Boardwalk Empire Recap: Promises, Promises

Chalky keeps presenting his very strong case that they need something in that space quickly because they’re losing money and no one wants to be reminded of the explosion, but Nucky thinks there’s a “dividing line.” Chalky is certain that it can be moved but Nucky tries to shut him down with he has other things on his mind. Chalky doesn’t think that’s a problem because all Nucky has to do is say yes and he’ll handle everything but Nucky treats him like a naughty child and says that he’s told Chalky how it is, why is that so hard to understand. Wow, dick. Chalky looks like he agrees but he has good impulse control. Instead, he buttons up his jacket and leaves with a foreboding “You ain’t the only one be thinking.”

Note to self: the first time wasn’t from the concussion.

Capone’s eating pie and lecturing Nelson on poaching his territory. Nelson tries to explain but Capone thinks this is a move by O’Banion, since Nelson was his “muscle.” Nelson denies knowing O’Banion all that well, that the meeting was just an unusual circumstance. Capone thinks it’s also an unusual circumstance that someone who works for O’Banion was selling “whiskey” on his turf.

Nelson admits that he was selling on his own. Al gets a frisky look in his eye as he keeps eating that pie and asks Nelson what O’Banion’s like to work for. He has his “peccadilloes.” Then Capone asks what he’s going to do with “George.” One of Capone’s goons says he has some ideas and Nelson’s so freaked that he starts quoting the Bible verse about Job and eschewing evil like he’s speaking in tongues. Capone’s all “the hell?” but Nelson asks for his mercy since Nelson’s providing for his family.

Al stabs his fork at Nelson’s cheek and tells him he failed to eschew evil five blocks into Capone’s territory and that Nelson’s going to have to pay him back. Nelson’s all “THE FUCK??!??!?” and bugging out one eye so he looks even more like a cartoon but agrees. With that out of the way, Capone decides to share his blueberry pie with Nelson as Nelson tells him everything he knows about O’Banion’s operation.

How did he do that?

Means slips into Jess’s bedroom, gun drawn. As he slowly moves the covers from a figure that is clearly way too small to be Smith, Jess comes out of the bathroom in his pajamas and also with a gun drawn. Because such is the way with hysterics. And I would love to recap that scene, but really, Means is working double time on explaining why he’s carrying the gun that I’ll just let Stephen Root and Ed Jewett play it out:

I could listen to Stephen Root double talk his way out of the situation by saying “Why is it unsheathed, you may ask?” on continuous loop. I still felt bad for Jess when he realized that Daugherty, someone he clearly saw as a good friend, or more, would pay Means to kill him, and he began sobbing while holding Means at gunpoint. And then I felt even worse when my take away from the aftermath of his suicide was to be equal parts horrified and amused at Stephen Root’s 15 WTF faces in three seconds before he grabs his gun and walks out the door. That’s Boardwalk Empire for you.