Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Second Season (2011) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | History
Season (1) | Season (2) | Season (3) | Season (4) | Season (5)
Tagline: Atlantic City, 1920. When alcohol was outlawed, outlaws became kings.
Season two of Boardwalk Empire, the Golden Globe winning series from Emmy winning writer Terence Winter (The Sopranos) and Executive Producer Martin Scorsese begins in 1921 Atlantic City. In the wake of Prohibition, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi)
wields ultimate power in the "the world's playground." After rigging the Atlantic City mayoral election, Nucky and young WWI veteran Jimmy Darmody appear to be in control of the city. However, their grip soon begins to unravel as Nucky is arrested for
election fraud and members of both his inner circle and family being to question their allegiances. All the while, mobsters like Arnold Tothstein, Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Al Capone wait in the wings, looking for the right opportunity to grab a
bigger piece of Nucky's pie.
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
2.01 21 - January 1921. Nucky's power is put to the test by the alliance of Jimmy, Eli and the Commodore, who manipulate the KKK into attacking Chalky's bootlegging warehouse. Van Alden welcomes his wife to Atlantic City and puts on
a show for her, while at the same time providing for Lucy, heavily pregnant with his child. Nucky is arrested for election fraud.
2.02 Ourselves Alone - Nucky is released from jail, and becomes aware of the defection of several key allies to the Commodore. Margaret takes an active role in helping Nucky's business and falls back on her old behaviors to retrieve
incriminating pieces of evidence from his office. Jimmy visits New York to discuss new business proposals with Rothstein, Luciano and Lansky, and takes out his frustrations on a pair of well-connected Mafia hoods. Chalky, still in jail, exerts his
authority on a mouthy cellmate from out of town.
2.03 A Dangerous Maid - Nucky reaches out to various sources for help in fighting the legal charges against him, and confronts Jimmy and the Commodore with an open declaration of war. Van Alden deals with an increasingly stir-crazy
Lucy, and Margaret attempts to find more information about her estranged family. Capone visits Atlantic City to end Torrio's bootlegging arrangements with Nucky, while Rothstein smooths over a local Mafia don's dispute with Luciano and Lansky.
2.04 What Does the Bee Do? - Nucky looks to both Rothstein and Owen Sleater (Charlie Cox) as allies to fortify his position against the Commodore, who - unbeknownst to Nucky - has suffered a massive stroke, forcing Jimmy to take
control. Chalky is released from jail, but finds himself uncomfortable in both his business and family life. Richard sits for a portrait and finds a sympathetic ear in Angela, while Van Alden's men meet with explosive consequences for investigating their
superior.
2.05 Gimcrack and Bunkum - Nucky uses the Memorial Day celebrations as a chance to court the assistance of U.S. Attorney General Harry Daugherty (Christopher McDonald) in his election fraud case. Richard takes a trip into the woods
and comes to a final decision, which is interrupted by a stray dog. Eli fails to switch sides back to his brother, and resorts to brutal means to keep the news of the Commodore's incapacitation quiet. Insulted by one of his wealthy backers, Jimmy takes
Gillian's advice and recruits Richard to return the favor.
2.06 The Age of Reason - Nucky helps reassure Margaret's son Teddy about his first confession, while Margaret grapples with just how honest to be in her own. Jimmy takes the advice of the Commodore's lawyer and strikes a bargain with
Luciano and Lansky, following an attempted hijacking of Nucky's new liquor line. Lucy is forced to give birth herself while Van Alden faces Agent Clarkson in the hospital, and the birth has a surprise visitor. Senator Walter Edge (Geoff Pierson) forces
Daugherty to appoint a more zealous prosecutor against Nucky.
2.07 Peg of Old - Nucky's life is in danger when Jimmy is pushed to a violent decision by Eli, Luciano, Lansky and Capone. Margaret reconnects with her family in Brooklyn, but not everyone is happy to see their long-lost sister. Van
Alden finds himself making difficult decisions after the arrival of new prosecutor Esther Randolph (Julianne Nicholson) and Lucy's final decision in the wake of their daughter's birth. Owen finds the opportunity to perform a service, both for the IRA and
for Margaret.
2.08 Two Boats and a Lifeguard - Nucky deals with his father's death in the wake of his own attempted murder, and comes to a surprise decision after consulting with Rothstein and Torrio. Angela rediscovers her free-spirited side
thanks to a chance beach meeting, and has an honest conversation with Jimmy about their marriage and his business. Van Alden hires a nanny for his daughter Abigail, and Randolph begins interrogations for her federal case against Nucky.
2.09 Battle of the Century - Nucky travels to Ireland, looking to make a deal with the IRA leadership: surplus Army weapons for Irish whiskey. Back home, Margaret's daughter Emily is stricken with polio, and Esther Randolph puts the
pressure on Deputy Halloran. As the Battle of the Century approaches, Jimmy decides to take a hard line with Philadelphia gangster Manny Horvitz (William Forsythe). Chalky tells a former enemy, now his underling, to launch a strike by the Negro workers in
Atlantic City.
