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Re: Boardwalk Empire
After 7 episodes it's already getting close to topping Sopranos and Deadwood. The show is incredible in every way. Music, photography, characters, acting, script. Just a real solid package. It may lack the enigmatic lead character of Swearengen and Tony, but over all I think it's a much tighter show. Whereas in the other shows there could be some dull moments with the smaller characters, in Boardwalk Empire even the bit parts are engaging and fleshed out.
The Sopranos writers seem to have blossomed, and this show might end up being the pinnacle of their career. Michael Pitt is going to explode after this, such a great actor, such a screen presence, and the looks to land big Hollywood leads.
Check it out if you haven't already, this is history in the making. Be aware though it make take a few episodes to get into, cause it definitely doesn't underestimate the viewer.
I disagree. I think Nucky Thompson (Buscemi) is just as much a enigmatic character as Al Swearengen or Tony Soprano. As a matter of fact, when I watched the pilot, those are the first two guys he reminded me of as a lead, probably Swearengen moreso than T.
I need to get caught up. I haven't seen Episodes 6 or 7. Need to get caught up on Sons of Anarchy too.
I think I started to question where Boardwalk was going around Episode 4, but it picked right back up. It knows what it's doing, and right now what it's doing is some of the best TV out there.
Re: Boardwalk Empire
I retract my earlier statement about "the best TV out there". Once again the show took a dip with Episodes 7 & 8.
The show started really strong with the first two episodes, then took a dip around Episodes 3 & 4 like I stated earlier. However it rebounded strong with Episodes 5 & 6, and I just assumed it was finding it's feet and heading back up and going to get better and better.
However the show seemingly took another slide with Episodes 7 & 8. I don't really know what's going on. Maybe Terence Winter & Tim Van Patten need to write and direct every episode to make sure it stays on track, but in Episodes 7 & 8, I found myself downright bored at several places in those episodes.
Now i'm questioning what future I have with watching this show. I don't like to be bored by TV, and I certaintly don't like to sit through boring TV because "it might get better".
I gotta be honest, the only female character on this show that's worth a damn in interest is Jimmy's mom (Gretchen Mol), and she gets the least screentime of them all. Margaret & Lucy both are downright boring, and I really good give a fuck about Jimmy's lesbo wife who's virtually forgettable.
Gretchen Mol's role needs to be blown WAY UP to save the female force on the show.
As for the men, Nucky & Jimmy rule, and the Dabney Coleman character is terrific, and are absolutely riveting when on-screen. The rest suck, including Nucky's brother Eli, and the lead FBI investigator, which a massive amount of time has been wasted on.
The show needs re-tooling, not only to be something other than an overblown, overhyped, overbudgeted attempt at a 1920's Sopranos by HBO, but to actually be good. If they can build the future of the foundation of this show around Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Dabney Coleman & Gretchen Mol, the future is bright and it's just gonna get better. Kelly MacDonald (Margaret) is a great actress, but is stuck with a boring character. Don't really know what to do there.
This show is inconsistent right now imho. Then again I wasn't a big fan of Season 1 of The Sopranos, which everyone seems to think is sooo great. 
*end rant*
Re: Boardwalk Empire
Disagree completely Axlin. I think it gets better and better every episode and for me, a 50 minute show or however long the run time is, seems to go by in 10 minutes.
Best shows on TV imo That i've seen. Heard great things about other shows but I'll wait and watch them on DVD as I'm too far behind like Mad Men etc.
1.Dexter
2.Boardwalk
3.Walking Dead
Eastbound and Down close 4th.
Re: Boardwalk Empire
I checked out The Walking Dead too.
GREAT NEW SHOW. Best aspect about it, is it's a "human story", that just happens to have zombies in it, and not the other way around. Hope it becomes a regular series.
And as for Boardwalk, I hope it finds some consistency, at least for me. I want to like it, and I do like it. I just find that the story unfolds excruciatingly slow.
Re: Boardwalk Empire
'Boardwalk Empire': Will Season 2 Be More Exciting?
by Angel Cohn / Fall TV-Yahoo! TV
(Television Without Pity) — Last season, "Boardwalk Empire" was a decent show that had sensational cinematography but some severe pacing problems and characters that were dead weight. That was too bad, because it had a lot of hype and a ton of potential. Last week, we dove back into the Prohibition era, and we're cautiously optimistic that this season will succeed in the places where the series faltered last year. Here's why:
Jimmy/Commodore/Nucky Dynamic
This is an odd threesome to be sure, but Jimmy was suffering baby gangster growing pains and only butting heads with Nucky last year. He didn't realize that the alternative could be just as bad. Now Jimmy sees that his actual father and the man who mostly raised him are two sides of the same coin. He's torn between two evils, which is far more interesting than just watching him whine all the time.
