I took a crack at writing about this show once before and I couldn't figure out how to do it. It just had too many characters (none of which I felt I knew that well), and some of the story was just downright confusing because of it. I just didn't feel like I could do it justice. But after "Home" - and incredible episode with a strong theme that past personal pain never truly going away - I think I've got a better handle on a show that's quickly becoming my favorite drama currently airing new episodes.
The theme of this episode might have been a little obvious, but it was intriguing nevertheless. Like a horny, love-craving girl from Wedding Crashers, I'm a sucker for a haunted past (as my Lost allegiances have probably made apparent), and "Home" gave us a long look at the histories of two major characters - Nucky and Jimmy - and one character I hope comes to play a big role - Richard. Each character suffered a crippling injury in their past, and each of their wounds told a story. These stories gave us a glimpse into the reason why each man is angry, or vengeful, or meek. Scars (or a super-creepy wooden half-mask) might cover the wounds of these characters, but as everyone knows, scars (and super-creepy wooden half-masks) are still plenty noticeable years down the road.
Let's start with Jimmy. I might be overreacting because I loved this episode so much, but I think Jimmy Darmody has the potential to be an iconic television character. I don't know if his ceiling is quite at the Jack Shephard-John Locke-Fox Mulder-George Costanza level, but he definitely has a chance to reach the Stringer Bell-Peggy Olson-Barney Stinson zone. There's a lot to like but also a lot to be suspicious of with Jimmy. That's a potent combination. In "Home", we start off with Jimmy in veterans' hospital for a chronic ache in his leg, a lingering combat injury. That's not the only thing still hurting Jimmy from the war. He's still feeling the effects of that decision in his relationships and in his emotional state.
The show has given the sense that a family controversy surrounded Jimmy's decision to serve, specifically concerning Nucky. Nucky had high hopes for Jimmy. As we've seen from all the books he reads, Jimmy's a smart guy. He didn't have to risk his life in France. He could have used his brain to get a good job, make lots of money, gain a lot of power, and - to Nucky, most importantly - help the Thompson empire.
Jimmy turned down all that. Sure, Jimmy's ambitious. He proved that first with his big with plan with Capone to rob Rothstein in the first episode and again when he hatched the scheme to wipe out Johnny Torio's rivals in one big bloody shootout. But the one thing that motivates Jimmy more than ambition is loyalty. It hurt him badly when Nucky sent him away after the Rothstein job and it hurts him even worse to see his fellow soldiers suffering. His time in France shaped him more than any other experience of his life (as I imagine is the case for many soldiers) and though he might say that he's dead inside and some of his more ruthless actions certainly support that to a certain extent, he has great empathy for anyone else who had to suffer the mental, physical and emotional pain of that war. So he bonds with Richard, a man who suffered a far more gruesome - and far more visible - injury as a result of his service. I get the feeling Jimmy's going to set Richard up real nice, like a job with Torio, maybe a steady stream of hookers, because he wants to do all he can to prevent any more suffering from coming out of that horrible war.
But Richard, oh boy, I can't even see a picture of that guy without getting the heebie-jeebies. That mask with the glasses and drawn on mustache, it's like something out of a horror movie. He looks like a monster and society has treated him as such. Loved that scene at the end where he methodically packed up his rifle and calmly walked out of the room. But the scene of his that impacted me the most was the one where he went upstairs with the hooker. Man, that was just heartbreaking all-around. You could tell the woman was a uncomfortable with the whole thing. Her face betrayed as much for a moment, but she quickly perked up and put on the slutty act again. I felt bad for Richard for having to reduce himself to such pity and also for another instance of his gross deformity having an awful effect on the people around him. And I even felt bad for the hooker, realizing she's in the business of getting paid to have sex with someone like Richard. Maybe she was really being a "patriot" by servicing an army man like Jimmy said, but I get the feeling that's not the case. It was a case of two people in low places in their lives. Just sad, uncomfortable stuff.
Finally, there was Nucky. He might be the lead, but Nucky's falls behind Jimmy, Capone, Chalky White and Agent Van Alden on my list of favorite Boardwalk characters. Still, the contrast between his sympathetic side and his ruthless businessman side makes for pretty compelling stuff and it came together nicely here. Two "scars" from Nucky's past were affecting him in this one: the death of his wife and his horrible father. As for the former let him flash his softer side. Fleming's story about his premature newborn touched a nerve with Nuck, the part of him that misses his wife and desperately wants children, so much so that he's willing to give him his father's house while asking nothing in return.
His cruel daddy made Nuck show his darker side. It's clear that Nucky's father preferred Eli and resented Nucky for not being as strong or tough as his brother. The story about Nucky spending 11 days in the hospital was heartbreaking, but a little less so after remembering how powerful Nucky is today. He's far more successful these days than Eli and has no problem waving that in his face any chance he gets. But when Nucky sees how close his brother and father are in the present day, it doesn't stop the bad memories from flooding back. So he burns down the house, trying to rid himself of those awful memories. But we all know they won't go away.
All in all, one of the top episodes of the show so far. And I tip my hat to the writers for not being afraid to show gratuitous amounts of nudity. For a second their I thought the DVR mistakenly started to record Cinemax. Not complaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment