What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

***OFFICIAL*** Boardwalk Empire thread (3 Viewers)

I'm soooo over Gretchen and Margaret!!!! If I didn't love myself, I'd put a gun to my head.

Needless to say Magaret is dead!

There's a war in NY.....sorry Roth!

Speak of Roth, he had Lucky with him on the Boardwalk......why wasn't Sleater with Nucky? Seemed kinda odd!!

How did Gyp make it in AC without Nucky finding out????? He's obviously is going to at this point but.......

The last two episodes have left me scratching my head!?!?!

Tex

 
A review of tonight's "Boardwalk Empire" coming up just as soon as I run naked through the pages of the United States criminal code...

"I'm a businessman — a small businessman..." -Nucky

"The Pony" was co-written by Terence Winter and Howard Korder, who seems to rank #2 on the writing staff organizational flowchart. It was directed by Tim Van Patten. Short of Martin Scorsese calling Winter up to say he'd like to pop over to do another episode, this is the "Boardwalk Empire" equivalent of breaking out the big guns, and the creative talent is appropriate applied to an episode all about men being surprised to realize the kind of great power they are contending with.

Nucky approaches Andrew Mellon at his university club, and never — not even in the presence of the Attorney General of these United States — has our hero seemed quite so small-time. Even after bracing himself for the encounter, Nucky still isn't prepared for the possibility that Mellon has no idea who he is, nor that this wealthy, powerful, proper gentleman would be so quick to dismiss him from the club — though it turns out Mellon just needed time to properly vet him before agreeing to the Remus scheme.

Johnny Torrio returns from an extended trip to Naples, and for the first time seems a bit like a fossil — or like one of the frozen citizens of Pompeii he keeps going on about, long past the point where his audience cares. He may yet assert himself in the war between Capone and O'Banion, but what Al seems at first to interpret as patient calculation later appears to be a man who's already checking out of things.

The other salesman at the iron company keep having their fun pranking George Muller, little realizing that they're dealing with a strong, borderline psychotic who's been driven crazier and crazier by all the lines of his strict moral code he's had to cross. And after Van Alden comes home from scalding a co-worker (who, I assume, will be calling the cops on him, no?), he in turn is surprised once again by the fortitude and street smarts of Sigrid, who pulls him deeper into a criminal life (and possibly puts him at odds with O'Banion) by selling the excess from their still to the local Norwegian community.

Van Alden just wants respect, as does Nucky. He doesn't get it from Billie's actor friend Gil, who pokes the bear just as foolishly as the other salesman does to Van Alden, and also suffers a brutal assault as a result.(*) As I've said, I don't feel like the show has done a great job of making us interested in Billie herself, but it's made clear over and over that Nucky Thompson wants to be master of all he surveys.

(*) Who's worse off, career-wise: a handsome young actor whose nose is broken, or a door-to-door iron salesman with a hideous iron-shaped burn scar on his cheek? The latter, I'd say.

Nucky also fails to get respect from Gillian, and at the same time underestimates the threat she poses. Jimmy's dead, as is the Commodore, but Gillian still has the backing of old man Whitlock, and she has a ruthlessness that of course leads her to point Gyp Rosetti towards Nucky's meeting with Rothstein and Lucky at Babbette's, leading to the episode's explosive finish. As with the assassination attempt last season, Nucky proves a hard man to kill, but Billie's almost certainly in pieces, and how will Arnold Rothstein — who has already made clear how much he despises New Jersey — react to nearly being blown up in the state?

"The Pony" refers both to the horse Owen helps Margaret buy for her daughter — prompting Mrs. Thompson to say, "It doesn't make sense: a pony, when there's no telling what the future holds" — and Billie Kent herself, since she explains that "the pony" is also a term for the funny showgirl in the chorus. Billie had just started to transcend that status when her association with Nucky appears to bring her future to an end. We'll see what the future holds for Nucky and those who oppose him, but after this episode's events, I imagine it'll be bloody.

Some other thoughts:

* Loved the overhead shot panning over the wreckage on the boardwalk. Nice work from The Artist Formerly Known As Salami and his crew.

* Is Babbette herself dead? If so, I'll miss Tracy Middendorf and her Marlene Dietrich-wear.