Angela and Gillian
The two of them were not in the spotlight for much of the premiere and, frankly, we're not complaining about that at all. So while Jimmy's being pulled between his two fathers, the women in his life are also engaging in a power struggle for control of his home life. It all makes Jimmy seem a lot more interesting than he actually is.
Van Alden's Bizarre Life
We were in love with Mrs. Van Alden last night. Her distaste for all things Atlantic City was fantastic. And we enjoy seeing the change in this no-nonsense federal agent when she's around and how he likes to show off his crime-fighting skills in order to turn on her prissy uptight self. That, juxtaposed with how he handles Lucy, was quite revealing.
No Love for Lucy
We really can't stand Lucy, and she's one of the things we hated most about Season 1. But in the premiere, we only had to see (and, more importantly, hear) her for a minute. That's more than ample screen time for her. Perhaps she'll just lay pregnant in bed and forgotten for the entire season.
Race Wars
The KKK killed Chalky's men, putting Nucky in an uncomfortable spot (financially and ethically). Spotlighting these racial tensions not only has modern resonance, but it also gives Chalky a meaty role. Since he's one of the show's more complex (and underserviced) characters, we approve of anything that gives him more to do.
Nucky 2.0
The Commodore seems dead-set on taking Nucky down a peg or two, and it seems to be working. Instead of the glad-handing schmoozer from last season, we're getting to see the scrappy fighter who is fighting to stay in control. We love our gangsters to be well-rounded in their corruption.
Call Me Al
Not enough Al Capone in the premiere for our liking, but with the big deal with Johnny Torrio in play, that seems like it won't be the case for long.
Mistress Margaret
So far, there's not much for her, but so long as she's not playing the depressing doormat and is instead acting like the commanding lady/mistress of the house, we're fine with her just as she is, especially since scenes with her often mean more of Richard Harrow.
Re: Boardwalk Empire
Haven't caught this week's new episode, but I just watched Episode 2 last night, and it was VERY good. Alot better than the season premiere.
If the whole season is like that, it'll easily surpass the mediocre 1st Season.
And like I always said, the show conceptually could be greatness. But it has some flaws in it in Season 1, like fucking pointless characters (Lucy) that served absolutely NO purpose. Nucky's brother Eli was dead weight too. But now major changes have taken place to right the wrongs of Season 1, and put people in the right positions of power on the show, that the show seems like it's finally finding it's feet.
Unlike what the critics said, it was NOT the best drama on TV last year (Justified).
Re: Boardwalk Empire
have to say, think this show has improved greatly this term.
principally it's due to the absence of Pitt. i'm quoting from the Luck thread here:
Boardwalk Empire is just a mess from the guys that were lucky to work on the Sopranos and now think they're as good, killing off the best character cause it's "edgy".
Oh poll, I totally agree om Boardwalk. Jimmy was the strongest, most fascinating character on the entire show... and they kill him.
i couldn't disagree w/this more.
from the very get go, jimmy was already the most played-out, lazy, uninspired & uninspiring character in this show - & played by one of the worst, dullest american actors of our time fwiw.
having shifted this deadweight, the show has sprung forward & moved onto more arresting territory.
granted it's still a mob-opera by numbers, but it's much more likable, watchable & humourous w/o jimmy/pitt's sullen nowhere-man putting a dampener on things.
i think it's really remarkable the change in quality that's come about. (i think also there may be new writers? however, i would be reluctant to give it & them too much credit as like i said, it's still p by-the-numbers/formulaic fair).
michael stuhlbarg is brilliant, & his argument w/buscemi in last weeks episode was terrific.
& likewise, michael shannon is one of the finest actors around today & his character is justice to his talent.
the rest are all much of a muchness & the show does rely heavily on well-worn plots. but they are infused w/a humour & a pace that was greatly missing from the first two seasons.
overall it's really accelerating into a fine tv show.
still nowhere near as good as it's budget or it's press suggest, it's still rife w/cliche stories. but it's much more entertaining this season than it has been.
Re: Boardwalk Empire
You said it. It's become a "mob show by the numbers".
I'm currently watching Wiseguy for the first time from back in the 80's. It's a FAR BETTER show.
I still watch Boardwalk, but it's just become a formula show. Not worth the massive Emmy-consideration it gets. It's good, but let's not go nuts. This show isn't The Sopranos. This show isn't vintage Dallas. It's not really even Wiseguy or Crime Story. It wants Deadwood's heat, but it's not even close. But it's decent. So far I enjoyed Seasons 2 & 3 way more than Season 1.
