Good news, everybody! Lucy Danziger is back and still a complete mess of a human being! She's chafing in captivity at Van Alden's boarding house, and a visit from a surprisingly sweet Eddie Cantor just underlines it for her: life with Van Alden is no fun. She's so despondent about her dull life and fat body that she's contemplating throwing herself down the stairs, until she's surprised by a surprise delivery of a jazz record from Agent Nelson "Party Animal" Van Alden.
The Commodore continues to implement his plan, meeting with boat captain McCoy about slopping the flow of Nucky's liquor. And when McCoy proves uncooperative, he calls in his Coast Guard favors to get Nucky's latest shipment impounded. This squeezing is felt at the ground level by people like the casino owners, who are thinking about getting their liquor elsewhere if Nucky can't provide. (This at the same time as Capone arrives with news for Nucky that Torrio won't be buying his liquor either.) Working at one of the casinos is Owen Slater, who's pretty perceptive about what's going on, and he convinces Nucky to hire him as muscle, leading to a confrontation with Richard Harrow where Slater successfully keeps the Commodore's liquor at bay.
Elsewhere, Rothstein brokers a summit between Lansky and Masseria over the murders Jimmy perpetrated last week. The terms are wildly pro-Masseria, driving a bit of a wedge between Rothstein and his young guns.
The Commodore continues to groom Jimmy, to Jimmy's continued ambivalence. When a father-son meeting with the Governor at Babbette's ends up crossing paths with a Nucky/Margaret/Mayor Bader dinner, Nucky finally gets fed up and makes a scene in front of everyone. Nucky makes his intentions toward Jimmy clear: "I will ruin you."
Margaret, it seems, has hired the Pinkerton detective agency to track down the siblings she referred to with Slater last week. It seems they immigrated to the States some years ago and now reside in Brooklyn. But when she -- and Katie the maid -- try to call Peggy on the phone, they learn she died twelve years ago. Margaret is pretty crushed, though she rebounds by boozing a little with the maids, which is awesome. But after Nucky's BMOC moment at Babbette's, she regains a bit of her lady-of-the-house mojo and re-asserts the upstairs/downstairs dynamic with the help.
We open on Skid Row in Ocean City, NJ (which, Wikipedia alert, remains a dry county to this day). This is Agent Van Alden's boarding house, where poor Lucy is wasting her legendary charisma while Van Alden loudly butters his toast and chastises her about calling the baby in her belly "it." He also gets mad to hear that she spoke to a neighbor lady earlier. All Lucy wants is some company, some conversation, maybe some music. The family across the way has a Victrola to play Jolson with, for Pete's sake. Boy, it's really been from penthouse to outhouse for Lucy since Season 1. And vice-versa for Margaret. Would that ever drive Lucy nuts to think about. Lucy says she feels jailed, that she used to be out every night. Van Alden scoffs that, for a murdering election-rigger, Nucky probably showed her a great time. "I can't live like this!" Lucy whines. Van Alden assures her that once the child is born, she won't have to. That was the agreement. "Say what you want about Nucky," she whimpers at him. "At least he was fun."
Right now, Fun Nucky is pondering matters in his bathrobe. Margaret approaches him to say that she returned some of her clothes to La Belle Femme, in order to be thrifty in these challenging times. Nucky frowns at this -- they have to keep up appearances now more than ever. Plus he wants her in fancy things that he buys for her. He tells her to go buy them back and that they're fine. After Nucky leaves, Margaret checks the mail and sees one letter of particular interest: something from the Pinkertons. PINKERTONS! I made reference to this on Twitter and nobody really knew what I was talking about but: Deadwood connection! I may be the only person who remembers huge chunks of the first two seasons being Al Swearengen fretting about the Pinkertons getting all up in his biz.
