Boardwalk Empire Season 3

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

Wow! What a great beginning to this new season. Apparently, this premier takes place about one year after last season's finale.

There are some new characters this season. My favorite is a lady named Meg Steedle. She played Cleopatra and apparently, she is Nucky's new love interest. She is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and IMO, she just stole the show last night. Wow! That is all I can say about the song and dance routine she did. Wow! Wow! Wow!

Here is an article about Meg Steedle you may enjoy.

http://www.nylonmag.com/?section=article&parid=8489


If Nucky doesn't thoroughly hate Margaret by this point, I think he should. If he is able, he should probably arrange to have her murdered because of what she did to him. What a stupid (long string of anti-religous and misogynistic curse words)! She almost bankrupted him by giving away his major resource to some church.

There is another character who looks familiar to me. I think Nucky called him "Rosetti" and he was the guy who beat someone to death with a tire iron in the opening scene to this episode. I think his name is Bobby Canavale and he played a fireman named Roberto Caffey on 3rd Watch. He's a good actor. He comes across as a totally different character in this show. I liked him and expect him to cause a whole lot of mayhem this season.

I also liked the way that former Federal Agent (Van Alden) saddled up (sidled up?) to that notorious gangster O'Banyon. I exepect to see him go to work for O'Banyon and to create a whole lot of mayhem working for him.

All in all, this is looking like a great season - even better than the first two seasons put together.

Yummy! Yummy!

[Rollo Tomasi]

I thought they laid it on way too thick with Rosetti for his first episode. For now, he's just looking like a psychotically angry, Sonny Corleone-type cliche. I'm hoping they're able to add a few more layers to that character.

Other than that, a very strong season opener. I especially liked the Van Alden storyline, which is unusual, because he's always been something of a weak link for me in past seasons.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Originally Posted by Lazlo Hapsburg

I also liked the way that former Federal Agent (Van Alden) saddled up (sidled up?) to that notorious gangster O'Banyon. I exepect to see him go to work for O'Banyon and to create a whole lot of mayhem working for him.

While I think it's likely his dealings with O'Banyon aren't finished, I wondered if he even knew who he was. He might've thought it was just a shopkeeper being extorted by thugs.

[Dewey Finn]

And did Van Alden realize that the guy leaving the flower shop was Al Capone?

BTW, Nucky is certainly cool to Margaret now but I wonder what the immediate aftermath was of her signing over all that land to the Catholic Church. It was worth a fortune.

And it was hilarious to see all of those rich people going nuts over Nucky's party favors.

[Andiethewestie]

I loved that Richard Harrow avenged his friend Jimmy's death. In fact, even though Manny was one of Nucky's henchmen, it seems that Harrow might gain some respect from Thompson. The scene was telegraphed somewhat by Manny getting his "new hat" I am just wondering if Harrow was tipped off by Nucky or maybe Nicky Doyle , since Manny was getting greedy wanting his own distillary.

[Andiethewestie]

Originally Posted by Dewey Finn

And did Van Alden realize that the guy leaving the flower shop was Al Capone?

BTW, Nucky is certainly cool to Margaret now but I wonder what the immediate aftermath was of her signing over all that land to the Catholic Church. It was worth a fortune.

And it was hilarious to see all of those rich people going nuts over Nucky's party favors.

I'm not sure if he knew it was Capone, but his instincts about them being very bad mofo's saved it from a bloodbath in a flower shop. Van Alden may get into the security business very soon.

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

Originally Posted by Andiethewestie

I'm not sure if he knew it was Capone, but his instincts about them being very bad mofo's saved it from a bloodbath in a flower shop. Van Alden may get into the security business very soon.

Well, he certainly won't stay in the door-to-door selling iron business. That is for sure!

I strongly doubt we will be seeing any kinder, softer side to Nucky this season. It seems to me they are trying to build up his "thug" side. In this epi, someone called him a "gangster" or a "thug" (I forget which) and also, remember his line about, "But first, put a bullet in his brain"?

