Boardwalk Empire concluding after upcoming 5th season

[NewYorkExpress]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/us-boardwalkempire-idINBREA0901M20140110

[Paul Kemp]

It's for the best. This season wasn't too bad but it's mainly been sleep-walking since the end of Season 2 (for understandable reasons).

[Хahar 🤔]

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[opebo]

It's for the best. This season wasn't too bad but it's mainly been sleep-walking since the end of Season 2 (for understandable reasons).

The reason they've gone astray is the stupid simpleminded 'gangster' fascination.  Sticking closer to the real life story of Johnson would have been a better show.  The idea that the man's power rested primarily on pistol packing goons was demeaning.  The really fascinating story was that a non-gangster old-time political boss (and not even one of a large city) was able to have an enormous influence over gangsters.

To end the story now is ridiculous - where are they, about 1926?  It wasn't till 1929 till the real Knucky convened the famous 'Atlantic City Conference' of all the gangsters in the country, to discuss the future... and it wasn't till like 1934 that he got his (mild) comeuppance of a few years in jail.

[Paul Kemp]

It's for the best. This season wasn't too bad but it's mainly been sleep-walking since the end of Season 2 (for understandable reasons).

The reason they've gone astray is the stupid simpleminded 'gangster' fascination.  Sticking closer to the real life story of Johnson would have been a better show.  The idea that the man's power rested primarily on pistol packing goons was demeaning.  The really fascinating story was that a non-gangster old-time political boss (and not even one of a large city) was able to have an enormous influence over gangsters.

I agree. Terrance Winter tends to be known for his desire for "fan service" so it makes sense I suppose that they appeal to the dopes who only take away the mob elements of the show. I think they've cast too wide a net.

To end the story now is ridiculous - where are they, about 1926?  It wasn't till 1929 till the real Knucky convened the famous 'Atlantic City Conference' of all the gangsters in the country, to discuss the future... and it wasn't till like 1934 that he got his (mild) comeuppance of a few years in jail.

Perhaps they next season will take place over the span of several years or maybe they'll just compact the events into a smaller timeframe. I would like to see those things addressed but I think that the creative team is running (or already has run) out of steam.

Creatively, the show hasn't really known where it's going since Jimmy died.

[Silent Hunter]

As of the end of S4, they're in 1924, but this isn't meant to stick entirely to the RL history.

[Paul Kemp]

The season premiere was a bit of a snoozefest. I think it was a mistake to skip so far ahead in history and over some very important events. Not really sure where they're gonna go with it or what the point really is any more.

The show was at its most compelling with the Macbeth-esq story line of the first two seasons, with Jimmy and his mother. Since then the show has kinda been sleepwalking, besides a few glimmers of life now and then.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The season premiere was a bit of a snoozefest. I think it was a mistake to skip so far ahead in history and over some very important events. Not really sure where they're gonna go with it or what the point really is any more.

The show was at its most compelling with the Macbeth-esq story line of the first two seasons, with Jimmy and his mother. Since then the show has kinda been sleepwalking, besides a few glimmers of life now and then.

I'd argue that the only good things to come out of the show was the Gyp Rosetti storyline which only really worked because of how good Canavale was in the role and the scene where Chalky is telling that Klansman how his Dad got murdered.  Narciese was a pretty interesting character, but even Wright's performance couldn't make up for how apathy-inducing the Chalky-Narciese storyline was (it also completely ruined Chalky White as a character and he had been the most interesting thing about the show before season four irredeemably destroyed any interest I had in his fate).  The show never worked that well, tbh.