Torrio: I treated you like a son... Capone: I wasn't made to play the son.

I think that was the implication the show wanted to give, without actually saying anything that broke too much with history. But that was pretty common for the show. Take Lucky Luciano's relationship with Rothstein. The show continuously put tension and betrayal between the two of them, without making any of their actions really break the historical record too much (beyond the writing necessity of streamlining events). But as far as I remember, Rothstein was basically the only major player that Luciano didn't work around or double cross.

To be fair it’s pretty clear as day in the show that Torrio knew Capone set him up considering what he said to Capone while he was in the hospital.

Cine, please do more Boardwalk vids. The show has a lot of nuance, ambiguity, and it’s interesting to hear the real life stories behind the characters.

My theory: Capone conspired with OBannion to take out Torrio and no matter what happened Capone was going to then turn on Dean and take over the town.

I thought the show made it was pretty clear that Capone was responsible. I'm surprised of this debate.

Stephen Graham killed it he looked like such an unstable psycho the scenes with his deaf kid was one of my favorite scenes from this series

Finally a boardwalk empire video in 2023! On my most recent rewatch I only first caught the tension between Torrio and Capone, and I totally picked up on the hints this time that Capone did it to seize power. They totally set it up so that Capone was responsible but wanted to let the viewer decide. Funny your video now covers this! Great topic, and interesting point about the psychosis/drug paranoia possibility.

100% Al Capone set that one up in the show and in real life… In that lifestyle nobody likes waiting to be number one or told constantly what to do…

I don’t believe this theory but it sucks we missed out on the back and forth between Capone and Bugs Moran, that was when the war actually heated up.

Ya know. James Darmody predicted all this.

Stringer Bell set it up... Those Baltimore boys are off the hook

Wow i had no idea this was a question. I always thought the implication was that capone did it

Look, I watched this show, and I thought the show made it quite clear that Al made a move. I don't think for a second that Torrio set it off first. But the fact that the Torrio hit took place at his crib and they didn't finish him off, hints at the fact that it was Al.

I looked into this exact question about 2 months ago. I remember hearing that it was Capone who set up Torrio and during a rewatch, I looked on the internet to see if it was true. Hard to find any real evidence, but I think Capone was ruthless enough to do it. Great video/topic again!

It’s definitely an interesting theory. It’s funny but the more I read about that life, the more it seems. That you sometimes there is no answer. A lot of times if you were the hit man, it seems you never even knew why the person was getting hit that you were tasked with killing. I guess this created protection for the chain of command. Torrio said it all when he says, “Either way I got the message”. The message in the case could just be his sense that he was done playing gangster.

keep up the great content 👏👏

In the gangster world no one is really that close.

Yeah, and I thought I was the only person who found Capone's behavior sus after Torrio got shot. I don't know about real life, but the way Stephen Graham portrayed Capone's behavior in that scene just did not "feel right".

You should try to do one on the Capone & Luciano friendship especially after Luciano leaves Chicago & Capone calls Eli in Atlantic City.

There is an old TV Series - The Untouchables (93-94). It was much more complimentary for Al Capone - and there attempt was by Bugs Moran and his thugs. Same show also shown that Torrio was one of the people who present documents for Tax Evasion Case for Ness.

I thought the dialog and the circumstances surrounding both hit attempts by Torrio and Capone was a clear storyline. A covert war going on between the two. Didn't even think it was ambiguous. Then again, that could be because I was all coked up.

More Boardwalk content please! Perhaps cover what we miss between S4-S5 time jump? What be very confusing for anyone who doesn’t know the real life history.

I dont think al did seemed genuinely surprised but he was eventually going to that's why torrio assumed it was him and when torrio told capone he was done capone seemed surprised but he just went along with it and if you think about capone was close to him of he wanted him dead sure he could had an easier plan that was more assuring he killed him

Hey bro if you see this can you give the show Gamorrah a shot if you haven't already? I'd really love to see your thoughts on it and any videos you might make on it. It's basically the Sopranos set in Italy. It's grittier and more violent but the writing is excellent. It's in Italian but there's english subtitles. It's on HBO Max or I'm sure you could find it other places as well.

