What happened?
Following the robbery, Nucky has now become the focus of interest for the authorities. He detaches himself from dealings with Jimmy, who in turn has to find the money he owes Nucky for what he did. Jimmy is rebuffed by Al Capone and so ends up pawning the jewellery he bought for his mother, only to watch Nucky squander the lot. Meanwhile Rothstein in New York wants the money he feels he is owed, but Nucky plays tough and sets up a line over Atlantic City that he dares him to cross. The episode ends with a stumbling appearance of a wounded member of the gang that were robbed, that Jimmy thought was dead. . .
Thoughts
Boardwalk Empire is proving difficult to warm to. From a plot point of view it doesn’t really put a foot wrong. It’s clearly got the visuals and production values to make it look the part. And yet there’s something about it – something aloof, perhaps, or something in the pacing – that really makes it difficult to get enthusiastic about. Indeed, it’s only on reflecting on the episode afterwards do I appreciate what was going on of interest; whilst it was happening I basically watched with an expectancy that something more would occur, but it didn’t seem to.
I think one of the major problems is in not quite being able to grasp precisely what is going on. I mean, 1920s Atlantic City is practically another world to here and now, and so I feel like I could do with more explanation about how things fit together and operate. Two episodes in, for example, and I still don’t really understand what Nucky is: what is his job, both in public and in the criminal fraternity. He is said to have his fingers in every pie and be the central figure to all that happens, but it’s not really clear how or why.
Another more specific example came during the scene when Jimmy went to visit a woman who was in a raunchy show. Backstage she greets him by wrapping her legs around him, and with kisses. He then gives her an expensive gift (from the robbery swag). It’s at the end of the scene did it appear to transpire that this woman was not his lover, but his mother. Rather than be a slap in the mouth surprise, instead I just frowned and wondered if I’d understood things correctly.
If it was supposed to be a surprising reveal, it got muddled. If I’ve got the wrong end of the stick, then why make it so confusing?
The main federal agent guy, Van Alden, remains a fairly obtuse fellow. He betrayed little sense of humour when he met with Nucky, and the eventual reveal that he had stolen Margaret’s ribbon showed a rather seedy, creepy element to his character. Not quite the straight, clean-cut G-man then and he definitely appears to have taken a personal dislike in Nucky to turn his full attention in nominating as the number one target.
It also seems Nucky is determined to cut Jimmy loose, but something about the relationship between the two of them tells me they are not going to stop having dealings with one another. The scene where Nucky got the money he had demanded and then blew it all on a whim at the roulette table in front of Jimmy was clearly a power display. . . Maybe, just maybe, there’s the potential that Jimmy might not align himself with Nucky at all – rather he’ll become an antagonist.
That would actually be a really good dynamic; seeing Jimmy rise to power to become a force for Nucky to concern himself about. However, for now, it seems he’s got the likes of Rothstein in New York to worry about. And Rothstein certainly seems menacing and petty enough to not allow Nucky’s unsettled debt to him go unpaid.
The last scene of the episode set up the ‘surprise’ that had been subtly signposted earlier with a dialogue exchange between Nucky and Jimmy over how many bodies had been recovered from the robbery. It has turned out that one of the men that Jimmy believed had been killed had survived, and is now set to surely get to the authorities or his gang and report what he knows.
What was the best part?
Two scenes stood out for me. The Rothstein scene, where he delivered the tale about the guy who could swallow a billiard ball. It was a nice speech, but a better performance. Rothstein has an eerie, above-it-all quality about him and is probably the most enigmatic character in the show so far. I did also like the scene where Nucky gambled away the money Jimmy had brought him; it said so much without saying a lot about who these men are to each other at this point in time. If Jimmy ever needed motivation to take Nucky down a peg then that’s the kind of spur it would take.
What do I think will happen next?
I expect that the survivor of the robbery and what he does next will have direct repercussions in the events of the next episode. If he goes to the authorities then he ought to be able to tell them something that will hasten their investigations or give them lines of enquiry that ought to see them breathing down Nucky’s neck.
Otherwise, if he goes to Rothstein, then it might be all that he needed to hear to set in motion a serious strike against Nucky. Either way, this survivor doesn’t bring good tidings for Nucky!