* Not much of Richard this week, but I loved the moment where he said, "Jimmy deserved better than this," referring to the actual Jimmy (his body disposed of in less classy circumstances) and not the poor sap Gillian murdered in his place.

* I quite liked Nucky and Gillian's encounter at the Commodore's house, each of them talking around the various lies they've told about how Jimmy dies, playing the roles because they're expected to, until she finally loses her patience and tosses a drink in his face.

* Mrs. Shearer's interest in birth control plays into Margaret's own needs, since it wouldn't do for her to get pregnant during a period when she is clearly not having sex with Nucky.
Click to expand...
 
'Raider Nation said:
A review of tonight's "Boardwalk Empire" coming up just as soon as I run naked through the pages of the United States criminal code...

"I'm a businessman — a small businessman..." -Nucky

"The Pony" was co-written by Terence Winter and Howard Korder, who seems to rank #2 on the writing staff organizational flowchart. It was directed by Tim Van Patten. Short of Martin Scorsese calling Winter up to say he'd like to pop over to do another episode, this is the "Boardwalk Empire" equivalent of breaking out the big guns, and the creative talent is appropriate applied to an episode all about men being surprised to realize the kind of great power they are contending with.

Nucky approaches Andrew Mellon at his university club, and never — not even in the presence of the Attorney General of these United States — has our hero seemed quite so small-time. Even after bracing himself for the encounter, Nucky still isn't prepared for the possibility that Mellon has no idea who he is, nor that this wealthy, powerful, proper gentleman would be so quick to dismiss him from the club — though it turns out Mellon just needed time to properly vet him before agreeing to the Remus scheme.

Johnny Torrio returns from an extended trip to Naples, and for the first time seems a bit like a fossil — or like one of the frozen citizens of Pompeii he keeps going on about, long past the point where his audience cares. He may yet assert himself in the war between Capone and O'Banion, but what Al seems at first to interpret as patient calculation later appears to be a man who's already checking out of things.

The other salesman at the iron company keep having their fun pranking George Muller, little realizing that they're dealing with a strong, borderline psychotic who's been driven crazier and crazier by all the lines of his strict moral code he's had to cross. And after Van Alden comes home from scalding a co-worker (who, I assume, will be calling the cops on him, no?), he in turn is surprised once again by the fortitude and street smarts of Sigrid, who pulls him deeper into a criminal life (and possibly puts him at odds with O'Banion) by selling the excess from their still to the local Norwegian community.

Van Alden just wants respect, as does Nucky. He doesn't get it from Billie's actor friend Gil, who pokes the bear just as foolishly as the other salesman does to Van Alden, and also suffers a brutal assault as a result.(*) As I've said, I don't feel like the show has done a great job of making us interested in Billie herself, but it's made clear over and over that Nucky Thompson wants to be master of all he surveys.

(*) Who's worse off, career-wise: a handsome young actor whose nose is broken, or a door-to-door iron salesman with a hideous iron-shaped burn scar on his cheek? The latter, I'd say.

Nucky also fails to get respect from Gillian, and at the same time underestimates the threat she poses. Jimmy's dead, as is the Commodore, but Gillian still has the backing of old man Whitlock, and she has a ruthlessness that of course leads her to point Gyp Rosetti towards Nucky's meeting with Rothstein and Lucky at Babbette's, leading to the episode's explosive finish. As with the assassination attempt last season, Nucky proves a hard man to kill, but Billie's almost certainly in pieces, and how will Arnold Rothstein — who has already made clear how much he despises New Jersey — react to nearly being blown up in the state?

"The Pony" refers both to the horse Owen helps Margaret buy for her daughter — prompting Mrs. Thompson to say, "It doesn't make sense: a pony, when there's no telling what the future holds" — and Billie Kent herself, since she explains that "the pony" is also a term for the funny showgirl in the chorus. Billie had just started to transcend that status when her association with Nucky appears to bring her future to an end. We'll see what the future holds for Nucky and those who oppose him, but after this episode's events, I imagine it'll be bloody.

Some other thoughts:

* Loved the overhead shot panning over the wreckage on the boardwalk. Nice work from The Artist Formerly Known As Salami and his crew.

* Is Babbette herself dead? If so, I'll miss Tracy Middendorf and her Marlene Dietrich-wear.