I think one of the most common criticizms of Nucky in past seasons was that he just came across as far too much of a wimp to be a true gangster. I think they are trying to make him appear very thug-like this season. IMO, that is a good thing. This series could always use more mayhem. I really want to see Margaret get what is coming to her this season and I want to see it spelled out in blood. She deserves that.

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

P.S. I can't believe there have been only 5 replies to this thread. This show is one of the most popular and best done shows on HBO. I would have thought there would have been many, many people with something to say about the season premiere.

Why are so few people interested?

[Simplicio]

Originally Posted by Lazlo Hapsburg

I think one of the most common criticizms of Nucky in past seasons was that he just came across as far too much of a wimp to be a true gangster. I think they are trying to make him appear very thug-like this season. IMO, that is a good thing. This series could always use more mayhem. I really want to see Margaret get what is coming to her this season and I want to see it spelled out in blood. She deserves that.

I see that as the main theme of the show. Season one Nucky was a corrupt machine politician who wasn't above ordering the occasional murder. But he generally tried to keep things orderly and solve problems with "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" type corruption instead of just blowing away anyone that got in his way. And at least in part, he ran things for the general benefit of the various factions that supported him. He wasn't (purely) about making himself rich.

With prohibition, borderline psychopaths like Capone and Jimmy have taken over, who are willing to just murder their way to the top. And Nucky has to become more and more brutal to survive.

[Rollo Tomasi]

Originally Posted by Lazlo Hapsburg

I think one of the most common criticizms of Nucky in past seasons was that he just came across as far too much of a wimp to be a true gangster.

This complaint never made any sense to me, because Nucky wasn't supposed to be some kind of crime boss at the beginning of the show. He was a politician. Sure, he was corrupt and all that, but he maintained a relatively civilized manner publically and (in some cases) privately, because that's what his position called for.

It seems like a lot of people wanted him to be Tony Soprano right off the bat, icing his enemies without a second thought. It always made far more sense to me that Nucky would try to get the job done through money and more gentle means of persuasion, rather than knocking off guys and left and right. Of course, now that he's getting deeper into the muck, it makes more sense that he's evolving into a gangster type.

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

Originally Posted by Rollo Tomasi

This complaint never made any sense to me, because Nucky wasn't supposed to be some kind of crime boss at the beginning of the show. He was a politician. Sure, he was corrupt and all that, but he maintained a relatively civilized manner publically and (in some cases) privately, because that's what his position called for.

It seems like a lot of people wanted him to be Tony Soprano right off the bat, icing his enemies without a second thought. It always made far more sense to me that Nucky would try to get the job done through money and more gentle means of persuasion, rather than knocking off guys and left and right. Of course, now that he's getting deeper into the muck, it makes more sense that he's evolving into a gangster type.

Both you and Simplicio make very reasonable points.

Personally, I'm glad he is becoming more of a thug because, IMO (and I don't think it will be shared by very many of you), I enjoy the show a lot more when mayhem and murder prevail.

How else can you deal with people like Al Capone and this "Rosetti" creep? I know it's true that in the end, Capone was jailed for tax evasion and no one ever had to bump him off. But still, it would have made for much better TV had he been murdered with much violence and mayhem.

I love mayhem when it happens in this show.

Some of the very best moments were about murder. Remember how sniper Richard Darrow shot some guy after Jimmy fingered him?

And there were so many other wonderful moments. Like when Chalky (sorry I can't remember the actor's name) got his revenge on the people who killed his friends and relatives. And remember that wonderful scene when Jimmy had a huge knife hidden in his pants leg and used it to kill a whole bunch of people who were going to kill him? For me, those were just some of the most enjoyable scenes in this show.

I just want more mayhem. And the more the better.

[DMark]

Happy New Year 1923!

If I recall correctly, things started to get really interesting about this time with regards to gangsters and booze and the Feds.

Nucky has had a free ride so far, but now he has to step up his game to stay in play - and he is becoming a smarter/eviler thug, but still trying to keep things "normal" in his territory.