Following the robbery, Nucky has now become the focus of interest for the authorities. He detaches himself from dealings with Jimmy, who in turn has to find the money he owes Nucky for what he did. Jimmy is rebuffed by Al Capone and so ends up pawning the jewellery he bought for his mother, only to watch Nucky squander the lot. Meanwhile Rothstein in New York wants the money he feels he is owed, but Nucky plays tough and sets up a line over Atlantic City that he dares him to cross. The episode ends with a stumbling appearance of a wounded member of the gang that were robbed, that Jimmy thought was dead. . .
Thoughts
Boardwalk Empire is proving difficult to warm to. From a plot point of view it doesn’t really put a foot wrong. It’s clearly got the visuals and production values to make it look the part. And yet there’s something about it – something aloof, perhaps, or something in the pacing – that really makes it difficult to get enthusiastic about. Indeed, it’s only on reflecting on the episode afterwards do I appreciate what was going on of interest; whilst it was happening I basically watched with an expectancy that something more would occur, but it didn’t seem to.
I think one of the major problems is in not quite being able to grasp precisely what is going on. I mean, 1920s Atlantic City is practically another world to here and now, and so I feel like I could do with more explanation about how things fit together and operate. Two episodes in, for example, and I still don’t really understand what Nucky is: what is his job, both in public and in the criminal fraternity. He is said to have his fingers in every pie and be the central figure to all that happens, but it’s not really clear how or why.
Another more specific example came during the scene when Jimmy went to visit a woman who was in a raunchy show. Backstage she greets him by wrapping her legs around him, and with kisses. He then gives her an expensive gift (from the robbery swag). It’s at the end of the scene did it appear to transpire that this woman was not his lover, but his mother. Rather than be a slap in the mouth surprise, instead I just frowned and wondered if I’d understood things correctly.
If it was supposed to be a surprising reveal, it got muddled. If I’ve got the wrong end of the stick, then why make it so confusing?
The main federal agent guy, Van Alden, remains a fairly obtuse fellow. He betrayed little sense of humour when he met with Nucky, and the eventual reveal that he had stolen Margaret’s ribbon showed a rather seedy, creepy element to his character. Not quite the straight, clean-cut G-man then and he definitely appears to have taken a personal dislike in Nucky to turn his full attention in nominating as the number one target.
It also seems Nucky is determined to cut Jimmy loose, but something about the relationship between the two of them tells me they are not going to stop having dealings with one another. The scene where Nucky got the money he had demanded and then blew it all on a whim at the roulette table in front of Jimmy was clearly a power display. . . Maybe, just maybe, there’s the potential that Jimmy might not align himself with Nucky at all – rather he’ll become an antagonist.
That would actually be a really good dynamic; seeing Jimmy rise to power to become a force for Nucky to concern himself about. However, for now, it seems he’s got the likes of Rothstein in New York to worry about. And Rothstein certainly seems menacing and petty enough to not allow Nucky’s unsettled debt to him go unpaid.
The last scene of the episode set up the ‘surprise’ that had been subtly signposted earlier with a dialogue exchange between Nucky and Jimmy over how many bodies had been recovered from the robbery. It has turned out that one of the men that Jimmy believed had been killed had survived, and is now set to surely get to the authorities or his gang and report what he knows.
What was the best part?
Two scenes stood out for me. The Rothstein scene, where he delivered the tale about the guy who could swallow a billiard ball. It was a nice speech, but a better performance. Rothstein has an eerie, above-it-all quality about him and is probably the most enigmatic character in the show so far. I did also like the scene where Nucky gambled away the money Jimmy had brought him; it said so much without saying a lot about who these men are to each other at this point in time. If Jimmy ever needed motivation to take Nucky down a peg then that’s the kind of spur it would take.
What do I think will happen next?
I expect that the survivor of the robbery and what he does next will have direct repercussions in the events of the next episode. If he goes to the authorities then he ought to be able to tell them something that will hasten their investigations or give them lines of enquiry that ought to see them breathing down Nucky’s neck.
Otherwise, if he goes to Rothstein, then it might be all that he needed to hear to set in motion a serious strike against Nucky. Either way, this survivor doesn’t bring good tidings for Nucky!
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