I also agree, my memory is too fuzzy to know if I liked season 3 better than 2, but I sure do remember I was amazed how well it held up after that big season 2-ending event. Looks like they have an awesome baddy again this season. And although I wouldn't have seen him in the trailer if you hadn't pointed it out, but I fucking love captain Nixon.
Yeah I'm not sure who he is playing but it doesn't appear to be a large role. And I agree how each season has been better. Curious what they will do with Van Alden's arc this season
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"If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt." - Dean Martin
Ok so I obviously forgot almost everything. Why were they at war, who is two-face killing again and why? Not quite sure where they are going yet this season and Jeffrey Wright has yet to be introduced.
While I’ve been laid up, I’ve been watching some BE. I’ve gotten through the first season so far. And I love this show! It completely immerses you in the world of 1920s prohibition with a depth that not many series or movies can achieve. The characters have depth and are well written and acted. There are a lot of characters I dislike, but I can’t think of any I dislike because they’re miscast or poorly acted.
The most interesting characters to me so far have been Mrs. Schroeder and Agent Nelson. Each of them has a strong moral compass and deals with this indulgent, sinful world in an entirely different way. Schroeder is an intelligent woman of strong convictions who allows herself to be led down a path that she knows is wrong, but that’s difficult to break away from. The ways she grapples with her guilt, and her willful blindness toward what she knows to be the truth speak to so many of the struggles we face all too often. She is certainly no Catlyn Stark, and that’s what makes her so real to me. She tries to live by her convictions and fails.
Nelson is a freak. Obsessed, intense, self-righteous, fanatical. He’s so deeply disturbed by the sin he sees and his reaction to temptation that he has become worse than the criminals he’s seeking to apprehend. His own definition of right and wrong no longer hold any resemblance to right and wrong under the law. He’s able to rationalize and self-flagellate away his own culpability. These are the types of men who brought us the Inquisition. And the most entertaining part is that when he loses control, he does so in grand style. He’s utterly appalling and entirely fascinating. I can’t wait to see how he devolves and struggles for his sanity in the face of the continuing transgressions around him as the series progresses.
I hated Jimmy at first, and it took me a long time to get past my dislike. I don’t know if it’s the stupid look he gets on his face or something else, but he really bugged me. In fact, after the whore killed herself, and he ran off to the opium den, I hoped we’d seen the last of him. But his rebirth since then has entirely changed my mind about him. I love how he has dealt with the different obstacles and opportunities thrown in his path. And I’m looking forward to how he will sort out the competing plans and interests of Nucky and the Commodore.
Richard Harrow is awesome. And not just because he’s gun nut. His life is so heartbreaking, and he goes through the unimaginable with a grace I could only hope to muster in his shoes. In fact, I stopped in a store today to for medicine looking like I’d lost a boxing match, and I don’t know how he maintains his sweet nature under that sort of scrutiny. And I have a crush on his Enfield rifle.
So yeah, great series. I’ll watch the second season and comment some more.
Oh, and OMAR COMIN'! Chalky isn't as fun a character as Omar, but still pretty fantastic.
So my only question so far. Why did Nucky let Louanne go after the confessed to poisoning the commodore? The commodore was a jerk, so it's all good? I couldn't figure out his motivation there.
That confused me as well. Originally I thought that Gillian was the guilty party and Louann was used as a scapegoat. But I think if the public knew about the scandal, it would bring unwanted attention to the operation so Nucky basically bribed her to go away with no more fuss. If he was a "real" gangster he would have just had het off'd but he is more a political manipulator/negotiator.
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"If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt." - Dean Martin
That's reasonable. And I thought it could be Gillian too, even though I wasn't sure what she stood to gain. You certainly had to feel for Louanne. Talk about a horrible boss. But really, she didn't stand to gain anything either, assuming she was going to be out of a job once her boss keeled over.
I started the second season. Looks like it could be a good one. Is it wrong for me to be gleeful that Nelson is living with Judy and hiding it from his wife?
I had to look up who Coleman is. He has turned out to be a pretty interesting character, and I'm anxious to see how his grand plot turns out. And his dyed hair is hilarious.
Meyer and Lucky remind me very much of Jimmy and Al. He could go far if Lucky doesn't get him killed first.