Nice plan to stay out of the fray and have one distributor - Nucky sees the writing on the wall and doesn't want to deal with the nutcases out there - but I don't think this plan is going to be as simple as all that.

So yeah, they have set up the season (and upcoming seasons) quite nicely.

Love all the costumes and set designs and bits and pieces of history thrown in - unlike other shows about this era, Boardwalk Empire really believes in the total immersion theory of getting to know the era, the culture, the mood and the politics - by osmosis we are learning more about the background and that makes the violence all the more real and shocking, rather than just have some nameless guy get shot.

Great series, and hope more people start watching and catching up with past episodes. The nice thing about this show is you don't know what is going to be happening next - a gentle loving touch of gifting a new hat for the New Year, or a bullet through the head...

[Tamerlane]

Originally Posted by Lazlo Hapsburg

Personally, I'm glad he is becoming more of a thug because, IMO (and I don't think it will be shared by very many of you), I enjoy the show a lot more when mayhem and murder prevail.

Just remember that just like Capone, Rothstein and Luciano, Nucky "Thompson" ( Johnson in RL ) is at least based on a real person. We know pretty much what happened to him and roughly when . Though there is a great deal of leeway to fictionalize his character, they do presumably want to maintain at least a very loose historicity about him.

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

For anyone who may be interested:

In an earlier post I wondered if the proper expression was "saddle up" or "sidle up". I have heard them both used but couldn't remember which was correct to describe getting close to someone but in a non-obvious way.

The one example I seem to remember most comes from the film, "Donnie Brasco" where Al Pacino is angry with Johnny Depp and accuses him of "sidling up" to another character.

Well, I looked it up in the dictionary and here is a sample sentence:

In one episode he puttered around a swamp inside an artificial hippo, so he could sidle up close to the real wildlife.

Here is the complete entry:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sidle?s=t

sidle
  Use Sidle in a sentence Origin
si·dle
   [sahyd-l] Show IPA verb, si·dled, si·dling, noun

verb (used without object)
1. to move sideways or obliquely.
2. to edge along furtively.

noun
3. a sidling movement.

Origin: 1690–1700; back formation from sideling (earlier spelling sidling misconstrued as present participle of a verb ending in -le)

[aldiboronti]

The show is definitely maintaining the high standards it set itself in the first two seasons. It was sad to see the last of William Forsythe, I love watching him perform. I knew he wouldn't last long this season though with Nemesis in the shape of Richard on his track. I wonder if Nucky is included in Richard's plans for revenge. That would prove an altogether trickier target.

[Misnomer]

Originally Posted by Rollo Tomasi

Other than that, a very strong season opener. I especially liked the Van Alden storyline, which is unusual, because he's always been something of a weak link for me i past seasons.

My thoughts, exactly. If Van Alden can keep the "batshit insane" side of himself in check, he could be a very interesting character.

Originally Posted by Dewey Finn

And did Van Alden realize that the guy leaving the flower shop was Al Capone?

Unless I missed something, I don't think Al Capone is AL CAPONE yet.

[Rollo Tomasi]

I was really surprised to see that Van Alden and the nanny are actually married, or at least in some kind of a relationship, with a new baby and everything. I figured at the end of last season that they were just going to present themselves as a married couple for propriety's sake.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Originally Posted by Rollo Tomasi

I was really surprised to see that Van Alden and the nanny are actually married, or at least in some kind of a relationship, with a new baby and everything.

Hmm, I completely missed that it was a new baby. Wasn't sure how much time was supposed to have passed since the last season finale.

Guess they had sex at least once. Missionary with the lights off, I bet.

[Rollo Tomasi]

Originally Posted by Vinyl Turnip

Hmm, I completely missed that it was a new baby. Wasn't sure how much time was supposed to have passed since the last season finale.

Guess they had sex at least once. Missionary with the lights off, I bet.

Yeah, the nanny (who does have a name, right?) was holding the new boy, and Abigail (Van Alden and Lucy's daughter) was in the crib. I think I read somewhere that eighteen months passed between last year's finale and this episode.

