Boardwalk Empire: Spaghetti and Coffee

Got Yourself a Gun

It looks like prison was hard on Eli, but in a good way. He’s lost his baby fat and his dumbass-ness, too. He’s asking all of the right questions. (How IS  Mickey Doyle still alive?) He’s making better decisions. If I had found out Mickey Doyle was my new boss, I would've kept walking. Good for him. Having Nucky not completely bail him out may have helped him become more capable. 

I don’t know what it says about me that I find Bobby Cannavale more attractive in this role than in any other role.  I swear he’s Anton Chigurh’s grandfather. I can’t stop laughing when he’s in a scene. He’s so great!!! Gyp Rosetti should have his own web series . . . shorts of him at various restaurants ordering food. Or a food critic should use the face he made while eating that spaghetti when he’s not a fan of a meal.

   

Ugh. Margaret has to go through Owen to give messages to her husband? I guess being a lady isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I think Margaret would be an amazing social services case worker, but she would quickly burn out on people who refuse to take her suggestions. Maybe she’ll regain some of her old dignity taking full advantage of her position with the hospital.

Is Nucky really jealous that his mistress might have other lovers? Your good wife is dead. You’re not going to get your sweet life back by marrying an ambitious gold digger and committing adultery with a showgirl. Being a ruthless gangster isn't going to bring you in contact with “nice” girls, either. No matter how he feels about his wife, now, he still has his duties of a husband to fulfill, which include escorting her to important events.  Weirdly, I want the same thing as Nucky: for everyone to be honest about what they want. I just wish I could fall in love as easily as he does. Or be as manipulative.

I find philosophical bureaucrats endearing. Especially when played by my favorite homosexual vampire from True Blood. It’s a good thing, too, because I have no idea what the money exchange scene was about. I’m not the best with plot. I’m more of a character person.

I wonder if this is the type of guy Chalky would want for his daughter? A spineless professional? Or someone who would kill someone for her? Out of every character on this show, Chalky is the only one I’d love to hear talk about himself. I could listen all day! Uh, oh. A woman who wants to marry someone she actually finds interesting. Good luck with that. As the daughter of the greatest dad in the world, who is a very interesting person in his own right, I can understand it being difficult to settle down with someone you look at and think, “Well, maybe he’ll be an interesting man. Someday.” Of course, there’s interesting and then there’s too interesting. Maybe I’ll marry that nice accountant who really likes Claim Jumper’s.

The best part of the gas station scene is that if anyone came across a closed gas station in the middle of nowhere crowded with such nicely dressed men, they would feel safe. In those days, you would keep driving and risk breaking down and having to spend the night on the side of the road.  

This was the first time that I didn't wish anyone were dead. Note: No scenes with Gillian.

[If anyone could explain the current plots to me, I would really appreciate it. Nucky and that bureaucrat, Nucky and Rothstein, Mickey Doyle and Nucky. I will take that explanation in diagram form.]

Boardwalk Empire: Resolution

'Cause ain't no such things as halfway crooks - Mobb Deep

The theme of the promos for season 3 is “You can’t be half a gangster.” My first reaction was, “who thinks Nucky is anything but ALL gangster?” Then I thought about it some more and realized that he was just a SUPER unethical business man. Until he shot his everything-but-by-blood son.  That’s all I consider him to be now. Just a dirty gangster, married to a trampy shrew.   

I’m a little wary going into the season. Jimmy was the heart of the show for me. His wife was the only woman with depth, especially after Margaret became so brittle. Harrow is all that’s left for me. The only character left that I would hug.  And I’m not a fan of Bobby Cannavale except in Will & Grace and Thomas McCarthy movies. He’s good when he’s goofy and weird. Well, let’s get the show started . . .

Whoa. Goofy, weird, and unhinged is good, too. Welcome to the Boardwalk, Mr. Rosetti. His eyes are great at going from friendly to crazed and twitchy. He’s definitely the twitchiest man in all of the land. He’s also a breath of fresh air. All of these gangsters have forgotten who they are. How dirty they are and what they really do. Rosetti is keeping it real. Mostly really crazy, but still real.  

We meet Nucky in a dirty, abandoned tenement with two psychopaths and a feeb interrogating a liquor thief and ordering his death. There’s no question about what portion of a gangster he is. His outfit is pushing him into pimp territory, too.  The whole scene made me look forward to winter.