2.10 Georgia Peaches - Nucky floods Atlantic City with Irish whiskey to cripple his enemies, and hires Rothstein's attorney Bill Fallon to defend him in the election fraud case. Jimmy faces internal dissent from his partners and
pressure from his backers to end the workers' strike, but balks at Chalky's demands. Eli's effort to keep Deputy Halloran quiet leads to Esther Randolph pushing a murder charge on him, while Margaret turns to the church for help with Emily. Manny
Horvitz's revenge against Jimmy takes a sudden, tragic turn.
2.11 Under God's Power She Flourishes - Nucky and Fallon begin planning his defense strategy, aided by a discovery that brings an end to Van Alden's career. Blaming herself for Emily's polio, Margaret contemplates purging her sins in
court. Jimmy travels to Princeton and, in a heroin-induced haze, recalls his school days there, from the start of his relationship with Angela to the fateful night his mother visited. Upon returning to Atlantic City, he confronts Gillian and settles
family business with the Commodore.
2.12 To the Lost - Nucky takes steps to undermine Esther Randolph's case, proposing marriage to Margaret and accepting Jimmy's offer to silence a key witness. Chalky's conditions for ending the workers' strike are met, Van Alden
flees to the Midwest with his daughter and nanny, and Luciano and Lansky bring their heroin deal to Rothstein. In the shadow of the Atlantic City War Memorial, Nucky and Jimmy's relationship comes to an end, when Nucky sets up a meeting with Jimmy, and
shoots Jimmy point blank in the head. ------------------------------
~nb~
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on August 20, 2012 -- Nucky Thompson is back with a vengeance, and a pile of Emmys, fighting to maintain his control of Prohibition-era Atlantic County as the vultures circle and the
wolves close in. It's in these tense, at-times understated moments, with Nucky fending off the opposition and tightening his grip on whatever he lays his hands on, that Boardwalk Empire is at its finest, Steve Buscemi's high-rolling treasurer is at
his most compelling, and the series that Scorsese built is at its most intriguing. And Season Two is chock full of those moments. Television may have already moved on to the Next Big Show, as Television tends to do -- ratings have settled in at a modest
level, Emmy nominations dropped from eighteen to twelve, and buzz has slowly and, yes, surely diminished -- but HBO and series creator Terence Winter remain as diligent and determined as ever, delivering yet another must-see season of another must-see
series on a premium cable network that specializes in must-see original programming.
January 16th, 1919. The 66th U.S. Congress ratifies the controversial 18th Constitutional Amendment, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors." October 28th, 1919. The House overrides President Woodrow Wilson's veto
of the Volstead Act, a bill designed to grant authorities the power necessary to uphold the 18th Amendment. October 29th, 1919. The U.S. Senate agrees. The Volstead Act becomes law and the now-infamous Prohibition era is born. January 17th, 1920. Six
armed men steal a shipment of medicinal whiskey valued at over $100,000. February 22nd, 1920. Bootlegging and liquor trafficking explodes. Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey are the only states in the Union that still refuse to ratify the 18th
Amendment. August 11th, 1920. Organized crime and government corruption, both state and local, are at an all time high. The United States learns that Prohibition doesn't curb crime; it fosters it.
These are the dark, dangerous times of Boardwalk Empire, Winter and executive producer Martin Scorsese's fascinating foray into the political and criminal underworlds of Atlantic County, New Jersey in the early 1920s. Backed by career defining
performances from Buscemi and Michael Pitt, a formidable supporting cast, a talented team of writers and directors, and some of the finest period production design to ever grace a television series, it emerged as one of the most critically acclaimed
dramas of 2010 and stands as one of the best television shows of 2011. Granted, Empire's first season required a bit of patience early on, but those who stuck with Scorsese and Winter for the long haul have been rewarded for their loyalty. Season
One was strong, ending with a flurry of fantastic episodes, but Season Two is even better, steadily ramping up its momentum from beginning to end.
January, 1921. Commodore Louis Kaestner (Dabney Coleman), his son Jimmy Darmody (Pitt) and Nucky's younger brother Eli (Shea Whigham) begin beating on Nucky's door; with the Klu Klux Klan, a serious charge of election fraud and his subsequent arrest,
rather than a polite knock. Nucky responds in kind with fire of his own, making his fight with the Commodore a full-fledged Jersey turf war. Business must go on, though, and the bootlegging business is booming. As one of Atlantic City's most powerful men,
publicly and privately, Nucky finds himself being assaulted from all sides, be it his old partner in crime, his former protégé, his own blood, outside forces like Chicago's Al Capone (Stephen Graham), federal agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), or
the countless other enemies amassing in his path and lining up around the block. But before the last cork is popped and the last shot is fired, Nucky will have blood on his hands and more control of the future of Atlantic City than even he
anticipated.
