Boardwalk Empire - Ain't Nothing in this World is Free

    Three cheers for great television! While movies continue to be awful, tv is doing brave new things. I'm whole-heartedly obsessed with Boardwalk Empire, more ardently than any television series since probably The Sopranos. 
    First of all, the production value of this series is off the charts. If you have even the slightest interest in early-20th century design, or just love attractive, ornate things, you'll find that Boardwalk Empire is a visual feast. 
    There's also the compelling dramatic set-up: Prohibition is in full swing, Atlantic City is run by criminals in awesome-looking suits, women and minorities are finally gaining rights, and the new rules of this modern time have seemingly yet to be written. Boardwalk Empire explores a lot that is intriguing about this transitioning world, and does an excellent job of keeping the plot full of action and suspense. One hates to be bored on a Sunday night, after all. (HBO, 60min, Sundays, 8 pm)
    But much like The Sopranos, I think the real brilliance of this show is the character development and the way it explores the complex emotional ties that connect people in families, communities, and even businesses.

I enjoy Steve Buscemi's expression here - classic Nucky (always be suspicious)

    There's this small but great moment at the beginning of season two where one of the lead characters, Jimmy Darmody, is asked what lessons he has learned thus far as a new member of Atlantic City's underworld.   Can I take a moment to point out the highly amusing & memorable character names in this series - people called Nucky, Chalky White, Agent Nelson Van Alden, The Commodore and even Lucky Luciano are all major players.   Played by (not unattractive) Michael Pitt, Jimmy gets a peculiar look on his face and replies, "Ain't nothing in this world is free." 
    And that pretty much hits the nail on the head of the series' theme, and explains most of the characters' abundant conflicts with each other. Whether the show is exploring the relationship between a mob boss and his underlings, two brothers, or a husband and wife, Boardwalk Empire looks at how each character weaves a dense and intractable personal web. Created with the threads of ambition, desire and need, this web is quite sticky, and binds rather tightly, and thus most of the characters are deeply indebted to one another. Needless to say, the loss of personal freedom and/or honor - it doesn't sit too well (especially with mobsters).
    Of course the writers of Boardwalk Empire alone can't make this thing work, and so I'll give a big shout-out to the first rate acting, too. Standouts are the aforementioned Pitt (angel faced and violent), the abnormally large-headed Michael Shannon as Agent Nelson (weird, strange, really weird), Gretchen Mol as Jimmy's mother Gillian (inappropriate, demented, hilarious), and Michael Stuhlbarg as NYC mobster Arnold Rothstein. The latter gives a speech in season two, episode eight, explaining his life philosophy of when to hedge your bets, and when to go all in. Riveting.
    In Boardwalk Empire, no one - no matter how powerful or cunning (or good) - gets off scott-free in the drive to achieve their heart's desire. And what people desire here is often really, really screwed up...And entertaining! And while it's thrilling to watch these characters get what they want, it's equally powerful to see them discover that what they've been seeking was never really worth all the trouble anyway. In a word: life.
    Oh and, also, there's a character with half a face who wears a creepy mask. And frequent appearances by the one and only Al Capone.  http://www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/index.html