"Gone Girl" Is a Successful Mess For Fincher & Friends

David Fincher’s latest film is a tense thriller with a plot that twists and turns and wretches like a snake with his head chopped off. While that might sound like a condemnation, it is quite the opposite.

Gone Girl is tells the story of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), a man who finds himself in the middle of a media circus after his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike) goes missing. Fincher and his long time collaborator and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth continue to create mesmerizing images that are as beautiful as they are grotesque. 

Gone Girl is a gooey, grimy film at its core, dealing with some tough issues of the modern day; Mass media fueled by tabloid headlines, souring of marital relationships and the defining of gender roles in such marriages. All are some of the themes that bubble to the surface in a film that could be compared to classic 1930’s noir films.

The film has a guttural “nastiness”, echoed by a stirring score composed by Trent Rezner and Atticus Ross. The pair also scored Fincher’s most recent films The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network. “The Way He Looks At Me”, a track found within the film, is particularly revolting. The music builds from a sticky, repetitive percussion and crescendos into a psychotic busyness, driven by a deep, dark, reverberation. The image of banging on a metal trashcan filled with vomit is the only image that comes to mind when attempting to describe such sonic reverberations. It may be “nasty”, but the soundtrack mirrors the emotional and psychological tones of the film perfectly.

“Gone Girl” features a smartly cast ensemble. Ben Affleck, who has been touted as the poster boy of the film, performs brilliantly. Nick Dunne acquires the audience’s sympathy at points, but also has moments of egotistical smugness that keep the viewer at a distance.

Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens and Neil Patrick Harris all turn in shining performances, but the brightest star of the show is clearly Rosamund Pike, who explodes off the screen. Pike has likely cemented her place in Hollywood after a horrifically magnificent, career defining performance.

Pike’s Amy Dunne is a femme fetal that evolves into something much more sinister, something more akin to Cathy Bates’ Annie Wilkes from John Carpenter’s “Misery”.

In all, Fincher’s masterful direction paired with longtime collaborators Jeff Cronenweth and Trent Reznor & Attickus Ross leads to one of the more memorable films of the year, and is likely to be an early Academy Awards contender in more categories than one.

Boardwalk Empire S5E6 Review: "Devil You Know" By Greg Hernandez

"Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't."

This was a sad episode to watch. It was even harder to review.  Two characters who have been around since the beginning are now dead. To the lost... Let's dive in.

All characters present in this episode were in situations that they could not figure out and control.

Nucky manages to slip past his bodyguard and escapes to the nastiest dive bar Jersey has to offer. There, he begins drinking heavily. He is mourning Sally. Perhaps that is why he seeks out the two tough bar women, they might remind him of his lost love.

We can see that Nucky is still in between worlds. He continues to look back on his life with regret.
Where did it all go wrong? We'll find all that out in the final 2 episodes via flashbacks. Once this season ends, Nucky's arc will come full circle.

 The end is near for Nucky in the present.
In the past we will see exactly when his planned out life begins to inevitably crumble.

Nucky has lost many loved ones in his life. Many of whom are females. Sally is the latest one.
I'm curious to see how Mabel fares.

The last thing Sally said to Nucky was, "Have your coffee." That's harsh.

This episode reminded me of Murakami's novel, "Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World." Two distinct conclusions are set to converge. The ending is not pleasant, yet you desire it. We desire Nucky going to war. We so badly wish to see how Nucky became who he is.
It's all sad. The true embodiment of this example is the deaths of Van Alden and Chalky.

Nucky goes back into his season 3 mode and engages a middle-aged man in a fight. "Apologize!" he commands him. The man refuses. Nucky knocks him out.
Afterward, Nucky desires the company of both bar women. "I want to fuck you both," he says.
Ah, nothing like a fight and two women help your mourning.
Unfortunately things go south. It was all a set up. Nucky has been swindled. In his unconscious state, Nucky reminisces of his time as deputy sheriff. We see the Commodore engaging in some shady activity...a young girl goes in to see him, while the mother waits outside. The impatience is palpable. Now, that's sick...

We know it's vile and disgusting because Nucky and Eli ambush a young robber who is in fact not a boy, but a young Gillian. This will set the stage for her eventual date with the Commodore, which will lead to her infamous rape.

 I suspect the Commodore will be caught in this heinous act and be shamed, it allow Nucky to rise to power.
That's my speculation. I am now more intrigued by the flashbacks than the present day story line, which in my opinion is bad.

Now onto the two unceremonious deaths of Chalky and Van Alden.
First off, Game of Thrones does a much better job at killing off their characters. There is never a dull death in that show.
In this particular season of Boardwalk, there have been many dull deaths. It's all underwhelming.

"No one goes quietly," is the theme for this season. Van Alden went out with a scathing monologue that seemed to have been buried deep inside of him. Van Alden was like a volcano. When all was calm, he was still and borderline boring for the characters present, yet intriguing (I loved this character). There were several eruptions throughout past seasons and this was the biggest of all.

