Boardwalk Empire (TV Series) Eldorado (2014) User Reviews

"I... am not seeking..... forgiveness."

[poindexter-jeff · 10/10 · 26 October 2014]

What a terrific finale to a terrific series. Boardwalk Empire has always been one of those rare shows to contain all the elements of what makes a superb television series; the excellent acting, the terrific storytelling, the emotionally captivating characters, stunning cinematography, the list honestly goes on, and the series thankfully sustained that mark of quality until this great finale.

The way everything came full circle was brilliantly handled, and the resolutions with each character was presented in a very satisfying way, especially with Nucky Thompson.

I could not recommend this series more. Please do not listen to those who have complained that this final season was a disappointment, if anything, that could be not farther from the truth. If you're new to the series, you will not be disappointed. One of television's finest dramas has concluded, but it was presented in the most satisfying was imaginable.

You won't be disappointed.

Catharsis

[paolamenachem · 10/10 · 22 May 2019]

What a fantastic finale! It is exactly Aristotelis' definition of tragedy "Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effectuating its purgation of these emotions". The whole season 5 rises for its grand finale. All questions are answered nothing remains undone.

The future is ours

[antonellarzp · 10/10 · 19 May 2017]

This was the perfect series finale for the show: violent but sad.

Since the beginning of the show, the writers told us about the past of Nucky and Gillian with the Commodore, but we finally see it in the 5th season and mix it with the problems of the present was the best thing for this end.

We see a Nucky who's lost in his own path, and he's trying to settle his stuff in the present, and a Nucky getting involve in the game in the past.

I love the way this episode works like and epilogue for the Luciano- Lansky arc and the Capone's arc. Like I said in my review of Friendless Child, the way Charlie changes through the years was very impressive and Vincent Piazza did an amazing job. With Capone was quite different, he was the same from the beginning but in this episode, we see him talking with her son in a emotional talk and the scene where he's going to jail is one of the best of the show.

Afterwards, the end was superlative. The way that the circle is complete it's amazing: Tommy killing Nucky in revenge of his family was the best end for this show, although, I would've like to see more of him and his future.

+ The Thompsons's end.

+ Luciano-Lansky and Capone's end.

+ The connections between the past and the future.

+ Tommy's introduction.

+ Perfect ending.

• I've missed all the characters that previously died.

9.8/10

Ambitious, admirable, and amazingly crafted

[Red_Identity · 27 October 2014]

From the get-go, this show had unbelievable hype to live up to, and it seems like to many it didn't. It continued to lose popularity and hype as it went on, which is a shame because I think the show got undeniably stronger after the solid, but unspectacular, first season. At the same time though, I could never fully emotionally connect with it, and I think this is what kept me from ever loving it the way I did other crime dramas of its kind. But it was always incredibly consistent and intriguing, and contrary to how many feel, I enjoyed the last season for what it was. It was always going to be a leg short in terms of fulfillment, but I think it mostly managed it well and the series finale really brought everything I cared about full-circle. Even when I couldn't fully love the series, though, the technical aspects cannot be denied. One of the most gorgeously-shot, most beautifully-constructed, most elegantly directed series I have ever seen. I don't think it ever really hit glaring missteps as far as direction goes, and as far as consistency in these technical aspects, I think from recent series only Mad Men really rivals it.

Overall, I really can't wait to rewatch this from beginning to end. Not always easy to love (hey, neither was The Wire and Deadwood on my first viewings either, and both are now two of my favorite shows ever) but always a show that I respected, certainly for its patience and the trust it had in its audience. And I may prefer Game of Thrones because of its story lines, but I don't think it comes close to achieving the overall technical perfection this show did, certainly not in terms of directing.

Probably one of the best in a whole

[mateo130 · 10/10 · 12 November 2014]

As Red_Identity wrote above, this show cannot get better in terms of technical aspects. Precision, elegance, the pictures and the music of course. How all these small pieces are put together to form a true masterpice. I simply cannot imagine how difficult it can be to do something which is so immersive. The only thing I miss is the smell of these rooms... I think the characters were real authentic, all of them had great backgrounds, all of them had just the right motives to get the story going. I especially loved Harrows, the war veteran. For a side character it couldn't get better than this in my opinion. Some people think that the story is not so exciting maybe that is why it lost most of the audience through the years. For me it was very good, very simple and highly entertaining with the clubs, the feelings, it was so well presented. I am very disappointed because this was something worth watching however the story feels a whole after the closing scene.

