Tuesday, November 13, 2012

After the Smoke is Done

As the dust from Rosetti's bomb settled and the clean up ensued on Boardwalk Empire this week, I could not help but think of all those people in present day Atlantic City and elsewhere who have been trying to put their lives back together as well.
Places like Babette's can be rebuilt, but the loss of a loved one can leave scars that no amount of time can heal. "The Milkmaid's Lot" featured a traumatized Nucky, who was affected both physically and mentally by the attempt on his life.
It was hard to know if it was appropriate to laugh or not at some of Nucky's miscues that resulted from his loss of mental acuity.
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You must forgive me a cruel chuckle or two during the scenes where Nucky called Eli, Eddie or when he mistook Chalky for the shoeshine guy.
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Other scenes were more disturbing, however, like those where Nucky kept referring to Margaret like she was Billie or Mabel.
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While Nucky was not at his best, Margaret showed her strength as she told her man to pull himself together and deal with his business. Poor woman, it was hard enough dealing with Nucky and his ever-changing disposition, on top of having being cooped up in the hotel with Gyp Rosetti's dog and her two children... who have apparently grown quite accustomed to the charmed life.

Teddy's response to his mother when she told him to make his bed a second time was one of the funnier Boardwalk Empire quotes of the week. Here's some food for thought though...
Did Gyp ever tell Margaret that the dogs name was Regina? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but last night Teddy called “Scruffy” Regina. I think Gyp has quite possibly paid a visit to Nucky's house on several occasions. He is the "vagrant" or gypsie that Teddy has been so scared of. Rosetti probably did set the fire in the greenhouse and has spoken with Teddy on at least one occasion outside their phone call last night. Creeeeepy.
Last week Van Alden's wife talked him out of running away. This week it was Margaret who felt threatened, and Owen was offering to help pack her bags. The exchanges between these two secret lovers were some of their best moments to date. Owen touched on the idea that there is no half way when it comes to a life of crime, but despite being all in at the moment, he does have plans to walk away. His resolve seemed much stronger than Margaret's who looked like she was struggling with her decision to stay or go.
There was one person who had his mind all made. Well you know his name is Tommy, and he likes to do draw-rings.
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Both pictures we saw him draw this week had modes of transportation on them. The first a train and the second one which he was carrying to Josephine when he walked in on her "working," featured a boat. Although after seeing his lady friend getting the "business" he might feel an unfamiliar urge to change that drawing to a "motorboat."
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He told Richard he wants to go home, which I took to mean anywhere that his crazy Mi Ma Gillian is not. I also could not help but think of Almost Famous during this scene.
Did you notice how Richard was the only one who instantly knew the animal Tommy had drawn was a rhino waiting for the train? Richard's connection with his lost friend's son is much stronger than Gillian's. After seeing the way Richard and Julia got along, I am more resolute in my belief that Richard will get some justice for Tommy's fallen father and then will become the boy's full time guardian.
Richard has so much to offer Tommy, including dance lessons.
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You just have to love how simple a soul Richard has while still being very funny and charming in his own right. He is a darker version of Forrest Gump in a way. Okay, maybe much darker.
No soul on the show, though, is more devoid of light than that of Gyp Rosetti. The man actually had the gall to call Nucky and gloat over the death/murder of Billie Kent. His personality is like a slot machine. Once in awhile it comes up cherries, but on most pulls what you get is a mixed bag of psychosis. His town hall meeting was positively hilarious, however, highlighted by his comment about librarians...
And his subsequent cancellation of Bible Camp.

His idea of being neighborly sure is out of whack but man I couldn't help but laugh. 
While Masseria tried to convey to him how long it takes to grow a business and make it in this life, all Gyp heard was his boss say he might make a good general someday. So what does the ever impulsive Rosetti do? He takes the hat off the statue of the Civil War Brigadier General and shows up looking like Napoleon in a three piece suit.
His men aren't loyal they are scared. Gyp has made it clear what happens to those who cross him, but will they stand up with him when things get really heated? I think the word is going to start to get out about this whackadoo and his proclivities.

Masseria made it clear that Rosetti's problems are his own, so while Nucky was no doubt left wondering how he will ever muster enough muscle to beat the crazy Italian, the field of battle may be more level than he at first imagined now that Gyp no longer has use of Masseria's "army."
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I wasn't surprised to see Rothstein walk away from Nucky and Atlantic City. After all, he makes his living in New York City, where things "actually matter." When Rothstein, Lansky and the other bosses walked out and Nucky was yelling "I won't forget this Arnold...Arnold!" I could not help but think of the scene where the Delta House marched out of the school hearing and Dean Wormer was freaking out. Nucky was looking for some love and got as harshly denied as I have seen.
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Hopefully this will open the door for the likes of Chalky White to comes back into the mix and help Nucky defend what he has built. At the very least it seems his Washington worries are now resolved after Remus got chased down in his own home.
We certainly have not seen the last of the Manhattan boys or the Chi-town twosome of Torrio and Capone. For now, though, it seems the stage is set for a one on one grudge match by the sea. That's it from me...
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What did you think?


5 comments:

  1. Complicated episode to be sure, as Margaret might put it. I keep thinking she and her lover are doomed to be discovered and pay bigtime! Nucky is on his own and he will survive in some fashion. But he has not the manpower to create the kind of upheaval he envisions. Will be interesting. Gyp appropriated the hat, but it looks like a revolutionary war era topper than civil war. He is destined to implode one way or another.