Van Alden and Eli are pushed into a corner. They have been squeezed by the under cover fed "Mike D'Angelo," but even when you're squeezed, there is still some wiggle room right?

A tense interrogation from Capone leads to the deadly scuffle with Van Alden.

Van Alden, remarks that this has not been thought through.
After a series of missteps, we're right back where we were a few episodes ago with Capone holding a gun to Van Alden's head. Everyone knew Capone was not going to shoot him.

Nobody saw Van Alden leaving behind George Mueller forever and going the righteous route to heaven.

D'Angelo pulls the trigger, killing Van Alden, thus saving Capone's life....where were the rest of Capone's men? Ralphy is not the fighting type. Van Alden was easily able to push him back. Re-watching that part, I do not understand why Capone continues to handle the gun himself, why not bring in more men, I don't know, just my thinking.

Eli, rats out Elliot Ness to Capone, thus saving himself and D'Angelo.
Capone apparently was so shaken after his encounter with Van Alden, that Ralphy, gives D'Angelo the ledgers. That seemed far too convenient for me, because if I survived an attack that was geared toward taking the ledgers, I would keep them as close to me as possible. I would not trust anyone!
Plus, Capone survived Bugs Moran and other wars. He's been scarred. Now he fears for his life?
Perhaps that is how Capone truly was, a push over who got ahead.

Eli gets a bill of money for his work. Once again, Eli is worthless. He can now escape for Chicago and go where? Out west, back to Atlantic City? It's all over for him.

So, I know Van Alden almost shot Al last season, but the resurgence of his alter-ego from seasons past was quite sudden to me. Of course we see glimpses of it when he shot his iron co-workers last season, telling O'Banion off, telling his wife to take off her clothes etc; but what separates all of those from his final scene, is one thing. the outcome. In every other situation, Van Alden understood what the stakes where. In this scenario, it did not make much sense to me.

Allow me to elaborate, the writers placed Chalky and Van Alden in situations where they could only react one way. The writing seems far too convenient. Everything has to fit perfectly in order to mesh. This is what happens when you're dealing with a show that has a lot of  history behind it.  Then again, perhaps Van Alden had just finally reached his breaking point.
Remember the fork to the cheek from season 3 - ouch!

After seven years of exile,  running with young crews and prison time, Chalky is finally face-to-face with Daughter and Narcisse. "Is this how you imagined it, after all these years?"

As soon as Chalky decided to wait for Narcisse, the audience should have known that there was no way out for him. I already knew he would die going into this season, just a feeling.

Remember, this episode takes place in the wee hours of the morning.

People feel Chalky went out quietly...
I disagree. We heard daughter's voice in his head. He went out on his terms- very similar to Jimmy. Unfortunately, the effect was not the same. I was not amused with the execution. It felt too cliche for Chalky.

With Sally, Van Alden and Chalky gone- the final 2 episodes become less interesting for me. I have a good idea how this will all end.

Best bits:

-Eli's face after Van Alden has been shot dead.

-D'Angelo's face during the interrogation. I think he was about to soil himself.

-The two actors who portrayed Paul Muni and George Raft were fantastic! I love how they had to sit there uncomfortable. Here's the trailer for the 1932 film, "Scarface" Scarface - Trailer

-We got to see Chalky's daughter.

-Narcisse doesn't like locked doors!

- Chalky gives a big fuck you to Narcisse before going out. "Ain't nobody free."

-Nucky reciting old songs from his youth. Nucky is at his best when he is lying.

-Al Capone- "I thought we was buddies...you steal from buddies?"

-Joe Harpur, er, I mean Tommy Darmody- where is this character going? He is getting closer and closer to Nucky.

Here are two farewell videos to two amazing characters. Michael Shannon and Michael Kenneth Williams you were both phenomenal! Thank you for incredible performances.

Chalky White Memoriam

Van Alden Memoriam

Below is a fantastic explanation from Howard Korder.

While I disagree with the final moment of the episode, I completely respect it.

Inside the Episode E6 "Devil You Know"

Here's the promo for next episode.

Boardwalk Empire Episode 7 Promo

Boardwalk Empire S5E5 Review: "King of Norway" By Greg Hernandez

Episode 5 titled, "King of Norway" was frighteningly good. As the first episode of October, it needed to be. Every single main character was scared in this episode, save for Margaret. With only three episodes left, all major story lines needed to be accelerated and that is exactly what happened. Let's dive in.

Chalky White's  revenge arc finally picked up some steam this week. His sudden reappearance in Atlantic City took everyone by surprise. The scene with Nucky was by far one of the best this season. From an acting standpoint, I love how Chalky is sitting the whole time, yet he is the one without power. He refuses a drink from Nucky, who gives a hilarious remark, "Does anybody drink anymore?" Nuck, you're an alcoholic. This scene was sad, because think about where these two were at the end of season 3. Now eight years later, Chalky's family has moved on to St. Louis. Nucky advises Chalky to "start over." How can he bury the past with Narcisse still alive?

