Season 1 Discussion

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

After returning from Alcatraz, Bumpy Johnson seeks to regain control of Harlem. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family, led by Vincent "Chin" Gigante.

Original air date 2019.09.29

[The Ringo Kidd]

Another great performance by Vincent D'Onofrio as Vinnie the Chin. The 1960’s ambience was spot on and the team up with Malcom X and the Nation told a very overlooked story. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

The one thing they got wrong was that Frank Costello was retired from the Mob by then because someone shot him in the head. The man who shot him? Vinnie the Chin.

So it was very unlikely that Costello would be doing him any favors.

Edited September 30, 2019 by The Ringo Kidd

[The Ringo Kidd]

I did appreciate Bumpy going old school with the razor. That was a real retro callback.

[MCMLXXVII]

i love this show! It’s like it was custom-made for me (a fan of Mad Men, The Wire, and numerous mafia shows). 

I’m kind of surprised/amused at Adam Clayton Powell’s performance since I assumed he was a revered figure.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E2: The Nitty Gritty

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Bumpy engages in a fevered search to find a dope supply independent of the Italians; Chin talks to crooked cops; Mayme worries the effect Bumpy's rescue of his daughter Elise from the streets will have on their family.

Original air date: 10/6/19

Edited November 25, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added episode number and title after episode threads were merged into one topic

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E3: Our Day Will Come

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Bumpy unexpectedly finds himself at Elise's side when her shoplifting arrest and subsequent abuse is the catalyst for a protest where conflicting interests cause tensions to rise.

Original air date: 10/13/19

Edited November 25, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added episode number and title after episode threads were merged into one topic

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E4: I Am the Greatest

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Cassius Clay battles local boxing hero Doug Jones; Mayme insists Bumpy back Jones but Malcolm urges Bumpy to back Clay; Chin engages in a turf war for Harlem with Bonnano and a buried secret is revealed.

Original air date: 10/20/19

Edited November 25, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added episode number and title after episode threads were merged into one topic

[The Ringo Kidd]

There are so many things wrong with this episode it is ridiculous. First of all the Gambino’s controlled the docks and union are. Brooklyn not the Colombo’s. The Genovese which used to be the Lucky Luciano family controlled the Manhattan docks specifically the Fulton Fish Market under Socks Lanza. Frankie Carbo who was the Mob’s boxing Commissioner was a New York Mobster in the Luciano family as he was a hit man for Murder Incorporated. His long time partner Blinky Palmero was a Philly Mobster.  Joe Bannanas was a slight man much smaller than Chaz.

 If they got the Mob stuff so wrong they must have done the same with Malcolm X and Bumpy Johnson.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E5: It's All in the Game

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In an effort to break Bumpy's bank, Chin fixes a bet, as a result, Bumpy owes the winners more than he can cover; police arrest Stella and Teddy for kissing; Elise looks toward the Nation of Islam in order to better herself.

Original air date: 10/27/19

Edited November 25, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added episode number and title after episode threads were merged into one topic

[The Ringo Kidd]

One other glaring error. Joe Bananas did not have a son named Lorenzo.  He had two sons who lived until the 2000’s.

[The Ringo Kidd]

I remember one time that a whole bunch of people in Red Hook hit the number at the same time. They had to wait a week to get paid.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E6: Il Canto de Malavita

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Elijah Muhammed tours Malcolm X's mosque where he meets Elise and asks her to spy on Malcolm; Chin finds out Teddy is alive, leaving Ernie Nunzi to correct his mistake; Esther James sues Adam Clayton Powell Jr. for slander.

Original air date: 11/3/19

Edited November 25, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added episode number and title after episode threads were merged into one topic

[The Ringo Kidd]

Once again this show screws up history!

Joe Valachi appeared before a Senate committee not the house. Adam Clayton Powell was the chairman of the Education and Labor committee and was never involved in the Mafia investigations. He was generally unpopular in the House and was actually expelled from Congress. Although he was re-elected in a special election and won his court case. 
 
This show just mangles history unmercifully I every episode.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E7: Masters of War

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Striking back at the Italians, Bumpy exploits Chin's dark past; Mayme and Elise put aside their differences and Bumpy sees his wife and children reunited before his war explodes.

Original air date: 11/10/19

Edited November 25, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added episode number and title after episode threads were merged into one topic

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E8: How I Got Over

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Chin and Bonnano are at war in Harlem; Mayme asks Bumpy to create a will where Bumpy finds out he and Mayme never formally adopted Margaret; Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. go to D.C. for the March on Washington.

Original air date: 11/17/19

Edited November 25, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added episode number and title after episode threads were merged into one topic

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I feel like all the stories they've been setting up are finally starting to come together: Bumpy manipulating a war between Chin and Bonnano, Malcolm and Clayton teaming up for the March on Washington, and Margaret finally meeting her sister/mom.

I totally cracked up when Elise took Mayme to see the drug dealers and they went from mouthing off to calling Mayme "ma'am" once they knew who she was.

Bumpy getting shot at the end was the biggest surprise of the episode!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As soon as the lawyer brought up Margaret's guardianship, I knew Bumpy was going to reveal that he and Mayme had never officially adopted her and that Elise would refuse to do it now.

For a brief second, I thought that the car bomb killed Ernie and we were finally rid of him! No such luck.

[announcergirl]

This show is so good. Sorry I’m late to the party. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E9: Rent Strike Blues

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Due to slum conditions in Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. leads a rent strike and investigates the owners of the buildings; Ernie Nunzi searches for the hooker who helped set up Zambrano; Bumpy and Mayme experience tension in their marriage.

Original air date: 11/24/19

[lonestar]

I watched the first 2 episodes on Amazon, and now I have to pay Epix to continue. Loved the show so far, but will wait until the season ends so I can binge.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

S1.E10: Chickens Come Home to Roost

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Bumpy blackmails the mob in an effort to secure the safety of himself and his family; President John F. Kennedy is assassinated; Teddy performs at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Original air date: 12/1/19

[TV Diva Queen]

Just finished this last night. Reading the comments and I figured it was partly/mail my fiction. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the shit out of this series. The scene in ep10 with guy from Italy in Bumpy’s apartment was so well done. And then the dinner scene where they vote to kill Bumpy...Chaz’s apprehension was real. So glad they renewed this, but I’m sure w the covid they haven’t started filming. 😕