(Warning: Mild Spoilers)
A Slow Start:
I love historical stuff, but honestly I wasn't that impressed with Boardwalk Empire at first. I guess I felt like it moved too slowly and had too many story lines for me to keep up with. But my husband loved it, so I watched it with him, and soon I started getting into it. When the mask-wearing, gun-toting Richard Harrow was introduced, I started getting even more into it, because I loved the contrast of badass and softie portrayed in his character, and felt that he brought a sort of uniqueness to the show. When (spoiler) they killed him off in season four, I was pissed, and swore I would hate the show from then on, but I was pleasantly surprised when season five (the show's final season) began with beautiful and intricate flashbacks of Nucky's young life, giving us a glimpse into both his past and his mind, making me love the show even more.
A Shocking Anti-Hero:
Due to the flashbacks mentioned above, Nucky soon became my new favorite character. So, needless to say, the ending floored me. The writers spent all this time showing Nucky's soft side and having him help people, almost to the point of heroism, only to hit us with a huge change of character in the end, which should have made us hate him, but at least for me, it was still hard not to like him. This was kind of clever on the part of the writers, turning the final episode into a sort of psychological roller coaster ride, but it felt a bit rushed, and in a way almost like a betrayal.
A Quick Death:
As many have said, the final season of Boardwalk Empire felt rushed, and probably needed more than eight episodes to fully wrap up the intricate and flashback-filled story line, and that theory was solidified with the final episode, as (spoiler) Nucky's greatest sin was suddenly revealed, and he was shot, leading many to believe that he died. Of course, those of us that know the real Nucky's history know that he wouldn't have died then, because in real life he was arrested and later died of natural causes. So I thought it was cool that the man leaned over him and mouthed "We're going to get you to a hospital" which let us believe that maybe the character of Nucky didn't die, but was patched up and then arrested. But even with the open ending, it felt too sudden. This moment, as he teetered on the edge of life and death, would have been the perfect moment to utilize all those flashbacks from the season and have his life flash before his eyes, giving the viewers a little more closure and maybe even a tear or two. I just felt like it ended too abruptly for a series finale, but it was a cool twist nonetheless, as most of us didn't see it coming.
An Alternate ending:
I personally think it might have been better to end the show with Darmody pulling the gun out to shoot Nucky, but getting thwarted by the police just before shooting. The police would then arrest Nucky, as they did in real life, but the fact that his arrest stopped him from being shot would have made it sort of bitter sweet. His life could have still flashed before his eyes as he sat in his cell, maybe even coupled with shots of his love interest Margaret and his brother Eli as they heard the news of his arrest. If you have another alternate ending idea, I'd love to hear it in the comments! That's just one of many directions it could have gone.
A Final Farewell:
Despite some of the show's unlikeable characters and that shocking twist ending, I decided early into the final season that I wanted to commemorate and immortalize the show and its characters with a music video. This was due in part to my husband loving the show so much - I wanted to give him a little something extra to enjoy after the series was gone - but it was also for myself and for the millions of other Boardwalk Empire fans out there that are undoubtedly itching for a little something extra, especially after that abrupt finale. Even if the real Nucky was as flawed as the show made him out to be in the end, I still wanted to give him and the other characters (and the actors that played them) a final farewell. When I heard the song "Gold" by Sir Sly, I knew right away that it was the perfect song for Boardwalk Empire. The lyrics, the sound, and even the singer's voice were all so perfect for it. So I got to work, and immediately I started noticing that no matter what I did, no matter how much I cut and chopped and rearranged the footage, it always went perfectly to the music. I probably have ten different versions of the video that I kept just because of this creepy fact, but I eventually pushed through the intimidation of its supernatural essence and made a final version. The final version still has some of that creepiness to it though - the opening, the explosion, the gun shots, the actors mouthing the lyrics of the song, and more - none of that was me. I've had videos fall into place before, but never like this. It may sound crazy, but it almost feels like the spirits of Nucky and the rest wanted this video made. I just hope that with this final farewell, I have done them and this beautiful show some justice. I hope you like it!
There it is! Please let me know what you think and please subscribe if you like it. Thank you to the amazing cast and crew (credited in the video) and to the mysterious force behind this video. I had a blast making it, and I hope it brings the fans a beautiful ending to a beautiful series. <3
Be the lightning,
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P.S. Yes that's me humming at the very end. I wanted to use "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" which had been featured in the show a couple times, but I didn't have it, so I just hummed it from memory. I hadn't heard it in a while, so the tune might not be entirely the same, but my husband said it was haunting, so I used it. Because if this experience has been one thing, I think haunting is the word for it. ;)
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