Chalky makes his way to Harlem. He locates Narcisse's head quarters. The crafty Chalky sneaks a piece past the one guard...really, after the shooting incident a couple of episodes back, you would think there would be more protection at the door! Now instead of finding his arch-nemesis, Chalky happens on Daughter Maitland with a child, Once again, Chalky's story line proves to be far more interesting than Nucky's cyclical, flashback, not willing to give it up and retire just yet arc.

Gillian was the soul of this episode. Her pain is palpable. "Protect your fur." is what her fellow inmate says to her before being carried away for a forced hysterectomy. Dr. Cotton is based on the real life figure, who was a psychiatrist and medical director at the New Jersey Lunatic Asylum. He believed that insanity was the direct result of untreated infections in the body. He is now famous for his heinous acts toward and directed at his patients through the practice of "surgical bacteriology," which means removing people's teeth.

Like Chalky, Gillian cannot start over. She is trapped. There truly is no way for her to sweet talk her way out of this dire predicament. Notice how this show has taken great care to depict all of the patients absurd behavior at this asylum. Heads will roll in the next two episodes I guarantee it.
I predict Gillian will be saved before her fateful operation. An investigation will be made.

Nelson Van Aldan and Eli's  story lines remain the most hilarious and unpredictable of this season. The best moments are when these two characters share the screen. The dinner scene in this episode was like a terrific play, where the tension builds up quickly and at the right moment exploded. Sigrid Mueller,  Nelson's pissed off wife, is in a perpetual state of "IDGAF," and I love it. Every scene needs a character like that! Apparently Eli's drunken blackout moments resulted in lots of "Fucking on the chair with Sigrid." I was wrong in my assumption that it was various women, Eli was seeing. No it's his partner's wife.

It's so tragic and funny because Eli's wife, June is pregnant again. Their ninth child. Eli wants to put an end to their long distance relationship. He desires the closeness of his family again. If he can move up the ladder in Capone's outfit, then he can provide for his family. Now, he's been caught. That picture in the living room hits him hard like an ice cold thanksgiving turkey flying through your windshield and breaking every facial bone. Eli drops the plates. Sigrid seizes the moment and proceeds to rhetorically eviscerate everyone involved. I love that she is the who answers the door. She lets in even more trouble, in the form of Mike D'Angelo, in his true form - an undercover agent.

I absolutely was enthralled with this sequence. The best part is when these two are alone in a room. The staring from Van Alden, the drinking from Eli and then sliding it over to Van Alden and the dialogue was crisp.

"Look, I don't know about you, but my life is a fucking shipwreck." says Eli.

"Well, land ho." Van Alden counters.

Nucky's flashbacks were once again spot on. We see a remarkable display of acting by Mark Pickering. He mimics Buscemi's mannerisms so well, that his transformation appears to be seamless. These scenes provided a blueprint for the man we see who is nearing the end of his rope against the trio of Luciano, Lanksy and Torrio. Nucky is a man with gumption. He knows what he wants and seeks it out. He may not have the acute vision of what he sees himself as, but he certainly has a clear idea of what he wants his life to be like. To him, the journey does not matter, it's all about the end result and that is what has his potential father-in-law is concerned about.

The scene between a young Nucky, Mabel, and her father was spot on. Nucky can say all of the right things, we've seen this in dealings, but like Joe Kennedy, pointed out, who is Nucky Thompson? That is what Maybel's father would like to know. That is the point of the season, to get a clear understanding of who our main character is before the show ends. Boardwalk Empire's one major flaw is that its main character is not as interesting as his supporting cast. We've lost heavy weights such as Jimmy Darmody, Gyp Rosetti, Arnold Rothstein and even Sally Wheat.  Characters who were far more dynamic than Nucky. This final season aims to solve that issue.

A young Nucky wants to make his way up the Atlantic City ladder. It's the place he knows will grow in tourism and power. He asks the corrupt, yet very nice and understanding Sheriff Lindsay about getting involved in the Commodore's dirtier assignments. Nucky is rebuffed by Lindsay, but discovers the remains of one of the Commodore's rivals on the beach, below the boardwalk.

We clearly see where this is going. Nucky will sacrifice a young Gillian to the Commodore for power. A heinous act that will trigger a series of veritable actions that will haunt all parties involved: i.e. Jimmy Darmody's wrath.

Margaret seems to be the only one who does not really have to start over again. She handled her situation with Mrs. Rothstein quite well. She made her settle on one deal, the only deal. Perhaps, Margaret will rise in power through the usage of intimidation. Her husband is a gangster and she can now use his name to get an account for herself. Oh, Margaret, devious as ever.

