Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Fifth Season (2014) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | History
Season (1) | Season (2) | Season (3) | Season (4) | Season (5)
--- The final season of Boardwalk Empire ---
Tagline: No one goes quietly.
Storyline: Set in the Prohibition era of the 1920s Boardwalk Empire is the story of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the treasurer of Atlantic County, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Due to his relationships with mobsters as well as political
contacts, the Federal Government start to take an interest in him. His lavish lifestyle seems at odds with his position, and as well as his connections, there is prolific bootlegging in the area. Written by WellardRockard
5.01 Golden Days for Boys and Girls - The year is 1931, Nucky Thompson has exiled himself with Sally Wheet in Havana, Cuba, where he is currently working on a deal with the Bacardi Rum Company. The trip takes a strange turn as Nucky
coincidentally bumps into Meyer Lansky while dining, who states he's just on vacation with his wife. However, Nucky questions Lansky's presence after an attempt on his life occurs later that evening, only to be thwarted by new bodyguard Arquimedes. Back
in New York, an older Luciano sets up a meeting with Joe Masseria to discuss rival gangster Salvatore Maranzano. As their discussion concludes, Luciano excuses himself to the washroom, leaving Masseria to be gunned down at the table by Bugsy Siegel and
Tonino Sandrelli. Meanwhile, Chalky White is now part of a chain gang and working prison detail in the woods when a riot breaks out; amidst the chaos, Chalky is able to snag the keys from a killed guard and escapes—though temporarily confronted by the
gun-toting, somewhat mentally unstable Milton. Margaret is moving up the ranks at her job in New York, but her life of independence and stability is thrown into danger after her boss commits suicide. Luciano appears before the Maranzano family and pledges
loyalty to Maranzano. Through flashbacks, the early life of a young Enoch and Eli Thompson is depicted, showing their volatile upbringing and the relationship between Enoch and a young Commodore.
5.02 The Good Listener - Seven-year exile Eli Thompson has hit rock bottom, now a perpetual drunk and working as a debt collector for the Chicago Outfit with George Mueller, who is now one of Capone's veteran members. Mueller's life
is starting to unravel as well, as the tension at home becomes evident through the strained exchanges with his wife and children. Gillian Darmody has gone completely clean during her forceful installment at a women's sanitarium, and begins planning how to
get out. Eli's son Willie Thompson is now pursuing a career as a prosecutor, but with a possible ulterior motive. Nucky sits down with retired Chicago boss Johnny Torrio to discuss recent events, and Torrio arranges a meeting between Nucky and Maranzano.
Luciano, Lansky, Siegel and Tonino meet to discuss their next move, with the former uneasy about Tonino based on his treacherous past. Nucky later sits down with Maranzano and Luciano, but in doing so recalls Tonino's culpability after seeing a boardwalk
caricature in memory of old flame Billy Kent. After the Maranzano meeting, Nucky arranges a private meeting with Tonino, who warns him that Luciano is plotting against him. When pressed by Nucky, Tonino offers his loyalty whenever Nucky should ask. Later
that evening, Lansky is rushed outside to find a dead Tonino thrown on his steps—murdered in open acknowledgement of Lansky and Luciano's murder attempt on Nucky in Havana, as well as vengeance for Tonino's part in Billy's death.
5.03 What Jesus Said - Runaway convicts Chalky and Milton seek refuge in a house, but stumble across a mother and daughter living there. Milton insists they take them hostage, and accuses the mother of past wrongs and a hidden safe
despite her insistence of neither of these things. In the past, Nucky as a child begins to learn how to work hard through his employment under the Commodore; while working there, he chances to meet a young Mabel, his future first wife. Margaret is brought
in for questioning about her boss's suicide and Arnold Rothstein's name surfaces, in conjunction with questionable stock trading practices. Nucky goes forward with his rum dealing and attempts to persuade Boston powerhouse Joseph Kennedy of a working
partnership. Luciano and Benny Siegel sit down with Chalky White's old rival, Dr. Valentin Narcisse, to coerce him into entering a protection deal. Narcisse rejects the offer, so Luciano sends him a response by having Siegel and another mobster kill some
of Narcisse's men and prostitutes at his brothel. Following hours of tense confrontation and questioning of their hostages, Chalky kills Milton with a hammer to the head after Milton tries to strangle the daughter. While this occurs, the mother and
daughter retrieve the dropped gun, but do not shoot Chalky, and instead order him to take the few dollars they have and get out. After a heated discussion with Rothstein's widow, who threatens to sue Margaret for the money she knows Rothstein gave her in
exchange for inside stock information, Margaret goes to see Nucky.
5.04 Cuanto - Nucky and Margaret tentatively reconcile in order to deal with Mrs. Rothstein's threats. Luciano visits Chicago and tries to bring Al Capone into the Sicilian-only business plan and fails, but while there recognizes Van
Alden as the prohibition agent from 10 years prior in New Jersey. Van Alden pleads for his life after Capone sticks a gun in his mouth. Capone ultimately spares him after Van Alden makes a compelling speech, which shrewdly appeals to his ego while making
insinuations about Luciano's lack of respect. Joseph Kennedy backs out of the potential rum deal with Nucky, citing "scotch and rum don't really mix." Sally is stopped by a Cuban federal patrol, and tries to get out of the trouble she senses by flirting,
dropping important names, and bribery, but these tactics only serve to aggravate the situation. After a brief struggle, Sally manages to grab away a soldier's gun and starts to back away into the darkness slowly, but is accidentally shot and killed by one
of the soldiers in mid-sentence.
5.05 King of Norway - Nucky as a young adult is now a deputy for Atlantic City, pursuing marriage to Mabel while struggling against the disapproval and condescension of her father. Chalky discreetly seeks out Nucky to learn the
location of Valentine Narcisse. Although Nucky doesn't know, he gives him a safe place to stay, knowing the law is after him. Tensions hit their peak at the Mueller household as a family dinner with Eli Thompson and a visiting
5.06 Devil You Know - Deputy Nucky is now married to Mabel and expecting their first child, while trying to capture a young boy who has been thieving and peddling on the boardwalk—later revealed to be a young girl named Gillian. In
the present day, Nucky drowns his frustrations and grief over Sally's death at a seedy bar, where he ends up in a drunken fight and is robbed by two women who leave him knocked out in the alley. Eli and Nelson Van Alden are forcibly held by Ralph Capone
after their plan to steal the financial ledgers from Capone's office fails. Mike D'Angelo attempts to get the two out under cover of disposing them quickly and quietly with his own men, which Ralph agrees to in order to avoid upsetting the trigger temper
of Al Capone. However, Al returns with visiting movie stars George Raft and Paul Muni before they can leave, and is unavoidably apprised of the failed theft. Chalky and Narcisse finally meet again after seven years, with Narcisse willingly entering the
room unarmed and alone to talk to Chalky. Narcisse informs him that things are changing and the Luciano threat is rising, then offers him a position in his organization. In return for his loyalty, Narcisse will release Daughter Maitland and her child and
remove the blockade he's placed to prevent anyone from playing Daughter's new record. In a private room away from the eyes and ears of the visiting actors, Capone threatens Nelson, demanding to know what he and Eli are up to. Nelson snaps and tries to
kill Capone by strangulation while finally admitting to his past as a Prohibition agent, but is shot in the head by Mike D'Angelo before he can reveal that the feds are investigating Capone. A rattled Capone allows D'Angelo to take Eli to kill quietly
elsewhere, and actually orders the incriminating financial ledgers given to him for safekeeping. Having gotten what he wanted, D'Angelo lets Eli go in the lobby, unconcerned with his fate, and throws a crumpled bill at his feet for bus fare. Mickey
rallies an army as Nucky prepares to move against Luciano, Lansky and Torrio. Meanwhile, Daughter, afraid for Chalky's life, warns him of Narcisse's treachery when Chalky agrees to work for him, but Chalky is already aware that he will most likely betray
him. Despite this, he takes the deal in order to help Daughter pursue the success and life he believes she should have, and tenderly says goodbye to her and her child, Althea-—who is, he has since learned, his daughter. After Daughter leaves, Chalky is
led out back, where he is unsurprised to find himself blocked off by a line of Narcisse's men, guns raised to execute him. After taking a moment to straighten his suit, he tells them he's ready, and closes his eyes with a smile and the memory of
Daughter's singing in his ears.
