Boardwalk Empire

[the wicked child]

Enjoyed the finale.

[cheesesteakwithegg]

Enjoyed the finale.

Me too.

Spoiler:

Did not see the Jimmy thing coming.

And I hate Margret. I hope she is next on Nucky's list

[the wicked child]

Enjoyed the finale.

Me too.

Spoiler:

Did not see the Jimmy thing coming.

And I hate Margret. I hope she is next on Nucky's list

Spoiler:

Agreed. He should have axed her long ago.

[Hockeynut!]

The last 10 min were

Spoiler:

[Hockeynut!]

To add... (major spoilers)

Spoiler:

Jimmy totally knew he was getting killed. He made sure his estate was going to his son. He gave his son his dog tags. He didn't take a gun to kill Horovitz. Poor Jimmy.

[the wicked child]

To add... (major spoilers)

Spoiler:

Jimmy totally knew he was getting killed. He made sure his estate was going to his son. He gave his son his dog tags. He didn't take a gun to kill Horovitz. Poor Jimmy.

Spoiler:

You're right. Not sure why I didn't pick up on that.

[Hockeynut!]

Spoiler:

You're right. Not sure why I didn't pick up on that.

Spoiler:

I didn't pick up on it at all the first time through. It was only in retrospect that I thought about it and watching the last few scenes again made it very clear.

[largegarlic]

Spoiler:

Any thoughts on why Nucky offed Jimmy? I can see in retrospect that Jimmy was preparing to die, but I'm not sure I understand why Nucky did it. Was it because he decided to take Eli's word that Jimmy was the driving force behind the attempted hit on Nucky? Or did he see Jimmy as a loose end who knew why Nucky beat the charges against him? Or did he just see Jimmy as a potential rival that he was never going to be able to completely trust or control (unlike Eli whom he thought he could control)?

[the wicked child]

Spoiler:

Any thoughts on why Nucky offed Jimmy? I can see in retrospect that Jimmy was preparing to die, but I'm not sure I understand why Nucky did it. Was it because he decided to take Eli's word that Jimmy was the driving force behind the attempted hit on Nucky? Or did he see Jimmy as a loose end who knew why Nucky beat the charges against him? Or did he just see Jimmy as a potential rival that he was never going to be able to completely trust or control (unlike Eli whom he thought he could control)?

Spoiler:

One part revenge and one part knowing he couldn't trust Jimmy and that he would probably betray him again. The fact that he personally did the killing puts a lot of weight in the revenge angle, but it was some of both.

[Mr. Colby]

Whoa... where is the show going to go for season 3?

[Trip McNeely]

My opinion of the finale:

Spoiler:

I think it was terrible directing to off Jimmy. This season spent episode after episode building a character, Jimmy, to a point where the viewer finally understood his background and who he was. Jimmy in Season 1 was just a random character with some supposed baggage that was never explained. Jimmy in Season 2 was the main character of the show, even moreso than Nucky I felt, and for the matter, more interesting. To end it with him getting killed, what happens next season? There was so much effort put into not only building up Jimmy, but the characters surrounding him. Now, what do you do with Richard Harrow? Does he take over Jimmy's position as Nucky's foil? Or does he got ape **** crazy and try to kill everyone associated with Nucky? The Commodore is dead already. What about Jimmy's mother? She became very intriguing, now what do you do with her? How does she remain a part of the plot?

By killing Jimmy, basically 5 characters have no part of the show or are dead(Jimmy, Jimmy's mother, Angela, Richard, and the Commodore). So next season, the first few episodes at least will be to build new characters or expand on current characters (Horvitz, Capone, Charlie, etc). Unless there is even more focus on Margaret, which in my opinion will be very frustrating. Hopefully the plot continues to be exciting, but I am very disappointed by the way it ended this season.

