Talk:Boardwalk Empire/Archive 1

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Get It Together, folks

This page is disgraceful, you Wikipedia types are the masters of televised entertainment. The pages for Arrested Development, The Wire, and The Sopranos are a pantheon of wonderful information, and I, a casual observe of Wikipedia, come across this one to see almost no vital information.

The show's been on for over and month and no one has wised up made anything new since the first episode, and thus...allow me to reiterate...get it to-goddamn-gether. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.34.140.99 (talk) 03:13, 12 October 2010 (UTC)

As far as I know, wikipedia pages are done by unpaid people - these should not be criticised because you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Contribute if you know how it should be done. In this instance, the maintenance and update of this page could and should be done by the PR people for the product, either paid for by the producers and/or distributors. But the product seems to be good enough to sell itself, so they don't seem to have hired costly PR people. But again, barking at wikipedia is barking up the wrong tree. I could so far only see 3 1/2 episodes and found them very watchable, although these days I'm not much into feature films. I found a historic mistake in what I saw last night and had to smile. Nothing is perfect, but they come pretty close. 144.136.192.17 (talk) 03:17, 7 October 2012 (UTC)


I tried to add Jimmy's and Angela's deaths bt someone deleted it. --79.197.216.3 (talk) 19:47, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Recurring Characters

Can James "Big Jim" Colosimo really be considered a recurring character? He died in the first episode. SPOILER ALERT —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.247.0.206 (talk) 03:40, 28 September 2010 (UTC)


For info - after a bit of hunting, i've identified the location of the set is here - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.736568,-73.959339&num=1&t=h&sll=40.751743,-73.975582&sspn=0.020286,0.038418&ie=UTF8&ll=40.736629,-73.958711&spn=0.001569,0.003449&z=18 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.194.84.88 (talk) 12:01, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Theme Song

Anybody else not a fan? To me, it resembles Hung's theme song. I was hoping for a more 20's like song. Not to say the theme is bad, but I just don't think it represents the show that well. Phaeton23 (talk) 13:00, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

I think the song fits well with the flavor of the show. More of a twenties theme would be so typical and artistically dead. However, the theme is only played during the opening but throughout the show there's plenty of authentic sounding 20's music. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fattyjoe (talk • contribs) 18:41, 15 November 2010 (UTC)

The Lanzetti Brothers

The D"Alessio brothers are based on the real life Philadelphia gangsters the Lanzetti brothers. All of the Lanzetti brothers were named after popes. The Lanzetti brothers were stone cold killers who ran south Philadelphia's bootlegging and numbers rackets. I added this to the article.

Cast list

The existing cast list is poorly laid out and difficult to read. I propose a clean table, like the one I built that was unceremoniously undone by some editor. The show is highly historical so I'd like to be able to read who is who. Does anyone else want something readable? --Hutcher (talk) 03:18, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

As I said in my edit summary. Tables are just not used for cast lists, they are excessive for this type of information. Additionally you decreased the font size which hinders accessibility, which is counter your "readable" argument. Xeworlebi (talk) 03:39, 4 January 2011 (UTC)
You can't use tables? Have you read the MOS for TV? Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(television)#Cast_information Nowhere does it say don't use tables. There is long standing for a separate article to list these Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(television)#Infobox Have you heard of the TV Show Star Trek? List of Star Trek characters. They scandalously used tables! The outrage!
This show is incredibly heavy on Crime history and this info is required. As this article is now part of the WikiProject Crime and Criminal Biography I will create a separate article for this ... and, ha, I'll make it readable.--Hutcher (talk) 20:49, 23 January 2011 (UTC)
I didn't say you can't use them, I said they aren't in general, and they shouldn't here either per my reasons. Keep the drama queens at home please. Xeworlebi (talk) 21:02, 23 January 2011 (UTC)

New edit as of 12/05/11

I have removed the word 'suggested' from the following sentence. "Michael Pitt as James "Jimmy" Darmody – Nucky's protégé, he is haunted by his experiences fighting in World War I and emotional distress from having suggested sexual relations with his mother." The relations are no longer implied, they are explicit as of the episode tonight 12/04. 173.28.153.186 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 08:03, 5 December 2011 (UTC).

Schroder stuff

Schröder/Schroeder of "Margaret Schroeder" is a clearly German surname. Anyone know why it is said, she is "Irish"? 77.23.108.124 (talk) 17:05, 18 January 2011 (UTC)
She is Irish and had married the German baker Hans Schroeder. 77.23.228.45 (talk) 02:05, 20 January 2011 (UTC)
..whom Nucky had killed. --John Bessa (talk) 21:50, 13 December 2011 (UTC)

Millions

The article's description says that the pilot episode cost $18 million, but the citation says that the episode "reportedly cost $50 million". This doesn't seem an accurate statement for the description or a good page to cite. I think this should be removed or a better citation found. --Decompiled (talk) 15:15, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

GA Review

GA toolbox
Reviewing
This review is transcluded from Talk:Boardwalk Empire/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: TonyTheTiger (talk · contribs) 22:24, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