5.07 Friendless Child - War continues to wage on between Nucky, Lansky and Luciano. With these heavy losses, tension begins to rise between Nucky and Maranzano, with Nucky heatedly arguing to strike back definitively and Maranzano
counseling deliberation and caution. Deciding to take decisive action on his own, Nucky has Bugsy Siegel kidnapped after a gun battle that leaves Siegel with a bullet in the leg and holds him hostage, though Luciano initially appears little moved by his
friend's plight. Released by Mike D'Angelo and assumed dead by Al Capone, Eli tries to reconcile with his son Will in a painful meeting outside his workplace. Eli walks away from the meeting, leaving an emotionally conflicted Will, but does not get far
before witnessing Pinky Rabinowitz suddenly kidnapping Will. Nucky, Luciano and Lansky later meet in full force to make an exchange of hostages, but a limping Siegel cunningly feints his movements as the two walk pass each other, forcing Will back into
the arms of Luciano and Lansky's men. Desperate to save Will, Nucky offers everything he has, while Lansky and Luciano consider his request and ask him to get on his knees. Siegel brashly suggests killing them all outright first and taking what they have
after, but Nucky manages to persuade Luciano and Lansky by offering to take care of Maranzano within the next twenty-four hours. Knowing that ownership of the club will now go to Luciano and Lansky, Mickey Doyle tries to approach them and wheedle to
retain management, but is shot in the throat by an unimpressed Luciano. Nucky scrambles to prevent the meeting from turning into a full-on bloodbath as guns are cocked, but can't keep the provoked Archimedes from going for his gun and getting shot dead by
Pinky. Back in the past, Deputy Nucky has now moved young Gillian into his home, where she is groomed and cared for by Mabel. The couple argue over what to do with her, with Mabel passionately against returning Gillian to the dreadful life she had at her
orphanage and Nucky unconvinced she is truly little more than a thief. Before the two can come to a decision, Sheriff Lindsay calls Nucky away to deal with a pressing matter with the Commodore. Arriving at the Commodore's mansion, Sheriff Lindsay resigns
and hands his sheriff's badge to Nucky, having finally reached the limits of his conscience. Once inside, Deputy Nucky is taken to a bedroom upstairs and learns the ugly reality of what it means to work for the Commodore; seeing the young girl shivering
and clutching her clothes to herself within and the partially clothed Commodore hurriedly leaving, Deputy Nucky is left with the clear knowledge that the Commodore is a child predator. Back in the present day, Maranzano and his men are murdered at his
office by men posing as federal agents, with Eli on hand as one of the gunmen. Lansky and Luciano chat with Torrio and agree that Atlantic City will go to Pinky. Sitting alone, Nucky contemplates everything that has happened, and finally opens and reads
the letter sent to him from Gillian Darmody, who pleads for him to show the same compassion and help he offered her as a young child.
5.08 Eldorado - With his holdings in Atlantic City lost, Nucky decides to go for a swim in the ocean. Meanwhile, in New York, due to Nucky's manipulation of Mayflower stock, Kennedy's business associates are nervous that repeal will
not happen, and begin unloading their shares. Kennedy suspects Nucky's involvement, but Margaret convinces him to short sell his own shares. Margaret meets Nucky to inform him of her success, and it appears that they will rekindle their relationship but
are interrupted. Nucky later returns to Atlantic City, intending to leave the city forever. He goes and meets Eli, gives him some money, and encourages him to return to his family. He then meets Gillian in the sanitarium, telling her the most he can do is
set up a trust fund for her when she is released. However, it's revealed that Gillian has already undergone surgical treatment for her feigned insanity by psychiatrist, Dr. Henry Cotton, while in the sanitarium. Back in New York, Luciano and Lansky gather
crime bosses from New York and all around the country and form the Commission, a singular body will mediate relations between all crime organizations in the country. Luciano also tasks Bugsy with killing Narcisse, and he is publicly assassinated in front
of his church. In Chicago, Capone is served a court summons when the authorities manage to obtain his ledgers. While he publicly boasts that the charges of tax evasion won't stick, Capone says goodbye to his son before heading to court, where D'Angelo is
waiting for him. Back in the past, Deputy Nucky finds out Mabel has miscarried, much to his shock. He is then summoned to his family home, where he physically beats his father for hitting his mother again, and warns there will be consequences if harm were
to come to his mother again. After returning to Atlantic city, Nucky comes across Gillian again, who is participating in a parade. The Commodore promotes Nucky to Sheriff, and his first task is to deliver Gillian to him. Nucky reluctantly approaches
Gillian, telling her that the Commodore is willing to take her in, and promising that he will look out for her. Back in the present, Nucky comes across Joe Harper again. Harper reveals that his real name is Tommy Darmody, Jimmy's son and Gillian's
grandson, and shoots Nucky three times before being restrained by the police. As Nucky dies, he sees a vision of a younger version of himself swimming in the ocean and catching a coin.
