When Margaret’s boss kills himself after being swindled by Rothstein and Margaret, right before he shoots himself, saying ‘Oh no, don’t worry, everything’s gonna turn out fine.’

He looks DIRECTLY AT HER. The couple of frames before he pulls the trigger, he gives her this dead-eyes glare.

I think he knew that she had a hand in it, and wanted to punish her by making her watch him shoot himself.

There's something that has always impressed me about Steve Buscemi's performance in BWE. It's not necessarily that he did something others could not, but I realise not many actors get better with age.

There are exceptions of course, but a lot of actors either peak early in their career or lose their passionsd they age and end up in subpar productions. I think Steve Buscemi stands out as he delivers such a commanding performance that feels effortless.

I remember seeing him in films like the Big Lebowski for example. Many of his characters were comedic. But in BWE he really demonstrated how accomplished an actor he has become and it's the subtle moments that grab my attention. Sometimes less is more, like how he deals with Al Capone delivering the news that Torio is getting a new supplier.

But he also delivers big moments, like when he confides the truth about Mabelle and their child to Margaret and his tears over his Father's death. He captured the essence of these emotions masterfully.

Maybe someone can throw some names into the conversation of actors who have aged like fine wine.

I started rewatching BE last week, I haven't seen it since its original run, so obviously I'm a lot older now. I don't think I can get through it though because I am having trouble finding characters that don't annoy me. I am really having trouble with Margaret for some reason. Maybe its the way she really leans into that Irish accent and plays the naive innocent. UNTIL Nucky makes her his side piece and she starts acting like an entitled brat. The way she says "the children" is enough to give me a stroke. Anyway, don't even get me started on the whole incest thing that is almost presented as normal. And that idiot who laughs after he says everything--Doyle. I don't even watch the scenes with Lucy. It's frustrating because the story is so good. Sorry, but I needed to blow off steam. You know, "for the children..." EDIT TO ADD: I think part of the problem is the producers decision to make most characters into cartoon versions of people. Yeah, it was the 20s. But even in the 1920s, most people didn't talk or act like they do on this show. It's like they are running around practically looking at the camera and saying "Remember idiot audience, this here is the roaring twenties, now seat me at my table Babette!"

I'm in the middle of the Season 4 right now, and I am quite certain that all the main characters who are in a relationship have cheated on their spouses at one point or another.

It's...a bit exhausting, to be candid.

Just wanted to give a shout out to Frank.

I wish they put him in the show sooner so we could see more of him, but I’m certain they only gave him a few episodes of airtime because if we got any more attached to his character we would have been devastated by his death.

He was very cool.

Hell, I’m a straight male and I was already developing a man-crush on the guy.

I didn’t even know Al Capone had brothers. In fact Ralph was really cool too. It’s just another thing that makes BE so great because it divulges these hidden gems in history.

Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothsetein is one of the best perfomances on the show and Michael Kenneth Williams (RIP) as Chalky White, i'm sorry, is one of the worst.

Let's review.

1.) Really fucked up power dynamics shit with Margaret and his mistresses. Like yeah; you pay for them, good for you, but that's basically being a pimp? Better than a rapist but you know, not a high bar to clear?

2.) He wants to be a part of Margaret's kids life but consistently chooses to be a murderous piece of shit despite her basically pleading with him to just accept the obscene wealth he has and live honestly and NOT MURDER PEOPLE.

3.) He comes across like a groomer; I remember that one showgirl he basically groomed, manipulated into being indebted to him by getting her the part, and then got her blown the fuck up. It's creepy and weird. Ew.

4.) He makes Margaret's son a pyromaniac by burning down his fathers house in front of him, and doesn't reveal this to Margaret letting her blame herself for his stupidity.

Like; he loses everyone he cares about gradually and never stops to think "oh hey maybe I should be a grown up and examine why everybody I love leaves me or dies". He had every motivation to stop and just accept the obscene wealth he had, margaret practically asks him to stop and just live with her but he's like "nope here I go murdering again". And when she dumped his ass because you know, see above, he goes to her like "will blood money make you come back?" and refuses to even CONSIDER going "yeah maybe i'll stop being a horrible human being". Good riddens Nucky you creepy fuck; your death gave me immense satisfaction.

EDIT: I forgot that he allowed a 12-13 year old to be raped by his boss, so we can add "Epstein's fixer" to the list of charges.

Hello everyone, I know you guys r thinking oh it's another new person watching the show, which it is. I'm already on season 2 and I'm hooked I literally can't stop watching. It's almost as good as peaky Blinders which I was recommended this show because of it. The acting is perfect and everything just match's up to that 1900s feeling. Can't wait to keep watching.

And waited till funds and demand was available again for a full season or more,❤️❤️❤️

Season four ended with Nucky facing tax charges (/like in real life), Doctor making deals with feds, chalky depressed away from AC and heart of show Richard Harrow dead on the boardwalk😭😭😭

Was a pretty shocking eventful way to end series for good imo though I would have wanted more like🤣🤣🤣

Or create a brother series about events in New York and Chicago from 1924 to post ww2 years and beyond❤️❤️

And origins of Organised crime going back to 1900s. AR, Torrios and Joe the boss early years💪

Just sure few would complain about the casting of these historical character ❤️

I realize that sometimes we are all hypocrites, but should we question Nucky being strongly portrayed as the protector of his sister, brother and mother against the abusive dominant father while he's also the one who won't stand against the Commodore to protect Gillian?