* Not much of Richard this week, but I loved the moment where he said, "Jimmy deserved better than this," referring to the actual Jimmy (his body disposed of in less classy circumstances) and not the poor sap Gillian murdered in his place.

* I quite liked Nucky and Gillian's encounter at the Commodore's house, each of them talking around the various lies they've told about how Jimmy dies, playing the roles because they're expected to, until she finally loses her patience and tosses a drink in his face.

* Mrs. Shearer's interest in birth control plays into Margaret's own needs, since it wouldn't do for her to get pregnant during a period when she is clearly not having sex with Nucky.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
NFW.... :mindblown:
 
And I'm glad George went off the deep end........it's about time! I love the fact that his wife doesn't call him by name but "husband" sounds kind of submissive but clearly she's going to protect her family and is not to be ####ed it!

 
Good episode. Very curious to see who Van Alden ends up working for/with. Looks like Nucky is going to go full on gangster and Capone is going to start running the show in Chicago. Bout ####### time they got to the good stuff, too bad they wasted so much of the season on tangents.

 
'Gr00vus said:
Good episode. Very curious to see who Van Alden ends up working for/with. Looks like Nucky is going to go full on gangster and Capone is going to start running the show in Chicago. Bout ####### time they got to the good stuff, too bad they wasted so much of the season on tangents.
Click to expand...
They lost me a bit when Van Alden was just a green skin tint away from being The Hulk. RAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
 
'Good said:
'Gr00vus said:
Good episode. Very curious to see who Van Alden ends up working for/with. Looks like Nucky is going to go full on gangster and Capone is going to start running the show in Chicago. Bout ####### time they got to the good stuff, too bad they wasted so much of the season on tangents.
Click to expand...
They lost me a bit when Van Alden was just a green skin tint away from being The Hulk. RAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Click to expand...
True, they could have left it at the iron branding and accomplished the same thing, maybe just sprinkle in a couple of rib kicks after the guy went down for emphasis.
 
The googly-eyed *** (Capone's boss) mistakenly thought Pompeii was covered in lava. Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered by what is known as a "pyroclastic flow". Van Alden should have corrected him.

Totally ruined the episode for me.

 
'Officer Pete Malloy said:
The googly-eyed *** (Capone's boss) mistakenly thought Pompeii was covered in lava. Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered by what is known as a "pyroclastic flow". Van Alden should have corrected him.Totally ruined the episode for me.
Click to expand...
Van Alden played it smart. As you're entering your newfound gangster vocation, you don't want to tell the boss of half the city that he doesn't understand his vacation right off the bat.
 
'Leeroy Jenkins said:
'Officer Pete Malloy said:
The googly-eyed *** (Capone's boss) mistakenly thought Pompeii was covered in lava. Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered by what is known as a "pyroclastic flow". Van Alden should have corrected him.Totally ruined the episode for me.
Click to expand...
Most died from asphyxiation with the gases sitting on top of Pompeii in the valley.
Click to expand...
I was talking about cities themselves, Pliny.
 
'Good said:
'Gr00vus said:
Good episode. Very curious to see who Van Alden ends up working for/with. Looks like Nucky is going to go full on gangster and Capone is going to start running the show in Chicago. Bout ####### time they got to the good stuff, too bad they wasted so much of the season on tangents.
Click to expand...
They lost me a bit when Van Alden was just a green skin tint away from being The Hulk. RAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Click to expand...
Yeah, that was a bit much.
 
I'm sorry. This show has crossed the line from being really good to I'm watching because it's on demand and nothing is on during the day (I work from home). I'd rather watch a Jacksonville St Louis Sunday night game then tune into watch this show "live".

The show still has some great characters, but the plot just seems all over the place.

 
'The Ref said:
I'm sorry. This show has crossed the line from being really good to I'm watching because it's on demand and nothing is on during the day (I work from home). I'd rather watch a Jacksonville St Louis Sunday night game then tune into watch this show "live".The show still has some great characters, but the plot just seems all over the place.
Click to expand...
The show is relying on brutal violence in lieu of great characters.
 
I'm thinking Harrow is about to put in some work for Nucky!!! War is officially on Gents, it may not all happen in episode 9 but its happening!!

Time to Get Gangsta on the ### Nucky!!!!

