Patricia Arquette’s Sally met her end as early as the midpoint of the season, gunned down by a soldier in Havana, opening the door for a potential reconciliation between Nucky and Margaret, and helping in part to set in motion Nucky’s downward spiral into reminiscence and regret.Ĭhalky was next to go, gunned down by Narcisse’s men having sacrificed himself for his love, Daughter. Whilst previous deaths of lead characters in Boardwalk Empire have provided some of the more shocking moments of the series (Jimmy Darmody, anyone?), the limited length of the final season combined with the addition of the flashbacks meant that some of the ensemble left the scene slightly more abruptly – and as a result less poignantly – than we’ve has come expect from a show as meticulous in its character development as Boardwalk Empire. Living it up in Havana.Īs seems to be customary for drama shows now, the final season of Boardwalk saw an increasingly high body count as the finale moved closer. If there is one thing the Boardwalk Empire has done right over the years it’s its magnificent realisation of the time period, and season five is no exception to this rule. The early form of the Boardwalk in Atlantic City with its wooden hotels contrasts with the garish clubs and extravagant buildings lining the Boardwalk in the 30’s. Typically (as is now expected of Boardwalk) the season is also beautifully and boldly shot. Furthermore, John Ellison Conlee as the younger version of the Commodore and Madeleine Rose Yen as the child version of Gillian both hit the proverbial nail on the head with their portrayals of already established characters in the flashback scenes, creating a great sense of continuity between the two timelines.Ĭontinuing the proud tradition set by previous seasons of Boardwalk Empire, the costume and set design in season five are both impeccable, recreating the period wonderfully. Young Nucky is played firstly by Nolan Lyons, and then secondly – portraying the more crucial aspects of Nucky’s youth – by the outstanding Marc Pickering, whose version of the character made famous by Steve Buscemi is quite uncanny. ![]() Intertwined with the events in 1931 are flashbacks to Nucky’s youth between 18, filling in the gaps in his past and shedding a new light on events which have already been revealed in the previous seasons. ![]() Williams) is imprisoned in a chain gang, and Eli and Nelson (Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon) are reduced to being henchmen to Capone. ![]() Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza) and Mayer Lansky (Anatol Yusef) meanwhile are hatching a plan to move up the ranks of the crime world, whilst Al Capone (Stephen Graham) is already there at the top.Īt the other end of the scale Margaret Thompson (Kelly Macdonald) is at the centre of a tussle with the wife of the late Arnold Rothstein, Chalky (Michael K. Season five took a leap forward in events of seven years to 1931, which ultimately became key to developments as the season progressed, syncing the show’s finale with key points in crime history, and allowing characters somewhat of a clean slate. We picked up with Nucky (Steve Buscemi) in Havana looking to break a deal to legally distribute Bacardi in America upon the rumoured legalisation of alcohol. *Spoilers for season five of Boardwalk Empire incoming* ![]() In my review of the season five opener I predicted an overarching theme of “making an honest living for oneself in a dishonest world”, but perhaps the theme proved to be making a honest person of oneself in a world which you helped to make dishonest. So we reach the end of the tale of Nucky Thompson’s rise and fall, as the criminally under-watched and underrated Boardwalk Empire closes shop on its fifth and final season. Thompson said you want to be good, but you don’t know how.”
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