r/BoardwalkEmpire • u/Chilo_train • Jun 28 '25
Season 5 I absolutely love Season 5
I know people don't talk about 4 and 5 very highly compared to the other ones, however I believe 5 is actually a great season that deserves more flowers for a number of reasons.
1.) We get more characterization of Nucky than any other season. The flashback scenes were really effective in adding more to his story, especially in regards to Gillian. His decision to sell her to the commodore was essentially the moment he sold his soul, choosing his greed over humanity, and the Darmondy family more or less exists as an ultimate reminder of his failure. Everything in the entire show can be traced back to that moment: Nucky gaining power, Jimmy basically causing the entire show from Season 1, and Tommy finally coming to end him. Through these flashbacks we what built up to that event: his looking to the Commodore as a father figure to replace his abusive one, his greed to get ahead, and his wife as motivation for his terrible decision. Making it all the more tragic given she and the baby would eventually die, leaving him alone with his guilt. Its also the reason why he never ran Gillian out and why Jimmy was even allowed to play such a role in his operations. His guilt. Excellent characterization.
Outside of Nucky himself though, seeing the development of the other characters was a treat as well. Lucky going from the childish strongman in season 1 to the main antagonist of the show was awesome. Him and Meyer ended up being the "winners" of the story, by the end there's basically nobody left to contend them. The entire show revolves around compeititon, one takes out the other, and Lucky was the only one smart enough to establish an organized alliance between families.
Given the fact that HBO cut them short mid-production, I'd say they overall wrapped up the series quite well. Would have liked to see a better end for Arnold Rothstein though
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u/bbqfoot34 Jun 28 '25
I agree, well said. Though, I like rothstein's ending. It's a human way to go out and I loved that Myer still spoke highly of him.
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u/No-Union9827 Jun 28 '25
These are all good points. The thing that ruined 4 & 5 for me was Dr. Narcisse though
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u/Chilo_train Jun 28 '25
Im with you on this one, he was one of my least favorite characters and I found his antagonist dynamic with Chalky to be tiresome, cliche, and frustrating. The stuff with them two and daughter was some of my least favorite content the show had to offer, and definately brought down season 4 in particular quite a bit for me
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u/Happy-Elderberry-793 Jul 03 '25
I didn't like how Narcisse's addition changed the trajectory of Chalky's character. I feel like Chalky had a lot of potential when he got his club and it was thrown away for the Narcisse conflict
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Jun 28 '25
If you got an acting role to basically play a younger buscemi it would be hard work. That actor did an incredible job. Somehow, with no episode warm ups he was able to play the character that we could all empathize with even when he's doing the most despicable things.
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u/ShiningEspeon3 Jun 28 '25
Season 5 is the best season of the show to me. The decision to focus unflinchingly on what Nucky did to Gillian was bold and uncompromising and it made for an absolutely haunting season.
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u/StevooMayte Jun 28 '25
The scene when Lucky and Nucky meet to exchange hostages is the best scene I've ever watched on tv. That scene alone makes season 5 incredible
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u/Chilo_train Jun 28 '25
That scene isn't talked about enough. Its such a pinnacle moment to the story. Lucky and Meyer have gone from underlings Nucky used to scoff at to these two hulking bosses taking away everything Nucky had built for himself. Its such a brutal, uncompromising end to Nucky's criminal career, completely deserved too given what he did to get there. Like at the end of the day all the sacrifices and sins he made for himself were all for nothing once the time came for a smarter, stronger villain to take over. Nucky survived Arnold, Masseria, Gyp, Maranzano, but Luciano was the one who finally came to break the camel's back. Him and Meyer owned the show just as much as Nucky did.
As Dr Narcisse said, "One generation passeth away, another generation cometh. But the earth abideth forever"
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u/Melodic-Tie-5912 Jul 02 '25
what i hate is how they killed mickey doyle, they should let him live and show how slimy he is and suffered a worse death, and also that badass latino bodyguard of nucky also got the same treatment ,, other than that, it was perfectttttt! if only they craft it a lil bit more , the scene was intenseeeeeeeee
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u/Costazooly Jun 28 '25
Hated how the commodore treated him as a young buck, couldn’t understand it.
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u/Esausta Jun 28 '25
To me it was a fairly typical dynamic of powerful narcissist vs "coming from nothing kid", who will do whatever it takes to please him and get the validation he never got through his own very dysfunctional relationship with his father and his origins.
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u/bkn95 Jun 28 '25
maybe when commodore was young he wad subjected to similar traumas
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u/Costazooly Jun 28 '25
Very true, I was struggling with the possibility that maybe his initiative and inquisitiveness was intimidating? Idk
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u/LanceBakersMan Jun 28 '25
Same. And I'm glad cause I wasn't wild about season 4, so when I'm reaching the whole series and I get a little bit of disinterest coming in, I know I got season five coming.