Nucky moves with ease from gangster grim reaper to political donor. However, Nucky is slipping if he can get zinged by a political nut tickler. Then he gets zinged by Manny who quickly works out a deal in his favor.

Margaret has really blossomed into a rich man’s wife, gracefully and powerfully walking into a room bustling with servants preparing the house for a party. I love the little insertions of history into the show. Something as small as a radio news bulletin about an aviatrix flying cross country seems to upend everything.  The novelty of a female pilot. The novelty of someone flying from coast to coast. It’s something that wouldn’t impress many now, but the show is able to convey how impressive it once was. The social reactions to it, especially by men, still irritates me. Yeah, shut the fuck up, Phillip. The lady of the house told you to polish the spoons, not flap your gums. The aviatrix situation does seem to be reawakening the steely, independent side of Margaret. I’d love to see that side of her again.

The Artemis Club is a pretty classy name for a whorehouse. “If it weren’t for married men, we’d be out of business.” – Gillian. If she didn’t have such a cruel streak, she would probably be the greatest Madam of all time. I do understand her crazy. Repeatedly raped as a child. A single mother in a time when that was one of the lowest things a woman could be. Her son murdered after he murdered his father and her rapist. Wanting to forget the past and move forward is probably the sanest inclination she’s ever had.

O’Bannion! Capone! In the same room! Love!!! I like when gangsters use words like “encroachment” and do the legal ear hustle. It sounds so playful and threatening at the same time. Unfortunately, it also causes them to forget who they are and, more importantly, who the guy across from them is.  An Irish gangster insults an Italian gangster’s child? O’Bannion is a dead man.  

Every time I think a show can’t make me recoil in sad disgust, I get blindsided. What the hell was wrong with that woman at the hospital? Oh, a miscarriage. Since when has Margaret every asked anyone what was expected of her or what she could do? She got spoiled fast. And I don’t understand her weirdness with the Nucky’s bodyguard. I still don’t understand why they slept together.

There’s no way that Agent Van Alden will last as a door to door salesman. The stress and indignity will make him lose whatever little control he has left. That little Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey moment does not assuage my fears, but his luck with stepping into O’Bannion’s flower market might just save him. I was hoping Van Alden would fully embrace the dark side and become a full on gangster, too. Oh, well. At least he didn’t kill his boss over the misunderstanding. Maybe the deep thoughts exercise works. Try it yourself: http://www.deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com/today.asp

Harrow feels so out of place in this episode. I feel like I’m watching flashbacks whenever he’s in a scene. All of the other characters have are so one note and unsympathetic. The moments with him and little Darmody break my heart.  I hope Harrow kills Gillian.* Even his killing the Butcher to avenge Angela’s death feels odd. She’s been so forgotten by everyone else, even her own son, that it took me a few moments to figure out why he shot Horvitz. I love the character, but he hasn’t moved on like the other characters and I’m worried the writers won’t figure out a seamless way to keep him in the show.

Now, THAT’s a New Year’s Eve party! Art Deco with an Egyptian theme . . . Swoon! Except for the gauche ending. Too obvious. Yes, it was a greedy time. I can glean that bit of social commentary from people being murdered over bottles of booze.  Until the end of the party, I hadn’t noticed the lack of scenes between Margaret and Nucky. Is the quickest way to kill romance marriage? It seems so. Margaret seems to be headed for change. I can’t tell if it will be a change on her own or if she’s going to try to make her marriage better, too. Maybe changing herself will get Nucky interested again. What originally attracted him to her was her independent spirit and strong will. And that her husband beat her and indirectly caused her baby to die. I’m hoping it was more about the spirit and the will. We’ll see . . .  

They should just call this show, “The Psychopath Variety Hour” and this should be the theme song:

*I think HBO holds the record for most television characters I wish were dead. 

Boardwalk Empire: To the Lost

How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again. 
It's always been the same, same old story. 
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen. 
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away. 

-Cat Stevens

Jimmy and Harrow fulfill one of Jimmy’s promises: They show up to a Klan meeting and get the 3 KKK members that shot up Chalky’s “boys.” Jimmy can’t deliver booze or plan an assassination, but he’s able to kill some clansmen and bring the guilty parties to Chalky’s doorstep. It makes sense when Jimmy asks Chalky to set up a meeting with Nucky. That boy will do anything for his father. Also, TO his father. See last episode.