 
'BigTex said:
Only 4 Episodes left we needy more Milky White!!!!!
Click to expand...
Wasn't Chalky to be featured more prominently this year?His last scene (where he and the other guy "convince" the guy to do the play) was one of the worst of the season. Makes no sense that a guy of Chalky's standing gets involved in low-level intimidation like that.
 
"You have to understand: no matter what you think of me, there's no walking away. It doesn't work like that. I do it to them, or they do it to me. That's all there is." -Nucky

In the aftermath of the latest — and loudest — failed attempt on his life, Nucky spends most of "The Milkmaid's Lot" drifting in and out, mentally. There are moments where he doesn't recognize his own brother, mistakes Chalky for a shoeshine man, and can only vaguely recall that Billie Kent died in the explosion. But there are other moments where his focus is crystal clear — in some ways, more clear than when he's in perfect health and his pride and ego are coloring his thinking. This is a more vulnerable Nucky than we're used to seeing,(*) but also a more perceptive, introspective one. It's a Nucky who is painfully aware of how much he needs other people in his life, both personally and professionally, and how easily they can be taken away. As he tells Margaret while preparing for the meeting with Rothstein and the other mob bosses, if he fails to get their support, "I'll be alone, and that's as good as dead" — and he is clearly not just talking about what Gyp Rosetti can do to him, but what will happen if the wife he pushed away leaves him, or the brother, or the right-hand man. Nucky Thompson is a man who craves respect, but he needs love, too, and he's put himself in a position this season where both are in short supply.

(*) We'll see what the season's remaining episodes hold, but right now this seems an easy choice for Steve Buscemi's Emmy submission.

So Nucky fears being alone, while other characters — Margaret, Richard, and the population of Tabor Heights, among others — find themselves trapped with Nucky or other volatile lunatics who also crave affection and respect.

Margaret has spent much of this season doing her best to enjoy the benefits of being Mrs. Thompson (money, shelter, care for the kids, political influence and the ability to do something like the pre-natal class) while ignoring the deficits (marriage in name only to a man she doesn't trust in the slightest). But between rekindling her affair with Owen, running into Billie Kent at the dress shop and being under frequent watch from Nucky's guards, the bad has started to outweigh the good. And when Owen begins talking about his own escape plans, it's hard for Margaret to not listen. (When she tells Teddy in an earlier scene that "There won't always be maids," it's clear she's already been thinking the same thing.) I wondered at first why she wouldn't simply go now; if ever there was a time to run away from her powerful, vengeful husband, it's while he's in such a weakened state, physically and strategically. But I do think there's a part of her that feels for Nucky, and/or that feels guilty about walking away from him, so she stays to at least help him get back on his feet and make a case to Rothstein and the others. But hearing him rant about what he wants to do to Gyp ("I'll wear that dago's ####### guts like a necktie") makes clear that this is not the man she wants to be around. I'll be curious to see what their plan is, and how long it takes them to try implementing it.

As for Gyp himself, could the New York mob really take over a small Jersey town like this, even in 1923? I know they float the idea of paying each of the citizens a stipend to keep them from talking, but A)that figure seems like it'll add up quickly depending on how long the war with Nucky takes, and B)surely there are people who don't want these goons here and would consider driving to another town to alert the larger authorities, no? For all I know, something like this actually happened in the period, but right now, it plays like a lot of the Gyp Rosetti story: flashy and colorful but not quite fitting in with the way the rest of the show seems to work. We know from George Remus that a certain amount of eccentricity is accepted in this world, so perhaps Gyp's guys wouldn't all start plotting an exit when he turned up on the beach wearing the hat of Mad Anthony Wayne, but the guy's a nutbar.

Much more interesting was Richard having a near-perfect night out with Julia, who even turned an attempt to embarrass him into a moment of triumph. Yet he can't enjoy the memories for very long, because he has to come home to a passive-aggressive scolding from Gillian, who's mad at the other whores — and specifically at the young pretty one who's getting so much of Tommy's attention (as we know from her attitude towards Angela, Gillian Darmody must be the only woman in the eyes of her little boy) — and taking it out on the masked freak she knows she can abuse because he loved Jimmy too much to ever leave Tommy behind. Richard is stuck with her in the same way Margaret (for now) is stuck with Nucky.

