BOARDWALK EMPIRE: Georgia Peaches

"Momma, I'm in love with a gangsta' and I know he's a killer, but I love that . . . Jew?"

What Nucky wants, Nucky gets and, now, the Atlantic City merchants of pleasure have their whiskey. I like Purnsley as a sort of second-in-command to Chalky.  Owen has gone from smarmy to creepy.

As much of a ridiculous spectacle that True Blood is, at least that show has some strong female characters, unlike Boardwalk Empire or The Walking Dead. At this juncture, Mrs. Van Alden is the only broad with any balls in either show. DIVORCE! I like Van Alden being slightly diminished. He’s like Nixon. Too much power and too much black and white thinking was his undoing. Once he was undone, people liked him more and could appreciate his strengths.

Margaret worked and schemed so hard for her gilded cage, but there isn’t anything she or Nucky’s money can do for Emily. What a burn.  She does get a new doll, though.  A doll that would give Freddy Krueger nightmares. Yeesh. Margaret shouldn’t have been so stricken with shame after slapping Teddy when he faked having polio symptoms. That was obscenely cruel. I think this kid is beyond even Nucky’s guidance.

After the umpteenth “I’ll take care of it,” Jimmy is finally in the presence of whiskey.  Unfortunately, Jimmy is confronted with the strike situation. Time to start the “I’ll take care of it” for this situation. You can’t take care of something without a plan.  Great lesson in becoming the head of organized crime: cultivate loyalties during your ascension and secure your position with a mix of that and slight violence against those above you.  Jimmy wants to skip every step and go straight to being a superstar. Reminds me of a lot of boxers these days.

Nucky’s new (rekindled?) badass attitude is growing and it’s such a joy to watch, though I don’t like it directed at Kessler. I really enjoy the historical references in this show. Great reference to the Sacco-Vanzetti case and the greatest baseball player of all time: Ty Cobb.* Nucky fires his attorney and goes to New York to hire Rothstein’s. Nucky doesn’t have any money for bribes (really?) and he asks Rothstein if he can rely on the attorney’s trial skills. Rothstein responds, “No one likes a long shot more than a gambler.” Nucky’s not a gambler.

Jimmy has a meeting to determine how to deal with the strikers. He doesn’t come up with anything then disparages everyone else’s ideas.  It’s decided that beating the strikers is the way to go. The beating of was intense.

Eli choses this time to send a message to Halloran and it’s ugly. However, beating up a stupid person for doing something stupid is stupid. At least Eli is consistently violent in a stupid way. Stupid people are not prone to learning or understanding consequences. They do make excellent tattle tales, though. Eli is the Shane of Boardwalk Empire. All brute force and developing sociopath.  

Eli eventually gets dragged to prison for contempt, I’m guessing. The ADA’s suggestion is what Eli should’ve done in the first place. If you’re going to greenlight the killing of your brother, you can testify against him in court. Geez.

Jimmy and Chalky having a tête-à-tête. Jimmy, the character, and Michael Pitt, the actor, are outgunned. Since when does Jimmy know the governor? Where is he going to get the money? “That’s not gonna happen, Chalky.” Chalky’s amused smile is a good indication of when might have been the last time someone said that to him. Oh, man, Jimmy. If Eli is the brains of your operation, you are in big, big trouble. Lucky Luciano and Al Capone losing their tempers and starting to see through Jiimmy isn’t good at all. Not for Jimmy, at least. I think the audience would appreciate it if Jimmy suffered the consequences of his (lack of) actions. I’m guessing it’ll be at the hands of Manny Horovitz. [I am not happy that I was right about that.]

Steve Buscemi is so great at making a scene with anyone seem legit. Child actors are more character than method, but he has enough gravitas for a scene with a room full of children.

Donation = Devotion? I guess if you’re a gold digger . . . When someone is so vulnerable, religion can help, but it can also be dangerous. Margaret decides that her penance should be handing over jewelry to the Church. (I don’t understand how nobody says anything about Margaret and Nucky not being married. Yes, it’s the roaring twenties, but still.)

Michael Pitt looks pretty good in his undershirt. Jimmy and Angela have a bittersweet exchange. I like the softness between them that’s developed. “I’m going to make it up to you.” The personal version of “I’ll take care of it.” Poor Angela. But Jimmy gets to tell the truth for the first time this season: “I’m not sure of anything.” But, seriously, poor Angela.  Aaaaaaaaand, that’s how you kill somebody.

*Also, by most accounts, a terrible human being. 

THE WALKING DEAD: Pretty Much Already Dead

“Should I stay or should I go, now? If I go there will be trouble. If I stay it will be double.” – The Clash

It’s daytime, but the scene is dark. I sense impending doom. Blabbermouth Glenn finally spills beans that should’ve been spilled a while ago. The group heads to the barn where Shane and Daryl have a confrontation and things get loud. Um, hello? Walkers like noise. So, they start pushing on the door. I think being on the farm for this long has made the whole group lose touch with reality, even Daryl. Just drop a few Molotov cocktails into the barn already.

Glenn tries to talk to Maggie, but Maggie has regressed to the first grade and Glenn is left with egg all over his face. He manages to say his piece later on and Maggie really, really liked it.

Carl tells his mom he wants to stay on the farm. We all know where he gets his I-say-so-and-so-it-is expectation.

Even for an abused woman, Carol is a bit too dead inside. All she really had was her daughter and she’s choosing Daryl’s well-being over Sophia. I feel like I’m watching an episode of the Twilight Zone.  C’mon! The damned writers are making Daryl stupid, too.  Daryl and Maggie need some mood stabilizers.

