As Nucky spoke with his new attorney, Fallon, I wondered why he had such faith in Rothstein’s attorney. After all, he really played no part in helping Rothstein beat the World Series fixing charges. It was Nucky’s connections and a bribe that saved Rothstein. It was not until the attorney had the good sense to ask Harlan what he was slowly struggling to reveal about Agent Van Alden’s murder of Agent Sebso that I was convinced that this guy was definitely worth the $80.00 an hour he charged. I suppose sometimes people must pay a steep price to be urged to do simple, common-sense things such as listening and having a bit of patience. These are certainly not Nucky’s strengths. The episode in which Van Alden drowned Sebso is one of the few episodes of Boardwalk Empire that I simply cannot rewatch because the incident was so disturbing. I always wondered if Sebso’s murder would ever be revisited, considering it was done in such a public place. When that incident was revisited in the “previously on…” part of tonight’s episode I sat on my sofa with excitement and thought, holy shitballs its back and its back in a MAJOR way! I’ve grown extremely frustrated with how long Nucky’s legal troubles have gone on this season. It’s a pretty safe bet that he is not going to spend next season behind bars getting visits from Margaret. This is not a Season 4 of The Wire, Wee Bay-type of situation. That aside, the linking of Sebso’s murder to Nucky’s legal trouble was a great payoff for viewer’s patience.
As much as I enjoy Van Alden, it really would not be the worst thing if this character just exits stage left as a fugitive. I would absolutely welcome his return if he were to go ahead and kill Lucy Danzinger now that he’s already on the hook for one murder. Along with Jimmy, we got some really interesting character development with Van Alden tonight. We learned that in anticipation of the return of Jesus, Van Alden’s father sold their farm and moved the family to a tent. That story explains a lot about the Van Alden we’ve gotten to know in two seasons of Boardwalk Empire. (Note to Nucky: This may be what becomes of your money if you give it all to Margaret.)
The murder of Angela is another one of those moments that will make “Georgia Peaches” difficult to watch again. In the days leading up to this episode I was more worried about Richard Harrow’s reaction than Jimmy’s. Richard is obviously very lonely and finds it difficult to be close to people. Angela allowed him to share a rare moment of intimacy and kinship, in light of the strains in his relationship with Jimmy this season.
The story of Oedipus Rex starring Jimmy The flashbacks to Jimmy’s time at Princeton were great. However, I worry that Jimmy may be getting what I refer to in my recaps of The Biggest Loser as “the exit edit.” If Jimmy will be soon joining his dearly departed wife, I’m glad that the Boardwalk Empire writers gave us more character development before we say goodbye. Although I always believed that there was love between Jimmy and Angela, it was nice to get a look at the couple before they were weighed down by their respective personal conflicts. The flashbacks were also a great testament to Michael Pitt’s acting skills. There was such a huge contrast between the Jimmy we’ve observed since season 1, episode 1 and the Jimmy we saw tonight, who was youthful, light and not tortured by the war or burdened by the challenges of leadership for which he was not prepared. It was quite saddening to see the toll life had taken on him in such a short period of time. The flashbacks made it that much harder to see Jimmy in his current state as a broken man. Again, Michael Pitt is a brilliant actor. If this is Jimmy’s swan song, I’m glad that he at least had an opportunity to express his disdain for his mother and to dish out a little comeuppance to dear ol’ daddy Commodore.
Gillian and Jimmy. *sigh* It was not a huge shocker that Gillian and Jimmy had sex with each other but it certainly did not make that scene any easier to watch. It made me physically ill. There have been not so subtle hints this season that Gillian has never viewed Jimmy as a son, beginning with her admission that she kissed his penis as a baby. Although I am absolutely repulsed by her behavior, I try to keep in mind that she is too is a victim of sexual abuse.
Like Nucky, I’ve grown both exhausted and exasperated by Margaret and her new found need for martyrdom. I spent much of my review last week expressing my frustration with the direction her character has taken so I won’t waste more space on the issue here. She hasn’t completely lost it because she had the wherewithal not to include her tryst her with Owen during her confession to Nucky. Of course Katie overheard the conversation between Margaret and Owen, placing them both in an untenable position. If I’ve learned nothing else from Boardwalk Empire, I’ve learned there is only one way to silence someone and it has nothing to do with a bribe!
Watching Doyle try to make a deal with Van Alden felt like a waste of time. Doyle is working with Capone, Lansky and Luciano – if Boardwalk Empire is only loosely deviating from history then we know that whatever plans he had in mind would not prove successful. Mickey is somehow smart enough to know when his colleagues are *this close* to offing him but somehow not smart enough to refrain from giving them a reason to do so. In his attempt to clarify who killed Angela, Mickey did not understand how his knowledge of what happened was clear evidence that he had turned on his so-called partner. Mickey has been like a cat with nine lives with his ability to stay alive despite his stupidity and penchant for dealing with shady people. As Rothstein observed regarding Nucky’s situation a few weeks ago, I don’t think Mickey has any moves left.
Favorite quote of the night: “As cookies go, Ms. Esther Randolph is strictly vinegar.” – Fallon
The writing and acting in tonight’s episode of Boardwalk Empire embodied everything I love about this show. I think the end is near for Jimmy. We hear about the Capones, the Lanskys and the Lucianos but for everyone one of them, there is a countless list of nameless people who tried their turn at being a gangster and paid the ultimate price for it. Perhaps this is Jimmy’s story. Personally, I’d much rather see Margaret, Manny, Gillian and Doyle depart the Boardwalk Empire world next week instead of more beloved characters such as Jimmy or Chalky. What did you think of “Under God’s Power She Flourishes?” With so many people claiming that Atlantic City is “my city” who do you think really owns the right to make this claim?
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