TO THE LOST

This week we saw the playing field begin to level out as the balance of power began to shift dramatically. In the tug-o-war match for control of Atlantic City, Jimmy who previously had wrestled the flag well over his side of the line of contention this week began to feel the burning in his hands and the rope began to slide through his fingers. He is holding on too tight, needs to turn in his wings. He's got Daddy McMumbles telling him to whip out his cock or get proper fukked up the skirt and Nucky saturating the market with Irish Whiskey "straight from the old girl's tit," as our man Sleater put it.
Did you notice the reaction of his crew when he lost his shit and kicked the crate of booze over in the warehouse. It was like the reaction the Hickory High team gave Coach Dale after he told them they were going to use Jimmy as a decoy and Merle was going to take the last shot. Even Richard looked down at the floor. But this time there was no Jimmy to step up and say "I'll make it." I was looking for Al to rise to the occasion and be like "I'll sell it," but he never did.
Lucky and Lansky are gonna be alright. "Fuk a recession!" They got the H train ready to leave the station, just so long as they don't start getting high on their own supply. We finally saw the tensions boil over between Jimmy and Luciano. Lucky dropping the side comment that "he says a lot of things" when Lansky asked about the coast guard and then more directly when he told Jimmy he should set his catchphrase "I'll take care of it," to music.
That was a slap in the face but nothing compared to the one little Teddy got for pretending he had polio like his sister.
Nucky did his best to give Margaret a much needed break and took the attention starved cur to NYC. You see the look Nucky gave the lawyer when he reached onto his drawer and pulled out another Ty Cobb ball like no big deal. Who does this guy think he is, Mr. Mertle from The Sandlot? "GEORGE?!"
Nucky learned real quick he is going to have to pay if he is to have any shot of beating this thing.
Margaret got a similar message from the local priest and the outcome was just as dire. Padre was like Lisa McDowell as he preyed on Margaret's desire to show her faith.
That gesture of faith was worthless just like Nucky's previous lawyer's efforts. "Oh you made calls? Worth every penny." Sounds like the guy would make a great research salesman.It's hard to find good help these days, especially when they go on strike. Who knew Purnsley was a "KARATE MAN?"

And Halloran looked like Kevin Bacon in Animal House as he got dropped by the strike busters.
Eli gets more and more cold blooded each week. Loved how after he basically told his deputy he got what was coming to him he made sure he knew how to best prepare the peas he brought him before leaving him to go on looking like an extra from a Marilyn Manson video. "Butter...salt...delicious."
Eli is on his own now having put his confidant out to pasture. In these uncertain times even the most savvy of leaders are turning to other for advice. Nucky bent Rothstein's ear in NYC and during the town hall meeting between Chalky and "young James" they both at one point looked to their counterpart for approval.

There was some nice nods to history with the newspaper headline about the Black Sox trial and the Sacco and Vanzetti quip by Nucky. We also learned about Nucky's sister who lost her life to the bottle. But what of little Teddy. He is a weird little guy is he not? The comment about seeing Nucky burn his dad's house down, looking at his father picture in his little box of treasures...there is something brewing in that kid's head.
While we wait for that story to develop we said goodbye to another with the untimely demise of Angela and her lover.
Manny told her the most important thing is your health, which Jimmy tried to take from him rather than pay the debt he owed. So when Angela offered him money he instead took her life, to deliver a message to Jimmy and in the end showed Angela "Who's the Boss." (Ouch! Too Soon?) It did appear to me that Manny pulled the trigger regretfully, but in order to stay true to the game his hand was forced. The final scene Angela and Jimmy shared was touching, even if we didn't really believe Jimmy would change, and we of course knew he was never going to be "the person" she wanted him to be. Not without a pair of sharp scissors, some implants and a whole lotta hormones. The shocking murder ranked up there with some of the most disturbing I've seen on TV. It was almost foreshadowed in the aforementioned scene at their house where Jimmy stood drinking while outside their his "dirty laundry" flapped on the clothes line. Angela prepared a vase of flowers as if arranging her own funeral.
I cannot imagine what this is going to do to Jimmy. Perhaps it will be a rallying point for Capone and the others and they will get behind their coach and run the picket fence on the entire East Coast.