Nucky tries to make his bond with the New York and Philly wiseguys just as permanent, proposing what sounds very much like the start of modern organized crime as we know it. But the others still take their cues from Rothstein, and however Arnold may protest the accusation that he would make any decision based on emotion, his demeanor (and the way the camera lingers over his scars from the bombing) makes clear that it will be a long, long time before he forgets his near-death experience on the Jersey boardwalk.

Without Rothstein, and with the Capone/Torrio group too far away and otherwise distracted to get involved, Nucky once again seems hopelessly outgunned and outclassed. But that seemed to be the situation a year ago when Jimmy and the Commodore were plotting his ouster. Nucky may be on the verge of being all alone, but that rarely seems to be all there is for him. Sooner or later, he'll find an angle to put the odds in his favor, and force all these people who are looking to abandon him to be stuck with him for a while longer.

Some other thoughts:

* Scratch Chalky White's face off all those milk cartons, folks. This season has been more problematic than previous ones in terms of not having enough time to service this large, interesting cast, and of the significant local characters (as opposed to someone like Capone), Chalky has definitely suffered the most. This is only his third appearance in nine episodes, and one of those was that five-minute scene where he and Dunn intimidated Eddie Cantor. That he has interest in taking over the location that belonged to Babbette (RIP?) suggests there may be more in store for him next season, but this seems like a lost one for Mr. White so far.

* Ed Bianchi did a great job with the look of this one, which had one eye-catching sequence (Gyp's men arrive in Tabor Heights) after another (the feds chase Remus through his bird sanctuary) after another (Margaret walks through multiple rooms filled with armed men to get back to her kids). A fine outing for one of cable's most reliable directors.

* "Then Randolph would be very interested in seeing them." That joke never gets old.
Click to expand...
 
'Good said:
'BigTex said:
Only 4 Episodes left we needy more Milky White!!!!!
Click to expand...
Wasn't Chalky to be featured more prominently this year?His last scene (where he and the other guy "convince" the guy to do the play) was one of the worst of the season. Makes no sense that a guy of Chalky's standing gets involved in low-level intimidation like that.
Click to expand...
:goodposting: :goodposting: Yes, they lied to us!!!
 
'Raider Nation said:
"You have to understand: no matter what you think of me, there's no walking away. It doesn't work like that. I do it to them, or they do it to me. That's all there is." -Nucky

In the aftermath of the latest — and loudest — failed attempt on his life, Nucky spends most of "The Milkmaid's Lot" drifting in and out, mentally. There are moments where he doesn't recognize his own brother, mistakes Chalky for a shoeshine man, and can only vaguely recall that Billie Kent died in the explosion. But there are other moments where his focus is crystal clear — in some ways, more clear than when he's in perfect health and his pride and ego are coloring his thinking. This is a more vulnerable Nucky than we're used to seeing,(*) but also a more perceptive, introspective one. It's a Nucky who is painfully aware of how much he needs other people in his life, both personally and professionally, and how easily they can be taken away. As he tells Margaret while preparing for the meeting with Rothstein and the other mob bosses, if he fails to get their support, "I'll be alone, and that's as good as dead" — and he is clearly not just talking about what Gyp Rosetti can do to him, but what will happen if the wife he pushed away leaves him, or the brother, or the right-hand man. Nucky Thompson is a man who craves respect, but he needs love, too, and he's put himself in a position this season where both are in short supply.

(*) We'll see what the season's remaining episodes hold, but right now this seems an easy choice for Steve Buscemi's Emmy submission.

So Nucky fears being alone, while other characters — Margaret, Richard, and the population of Tabor Heights, among others — find themselves trapped with Nucky or other volatile lunatics who also crave affection and respect.