Being screwed over, almost assassinated, and having killed two women has sent Horvitz to a weird, almost Apocalypse Now place.  He’s hiding in a basement of a synagogue. Mickey Doyle went back to Nucky. He keeps getting smarter. Horvitz wants to trade Waxy Gordon for Darmody. Nucky is making his comeback and he has a little bit of time to get his throne in order. Like Mikey said, “He ain’t in jail, yet.”

Emily has made progress. She’s walking with her braces and crutches. Margaret is at Rudolph’s office and has brought along her priest. That priest is no match for these two broads. Rudolph’s not pulling any punches and Margaret looks intense. She manages to rile up Rudolph. Margaret playing the Eva Braun card is not going to help her with Rudolph. “He hasn’t been cruel to me.” Is that like the Ginger from Casino version of “Nobody’s ever been so nice to me”? Rudolph tells Margaret that she can be a free woman. I think Margaret knows better than most that there’s no such thing as a free woman.

Eddie is cracking wise. Nucky does NOT appreciate it. Nucky’s lawyer keeps telling him what’s up. If Margaret testifies, it would be beyond independent corroboration. And then Chalky calls . . .

Nucky doesn’t hesitate to meet with Jimmy, but takes Owen just in case. He’s dismissed by Jimmy and Nucky. Good. I can’t STAND to look at that smug bastard’s face. Jimmy pours a little out for his wifey. Touching. Then Jimmy drops the bomb on Nucky about killing The Commodore. “He was your father. Nothing looms larger.” Nucky could’ve been talking about his own relationship with Jimmy. Jimmy plays the don’t-blame-me-I-had-a-hard-life card. Then he dumps it all on Eli. I really don’t see what Jimmy could do to make things okay between him and Nuck.  Of course, I’m no wartime consigliere.

Whether he’s being honest or manipulative (probably both), who knows, but Nucky lays it on the line with Margaret and proposes. He’s contrite, humble, and vulnerable. But, unlike Margaret, I don’t find it or him surprising. He’s the smartest character on television since Jeb Bartlett. Margaret needs to sleep on it, I guess, and wakes up to a lovely, but maggot riddled, home life scene: Nucky playing in the yard with her kids. Everyone loves a wedding, but I don’t think it bodes well that Owen and his former lover/Margaret’s maid are the witnesses. Kind of a weird homage to the baptism/murder scene from the Godfather, though. And, right after they’re married, Nucky lies to Margaret.  Ahhhhhhhhh, married life.

The Commodore’s official cause of death: car wreck. His will had bequeathed his property to the maid that tried to kill him. Legal hawk Jimmy tears up the will. Um, okay. I think Gillian will be lucky if she’s relegated to a mere hostess and maid. Jimmy asks his associates to turn against Eli and blame everything on him. They aren’t as keen on the idea.

But it magically happens.

I feel horrible for Randolph. She had such a great case for which she had worked so, so hard. One of the few times I haven’t liked Nucky. Poor Hallorahn is the only one that gets punished for anything. I guess he wasn’t that smart after all.

I miss Angela. My heart breaks for that little boy who has to grow up with that family. Angela wasn’t a saint, but damn.

Eli is working hard on becoming an alcoholic while sweating it out on his porch. Eli is a really good liar, but is Nucky convinced? Eli is going to have to eat it. Two year sentence, probably with time served or time off for good behavior, but Eli, a former sheriff, is going to jail.

Luciano and Rothstein are going into the heroin business together. Nucky calls and advises that Horvitz might no longer be with us. Luciano doesn’t care, so Rothstein doesn’t care. Nucky’s going to have to make a decision.

Van Alden, his Swedish nanny, and the baby are in the Midwest. What does this guy think he’s going to do?

Jimmy looks like the help in that big house. Harrow looks more like he belongs. Jimmy gets a call summoning him to Nucky. Harrow offers to go with him, but Jimmy brushes him off. He keeps getting sidelined. Lame. And a big mistake. I guess Eli did convince Nucky or blood is thicker than water. Jimmy gets set up by Nucky and the heavens weep. Jimmy was ready to die, but I can’t believe he would leave his son to Gillian.  I blame The Commodore for all of this. At least Jimmy killed him before he was offed himself.

I wish I were a better writer so I could describe how cold and intense and cruel Nucky was in that scene. I know and have always known he's a bad man, but I was horrified. 

But Nucky gets a big F-U courtesy of Margaret and the Church gets their future legal defense fund. Evil begets evil begets evil.

