Last Night on Boardwalk Empire: 'I'm Not God'
During the pilot of Boardwalk Empire, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) looked at premature baby in an incubator with a longing reserved for the childless. The takeaway of the scene was to wordlessly show that Atlantic City's most corrupt treasurer has a baby-sized hole in his heart that needs filling. That hole helps explain Nucky's relationships with his surrogate children, Jimmy and Margaret, and how they could wind up being the downfall of both his professional and personal life. Of course, the incubator scene also has another reading: Boardwalk Empire arrived with premature hype, and so far that early birth has permanently stunted its growth.
I've taken some flack here for complaining about Boardwalk Empire through two episodes. If you don't like it, why do you recap it? I don't particularly have an answer to that random italicized question, other than to say that something keeps drawing me back. Whether that's the hope for something better or the fact that part of me is enjoying what has played like a prestige version of Mobsters is uncertain. But here I am, and here's episode three: "Broadway Limited."
Consider this episode a closing iris upon the life of Nucky Thompson; as the smack-you-over-the-head final scene showed, the Nuckster is trekking mud into his ivory tower. By aligning himself with Chalky White, Nucky has alienated the Philadelphia mob and could start a race war; by aligning himself with Jimmy, Nucky's facing a Federal investigation and a coming war with Arnold Rothstein; and by aligning himself with Margaret, Nucky's at risk of losing Lucy.
Of the three twisting knots, the Lucy-Margaret-Nucky triangle is the one with lowest stakes; his "decision" is the Madonna/Whore Complex on comical steroids. To wit: As played by Kelly MacDonald, Margaret is tender, loving, chaste and ready-made for saving; as played by Paz de la Huerta, Lucy is naked, naked and naked. If Nucky's bored reaction to Lucy's oral sexcapdes is any indication, she won't be around much longer.
As for Chalky, he's proving to be a worthy associate for Nucky. Not only does he know more curses than Nucky (see: "Motherf***er"), but he's also even more business oriented. Whereas Nucky has let his relationships get in the way of how he's handled his transition into underworld boss, Chalky has not. Even the tragic lynching of his driver is an opportunity: "50 percent," Chalky says through tears and gritted teeth. The more the series concentrates on him (and the wonderful Michael K. Williams, who stole "Broadway Limited" in a way that would make Omar Little proud), the better.
Which brings us to Jimmy. I had wondered why Michael Pitt wasn't the focal point of the series -- wondered why Pitt wasn't front and center in the marketing campaign (it's not like Steve Buscemi is an A-lister either) -- and it appears I've gotten my answer: He's simply not long for this world. With both the Feds and the New York mob gunning for him, it seems impossible at best, and irresponsible at worst, to imagine him surviving past season one. Either Terence Winter has painted himself into one crazy corner that will take an unbelievable Deus ex Machina to sort out, or he's signed Jimmy's death certificate. Either way, though, the handling of Jimmy (and Pitt) has been Boardwalk Empire's biggest downfall. This is the character that needed to be our audience surrogate; instead he's on a train to Chicago to hook up with Al Capone and keep that section of the story involved until the bloody season finale that brings everything to a head. It's...fine, but it feels all too obvious. Watching Jimmy fight his own demons would have been more fun than watching him dodge bullets.
Alas, there I go again, complaining about what Boardwalk Empire is not. So, let's end on a happier note and leave it to the commenters: "Broadway Limited" was the best episode yet. That it still didn't get me nearly as excited as a boring episode of The Sopranos, is neither here nor there; this was progress. Before we all get on that train to Chicago, three bullets for contemplation.
· The title of this post comes from a conversation that Nucky had with Gillian (Gretchen Mol), wherein she reveals that she's Jimmy's mother. OK, then! For the record, I don't think Jimmy's father is Nucky. (See: the baby incubators.)
· That was Max Casella as the Philadelphia mobster who was probably behind the lynching of Chalky's driver. You might remember him from The Sopranos, but he'll always be Vinnie from Doogie Howser, M.D. to me.
· Michael Shannon's Nelson Van Alden went without mention in the recap this week, but if he isn't completely owning every scene he's in, then I don't know the definition of owning. I'd watch The Van Alden Diaries every week if that show existed. Just sayin'.
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Comments
I really hope the writers don't go there with Nucky and Margret. I do hope they continue to develop Lucy and Margret as complex characters and not keep them in the virtuous and vixen pigeon holes.