Margaret has spent much of this season doing her best to enjoy the benefits of being Mrs. Thompson (money, shelter, care for the kids, political influence and the ability to do something like the pre-natal class) while ignoring the deficits (marriage in name only to a man she doesn't trust in the slightest). But between rekindling her affair with Owen, running into Billie Kent at the dress shop and being under frequent watch from Nucky's guards, the bad has started to outweigh the good. And when Owen begins talking about his own escape plans, it's hard for Margaret to not listen. (When she tells Teddy in an earlier scene that "There won't always be maids," it's clear she's already been thinking the same thing.) I wondered at first why she wouldn't simply go now; if ever there was a time to run away from her powerful, vengeful husband, it's while he's in such a weakened state, physically and strategically. But I do think there's a part of her that feels for Nucky, and/or that feels guilty about walking away from him, so she stays to at least help him get back on his feet and make a case to Rothstein and the others. But hearing him rant about what he wants to do to Gyp ("I'll wear that dago's ####### guts like a necktie") makes clear that this is not the man she wants to be around. I'll be curious to see what their plan is, and how long it takes them to try implementing it.

As for Gyp himself, could the New York mob really take over a small Jersey town like this, even in 1923? I know they float the idea of paying each of the citizens a stipend to keep them from talking, but A)that figure seems like it'll add up quickly depending on how long the war with Nucky takes, and B)surely there are people who don't want these goons here and would consider driving to another town to alert the larger authorities, no? For all I know, something like this actually happened in the period, but right now, it plays like a lot of the Gyp Rosetti story: flashy and colorful but not quite fitting in with the way the rest of the show seems to work. We know from George Remus that a certain amount of eccentricity is accepted in this world, so perhaps Gyp's guys wouldn't all start plotting an exit when he turned up on the beach wearing the hat of Mad Anthony Wayne, but the guy's a nutbar.

Much more interesting was Richard having a near-perfect night out with Julia, who even turned an attempt to embarrass him into a moment of triumph. Yet he can't enjoy the memories for very long, because he has to come home to a passive-aggressive scolding from Gillian, who's mad at the other whores — and specifically at the young pretty one who's getting so much of Tommy's attention (as we know from her attitude towards Angela, Gillian Darmody must be the only woman in the eyes of her little boy) — and taking it out on the masked freak she knows she can abuse because he loved Jimmy too much to ever leave Tommy behind. Richard is stuck with her in the same way Margaret (for now) is stuck with Nucky.

Nucky tries to make his bond with the New York and Philly wiseguys just as permanent, proposing what sounds very much like the start of modern organized crime as we know it. But the others still take their cues from Rothstein, and however Arnold may protest the accusation that he would make any decision based on emotion, his demeanor (and the way the camera lingers over his scars from the bombing) makes clear that it will be a long, long time before he forgets his near-death experience on the Jersey boardwalk.

Without Rothstein, and with the Capone/Torrio group too far away and otherwise distracted to get involved, Nucky once again seems hopelessly outgunned and outclassed. But that seemed to be the situation a year ago when Jimmy and the Commodore were plotting his ouster. Nucky may be on the verge of being all alone, but that rarely seems to be all there is for him. Sooner or later, he'll find an angle to put the odds in his favor, and force all these people who are looking to abandon him to be stuck with him for a while longer.

Some other thoughts:

* Scratch Chalky White's face off all those milk cartons, folks. This season has been more problematic than previous ones in terms of not having enough time to service this large, interesting cast, and of the significant local characters (as opposed to someone like Capone), Chalky has definitely suffered the most. This is only his third appearance in nine episodes, and one of those was that five-minute scene where he and Dunn intimidated Eddie Cantor. That he has interest in taking over the location that belonged to Babbette (RIP?) suggests there may be more in store for him next season, but this seems like a lost one for Mr. White so far.

* Ed Bianchi did a great job with the look of this one, which had one eye-catching sequence (Gyp's men arrive in Tabor Heights) after another (the feds chase Remus through his bird sanctuary) after another (Margaret walks through multiple rooms filled with armed men to get back to her kids). A fine outing for one of cable's most reliable directors.

