Boardwalk Empire Recap: Breathe, Nucky

Chalky comes back inside and wants a private audience with Nucky. He tells Nucky that $25K is a lot of money to give him up and Nucky thinks he’s just shaking him down and offers to pay, too. If that’s what he wants to hear. Chalky says he’s not talking about himself, and he doesn’t trust anyone, not even his men.

Nucky tells Chalky he can name his price if he just gets Nucky out of AC. Chalky reminds Nucky that he did name his price. Babette’s. Nucky says he can’t give Chalky something he doesn’t own anymore, and Chalky snorts at Nucky still lying about the club. Then Chalky asks about Eddie. Nucky says he wants Eddie someplace safe and comfortable, but Chalky wonders if he has any family he can stay with. Nucky, to his credit, knows enough to be shame-faced for knowing nothing about Eddie’s private life.

Down at Gillian’s health resort, and a human’s pov shows that the goons have turned it into one very louche whorehouse. The hallway is even more trashed with half-empty whisky bottles spilling their mess all over while the statues and figurines have been reduced to clothing racks and a drunken goon plucks away atonally at that damn harp. “Barney Google” chirps on the victrola as the unseen person snakes through the sitting room while the goons are pawing at the girls who look pissed off and tired of the shenanigans.

Finally the unseen person catches up with a goon who is bare-assed and banging one of the girl’s right in the middle of the sitting room…and on a brocade sofa of all things. The unseen person is, of course, Gillian and she starts swatting the goon’s naked ass with a broom. Heh, and symbolic! He pulls out of the poor girl and covers up, offering to give Gillian a go, too. She tries to swat him again, but he takes the broom away pretty easily. Gillian gets a sick and scared look that makes me sad for her as she threatens to tell Gyp. The goon thinks it’s funny and tells the room so all the men can laugh at her, too.

You won’t like her when she’s angry.

Gillian storms off and heads straight to Tommy’s room, which is locked as she asked. Inside she sees that Richard is dressing Tommy to go out. He says it’s for a walk around the grounds but Gillian turns to Tommy and asks him to tell her, but to tell the truth. A quick look up to Richard, and Tommy says they’re going to Julia’s.

Gillian tenses up and asks Richard if that’s her name. Richard says yes, and Gillian starts off saying it’s a pretty name for a pretty girl then boomerangs to “She doesn’t look blind. In the photograph.” Ouch, bitch. You make it hard to defend you sometimes because that’s just mean. Richard gets peeved and says it’s his life, and she has no right. Gillian thinks she has some power over him, so she ignores Richard to focus on Tommy, and give herself a pep talk that even though it’s no fun to be stuck inside, sometimes you have to put up with things you don’t like…to get what you want. Yes, because life is all about tolerating bullshit and manipulating what you can out of people. Good life lesson, Gillian Dearest.

You won’t like him when he’s angry.