Dale tries talking to Andrea about Shane, but Andrea doesn’t want to hear it. (Note: In the comics, Andrea and Dale are an item.) Dale lays an ugly guilt trip on Andrea about her rejecting him every time he tries to help her. She had a dad. He’s dead. You’re not her dad. Stop acting like it. Ugh. I am not a fan of their relationship.  Skeevy.  

Rick wants to have a discussion with Hershel about the barn. Hershel has never discussed anything. He dictates. I don’t care that it’s the zombie apocalypse. In my experience, the older a person, the harder it is to change their way of thinking. Trying to change someone using your own experience almost never works.* It’s rural Georgia. Can’t the group find another farm and some barbed wire and start their own colony?

Rick tells Shane Lori is pregnant. I’m terrified. And two scenes later, rightfully so. Shane is so sick. I finally feel bad for Lori. There’s no way to handle this situation correctly, but telling Shane that even if it is his, it’s not going to be his, was bad, bad, bad. Then Carl, just like his mommy, tells Shane what to do. Hell to the no.

Hershel makes Rick an offer he should absolutely refuse. Some walkers are stuck in the mud and Hershel wants to help them out and put them in the barn. Rick helps. Jesus wept (John 11:35).  

Dale steals the guns and tries to hide them from Shane. Shane finds him and confronts him. Dale misses a golden opportunity to kill Shane. I think the group would’ve forgiven him. Except maybe Carl, but who cares.

Shane loses it, but it does have some benefits. At least he armed everyone first. Then he opens up the barn door and it’s like a live-action video game. If I were unarmed, I would’ve started running, especially if I had a child. Daryl is just as sexy with a shotgun as he is with a crossbow.

Whoa!!! What a punch to the gut! Sophia was one of the walkers in Hershel’s barn this whole time. Totally gut-wrenching. I did not see that coming. Rick reclaimed his role as leader by putting her down.

I was too stunned to comprehend the preview for the next episode.

[Norman Reedus in the aftershow!!!  He’s so yummy!!!]

*But daddies do listen to their daughters. Maggie gave it her best shot. A Hail Maggie?

Manfredo-Chavez 11-19-2011

Peter Manfredo, Jr. v. Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr.

Middleweight Championship Fight – WBC Belt

Going into it, it seemed like an evenly matched fight. Two boxers who have something to prove. One a former reality show contestant. The other the son of a legend. Manfredo’s previous notable fights include Joe Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy. He lost to both. I was impressed by how many professional fights Manfredo has had, especially at his age (43-0-1).  It showed during the fight.

Round 1: Right away, I dislike Manfredo’s trunks. I’m of the Mike Tyson school of boxing wear: less flash, more punching people in the face. Chavez is the aggressive. He gets in a good shot at the body. Chavez showing great head movement and great timing early on. He’s quick, but not overeager. Not at all like Freddy’s other protégé, Amir “King of Nothing” Khan.  Chavez easily bats away Manfredo’s jabs. Chavez connects with two jabs. Manfredo swings wild to end the round going for a good showing at the end, but fails. Chavez (9-10)

Round 2: Chavez connects with a jab. Then a left hook.  There are a lot of punches being thrown, but not a lot are landing. Both have good defensive styles. Hard right by Chavez. Some more exchanges that are defended. Hard counter right by Chavez. Manfredo to the body. Manfredo needs to pace himself. He is going to get tired. Left upper cut by Manfredo. Jab by Manfredo.  Chavez (18-20)

Round 3: Hard right by Chavez. Another hard right by Chavez. Exchange of jabs. Manfredo is losing his patience and moving in with his hands down. He’s lucky he didn’t get knocked out. Chavez to the head. Manfredo to the body. Chavez with a right to the head. Manfredo with a left to the head. Manfredo’s tape around his glove becoming undone. Time out by the referee to fix it. Hard left and then the bell and then a hard right by Manfredo. Even (28-30)

Round 4: Missed the first 30 seconds (long trip to the refriderator). Chavez charges in. Exchange of jabs. Crowd is chanting Chavez. Hard right to the head by Chavez. Manfredo swinging wild. Chavez swinging focused. Body/head combo by Manfredo. Chavez taunting Manfredo.  Right roundhouse by Chavez. Very exciting round. Chavez brawling a bit. A risky endeavor that pays off. Chavez can mix it up. Hard left jab by Manfredo. Right to the head by Chavez. Chavez (37-40)

Round 5: Left jab by manfredo. Manfredo blocks a combo, but his counter misses. Manfredo has a great left jab. He just needs to follow up like his corner suggested. Left jab by Chavez. Left to the body by Manfredo. Hard Right by Chavez and Manfredo wobbles. Manfredo against the ropes. Chavez is going to town. Manfredo moving side to side along the ropes. He’s not throwing punches. He’s not protecting himself. Manfredo tries to clinch at the same time the Ref jumps in to stop the fight. If it had been later in the round, I would’ve called it a bad stoppage, but there was still over a minute left in the round.  TKO for Chavez

Punch stats show that Manfredo threw much more, but landed much less.

Chavez has great timing. He can box and he can brawl. He’s focused and calm in the ring. Seems like a much mature fighter. I would think that the son of a legend would be flashier than someone with Amir Khan’s background. You can’t tell at all that they have the same trainer.

Manfredo’s corner told him to work his combinations off of his jabs. Excellent advice.  Classic boxing. Too bad he didn’t take it. I think Manfredo is going to be one of those boxers that up and comers fight and beat on their way to the top. And “Pride of Providence” has to be one of the worst nicknames ever.

Roy Jones: “I saw a very, very good young fighter.”  It’s nice that he’s expanded his vocabulary.  I think he’s heard all of the taunting of his “really, really bad” comments from my friends Chris and Preston. It’s nice to know that you can make a difference as a fan.

I love that Julio Caesar Chavez, Sr. eschews the uniform of his son’s corner for a tux. Now that’s really, really classy.