Best bits

-Doyle's exchange with the agent that showed up looking for Chalky was priceless.  When the real Chalky steps out of the kitchen, Doyle laughs it off, "Oh, there you are."

-That kid Mickey picked up and brought on board is seen again as his assistant.  Nucky instructs him to take his things down to the car. A quick double take finds Nucky asking the kid to turn around. The quick note of familiarity has everyone speculating the identity of this kid as Tommy Darmody. 

-Torrio has told Nucky to retire how many times now?

-Nucky calling Havana and finding out Sally is dead sums up the entire episode. Nucky wants answers - the names for those men who stopped Sally. He will pay whatever amount of money for that vital information. Don Ronis tells him that is impossible.

"Who will be called into account?"

"No one I'm afraid."

-Van Alden telling Eli that he "refuses to be ruled by fear." Sigrid calls out to him, "Husband."
"Coming dear," say Van Alden. SO funny.

-Maranzano saying he understands people will be gunning for him, "When you sit on the throne, that is expected."

Nucky will not win this time. He won't go quietly though, he'll end up having to pay "Roman tribute" to get out of this mess alive. Maranzano will end up just like Caesar. Stabbed in the back by Luciano's men.

-Mabel calling out her father for wanting her absent. She was threatened with a whipping and still smoked a cigarette.

-Pretty sure, that little girl is Chalky and Daughter's child. I doubt Chalky will be killed off now...I hope.

This was the best episode of the season so far. All of the story lines moved up in one nice cohesive manner.

Here's the promo for this Sunday's episode, Boardwalk Empire Promo S5E5: Devil You Know

Boardwalk Empire S5E4 Review: "Cuanto" By Greg Hernandez

We are already at the half-way point of this shortened season. This was by far the most engaging of the four episodes.

"Cuanto," is the epitome of a poignant episode. We saw flash backs illustrate several powerful moments for a young Enoch, the buoyant reunion of Margaret and Nucky and the untimely death of Sally Wheet. Plus, George Mueller A.K.A. Nelson Van Alden narrowly escaping a grisly fate. Let's dive in.

The flash back scenes were spot on this time around. Each one of them held my attention. Perhaps, that is due to a sense of resignation as a viewer. I have gotten so used to watching the slowness of Boardwalk Empire, that when things begin to pick up, I am not caught by surprise, but rather given a feeling glee as I relish the chance of being rewarded for my patience. The pay-off is always there. Now, this particular show, is the only one that I am aware of that can generally remain on the same note, but not be flat...

Allow me to explain now with a series of awesome bits:

-Take for example the thirty second countdown for Mueller's date with a mouthful of lead. I KNEW he would not be killed off like that, but the character doesn't know that. Michael Shannon did a remarkable job of delivering a speedy list of reasons why he does not deserve to die. It was reminiscent of last season's face-to-face with O'banion. The demon within Mueller or Van Alden, which ever you like to call him returns to save him. In those 30 seconds, we saw George, Van Alden and the true self of our traveled bumbling big bopper.

- Sally Wheet's effortless, casual and yet impeccable business skills and smarts are ultimately not enough to save her life. She tried everything in that final scene. She spoke English and Spanish, mentioned her association with a powerful man, (Roni), offered money, free booze at her bar, but it was all for naught. She was unaware of any curfew. Her cooperation is rewarded with a bullet to the head.

Sally had seen the trouble with the army and security for of the sugar canes for the Bacardi deal.
She even was savvy enough to mention that her powerful contact might fly the coup to Paris, with his wife, he probably did.

Sally did her absolute best to handle a situation like this. When the commander orders her arrest, she is able to fend off two officers and get a gun. I KNEW going in she would die. As a veteran viewer of this show, the promo for this episode gave me pause. Mueller was in too obvious of jeopardy to be killed off, no lasting suspense there, especially with a countdown. Sally's fate hit me hard. She was the absolute best female character on the show. Even though Margaret and Gillian remain, this feels like a male-centered show once again.

-Margaret's return is essential timing. As I said before, going in, I expected Sally to be killed off by episode's end. I did not foresee a beautiful and enthralling reunion with Nucky. It was quite surprising. The two actors, Kelly Macdonald and Steve Buscemi  were once again terrific together. This time, their chemistry was so powerful, that even viewers who are not too fond of Margaret had to appreciate her change. Seven years is a long time. She has not been to church in 3 years. She cursed, drank, called Nucky a bastard a few times and made the first move to kiss him. Margaret is no longer phony. The writers found a way to make her, well...better!

Nucky treating his estranged wife like an equal for the very first time, certainly helps. She single handily, put one over the late Arnold Rothstein, an impressive feat, Now, Nucky teases a solution to Margaret, one that had everyone watching think, wow is he suggesting murdering Carolyn Rothstein?

Far from it, Nucky suggests to Margaret that she go back and handle it. She dealt with Rothstein, she can deal with his fiery widow. Get her to lower her price and bury this problem.

