I thought I knew where Boardwalk Empire was heading for the end of the season, but after this week’s episode and the previews for next week, it looks like I was wrong. I was figuring things were leading up to a confrontation between Nucky and Rothstein, but my current thinking is that the show is going to let that rivalry stew for quite some time. Instead, it looks like the show is going to be focusing on the character conflicts that have been happening all season long. Frankly, I find them to be a whole lot more interesting than the warring gangsters anyway (if you can even call it a war at this point), so I’m not complaining.
The writers have made Margaret such a strong, fearless character that it’s almost hard to believe that she was such a victim in her own marriage. Sure, her husband beat her up, but I have to think he was still less scary than Nucky, and Margaret certainly has no problem standing up to him. That seems to be the thing with Nucky, though. He’s not the most intimidating of gangsters, regardless of the underhanded and criminal things he is capable of. He is much more a politician (a completely crooked politician, yes) than a gangster. In contrast with Capone and Luciano who are power hungry thugs, Nucky is always the gentleman, even getting offended by Margaret’s foul language. I think I was expecting something different from the character. He leaves just about all the dirty work to his underlings. In any case, he and Margaret seem to have had quite the falling out, with confrontations on both sides, that eventually led to her moving out of the suite. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens between them now. Will they reconcile? Will Nucky be forced to take action to keep Margaret quiet about her dead husband, and all the other things she knows?
Hopefully Margaret will not be running toward Van Alden with all the information she has, because that dude is a grade-A nutjob. This isn’t really news, but he was definitely crazier than we had ever seen him in this episode. He is obviously a man filled with hate. Unfortunately for Agent Sebso, all of that hate seemed to focus in on him, even if Nelson was just redirecting it from his own self loathing after his sin binge last week. I think it was clear that Van Alden was struggling inwardly with his sinful actions. For such a devout man, a fall off the wagon like he took was almost certainly going to have a big effect on him, and it did. That’s not to say Sebso was innocent in all of this, he did double cross the government, take money from Nucky, and kill the witness in Jimmy’s case in cold blood. Even with all those dirty deeds under his belt, I don’t think the poor man deserved to be drowned, and I certainly don’t think it was the divine retribution that Nelson claimed it to be in one of the more disturbing acts of violence in the series to date (and it wasn’t even doled out by one of the gangsters). At this point he is nothing short of delusional, and incredibly dangerous. Stay away from him, Margaret.
It seems so obvious now that Jimmy’s father would turn out to be the commodore. It makes perfect sense, really. It explains why Nucky took such an interest in the boy. He was working for the commodore at the time, and more than that the man is his mentor. It also makes sense as to why Jimmy would never have had much contact with his father. In such a high profile position, the commodore never could have admitted that the boy was his, especially when his mother was only thirteen (thirteen!) when she became pregnant. It seems like Jimmy believes that his mother was poisoning the man, but I’m not quite so sure. Would she really be in line to get a lot of his money? We haven’t even seen them together before tonight; has she had ample opportunity to do it? We’ll get answers next week.
Jimmy is going to have some additional business to take care of next week, as he discovered Angela’s plan to flee to Paris with Tommy, even if the plan never came to be. She was clearly shaken when Jimmy left her, afraid of what he is planning to do to her. I’m not quite sure what Jimmy is capable of in this regard. We’ve seen him turn to violence in the matter before (beating the tar out of the photographer on the boardwalk), but it hasn’t really been pointed toward Angela. Although, he was talking with Tommy about the future being “just the boys.” Would he really kill her? Or is he just planning on getting her out of the picture?
There are so many questions as we head into next week’s finale. I think it’s going to be a doozy.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Nov 29, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
Margaret is hiding much. Could it have been her that stole the harlot’s money from beneath the floorboards? She certainly could not move anywhere flat broke could she? I hope we learn some of her secrets.
Oh Sebso, don’t go near the water!! I thought Van Alden would drown him at the first baptism. I was thinking last night – both Van Alden and Sebso are murderers but I would not ever be afraid of Sebso around. He could at least be reasoned with or bought, but Van Alden, *shivers* is seriously demented and you can’t reason with, or buy a madman.
Jimmy “I’m what time and circumstance has made me” (great line!) had so much going on this week. He is a study in understated power. The scene outing his mom with no judgement for the poison was great, as was his non confrontation, confrontation with Angela. I doubt he’ll hurt her. Look at the respect he has for his mother. Men who dearly love their mamas rarely hit other women.
Great drama.
Is it bad that I hope Van Alden uses his “I am God’s messenger” complex against Lucy next? After all she drove him from the path of chastity. Margaret I think is too creeped out by Van Alden’s last visit to go to him, but there are plenty of other people she can go to and cause damage.
I think Eli isn’t just going to lose his job. I don’t think he is surviving the season.
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! (Just in case.)
I think that Jillian was not poisoning the Commodore but the maid was doing it. Jillian may have become aware of what the maid was doing (some kind of way) and decided to not stop it. But Jillian made sure that the maid was fully aware that she had been caught trying to commit murder. She is a crafty one.
Jimmy just threw out that allegation to his mother. That was it because the show went onto another segment.
I love Margaret and Nucky together too.
Did anyone else find it quite interesting that Margaret told Nucky that Van Alden informed her of he having her husband killed? Opened so many useful doors for later. Nucky will probably be the one who finds out that Van Alden committed murder too. Recall in an earlier episode Van Alden saying that “the coloreds love Nucky Thompson”?
I love Richard Harrow. He seems to starting to connect with Margaret and her children. I don’t see Margaret getting involved with Van Alden but Nucky might have to vie for her affections with Richard.
Margaret probably is used to being abused, taken advantage of relationships in previous relationships (even before marrying that abusive hubby). I’m just guessing but maybe by a man in her home country? Anyone recall reading while Van Alden was looking over her passport to America that she arrived not only pregnant at 16 years old but also with a STD?
Van Alden’s wife couldn’t get pregnant but wouldn’t it be interesting if Lucy did get pregnant? Any way there seems to be some molestation in Lucy’s past. Constantly calling lovers “daddy” is creepy.