Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Third Season

Beware, potential spoilers of past seasons ahead.

Among the many things that 'Boardwalk Empire' does well, creating emotional attachments to its varied array of characters is at the top of the list. The last two episodes of the second season ended up being a who's-who bloodbath, with the Darmody family feeling the full effects. That final episode was nerve-wracking as Jimmy (Michael Pitt) walked out of his house without saying goodbye to his mother and son. You knew it was coming. On some level you knew he deserved it, but when Nucky (Steve Buscemi) finally put that bullet in his head, you couldn't help feel sorry for him and the kid he left behind.

While Jimmy's death was certainly the most influential aspect of season two, it was full of all sorts of plot twists, power struggles, and near misses. Nucky escaped assassination, dodged murder charges, and somehow convinced Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) to marry him. Dealing with her own demons, chiefly the polio infection of her tiny daughter, Margaret seemed to have been turning a blind eye to what she knew Nucky was doing. Then in one last-ditch effort to get right with God, she signed a vast expanse of valuable land over to the church instead of to her new husband.

Season three begins Jimmy-less (yes, we're all saddened) and Nucky firmly planted atop the tower of organized crime. There are, however, new faces to worry about. Capone (Stephen Graham) is beginning to become the tough guy history remembers him as. Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza) and Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef) find out that running heroine might be a little easier and more lucrative than the alcohol business. Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale) is a hot-tempered Italian who doesn't take too kindly to being rebuffed by Nucky in the first episode. Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) is out for blood, silently wreaking havoc on those he deems responsible for the death of his best friend. Just when we thought Jimmy's death was the show reaching a boil, season three shows that, if anything, the heat has been turned up even higher.

There's something about 'Boardwalk Empire' that distances it from so many other serialized dramas out there. It's the way that almost every line of dialogue has a double meaning. The way that every single character harbors extreme distrust for everyone else, but still finds a way to get along with them until it no longer makes good business sense. The way that characters hurtle toward some great black gangster oblivion. More, more, more, is the motto. Yet, Nucky and everyone else involved is never satisfied. In the first episode of the season Nucky throws a New Year's party for the elites. Two men dressed as ancient Egyptians trot in carrying a hokey looking treasure chest. Nucky describes the boxes contents as "New Year's Eve bobbles, for everyone." The chest is opened and the guests start picking through the bracelets, necklaces, and broaches. Then one of them realizes, "These are real diamonds!" Pandemonium. Nucky sits back and watches and we can only wonder what he's thinking. On some level he's probably disgusted by how small these people are acting, and on another level he's ecstatic that the rich and powerful of Atlantic City can be easily distracted (or bought) with a few glimmering trinkets.

And so it goes for Nucky Thompson a man of no discernible brawn, who has built an empire by outwitting everyone else. It seems that any time someone tries to outsmart Nucky he always comes out the other side, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

Season three is every bit as exciting and engrossing as the first two (even though the body count may indeed be much higher). While I'll miss Jimmy's surly presence, watching Nucky navigate the world of American gangsterism is simply too fun to miss.

Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

The third season of 'Boardwalk Empire' comes in a 7-disc set (five 50GB Blu-rays and two double-sided DVDs). Along with the Blu-rays, season three comes complete with a DVD copy of the entire season, along with UltraViolet and iTunes Digital Copies. The DVDs are housed in a flimsy cardboard holder.

The set's seven Blu-rays are housed in a snazzy cardboard foldout that resembles past releases. Each disc has its own hub, each section has some great artwork and set stills, with each end containing episode lists with brief synopses, episode titles, and writing and directing credits. The release is region free.