    The demented ramblings of Nucky were very funny! Then he mananges to pull himself together at Margaret's urging. She is very torn, loving the lifestyle and access to power that Nucky affords. Will see if she can turn her back on it!

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  2. Just when u you think that you know a guy….he opens up and peels back a whole next level like a sentimental onion that he was…shout to my main man Jell d and all the pain that he has suffered as well as the pain of the rest of the northeast in the last couple…sht has been Cray yo!!..

    With that said, while I did dig this episode and where it was going, I did more feel that we were dealing with more of a “set up” episode than one that actually had any kind of real substance itself..i mean I agree that my man nuck was going batty and yes there were def some very funny/sad moments throughout his little implosion here but it wasn’t necc in my top 5 or anything but that is usually where the post comes in to save the day=)

    A POST WOULDN’T BE A POST IF THERE WASN’T ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES REFERENCED! LOVE THE ALMOST FAMOUS REF…BLESS YOU

    Doesn’t need to be said that we were all incredibly happy for RH getting down with Julia but I know its shallow but I cant help but think…what happens when its time to twist and that thing has to come off?...i mean whats he gonna do?

    PS-“when did u get so uppidy?....HOOOWEE”…that was funny AND akward, and I cant help but have felt that Chalk Deezy shouldn’t have went and stood for that, but I get where they were goin, so “wee’s play along massa” but this sht better get good. The rest of this stuff was one of those deals where I get that they were trying to illustrate Nuck’s weakness but at the same time a bit uncalled for….i mean, WHY MUST WE CONTINUE TO PICK ON BUTTERCUP!?! HASN’T THIS GIRL SEEN ENOUGH…LEAVE HER CAKE ALONE!!!!!? (and before I forget, the proski that let Tommy walk in on the other girl josaphine getting smashed like that??? Which was lovely btw… but COME ON…I mean, who would do that, whatever happened to the hooker with the heart of gold??)

    NOW, in what may have been one of the most clever link ups B.T.D….going from “tommy who likes to do drawings” (cant believe u didn’t throw “u bum looker” in there btw) to the pic of sandberg screaming GET OUT!!! Followed by the reference to the painting u slipped in with tommy to vince Vaughn in the motorboat!!!!????!! YOU DIALBOLICAM GENIUS!!!!!!
    THAT IS WHY I SAY THAT THESE POSTS ARE SOMETIMES BETTER THAN THE SHOW…LMAO!! HAHAHAHAHAH

    (but seriously that sht was fkd up)

    Back to bidness…I do see the linke between Teddy calling him Gyp and the gypsie I would find it very hard to believe that he had been at the dojo before…furthermore if im not mistaken, didn’t GYP have a different name for the pooch?...i could be wrong on that but….but anyway I feel and hope that gyp hasn’t been by the crib, have a mentioned that I cant WAIT for Harrow to blast this mofo off the scene?...its coming in the finale…believe that

    Like I said before, this ep was clearly a set up to make everyone think that Nuck is losing it and weak and that Gyp was pure evil and on his way to the top, from the hat, to him talking down about billie to cxling bible camp (love the tebow ref and the more u know as gyp used to be a big NBC guy for me on W&G who did most of those commercials)..i will say this…what I did take from Masseria’s speech to gyp was that “even tho that stone was smooth, it took hundreds of years to take it from rough and rugged to that point” and while someday he may get there, its gonna take some time…and “your problems are your own” wont bode well for gyp either but we’ll see how that all washed out…come on harrow!!!

    While I wouldn’t say it was my fav episode it was prob my favorite post, and was NOTHING like the set up ep that it was in response to…(LOVE Coach buck getting played out by the player going into the dugout and of course guy jumping out the window “and im done) NOW THAT’S HOW YOU DEBATE OLD FRIEND!

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  3. Liz...well HELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO MS LADY

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  4. Liz is Roxanne's mom Cam behave. Ha! And she was right on about the hat being from the Revolutionary War. I was mistaken. Battle of Monmouth County. "Mad Anthony Wayne...Anthony...he was Italian?" Gyp is too good. Genreal Wayne was honored by the USPS by being featured on a stamp in 1929. He was Irish not Italian Gyp sorry. His military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to brigadier general. He died from gout.

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  5. But as usual Cam your comments and praise always make this whole routine worth it. you comments especially this week were some of your most in depth. I as you know think Harrow does in Gyp as well. As for the possibility of a twist session with he and Julia, we're all faceless when you turn out the lights. Liz, Margaret is certainly torn. She longs for a tradtional romantic relationship, but even as she reminded Teddy that "there won't always be maids" to make his bed, I think she is very wary of what life would be like without them. She has lived the poor life and I'm not sure she would want to go back, even if it was with Owen. I think they are going to get caught too. Nucky made the comment in his delusional state that everything comes to light eventually. No maid to blame here, Margaret made her own bed and is tossing and turning like cray. You can't be a half way crook, if you are you're gonna get got. Same goes for being a half way wife in this instance. Margaret keeps jumping back and forth over the fence ans sooner or later she will get stuck. Ouch sorry for that image.

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