Boardwalk Empire: Under God’s Power, She Flourishes

“You’re tearing me apart!” – Rebel Without a Cause

Flashback to when Angela and Jimmy were first dating. Ah, the lust of youth. She was a waitress and slightly homely. Seeing Jimmy as a Princeton student is not as strange as I thought it would be. His professor seemed like a nice role model, with the usual result for Jimmy. A lot of references to one being hungry and not being able to feed oneself.  Sounds like Jimmy. Unfortunately, nothing seems to work out for him. I like the imagery of the young soldiers bounding up after Jimmy . . . the war is nipping at his heels.

Gillian came back into Jimmy’s life when he was doing well at Princeton. I like that Jimmy grimaced when he had his drink, but Gillian didn’t.  Gillian does get close to Jimmy’s professor and then the professor gets too close to Gillian.  Fighting someone you feel compelled to still call Mr. So and So is not going to help you. Jimmy had a chance to walk, but he didn’t take it. And Gillian was disgustingly pleased. She really enjoys keeping him emotionally hostage. So far, it seems like every time she comes to town, it ruins Jimmy’s life. And, ugh. A drunken mother and son undressing one another in a darkened room. So, so, so creepy. I couldn’t even watch it. The inappropriateness could be a product of her being raped at the age of 13 by a 40 year old.

OH, MY EYES!!! MY EYES!!! WTF???!!! I’m surprised that Jimmy didn’t run into machine gun fire on purpose during the war. Or gas himself. Jay-sus! “I had my pleasures. That’s all that matters.” Man, that quote from Gillian now has an added layer of sociopathic meaning. Cut later to current day Jimmy getting high on his own supply after hearing about Angela. I think heroin’s his only option at this point. A biological father that’s a rapist. A surrogate father that you betrayed. A mother that likes to fuck you. Get all of the heroin you can, sweetie. Crying is good, too. Cry until the jmen in the white coats come take you away. I, for one, will not judge you.

Nucky is going over his case with his new lawyer. Nucky’s manservant just happened to be a witness to the drowning of the Jewish prohibition agent killed by Van Alden. Thank goodness Nucky’s lawyer allowed the man to speak.  Nucky’s getting a little too tense. It’s making him shortsighted. He’s forgetting that people and the information they have is the best capital. He used to be such a good listener!

Alden’s story about his parentage sheds some light on his personality. His father was one of those religious folks who followed a preacher who predicted the rapture would occur in the late nineteenth century. He sold the farm, plummeted the family into poverty, and was brokenhearted when the Jesus didn’t come on down. This somehow led to him not enjoying his son’s presence. I don’t get it, but it explains Van Alden a little better, although wouldn’t that make him less religious. And what happened his self-flagellation? It added a nice layer of terror to his creepiness.

Emily gets her leg braces. Not as fun as when Forrest Gump received his. She couldn’t even stand in the braces. Is it just me, or does the priest look like a much less attractive Ted Kennedy.  The priest tells Margaret a parable and then makes some sort of request. Any request a priest makes that’s slightly vague gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I like Nucky’s reaction to the priest’s parable. Really, why didn’t they just choke up on the spoons? We now know that Nucky is an agnostic/fatalist. Why does Margaret seem surprised? I hope that Margaret takes Nucky’s threat seriously when she suggests she’s going to answer the subpoena and testify against Nucky. For a second I thought she was going to mention her two pumps from Owen.  Thank goodness she has a sliver of her old intelligence left. Phew! However, if at any other time of the show the ADA were to go toe to toe with Margaret, I would’ve given the odds to Margaret, but right now . . . I’m worried for Nucky.

Gillian is back in true form after being relegated to non-existent after the Commodore made his recovery. She gives the hapless deputy a quick and neat story to tie up Angela’s murder. She should’ve just said that Harrow is a war buddy instead of a simpleton. Harrow’s a bit sensitive right now. I worry about him, but he came through for Jimmy at the end. I hope Jimmy doesn’t do to Harrow what he thinks Nucky did to him.

Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, and the crew finally figure out that they need to let Jimmy deal with his own problems and hang him out to dry. They then push Doyle a bit too far. Much like Hallorahn, he’s the type that, if pushed too hard, will take action. He’s a criminal Hallorahn. And he does. Doyle meets with Van Alden and proposes a plan for a fake raid by the feds. Van Alden gets half of the liquor money and Doyle gets the other half. Van Alden turns him down.

Eli is between a rock and a hard place and that ADA is doing a good job of putting the screws to the Thompson brothers.  Enough so that Eli decides to testify against Nucky. Nucky tries to talk to Margarget about his finances in case he goes to jail and in preparation of his trial. Margaret pretty much gets what she always wanted: security. Except now she makes it seem like a terrible burden.

