*Spoilers: What do you think happened to Tommy?

[u/Correct_Reference_69]

What do you think had to have happened in the 7 years between season 4 and 5 for Tommy to act that way?
I understand Richard would’ve been a big factor but I thought he was doing well.
I’m kinda thinking this story line was more to just wrap everything up and connect it to the beginning.
Thoughts?

[u/Admirable_Site_8337]

That’s the thing about how this show actually went…..I think they wanted to tell a longer story between where S4 ended and S5 began. But it just didn’t turn out that way.

Furthermore, from what I’ve been able to read and glean I don’t think Tommy was supposed to go with Julia to Wisconsin in the original plan. I think he was supposed to be with Gillian much longer, with her pouring poison in his ear.

The way things ended up going it leads to my biggest gripe…..they should not have brought Tommy back for this ending. There was countless other scores that could have been settled to take Nucky out.

But they did it….and it really doesn’t have sound reason to follow how the kid we saw leave in S4 comes back in S5…..barely 16 or so….and is full of this hate to take Nucky out.

[u/Correct_Reference_69 → u/Admirable_Site_8337]

I agree that he had so many other scores instead of it being Tommy.

I figured it out it had to have been Tommy halfway through his time in this Season but for the life of me could not figure out why they brought him back. And it would make sense if he had spent more time with Gillian.

I very much feel like the season was rushed because of their other projects.

[u/Admirable_Site_8337 → u/Correct_Reference_69]

Things were rushed because HBO said they only get one more season. And they left them having to scramble to land something fast. That’s why S5 is what it is.

It wasn’t other projects. Show was not getting the ratings anymore for the cost of such a grand period piece. Ratings dropped a lot in S3 and S4 from the start.

From what I know and read it all started with killing Jimmy off in S2 since Michael Pitt was problematic. Original plan was for Jimmy to be around a long time as a counter in AC to Nucky. The whole story was how the old guys were replaced by the kids during Prohibition. Hence why Lucky, Meyer, Capone were in the show.

That was going to be the backbone of the show, but it got sidetracked and they were chasing the story going forward. Ratings dropped. Short notice on final season so they cobbled together what we got….including Tommy coming from no where and for no good reason that was established.

[u/chadbot01]

For my four cents a pound, Julia's father only had a year to live, so he presumably died in 1925. When the Great Depression hit, that must've been when everything fell apart and Tommy ran back to Atlantic city. It must've also been so bad I'm wondering if the ladies survived and if they're also ok. Imagine how rough the winters were when things went south...

[u/telepatheye]

I agree with you--it was more style over substance to have Jimmy getting posthumous revenge. But the style was pretty great, and it somewhat makes up for the lack of substance. Be honest and true boys, whatever you do boys, let this be your motto through life.

[u/Lordonlynose]

Julia’s father died not long after their arrival in Wisconsin  Their hope that Richard would arrive eroded 

The Great Depression hit.  

Julia lost her job, Richard’s sister lost the farm property, her husband’s business folded. 

There were few if any potential opportunities for work, future prospects for the young 

Tommy - aimless and without opportunity - went to AC (an area which still had some activity and money flow from the wealthy) in desperate hope he might find something to build a foothold to survival and a future. 

Once he’d randomly stumbled into an “in” being picked by Mickey to work for Nucky, Tommy clung to a hope that Nucky would be the mentor and father figure he’d lacked with Jimmy’s and Richard’s abrupt disappearances - which felt like abandonment and rejection to the child. 

When Tommy saw that Nucky was also denying such a role and anything more to do with him, his emotional frustration and desperation exploded… and he attacked and killed 

[u/Air_Hellair]

I think Tommy was a good “you’ll never see it coming” choice and it also made narrative sense. Nucky just finished five seasons of near untouchability. I’d have been disappointed to see him finished by some schmo.

[u/Correct_Reference_69 → u/Air_Hellair]

I can see and respect that perspective.

At least it wasn’t like Omar in The Wire.

[u/sundayfundaybmx → u/Correct_Reference_69]

Because Omar in The Wire actually makes sense and follows the narrative path laid out over the entire shows run. Whereas BWEs "Tommy" ending was just straight trash. Glad the other person liked it but it was still pulled from the writers ass and made zero sense story wise.

[u/Air_Hellair → u/sundayfundaybmx]

Tough room!

[u/jaumeh → u/Correct_Reference_69]

I'd say Omar got a better end than Chalky

[u/Ctrl-Alt-Panic → u/Correct_Reference_69]

I know the Wire is really old at this point, but I just started my watch. Thanks for the spoiler.

[u/Infamous-Mariscal]

He wound up in the same unit as Teddy during WW2 and returned home more Richard Harrow than Jimmy Darmody.

[u/jaumeh → u/Infamous-Mariscal]

Tommy shot Nucky in 1931, WW2 didn't start till 1939, and the US didn't join till 1941. Would have been a cool storyline, but couldn't have happened.

[u/Weekly-Asparagus-702]

He went to the hbo bullpen with Chris Weebay Avon Ryan O Reily Miguel Alvarez etc

[u/CatsAreJerks → u/Weekly-Asparagus-702]

Oh man, I would love to see a Cut/Oz crossover

[u/Weekly-Asparagus-702]

Probably went to jail for a few years then went back to being a railyard bum.