A few weeks ago, I wrote about the BBC’s post-World War I crime drama “Peaky Blinders.” Two weeks ago, the second season was released onto networks mere weeks after its original BBC run, and I’m going to write about it again.
However, I also dipped my feet into HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (yeah, I know it just ended) since watching “Peaky Blinders’” excellent first season and, as I was going back and forth between the two shows last week, I could not help but notice that the shows are extremely similar both in terms of style and plot.
Obviously, both are post-WWI crime dramas, but the similarities run far deeper. Each show revolves around alcohol in the Prohibition era and more importantly, both shows use veterans of the Great War and their struggles to acclimate to post-war society. The way each show does this tells us a lot about the shows themselves.
In “Peaky Blinders,” veterans are shown to be dealing with the war mentally—I covered this at length in my first “Peaky Blinders” column. The show does a great job of showing one character’s self-medicating through opium use in order to escape his memories of the war. This continues in the second season when another main character develops serious mental and anger issues because he cannot get over the horrors of war. “Peaky Blinders” also does a great job of showing the camaraderie of veterans, regardless of their post-war affiliations.
“Boardwalk Empire” did things a little differently. Instead of using mental pain, “Boardwalk” chose to show the physical consequences of war. Starting late in the first season, the show introduced a character that essentially lost half of his face in France. His story and situation are a huge part of the show’s post-war treatment. He’s befriended by the only other veteran in the show and is ushered into the Chicago and Atlantic City crime syndicates.
As for the other veteran, he does not seem to exhibit any ill effects from his time in France with the exception of a mostly superficial knee injury. While he sometimes talks about the war, it does not seem to really be affecting him, and he seems to have more trouble with life in Atlantic City than he did with life in France.
“Peaky Blinders” and “Boardwalk Empire” are also very similar stylistically. Each dives into the period on their respective sides of the Atlantic, but it is again very interesting how each show envisions the post-WWI era. The Birmingham of “Peaky Blinders” remains dark and dingy, but this makes sense due to the city’s factories.
What’s much more interesting is the show’s portrayal of London. It’s just as dark as and even more dangerous than Birmingham. Atlantic City, on the other hand, is as garish as can be. The board walk and Ferris wheel are always in lights and the show has a seemingly endless number of parties that “Boardwalk Empire’s” characters waltz in and out of. For a show with as many dark themes as “Boardwalk Empire,” you’d think that the city itself would be portrayed in a more negative light.
Overall, both are great shows. If you haven’t already, you should try to watch both, but “Peaky Blinders” is a little better.
Do you like Boardwalk Empire better? Let Jake know at smasal@wisc.edu.
