R.I.P. 'Boardwalk Empire' Fallen Hero Jimmy Darmody
Monday, December 12, 2011 at 11:38AM TV REVIEW: Last night, HBO's superlative drama took a huge leap forward, but left behind its most compelling soldier, who was also one of TV's best characters.
By Kenny Herzog
It actually hurts to look. (Credit: HBO)
Nucky Thompson giveth, and Nucky taketh away. Last night's Boardwalk Empire finale, "To the Lost," was sad and stunning. But when Nucky (Steve Buscemi, who was incredible in "Lost") put two bullets in Jimmy Darmody's (Michael Pitt, playing an irreperably broken soul) head, it was both mercy and sacrifice. Free from the looming threat of jail and ready to clamp back down on Atlantic City, Nucky had to make a heavily witnessed statement to earn back trust and respect. After seeing Jimmy's condition, and knowing him better than anyone, he realized assasinating the man who he raised like a son was the difficult solution to everyone's problems—including Jimmy's.
I think we all felt a bit of that relief for Jimmy, and should have seen it coming sooner. Last week's "Under God's Power She Flourishes" all but spelled out his inescapable tormet. His death was brutal and pragmatic and staged in decidedly un-Hollywood fashion. No inspired speeches or crises of conscience were stopping the inevitable. But as a viewer, it lifted the angst of enduring his ordeal since Angela's death and grasping the enormity of his Shakespearian life tragedy.
Jimmy Darmody was a great character, and Michael Pitt was iconic in the part. Jimmy was also one of the show's few lead roles not largely or entirely rooted in a historical doppleganger. So maybe he had to go. Maybe Season Three goes back to the slightly exaggerated fiction of how the East was won, and how New York's criminal underground grew with the rise of opiate abuse while Atlantic City conformed itself as a mainstream resort town once the fog of Prohibition was lifted.
It will surely be awesome and fascinating to watch, but Jimmy and Michael Pitt were the human heart of Seasons One and Two, and will be missed. And there will no doubt always be a share of the audience pining for a flashback or dream sequence of Jimmy, and anticipating how his death weighs on Nucky's consicence and decision-making. Or that, as Nucky did to Eli during the final stretch of "To the Lost," Jimmy could appear in front of Nucky, a la Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, and ask, "Et tu?"
IN OTHER WORDS: To the lost.
BOARDWALK FINALE RATING: 9.5/10
MICHAEL PITT BETTER BECOME A HUGE STAR NOW RATING: 9/10
OH NO, YOU DIDN'T, NUCKY RATING: 9/10
R.I.P. JIMMY DARMODY RATING: 10/10
Please friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Have your own rating or comments you'd like to share? Please do so in the comments below.
Reader Comments (42)
Sad. Jimmy was the only reason I watched the show. Michael Pitt was awesome.
I hear you on that. But honestly, he was like a wounded horse being put out of his misery at that point. And it weirdly made Angela's death easier to take. Evened things out somehow. But it's a ballsy move. I LOVED that character.
Ballsy move to say the least. HBO is taking a huge risk in letting the character of Jimmy Darmody go. Was he depressed? Was he tormented? Did he have a messed up childhood beyond belief? Yes to all those questions. But he also had a son. A soildier wouldn't leave his son like that.
Do you think it was at all possible that Nucky dreamed the whole thing? He was having dreams in the later episodes of the season and I feel like this was too dramatic for Nucky to do himself. Especially when he was under such close watch around his hearing. And why would he have so many witnesses around?
A soldier wouldn't leave his son like that, especially to that crazy bitch Mother of his.
Who said that Jimmy is dead? Sure, you saw that Nucky's first shot struck him in the cheek. But he was still alive. Did we see the second shot actually send him to the land of the dead? Nope. I say he'll be back next year in a surprising turn of events.
What seems to be missing from everyone's mind is the land deed that was signed over to the church by Nucky's new wife and what she may do now that she screwed Nucky out of the Millions he was about to receive. Is she leaving him or is this another attempt to clear her soul and show God that she is willing to give up every worldly possession to cure her child of Polio.
To say I was shocked, is an understatement..this show is one of the best ever. Ever!
Nucky killing JImmy has anything to do with mercy? geez you must be kidding. it's just Mr THompson had no other choice.
^ are you an idiot?
You can clearly see the 2nd shot in the head with blood spilling out of it and showed him dead. If it was a dream sequence, then that is very bad writing! Plus it has been confirmed they are gonna introduce a new character that is like a James Cagney type for the next season! I will miss Jimmy but we can do fine without him too.
It was a bad move killing Jimmy off one being he was THE ONLY reason I watched the show and also because of the time that was taken into getting to know the character...also now his sick twisted mother gets to raise his son....you want more viewers bring Jimmy back....I'm just saying
WOW Seth........what an insight! How cool would that be? I can see why they killed him off but still what a shocker. I hope you are right and he was just dreaming. What a shocker that would be!