The pair's flirting is quite entertaining. Nucky has that effect on Margaret. He says, when he saw her in that hotel, she looked so lost. She's no longer lost, now. A seven year exile has brought them back together, at least for that one day. The close ups from their time in the cafe/restaurant were some of the best. The acting was a treat.

-Stephen Graham continues to be the driving force of this series. He steals every single scene he is in. His powerful on camera presence is felt the moment we lay eyes on his face. I personally would love to see a spin-off with him portraying Capone from 1925-1931. It would be "BANG ! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Capone's ferocity is measured in this episode up until Luciano leaves. That is finally when the Rosetti-like beast is unleashed. Shannon's plea to Capone's ego was brilliant. "Telling Capone what to do is goddamn disrespectful." I agree. Great tactic George.

I love that his crew are still serving him like a king, because, well- at that time, he was.

-Luciano,  "maybe, you haven't heard, change is coming." The droopy eyed, Italian is cooking things up. With only four episodes left, things are going to intensify. Capone, put the word out to Nucky, "Charlie is trouble."

I really enjoyed the contrast in style of Capone and Luciano. Capone points out that Italians cannot all be painted under the same brush. His rhetoric is proven in his manners. Luciano is all stealth, while Capone was the most famous gangster of all time. Their paths are set to diverge.

With the above points mentioned, how can this show be flat?
 People want a lot of violence. I say no to that.
Give me a suspenseful episode with terrific acting, a dialogue and a pay-off and I am happy viewer.

-Other awesome moments.

-Margaret teaching Nucky's bodyguard English and then Nucky receiving a courteous greeting/exit from his bodyguard.

-Joe Kennedy, flirting with Margaret. I believe this is the last time we'll see Joe on the show. He was a fantastic character. I wish he could have met Sally. I hate to see Joe go, but he did leave a lasting impression on the show, especially when he found out Margaret is Nucky's wife.

His presence was felt when Margaret reached for Nucky's drink and was eventually drunk.

-Nucky and Margaret held hands in the restaurant. "Partners in crime."

-George soils himself and does not remember what he said to Capone. Brilliant!

-Young Nucky showing Eli, a nice house, their sanitary system, enjoying a nice bath and later an actual family dinner. Young Nucky was wise for his age. The part when he told his brother, that he would have to figure things out on his own soon was perfect.

Sheriff Thompson.

-Capone finally acknowledges his height deficiency. It's about time. The real Capone was a large man 5'11 I believe. Mr. Graham is only 5'6.

-Van Alden is in trouble now. After 10 years on the run, he is discovered, thanks to Luciano.
That agent in Capone's camp is supposed to stick to the ledger, well, Mueller can't wait.

This episode delivered on so many levels. I'll be watching it again later this week.

Very sad that Sally was killed off. I loved her character, but expect more deaths to come.

-No Chalky, Gillian and Narcisse, this episode.
We also, briefly saw Eli. I believe we will see more of all three of them next episode.

Boardwalk Empire Episode 5 Promo

It's Totally a Thing: Football Players with Awesome Names

Hi there.

This year I'm celebrating the fall season (the best season, for all you nay-sayers) by getting older, wrapping up my Masters, dancing and auditioning on downtime, generally being broke due to no job because of said work on Masters, andofcoursefantasyfootball. 

This is my first year playing—which means I did an excessive amount of unnecessary research consisting of ranking running backs in four different sets of tiers (it was my Mount Everest, guys, and it was called my "Wedding Cake of Running Backs"), as well as categorizing wide receivers and other players only to realize all that planning and effort goes out the proverbial window with yesterday's laundry once the draft itself actually starts.

The point of this ramble (I'm getting to it, I swear!) is that there are an excessive amount of football players who have unbelievably awesome names. Be it intentional or not—these names are gold, people. GOLD. 

Over the past five weeks I've been composing lists of players that I update just about every game day. I missed Sunday because I was drowning in lesson-planning, but never fear—I'm back! (And fully dedicated to spreading the word on football players with awesome names).

Here are my lists from the opening of the season to last Thursday's NYG vs. Washington game from most recent to earliest to tide you over until Sunday:

September 25: This is Thursday Night Football brought to you by "Football Players with Awesome Names."

Today we tip our hats to the Giants' and Washington's defense:

Prince Amukamara
Walter Thurmond III
Jackson Jeffcoat
Bashaud Breeland
E.J. Biggers
Bacarri Rambo
Courtney Bridget
DaMon Cromartie-Smith

September 22: It's Monday Night Football, y'all.
Today's edition of "Football Players with Awesome Names" is brought to you by a few of the Chicago Bears' linemen:

Jermon Bushrod
Ego Ferguson, Jr.
Cornelius Washington

September 21: Today's edition of "Football Players with Awesome Names" is brought to you by a cluster of contenders:

Bishop Sankey
DJ Swearinger
Jadaveon Clowney

Today's "Blast From the Past" edition includes:

Dick Shiner (active 1964-1974)

September 14th: Today on Sunday's edition of "Football Players with Awesome Names":

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

September 8th: Tonight's edition of "Football Players with Awesome Names" is brought to you by:
Darius Slay

That's one hell of a last name you've got there, sir.