* "Then Randolph would be very interested in seeing them." That joke never gets old.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
This was my first thought and I'd bet all my chips it'll be Secretary Andrew Melon! He's the only one that has been introduced that has that type of power or maybe even Esther Randolph. Either way, walking away from Nucky is a HUGE mistake!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
'BigTex said:
'Raider Nation said:
"You have to understand: no matter what you think of me, there's no walking away. It doesn't work like that. I do it to them, or they do it to me. That's all there is." -Nucky

In the aftermath of the latest — and loudest — failed attempt on his life, Nucky spends most of "The Milkmaid's Lot" drifting in and out, mentally. There are moments where he doesn't recognize his own brother, mistakes Chalky for a shoeshine man, and can only vaguely recall that Billie Kent died in the explosion. But there are other moments where his focus is crystal clear — in some ways, more clear than when he's in perfect health and his pride and ego are coloring his thinking. This is a more vulnerable Nucky than we're used to seeing,(*) but also a more perceptive, introspective one. It's a Nucky who is painfully aware of how much he needs other people in his life, both personally and professionally, and how easily they can be taken away. As he tells Margaret while preparing for the meeting with Rothstein and the other mob bosses, if he fails to get their support, "I'll be alone, and that's as good as dead" — and he is clearly not just talking about what Gyp Rosetti can do to him, but what will happen if the wife he pushed away leaves him, or the brother, or the right-hand man. Nucky Thompson is a man who craves respect, but he needs love, too, and he's put himself in a position this season where both are in short supply.

(*) We'll see what the season's remaining episodes hold, but right now this seems an easy choice for Steve Buscemi's Emmy submission.

So Nucky fears being alone, while other characters — Margaret, Richard, and the population of Tabor Heights, among others — find themselves trapped with Nucky or other volatile lunatics who also crave affection and respect.

Margaret has spent much of this season doing her best to enjoy the benefits of being Mrs. Thompson (money, shelter, care for the kids, political influence and the ability to do something like the pre-natal class) while ignoring the deficits (marriage in name only to a man she doesn't trust in the slightest). But between rekindling her affair with Owen, running into Billie Kent at the dress shop and being under frequent watch from Nucky's guards, the bad has started to outweigh the good. And when Owen begins talking about his own escape plans, it's hard for Margaret to not listen. (When she tells Teddy in an earlier scene that "There won't always be maids," it's clear she's already been thinking the same thing.) I wondered at first why she wouldn't simply go now; if ever there was a time to run away from her powerful, vengeful husband, it's while he's in such a weakened state, physically and strategically. But I do think there's a part of her that feels for Nucky, and/or that feels guilty about walking away from him, so she stays to at least help him get back on his feet and make a case to Rothstein and the others. But hearing him rant about what he wants to do to Gyp ("I'll wear that dago's ####### guts like a necktie") makes clear that this is not the man she wants to be around. I'll be curious to see what their plan is, and how long it takes them to try implementing it.

As for Gyp himself, could the New York mob really take over a small Jersey town like this, even in 1923? I know they float the idea of paying each of the citizens a stipend to keep them from talking, but A)that figure seems like it'll add up quickly depending on how long the war with Nucky takes, and B)surely there are people who don't want these goons here and would consider driving to another town to alert the larger authorities, no? For all I know, something like this actually happened in the period, but right now, it plays like a lot of the Gyp Rosetti story: flashy and colorful but not quite fitting in with the way the rest of the show seems to work. We know from George Remus that a certain amount of eccentricity is accepted in this world, so perhaps Gyp's guys wouldn't all start plotting an exit when he turned up on the beach wearing the hat of Mad Anthony Wayne, but the guy's a nutbar.

Much more interesting was Richard having a near-perfect night out with Julia, who even turned an attempt to embarrass him into a moment of triumph. Yet he can't enjoy the memories for very long, because he has to come home to a passive-aggressive scolding from Gillian, who's mad at the other whores — and specifically at the young pretty one who's getting so much of Tommy's attention (as we know from her attitude towards Angela, Gillian Darmody must be the only woman in the eyes of her little boy) — and taking it out on the masked freak she knows she can abuse because he loved Jimmy too much to ever leave Tommy behind. Richard is stuck with her in the same way Margaret (for now) is stuck with Nucky.

Nucky tries to make his bond with the New York and Philly wiseguys just as permanent, proposing what sounds very much like the start of modern organized crime as we know it. But the others still take their cues from Rothstein, and however Arnold may protest the accusation that he would make any decision based on emotion, his demeanor (and the way the camera lingers over his scars from the bombing) makes clear that it will be a long, long time before he forgets his near-death experience on the Jersey boardwalk.

