Boardwalk Empire – Margaret gets a taste of power

Well, Mrs. Schroeder, how does that fancy blue dress look splattered in blood? The ending of this episode was probably my favorite moment of Boardwalk Empire to date. The image of that expensive blue dress, the one Margaret had just been handed as a “gift,” splattered with real and symbolic blood. For some time now Margaret has been my favorite character on the show, and this episode cemented that status even more. She is a complicated woman, and a great character to watch.

It was fun watching her get a little taste of power in this episode, finding out how easy it is to manipulate the great and powerful Nucky to get whatever she wants. I don’t think she really cared one way or the other about Madame Jeunet’s boutique. I’m pretty well convinced she just took the whole situation as an opportunity to test the limits of her own power, and I think she may have liked it a little too much. I have to admit that I was a little surprised when she refused the gifts for her daughter and instead insisted on something for herself. With that dress ending up splattered in blood at the end of the episode, I have to wonder if she is going to realize either the danger that she has put herself in or the symbolic blood that went into her acquiring that garment.

While Margaret may just be discovering how much power she has at her disposal, it seems like Nucky is learning the limits of his. The D’Alessio brothers very nearly got to him, and if it were not for a little luck, he would have been dead right then and there on his boardwalk. It seems like the New York contingent continues to consistently come out on the winning end of these mob games. I’m very curious to see how Nucky will respond. I feel like I’ve been saying that for weeks now, but the fact is that he really hasn’t responded yet.

With Jimmy back in town that may be about to change, but the prodigal son has a bunch of his own issues to take care of first. Before he can help Nucky out, it looks like Nucky will be helping him out. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one figuring there was no way the witness was going to see the end of the episode alive, and indeed, he didn’t. I hadn’t really suspected agent Sebso of working for Nucky, but I should have, with the obvious hiding of evidence. Van Alden should have seen it coming too, but it’s a testament to his own failures and obsessions that Sebso could come up with a believable excuse.

As I was watching Jimmy strutting around in his fancy suit in this episode I wondered to myself if this show isn’t moving too fast. Granted, for the most part this season has seemed like a fairly slow build, but I can’t help looking at Jimmy and still thinking of the stupid, impetuous guy from the first couple episodes. Are we supposed to be believing him as this weathered veteran hitter now? Are we really supposed to buy his moral superiority as he talked to Nucky about the hits on the D’Alessios? I think the episode pretty much proved that he is still a rube that needs Nucky more than the other way around, but we’ll see as the season continues.

Clacked by Bob Degon
on Nov 15, 2010 @ 19:24 EST5EDT