September 4: It's football season again, which means I'll be re-editing and adding to my "Football Players with Ridiculously Awesome Names" List.

Today we'll start with a veteran from the list: 

Julius Peppers.

It's just catchy, guys.

See you Thursday, guys. 'Till then, I send peace, love, and projected points.

-Nat

Boardwalk Empire S5E3 Review: "What Jesus Said" By Greg Hernandez

An episode with a lot of Chalky in it, is always a great episode. Michael Kenneth Williams is best known for his portrayal of Omar Little on the HBO classic, "The Wire." His second best role is of course, Chalky White. The redemptive arc of this popular character was on full display this episode.

Think back to last season's finale, where Chalky lost his eldest daughter, Maybelle. The agony and soul-crushing heartache is still etched all over his face. By episode's ends, the stone is cracked.

Over the last five seasons, no other BW character has gone through more adversity than Chalky. With his beard and prison clothes on, he resembles an entirely different man. Throughout this episode we see flashes of the old Chalky. A sort of a reawakening, of the familiar fire, that burned out seven years ago, is actually a small ember.

"What Jesus Said," opens up with Milton and Chalky on the lam. The young convict leads the duo into suburbia in search of a safe place with food and in Milton's case, riches. The pair stumble upon a mother and daughter. A tense hour of back and forth drama ensues.

Fern, the 15 year old, captive daughter, unknowingly touches a nerve in Chalky. While Milton is asleep with the gun in his hands, Fern takes it upon herself to ask Chalky about his life. His connection to this hostile situation revolves around family, primarily Chalky's deceased daughter. Seeing how the predatory and unhinged Milton threatens and ultimately abuses Fern awakens something in Chalky. It compels him to murder his fellow convict and counterpart in typical brutal BW fashion.

Not to mention, his numerous, warnings and misgivings...Milton, you had it coming.

Fern figures out the essential connection without knowing all of the details: "Does she know what you are?" she snaps when Milton is put down. Now, earlier, she told Chalky, "There's forgiveness for everyone. That's what Jesus said," "Baby girl," he replies, "Jesus was wrong." Chalky cannot forgive himself for destroying his family.

Nucky, unlike Chalky has no family of his own to destroy. Hence, his reply to Joe Kennedy's meticulous probing is "I want to leave something behind." Boardwalk Empire is at its best when Nucky is being backed into a corner by a formidable opponent. This time Nucky is backed into a corner verbally and emotionally, instead of physically. Although, one could argue that it eventually turned physical when Nucky lunged for some alcohol after Joe finally left. Their meeting made me think of what would happen if Roose Bolton was transported to the 20th century. "I don't partake, it dulls the senses."

Nucky and Joe dance around a deal. Joe is dissimilar from Nucky's past political contacts. He is cunningly smooth and he simply gets it. He sees that he is antithetical to Nucky. Think of it this way, Nucky is standing in front of that Hogwarts mirror and he sees himself in Joe's shoes. Nucky is envious of Joe. Joe has a large family, a loving wife and of course lots of entrepreneurial interests. Joe is legitimate on the surface. He is not stained like Nucky. His choice of weapon is the stock-market, not a gun.

With this season being the last, the audience is learning more and more about Nucky. The flashbacks are beginning to provide more shape to the character that is Nucky. We see that he cannot wine and dine Joe. No, Joe is on a whole other level. He masterfully pushes Nucky into the proverbial corner of his own mind. Nucky is forced to confront his own fears and short-comings. Their deal will not be struck until Nucky admits a truth, or more like the truth. What does he want? The answer has not been answered in this show yet. What does he want to leave behind? What's the point of the deal? Joe is not a selfish man, he wants/knows how to get ahead, but he is providing for his family by nearly any means necessary. His white collar crime is all stealth and numbers.

We see Margaret who is on the hot seat. Her dealings with the now deceased Arnold Rothstein have come back to haunt her. The feds have all of the records with her signature. The alias, "Mr. Redstone" is tied to Rothstein. Carolyn Rothstein proves to be obstinate in her pursuit of the money. She will even go as far as to sue Margaret for what little money she has.

We're back at the epicenter of this episode. The over-arching theme is family. This leads Margaret to finally seek the help of Nucky. She turns up in his room in a stunningly creepy yet, unbelieving fashion.

Overall, this slow moving type of episode is the kind that true Boardwalk Empire fans can learn to appreciate after viewing a second time.

I found this episode to be quite predictable with the dealings of Chalky and Milton, Luciano, Sigel and Narcisse meeting and Margaret turning up at Nucky's place. That being said, this is a season. Some episodes may be easier to call than others.