At one of Atlantic City's fine casinos, Fleming has come to collect the weekly kickback from proprietor Lolly, played by Broadway's Danny Buerstein, who I just saw deliver an amazing performance in Follies, so I'm already predisposed to him. We also see that Owen Slater is wiping down glasses in the background. Guess Nucky found him that job. After engaging in some casual anti-Chinese racism (another Deadwood connection!), Lolly hands over his envelope, which he admits is light. "Light?!" Fleming goggles, "it's a damn dirigible!" Lolly's like, "You making that joke a lot lately, huh?" He doesn't even bother to be abashed about the short payment. Instead, he gives Fleming a tutorial on how the casino biz works: players lose money, get mad, get free drinks, get happy, win money, get more free drinks, get drunk, lose it all back. It's the economy, stupid. And the whole fucking equation depends on alcohol. Fleming gets testy, says Lolly just got a shipment of alcohol. "Yeah," Lolly returns, "the cheap shit!" Fleming snaps back that times are tough. "Nucky's fightin' for his life!" Lolly: "Ah, we're all fightin' for our lives!" Boy, ain't that the truth. As one famously lightweight drinker once said, they're ignoring your pain because they're too busy dealing with their own. Anyway, now that I've done the impossible and tied Boardwalk Empire to Buffy, Lolly says he's gonna need the booze from Nucky ... or from somebody else.
Elsewhere, the Commodore, Eli and Jimmy meet with Captain Bill McCoy about turning his shipping allegiances over to them. He's proving to be a tougher sell than they anticipated. "So [Nucky] bested you in the bargain and now you're fucking him over?" he accuses. He particularly seems to be repulsed at Eli for betraying his own flesh and blood. The Commodore wants McCoy to know who the real power in AC is. "That lighthouse out there," he says, "that beacon that guides you. Don't you forget who put it there." McCoy, to his credit, doesn't back down: "That scotch there that warms your winter nights? Don't you forget who put it there." Okay, I know the last thing this show needs is more characters, but more Lolly and more McCoy, please. After he leaves the Commodore says now they have to move on to the Coast Guard.
Nucky returns to his office to find that Al Capone has let himself in. Nucky, as out of touch with the future as ever, calls him "Torrio's man" and offers very little by way of small talk. So Capone delivers his message from Torrio -- "he wanted you to hear it personally" -- that he'll be getting his liquor elsewhere from now on. Nucky's like, oh this is exactly what I need. He says he'd expect a man like Torrio not to cut and run at the first sign of trouble. Of course this isn't about that; Capone has no idea about the palace coup happening, and neither does Torrio. Ah, the non-information age. Nucky wants to know who Chicago's new supplier is: New York? Philly? Waxy Gordon? (Oh please let us meet Waxy Gordon on this show some day.) What is he, distilling it from Lake Michigan? Capone says he's closer with that guess than he thinks: "Some Jews across the lake" in Canada. With George Reems in Ohio partnering up. Capone hands Nucky an envelope of cash as a token of goodwill. Nucky refuses it. time Torrio has something to tell him in person, he'd like to hear it in person. Capone then asks how "Jimmy Irish" is doing. Nucky's like, "You'll have to ask him." He then asks how the liquor trade in Chicago is going. Capone: "We're killin' 'em."
Back in Ocean City, Lucy is entertaining guests: the great Eddie Cantor! And I guess he's "on" all the time, huh? He tries to make her laugh, but she's deep into her depression. She thinks she's missing everything fun. Eddie seems excited for her about the baby, but he doesn't know she's not keeping it. She tells him about the guy who knocked her up, that he's married. Eddie's like, "Who, Mr. Meuller?" That's the name on the mailbox, apparently. She tells him he's "some prohie I met in a speak." Eddie's like THAT is some bad luck. He has real sympathy for her. I keep waiting for it to get lecherous or predatory, but he honestly cares for her. As she lights up a cigarette (Mom of the century!), he asks her if Nucky knows. She wouldn't be surprised, he knows everything else. She wants to hear all the vaudeville gossip. Eddie: "Besides you?" Heh. He shows her a script for a new show. The plot? "A showgirl wants to marry a society boy." He fake-snoozes out of boredom, but Lucy's interested. "A Dangerous Maid," it's called. This is the most I have ever liked Lucy Danziger ever.
