I wonder if some of the new jerk reaction to the season finale is related to how they're handling the historical aspects of the show?
I mean, with what Art Decade and others have said about how we know Nucky is going to end up on top up intul a certain point because he's the protagonist.
While there were historical characters and incidents in Rome, the historical characters were most the B-plots. Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo were at some point real people; however, in the scope of the show they were fair game for whatever shenanigans happened in on the B-Plot/Historical incidents.
In Deadwood, well, it feels much more like an ensemble cast than anyone clear lead. Granted, Bullock would ostensibly be the lead - but look at the credits: Not a face to be found there. While he was an accessory to the main plot in the first season, it didn't quite revolve around him as strongly as it did the location or the subject. Even then, it was equally parts of Al, Hickok, Alma, etc.
Boardwalk Empire is entirely Nucky's show. His face is the first thing we've seen when the series starts, and for every episode onward. I'd argue Jimmy has worked so well with audiences not only because he's the second 'main character', but because he's the gateway character for us into this world. He's started out fresh from the war and has risen and fallen. We've journeyed with him. It's actually something I wish more folks would do in media - rather than bland entry characters who are essentially audience ciphers - these characters who have established motives and histories, but by experiencing a journey with them, we identify with them easier. (Again, something I wonder about Game of Thrones not clicking with me. As someone who hasn't read the books, it's hard to get a handle of where things are because there's no one character to experience that with. The closest thing with me, was with the oldest Stark boy. You could argue the same in medias res for Deadwood, but the very nature of the location invites all manner of newcomers, audience included.)
I'll admit I haven't seen the Sopranos so I'm not sure how that all works out - I'm not into modern dramas with the exception being The Wire. But it sounds like Tony manages a certain relationship with the audience - something I feel hasn't really happened with the closed-off Nucky.
On a tangent: Is there a chart for HBO shows with: Gangsters/Thugs, Lesbians, Incest, etc? It feels like there's a lot of re-occuring themes there...Granted, that's probably because it's handling the darker subject matter, but it feels a bit repetitive.
