Boardwalk Empire Season 5 Thread - Series Finale - Eldorado

[degenerate423]

They should just post the episodes on HBOGO and get it over with. No use in going week-by-week when ratings don't matter.

 

[imvictor]

in.

 

[had pants]

 

[Master Zik]

Damn that recap S4 was sad.

Damn, how they just gonna kill AR off screen like that? The disappointments might run rampant despite this quality premiere.

 

[degenerate423]

Where did the idea to do only 8 episodes come from?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Terence Winter: (It) was the result of my conversations with Howard Korder, Tim Van Patten and HBO.  Once we knew it we were wrapping up Nucky's story, we didn't feel that we had to stick to the traditional 12 episode structure, so after waffling between 8 and 10 episodes, we finally determined that 8 would give us the right amount of time to tell the story we wanted to tell

And finally, I've heard some people say, 'Well, we know how Nucky Johnson's story ended, so that's what the show will do, right?' But you've always said that you changed the name to Nucky Thompson precisely so you wouldn't have to be married to that part of the real story.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Terence Winter: Nucky is not Nucky Johnson, and that's all I'll say. They're two different people.

When and how did you decide this would be the final season?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Terence Winter: Somewhere toward the middle of season 4, (writer/producer) Howard Korder and I looked at each other and I said, "I feel like we're inadvertently winding down Nucky's story. He has his eye on an exit, and he's so desperate to get out of this business." The whole idea of trying to move his operation down to Florida and Cuba, we seemed to be wrapping it up. It wasn't our intention to end it this quickly, but it was certainly looking like that. The more we talked about it and the more we talked with HBO, we felt we were really getting towards the end here. The one thing nobody wanted to do was feel that we were treading water, bringing back the Villain of the Year, keeping it on the air beyond what felt like the natural progression of the story was. It felt more and more clear that we were there. Then it just became a question of how we wrap it up, and when we wrap it up. And the decision was made to jump ahead and bookend with the end of Prohibition, because we started on the day before Prohibition, and 1931 was the first year it became clear that Prohibition was going to go away.

Was there ever a point where you had thought about just jumping ahead a year or two like you had previously?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Terence Winter: I thought about it in the broad scheme of things. In terms of tying it to historical events, not a lot happened in the gangster world between 1924 and 1931. There was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and a couple of other things where guys were shooting at each other, but it wasn't like we said, "Oh, in '26, we've got this event." It would have just been a continuation of things we've done before about who the big bad is. It would have been repetitive. '31 was really attractive to us for a lot of reasons: Capone went to jail, Luciano formed The Commission, which became the governing body of the mob, it was clear the Depression wasn't going away, and the country was settling in for a long period of economic decline. It was very clear that the party that was the 1920s was over. Even the hemlines were lower. It was a much more somber period of time. And close enough to repeal that it felt like a bookend for us.

By jumping ahead to 1931, though, you lose *EDIT*, who died in 1928. How soon in the process of planning the season did you realize *EDIT* wouldn't be a part of it?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Terence Winter: As soon as we said (it would be) 1931, we went, 'Oh, ****.' Yeah, that was really really tough. He's one of my favorite characters — and in terms of real life, one of my favorite people. But that could not be the tail that wagged the dog that was the rest of the series. As tough as it was to miss that, it was a decision that had to be made. I'd been comfortable enough in the past playing around with the timeline a few months in either direction, but Rothstein's death was too big of an event to cheat and say he was still alive in '31. But his presence is certainly felt. The residual effects of his relationship with Margaret are felt. He's always there in spirit.

You had started to set up that relationship with Margaret at the end of season 4. Did you have anything more in mind to do with it that you never got to because of the time jump?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Terence Winter: We never got that far in terms of the plotting. As it progressed, the first part of that relationship had become apparent. And I should clarify, by "relationship," I don't mean that they had a kid together. It was a business relationship.

Nucky took something of a backseat to Chalky in season 4, but he's at the forefront of the story here, and we also start getting flashbacks to his childhood as he first went to work for the Commodore. Why did you decide to go back to Nucky's origins?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Terence Winter: Because it was the end of his story, we felt it was also now time to see what were the events that shaped him. What were the events that made Nucky Nucky. It was much more powerful to show it than just talk about it. We had talked about his relationship with his father, the Commodre, the young Gillian, but it felt more powerful and visceral to see this kid, and then see Nucky as a young man, at 22. We'll see the young Gillian, the young Eli. It paints a much clearer picture of who Nucky is and why he is what he is. We're really happy with how it turned out.

Interview: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-wa...er-previews-final-season-jump-forward-in-time

Pretty good interview with Terence Winter about Season 5.  If you feel like reading the entire interview, check the link.

 

[Master Zik]

Overall, good premiere.

Felt it was a bit late to be showing Nucky's childhood in such detail but it was cool.

@ Margaret's boss offing himself like that. Early century was wild times.


As far as that interview, I find it bull **** to say Nucky Thompson isn't Nucky Johnson so his end might be different but they just cut out AR cuz he historically died before '31. Just push his death up and least let him have his end on screen.

 

[shorty doo wop]

Overall, good premiere.

Felt it was a bit late to be showing Nucky's childhood in such detail but it was cool.

@ Margaret's boss offing himself like that. Early century was wild times.