WP:LEAD
  • From HBO sounds a little loose. How about either "originally aired on", "produced by" or "produced for" HBO.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:26, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
  • The double "by" construction of the 2nd sentence is a bit awkward. Convert to active voice. I.E., "Emmy-award...Sopranos" adapted the show...--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:31, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
  • If you are going to use citations in the LEAD, you must cite "the most expensive pilot episode produced in television history".--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:31, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
  • The third paragraph should mention the two awards that are templated at the bottom of the page or at least the GG one.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:33, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
  • No need for a one-sentence 4th paragraph. Merge it with the 2nd.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:34, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
Series overview
  • This section should either be unsourced and treated as a plot overview section or the majority of the paragraph that is unsourced should be sourced.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:47, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
Cast and characters
  • I am not entirely comfortable with some of the POV adjectives in this unsourced section. However, I know the rules are a bit different for the cast section.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:45, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
Episodes
  • This section should expand on the content from the LEAD about when seasons were picked up. It should also, state how many episodes were in the season. Maybe merge this with the Home Media section, adding detail about the beginning and ending episode dates for each season.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:45, 28 October 2011 (UTC)
Production
  • It seems that there are an unnatural number of subsections. I would merge some of these together. Do we need a separate subsection for Scorcese's involvement. Move that into development. Not sure Crew should be its own section either.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 14:48, 30 October 2011 (UTC)
Development
Casting
Crew
Soundtrack
Critical reception
Awards and nominations
Ratings
Advertising

Review checklist

Rate Attribute Review Comment
1. Well-written:
1a. the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct. Not the greatest prose, but adequate.
1b. it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation. Many links are redundant (See WP:REPEATLINK). When names appear multiple times, only the last name should appear after the first introduction. Two sections have no inline citations.
2. Verifiable with no original research:
2a. it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline. Inline citation needed for all facts. Some sections of facts have no citations currently.
2b. reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose). Inline citation needed for all facts. Some sections of facts have no citations currently.
2c. it contains no original research.
3. Broad in its coverage:
3a. it addresses the main aspects of the topic. WP:LEAD could use some work.
3b. it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).
4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each.
5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute.
6. Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:
6a. media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content. Scorsese image should have {{personality}}. The FUR should include an enumeration of rationales, like the infobox image does. The infobox image should have the FUR template like Scorsese's image does.
6b. media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions. WP:CAPTIONs should include links. Infobox image is uncaptioned.
7. Overall assessment. This article can pass with some work. I will check back in 7 days.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 14:16, 31 October 2011 (UTC)

Cast list in infobox

The cast list in the infobox seems inordinately long. Rather than this exhaustive list, why not a link to the main cast list? ---RepublicanJacobiteTheFortyFive 21:41, 8 November 2011 (UTC)

"Themes"

The new section created by anon IP is unsourced and likely OR, and should be removed.--Chimino (talk) 14:25, 14 January 2012 (UTC)

Awards

The Awards section should be replaced with a table. It's been nominated for more Golden Globe awards and won two SAG awards recently. Let Me Eat Cake (talk) 17:53, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Historical accuracy

The page says "Boardwalk Empire has received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its visual style and historical accuracy". Really? It's a fictionalized series - hence by definition not really historically accurate... Maxjjazz (talk) 19:03, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Good catch; I changed it to "...basis on historical figures" for now. Unfortunately we no longer have access to the cited article, but even though most of the events are fictionalized I do think much of the appeal is based on well-known figures like Capone, Lanskey etc being in the show.--Chimino (talk) 22:48, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
Rubbish, a work of fiction is not "by definition" not historically accurate. There are numerous examples of works of fiction in which great care is taken to recreate the historical circumstance in which a fictional story is told. This show goes to great pains, for example, to recreate the historical look of the Atlantic City boardwalk and skyline. Tell Martin Scorcese that this work of his is "by definition" inaccurate. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 16:56, 1 August 2012 (UTC)

Soundtrack

There seems to be some dispute as to the music in the show. The released soundtracks consist of contemporary musicians performing renditions of period music. However, the article says that the music used in the show is from the period. Recently, however, there have been unsourced assertions that the music in the film is all recorded by the contemporary band Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks. Is there any basis for this assertion? Is the music in the show actually of the period or are they all rerecordings? This needs to be cleared up. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 16:59, 1 August 2012 (UTC)

Someone needs to create a stub article for the volume 3 soundtrack. [1][2] Hei Liebrecht 23:16, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

Plot Synopsis

I updated the page, and added a Plot Synopsis for each season on the main page, in the style of the "The Sopranos" wiki page. It still needs work, but could really be a nice feature of the page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.168.212.120 (talk) 05:03, 24 September 2012 (UTC)

I have reverted these changes. That was way too much detail, and completely unnecessary, as we already have separate articles for the individual seasons. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 13:22, 24 September 2012 (UTC)
I do think it would be worthwhile to have some tiny bit of description here with maybe the main arc/theme of each season and the link to the season's article. I'm not going to write one up but I thought I'd at least put my two cents in here. Ceaseless (talk) 01:26, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