[largegarlic]

My opinion of the finale:

Spoiler:

I think it was terrible directing to off Jimmy. This season spent episode after episode building a character, Jimmy, to a point where the viewer finally understood his background and who he was. Jimmy in Season 1 was just a random character with some supposed baggage that was never explained. Jimmy in Season 2 was the main character of the show, even moreso than Nucky I felt, and for the matter, more interesting. To end it with him getting killed, what happens next season? There was so much effort put into not only building up Jimmy, but the characters surrounding him. Now, what do you do with Richard Harrow? Does he take over Jimmy's position as Nucky's foil? Or does he got ape **** crazy and try to kill everyone associated with Nucky? The Commodore is dead already. What about Jimmy's mother? She became very intriguing, now what do you do with her? How does she remain a part of the plot?

By killing Jimmy, basically 5 characters have no part of the show or are dead(Jimmy, Jimmy's mother, Angela, Richard, and the Commodore). So next season, the first few episodes at least will be to build new characters or expand on current characters (Horvitz, Capone, Charlie, etc). Unless there is even more focus on Margaret, which in my opinion will be very frustrating. Hopefully the plot continues to be exciting, but I am very disappointed by the way it ended this season.

Spoiler:

I kind of share this view. I didn't really like Jimmy as a character until about half way through this season when more of his background and intentions got to be revealed. By the end, he really came off as a tragic figure (all the Oedipal stuff should have been a clue, but I didn't pick up on it) who had to die to complete his character arc. Realistically, there wouldn't have been any way that he could have reconciled with Nucky, and it was clear that he couldn't handle being THE MAN, so this was the only way it could end for him.

That being said, it does seem to leave the show short on plot lines for next season. As you mention, there are plenty of good background characters that could become more central, but it's not obvious that any of these plot lines would be as compelling as Jimmy's. I agree that if the main focus is Nucky's and Margaret's relationship, that wouldn't be very interesting.

[Trip McNeely]

My opinion of the finale:

Spoiler:

I think it was terrible directing to off Jimmy. This season spent episode after episode building a character, Jimmy, to a point where the viewer finally understood his background and who he was. Jimmy in Season 1 was just a random character with some supposed baggage that was never explained. Jimmy in Season 2 was the main character of the show, even moreso than Nucky I felt, and for the matter, more interesting. To end it with him getting killed, what happens next season? There was so much effort put into not only building up Jimmy, but the characters surrounding him. Now, what do you do with Richard Harrow? Does he take over Jimmy's position as Nucky's foil? Or does he got ape **** crazy and try to kill everyone associated with Nucky? The Commodore is dead already. What about Jimmy's mother? She became very intriguing, now what do you do with her? How does she remain a part of the plot?

By killing Jimmy, basically 5 characters have no part of the show or are dead(Jimmy, Jimmy's mother, Angela, Richard, and the Commodore). So next season, the first few episodes at least will be to build new characters or expand on current characters (Horvitz, Capone, Charlie, etc). Unless there is even more focus on Margaret, which in my opinion will be very frustrating. Hopefully the plot continues to be exciting, but I am very disappointed by the way it ended this season.

Spoiler:

I kind of share this view. I didn't really like Jimmy as a character until about half way through this season when more of his background and intentions got to be revealed. By the end, he really came off as a tragic figure (all the Oedipal stuff should have been a clue, but I didn't pick up on it) who had to die to complete his character arc. Realistically, there wouldn't have been any way that he could have reconciled with Nucky, and it was clear that he couldn't handle being THE MAN, so this was the only way it could end for him.

That being said, it does seem to leave the show short on plot lines for next season. As you mention, there are plenty of good background characters that could become more central, but it's not obvious that any of these plot lines would be as compelling as Jimmy's. I agree that if the main focus is Nucky's and Margaret's relationship, that wouldn't be very interesting.

Spoiler:

A random thing that bothers me about Nucky, and was very apparent during the Jimmy scene is the whole "If you didn't think I would do this, you don't know me well enough." He also used it with Margaret a few times. Its like, ok, we know you are willing to do whatever you need to get ahead, just quit saying it.

[mac5155]

Any chance they speed things up and make Jimmy's son more involved?

[Hockeynut!]

Spoiler:

I've heard rumors that Michael Pitt either wanted off the show or that he wasn't meshing well with the producers and they wanted him off. Not sure if that's true or not, but that would explain why the co-lead of he series was whacked in Season Two.