Shouldn't Nucky see her with more sympathy and that his duty was to protect her as he would his sister?

More fanart hope it's okay

At season 2 episode 10 and Jimmys wife just got murdered just when I was feeling happy for him!!!

It's boardwalk empire appreciation week on Tumblr so I thought I'd post some of my art here too

The final season of this show is almost too good. The show has built in this relationship between Gillian and Nucky throughout all the seasons with it being very important but also quiet and in the background. In the final season we get to see up close the way that Nucky was rising up in society, slow and working hard (though no one talks about how hard you work) and then being confronted with this ultimate and sickening corruption of child abuse through the Commodore.

This echoes forward through every season; it defines Jimmy's character and is the reason for his existence, it defined Gillian's character and probably traumatized her and made her into this strange graceful yet crazy woman who has a mix of good values and really messed up values which in turn messes up Jimmy and both sends him to war and into his fight/relationship with both Nucky and the Commodore. It sets Nucky on his path but in the end we see how defeated and alone his is and in the best move Nucky himself comes to understand this and it unravels him. At several points during the last season he is clearly talking to himself even though he is speaking to other people, trying to convince himself that what he did was ok or that he he had to do it. He seems to be almost as shaky as Gillian has become and when he sees her in the asylum all he can spit out are half apologies and vague statements about trust.

We watched Tommy move from his mother only to his father's sort of ignoring him to orphan, raised by his crazy grandma in the worst setting, living with Richard and his girl and then just the girl and who knows what happened next, we can only imagine more trauma has led him back to Atlantic City to bring justice to his family and try to avenge the man who let them all down in a moment of greed. My only gripe is the Tommy actor looks so much like Jimmy and with Jimmy and Gillian on his mind you would think Nucky would notice this. What an incredible series.

Honorable mentions: Gillian is maybe the most interesting character on the show and has a story really unlike any other on tv. Her ending is terrible sad because we see all that she could have been but she is defeated by her circumstances. Chalky has a great final season with some interesting scenes in the prison work camp and after and his final line speak volumes of truth "no of us was every really free". Richard stands out as well as one of the best character ever done on tv, his actor deserves boatloads of awards. Can't forget my personal favorite Van Alden who is the comedic centerpiece along with Eli in what became a great buddy comedy. All the mafia guys were great as well, almost wish their story got a spinoff.

She calls him Mr. Thompson and Enoch but I don’t think I can ever recall her referring to him as Nucky?

Not only do i forgive her but i fucking hate nucky. Tommy was right money is his only solution for everything (leaving money to his brother leaving gillian money in an account instead of apologizing or offering some words of comfort thinking all chaulky needed was his club) i hated Gillian so much when I shouldve hated Nucky season 5 was an absolute master class in story telling. Nucky (much like walter white) is the fucking devil.

Joe’s such

The best death scene in the fucking show hands down (im on the last 3 episodes plz dont spoil). Idk what i was expecting nucky to say but it wasnt that and man what a killer line (no pun intended) i genuinely didnt believe he was gonna do it right till the end and still cant believe that's how they got rid of jimmy smfh to the lost

Watching the show for the first time and I had to come to this immediately after the first episode. I'm not sure if I missed something or if these questions are going to be answered later but at the end of the first episode, who kills the Italian guy and why? Is it the new yorker who won in the casinos man? Also, what did Jimmy do with the liquor he stole back? He gave Enoch his cut but why didn't he just give him the liquor for Atlantic City?

After he went on the run, was he still trying to take Capone, Nucky, etc down somehow?
Or was he going to live the rest of his life as muscle for various crime families?

With his connection to law enforcement being severed, I'm not sure how he could've done the former, but I'm also not sure how he could've lived with himself doing the latter.

This is just a bit of a rant but

Anyone else have just a little difficulty buying into the Owen and Margaret romance?

I can see why she’d be attracted to him.

On the other hand Owen could have had any woman he wanted and he chose Margaret? Ok she’s kind of cute in a frumpy dumpy way but her personality is stodgy and boring.

More importantly, Owen is risking his life to be with her.

It was all predicated on a few whimsical rolls in the hay.

Add to this, Owen is a total dick to Katie, someone whose trust and loyalty he abused by straight up lying to her and abandoning her for Margaret. And Margaret has zero qualms with this.

If I were Owen I’d stick with a beauty like Katie and leave Mrs Thompson to lie in the bed she made.

Sorry for any Margaret fans out there. I just had to get that off my chest lol

Anyone else think he looked like he was strung out the entire show? Method actor?

Did nucky know Richard was making his move?

Or was it just a happy coincidence that Richard would single handedly take the place back?

i just started the show & im 4 episodes in to season 2. at the beginning she seems to be very caring & respectful. she then has the incident w the lady who owns the clothing store (her former employer) & takes the dress that her friend is trying on, she is rude to Nuckys maids and suggests he lower their pay while she takes money from him to keep for herself. She just seems to have done a complete 180 from who she was earlier in the show. Did i miss something or was she always like this & i just didnt notice?

He got annoying quick but this dude was hilariously good just to see how fast he gets fired up over the smallest transgressions. And that line is true what is life if it isnt personal? Whats your favorite line from a side character??