I hope that Rose Van Alden is enjoying her life away from her ex-husband. Now there's a woman who really needed to let her freak flag fly, judging by how turned on she got when Van Alden staged that impromptu raid at the restaurant they were having dinner at last season.

[What the .... ?!?!]

Originally Posted by Lazlo Hapsburg

Wow! What a great beginning to this new season. Apparently, this premier takes place about one year after last season's finale.

There are some new characters this season. My favorite is a lady named Meg Steedle. She played Cleopatra and apparently, she is Nucky's new love interest. She is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and IMO, she just stole the show last night. Wow! That is all I can say about the song and dance routine she did. Wow! Wow! Wow!

Here is an article about Meg Steedle you may enjoy.

http://www.nylonmag.com/?section=article&parid=8489


If Nucky doesn't thoroughly hate Margaret by this point, I think he should. If he is able, he should probably arrange to have her murdered because of what she did to him. What a stupid (long string of anti-religous and misogynistic curse words)! She almost bankrupted him by giving away his major resource to some church.

There is another character who looks familiar to me. I think Nucky called him "Rosetti" and he was the guy who beat someone to death with a tire iron in the opening scene to this episode. I think his name is Bobby Canavale and he played a fireman named Roberto Caffey on 3rd Watch. He's a good actor. He comes across as a totally different character in this show. I liked him and expect him to cause a whole lot of mayhem this season.

I also liked the way that former Federal Agent (Van Alden) saddled up (sidled up?) to that notorious gangster O'Banyon. I exepect to see him go to work for O'Banyon and to create a whole lot of mayhem working for him.

All in all, this is looking like a great season - even better than the first two seasons put together.

Yummy! Yummy!

"Rosetti" is on Nurse Jackie also.

I'm kinda dense sometimes and admit to not picking up on Nucky/Margaret tension until the party was over and he took off. Should I have?

Also...why would Manny be blamed for Jimmy's demise?

[DMark]

Originally Posted by What the .... ?!?!

"Rosetti" is on Nurse Jackie also.

He was also Will's boyfriend, the cop, on Will and Grace.

[Bob Ducca]

Originally Posted by What the .... ?!?!

Also...why would Manny be blamed for Jimmy's demise?

I thought Richard was getting revenge for Angela, especially with the way his story line had gone so far in the episode in dealing with Tommy and Gillian.

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

Originally Posted by Bob Ducca

I thought Richard was getting revenge for Angela, especially with the way his story line had gone so far in the episode in dealing with Tommy and Gillian.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

I think you are exactly correct.

Richard killed Manny because he killed Angela. Not because he killed Jimmy.

With any luck, we may soon get to see Richard exact revenge on someone who he feels is responsible for killing Jimmy. Who he chooses will likely depend on who he feels is responsible as well as who he feels would make a good victim. He would likely choose someone who he can get away with the murder and not just the person he thinks is most guilty. So, that probably will not be Nucky, although he may well assasinate Nucky at some later date.

Oh, wait. I guess he can't because in the true story, Nucky does not die that way.
Oh, darn!

[Rollo Tomasi]

I'm glad that Eli asked the same question that I've been asking myself for almost two full seasons now. Namely, how the hell is Mickey Doyle still alive?

[Imago]

Hahahahaha. Yeah. I was wondering that about Mickey Doyle too. Even watching him is annoying, let alone dealing with him. Unboxed spoilers for the previous two seasons ahead, be warned.

It's a credit to the show that I am still watching, because I've never found Nucky all that interesting and Jimmy was my favourite character. Reasons I stuck around: Richard, Chalky's household, Tommy, and Eddie. Maybe in that order.

I was a little worried, due to the tone of the show, that they'd find some way to retroactively wreck Jimmy and Richard's friendship (which would probably knock out most of my enjoyment of the 3rd season for some reason). Terence Winter was interviewed last season saying he doesn't think Richard necessarily feels Jimmy's death needs to be avenged.

