Ireland and came to the US.

 

[LoneLaugher]

We watch it. We watch Homeland as well.

I have a low tolerance for bad dialogue. I especially dislike it when the characters in the production ( who are members of the same profession ) spend time explaining details of a case/ issue to one another.

The other drama that we watch, Dexter, falls victim to this. The Miami cops in that show talk to each other like they are all rookies and have never solved a crime.

 

[Liability]

I've been watching it since last season. It's one of my favorite shows. The writing is great, the characters are deep and the cinematography is rich. At the moment, it's second only to The Wire in my list of favorite shows.

I must say. I almost always disagree with you on matters of political philosophy. And MikeK is also suspect in that realm. But the both of you are very close to being right on the money here.

I have been watching Boardwalk Empire on and off, mostly on. It is very well written. The acting is very very good. The realization of how similar we are to the folks in "those days" is startling and brought home particularly well via that show.

It ranks VERY close to Rome in my estimation, too.

And I was a HUGE fan of The Wire.

If I rep ya, man, don't take it badly. But such sophistication (you must be sophisticated, after all, if I agree with you, right?) merits some props.

 

[MikeK]

We watch it. We watch Homeland as well.

I have a low tolerance for bad dialogue. I especially dislike it when the characters in the production ( who are members of the same profession ) spend time explaining details of a case/ issue to one another.

The other drama that we watch, Dexter, falls victim to this. The Miami cops in that show talk to each other like they are all rookies and have never solved a crime.

The Dexter production is, from the opening shot, psychologically sick "entertainment."

 

[MikeK]

I thoroughly enjoy Boardwalk. Margaret is one of my favorite characters...reminds me a bit of the grit and will to survive that I imagine my grandmother and grandfather must have had when they left Ireland and came to the US.

She's one of my favorites, too. I saw her in a wonderful BBC movie called Gosford Park in which she played a novice servant in a noble manor and manifested the same strength of character as she does as Margaret.

But the winds are blowing now with the arrival of the fetching Irish fellow whom she is drawn to. What will come of it is inevitable but I wonder how it will affect Enoch when he finds out about it. So far he's been portrayed as ruthless but not insensitive and I believe he's become more attached to Margaret than he's consciously aware of.

I'm also wondering what role the maid will play in this emerging triangle.

 

[strollingbones]

nucky will dump her ass as soon as he finds out about her and irish....now dont you think she will get preggers by the irish?

jimmy is in torment....and what the hell is with his mother

 

[Sarah G]

I was pissed at Margaret for doing that. Shit.

Jimmy had better figure out his mother is a psychopath before she gets him killed.

 

[MikeK]

nucky will dump her ass as soon as he finds out about her and irish....now dont you think she will get preggers by the irish?

So many things are happening now I can't anticipate how Nucky would react to that. Right before he was shot there was a flirtation with an attractive woman at the affair which might have some bearing on his relationship with Margaret. And before attending that affair he appeared annoyed at being unable to find Owen who it seems has failed him as a bodyguard. As it is Nucky has a far more serious problem than Margaret's infidelity that he's not yet aware of.

At this point my attention is distracted by the vanAlden character. I am eager to see this fellow either in handcuffs or painfully murdered. He is the archetypal authoritarian hypocrite and is utterly contemptible.





jimmy is in torment....and what the hell is with his mother[/QUOTE]

 

[chanel]

I was confused by a few things this week.

1. What was the fight (murder) about in the men's room?
2. How did van Alden know Nucky was about to be shot?
3. What did Jimmy mean when he told Nucky to "make a decision" seconds before he was shot?

 

[Sarah G]

I was confused by a few things this week.

1. What was the fight (murder) about in the men's room?
2. How did van Alden know Nucky was about to be shot?
3. What did Jimmy mean when he told Nucky to "make a decision" seconds before he was shot?

1. What was the fight (murder) about in the men's room?

It was IRA related.

2. How did van Alden know Nucky was about to be shot?

Don't know how he knew it but I like the new Van Alden muddling in the muck, getting greedy and and more corrupt. Hope they ditch his wife too, he needs someone more exciting to spice up his role.

3. What did Jimmy mean when he told Nucky to "make a decision" seconds before he was shot?

I think it had to do with joining them. Now that I think more about it, it was the conversation with Jimmy's mother about making decisions. Jimmy wants to be the boss now and he sort of made the decision to rough Nucky up. Which was indecisive in and of itself. Didn't want him killed and he didn't want to completely let it go. He was trying to discipline Nucky.

 

[chanel]

Thanks sarah. My rep button isn't working for some reason. I'll hit you up later.

I guess Jimmy had a feeling that Nucky might survive? It just seems weird that you would ask someone to do something seconds before they are dead.

 

[Sarah G]

Thanks sarah. My rep button isn't working for some reason. I'll hit you up later.

I guess Jimmy had a feeling that Nucky might survive? It just seems weird that you would ask someone to do something seconds before they are dead.

Jimmy didn't want him killed, Eli did. I think he just wanted to show Nucky the possibilities of him not cooperating.

 

[strollingbones]

owen killed the black hand dude.....over conflicts that took place in ireland....i think the black hand is the protestant group

jimmy told nucky something nucky told him at one time.....

it not the right or wrong of it...but a man's ability to make the decision...nucky knew what he was saying i think

 

[MikeK]

I was confused by a few things this week.

1. What was the fight (murder) about in the men's room?

Owen did say the fellow had been an IRA-man turned informant to the "Black and Tan," which was a particularly cruel wing of the British occupation forces in Ireland. And Owen is an IRA assassin.

2. How did van Alden know Nucky was about to be shot?

I wasn't aware that vanAlden did know that. (Did I miss something?) The impression I have is Nucky isn't aware that vanAlden's wife already knows about Lucy and the baby, so Nucky thinks he has enough on vanAlden to control him. But vanAlden is letting Nucky believe that while he's decided to act as a double agent and cooperate with the federal prosecutor.

3. What did Jimmy mean when he told Nucky to "make a decision" seconds before he was shot?

I have no idea and am wondering about that, too. Were I to guess I'd say Jimmy is torn with second thoughts about killing Nucky and wasn't aware that the hit was going down when he decided to give Nucky a chance to bow out (the "decision"). But I suppose we'll find out next week.

 

[manifold]

Love the show.

Only about a million times better than the Sopranos ever was.

 

[Sarah G]

Love the show.

Only about a million times better than the Sopranos ever was.

With that ending on the Sopranos, forget them. And I have.

 

[MikeK]

nucky will dump her ass as soon as he finds out about her and irish....now dont you think she will get preggers by the irish?

Good question. Getting pregnant led to her coming to America to escape the punishing wrath of fanatical Irish Catholicism. Wouldn't it be poetic to end the series with a pregnant Margaret being finally accepted and received by her brother and sisters in the Irish slums of old New York?

jimmy is in torment....and what the hell is with his mother

Am I looking too deeply into that relationship or have I correctly detected a vague hint of an inverted Oedipal situation going on there?