Owen is being his usual creeper self. “Do you think about me?” Their love scene was so lacking in warmth, pleasure or anything of a sexual nature. I still don’t know why it happened? Margaret felt like a worthless whore for a moment and wanted to feel it the whole way? I’m sure Margaret’s thoughts lean toward regret, disgust, and disappointment, if she thinks of him and their encounter at all.  Sucks that Owen’s lover, Margaret’s maid, overheard.   

Ms. Randolph goes after Van Alden for the drowning of the prohibition agent with the help of Nucky’s lawyer. Van Alden decides to shoot a federal agent and flee. I think Nucky’s sucked the intelligence out of everyone else in this show.

Gillian downplays Angela’s death and Jimmy starts choking her. Totally understandable. The Commodore then goes after Jimmy. Despite his recent stroke, he’s got the old man strength going for him. Jimmy finally succeeds in killing someone. What a fucking Greek tragedy this is. And how good are Gillian’s wiles that every man in her life would kill for her? Jimmy should’ve killed her and then himself, too.  And, look, the heir to the Greek throne, little Tommy.  I wonder if Gillian gave Jimmy that same speech after she had sex with him. Blech.

This was such an intense episode. They could’ve ended the season with it. The season finale better bring it.  

Favorite quote: “The beginning’s over. The end hasn’t come yet.” - Nucky

This show really makes me feel like I live in a Norman Rockwell painting.  

BOARDWALK EMPIRE: Georgia Peaches

"Momma, I'm in love with a gangsta' and I know he's a killer, but I love that . . . Jew?"

What Nucky wants, Nucky gets and, now, the Atlantic City merchants of pleasure have their whiskey. I like Purnsley as a sort of second-in-command to Chalky.  Owen has gone from smarmy to creepy.

As much of a ridiculous spectacle that True Blood is, at least that show has some strong female characters, unlike Boardwalk Empire or The Walking Dead. At this juncture, Mrs. Van Alden is the only broad with any balls in either show. DIVORCE! I like Van Alden being slightly diminished. He’s like Nixon. Too much power and too much black and white thinking was his undoing. Once he was undone, people liked him more and could appreciate his strengths.

Margaret worked and schemed so hard for her gilded cage, but there isn’t anything she or Nucky’s money can do for Emily. What a burn.  She does get a new doll, though.  A doll that would give Freddy Krueger nightmares. Yeesh. Margaret shouldn’t have been so stricken with shame after slapping Teddy when he faked having polio symptoms. That was obscenely cruel. I think this kid is beyond even Nucky’s guidance.

After the umpteenth “I’ll take care of it,” Jimmy is finally in the presence of whiskey.  Unfortunately, Jimmy is confronted with the strike situation. Time to start the “I’ll take care of it” for this situation. You can’t take care of something without a plan.  Great lesson in becoming the head of organized crime: cultivate loyalties during your ascension and secure your position with a mix of that and slight violence against those above you.  Jimmy wants to skip every step and go straight to being a superstar. Reminds me of a lot of boxers these days.

Nucky’s new (rekindled?) badass attitude is growing and it’s such a joy to watch, though I don’t like it directed at Kessler. I really enjoy the historical references in this show. Great reference to the Sacco-Vanzetti case and the greatest baseball player of all time: Ty Cobb.* Nucky fires his attorney and goes to New York to hire Rothstein’s. Nucky doesn’t have any money for bribes (really?) and he asks Rothstein if he can rely on the attorney’s trial skills. Rothstein responds, “No one likes a long shot more than a gambler.” Nucky’s not a gambler.

Jimmy has a meeting to determine how to deal with the strikers. He doesn’t come up with anything then disparages everyone else’s ideas.  It’s decided that beating the strikers is the way to go. The beating of was intense.

Eli choses this time to send a message to Halloran and it’s ugly. However, beating up a stupid person for doing something stupid is stupid. At least Eli is consistently violent in a stupid way. Stupid people are not prone to learning or understanding consequences. They do make excellent tattle tales, though. Eli is the Shane of Boardwalk Empire. All brute force and developing sociopath.  

Eli eventually gets dragged to prison for contempt, I’m guessing. The ADA’s suggestion is what Eli should’ve done in the first place. If you’re going to greenlight the killing of your brother, you can testify against him in court. Geez.