A good way to end it.

[MattBrady099 · 9/10 · 3 November 2014]

Capone: "Remember all I did was for you. To leave you with something better. And that can't be for nothing".

TV shows theses day always start off great, but end terribly, and I got to say that I was a bit worried about the finale of this show, because most TV finales don't end well like: Dexter or True blood. Boardwalk Empire finale ended on a good note and it might get mix reactions at the first but more you think about it, more you like it. The acting was excellent, the sets were great and the cinematography was just breathtaking.

My only problems with this season finale is the fact that sometimes it feels rushed and I it only has eight episodes which is a big mistake for me, because if they put more episodes in this finale then it wouldn't feel a little bit rushed with it's character's deaths and it's main story. Boardwalk Empire as I said before ended on a good note, wrapping up all the lose ends and saying goodbye to everyone, and that to me is fantastic writing as this is a brilliant show.

I understand, however...

[dylg · 7/10 · 11 April 2020]

The first 3 seasons were a master class but I have to admit that I am shocked at the high ratings season 4 and 5 got because I was so bored when watching both those seasons and jumping years into the future in the final episode felt rushed to me. Like I said the first 3 seasons was amazing but 4 and 5 was very boring a with it being almost an hour an episode, it really dragged till I was strong enough to finish it, all thanks to my OCD of needing to finish something that I started

Great series, but a hasty ending.

[BigSkyMax · 5/10 · 13 November 2016]

Boardwalk Empire is a great series that gave a lot of careful insight into how people of average means and morals can be corrupted by cash and cruelty. It was a lot of violent, sexy fun!

Up until this final episode. One more time we have a My-gang-is- meaner-than-your-gang gang scene, only this time between Nucky and Lucky. The problem is we've seen this gather-the-troops scene at least twice before. Once when our Antihero came up against Jimmy and won, and then again when he came up against Gyp Rosetti and won, but only following much blood and grief. But it was so fun to watch!

But now here at the end we're led to believe that Nucky would assemble his troops one last time just to shrug his shoulders and say "I quit"? With a horde of ruthless murderers behind him, who are now suddenly unemployed? Doesn't make sense. Unless you figure it was just all the writers, directors and actors saying let's get this over with and on to the next project.

I was pulling for an ending closer to what the real Nucky Thompson had. He did go to jail for tax evasion like Capone, but finagled his way out early and retired back in Atlantic City where he lived a long retirement basking along the boardwalk as a town founder and 'character.' But crime must not pay. Still, as Van Alden put it, it needn't always end in such pandemonium.

Season 5: Gets more heart, but loses momentum and has the feeling of lining characters up to take their bow, even if generally it does engage and is well made (SPOILERS)

[bob the moo · 8 November 2014]

I've watched and enjoyed this show since it first aired with a lot of hype and praise; although it seemed that the noise and publicity for it tended to be dampened down by other HBO shows taking point, the show remained fairly constant in what it was doing. I mean this for better and worse, because the show is not without its faults; while it was always good at producing forward motion, events and set-pieces, it perhaps did not do so well to produce hearts in the characters and thus in the show itself. As much as I enjoyed the events, I rarely felt for the characters, or viewed them as people rather than players.

This wasn't a massive falling down for me, but it did stop it being that little bit better that I thought it could have been. A bit late perhaps, but it was good to find that the fifth season has a go at that. Okay it is a bit obvious in the way in which it uses the flashbacks to add heart and background as part of bringing it all together for closure, but it did broadly work. The downside of this is that it does seem a bit late in the game and this season is noticeably slower than previous ones, with fewer events and less tension generally than I felt had been done before – a sensation than was a little jarring by comparison even if I appreciated what it was trying to do. This isn't helped by the shorter season; okay not significantly shorter, but still a lot to cram into place.

This mainly means that everything feels like characters are being positioned, rather than being allowed to play out naturally. It works because we are still engaged with the characters, but it is hard to avoid the feeling of things being wound up (which of course is what is happening). In the end, death and tragedy was always going to be the fate of those around the longest, and so it is. While the final events do have a certain cyclical nature that feels appropriate, it is hardly original and is ironic since the show links to real life but decides to vary from it to produce an ending which will take nobody by surprise in terms of the what (if not the who or how). It is all still professionally staged and looks great throughout, but it still continues to fall short of what something this good looking should be.

