Nucky continued to strike back against the conspiracy to bring him down this week on Boardwalk Empire. The conspiracy itself seems to be on the ropes, as Nucky (and fate) dealt a couple blows to its integrity. There was the literal explosion that rocked Doyle’s storehouse and Nucky’s clever manipulation of the legal system. Hopefully this was not a misstep on Nucky’s part. On the surface, it certainly looks like he has gotten himself into bigger trouble. Hopefully the attorney general will be able to help Nucky out of the situation. The biggest blow to the conspiracy, however, may have come with the presumed stroke suffered by the commodore.
I think what stood out most in this episode, however, was the abundance of great character moments. In particular, I enjoyed seeing the deepening relationship between Harrow and Angela. It was certainly a very intimate moment when Harrow removed his mask and Angela sketched his face. It was so intimate, I was almost expecting Jimmy to grow angry or jealous when he came home and discovered them. He didn’t see exactly what was happening, though. Would he have realized the moment that the two were sharing had he seen it all? I’m not so sure. I am curious to see how things develop between Angela and Harrow.
I have been hoping for more and more of Chalky White (and the fantastic Michael Kenneth Williams) with each passing episode and it seems like the character has been more in focus in the second season. This week gave a whole new look at the character as we got a peak into his family life. Obviously, White is under an extreme amount of pressure. He is the leader of his community, taking care of all the problems that come his way, but for some it’s simply not enough. His problems don’t end there, though. To see him feel so out of place in his own home is heartbreaking. Embarrassed over his lack of education and feeling like he is in a lower class than his own wife and children he was relegated to angry whittling in the back shed during the introduction to his daughter’s suitor. We all know what angry whittling leads to….
Then there was Gillian and the commodore at the end of the episode. It was a powerful scene, and one that certainly put Gillian’s character in a new light. I suppose it gave a little more color to the commodore as well. I think we, as the audience, have always realized that he wasn’t exactly an upstanding citizen, but it seems as though the more we learn about him, the badder her looks. Perhaps his cook had good reason to be poisoning him last season. There’s a lot more to Gillian than meets the eye. It was great to see her rallying the troops, showing that she is far more than just Jimmy’s mother.
Margaret continues to be an enigma. There is so much more to her than we know yet, and I can’t wait to find out exactly what her complete backstory is. What is the situation with her and her family? What, exactly is she capable of? It seems like she is cunning and willing to do just about anything for her family and herself. I love that there is still a lot of mystery surrounding her, and that she is full of human flaws. She remains my favorite character.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 16, 2011 @ 22:03 EST5EDT
