Boardwalk Empire Recap: Promises, Promises

Margaret’s putting the children to bed and singing “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” an incongruous love song about lips that once were hers and tender eyes that shine will guide her way tonight, and that’s much, MUCH, better foreshadowing. Teddy’s still awake when she finishes and Margaret actually manages a sweet moment with the boy who wants her to sing it again. Teddy stops her and asks when they’ll go home because Emily misses their room and there’s no kitchen in the suite.

Margaret gets another look in her eye as she tells Teddy the truth that it won’t be much longer and they’ll soon start on new adventures, but Nucky interrupts her moment by telling the boy that as soon as “the repairs are done on the house” they can go home. Margaret turns off the light and promises the boy she’ll be in later then walks past Nucky making sure to turn her back to him on the way out. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Nucky, but he seems melancholy about it.

We briefly remember why we originally liked Margaret.

Richard and Julia are sitting by a fire on the beach. If body language means anything, Richard’s relaxed around Julia as he leans into her but she’s still a little closed off to him when she asks if anyone was waiting for him back home during the war. Jenny Hastings. They used to ride horses together. She wrote and knit him a scarf but eventually married his cousin while he was in France. Ouch.

Julia relaxes a little and tells Richard about her failed relationship when she was 20. He was 32 and a widower with three children (sexy). They discussed getting married but then her brother died and her father went off the rails and her beau married someone else. Now they have three more children and she’s on her way to spinsterhood while taking care of Paul.

Richard just looks at her, awkwardly, then says he wishes he could kiss her. Julia, who’s clearly always been someone’s caretaker, doesn’t have a moment of hesitation as strokes his cheek then leans in for the kiss.

OMG…THE FEELS…THE FEEEEEELS.

Nucky’s in his office playing some little board game when Eddie comes in. Chalky’s there. Nucky puts his little game away as Chalky comes in, asking Nucky if he knows who Chalky is tonight since he had some trouble the last time. Nucky’s still irritable from the concussion and just wants to get down to Chalky’s business. It’s a legitimate business venture. Open a Harlem Renaissance style club where Babette’s used to be. He has money and connections to the circuit so he could bring in the acts.

Nucky’s hesitant to open a black club on the boardwalk but Chalky says the acts will be black, but the house will still be white. Tells Nucky’s it’s a big success in Harlem. Nucky doesn’t think AC is Harlem but Chalky doesn’t think it’s Japan, either, and Chalky thinks he has a great idea to fill both the literal and figurative hole where Babette’s used to be. He wants to provide elegant, sophisticated and modern entertainment. It’ll be all tuxedos and “chandelabras.” Nucky corrects him that it’s chandeliers but Chalky rightly points out it doesn’t matter what he calls them, as long as he pays for them.