Fearless as its first twelve episodes, Boardwalk Empire's sophomore season dispenses with introductions and deals exclusively in contention and conflict, bringing the weight of Nucky's sins to bear on his soul. It seems that crooked, calculating
soul is impervious to everything but corruption, though, and, much like the Walter Whites and Tony Sopranos of the TV landscape, a frail, increasingly insatiable part of him enjoys it. Not that Nucky is easily compared to either White or Soprano,
polar extremes as the heads of small criminal empires go. There's a certain reservation (some might mistake for hesitancy) that comes with everything Buscemi's weary eyed politico does, and an even deeper resignation when he crosses another line, moral or
legal, to commit necessary evils. There's cancerous anger and arrogance, making his rule a volatile one. Heavy is the head and what not. But Thompson's crown isn't one he stumbled upon or was born to inherit. It's one of his own making and desire.
And he's good, so good, at it. He's a natural, and it didn't take him a long time to come to terms with that fact. Nucky isn't amoral, or even a cruel or traditionally selfish man. He can be cruel. He operates out of greed. He sees opportunity and
capitalizes, whatever the cost. But there's more there, just as there's more to most everyone he encounters in his dealings, that strips the criminals, lawmen, opportunists and victims of the series of absolutism and allows them to dwell in the murky gray
in-between; including those who most resist the call of Atlantic County and its enterprising rogues.
None of that would matter, of course, if the series didn't retain its attention to historical detail and magnificent period production design, which it does. There's a fine line between historical accuracy and fictional liberty any showrunner or filmmaker
must walk when attempting something on the scale and sophistication of Boardwalk Empire, and it's a line Winter, fellow executive producer Tim Van Patten and their writers take very, very seriously. Everything that enters the fray shouldn't be
treated as gospel, no matter how authentic it may seem. Likewise, nothing on screen should be casually dismissed as a show writer's embellishment. Winter and his crew, perhaps better than any other period series to date, balance the needs of a respectable
period piece with the needs of a riveting television show and produce something that incorporates and embraces both. The strength of Boardwalk Empire, much as it could be attributed to Buscemi, the look and feel of the show, or even its
well-publicized season finale shocker (which I wouldn't dream of spoiling), really lies in its ability to stride confidently down that line without tipping the balance too far in either direction. It's a gorgeous show, backed by magnificent sets and
smartly scouted locations, and its performances are just as magnificent, across the board no less. (Buscemi and Pitt may get the most attention but their are plenty of unsung heroes in the cast.) But none of that would matter if the showrunners and
writers were interested in sensationalizing, bastardizing or ignoring the truth, historical or universal, behind the stories they're telling and the characters they're developing week in and week out.
Winter is fearless too, offing major players, clipping wings, and committing to the consequences of his characters' actions; a fearlessness that doesn't come from a need to titillate and excite but rather a very real devotion to the credibility and
substance of the Prohibition saga being unfurled. He isn't afraid to allow darkness to infect the righteous or righteousness to infect his free moral agents. He also doesn't haphazardly showcase these attributes or failings to anyone, allowing his
character's flaws to dictate their actions, not vice versa. (If that sounds fundamentally obvious, take a moment and think about the vast majority of shows on television today. Especially those that enjoy high ratings. Note how may of those shows allow a
person's actions to define what should be driving those same actions. It's cart-before-the-horse scriptwriting and its dishearteningly common.) Winter braves his way along yet another fine line in an HBO series strung with fine lines, and you only need
listen to one of Winter's commentaries to get a sense of how carefully measured each of his decisions and steps are. Boardwalk Empire isn't just entertainment, anymore than it's just steeped in history. Each episode exudes both a
nuance and realism that go beyond the usual trappings and elevate it to something more than its twists, turns or surprise shootings might suggest. Winter knowingly rejects convention and still turns out captivating TV, something HBO has demonstrated its
more than happy to foster.
Boardwalk Empire could have bored its returning audience (accustomed to slowburn dramas as HBO loyalists may be). It could have grown stale, lost its way, or taken the paths most traveled. Instead, the series' second season surpasses its first and
takes Buscemi, Pitt and the rest of the cast and crew right along with it. Winter should be commended, just as the show should be watched. Again and again and again, until it's savored and appreciated. That won't be too difficult either, thanks to its
must-own 5-disc Blu-ray release, jaw-dropping video presentation, involving DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and satisfying supplemental package. Don't hesitate to add The Complete Second Season to your collection. Unless you don't own
The Complete First Season, in which case: don't hesitate to add both seasons of Boardwalk Empire to your collection.
[CSW] 7.7/10 - For some reason there weren't any great surprises for me. I seemed to sense almost every plot twist and turn well in advance. It is almost as if I had read spoilers an hour before each plot twist. I seemed to have successfully spoiled the
tension and emotional shock value for myself every time all without knowing anything in advance.
--- JOYA ---
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