It definitely wasn't a dream sequence, because if you remember a few scenes before Jimmy's mother sees his son wearing Jimmy's dog tags. Jimmy knew he might not come out of that night alive.
I was so shocked yet it did make a huge statement for Nucky! Season 3 won't come soon enuff!
yea I'm going 2 have 2 agree i think it was a dream jimmy was 2 good of a character 2 just let go of like that
HBO is not afraid to kill major characters. Just ask Ned Stark. Jimmy outlived Ned by a whole season.
Jimmy was great in my opinion he made the show and kept me watching and always looking forward to the next episode. As for Nucky I still can't take him serious as a "Gangster". I really hope a new compelling character comes up next season. Cuz I just can't see myself following the show for just Nucky.
yea nucky is not a good enough character 2 keep me tuned into the show but at the same time i think that's what he got the guy 2 replace jimmy 4 maybe there going 2 build him up more... and 2 the guy with half a face I'm pretty sure he's not going 2 take jimmy's death sitting down that was his only friend
Thanks for checking out the story. Keep coming back to REVIEWniverse for more. And make sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter, links to both are below the story. RIP. Jimmy.
FAIL, FAIL, FAIL!!! I cancelled HBO after they offed Jimmy, what a terrible move on the writers part. I originally picked up HBO for True Blood which is another great show that the writers drove into the ground. I'm not going to wait around for them to do the same with Board Walk Empire, and as far as I'm concerned the season finale was proof enough thats where they're headed. Good bye HBO, hello Showtime.
I don't understand the people who say "He's a soldier, he'd never let his son go"
Jimmy took absolutely no value in pride in fighting in war, Nucky thought it was "for rubes" and Jimmy always modeled himself after Nucky in many ways, being as Nucky raised.
Our modern society has enveloped itself once again in glorious war profiteering but at the time, the concept of fighting a war in someone else's country for a cause that is really not directly relative to your own life was considered stupid, not necessarily honorable.
Currently, many people dislike war but support soldiers.
That wasn't entirely the case in Vietnam or WWI, WWII was largely considered the only necessary war.
That political digression aside, the point remains that Jimmy had zero interest in honor, glory, anything like that. He went to war for the sole purpose of hopefully killing himself and escaping his situation with a modicum of dignity remaining.
When he came back to Nucky initially, S1E1, he was still broken. He was always broken.
He took whatever love, whatever was left whole in him and placed it in Angela, some fading memory of what was still right inside of him that he experienced at Princeton, before the cold callous reality of his bitch of a mother came back and brought all his demons to bare.
"There's nothing wrong with any of it baby" and "Jimmy....Jimmy...I have to leave Jimmy's From S2E11 spoke so loudly and sharply to Jimmy's character, his psyche shattered.
Seeing his son with his mother terrifies him, he must wonder if she'll "kiss his little winky" too.
A mortifying thought.
He cared not about war or honor, nor his own family, I don't think. I think Angela and Tommy were more like ideas than people, Angela an idea of idealistic love and a redemption of his past, and Tommy his beacon of light for the future.
Jimmy cared about nothing after his mother slept with him. He wanted only death, in a way that would redeem him.
He tried to do it in trenches in France, he accomplished it by helping out the only person who ever really helped him in anyway.
Nucky needed to grow beyond the hands off gangster, Jimmy had no where to go but down.
I think the fact that he was killed, quickly, rather unceremoniously, drives home the point of how dead and false Jimmy's hope for restoring his own life was.
Those of you saying Jimmy was the only reason you watched the show, are FULL OF IT!!! You will be watching every single episode next season & you know it...
just a touch angry don't you think Shelly i don't think jimmy was the only reason people watched but i do feel he was a big part of why i know I'm going 2 be watching every season because I'm curious 2 see where they take it now I'm not happy with another of my favorite show on HBO which is true blood cause there killing off all my faves but ill still be watching
I think Jimmy realized that he dug himself a hole he couldn't get out of. No matter what decision he made, it never worked out. He couldn't be like his father or like Nucky and this season was about that failure. He realized that being alive was a threat to his son. He lost his wife because he sent someone to kill Manny and failed. And for it to happen to his son would have been tragic.
Not only that, Jimmy's son needs a nurting mother and Jimmy can't do that since he lost himself during the war. He's just an empty shell of a man and nothing could fill that void so throughout that episode, Jimmy knew he was going to die. I think he helped out Nucky as a way of righting his wrongs and saying I'm sorry. He finally was at peace with himself.Resquiat in Pace Jimmy Darmody.
@ Jason. Lol dude. I said the same thing about HBO killing off their characters but in the actual Game of Thrones book, Ned Stark was killed. In Boardwalks case, it was a decision.