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.

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.

Other scenes were more disturbing, however, like those where Nucky kept referring to Margaret like she was Billie or Mabel.
 
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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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...

What did you think?

I AM IRON MAN!!!

When it comes to influence on Boardwalk Empire, few characters command more than Nucky Thompson. On "The Pony," though, Nucky was made to feel like a donkey when he deceived his way into an audience with Andrew Mellon.

Nucky does not buck easy, as we know, and he held his ground in the face of the pompous politician, striking an important deal.

Thanks to the Mr. Means setting him him up as some Prohibition version of Abe Froman, Nucky settled his legal issues with Daugherty. But his personal life took a turn for the worse after Billie's would-be costar "Sheik Whose Bin Fartin" insulted him. More on Nucky later, but first let's get into this.

In one of the craziest scenes we've seen this season, Van Alden went Jerry Maguire and then some as he finally let off some "steam" at work.

There was so much amazing in this one scene.

Luckily for Van Creepy, his wife is one nimble Norwegian and proved she is as good at running a still as she is as raising a family. With Van Alden coming unhinged as he listened to his debt to O'Bannion diminish drip by drip, she did well to devise a plan to hold their family together.

Can't even begin to talk about this guy and the steam powered dildo comment.

Al Capone seemed to recognize him at their meeting to discuss Joe Miller, though, so I'm guessing we will see a run in between those two again at some point. Maybe Nelson will eventually become actual muscle for the fraudulent florist.

Torrio was back from his holiday with a new lease on life. He tried to convey to O'Banion how life is too short to kill yourself over a few dollars, but the message behind his anecdote fell on deaf ears.  Capone seemed perplexed as well by his newly insouciant mentor's attitude, but I think he also started to see the writing on the wall. Torrio was more concerned with osso bucco than bootlegging and may hand over control of the business to his protege. Recall how he focused on Al's decision making when the matter of Joe Miller came up.

While it seemed Al Capone was being prepped to jump in the driver's seat, Margaret was ready to literally take the wheel when she asked Owen to teach her how to drive. Reminded me of that scene from Boyz-N-the-Hood when Tre is telling Furious about the girl he picked up.

While I like seeing Margaret become a more independent woman, the time spent on her quest to educate the pregnant masses has expired like the milk Mrs. Shearer admitted to drinking on purpose. I understand it was a difficult time for women, but with all the interesting story lines demanding screen time, to dedicate multiple scenes to the discussion of acquiring diaphragms was a bit much.

Gillian was looking for some protection of her own as she casually mentioned to Gyp Rosetti where Nucky and Arnold Rothstein would be dining together. Did you notice the look Gyp gave his boy after he made the comment about Gyp's wife? Amazing!

Then Richard appeared to tell her the bar was restocked. While his message to her was of little importance, I have a feeling Gyp may have shaken the hand of and dismissed with an insult about scaring mice, the man that will do him in at some point. I also think we'll see Richard become Tommy's guardian after he takes out Gillian too.

Nucky showed little patience with Eddie his butler when he broke the "news" that Jimmy was dead.

But he was willing to play along as Gillian played the role of the grieving mother. When all pretenses were dropped, however, there was no mincing words. She looked as good as she ever has when she threw the drink in his face (Can't blame Lucky for taking one last run at her "Come on I'll give you a nice hard fuk like you like.")

I'm sure inside Nucky must have been like...

But I loved how he kept his cool and LOVED how he reminded her of just WHO she was dealing with. His speech was maybe my favorite Boardwalk Empire quotes this week.
Nucky: You exist in this town because I allow you to. All in all I'd say that's-
Gillian: Very generous of you.
Nucky: You'd be wise to say that like you mean it.

One of the funniest moments of the episode was when Nucky introduced himself to Andrew Mellon at the midtown Manhattan social club and got zero recognition. As I mentioned before, he did give Mellon something to contemplate, but then was labeled an interloper and forced from the premises. Nucky achieved what he had gone there to do, but it was clear the way he was disrespected stuck with him as he in turn called Billie's friend Gil an interloper after their fisticuffs.

As things with Billie have deteriorated, it has become quite clear over the last couple weeks that Nucky is looking for a change in his life. He contended that people always want something new, but in his case I think he is yearning for the way things were. What life is he trying to recapture though? The one he had with Margaret, or has he always been trying to fill the void left by the passing of his wife and son years ago? Or is the Fed Lawyer next on his twist list?

Whichever it is, after the closing scene, I'm sure Nucky is just happy to be alive even though Billie most likely is not. Being in business with Nucky is starting to be as dangerous as partnering up with SAMCRO on Sons of Anarchy. The guy had never had a hard time with the ladies despite looking like a M-80 went off in his mouth.

Perhaps the saddest part of the episode was seeing the explosion at Babette's.

                          

Yeah Billie most likely got killed, but that's not what got me emotional. Over the years we've seen the supper club to be one of the most fun places on the planet and it's namesake was perhaps the sexiest female on the show despite her limited screen time.

Hopefully she survived and we get to follow her road to recovery but just in case she didn't I wanted to take a moment to reflect on a woman who just knew how to throw down with the best of 'em.

I think that's about it for me, so I'm gonna just casually say goodbye like nothing happened and open up the boards to see what you thought.

                          

Whaddup Fam?

I thought this was one of the best episodes of the season thus far. Loved the sound of the morning dove to open the episode up. That sound takes me back. Now I know not everyone shares my opinion with regard to this week's installment. For those of you who do not share my sentiment, let me refer you to Richard's comment this week:

First off I had had it with Gillian and her creepy incestuous ways, but she showed she is as cunning as she is twisted when she set up her Jimmy look-a-like so that she could have a body to produce and finally get the house in her name.

Now she is free and clear to go get herself that Discount Double Check and refinance her brothel.

I also thought it was interesting to see Gyp in a new light. The way he tended to his suit and worried about getting it dirty at the dinner table reminded me of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever.

Gyp was bullied and mocked at home by his mother and sisters. No wonder he is so sensitive to the apparent slights by others.

LOVED Gyp's "praying." Then he decks the priest and by the "grace of god" scrapes together enough change to make his draw with Masseria, but still was going to get whacked before he offered to kill all the Italian's enemies. That was some smooth talking Gyp.

Loved the Nucky/Eli sit down. They finally got everything out on the table. I liked the mentions of their mother and how she always put out three red eggs. Am I wrong or has there been reference made to Nucky having a sister or a second brother?

Loved how Margaret tried to open up to June (Eli's wife) and all she could say was "you brought pineapple upside down cake." Tell you what...having popped out 8 kids, June looks pretty amazing. Eli is a lucky guy.

How bout Nucky's juggling?
And his line to Eli: Can I get a drink?
Eli: Right this second?
Nucky: Do I need an appointment?

He got a taste of good family life and all of a sudden wants the fairy tale with Margaret again.

Eli looked like the model husband and the disparity between his family standing on high atop their stairs while Nucky's sham of a fam stood beneath them on the walkway was very powerful.

Very nice gesture though by the oldest son to go and help Margaret's daughter up the stairs. My heart breaks for that little doll. Gets polio and has that psycho Teddy for a brother. Poor lass.

Last but not even close to least, what an episode for Richard. Any time we get to see him scrap booking we win.

He was dishing out death threats and defending damsels in distress all while asking God to keep him ever mindful of the needs of others. He is the man.

How bout also when his B said she is basically her dad's sparring partner? Richard was like "HE HITS YOU." NO NO not like that. Whew. Her dad by the way looked like a meth ridden Micky Doyle didn't he?