So did anyone catch the premiere of Boardwalk Empire this past Sunday? No Margret or Van Alden in this first episode even though their names are 2nd and 3rd billing in the credits.
Very enjoyable episode, but like every first episode of the season for Boardwalk Empire, it's more about building and catching up than actual story progression. Which is fine. I'm very patient with this show. It's good to see Nucky has managed to bring together a peace with all concerned, if even it's a tenable one at best and I'm sure it won't last. Hell, Rothstein's calculation of odds against Nucky shows no one really expects it to work in the long run. I'm not surprised by the lack of Margaret (who, really, could be written out at this point, but I'm glad she's not because I adore Kelly Macdonald) or Van Alden. Someone is going to get the short end of the stick and considering they're not in Atlantic City, it's not surprising they don't make appearance just yet (yeah, we see plenty of Capone as well as Richard's Midwest adventures). Speaking of Richard, can someone refresh my memory on why he was going after that insurance company? Or is it something we don't know about yet. Either way, I wasn't surprised to see him show up on his twin sister's doorstep after seeing the short clip of mentioning her during the "Previously on..." Sometimes those roundups can do more harm than good, but whatever. I'm looking forward to seeing where that plot line leads. One other thing that really caught my eye: Chalky seems to be on equal standing with Nucky these days. When Nucky and Eli show up to see the mess Dunn left behind, it wasn't a case of "calling for help," but rather a case of "summoning them to the scene to collectively respond to the situation." I hope this means we'll see a larger role for Michael Kenneth Williams this season. Lastly, we have two new cast members in the show, Ron Livingstone, who makes a brief "nonchalant" appearance, and Jeffrey Wright who is also absent from the episode. I'm sure both of them will raise the bar even higher on the show.
It isn't quite clear just why Richard was killing those guys just yet. Some speculation it might be because they were trying to scam his family or something.
I enjoyed the premiere. I saw it on Thursday after unforgivably forgetting it was debuting last Sunday. I'm really interested in learning Richard's agenda. It looks like Gillian has become a junky and it made me sick seeing her trying to get her grandson back. Nucky has learned to keep low and stay out of the limelight. I think we're going to see more of Chalky White which is cool by me.
Okay, so it's not just me who was confused by Richard's actions. Good. My wife and I kept asking each other "did we miss something?" last season. I gather from the collective confusion about this that perhaps the show runners could have presented this new thread a little better. My take on it is that they likely have run out of things for Richard to do, so they have come up with something completely new, tangentially tied into his greater arc, and had trouble rolling it out in editing. Either way, glad he's still in motion - he's probably one of my favorite characters.
One of the reasons I like Boardwalk Empire is the period setting. Slightly off topic, but recently I finished rereading Bill Bayer's book The Saint, the history of the character in print, film, television and other mediums. The best Saint books were usually set in the 1930s and whenever I watch Boardwalk I really wish someone would make a film or series putting Simon Templar back in the era from which he sprang (just like seeing a Bond set back in the '50s or '60s could be a gas). Boardwalk really lays lie to the notion that "the good ol' days" were so much better than today. There was just as much shit and nastiness going on then as today. And although at the time it was just commonplace and nothing special to the people who lived it back then the period now gives off a sense of romanticism because it is so far removed from our immediate and familiar experience.
I think the name placement in the credits is meant to indicate their stature or "earning power" as actors, rather than screen time or appearance. Anyone in the know feel free to correct me. Incredible premiere, as always. Agreed on the points mentioned by Emh about playing catch-up during the premiere. There are storylines spawled out everywhere. I hope Van Alden is a focal point. And his murderous wife! As to Warped9's comments about the setting and time frame of the 1930s, I really enjoy it too. Until recently it was very unfamiliar territory for a series like this. I never saw The Untouchables.
Billing in the credits is contractually negotiated by the representatives of each actor. I suspect the billing order is also indicative of how much each actor is paid for their services, although that is not necessarily so (there is also, of course, the actors at the end receiving "and" or "with" credit, and so on, who are probably paid more than the actors preceding this special billing). It certainly has nothing to do with screen time and is often not tied to appearance (and in this series main title billing hasn't been tied to appearance).
You are correct, the only exception I have seen is Game of Thrones that only puts people on the credits that are in the particular episode. I just found it odd that 2 of the 3 'top billed' stars were not in the premier episode. But then again, there are a lot of storylines.
The West Wing and 24 also credited their regular cast members only when they appeared in a particular episode.
I hope we see more of Margaret as she's one of my favourite characters on the show. Heck, I'd rather see her than Gillian, who at this point has become a joke. She's like an evil witch that just refuses to die after all that she's done. She's way past having had it coming. There's one recent miniseries I watched where there was a similar character that kept plotting and scheming and it never mattered in the end what happened because she'd always have her next scheme right around the corner, and it became unwatchable because she was way overplayed. Gillian's a bit like this character. She wore out her welcome long ago, and considering what happened last season, I'm disappointed that of all the characters they decided to keep, that she was one of them. Now it's come to the point of feeling comical, that after all that, she's still scheming her way out as if nothing happened. It makes Jimmy's death feel like there was no point to it. Enough already. Make something happen to her, something that she can't bounce back from. She takes everything for granted, so I'd love it the writers would make her vulnerable by possibly losing everything including her house. Give her something drastic to chew on.
So Richard was paid to do those hits? Or did he just tell the guy that, the guy he left alive? The guy got offed anyway by someone else and now they might be after Richard as well. Are we going to see some friction between Nucky and Chalky? And is Nucky going to catch on to that little FBI weasel?
It's a shame that the moment Chalky makes it to the big leagues that someone comes rolling in and shitting all over his turf and possibly creates a divide between him and Nucky. Jeffrey Wright is a cunning and ruthless bastard and I think he's running a bigger game than just messing around with Chalky. Good to check in on Van Alden and more from Richard (and none from Gillian!), but alas still no Margaret. Also, it's good to see Stephen Root and especially Peter McRobbie return, although it's a shame that that the latter immediately gets his ass handed to him by a young and rising J. Edgar. Yet another historical figure comes into the mix.
I'm still here. I thought Richard might almost buy it for a moment there. I like Chalky so I've taken a dislike to Dr. Narcise or whatever his name is. Looks like it could get messy in Florida. The sight of that guy with a machete in his head was a bit cringe inducing.
Im watching but this season is not grabbing me so far. Probably because I'm watching Breaking Bad then this, so my head is in Breaking Bad mode.
Another great episode. Doesn't surprise me one bit that Dr. Narcise is going to try to divide and conquer Chalky. Hopefully, Chalky will see it coming and put the bastard in his place, but I worry. I'm sad, yet unsurprised, that Richard is living his sister already but I suppose he can't stay away from the main action forever. I wonder where he'll go now. Still no Margaret, but at least she gets a tangential mention via Teddy. I think this is the longest absence we've seen of the character the whole show.
Is Kelly McDonald pregnant perhaps? maybe that would explain her absence from the show, that or another project that got in the way of the shooting schedule.
My guess is that the writers chose this path and want to reintroduce her gradually which is a good call. It'd be pretty lame if she immediately returned.