Jimmy and Chalky having a tête-à-tête. Jimmy, the character, and Michael Pitt, the actor, are outgunned. Since when does Jimmy know the governor? Where is he going to get the money? “That’s not gonna happen, Chalky.” Chalky’s amused smile is a good indication of when might have been the last time someone said that to him. Oh, man, Jimmy. If Eli is the brains of your operation, you are in big, big trouble. Lucky Luciano and Al Capone losing their tempers and starting to see through Jiimmy isn’t good at all. Not for Jimmy, at least. I think the audience would appreciate it if Jimmy suffered the consequences of his (lack of) actions. I’m guessing it’ll be at the hands of Manny Horovitz. [I am not happy that I was right about that.]

Steve Buscemi is so great at making a scene with anyone seem legit. Child actors are more character than method, but he has enough gravitas for a scene with a room full of children.

Donation = Devotion? I guess if you’re a gold digger . . . When someone is so vulnerable, religion can help, but it can also be dangerous. Margaret decides that her penance should be handing over jewelry to the Church. (I don’t understand how nobody says anything about Margaret and Nucky not being married. Yes, it’s the roaring twenties, but still.)

Michael Pitt looks pretty good in his undershirt. Jimmy and Angela have a bittersweet exchange. I like the softness between them that’s developed. “I’m going to make it up to you.” The personal version of “I’ll take care of it.” Poor Angela. But Jimmy gets to tell the truth for the first time this season: “I’m not sure of anything.” But, seriously, poor Angela.  Aaaaaaaaand, that’s how you kill somebody.

*Also, by most accounts, a terrible human being. 

BOARDWALK EMPIRE - Last Week's Episode

Battle of the Century: Sunday, Bloody Sunday!

Welcome to Belfast!

Nucky has arrived in Ireland under the guise of burying his father in the motherland. God save his majesty (George V)? God save those who have crossed Enoch Thompson.

Poor Emily can’t move her legs. It’s polio. Though tragic, maybe this ailment will bring back Margaret’s fighting side and lessen her shrill side. That giant needle made me a bit woosy, I must admit.  It doesn’t help that I’ve heard spinal taps are more painful than childbirth.  One of the maids bailed.  Maybe if Margaret hadn’t become so stingy with the wages, that wouldn’t have happened. Nucky is the one better at cultivating loyalty, it seems.

George Remus makes an appearance. (Side note: Don’t trust anyone who talks about themselves in the third person.) Yet another plan (#726?) by Jimmy “I’ll take care of it” Darmody. One that requires more money than he has.  The plan mostly consists of “Let’s do this right.” Al Capone’s response of “So, we don’t do things wrong” does not bode well for the plan. Why are Al Capone and Lucky Luciano still following Jimmy and his “I’ll take care of it” broken record?

Dempsey. Beckett. Carpentier. Yummy! Boxing talk can really get a girl going. I like that once upon a time, calling someone a bum was considered “casting dispersions.” Nucky opens up his father’s coffin and it’s full of Tommy guns. Hell, yes, bright Jesus! Look at all of those guns. That’s way more gangster than a violin case.  Nucky is going to trade lots and lots of guns for lots and lots of whiskey.

There is a kink in the plans. The Brits have offered the Irish freedom fighters a free state, so the guns might not be needed. (Take the deal!!!) Oh, well. Nucky can’t even get whiskey from a place where it’s legal. “Every battle ends.” True, but you never know how long it’ll take. When they shot McGarrigle, it broke my heart. It reminded me of when Rabin was killed. If you want to live to a ripe old age, don’t be a peacemaker.

Cut to Nucky’s father’s actual funeral being staked out by one of the ADA’s deputies.

Purnsley is out of jail and back at work in a hotel kitchen where he has to “work 12 hours a day. Six days a week.” “I’ve been in jails that don’t work you this hard. Feed you better, too.”  No raises, either, apparently. Tensions are increasing. What’s a black man in that era in Atlantic City to do? Why, go see Chalky White, of course.

Great back and forth between Chalky and Purnsley.  Chalky gives the go ahead to strike. People have more power than they think and those kitchen workers exerted theirs with quiet, building intensity. Guess what, boss man? Strike! Strike! Strike!

Esther Randolph, the ADA, is in bed with one of her deputies. Damn it! Why? Why? Why? Why does she have to be bedding one of her subordinates? At least it wasn’t like I called it: her sleeping with someone she was investigating.  At least the writers allowed them to discuss business in a serious manner. That “good girl” at the end undid most of it, though. 

