Why do I watch Boardwalk Empire?  It's dark, heartless, populated by despicable characters and suffers the same flaw that The Sopranos did: the need to top themselves in disgusting and often over-the-top violence. But, unfortunately, it's also very well done and while not as compelling as in earlier seasons, it's still can't-turn-away fascinating. Of course I constantly remind myself that it is probably written by a bunch of ivy league suburban creative softies who love playing at being tough guys and use these violent plots to work out some angers they had against past foes or ex wives. This week was a particularly sick episode in that for revenge two students (one Nucky's nephew) added a chemical combo of linoleic acid and magnesium hydroxide to a rival student's whiskey which not only made him violently diarrhetic, but—surprise—killed him. Who dreams up this kind of scatalogical ugliness? Boardwalk Empire is well-written, well-acted, well-directed, and beautifully filmed. But it's still an offensive and sadistic guilty pleasure. It's yet another example of America's absolute and seemingly growing obsession with crime and violence. And there I am every Sunday.