Without Rothstein, and with the Capone/Torrio group too far away and otherwise distracted to get involved, Nucky once again seems hopelessly outgunned and outclassed. But that seemed to be the situation a year ago when Jimmy and the Commodore were plotting his ouster. Nucky may be on the verge of being all alone, but that rarely seems to be all there is for him. Sooner or later, he'll find an angle to put the odds in his favor, and force all these people who are looking to abandon him to be stuck with him for a while longer.

Some other thoughts:

* Scratch Chalky White's face off all those milk cartons, folks. This season has been more problematic than previous ones in terms of not having enough time to service this large, interesting cast, and of the significant local characters (as opposed to someone like Capone), Chalky has definitely suffered the most. This is only his third appearance in nine episodes, and one of those was that five-minute scene where he and Dunn intimidated Eddie Cantor. That he has interest in taking over the location that belonged to Babbette (RIP?) suggests there may be more in store for him next season, but this seems like a lost one for Mr. White so far.

* Ed Bianchi did a great job with the look of this one, which had one eye-catching sequence (Gyp's men arrive in Tabor Heights) after another (the feds chase Remus through his bird sanctuary) after another (Margaret walks through multiple rooms filled with armed men to get back to her kids). A fine outing for one of cable's most reliable directors.

* "Then Randolph would be very interested in seeing them." That joke never gets old.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
This was my first thought and I'd bet all my chips it'll be Secretary Andrew Melon! He's the only one that has been introduced that has that type of power or maybe even Esther Randolph. Either way, walking away from Nucky is a HUGE mistake!
Click to expand...
Remus seems to be the only is supplier bigger than nucky. So they need him, or at least AC. I thought this might have been the first commission meeting (well hbo's variation) but I guess Capone needs involved. He still may be sent by torrio or may volunteer?
 
they dont need Nucky, without all his connections he is garbage in AC.

Nucky will get them back on his side though, this show has several more seasons to go lol

 
I was thinking the same thing about the first Syndicate meeting....but I think that's much later in the decade. Really interesting to me how they've backed this real life character into such a corner...makes you think that surely the real Nucky...and all of these major mob bosses...faced several moments like this thru their careers.

The scene where they focus on Margaret's face while Nucky loses it was awesome.

 
this thread makes it worthwhile to sit through the bland episodes. An appearance by Richard's knob would be discussed more than Jimmy's exit.

 
they dont need Nucky, without all his connections he is garbage in AC.Nucky will get them back on his side though, this show has several more seasons to go lol
Click to expand...
I'm guessing 1 or 2 things happen to help Nucky:1. Rothstein gets sick.2. Lucky makes his power move.
 
'gump said:
they dont need Nucky, without all his connections he is garbage in AC.Nucky will get them back on his side though, this show has several more seasons to go lol
Click to expand...
I'm guessing 1 or 2 things happen to help Nucky:1. Rothstein gets sick.2. Lucky makes his power move.
Click to expand...
I think Lucky convinces Rothstein the Gyp and "the boss" are consolidating their power to make a move on Rothstein as well.
 
they dont need Nucky, without all his connections he is garbage in AC.Nucky will get them back on his side though, this show has several more seasons to go lol
Click to expand...
I'm guessing 1 or 2 things happen to help Nucky:1. Rothstein gets sick.2. Lucky makes his power move.
Click to expand...
I think Lucky convinces Rothstein the Gyp and "the boss" are consolidating their power to make a move on Rothstein as well.
Click to expand...
Yea....he doesn't like Masseria, and he was the only one who reacted in any kind of interested way to Nuckys plea.
 
Another episode which would have been better condensed into about 15 minutes. Except the Josephine scenes - they could have used the other 45 minutes just for more of her.

Oh, and enough with the barrage of symbols already. It's like there has to be one every five minutes or something.

 
I keep holding my breath that this is the week Gillian is going to diddle little Tommy.

She's already grooming him for it, and I really don't want to see it. I don't even want them to hint at it.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Yo Mama
**** OFFICIAL FFA 2025-2026 Fake NBA Draft **** - Draft Has Started
18 19 20
Replies
984
Views
12K
Yo Mama
Yo Mama
Ministry of Pain
Devil in Disguise on Peacock - John Wayne Gacy
Replies
6
Views
303
Ministry of Pain
Ministry of Pain
T
Coming Soon: Ranking Stephen King’s Published Works
Replies
34
Views
1K
kupcho1
kupcho1

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top