That poor, deputy bastard. Halloran had no chance between the ADA and her lover. At least he kept his temper longer than Eli, but not before backtracking and changing his story about Mr. Schroeder. This never would’ve happened if Nucky were still (obviously) in charge.

The thing about Nucky is, if you beat him with fists, he comes back with a bat. You beat him with a knife, he comes back with a gun. And if you beat him with a gun, you better kill him, because he'll keep comin' back and back until one of you is dead.  Actually, that’s not Nucky at all. If you come at Nucky with anything, he’ll side step and plant his very smart foot in your very dumb ass and add to your dumbass forward momentum. Nucky will figure out a way to get what he wants. For such a controlled man to show so much displeasure is not good for those that have crossed him.

I don’t like Harrow veering into pathetic, paranoid territory. He should be paranoid, but for business, not personal reasons. It’s a little early in the game to be selling out comrades, but, once again, Jimmy is not the thinking man his fathers are. There’s no way it’s going to be wrapped up so neatly, with someone else bumping off the guy holding Jimmy’s chit. And it wasn’t. Jimmy should never be a part of an assassination plot, attempt, or even suggestion. It’s like inviting a Kardashian to your wedding. Bad juju.  Manny Horvitz lives and it’s going to be bad news for Jimmy.

“Everyone knows who the new king is.” How? I guess if you ever need information, you have to go to the street . . . walker. They’re up on the latest. Jimmy still hasn’t done anything, though, except for make some bad deals and botched assassination attempts.

Definitely an episode where people get pushed to their limits. Margaret because of Emily. She became determined, but still managed to be vulnerable. Nucky because of not getting what he wants, but still keeping his cool. And eventually getting it anyways, but in a sad way.  And he didn’t miss a beat with his Irish bodyguard’s questionable loyalty.

Okay, so people once paid to sit in a theater and listen to a fight. Doctors and nun nurses were gathered around a radio, too. Query: if there were a bar dedicated to boxing, how far would you go to watch fights there? 

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

Two Boats and a Lifeguard:  Oh Captain, My Captain

Last week’s episode finally brought some much needed forward momentum to the story. This week’s kept us moving along quite well.  (7 episodes to come up with a plan? I don’t think you know how to play this game, Jimmy, but we’ll see . . .) Every once in a while, this show parallels The Sopranos a bit too much. The foreign bodyguard who has a complicated relationship with the boss’ wife.  Junior. (Playing his own ancestor?) And, now, the weird dream/hallucination sequence and the boss and the foreign bodyguard going abroad.  

We start at Eli’s house on a nice morning.  What I assume to be a U.S. Marshall arrives at the house to serve Eli with a subpoena.  Eli does what a protected, spoiled brat not used to being living within the bounds of the law would do. Shoves the Marshall out of his house. I think after killing the mayor, you might want to rein it in a bit. If Eli were smarter, he’d welcome testifying against his brother and figure out a way to do it without incriminating himself too much.  I don’t think Nucky would have much leverage as anything he said would seriously incriminate himself. However, Eli is too shortsighted and, given what else happens in the episode, not that bright.  And then Eli’s and Nucky’s dad dies at the breakfast table. The father-son issues in this series makes me wonder about the writers’ childhoods.

Jimmy’s been trying to get Al on the phone since the botched assassination attempt. When you’re business partners aren’t calling you back right away about an emergency, that’s a red flag, although fraternizing after such an event might look bad since one side is trying to hide the dealings from their boss. 

Jimmy complains about the hit man Al sent and Al advises Jimmy it’s something JIMMY should’ve taken care of a while back. Al’s right on about that, but Jimmy hasn’t been too adept at making plans or decisions. Talk about a tragic, indecisive Hamlet figure. And Jimmy has two fathers. No wonder the poor bastard was paralyzed and couldn’t get it together. That assassination attempt was definitely amateur hour, though, and definitely shows the conspirators might be lacking a bit in experience.

The new ADA is in Nucky’s office wanting to have an informal discussion. Informal discussion? Um, Nucky’s lawyer needs to sack up and remember some of the things he learned in law school. This is not a woman that has informal discussions. Nucky’s back on the ball, though. Maybe getting shot reminded him of what he does for a living and what it requires: a little more aggression and a little less accommodation.

I swear, if the new ADA ends up in bed with someone on the wrong side, I’m going to be pissed. The women in this show are portrayed nasty enough as it is, even for a period piece taking place during a time when women were legally second class citizens.