I did still enjoy it for what it was, and I did like the attempts to bring more than events and action into it; it is just a shame that it seems all a bit late to be doing it, and it changes up an approach that had worked reasonably well for the 4 season beforehand. The series ends as a well packaged and presented gangster tale with lots of action, plotting and events over 5 seasons, but there remains a disappointing element that it doesn't have more to it that this – more consistent heart that is integrated into the narrative, rather than being thrown in at the end as it was.

Like a drive-by shooting, Boardwalk Empire doesn't end nicely and slowly

[fernandojosecalvario · 7/10 · 15 July 2022]

Any time an HBO show shortens its season, it always sucks. Westworld and Game of Thrones later on are good examples of this unfortunate phenomenon. And maybe this. Granted, at least, characters still feel believable or deal with circumstances that are thrilling, more than those two bigger shows. Yet, this season proves to be mediocre in comparison to the last. It feels like a hasty epilogue to the climatic highs of season 4.

One thing the show has it going for it is the cast of characters. This time around more attention is given to Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi who never really struck me as a charismatic but frightening character that he should have been); we get flashbacks to his early life and career which mostly packs as much charm as a Wikipedia article. We get good moments, especially with the Commodore, Sheriff Lindsay, and Gillian but much of it is at the last half and at the finale. The flashback can get repetitive sometimes; I already know Nucky hates his father and I don't need to see more of that.

Other characters suffer as a result of this Nucky-centrism. Luciano's takeover of New York, Capone's fall through the eyes of Eli and Nelson, Narcise's post-arrest leadership. All those deserve further elaboration. Not to mention, the seven year time-jump meant a lot of what could have been interesting scenarios or character development are wasted. I want to see and know more about Luciano's perspective and motivations (e.g. Why he's so fixated in eliminating Nucky). I want to see Capone's rise in public notoriety, and how exactly the unlikely duo of Nelson and Eli (who deserve more episodes by the way) fit into all of it. Narcise, in particular, is the biggest victim of the lessened running time and time-jump. Season 4 ended with him betraying his fellow black nationalist which could have led to some rich conflict in the recently introduced antagonist. But no, he's only here to settle his score with Chalky. Granted, it leads to good moments and a fitting conclusion for Chalky (RIP Michael K. Williams) but it does feel mechanical. No time to flesh out details or whatever.

Meanwhile, like the rest, Gillian is almost in the same dire position as she was by the s4 finale. And she is more stagnant too which recalls Junior from The Sopranos where series creator Terrence Winter worked as a writer. But sadly, Gillian's tragedy doesn't conclude as riveting as Junior's or her storyline in the previous season.

And our pal Nucky? It ends predictably but again I never found him as compelling as many other characters. The juxtaposition with the flashbacks reach their high point in the finale but Winter and company should really have focused on the best aspects than on Nucky. It's an empire after all. It's built on diveristy.

Needed to be more eventful

[andrewyusuf · 6/10 · 28 October 2014]

So for me to even give the series finale a 6 when the show to me is a solid 9 should say a lot. There were a bunch of great aspects throughout the episode, loved the way the past sort of got somewhere meaningful enough to make you care even more than previously about certain characters, but in all honesty I found the back story could of been done better if it focused on different things and at least had some action; such as the beginning of Nucky's violent ways we see in the present day boardwalk just to show the early roots of corruption or even show the death of Nucky's father (god I wanted Nucky to kill him). The very end was great with Tommy, had goosebumps that whole time and just wished he finished the job, however Nucky survived in real life so it made sense to not kill him in the end which if you were unclear no he doesn't die. The brilliant performance by Vincent Piazza throughout the show made him my favorite character by far and I only hoped he'd start his reign with a bang in the season finale, however the lazy tie up with Narcisse failed to compensate as a sweet establishment of the head honcho and left me displeased by the cheezy toast at a dinner table which left me thirsty for the action. Overall was an acceptable finale just wish it had a few missing elements to spice up what was already a smoking hot show. But hey in real life Capone/Nucky DO get arrested and Luciano/Meyers DO end up running things so at least they stuck to the facts. It can't always end up in a bloodbath/shootout...