Torrio was always my number one favorite character in the entire series ❤ I know ppl love Arnold , Capone , Nucky , Lucky , Chalky , Meyer , Van Alden , Jimmy , Richard & Gyp but.... I always loved Torrio the most maybe because hes Italian like me & he reminds me of my father If they actually kept the show running , we would have definitely got to see other legendary gangsters like Bugs Moran , Hiemie Weiss , Legs Diamond from the Irish Northside & Frank Nitty as Al Capones hitman & in New York we would have seen legendary gangsters like Bumpy Johnson in Harlem & also Dutch Shultz (the most famous German gangster boss in American history) that took on Lucky Luciano after he already started the commission plus we would have got to see Frank Costello that was the fourth friend in the Luciano organization next to Lansky & Bugsy Segal!!!! These are all real life gangster legends that definitely could have played as main antagonists for at least another three or four more seasons ❤

I think the show implied Capone put the hit on Torrio. At least I believe Capone did it!

I am commenting before I even watch the video. Seeing as I am working on an Al Capone video might as well see what the goat thinks but yes. When Nucky goes to Torrio and asks him for a parlay with marrazano, Torrio tells Nucky the hit was closer to home. Let’s look at the first hit Torrio was involved in, Charlie Sheridan’s crew. He went to the bathroom right before the shooting just like he dipped out before Al’s assasination attempt,but I can’t wait to hear what you think brotha.

Al did for sure, Torrio would have been in the way of him doing his own thing.

Another great & informative video. We appreciate you.🤌🏼

We know for a fact it was Al Capone because Chicago is a one boss town there is no two bosses here

I love this guy, but its kind of funny how every time i click a video he sums up what the show is as if I've never heard if it before.

Antonacci was bad choice for the role of Butch in Sopranos due to the poor casting not his acting skills. Butch and Al, as number 2 and 3 in the crime family look to me like it was SNL parody. But as Jonny Torrio, Antonacci was great and apsolutly convincing.

I assumed that my first time viewing tbh, i think this video persuaded me that it *wasn't* Al if anything.

I can see shades of Stringer and Avon in Johnny and Al’s relationship

Do video on Lucky lucanio

Coup de grace - cooh de grah

Oh wow, I don't think I've ever been this early.

You must remember what happened to Big Jim when he didn't want to go along with what Torrio wanted.

Al Capone did that fashoooo

Definitely Al set it up. Al was still mad after that cigarette prank he pulled on Torrio and Torrio talked down on him in front of everyone

on the Show or IRL? The show I thought did a pretty good job of leaving it historically accurate. With that said, at that time the Outfit was full of young up and comers, future bosses, not just Capone. it wasn't a Capone decision alone, them kids from the patch played a huge role in the decision to take out Torrio. McGurn, Nitty, Moe Moe, The Big Tuna. it was pretty much a youth take over.

Did you call him Eunuch? Lol. 9:52

You call that balls , blowing a warehouse, balls is when you look a man in the eyes while you jam an icepick through his lungs

Why would Torrio in the show not think the hit on him was for Obanion? Weird thing for him to say.

Poor Butch.

coop de grace?

I thought this was known it was definitely capone

Capone was getting even for tony soprano.

In real life, there is talk that Capone set up Torrio. But who knows?

There’s nothing to suggest Capone did it, other than common sense

I think it was a bit about 80% the north side and 20% Al Capone I think that would have happened in real life you got no friends in business.😮

NO...

No more butchy

4:17 its pronounced "coup de grâce" you fuckin stunad

I literally just got done watching season 4 I got to be honest I think this shows better than The sopranos I said it

Such a strange show. Its great in certain scenes and story lines and awful in others. Its like the writers were trying to please two very different groups at the same time, feminists and mob enthusiasts.

I will respectfully disagree with popular and reasonable opinion that Al did it - Al was quite experienced with hits on this moment and was quite ruthless in real life - hard to believe that he was unsuccesfull.

Why is it that The Sopranos was the only show that could make "business talk" interesting?

IMO Capone never sought to kill Torrio just hurt him to nudge him towards retirement.

Fun Fact: After moving to Italy MUCH MUCH earlier in the 1920s than the show portrays (I think 1922? or 1925?) Torrio moved back to New York because Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy and cracked down on current, and former, mob bosses there.