Speaking of women, Angela meets a lovely, rebellious woman from San Francisco. A woman from San Francisco, you say? Didn’t Jimmy’s wife learn from her last artsy, Sapphic adventure and haven’t we exhausted this storyline? Please give her something new to do. Maybe fight with Jimmy some more to make a place for herself.  And did anyone else catch the “dear”? Oh, hehhhhhhhlllll to the no. Though Angela could use some toughening up, she might pick a better role model than Jimmy’s sociopathic mother.

After a few episodes of them not really connecting, Nucky and Margaret sit and have a conversation about what’s been going on. I really like Nucky’s and Margaret’s relationship when she’s not being passive-aggressive and scheming, at least just for herself. It’s rare to see a marriage/relationship between two equals on television.  They’re a less honest version of Tami and Eric from “Friday Night Lights.”

Then comes Jimmy and Angela having their first real conversation. Jimmy could have such a beter relationship with Angela if he would let her into his life more and acknowledge the fact that she’s her own person and it would be to his benefit.  It might seem like I’m injecting a ridiculous, modern, feminist perspective here, but, “In the American colonies, wealthy merchants entrusted business matters to their landlocked wives while off at sea, just as sailors, vulnerable to the unpredictability of seasonal employment, relied on their wives’ steady income as domestics in elite households.”  Jimmy could strengthen his position in his crime organization if he trusted Angela more and went to her for advice every once in a while. She can’t be any worse than his mother. Once he makes it, Angela can be relegated to being a lady of the house. (Seriously, though, what did she think he was doing? Butchering hogs at a midnight slaughterhouse?)

Rothstein, Luciano and the boys are having a little meeting.  An informal discussion, if you will. Where Luciano, whose brains have apparently been consumed by his multiple bouts with VD, shows his hand. Rothstein is the smartest character and he doesn’t miss a thing.  Rothstein advises Nucky of what’s going on and tells him that since he can’t do anything, then he shouldn’t do anything. It seems like bad advice for their occupation and advice that Rothstein wouldn’t take himself. Thankfully, Nucky didn’t take it, either.

Nucky shows up early at his dad’s wake, hoping to avoid Eli, but Eli’s there, too. That scene at the funeral home was brilliant. I’m not a good enough writer to be able to describe it with any justice. I can write that I feel so bad for Eli. “I turned out all right and didn’t you?” Oh, Eli. If it weren’t for him warning Jimmy at the end, I would’ve thought he had mashed potato for brains and that Nucky had actually been covering up his mental disabilities.

So, Nucky shows up at the Commodore’s house while the Commodore, Gillian, and Junior receive him quite well. Nucky then declares the Commodore can have Atlantic City back and that he would retire. If the commodore and Jimmy can’t feel the smoke being blown up their asses, they’re dumber than Eli. The Commodore schooled Nucky and Nucky schooled Jimmy. They know more about each other than they do about themselves, but Jimmy just accepts like it’s Christmas gift. I’m sure in his mind he thought, “Awww, thanks, dad!”  

Jimmy then tells his camp that “[t]alk is cheap” and it’s all going to be action from here out. Talk is all he’s done this whole season, regarding taking over the Atlantic City bootlegging business. If Nucky hadn’t fake abdicated, he’d still just be talking. Or the butcher would’ve been using his head as a puppet in his shop.  That loss of control at the end . . . Jimmy’s more Santino than he is Michael, which definitely makes Eli Fredo. However, Eli came through and warned Jimmy that Nucky’s up to something. Probably because Eli killed Mayor Bader and Nucky said he’d just advised Bader of the changing of the guard. Still, I’m surprised Eli caught that much considering his display of dumbassery in this episode. I think Nucky’s going to show us how it came to be that some skinny guy who looks like a young Mr. Furley came to rule Atlantic City. I’m so excited!

It was great to see a softer side of Van Alden. He started out so black and white and he’s softened enough to take a free meal at a food stand in front of one of his deputies. He even espouses that there are different types of morality. Maybe murdering a Jew in the first season for not accepting Christ, committing adultery, and having a child out of wedlock made him realize that even the most righteous people are fallible, just a bit, and should be given some slack.  

Now, if they kill off Emily, that’ll be some old-school, puritanical, Hayes code tripe.  Children bear the sins of their father, not their mother.

MORE CHALKY! MORE HARROW!

On a side note: I want that red bathing suit.

I’m very much looking forward to the trip to Ireland.