Comments on: Recap: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Series Finale — Season 5, Episode 8 ‘Eldorado’

By: JR

JR — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Maybe because I insulated myself (hard as it was) from all the Internet chatter, I felt that this ending was unexpected and gratifying. Which pretty much sums up the whole season and series for me. I am surprised that anyone who disliked the pacing of Season 5 stuck around this long to see it…other seasons moved far more slowly and with equally (or more) predictable outcomes. If you felt 5 was slow, then why didn\’t you bail long ago?

The flashbacks were quite effective — yes, we know what\’s coming, but to see Nucky\’s moral decay and regret during this process was what made it more than just a recapitulation of known events. There\’s diminishing returns from repeated killings and watershed moments in a series like this. I was pleased to see how things built to such a satisfying conclusion.

Certainly respect your opinion here Rodrigo but wholeheartedly disagree. TV just lost one of its finest hours (and try as it might, HBO won\’t fill that void in my heart with The Newsroom)

By: Jennifer Smoker

Jennifer Smoker — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

BRAVO to the best work committed to film of all time.

By: Jesus

Jesus — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

You called it dude.

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Postscript: I’ve always been a big fan and even big defender of “Boardwalk Empire” and routinely said it had the best cast on TV acting scenes out of the park. But the fantastic sum of its parts often outweighed the uneven whole, which felt like an underachiever never fulfilling its promise.

Especially from seasons three and on. I suspect the showrunners believe that tonight’s finale was the perfect ending for Nucky and it’s classic and many ways it is perfect. At least on paper. My main beef is the execution of most of this final season has been off. I never felt a thing for Chalky White dying, nor Nucky Thompson. I was rarely emotionally invested and the tragedies that befell characters that were gut punches in earlier seasons often just left me empty. In fact, I felt this strange sensation of being outside myself. Watching acts that should have resonance and meaning and feeling no connection. I’m the last one to ever figure out a plot point or a twist or a narrative surprise. I don’t even bother to try because I like surprises. I’m never two steps ahead of any plot but with this final season of “Boardwalk” I felt like I was and I feel that attests to the over execution which was lacking.

Moreover, you can read a script or a book, know the story from end to end and it can be entirely moving nonetheless, it happens all the time obviously. But this did not happen for me at all. Anyhow, I’m curious to hear what you think (if you’ll be civil about it)

By: God

God — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Enoch was not a fictional character. He was a real person whose story was partially factionalized for the show to make it more intriguing.

By: biznesschic

biznesschic — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

The ending was so predictable, introducing a teenage character at the end of the season, just screamed that this kid had to be Tommy. What person, who would build an empire as Nucky, would allow an unknown 14 year old kid, close enough to kill him?

The young Nucky past episodes were a total waste to time. It\’s as if the writers took 8 episodes to try and convince us that Nucky was a rotten person who deserved to die, by selling out Gillian. Hello? We learned during season one. Show me the complicated life of Narisese, or how Margaret rose to be a formidable player in the stock market.
Every character who was not historically accurate, died during this season (accept for Ely, in which no one cared about anyway). So no surprise when Nucky died at the hands of a new teenage character, who just had to be Tommy, right?

Surprise all of us, when Nucky outsmarts Lucky, and gets to live his life on an unknown island, with Margret. I would have never seen than coming. Instead the writers give us an ending, that rivals a daytime soap opera drama.

By: Mal

Mal — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Who was Tommy?

By: wiz

wiz — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Well I\’m quite surprised honestly at the negative comments. I have totally loved Boardwalk Empire all the way from Australia. I also didn\’t realise that this episode was in fact the finale, so it added to the whole experience. I for one loved every minute …… guess I don\’t over analyse and just enjoy. Plus I love Steve Buscemi\’s work (did in the Sopranos as well)

By: Carry

Carry — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

"The final shot is of Nucky, blood trickling down his face from the hole in his cheek" – That wasn\’t the final shot. Just sayin.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

The flashbacks were completely unnecessary this season. They never added anything we didn\’t already know. How these writers thought they were a good idea, I\’ll never know.

By: Heder

Heder — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Nucky Thompson is a fictionalized version of a real person therefore he is fictional. Duh.

By: c m

c m — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

i, too, feel slightly shorted – not by the last season – but, just the ending. Nucky Johnson lived well into the 50\’s and died of natural causes – obviously because he played ball with the new wave of mafia heads. while previous seasons turned Nucky Thompson into a super-hero – he sure went down rather easily. it would have been more ironic had the producers made him have to humble himself and cowtow to the new regime – as must\’ve happened in real life.

By: elliot moritz

elliot moritz — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

All good shows must come to an end. I was fortunate to be part of BE for 5 years as a background actor. From the time Mr. Scorsese directed the pilot to the final episode, it has been a magical experience when I put on a costume from the 1920\’s and walked the boardwalk.
My fellow actors would agree that their experience will never be duplicated. I have made many new friends and have unusual stories about things that happened to me on set. Nucky, you were one of a kind- in life and in death.

By: omar hameen

omar hameen — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

All shows have to have some soap opera moments.it cant be constant killing.I think it ended great as it could end.and it made sense.boardwalk empire,best show ever.#respect

By: PhredG

PhredG — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Just finished S5 dvd. I for one ENJOYED the flashbacks and the remarkable acting by the Nuckys,Gillians,Commodores,etc). They inhabited the characters instead of merely being MiniSteve, MiniDabney, MiniGretchen. I too would\’ve preferred the "C\’mon Margaret my love. Let\’s go off to an island." ending but alas. Granted this closing was no Justified but not as unbearable as some are saying.

By: Ft

Ft — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

How did Tommy know anything about Nucky? Wasn\’t he taken from Gillian as a young boy last season and sent to live with Harrow\’s family?

By: Brian Pressman

Brian Pressman — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

I enjoyed every minute of the series, PERIOD

By: Jennifer Smoker

Jennifer Smoker — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

BRAVO to the best work committed to film of all time.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

The ending wasn\’t bad, could have been way worse. You can criticize all you want but a great series overall. My only complaint is that the show is over, I would have loved for it to continue on with some of the other characters.

My plans for this holiday season, watch the entire boardwalk series from Season 1, episode 1 to Season 5, episode 8. Thanks for the blog. Farewell

By: Gareth

Gareth — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

What a load of over thought bollocks.

By: n

Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

By: HenkBres

HenkBres — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

I just found a beautiful tribute captioning a grand line in the series, search for \’Boardwalk empire tribute, Nothing without consequences\’

By: Teltub

Teltub — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Nucky dying by Tommy hand seemed to be a bit elementary. It would have been better if Nucky would have retired and walked away. As far as the the young gangsters. No one can be trusted. The commission eventually kills Bugsy and Lucky is extradited out of the country. Costello had an attempt on his life and we\’ll Meyer retired rich. I wish the story would have went more into the future. Nucky did not deserve to die i n the street.

By: alex

alex — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Pretty good sum up, way too much flashbacks in that last season, slowed down the story and told us pretty much what we already suspected from the previous season. Predictable

By: Russ

Russ — Mon, 23 May 2016 05:10:03 +0000

Whoever wrote this article can go duck himself. He acts said he knew everything all along. Kiss my ….. I read the books after season 1. I knew where to draw the line between fiction and non-fiction so get off you\’re high horse. They concluded the series the best way they knew how, knowing what historically made sense and not, so shut the guck up you Ivy League. You probably stole all this you previously made douchè.