-Best bits

-The use of religion was beautifully done in this episode. Milton quotes the good lord and Fern quotes Jesus. We human beings can say what we want about our beliefs, but family, money and survival come before religion any day.

My favorite was the man from the flash back scene. who says: "Would you hazard everything you hold dear - family, friends, respect, judgment in the eyes of an all-seeing God - and call it a price worth paying?"

Of course, Nucky being naive to the man's true intentions blurts out a yes. Later, it is revealed that the prostitute who that pays the real price, her life.

-The flashbacks proved to be far more significant this episode. They were tied to the present day. Mabel is a well-off traveling tourist, who toys with a young Nucky. "You were watching me," she says. She's Nucky's first crush. Mabel is privy to the differences in their economic states. She toys with Nucky, but later sends him a note, saying she would have let him kiss her.

Present day Nucky wakes up from a drunken nap and sees Margaret. Perhaps they will reconcile? I doubt it...

-Narcisse says no to Maranzano. As predictable as this episode was, that is not a bad thing. This was a set up for the rest of the season. I imagine seeing some turf wars shortly.  The consolidation of power must occur in New York City.

-The killing of the prostitutes and pimp mirrors the flashback scene where the prostitute is brutally killed. Violence does not end.

-Luciano's quote - "You know what I love about the city? Everything's close by."

-Sally and Nucky have a nice moment of listening to music over the phone together. The song is called, "Happy Days Are Here Again." Could that be an omen?

-Nucky telling Mickey Doyle to get more "roscoes" that means any type of gun. He is obviously still on high alert, after nearly being bumped off.

-Nucky to Doyle, "It's MY business, you're running."

"Those bums who hang around the rail yard?" Doyle scoffs. "I don't like them hanging around."

"You could be one of them," Nucky darts back.

Final bit: No Capone, Van Alden, Eli or Gillian this episode.

Expect them to be back next episode.

Here's the preview for this Sunday's episode: Boardwalk Empire Episode 4 Promo:

Boardwalk Empire S5E2 Review: "The Good Listener" By Greg Hernandez

Boardwalk Empire's Ear Fetish Continues in "The Good Listener."

Boardwalk Empire's second episode opens up with an extreme close-up of the inside of an ear. I recall a similar opening sequence from last season's opening episode close up of Eli's coffee. It helped to set the mood for the episode right away. At first glance, I thought it was Nucky's bodyguard murdering another would-be-assailant, I was pleasantly surprised. The ear belongs to Eli, it is attached and it is quite filthy. The brief sex filled montage  and Eli regaining consciousness is meant to clue us in on his dismal situation. The last seven years have involved (Drinking, whoring, missing his family and working for a boss who is not apart of his family). Jimmy went through a similar situation in season 1, he realized he did not fit in with the Italians in Chicago. Nucky rescued him from exile, but he won't be doing the same for his back-stabbing baby brother.

Eli awakes to a raucous drug raid by federal agents. Luckily for him, he passed out in the right place. He's able to drag his hung-over self off the floor and avoid getting pinched. Shea Whigham, gives a masterful performance in this episode. He gives us an inside perspective in to the life of a confined and unhinged outsider, who can still pull the trigger when necessary.

Can the ear be a major theme for this season? The Godfather had the ominous oranges. I like the ear imagery, especially how this episode ended, with Tonino (Remember him betraying Gyp Rosetti in Season 3 and Masseria, just last episode) finally getting his comeuppance in style. His corpse is dumped in front of the nightclub. Lansky discovers it and sees the throat has been slit and the ears are missing.

When you play both sides to the middle, you're going to lose. What's that phrase about revenge? Oh, yeah, Nucky captures Tonino and brings him to a restaurant. His bodyguard watches them, very creepy. A picture of Billie Kent is above them. You can bet Nucky, chose that seat for a reason. I wonder if Nucky's bodyguard is a hoarder of ears...or maybe he sells them on some black market..who knows?

Johnny Torrio gives Nucky some advice. "Retire," he says. Torrio, has the wisdom, along with the grievous injuries to prove it. Having survived a brush with lady death in last season's finale, Torrio is content to go to the pictures, feed the birds and eat without choking.

Nucky cannot retire yet because he is not strong enough financially. He's awaiting repeal. He has one last big score in mind, (Bacardi in Havana). The only thing is, can Nucky, live that long? "The trick is to survive long enough to cash out,"says Nucky.

I thoroughly enjoyed the scene between Nucky and his bodyguard. The way the camera panned around was exquisite. It's funny, how powerful do you have to be, to circle a bodyguard like that? Their one-sided conversation is brilliant, because it establishes not only the awesome attitude of the bodyguard, but exemplifies the loneliness of Nucky. Last season he lost his long time butler and friend, Eddie, his brother Eli and his partner Chalky. Nucky still has Sally, but she's not dependent of him. She operates in Florida and Havana. 