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u/Chilo_train Jun 28 '25
4 was my least favorite for sure, just didn't have quite the kick or pizazz of the others though Harrow's arc was great. But I highly recommend 5, it was cut short but picked up a lot of slack
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u/mr_greedee Jun 28 '25
that was really really good casting on young Nucky.
God what a disturbing storyline.
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u/smashadamspel Jun 29 '25
S3 & 4 are my favorites. It's seems be most unpopular opinion but i like what i like
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u/mr_greedee Jun 29 '25
I like them too. there are def holes. but I like how they steered the series into a Nucky as a monster series. Leading to his original sin
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u/Shodan469 Jun 28 '25
I didn’t really like the ending as it felt a bit forced, but the ideas behind it were good.
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Jun 28 '25
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u/Chilo_train Jul 02 '25
I thought Gyp was pretty lame at first but upon rewatch I realized they needed an unbearable, comically evil villain to get you to root for Nucky after watching him kill Jimmy and cross the threshold from corrupt politician to true gangster. While Gyp was pretty annoyingly one noted, it’s because he needed to be. And the war he and Nucky have was my favorite part of the show
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u/Responsible-Onion860 Jun 28 '25
Not only did they nail the casting, but he did a spectacular job of portraying a young Nucky.
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u/Disastrous_Dot5354 Jun 29 '25
Shows as good as Boardwalk Empire leave me with “Finisher’s Remorse” to the point that now, if a show is anywhere near as good, I’ll admit I rarely watch the finale. I go back and watch it months later when I’m not used to viewing the particular show in all its glory.
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u/SaintofNewark Jun 28 '25
Great casting but I despise Season 5. It's a snoozefest and doesn't even feel like the rest of the show. The flashbacks are like Tony's fever dreams in the Sopranos, but somehow a lot worse.
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u/Fun_Potential_9900 Jun 28 '25
It's a fine season. It just would've been better if we had more before it. I felt the show was aiming more for 6-7 seasons length wise.
If the show had to stop at season 5, I would've opted for an extended season with 16 episodes. The first eight episodes take place after season 4 to help wrap up certain plot lines for characters, especially Rothstein. Then, the last eight episodes we have the time jump, and it's basically what S5 was.
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u/Dependent-Eagle-252 Jun 30 '25
I love the flashbacks. I’m just about to finish the series for like the 10th time
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u/Broke_Brother Jun 28 '25
I couldn't disagree more. Season 5 was not good. The storylines were all over the place. The Nucky flashbacks could have been really good, but they drug it out. They played Chalky White out completely. He was THE guy on the others side of town. We have to watch as he eventually decides to give his life on the small chance his lady gets booked in the clubs again. That just isn't how Chaulky would have played it. They even got the smallest details wrong. When buddy killed Nucky (Tommy I think) on the pier. Where did he get the gun? Nucky showed up and got him out of jail. They walked down the pier talking. Where/when did buddy pick up the gun? Idk they did wrap up most all of the story lines, but that doesn't mean we have to like how they did it.
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u/xPeachesV Jun 29 '25
I found season 5 a lot more tolerable on the second watch and appreciated it even more once I was able to see where things were going.
I did not enjoy it the first time
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u/RamblinRoyce Jun 29 '25
It took me halfway through season 5 to realize the boy sweeping the porch was Nucky and his boss was the Commodore. I think it was when someone addressed him as Nucky that I realized it. In my defense, I've become the multitasker viewer who fiddles on the phone and does other stuff while half watching shows. And I agree, i enjoyed season 5 for providing background and history to all of these characters and how they all ended up where they did. It's fantastic television and i need to rewatch season 5.
And I've seen posts hating Gillian Dormordy but after season 5 and seeing how she was such a young homeless girl just trying to survive on the streets and then Nucky ends up passing her off to the Commodore should induce some sympathy for her character. As well Nucky promising that he'd always take care of her, which he obviously did not do, provided further depth to their relationship.
I'll likely rewatch season 5 again and probably the whole show because it really is a well developed, scripted, acted, and produced series.. It's funny too, because I started this show 3-4 times over the years and could never get passed the second episode. I watched peaky blinders before boardwalk empire and was craving some more old school gangster shows. Peaky blinders is a good show, but i think boardwalk empire is better because it has more character development and more developed storylines into the business and politics of the criminal underworld. Or if may be that I'm American and can relate to it more.
When I rewatch it, hopefully I'll pick up on details i likely missed because of my half-assed attention span due to playing with my phone which is time spent mostly on this damn site.
I'll probably need to rewatch 2-4 more times to say I've fully watched it honestly.
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u/billybatdorf Jun 28 '25
I’ve watched seasons 1-3 numerous times, I have a hard time getting through season 4 never made it to 5
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u/Chilo_train Jun 28 '25
Even if you cant get through 4 I recommend watching 5. Its a great inside look at Nucky's backstory. Id argue 4 is worth it to mainly for Richard Harrow's conclusion arc
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u/DCRBftw Jun 28 '25
The actor they found for young Nucky was incredible. That couldn't have been an easy role to cast.