I'm glad they didn't do that. Seems more like the reason he doesn't feel the need to avenge Jimmy is because Jimmy went willingly. Good enough for me.

I'm not too keen on Rosetti. He's decently okay to watch on screen in terms of mayhem etc (the sort of thing which is one of this show's strong points) but he's getting really... repetitive and over the top very fast. Ah well. If I can put up with Nucky, I can put up with him.

[palacheck]

They should have run with the Jimmy-Nucky and Jimmy-Gillian tension for another season. That was starting to get old, true, but anything is better than Gyp Rosetti and the who-gives-a-shit mistress Nucky has hooked up with.

Gyp is so hammy and completely boring. Oh he burned someone to death at a gas station pump? Yawn. I don't know how Bobby Canavale managed to make torching a cop to death so dull.

[Simplicio]

I like the show, but they really need to try something other then "Nuky vs a self-destructive phychopath" plotlines. This is like the fourth or fifth one, and a) its getting old and b) there isn't really much drama to it, since it basically boils down to a guy that's smart and in control against a bunch of guys that aren't that smart and basically don't even need defeating as they eventually self-destruct anyways. The only real worthy opponent Nucky has had was the female prosecutor.

Gyp is almost a spoof of these past villains, being both: really psychopathic and really dumb. He's sort of amusing (I liked watching him walk around town going over-the-top in menacing everybody) but he has no chance of getting the best of Nuky. Its hard to believe he's even going to survive the next episode after lighting fire to the cop, so Nuky won't even need to do anything to take care of him.

[Imago]

Yeah, I'm not enjoying the central conflict much. Rosetti is just so bland compared to the rest of the cast as a whole.

If you ask me they actually picked the wrong main character. And I don't mean Jimmy as an alternative, I mean damn near anyone but Nucky. I just have not, since the very beginning, been able to feel an ounce of sympathy for the guy, nor is he complex, violent, anything to hold my interest. He's no fun.

Is it my pro-Jimmy bias that makes his combination of remarkable incompetence and shit luck in the second half of season 2 seem really contrived? I don't think, based on season 1, he was actually meant to be that goofy. But they needed Nucky to live so they had to pass him the Idiot Ball. They totally could have stretched that conflict another season if they'd thought it through.

But really, I am thinking they should have had maybe Rothstein take Jimmy's place as a villain this season. Or, again, anyone but Rosetti. If they'd picked a better protagonist, they might have picked a better antagonist.

[Bryan Ekers]

Rosetti's a little too nuts. I mean, he's willing to kill people over trivial perceived insults - how did he get a position in organized crime without getting angry at someone whose death would be readily avenged?

[Santos L Halper]

What was the point of Richard taking Mickey Doyle to Nucky at gunpoint? It seemed like maybe he was going to use Mickey's boasting about killing Manny Horvitz as a means to cover the fact that he had in fact done it. But then he freely admitted to Nucky that he was the one that killed Horvitz and let Mickey go.

[Bryan Ekers]

Maybe he just doesn't like Mickey Doyle. I can certainly sympathize.

[Simplicio]

Originally Posted by Santos L Halper

What was the point of Richard taking Mickey Doyle to Nucky at gunpoint? It seemed like maybe he was going to use Mickey's boasting about killing Manny Horvitz as a means to cover the fact that he had in fact done it. But then he freely admitted to Nucky that he was the one that killed Horvitz and let Mickey go.

I'm pretty sure we were meant to understand that Richard was worried that Nucky had already decided Mickey was the culprate (after all, presumably if Richard had head the rumour, the better connected Nucky heard it to), that Nucky was planning on killing Mickey, and that he wouldn't believe Richard was the killer without it being obvious Mickey wasn't. Hence all the dialogue with Richard being really specific about when and where he killed Manny.

Agree they could've made it a little more explicit though.

[Dewey Finn]

That's better than what I thought. I assumed that Richard Harrow was annoyed that someone else was taking credit for his hit.

