We’re about halfway through the first season of Boardwalk Empire and I feel like things are really beginning to move, at least for some of the characters. There was certainly some upward momentum for both Jimmy and Margaret in this episode. Margaret’s relationship with Nucky took some large steps and Jimmy was busy increasing his clout in Chicago.
I have to say I’m a little surprised at the pace at which Margaret and Nucky’s relationship grows. Last week’s episode ended with the two of them finally making a physical connection after teasing it for weeks. This week, the pair practically moved in together as Margaret took up Nucky’s offer to become a “kept woman,” including a fancy new flat for her family. I didn’t think that Margaret was going to want such a big change in her life so soon. At the very least I thought her involvement in the Temperance League and her apparent morals were going to make it a more difficult decision. Ironic that it was standing up to the she-devil Lucy that pushed her over the edge.
At first the situation seemed just too good to be true, and as is true with most things, it was. By the end of the episode Margaret realized that it was not just Lucy she was competing with for Nucky’s affections. Instead, there is a harem of “concubines,” as one of Nucky’s other ladies put it, in the same situation as Margaret. To be frank, I’m growing concerned for Margaret. Instead of growing less infatuated with Nucky, all the competition seems to be driving her further in love with him. I definitely got the sense that she is going to cease her shudder-worthy contraception and begin trying to get pregnant to force herself closer to Nucky. Am I alone here?
Then there is Jimmy, who really stepped up his game in this episode in Chicago. He’s really beginning to make a name for himself, helping Johnny Torrio take over the Greek Town section of Chicago. It was bloody and shockingly violent, and helped to solidify Jimmy as the worst kind of gangster in my mind. I am enjoying the “friendship” between Jimmy and Al Capone. At this point things are getting a little tense as Jimmy continue to outshine the future mob boss. I have a feeling there is going to be an explosive confrontation between the two before all is said and done.
It strikes me that there are a lot of creeps on this show. Lucy continues to get creepier and creepier, physically lashing out at Nucky in a disturbing impression of a tigress. Then there was the confrontation with Margaret in the store on the boardwalk. After finding out that Nucky has a whole harem of women at his disposal, I have to wonder if Lucy is just particularly threatened by Margaret, or if she is unaware of how many women Nucky has. I’m guessing it’s the former.
Lucy may be creepy, but I think the creepiest person on the show has to be Van Alden. He was weird and clearly unhinged through the first five episode, but he really let his freak flag fly in tonight’s episode. His issues clearly run deeper than we have previously seen and it was downright troubling watching him whip himself with his belt (and it was clearly not the first time) while admiring a photograph of a young Margaret.
It seems like things are being set up nicely for some dramatic confrontations: Nucky and Margaret, Al and Jimmy, Van Alden and Margaret. It’s going to get interesting, folks.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 24, 2010 @ 22:05 EST5EDT
Yes, Margaret’s confrontation with that creature did push her over the edge. But indulging her pride has certainly cost her much and will continue to cost her in ways she can not yet imagine.
I really hope she stops the lysol treatments! It’s not as if that stuff is organic! If she does concieve, Nucky WILL fall madly in love with her, but things will only get worse. I feel terrible for her. Van Alden knows all about her pre-marital miscarriage and I think it’s safe to assume Margaret is in serious danger from him.
To be fair, I don’t think the harem was Nucky’s. My formulation is that all the powerful men in town have women kept on the block.
Tonight was really the first night I liked Jimmy. Nice plan. I’m thinking that Nucky and Jimmy’s mom are siblings…..? Could I be correct, I wonder?
I could see Nucky being Jimmy’s uncle, but I would be a little surprised that we haven’t gotten any hints about it yet, especially considering how close Nucky keeps his brother to him. My theory is that she was another woman that Nucky took care of. I’m figuring Jimmy’s father left or was gone for some extended period of time, leaving Nucky as his only father figure. I think this is also why Jimmy freaked out so much seeing his son so comfortable with that couple down on the Boardwalk who his wife befriended while he was away at war.
As for the harem, I’m still thinking Nucky controls it. The other woman refered to a “he” when talking with Margaret, and then we saw Nucky with her later in the episode.
I don’t think that was the same woman. I’ll have to go back and see.
Yeah, I’m not 100% sure it was the same woman, either, but even it wasn’t, there was still ANOTHER woman with Nucky, which is sort of my point. He has a large number of women just waiting for a phone call, me’thinks.
Oh he won’t turn anything down, I’m sure.
There’s only one way Margaret and Nucky can be together (in a meaningful way) in my opinion. Nucky would have to be pushed out by the new breed and he and Margaret could move away to start fresh. Poor, but decidedly more virtuous is the only way that I can see.
In the first episode I thought Jimmy was the most annoying character on the whole show and that Nucky, while a gangster, was still a likable and slightly good human being. 6 episodes later I’m starting to like Jimmy. Shame that if there is a confrontation between him and Capone he is basically screwed considering how things turn out for Capone historically. Nucky meanwhile is beginning to lose his likability in this episode and is on his way to powerful monster status. Margaret is going to have to do some more scheming to get a more legitimate relationship out of him and I hope she does. I know it will be bad for her in the long run, but any reason to kick Lucy out of the picture (and show) is worth it. Creepy doesn’t do a good enough job describing her. Psycho b***h who is an inch from boiling bunnies is more accurate.
And now we know how Van Alden stays celibate. He self-whips the sin out of him like that albino monk from The DaVinchi Code.