Boardwalk Empire Recap: Listen to Eli

He jumps in his car to try once more to head them off but his engine stalls long enough for him to hear all the gunshots.

Someone needs a calming manatee.

Meanwhile, over in Tabor Heights the goons and the deputies are kicking around the crew making sure they’re all dead and picking over their bodies to loot their money, except for the guy who takes an empty wallet because he needs a new one. Gyp and his main goon come walking up to survey the carnage and discuss how to divvy up the waitresses. Even without the funereal drum that scene was horrible.

Sonny’s sleeping and Al comes in his room. He brought home the mandolin. Calling back to the second season where he told Jimmy he sings to Sonny by letting the boy feel his neck for the vibrations, he wakes the boy and they sit there while Al sings “My Buddy.” Aw, this would be so sweet if I didn’t just watch him beat a man to death.

Okay, this is sweet.

As Al continues to sing we get a short montage. Nucky’s walking back to the Ritz and looking beat when Eli calls out to him. Nucky’s confused but decides not to shoot his brother where there might be witnesses. Margaret’s reading the paper and we learn that Carrie Duncan didn’t complete her flight. Her plane crashed and the search team found the wreckage.

Eli walks up to Nucky telling him they need to talk. Nucky’s still refusing to budge but Eli’s somber and says it’s something he needs to hear. As the brothers walk off, Al reaches the following verse:

Miss your voice.
The touch of your hand.
Just long to know
That you understand.
My buddy, my buddy…
Your buddy misses you.

Such a gentle, even bittersweet end to a brutal episode. And Stephen Graham is awful for making me think Al’s just misunderstood. I don’t like “feeling” for Al Capone. The cast keeps upping their performances this year with someone else running away with the episode every week. Hell, I’ll admit that I even felt a pang of sympathy for Owen when he thought he and Nucky reached an agreement and had Nucky so brutally remind him who’s boss.

On a lighter note, though, congratulations are in order for Jack Huston and his girlfriend Shannan Click. Richard’s going to be a dad!

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