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

Originally Posted by Rollo Tomasi

I thought they laid it on way too thick with Rosetti for his first episode. For now, he's just looking like a psychotically angry, Sonny Corleone-type cliche. I'm hoping they're able to add a few more layers to that character.

Other than that, a very strong season opener. I especially liked the Van Alden storyline, which is unusual, because he's always been something of a weak link for me in past seasons.

In listening to the show runner explain a few things, I believe it was very intentional that they laid it on so thick re Rosetti.

Apparently, they want to show his nature in that when other people accept events as just "come what may", Rosetti believes they are terrible insults that must be avenged to the death.

Very strange! But this could make for some wonderful drama. And I'm hoping it will!

AAMOF, it seems to have done that last night. Near the end of the show, apparently, Rosetti just went ballistic when someone said something harmless to him such as, "Good luck". I think it was "Good luck". This can make for some excellent drama. Just imagine. You wish someone, "Good luck" as an ordinary parting and they seem to believe that you have delivered a verbal mortal blow to them. Just amazing!

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

Originally Posted by Simplicio

I'm pretty sure we were meant to understand that Richard was worried that Nucky had already decided Mickey was the culprate (after all, presumably if Richard had head the rumour, the better connected Nucky heard it to), that Nucky was planning on killing Mickey, and that he wouldn't believe Richard was the killer without it being obvious Mickey wasn't. Hence all the dialogue with Richard being really specific about when and where he killed Manny.

Agree they could've made it a little more explicit though.

That is so funny!

It's funny because I cannot imagine how anyone could be as stupid as Mickey to remain oblivious to the fact that Richard was saving his life. It reminds me of the ending to the movie, "Full Metal Jacket" in which the surviving soldiers sang the song:



Who's the leader of the club,
That's made for you and me?
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!

Hey there! Hi there! Ho there!
Your as welcome as can be,
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!


[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/mickey+..._20663368.html ]

[Kinthalis]

I find Rossetti hilarious!

I mean, common! "Bona Fortuna! Who the F is he to say that to ME?!

You could hand the guy some roses and he'd kill you 'cause they were the 11 instead of 12. "Who the F are you to give me 11 roses!? Where is 12th rose? What does that even mean?! Are you trying to say I'm one rose short of a bouquet?" BANG!

[kevja]

Originally Posted by Kinthalis

I find Rossetti hilarious!

I mean, common! "Bona Fortuna! Who the F is he to say that to ME?!

You could hand the guy some roses and he'd kill you 'cause they were the 11 instead of 12. "Who the F are you to give me 11 roses!? Where is 12th rose? What does that even mean?! Are you trying to say I'm one rose short of a bouquet?" BANG!

Rossetti wasn't angry that the message was Bona Fortuna, because it wasn't. It was Bone For Tuna. The title of the episode. This time Rossetti had it right. Nucky was mocking him.

[Kinthalis]

Originally Posted by kevja

Rossetti wasn't angry that the message was Bona Fortuna, because it wasn't. It was Bone For Tuna. The title of the episode. This time Rossetti had it right. Nucky was mocking him.

Really? I completely bought that it was the Irish guy's simple of way or remembering the pronunciation.

I gotta watch that again. I was admittedly laughing my ass off 'cause I thought he was flying off the handle again over some perceived insult that only existed in his head.

[MikeF]

If Nucky had written the note I'd say he was mocking him. No evidence of that, however.

[bluejeansgirl]

if we can back up for a moment here I would appreciate it? I can't find the scene where nucky finds out Margaret signed the land over to the church? I thought I had ever episode, but when I watched the season opener and then the "bone for tuna" episode, I realize that I haven't seen the part where he finds out.

[Simplicio]

Originally Posted by bluejeansgirl

if we can back up for a moment here I would appreciate it? I can't find the scene where nucky finds out Margaret signed the land over to the church? I thought I had ever episode, but when I watched the season opener and then the "bone for tuna" episode, I realize that I haven't seen the part where he finds out.

