Season Five Speculation: The Seven Year(s later) Itch

[Drogo]

With the fifth and final season set to jump ahead seven years to 1931, what loose ends are you hoping to see tied up? 

 

Personally, I'd like the following...

• No more Richard Harrow or Dr. Narcisse.  Realistically, no one would be discussing that Crayola-face sniper guy they once knew seven years after his death, and Narcisse's turning evidence shouldn't have an impact on NJ, only his connections in NY.
• Nucky and Eli back on brotherly terms.  They're at their best when they're allies. 
• Willie dead, in prison or back in college.  Couldn't stand the character/actor.
• Gillian Darmody out of prison and getting revenge on the Pinkerton who put her there. 

[Mindymoo]

Are we sure that the whole series will take place in 1931, or just parts of it? I, for one, am devastated at a series without Harrow, and was really looking forward to seeing the 1929 Atlantic City Conference. Arnold Rothstein died in 1928, so he would be out too. Also, 1931 was the year that Al Capone was convicted and sent to Alcatraz for tax evasion, so we would be seeing very little of him as well. Since 1931 is in the heart of the Great Depression, I predict even darker days ahead for the leads of our series.

[Fisher King]

Maybe Margaret will have picked up some cunning conning tips from Rothstein before he dies. I'd rather see her doing well during a difficult time for most people. Sad-sack Margaret is too depressing, in and of itself, to watch anyway.

[gaPeach]

I could have sworn I saw advertisement that this was starting in June.  But I just checked the web page and it says September.  Was it just me?

 

And how can they skip to 7 years later?  This ought to be interesting.

[Avaleigh]

Oh man, I am going to be pissed if we're cheated out of Rothstein's death.

I too would like to see Gillian get revenge only I want her to find a way to go after Nucky somehow. He orchestrated her rape and killed her only child. I'll never feel sympathy for Nucky when it comes to Gillian.

[Neurochick]

I don't think I'll bother watching. I'm pissed that Richard is dead but Gillian isn't. What a horrible person. I still remember when she said Richard wasn't a whole person. That coming from a shell of a "person".

[Avaleigh]

Now that I've read a couple of articles I guess we won't be getting AR unless it's in a flashback. Ugh, that's a bummer. That was the one thing that had me looking forward to Margaret's storyline this year. Neurochick, the way you feel about having Gillian remain but not Richard is how I feel about having Margaret remain but not Rothstein, only my irritation at having Margaret remain has to do with the fact that I've found her to be mostly boring as opposed to being a horrible person. AR might be horrible but he certainly made for compelling television so I'm definitely going to miss his presence.

According to a Time article, it also seems like the three big stories will probably involve Capone and (presumably) Van Alden, Masseria and Luciano, and Chalky, with Nucky being a presence in all of those stories in some way.

I can't really see how Gillian would fit in at all anyway. Lucky wouldn't want to be bothered. Obviously Nucky was done with her years ago. She was sort of acquainted with Capone but again, why would any of these guys bother?

I have to imagine that heroin will continue to be a plotline as well especially since someone like Nucky will definitely see the writing on the wall regarding Prohibition.

[Athena]

I just moved over a dozen posts from this topic to All Episodes Discussion. Please let this topic be about Season Five speculation. Thanks.

[VCRTracking]

I expect a 14 year old Tommy to be in season 5. 

Edited July 22, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Veruca Assault]

I thought I had given up on the show after Richard Harrow's death, but watching Chalky say, "baby girl, Jesus was wrong" looks awesome. I'm sure I'll be disappointed. Again.

[Avaleigh]

14 seems too young to get Tommy to go to AC. I'm guessing his story was wrapped and we're supposed to assume that he and Julia remained happy even without Richard.

I am actually looking forward to seeing Narcisse again as he's one of the few characters I feel I have no idea what will happen to apart from the eventual sudden and untimely death that he *so* has coming his way. Storyline wise though I feel like anything could potentially take him to that grave so that's exciting.

