Boardwalk Empire Recap: Promises, Promises

Katy’s not letting it go so she asks Owen if Nucky knows his wife “fancies the help.” (Heh.) But Owen keeps telling the same lie that he’s just doing his job and Katy needs to rid herself of these foolish notions (of the truth). Once again, Katy’s the most mature and level-headed one in this group (I know, low bar) and tells him to prove her a fool then. Owen just lies that he will, at the altar, and Katy forgets that she’s the smarter, better one in that relationship and gets all gooey when he kisses her goodbye. Oh, Katy. So close.

I’m not stupid, Owen…oh wait…you want to marry me? Never mind.

Jump cut to Owen arriving at Nucky’s suite and Margaret being a little too pleased to see him. Owen thinks she’s alone but when he reaches the sitting room, Eddie’s there, too. Margaret’s all sassy and asking why Owen’s being so skittish until Owen says it’s Katy’s birthday and he doesn’t know what to give her. Margaret offers to help him decide while Eddie brings the car around. Then Eddie side-eyes Owen as they pass in the doorway.

Owen tells Margaret she shouldn’t toy with Eddie like that because he sees more than she thinks. She thinks they’ve been so discrete, banging in the greenhouse where the kids and Cornelia could see, or in the car in broad daylight where the stableman and passersby could see, and of course, Mason got that diaphragm for her, that no one could possibly have been found out. And besides, they’ll be gone soon enough.

Owen brings down the room that they need to work out a real plan so Nucky never finds out. Margaret leaves first and Owen will leave a month, six weeks later. Margaret doesn’t understand why so long, but did she forget who Nucky is? Regardless, Owen reminds her that if they leave too close together Nucky will know and he’ll never forget.

This is totally going to work, I promise.

Margaret decides to act like a lovesick school girl and asks Owen what St. Louis is like and if they’ll like it because in all likelihood they’ve got a good year or so before she gets bored and starts sniffing around for her new sugar daddy and she wants to know that St. Louis can keep her in the lifestyle to which she’s become accustomed. Or something like that because, let’s face it, Margaret’s pretty capricious for a practical woman. Then she asks about Katy, the maid she used to treat like shit because Owen liked her, and he admits that one morning he’ll just leave and never come back. He’s dreamy.

Nucky’s motley little crew of himself, Eli and Mickey are joined in his office by Sawicki who’s reciting the condensed version of the longest palindrome, “A man, a plan…a canal, Panama.” Eli doesn’t like that book l’arnin so he flicks some ash and asks Sawicki what he’s going on about. Sawicki tells him it’s a palindrome. Nucky explains that it’s a word or phrase that’s the same forwards or backwards and Sawicki kindly gives “Mom” as an example. Nucky gives “imbecile” as a counter-example and Sawicki has to spell it out in his head before pointing out that’s wrong. Heh. Nucky’s still irritable from his concussion so he barks at Mickey to find out where the fuck Owen is.

I used to be the stupid one of this crew.
I know.