My memory of last season is pretty hazy, but I don't think we ever see it. We see her sign stuff over to the Church at the end of last season, and this season opens a year later, where Nuckie is apparently still pissed about it. Nuckie finding out happens off camera between seasons.

[UncleRojelio]

Originally Posted by Kinthalis

Really? I completely bought that it was the Irish guy's simple of way or remembering the pronunciation.

Yeah, Rosetti's henchman even tries to explain it away as an Irish mispronunciation but Rosetti was already seeing red.

[bluejeansgirl]

Originally Posted by Simplicio

My memory of last season is pretty hazy, but I don't think we ever see it. We see her sign stuff over to the Church at the end of last season, and this season opens a year later, where Nuckie is apparently still pissed about it. Nuckie finding out happens off camera between seasons.

Ok, that's kind of what I thought because I rechecked the episodes real quick and couldn't find anything about it. Glad it's not me that missed it. lol. Wonder why they would leave something like that out?

[bluejeansgirl]

Originally Posted by UncleRojelio

Yeah, Rosetti's henchman even tries to explain it away as an Irish mispronunciation but Rosetti was already seeing red.

lol, yes, I saw that coming. Especially when he called the sheriff back and he had the gas hose in his hand. This guy is tough. I still recall when the other poor guy told him he had some "3 in 1" and he was doing him a favor by providing it. Jeeesh, I hope I never run into him in real life!

[Gangster Octopus]

I'm very much enjoying this season so far. I think what is interesting, and what makes the Rosetti character interesting, is that there is clearly two dynamics working throughout the whole enterprise, business and violence. For folks like Nucky and Rothstein the violence is more a surgical tool to be used expeditiously. Generally it is bad for business, but sometimes necessary. For somebody like Rosetti it is a blunt instrument, it is the business. The violence is as necessary to making money as the booze. The answer is probably in the middle. The whole point is who will find the right balance to survive and win and prosper.

[palacheck]

I don't know why people think Gyp is so unrealistic in regards to his penchant for murdering people for reasons that would only mildly annoy the rest of us.

Abe Reles allegedly murdered a "parking lot attendant for failing to fetch his car fast enough"(Wiki says 'citation needed', but that particular story has been floating around true crime books and articles for as long as I can remember).

Still, I'm not feelin' it with this Gyp storyline.

[LVBoPeep]

I wish they'd show more of Slater. His accent is so lovely I'd like to just skip the rest and listen to him read the phone book.

I always liked Margaret before but this season I am finding her very grating. I hated the meeting with the priest where she manipulated him into a meeting with the bishop. It was just awkward and cringe-worthy IMHO.

[LawMonkey]

I guess I'm just a sucker--Gyp doesn't seem any more unrealistic than a thousand other sociopathic characters from mob movies. Remember Joe Pesci's character in Casino stabbing some guy to death with a pen? Maybe we'll get to see Gyp making pancakes for his son later this season.

Margaret too--I've enjoyed watching her develop into an ever stronger, more confident woman over the course of the show. Her little trick with da Bishop and the head doctor was brilliant. I worry only that she'll go a step too far.

However, there has been a sad lack of Richard so far this season. He's always been one of the highlights of the show, but he's come unmoored with the death of Jimmy. Hopefully the writers find a way to bring him back into the center.

[Lazlo Hapsburg]

Originally Posted by LVBoPeep

I wish they'd show more of Slater. His accent is so lovely I'd like to just skip the rest and listen to him read the phone book.

I always liked Margaret before but this season I am finding her very grating. I hated the meeting with the priest where she manipulated him into a meeting with the bishop. It was just awkward and cringe-worthy IMHO.

I thought it was really stupid as well. I couldn't see any point to that.

It was completely out of character with the rest of the episode.

I really hope they send her back to Ireland for the rest of the series.

Boo ... Margaret!

[MLS]

I liked Margaret at the beginning, and kind of admire her for getting what she wants, but she is heading for a big fall from her elevated status. Nucky even tries to get a little closer with her by sharing that he is having trouble sleeping. "Try a glass of warm milk."