Ethnicity/race of characters

Is it really necessary to mention a character's ethnicity in their description? In most cases, it is irrelevant. The only case I can think of where it might be necessary is Mickey Doyle, who was actually a Polish Jew named Mieczyslaw Kuzik, not an Irishman. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 16:29, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

It was relevant at the time, but in the context of the show, not so much. Plus most of them are self-explanatory by their name. One exception would be "Chalky" White, who is used specifically by Nucky to get out the black vote.--Chimino (talk) 00:04, 2 October 2012 (UTC)
Normally I wouldn't think so in the context of Wikipedia, and I would have been the first to revert superflous ethnic denomination edits like that in contemporary events articles. But in the context of the show ethnic backgrounds does seem very important, simply because the mob relations of the time was very much founded on ethnic lines, and this is indeed played upon in the series. --Saddhiyama (talk) 00:30, 2 October 2012 (UTC)
If it is discussed, it should be in the plot, in specific episodes in which race and ethnicity play a role. In the character descriptions, it just seems gratuitous, and invites others to add more unnecessary information. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 01:46, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

I agree with Saddhiyma. For most Wikipedia pages, it would be wise to avoid such ethnic labeling of a TV show's cast and characters. However, Boardwalk Empire is a different animal because the script writer's make such a point to emphasize the ethnicity of characters in many episodes. The writers and producers certainly think that ethnicity is relevant and worthy of discussion and I believe this page should portray the characters in a way that reflects their intentions. Perhaps they've included cultural identity because most organized crime groups and prohibition gangsters in this era were representative of recent immigrant groups who hadn't yet fully assimilated into American culture. I would argue that the ethnicity of the main cast (e.g., Nucky Thomspon, Rothstein, Capone) and more frequently recurring characters should be mentioned. However, I don't think it's necessary to state the ethnicity of every single character (e.g., Agent Sebso, Bill Fallon) -- especially those with brief and/or insignificant roles. 68.3.7.156 (talk) 02:41, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

Edit cast list in infobox?

Should the cast list in the infobox be edited to remove actors who no longer appear? ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 01:54, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

I believe the main characters should stay (i.e. Michael Pitt). Those who were supporting characters who did not appear in every early episode (i.e. Paz De La Huerta) should probably be removed. My reasoning for the main characters remaining would be for historical context when the show finishes; it would seem silly for only those who lived to the finale to be included. However, Pitt may be knocked down a few notches in favor of the actress playing Mrs Thompson, and those playing Luciano, Capone etc, as they are integral characters who are unlikely to be off the show any time soon (or so it seems).--Chimino (talk) 09:38, 25 November 2012 (UTC)
I agree with your changes. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 16:23, 25 November 2012 (UTC)
I know this is a very late response, but most supporting cast members remain in the infobox as of now. This results in over twenty names in the list, and under the television MOS, we should either trim it or replace it with a link to the "Cast and characters" section. Juot (talk) 10:25, 1 February 2017 (UTC)
I heartily agree with such a change, as has been done in other articles with large cast lists. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 14:33, 1 February 2017 (UTC)

Cast list spoilers?

An anon recently vandalized the page with the assertion the listing of "past characters" is a spoiler to those who may not have seen the new season or most recent episode. Do they have a point? (I will admit it spoiled one character departure for me earlier this season) --Chimino (talk) 09:41, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

The use of spoilers on Wikipedia is an old discussion, however I think the practice has been mostly abandonded these last couple of years. And with good reason, I believe, since Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and one should expect that an article contains all details on the subject including details that may very well be spoilers. We are not in the business of promoting or reviewing movies after all. --Saddhiyama (talk) 10:06, 25 November 2012 (UTC)
Absolutely, this is a big spoiler. I looked up this page after watching season one and found out that Jimmy is only a "past character". This was a major disappointment that this was spoiled for me - it substantially reduced my enjoyment of watching the later episodes. It is extremely poor form for the Wikipedia page to give information like this without containing a spoiler alert at the top of the article. In my opinion the character list should be merged so that there is no information about which characters recur and which characters disappear. --User:SCF71 (talk) 04:47, 18 April 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.236.42.202 (talk)
No, we are not going to follow that suggestion. This is an encyclopedia, and you should not have read the article if you did not want to see that information. It is not our responsibility to protect people from so-called "spoilers". If you want the show to be a surprise, do not read encyclopedia articles about it. It really is that simple. ---The Old JacobiteThe '45 13:40, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

re: Renewal/lead

There's no reason to have the renewal for a third season in the lead, because the season has already come and gone (same reason there is no mention of a second season). Season Four is mentioned to inform the reader the show is continuing.--Chimino (talk) 16:09, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

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  1. ^ "Boardwalk Empire Volume 3 Music". Discogs.
  2. ^ "Boardwalk Empire, Vol. 3: Music". Apple Music. 1 January 2014.
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