Minicap: Boardwalk Empire

This week’s theme is reversal of fortune.  Nucky’s still in jail while Bishop is searching his suite at the Ritz and handling his possessions in a way that Eddie finds offensive.  Because Eddie’s developed very refined and delicate sensibilities working for Nucky. Nucky’s also operating under the assumption that he’s still wielding power, which is why it’s a little sad when he first learns he can’t go back to his suite at the Ritz due to the extensive search, has to actually work out of a government office, and when he calls a meeting only the Mayor shows up because everyone else is at the Commodore’s house listening to him and pretending he didn’t just paint his head with shoe polish.  But Nucky gets a little encouragement when Fleming, the alderman who was going to move into Nucky’s father’s old house before Nucky burned it to the ground, is still loyal, despite that whole arson thing.

Jimmy’s tired of working for someone else and decides if he’s going to do most of the work getting the illegal liquor into Atlantic City, he’s going to cut out Nucky and the Commodore and just sell it to Rothstein directly.  But Rothstein is still weird and speaking obliquely, and Luciano’s still Rothstein’s right hand, which all just pisses Jimmy off.  As Jimmy’s leaving, Luciano walks him out to suggest that Jimmy meet with him and Lansky about starting a Young Bucks Crime Syndicate and cutting out all the grandpas.  Things are going well for Jimmy until they aren’t.

Chalky is coming to terms with just how precarious his power is.  While sitting in jail for his protection, he gets a lecture from Nucky, a disappointed visit from Lenore, harassed by another black inmate who’s from Baltimore and doesn’t know who Chalky is, and has to switch from his private holding cell to the communal one when a white inmate arrives and they can’t “mix the races” even in the county jail.  He gets his brief moment of glory, but it’s obviously a hollow victory for Chalky.

And finally Margaret.  Have mercy.  Margaret was born to be a gangster and does so many awesome things in this episode that I don’t want to spoil it before the recap.  I wasn’t even a Margaret fan last season and when the episode ended all I could say was DAYUM.

Come back in a couple of days for the full recap where we see exactly where this season is going.