I don't think they could have come up with worse 2 last episodes if they deliberately tried. What an absolute whimper of a finale. Did really anyone hope\expect\want this episode to fold how it did with how high the stakes were just 2 episodes ago and everybody theorizing what would happen? And that the fucking casualty is Maybelle? Woopedoo.
So what did we have:
1. Nucky in the clear yet again thanks to PURE LUCK and HAPPENSTANCE. Thanks a lot Elli's wife for talking too much -- Nucky would have had ZERO CLUE. The meeting would have taken place; bombs would have dropped; major shakeup for the show would have been in place. Now? Nada.
What do you want me to say? And how many times does it need to happen so most of you here stop overlooking it? Lets recap: Nucky was saved by pure luck thanks to the world's worst assassin in S2. Guy simply went face-on in plain sight inside the club and shot Nucky in the hand instead of any one of the countless methods assassins do their job (one of which Harrow presented in this finale). Thank you stupid writing! Nucky saved by pure luck in S2's end when one of Nucky's servants suddenly shares with him info about Van-Alden's murder which pulled the plug on Nucky's trial. Again, Nucky had no idea about it, never attempted to dig up dirt on the Van Alden, nothing. Thank you never-to-be-seen-again character to volunteer live-saving info into Nucky's lap.
And last season Nucky was again saved thanks to luck because someone chatted him up so he doesn't die from the bomb (and depending on how bomb was detonated it could also be the world's worst bomber).
For some reason this wasn't enough for a lot of people here to find it egregious or to fault the show.
And now, what would have been a game-changer to show, locking Nucky away, was nullified thanks to what? Nucky's detective skills? Hard work? Intelligence? Nope. He only got wind of it because some secondary character blabbered in his presence. COME THE FUCK ON.
You might not mind, you might not care, you might not think about it twice. But you can not, in any shape or form, deny that this is simply bad and inexcusable writing in its greatest severity. Four times have the writers saved Nucky from life-turning events by throwing him an artificial lifeline out of the blue. Deus Ex Machina turned to 11.
2. Where did the showdown go? Nucky-Chalky-Narcisse. Forget the fact that Nucky had only 7 people guarding the house in these delicate times and the implausibility of Chalky sneaking up on them, all the build-up amounted to nothing - namely, all three are alive. I wanted blood. Again, i wanted tough decisions. Narcisse or Chalky - one of the had to go. The city ain't big enough, they were at each other's throats, Narcisse was already saved once by the writers.
And that's the 'payoff'? Maybelle biting the dust? With all due respect of her being his daughter, that's not really high-stakes in terms of her contribution to the show. How is her death furthers Chalky's character? He pretty much already had Nucky and Narcisse on his blacklist. Maybelle isn't the caliber of a character you expect to be offed in a finale especially when the stage was set for big stuff to go down for main characters.
3. And how did Maybelle die? I don't think i remember such a crude pulling-out of a early plot card to tie the end. Oh, right, Harrow has troubles pulling the trigger so he couldn't take the shot when it was clean for some seconds. This has felt like all the 'Richard can't kill' thread was done just so it can be used here to sacrifice Maybelle. And i'm still unsure of the whole reason Richard stopped killing in the first place and that whole arc was lame from the start of the season.
4. Big decisions is also why i disliked the interrupted confrontation between the two brothers. Kill Eli or let him and go. Whatever you chose, substantiate Nuck'y character as this or that. Don't defuse the situation because Will barges in and ofc Nucky wouldn't think to kill Eli in front of him.
5. Knox pays the price and killed. The safest and least destabilizing choice to make. And by the looks of it, Eli will be just fine in Chicago.
6. Why the heck did Daughter leave Chalky? One moment she urges him to go away with her; the next he agrees to first thing in the morning but then she suddenly leaves at night going god knows where. What's the point?
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The last minute was beautifully filmed and edited. Yes it made sense for Harrow's character and there was the clear scent of giving him closure but i do think they fluffed his character and arc this season.
