Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire debuts on HBO this weekend. And while the show may still not be the series we wanted or expected, it’s still got a lot going for it.
HBO
The new season of HBO’s fall flagship show premieres on Sunday at 9 PM and critics are being tough on the much-hyped show.
One of the common criticisms: The show is just too slow. And often times, that’s not an incorrect allegation. Last season, recapping the show occasionally turned out to be an exercise in mental frustration and tedium.
The show feels like a victim of its own hype. Coming from Sopranos writer Terence Winter, expectations are ratcheted up to levels that wouldn’t necessarily accompany other shows. Coupled with the massive marketing hype, the shadow of Boardwalk Empire was even greater than it could possibly live up to.
But amidst all of the other flagship frenetic HBO shows this year — True Blood in particular and, to a lesser extent, Game of Thrones — and even the breakneck pace of this season of AMC’s Breaking Bad, there’s a beauty in simplicity.
Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire won’t blow you away with fireworks. There are moments of gruesome violence. There are moments of surprise and intrigue. But there is no big hammer designed to bring back old viewers and convert new ones. And, in some respects, that’s a novel concept. The show is slowly paced but, typically, beautifully acted.
There are moments in the first few episodes — I watched the first two out of the five episode screener pack distributed — that will make you squeal. The first episode in particular features some unexpected situations that build and crest exactly as I’d have hoped and also leave me curious as to where the season’s going.
Even characters who’ve worn out their welcome in previous seasons, in particular Michael Shannon’s Van Alden (admittedly, I may be more enthused to see him due to his growing presence in other work), seem to have interesting possibilities in front of them with the new cast additions.
The season might not live up to the promise displayed in the shiny Valentin Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright) featuring trailer, but I’m willing to continue taking the ride and, if you’ve been on board since day one, you should, too.
Maybe Boardwalk Empire isn’t the show we expected given the pedigree of all of those involved. But that doesn’t mean it can’t stand on its own for being a quality piece of television as other cable dramas reach their end.
Programming Note: Just to keep my workload reasonable for these on Sundays, I’m not going to be recapping Boardwalk Empire until Dexter‘s final season wraps up.