I'll definitely miss Jimmy. I do think it opens up other avenues for Nucky though. He's gone from a "manager" type to a real "Boss".

[Stoosh]

Some thoughts on last night's finale and where this goes from here...

Spoiler:

1. I wasn't totally surprised to see Jimmy get whacked. Between losing Angela in one episode and then killing his father in the next, it seemed like he was quickly losing everything that helped tie him to the story. Didn't completely believe it was happening until after he took the phone call from Nucky, when they allowed the camera to linger on him watching Tommy. When it was revealed that he was at the meeting unarmed, game over.

2. I do hate what this potentially does to the future of Richard Harrow. To me, Harrow is one of the more compelling characters in the series. Reminds me a little of Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc Holliday in Tombstone, for some reason. I can't imagine him sticking around with Gillian, as there's really nothing there (unless he, Gillian and Tommy become some skewed version of the family he daydreamed of having). And we have no idea how Gillian is going to react to Jimmy's death.

3. I began to wonder a couple of episodes ago if the creepy priest would take a bigger role, and Margaret transferring the land deed of the highway to the church will likely move that along. Can't wait to see where this goes when Nucky finds out.

4. Saw this last night and didn't immediately make the connection. Val Alden (on the run) landed in Cicero, Illinois, which is where Al Capone eventually settles in. Assuming Van Alden remains in the story, there's still an obvious connection back to Atlantic City there.

5. I'm guessing Season Three becomes mostly about Nucky working to re-establish his footprint in Atlantic City. He stepped away and created a mess on his way out for the people who took over by leaving the door open for the workers' strike. The new leadership is broken as Jimmy and the Commodore are both dead. Neary is dead. Eli is back in service with Nucky.

[Digitalgypsy66]

Spoiler:

I knew Jimmy was a dead man, or at least heading into a trap, once he got the phone call from Nucky. Why would Horovitz, hiding in a synagogue basement in Philly, go to AC for a meeting? Bushwack city. I never figure stuff out like this, either (still stunned about Rita on Dexter). I was just getting to know the character, and they off him. Richard Harrow is one of the most compelling characters on TV right now, and I hope he finds a place in the series...somewhere.

[Mr. Colby]

I'm with Trip.

Spoiler:

I feel like a lot of time was wasted developing a character that was to be offed.

[tifosi77]

Spoiler:

[spoiler]I've heard rumors that Michael Pitt either wanted off the show or that he wasn't meshing well with the producers and they wanted him off. Not sure if that's true or not, but that would explain why the co-lead of he series was whacked in Season Two.

I'll definitely miss Jimmy. I do think it opens up other avenues for Nucky though. He's gone from a "manager" type to a real "Boss".

Spoiler:

It's pretty basic story telling, to be honest. Think about The Sopranos and Tony killing Big ****; you frame the hero (or, rather, villain) in a way that isolates them, it makes it easier to give that character an arc. Nucky is back in power, sure... but he's on an island.

Season 3 will be interesting.

[juicebox1]

Spoiler:

as pissed as i was about Jimmy's murder, it was the only progression for the show to lend itself to true historical events. i'm not well versed in the mob scene in the '20s, but season 3 will clearly feature Nucky's old school team vs the hungry up-and-comers. Jimmy's death allows for Capone and Luciano to get more involved.

that said, the show lost it's most intriguing character from the start. i can't say i have lofty expectations for season 3.

[mac5155]

When does Season 3 start?

[Rylan]

Spoiler:

just finally got caught up. and I am not happy.

[Digitalgypsy66]

When does Season 3 start?

I would assume next September, unless they pull a Sopranos/Mad Men delay of some sort.

[the wicked child]

Was feeling it was just a decent episode, kinda setting the stage for the season...

Spoiler:

and then Harrow appears out of nowhere and kills Manny. Wondering if it was solely revenge for Angela or if there was some other motive...

[mac5155]

Was feeling it was just a decent episode, kinda setting the stage for the season...

Spoiler:

and then Harrow appears out of nowhere and kills Manny. Wondering if it was solely revenge for Angela or if there was some other motive...

I think you're right.

Also jillian is bat**** crazy