I hope we get an update on how Chalky's family has fared with the loss of Maybelle. Is she still a lingering presence or has she been somewhat airbrushed out of their lives? Lenore just seems like someone who would completely bottle it up unless she wanted to lash out at Chalky for some reason and even then I feel like it would have to be a damn good reason.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Avaleigh

[Curio]

Ugh, I'm so conflicted about watching Season 5. I declared this show dead to me over at TWoP after they killed Richard, but it's like... after four years of fanatical investment and caring about some great characters, there's literally no one left I want to watch. The seven year time jump also seems like such a cop out. Even if I did care for any of the characters left, how am I supposed to be emotionally connected to what's happening on screen when they drop all the story lines that have been built up over the past four years and suddenly jump on board this new time period? I feel like this season will feel like a strange mini series that has a vague resemblance to the show it once was, but it will ultimately end up being a waste of time.

 

I've considered just hate watching every episode and then bitching about it on here, but it'll be such a chore getting through the season, which is no fun. It's like I'm in a really bad relationship with a boyfriend I know I should have just dumped by now. I know things just aren't working out between us, so I keep trying to remember all the great times we had the first couple years, but I also keep forgetting that the last two years have kind of sucked. Oh, and apparently the boyfriend put down our troubled one-eyed dog for his own good, but the dog was perfectly okay to just keep living and doing badass dog things and now I've suddenly realized the only thing keeping our relationship together was that damned dog.

 

Help me out here, Previouslies. To watch, or not to watch, Season 5?

Edited August 25, 2014 by Curio

[Pickles Aplenty]

I'll be watching, just because I've been with it since the beginning and need to see how it ends.  I agree with you on not caring about anybody left, though.  I never cared about Chalky all that much, and they stripped away everything interesting about Gillian.  Nucky was interesting until season three (god, how I hate season three), but now he's just a shell of himself.  I'm not sure how Margaret still fits into the story.  Still not over Richard's death.  Yeah, I'll be tuning in, but only out of obligation.

[Mindymoo]

I am still going to watch with anticipation. I am sad that there will be no Arnold Rothstein, as he is one of my favorite people from that chapter of history and characters on the show. He is long dead by the time the new season picks up so that's a huge bummer there. And no Richard is depressing, though his "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"-esque ending was quite beautiful in season four. I do hope we see some of Tommy and Julia. And I will always be a Chalky fan, so I want to see where he ends up, even though after what happened to Maybelle, it can't possibly be anything good.

[Totale]

I'm still invested enough to watch, although I am glad this is the last season.  If nothing else, hardly anything on TV can touch it in whatever the one word TV/film equivalent of stagecraft is.  You know, design, cinematography, costuming, sound design, blah blah.

[Neurochick]

I declared the show dead to me after they killed off Richard (which I think was a WASTE of a great character).  If this were not the show's last season, I wouldn't watch.

 

If I remember correctly, there was an article, written after season 4 ended, that the show would continue for TWO more seasons.  Then suddenly, I heard season 5 would be the show's last.  I wonder if the outrage over Richard's death had something to do with it, and if the producers realized the only way people would bother to watch would be if this were the last season.  

[Avaleigh]

So I read the synopsis for episode 7 and I was wondering if there's any information on whether or not Molly Parker did any filming for this season since her character Mabel (only ever seen in a photograph back in the first couple of seasons) seems like she will be making an appearance in the episode assuming the argument she has with Nucky is shown and not only referenced.

Gillian twice spoke fondly of Mabel, I think she even called her a saint at one point so whatever the fight is over I get the feeling that Gillian had something to do with it.

I was always disappointed that we never really learned much about his marriage to Mabel apart from their child's death and her eventual suicide. Nucky seemed a lot more haunted about all of that in the first couple of seasons. Now it's almost as though Billie was supposed to have been the love of his life.