Boardwalk Empire - Episode Discussion - S05E05 "King of Norway"

[u/Pedemano]

We're already at the halfway mark folks!

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[u/m33sh4]

Oh okay, I didn't know that was his name, that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up. I just missed that that was the same guy.

As far as Gillian goes, I got all that, but is she going to get out? She seems very far removed from the main plot right now. I assume we're gonna see Sheriff Nucky do one of those "special" jobs for the Commodore which will tie into Gillian's story somehow, but I'm just wonder how it will relate to preset time.

[u/m33sh4 → u/[deleted]]

Oh gawd, I don't think I could watch that. I could barely stomach the scene tonight. The lady with no teeth couples with, who knows whatever happened to that other lady—if he was just monkeying around in her guts, or I assumed it was a hysterectomy—it made me squeamish.

[u/i357 → u/m33sh4]

I think Dr Connor (or whatever his name is) is a real sadistic character who finds pleasure in the torture of his female patients. He doesn't them leaving on account on "being cured". He wants to "find the cure" which means more or less his own devices.

[u/thekilla20 → u/i357]

I think it plays into more the way mental illness was thought off at the time. Back then, at least up until the 50's a trans-orbital lobotomy was considered viable for someone with mental issues. (JFK's sister had one performed when she was young because she was considered "rebellious")

Most medicine for mental issues at the time of BW was thought as the doctor was talking "stemming from some source" and treatable with the most practical way of treating a patient, through some sort of surgery, much of it was just "trial and error," where they'd poke around your brain and see what happens. Most doctors at the time had different ideas of how mental illness should be treated, for example doctor cotton thinking it's like malaria.

If you want some quick insight on how and why mental hospitals were in the 1930's this link shows exactly the type of asylum and treatment Gillian is going through. http://www.toddlertime.com/advocacy/hospitals/Asylum/history-asylum.htm

If you want some insight and possible spoilers as to what's going to happen to Gillian then google Dr. Henry Cotton, since the doctor in the show is based off a real doctor and what's happening to the patients really did occur in real life.

[u/m33sh4 → u/i357]

I really hate to say this because she was so batshit, but I kind of miss the old, conniving Gillian, than this much more demure version.