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, January 7, 2015 -- With a shortened, eight-episode fifth and final season, Boardwalk Empire limps and lurches to what increasingly becomes an inevitable destination, and does so
with such heavy-handedness and distrust for its audience that it loses much of the power it once commanded. There's no shortage of memorable scenes and poetic deaths, but most of the justice and moral comeuppance it dispenses comes at the expense of
subtlety, surprise and sincerity. The season not only continues to detach the series from history, it offers little rhyme or reason for its headlong plunge into melodrama, other than the writers own fondness for their characters. Worse, there appears to
be a underlying confusion between what Nucky and his rivals should reap and what the show has sown. The miscalculation being that sentiment rather than tragedy, symmetry rather than unpredictability, and award-baiting performance over believable, sharply
penned arcs will somehow salvage a diminished drama from a collision with obscurity. Even in its prime, Boardwalk Empire was already largely overlooked, and its final season isn't going to earn the show any of the attention it once so richly
deserved.
The fifth season jumps forward six years, to 1931. In stark contrast with the Roaring '20s, the country is in the throes of the Great Depression, and with the end of Prohibition in sight, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) begins looking to legitimize
himself by forging alliances with liquor producers. Joining Buscemi are Kelly Macdonald as Margaret, Nucky's estranged wife; Michael Shannon as former Federal Agent Nelson Van Alden; Shea Whigham as Nucky's brother Eli, underground after killing a federal
agent; Michael Kenneth Williams as Nucky's ex-ally Chalky White; Gretchen Mol as Gillian, ever battling her demons; Stephen Graham as gangster Al Capone; Vincent Piazza as gangster Lucky Luciano; Paul Sparks as gangster Mickey Doyle; and Jeffrey Wright as
Valentin Narcisse, Chalky's nemesis; Anatol Yusef as gangster Meyer Lansky; Ben Rosenfield as Eli's son, Willie Thompson, now a young prosecutor on the rise; Patricia Arquette as Nucky's ally, Sally Wheet, now based in Cuba; and Michael Zegen as gangster
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel.
Boardwalk Empire's fifth season fancies itself The Godfather Trilogy, with a climactic, multi-episode kill list, flashbacks aplenty, and other over-cooked elements that mire the final eight episodes in slow, methodical mediocrity. There
isn't much spark left in the series, and it often plays as if the showrunners aren't quite sure of what to do with the nest of vipers they've nurtured all these years. It doesn't help that Nucky's fate is so obvious in its parallels to past sins that it,
and really the entire series finale, arrives with a sniffle rather than a roar. When the chips fall, everyone is just about where you'd guess they'd be -- in prison, in the ground, on the run -- and patience-testing developments that are meant to shock
and awe do anything but. The entire season registers as a chore; a reluctant march toward the credits that isn't as inspired or intriguing as previous seasons, or as impactful, jaw-dropping or... bottom line: satisfying. And what little hope I hung onto
throughout the first seven episodes did nothing but cough, drop and bleed out as the finale clawed at the air.
Silver lining? It's not a complete loss. Having invested in four seasons, there's a welcome sense of closure here that, if nothing else, answers every reasonable question and only leaves a few loose plot threads. It's also wonderfully cast, masterfully
performed (as always) and beautifully shot, with achingly authentic music, production design and costuming. The scripts may falter, but the rest of the series does not. And yet so many pieces fall into place that it begs a serious question: what went
wrong in the writer's room? Season Five doesn't mesh with the seasons that have come before; even the tone and pacing struck me as out of sorts, although I have to admit that could have easily been colored by my mounting disappointment. Final seasons
often have trouble connecting with fans precisely because of their finality; as expectations rise, enjoyment plummets. But that's not what's happening here. Most of the season's deaths and farewells come late in its eight-episode run, with numerous issues
already out in force. By the time Nucky, his handful of friends and his legion of enemies start pulling triggers and digging graves, the series is at a low point from which it never recovers. Will it anger longtime viewers? Hardly. That would require an
emotional reaction. As more and more emotions were demanded, I found myself growing tired and strangely apathetic, happily divorced from a series that was once one of my great television loves.
I'm sure there will be a few fans that are entranced by Boardwalk Empire's fifth and final season. Not me. I was disheartened almost from the start; a nagging dread that soon gave way to disappointment and eventually dismay. Exhausting melodrama,
endless flashbacks (that shed little insight of note), stocky scripting and a debilitating predictability detract from the otherwise outstanding performances and magnificent production design, while the series finale elicits little more than a groan with
an ending you'll spot from a mile away. Boardwalk Empire deserved better. Ah well. HBO's Blu-ray release is at least a solid set, with a strong video presentation, first class DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a decent collection of
extras, including four commentaries.
--- JOYA ---
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