By Joe R
War has broken out in Atlantic City, the streets are red with the blood of gangsters, et cetera. Morale is low among Gyp's men at the Maison Derriere, and at Nucky's Lumber Yard, the Chicagoans and the Blacks are brawling like every other minute. This can't go on much longer. The big break in the case actually starts with Mickey Doyle, infuriatingly enough. He's been stationed at Overholt (Andrew Mellon's distillery) and the place looks lucrative as hell. Nucky's not exactly in a position to capitalize on it, so Mickey gives Arnold Rothstein a call and floats the idea that intervening on Nucky's behalf could be an easy way to get his hands on such a profitable enterprise. Rothstein makes Nucky an offer, and Nucky agrees.
Now, by this point, Rothstein and Masseria have already screwed Luciano and Lansky out of their heroin business (those cops last week were Rothstein's guys) and are suddenly business associates. So Rothstein is easily able to convince Masseria to pull his men out of Atlantic City. In exchange, Nucky agrees to give him 99% of Overholt. So Masseria pulls his men, on the same night that Gillian's plan to use S&M tactics to get the jump on Rosetti goes awry (he ends up shooting HER full of heroin). With Masseria's men, gone, the Maison Derriere is left wide open. But it's not Nucky's men who take out Rosetti's -- it's Richard Harrow, storming the castle to save Tommy, which he does, in spectacular fashion. Richard then drops Tommy off at Julia's, before leaving to walk the earth and live the solitary life of a killer. Or something.
Nucky and Eli are pretty happy that they don't have to shoot through any of Gyp's men at the Maison. But Rosetti's already flown the coop. Meantime, Capone and Chalky's guys ambush Masseria's men on their way out of town. Gyp makes it out alive with three flunkies in tow, one being Tonino, who escaped Atlantic City despite being hidden in a closet when the Thompsons arrive. Rosetti decides he's done with Atlantic City, and the whole east coast really. He kind of loses his mind, in a very Daffy Duck way, but he intends to head West. Until Tonino stabs him dead, at Nucky's request. Tonino then heads back to NYC to deliver an "are we done with this shit or what?" message to Masseria.
Oh, also, Nucky gets Gaston Means to blow the whistle on Rothstein's control of Overholt to Andrew Mellon, who places a call to Esther Randolph and asks her to kindly head on down to Pennsylvania and shut Overholt down.
Meantime, Margaret seeks out an abortion in Brooklyn and then refuses money from Nucky to come back to Atlantic City. So Nucky doesn't have everything back. And in the best news of the night: not a single word about Nelson Van Alden. Happy off-season!