lotjx
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|  #1 Posted on 27.10.14 0738.29
Reposted on: 27.10.21 0739.30 | In this compacted season, we saw a lot of death. I mean a Quentin Tarantino amount of death this season. Prior to the finale, Van Alden, Chalky White, O'Doyle and Patrica Arquette's characters are dead. Van Alden came the closest to actually killing Capone only to be killed by a very young version of Sean Connery's character from Untouchables. Chalky died in order for Daughter and her daughter to live under Dr. Narciss aka Felix from the new Bond films. Nucky has lost his empire to Murder Inc. Gillian sent one of the best montage letters this season to Nucky to save her from imprisonment in the mental institute.
Most of the episode is spent with Margret and Joe Kennedy, yeah JFK's Dad, short selling a stock that may lead to the repeal of Prohibition. Margret's plan works and leads to what will be a beneficial relationship with the Kenedy family. It also helps Nucky make $2 million dollars out the door. Capone is told by his lawyer he is going to jail. Capone waves it off at first, but it does lead to one of the most emotional moments of the show where Capone and his deaf son have a final hug. Capone heads to court knowing full well he is going to jail.
Dr. Narciss is killed by Bugsy Segal's men. We see Lucky Luciano hold the first meeting on what will be the Mafia as we know it. Nucky gives Eli who is down on his luck for the entire season, a ton of cash plus a shaving kit. Nucky finally visits Gillian, but refuses to save her. For reasons that I am not sure. This all leads to Nucky's assistant who has been following him around like a lost puppy getting in trouble at the Ritz. Nucky tries to send him on his way, but what we get the reveal he is Tommy, Jimmy's son and Richard's ward. He tells Nucky who he is and shots him dead. We see some Fed agents arrest Tommy while yelling at a dead Nucky, he is under arrest.
There is also the flashbacks where Mabel loses the child and Nucky turns Gillian over to the Commodore to become Sheriff. To be fair, the flashback stuff has been some of the best stuff this season. The rest has been a rush blood bath to end a show that the creators seem disinterested in the middle of season four.
I am not a big fan of Tommy, truly one of the few innocents of the show become a murder considering he was in Wisconsin for the last decade and didn't really seem to care for Gillian last season. I guess the creators feel Margret getting power is the happy ending even though she has been the most vilified by the fans. Nucky's end does not match the historical where he goes to jail for tax evasion, but is alright afterwards. Nucky makes a comment to Tommy that can be applied to the entire Dharma family, "What do you want from me?"
Yes, he should have saved Gillian, but Jimmy betrayed him for the Commodore. A man, Nucky repeatedly warned Jimmy about. He also allowed Richard to squeal on Gillian to get Tommy away from Gillian who was losing her mind through out the series. Jimmy was fucked from the war, but Nucky tried to help him and he refused. Nucky told Richard, he could leave if he helped last season even though I think Richard volunteered for his mission to kill Dr. Narciss to save Chalky. Nucky did what he could. Again, he should have saved Gillian especially when you saw the flashbacks. Why they didn't do that and went for this dark sad ending that was more of a gotcha trick, I have no idea.
The best season of this show is season three. If for nothing else the Richard Harrow killing everyone in the room scene to save Tommy. That is hands down my favorite scene especially with their hug at the end. Even though the show was about Nucky, I think the real stars turned out to be the other characters around him minus Margret.
(edited by lotjx on 27.10.14 0832) | Promote this thread! |             | Leroy
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| #2 Posted on 27.10.14 1421.42
Reposted on: 27.10.21 1429.02 |
Unfortunately, the big 'Joe Harper is really Tommy Darmody' reveal was obvious enough 4 or 5 episodes ago - with a MASSIVE foretelling in penultimate episode:
(image removed)
So when Tommy 'Just Joe' Darmondy suddenly shows up in the last 10 minutes of series finale - literally, out of nowhere - it was pretty clear that the series would end with Nucky dead and Tommy the trigger-man. I kind of hated it, actually, because it was SO obvious and also really lazy - which kind of describes the last 3 seasons of the show.
As for the series itself, it's really two season series for me. I loved the story of Jimmy and Nucky - and I think Nucky killing Jimmy was kind of a brave thing to do. But everything after season two and the death of Jimmy Darmondy really felt flat and aimless - which I think is really the reason they fell back on their uneven storytelling of Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and The Commission. As much as I may have enjoyed parts of seasons 3-5, the show really just became a variation of the same mob story we've seen 1000 times before, and the show really didn't start off that way.
Originally posted by lotjx
I guess the creators feel Margret getting power is the happy ending even though she has been the most vilified by the fans.
“Here’s an experiment for you. Think about the things you want in life, and then picture yourself in a dress.”
When men behave like nihilistic, power-obsessed hypocrites, then men are awesome. When women behave just as badly (or less badly, as they typically have a reason other than obscene power... like kids), they're nagging shrills (see also: Skyler White). It's such a shitty, shitty double standard.
| lotjx
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| #3 Posted on 27.10.14 1450.13
Reposted on: 27.10.21 1453.13 | I think with Margret, its a two sided coin. I liked her character until the land deal. I even liked that as a fuck you to Nucky. Its in season three where she goes off the rails with banging the Irish guy and putting her children in absolute poverty.
While I thought her doing the women's health thing was a good move to get her away from the action. It slowed the show to a halt. The writers seem to notice that and put a quick axe to that. She obviously became a liability to the show and that is why she is barely in it. When she was there this season, it worked out better and even at the end of last season with Rothstien, I was on board.
I am not even that big of a fan of Nucky. If anything, Capone became a character I enjoyed following around. Truth be told when Richard died, the show died. This season was unstoppable train ride of bodies ending to a weak conclusion. I did like the female DA or Attorney General who got Ramos. If anything, there needed to more of her. | | ALL ORIGINAL POSTS IN THIS THREAD ARE NOW AVAILABLE |
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