Who are your favorite and your least favorite acting performances from season 1?
Gosh. S1 seems so long ago. I would have to say my favs are Michael Shannon as Van Alden, Gretchen Mol as Gillian, and Michael Stuhlburg as Rothstein. My least favs are Kelly MacDonald as Margaret, Kenneth -Williams as Chalky, and Nuckys first girlfriend (forgot name and actress)
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"If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt." - Dean Martin
Yeah, I guess I'm a few years late asking. Nucky's girlfriend, Lucy, is awful. But I don't know whether it's bad acting that makes her so annoying. Either way, I just wish she would catch a stray bullet.
True that. But going from one extreme to the other, isn't he? I guess that's the point. Other than Lucy, I just want Jimmy's wife to go away. Her eternal pouting really bugs.
I’ve watched half of season 2, and wow, have things changed! The Commodore had his stroke, and everything’s falling apart and Jimmy trying desperately to hold it together. Gillian has been amazing this season, both in the scenes with Jimmy and when she recounts her rape. It’s as if the Commodore’s stroke has freed her to express a side of herself she hadn’t shown before. She’s probably my favorite character right now.
My poor Richard. I was so afraid he was going to kill himself, and then the dog saved him! I wanted him to befriend the dog and take it home. But this isn’t a Disney production, so I was denied. Jack Huston does an amazing job of portraying a man even more scarred on the inside than the outside. His torment is heartwrenching. And scalping the old fella, that’s just hardcore.
Margaret is pissing me off. She was so sweet and conflicted during the first season. She was very much ripped from her own world and thrown into a world she was completely unprepared for. This season she’s completely preoccupied by herself and her own interests. Her change in attitude rubs me the wrong way. I’m thoroughly disenchanted, and I hope for a return to the more humble, less cunning Margaret.
And Nelson. He’s turned out to be a pretty wicked man, for all his self-righteousness. What a mess he’s got on his hands. I can’t wait to see how he handles things with his wife and Lucy and the baby. The scene where he thinks the burned agent/God is condemning him is brilliant. And I'm officially declaring his wife, Rose, to be the worst casting choice in the series thus far.
Yes! Owen Slater's a fun character. I like him. I wondered whether they were going to emphasize IRA ties this season, but it doesn't seem like they've done much with it. It'll be fun to see what they do with him, other than having him build bombs.
I like Steve Buschemi. I think he's wonderful in the role. He's not good-looking. He's not super charismatic. And yet he exudes confidence and has the intelligence and cunning to have built an empire for himself. He's the perfect casting choice, rather than some pretty boy.
Owen's been a busy boy. Banging Margaret, killing traitors, facilitating arms deals. I like the character a lot, but I don't find him charming at all.
I do like the direction season 2 has taken. So many changes in momentum between the Nucky and the Commodore's boys. And poor Nelson. He's a mess! The IRA angle is interesting too, even though it's been relegated to Ireland thus far.
Oh and Angela's been shot in the head!
Two more episodes in season 2. Maybe I can get to them today. I'm enjoying the series immensely.
I just watched episode 211. I hate flashback episodes. I truly do, even if they are revealing, which this one certainly was. But I love that Jimmy’s starting to crumble. And Nelson Van Patten just got confronted about killing Sebso. And Margaret’s sudden religious fervor is driving me nuts. I want to slap her. I can’t wait to watch the season 2 finale tonight.
Rygar is pumped up. Tomorrow Breaking Bad and Boardwalk in one go for me
look he gets on his face or something else, but he really bugged me. In fact, after the whore killed herself, and he ran off to the opium den, I hoped we’d seen the last of him. But his rebirth since then has entirely changed my mind about him. I love how he has dealt with the different obstacles and opportunities thrown in his path. And I’m looking forward to how he will sort out the competing plans and interests of Nucky and the Commodore.
His life is so heartbreaking, and he goes through the unimaginable with a grace I could only hope to muster in his shoes. In fact, I stopped in a store today to for medicine looking like I’d lost a boxing match, and I don’t know how he maintains his sweet nature under that sort of scrutiny. And I have a crush on his Enfield rifle. 
Jack Huston does an amazing job of portraying a man even more scarred on the inside than the outside. His torment is heartwrenching. And scalping the old fella, that’s just hardcore.
