Boardwalk Empire Recap: Listen to Eli

Charlie walks into his sit down with Masseria, and I just have to be honest. Here’s where using real life gangsters who have set points in history that can’t be fudged with pulls down the NYC storylines. We all know Lucky Luciano lives long after 1923. So there’s no real suspense to this scene. Even when Charlie sits next to the window. So the upshot of this meeting, other than some more anti-Semitism, is that Masseria wants a cut of their heroin business. 30% inside his territory. Which is a bit over the 5% Meyer was willing to accept. Charlie confirms his loyalty to Lansky and Rothstein and says he needs to discuss it with them, so Masseria threatens that when he gets stabbed in the back by his “partners” Masseria’s offer is going to look cheap. But again, I can Wikipedia what happened to all four men so, no suspense there.

Of course, here’s where casting the delightful Michael Stuhlbarg lifts the NYC storyline:

He’s on the phone and being aggressively cheerful with Mickey, wondering why the hell he’s even having to call about his liquor since Nucky promised prompt delivery. Rothstein’s getting progressively aggravated and pointing out that Nucky’s become completely incommunicado with him, what with his freakout over Dream Baby Jimmy and now being trapped in some rathole cellar with no cell reception. But Rothstein wants his delivery. He wants it now. And he never, ever, wants to find himself chatting with Mickey ever again because he remembers working with Mickey in the first season.

Mickey comes back into the warehouse whining about Rothstein and Eli wants to know what Mickey plans to do. Make the delivery, like Nucky and Rothstein expect. Eli tries to talk sense into Mickey by calling him a fucking idiot and reminding him that Nucky said to avoid Tabor Heights. Mickey just wants to find the path of least resistance. Eli tries one last, sincere time to get Mickey not to do this but Mickey glibly says he isn’t…they are and I totally missed that anvil that almost fell on his head because they’ve been telegraphing this doom all episode. Mickey won’t budge with Eli but he’s not nearly as stupid as he pretends so he pulls aside Richard new ginger friend and tells him to go straight through to NYC, only stop in Tabor Heights long enough to gas up, then go.

Al’s bellied up to the bar at the seedy speak where Joe beat up Jake and he’s practically vibrating with rage. Joe saunters in like he owns the place but as soon as he orders his drink Al’s shoving the extra between them out of the way so he can rain holy hell down on Joe, beating him, then kicking him then, finally, finishing him off with a bar stool to the head before throwing money around, saying “here pay for his funeral.” That was…graphic.

A round! For all my friends!