When Margaret was in the office being asked questions by that dude idk why but I thought he was gunna do the same thing again

 

[had pants]

Man am I going to miss this show....

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Really? That's all for my dude AR? |I


And I really admire how the show does their best to accurately portrays the deaths of the historical mob figures. A quick wiki look-up:
Joe Masseria

Death
On April 15, 1931, Joe Masseria was assassinated at one of his favorite restaurants, Nuova Villa Tammaro in Coney Island.

Gangland legend has it that Masseria dined with Charles "Lucky" Luciano before his death.[4] While they played cards, Luciano excused himself to the bathroom, when Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Vito Genovese, Albert Anastasia and Joe Adonis rushed in and shot Masseria to death, his four bodyguards having mysteriously disappeared.

In tonight's establishing "New York City" shot, the name of the restaurant can be briefly seen on the window before Luciano walks in.

Salvatore Marazano

Maranzano was now the most powerful Mafioso in New York. Two weeks after Masseria's murder, Maranzano called together several hundred Mafiosi at a banquet hall at an undisclosed location in Upstate New York. Maranzano confirmed and anointed the bosses of the crime families who had survived the war—Luciano, Tommy Gagliano, Joe Profaci, Vincent Mangano and himself. He also created an additional position for himself, that of "boss of bosses." This came as a surprise to the assembled mafiosi, since Maranzano had previously claimed he'd wanted to end boss rule.

........and his fondness for comparing his organization to the Roman Empire (he attempted to model the organization after Caesar's military chain of command)

I was wondering the significance of him mentioning Caesar during his speech and now that makes sense.

Still, no more AR....

 

[nydunkhead]

Kinda disappointed in the premier and the non showing of AR... I love this show too...

Oh yeah and Terrence Winter saying Nucky Thompson is not Nucky Johnson...

 

[degenerate423]

As far as that interview, I find it bull **** to say Nucky Thompson isn't Nucky Johnson so his end might be different but they just cut out AR cuz he historically died before '31. Just push his death up and least let him have his end on screen.

I wanted to keep it in a spoiler for others, but since we're talking about it, I'm disappointed AR got written off like that .

As for the first episode, I'm gonna have to watch it again. There was too much going on for a season premiere.

This season should've been 12 episodes with a proper send off for AR .

 

[je ne sais quoi]

Margaret outlived Jimmy, Eddie, & now AR...God level character right there.

The only other person that beats that is Mickey...if he's still alive.

 

[th0mas cr0wn]

^ Mickey is still around lol. You can see him in the preview for the rest of the season.

 

[danger style]

So you mean to tell me its a shortened season AND we're gonna spend 15-20min every week goin over the origin of Nucky thompson?

 

[hand2handking]

did they mention AR dying in the ep?

solid premiere, interested in seeing nucky and commodore get started, young jimmy maybe

my man chalky hit rock bottom, hope this season is his redemption

no al capone or van alden 

nucky's bodyguard tho 

 

[deleted]

^

Meyer mentioned that the last place he saw Nucky was at AR's funeral.

So it was Meyer who tried to have Nucky killed?

I hated to see Chalky like that, but the payoff was worth it.

 

[nike4kja05]

Who was Lucky with at the end? I don't know much of his story but I'm assuming all the families of the mafia?

 

[rico x hood]

Excited to see what pops off with Meyer.

 

[Master Zik]

The more I think about the whole thing the more I figure that answer to why only 8 eps is probably bull **** too. Whole lot of spin.

Dude from HBO probably told them we aint just cutting your budget in half it'll be less than that., so you're gonna have to cut a supporting cast memeber and the season will be single digits. Get to work

 

[had pants]

Who was Lucky with at the end? I don't know much of his story but I'm assuming all the families of the mafia?

Maranzano was now the most powerful Mafioso in New York. Two weeks after Masseria's murder, Maranzano called together several hundred Mafiosi at a banquet hall at an undisclosed location in Upstate New York. Maranzano confirmed and anointed the bosses of the crime families who had survived the war—Luciano, Tommy Gagliano, Joe Profaci, Vincent Mangano and himself. He also created an additional position for himself, that of "boss of bosses." This came as a surprise to the assembled mafiosi, since Maranzano had previously claimed he'd wanted to end boss rule.

And Nucky's new bodguard is Gustavo Fring Sr.

According to history, Luciano does work and becomes one of the biggest influential figures in mafia history. I wouldn't mind seeing a spin-off centered around him but then again, several characters on the show had rich history. And I liked how they had him with his signature droopy eye and scar because:

In 1929 Luciano was assaulted. He was beaten, stabbed and left for dead. He had a permanent scar on his face and a forever droopy eye from the assault.

 

[ravagebx]

I really enjoyed the premiere but I'm sad we didn't get to see AR's story play out. This show needed 2 more seasons to properly close out.

 

[imasoleman18]

last nights episode was confusing for me until the end of course

 

[Sneaker P]

had pants Thanks for clearing that up about Lucky's eye. Thought I was tripping that I never noticed it before, but according to history it didn't happen before Season 5.

 

[keel252]

idk how I missed it but how did Chalky end up in prison?

 

[aepps20]

idk how I missed it but how did Chalky end up in prison?

I don't think we know yet.

 

[hand2handking]

he "got himself caught" i think he said