Also I'm glad you actually critiqued the episode Christopher, there is no need to slap and infant around for not being able to walk yet. The truth is I was prepared to dislike this show because I usually hate gangster moves and shows but the race relations and female characters are drawing me in somewhat, and little tidbits like seeing Lucky Luciano get treated for The Clap and the historical reference to "motherf*cher". Maybe the reason I gave it a chance was knowing people were going to bash it as inferior to The Sopranos and Mad Men and I always like rooting for the underdog.
I'm totally on board with Kelly MacDonald becoming the main love interest, if only because it would mean she gets more screentime (I'm totally over Paz de la Huerta, her excessive nudity aside), but you're right: It wouldn't be great for the story.
Glad you enjoyed this one SaltySue. See you next week?
Well Paz seems like an exhibitionist so I think she's completely on board with the nudity, and she has a nice body so I won't complain. As long as they don't have excessive and unnecessary female nudity then I'm fine with just Paz. Her character and performance is hit or miss per episode. The first two episodes I wanted to punch her in every scene she was in. I couldn't figure out if she is just a bad actress or if the character was written horribly, but this episode she won me over. She isn't the brightest bulb, and I think she knows this so she uses her body to keep people's/Nucky's interest, that is why she kept taking swings at Margaret in the dressing room, trying to make her feel insecure. I think she wants to be taken more seriously hence her asking Nucky if he wants her to have his baby. I'm not sure where they are going with the Margaret character, having her and Nucky get together would be too cliche, but I hope they dig up something interesting for her.
I'm not sure why people have been so quick to criticize Boardwalk Empire. The funny thing is the MM fans who do it probably weren't watching MM during it's first episodes (or season) either. I know I channel surfed through the first season of MM, it didn't completely catch my attention until the second season. I wonder if back in 2007 they would've been saying This show is boring and doesn't hold a candle to The Sopranos.
Am I the only one who hates that Gretchen Mol was cast as Jimmy's mother. She's only 9 years older than him but looks like she she is around the same age as him. I cringe every time she comes on screen. I just hope these women don't turn into The Real Housewives of Gangsters", that has been done countless times before, I want the female characters to be more than cliches.
Besides that I hope they do something interesting with Jimmy quick because he is really losing my interest. Maybe they should have him juggle this gangster "career" with him going back to college, or holding down a resectable job. It doesn't have to be soon but at least by the end of the season.
And forget Nucky, I want Margaret and Nelson to get together, I hope the writers go there. And I'm not sure why you didn't mention him Chris, because along with Luciano's "treatment" the Yiddish mouthing off he got were the two best scenes this episode.
Hey, sorry guys for encroaching, maybe this doesn't exactly fit here, this isn't just a comment about this programme, it just made me think of things I keep coming across in films, shows, and the media.
I think male nudity (especially full frontal) should be shown more. It's ridiculous when you watch most films, and programmes, which contain nudity, showing only one gender, and when they do show any naked part of a male everyone goes ballistic. They show tons of female frontal nudity in a film but when they show a couple quick glimpses of a man the media, and viewers, go nuts. I understand that it's probably because we are not used to it but I think it really needs to change. We should show both..
How come it's okay to show so much violence but people can't seem to handle male nudity... I don't want nudity just for the sake of it but if it makes sense for the story then why not? It seems still so bias, especially in the US. I've watched foreign films with both genders' nudity shown, though still showing the women more often, and for longer, than the men - and the men get shown very quickly - but it is usually shown in a thoughtful way that I don't think twice about it, it just makes sense to the story. A lot of films/programmes shown, especially in the States, seem to be just trying to get ratings (I'm not saying that this show is, just mean in general) and it doesn't feel right..
I really do think we need to get over this disgust, uncomfortableness, shyness, or whatever the reason is and show men completely naked more often and longer than a quick glimpse. I do see that things are changing (at a very slow miniscule pace) but there is so much negative debate over it. I just wanted to write that not everyone dislikes seeing naked men and not everyone enjoys seeing naked women. 😉 But, both should be shown, and shouldn't be so much resistance to it..
She has adopted impoverished children and given them a life they would never
have dreamed of. When you look at well-done crime stories that have been adapted from graphic novel to film, like what Sam Mendes did with Road to Perdition and David
Cronenberg did with A History of Violence, Shawn, Grey and I want
THE REN to be just as cinematic in feel and engrossing as
an experience. The International Astronomical Union will take the opportunity over the next two conventions
to address whether the time has come to simply use numerical
definitions for newly discovered bodies.