The meeting between Nucky and the board members was all a farce, not only was it obvious that those men were afraid of the notorious bootlegger, but their posturing only accentuated their fear of him. One man who did not scare, was Joe Kennedy. I'm happy we're finally getting to see this real life figure. He is precisely what Nucky aspires to be, a businessman who is able to get ahead without shedding blood. Mr. Kennedy was involved in many enterprises, such as film productions, real estate and bootlegging.

The boardroom meeting was a warm up for the real sit down between Nucky, Luciano, Torrio and Maranzano. "You have nothing to fear from me, Mr. Thompson," says Marazano. Nucky, keen to the art of intimidation, shoots back with, "Who said I was afraid." Nucky has gone up against Masseria's men and survived, in large part due to the assistance of  Capone and Chalky. 

Nucky does mention why exactly they are here, First, Masseria was assassinated, then Nucky almost met the same fate. The Lansky sighting in Havana, draws unwanted attention to Luciano, who claims he and Lansky have not seen each other in months. A lie obviously.

The very next scene depicts tension on the Luciano side. Their patience is beginning to wane. Their ambition is palpable. Is Marazano privy to any details? If so, their days could be numbered. Lansky suggests murdering Maranzano now, but Luciano cautions patience, their group does not have the support yet. We see the return of one of my favorite BW characters, a young Bugsy Siegel, who chides Lansky on his failure to avoid Nucky in Cuba. Tonino meets with the gang and they listen to his bumbling bits of information. Marazano is unaware of any betrayal, he's too fixated on Marco Aurelius...

Gillian has hit bottom. Her incarceration in what appears to be a woman's correctional facility, which depicts women on the verge of insanity, for not being "good-girls," is haunting. It is haunting because we see how Gillian has already discovered how to survive, by listening to the rules, not acting out and gaining favor with Dr. Cotton. It is sad to see a character continue to go through such deplorable stages, (Raped and impregnated as a 13 year old, by the Commodore, losing her son, her grandson, nearly dying of a drug overdose, murdering a man and finally being arrested and convicted). Quite the journey.

Finally, we have my favorite parts of the episode, the Capone section and the George Mueller section.

Let's begin with the big fish, Mr. Capone. Who was and still is the most famous gangster of all time. 

His interview with Variety in 1931 actually happened, in fact, many portions of the dialogue used in this episode were taken from the actual script from that interview. Don't believe me? Check out the link below.

boardwalk-empire-revisits-varietys-1931-interview-with-al-capone-1201305823/

Stephen Graham  gives us the sort of insight into the famed mobster's life like we've never seen before. Capone has never been done like this and Graham's performance is impeccable. Getting measured, running around the room and fusing threats and horseplay like it's nobody's business.

Capone is at the height of his power in 1931. He is a celebrity. People all over the world want to meet him, interview him, see him, get his picture, talk to him, get an autograph, everything. Nobody is spelling his name wrong anymore. 

I really enjoyed the shots of him of parading around, kicking his tailor and horsing around with his brother and accountant.

George Mueller is awesome in every episode, because he is played by the magnificent Michael Shannon. His trans formative acting is what keeps this show alive for me. He is the bumbling pariah, that you instantly root for. The cliche scene of his young son coming to ask him for help with his homework is precious. "Mom, said to go ask you." George's answer to the science question of where do clouds come from, is simple, "Atmosphere."

Geroge's wife is clearly not happy with being, what appears to be a house wife. She sits there, bored smoking and speaking improperly. "When you will be back?" she asks. "When WILL I be back," he corrects. Their small argument is but a mere spark of something to come later this season.

The elevator scene was the best scene of the episode for me. The taking off of the hats and avoiding the old lady's decorative hat was hilarious. I knew George and Eli would be a funny pair.

Best bits: 

-George telling Eli, he reeks of urine. Perfect.'

-Geroge saying this is "Pandemonium" after the two murders and escape.

-Torrio drinking behind his wife's back. He looks like a kid doing that. oh wait, that's married life.

-Nucky's bodyguard's facial and verbal responses to him. Awesome.

-Bugsy trolling Lansky was great, a very rare feat to instigate Meyer.

-William flirting with the pretty lady and his interview for the firm.

What I did not like:

-No Chalky, really? He was the star last season. With a condensed final season, you would think he would be featured every episode, but alas, he returns next episode of course, along with his nemesis, Narcisse.

-William got his priorities in order and went to law school...really? So no Jimmy Darmody 2.0.

-Where are the rest of Nucky's men? All he seems to have now is his Cuban bodyguard.

-No women or cocaine for Al this episode, just money and interviews.

This was a well paced episode. It was written by Terrence Winter and directed by Allen Coulter.

Here's a preview for this Sunday's episode. Boardwalk Empire S5E3 Preview