Jimmy returns home to his seaside abode with Richard Harrow in tow to find Capone in his house, horsing around with Angela and Tommy. There's half a moment of that old frenemy tension, but soon the two of them wrestling around like bros. Jimmy updates Capone on the situation in Atlantic City. Capone doesn't understand why they don't just take Nucky out like they took out Colosimo in Chicago. He gestures towards Harrow: "Just have Frankenstein drill a hole in his noggin." Jimmy bristles and says it's a political coup. And Harrow says he won't "do that," besides. Capone clearly doesn't care for Harrow. How much of it is jealousy at being elbowed out as Jimmy's BFF, I wonder. Al thanks Angela for her hospitality in Italian, and she responds in kind. He joshes Jimmy for marrying a "dago" while he married a "Mick." Jimmy goes to help Tommy tie his shoes, and Al looks on, envious of the relationship Jimmy has with his son. Harrow interrupts and asks Al how Odette is. He sourly dismisses the question: "She's a whore. That's how she is."
Eli returns home to awful screaming children and his wife who says she's been having a nightmare of a time with Pa Thompson. He's agitated and won't let her change his bed -- it's been days, in fact. Eli goes up -- aw, RIP, Tom Aldredge -- and checks on his dad. He's reading the paper and commenting on the "bullshit" that's happening to Nucky. He has no idea Eli is in on it, so Eli has to be all, "Yeah, right?" Pa is antsy, saying he's gotta be ready in case "he" needs him. Eli tries to get him to rest, but Pa continues. "What'll become of him?" Eli says he'll turn out okay. "You can handle things," Pa says. "But Eli? He has no goddamn idea what he's doing!" Ah, yes. The power of truth-telling dementia.
Back home, Margaret is looking through her Pinkertons care package. There are photos of people -- adults, children -- and what appear to be immigration records -- along with a typed report, which is pretty difficult to read. But I press on, for your benefit! It appears to say that members of the Rowan family emigrated to New York some years ago and now reside in Brooklyn. Nucky returns home, and Margaret quickly shoves the papers into the nightstand drawer. Nucky has news: Chalky's going to make bail. Margaret is happy about that, but obviously sullen. She tries to pass it off as the book she's reading, but Nucky presses. "I'll do the worrying for the both of us," he says. She talks of her brother and sisters whom she left when she left Ireland. They're here now, in Brooklyn. She'd like to make contact, obviously, but things didn't end well with them when she left. Nucky understand and tries to cheer her up. When this business all blows over, he wants to take her to Paris, kids and all. It's important, he says, to always have something to look forward to.
You'd hope that Jimmy has more to look forward to than Gillian filing his nails for him and instructing him on how to behave during the upcoming dinner with the Governor and the Commodore. She wants him to take his father's lead but be his own man as well. Jimmy bristles at the instruction -- "So I shouldn't let him cut my meat for me?" -- but it's hard to take this kind of attitude from a guy as his mommy is giving him a manicure. Jimmy, who's been more than a little wary of this newfound alliance between Ma and Pa, says, "You used to call him the Lech." Gillian pretends she doesn't know what he's talking about. She and the Commodore have come a long way. She says she grew up and learned forgiveness. "By that logic I should forgive Nucky," Jimmy says. Angela, passing through the room, asks, "Forgive Nucky for what?" Gillian and Jimmy promptly ignore her (like, seriously, isn't Angela living every "Nightmare mother-in-law and her umbilically attached offspring" scenario ever), but her question lingers in the air, because it's pretty valid. Gillian says it's nice Jimmy stands up for her honor. "I was a mere child when Nucky brought me to your father." Subtle way to keep Nucky the villain, lady. Jimmy's more concerned with how damn ridiculous the Commodore looks with his new black hair. "To you, maybe," Gillian says, masking her opportunism as compassion so smoothly you'd think she was sincere. "To the outside world, it just looks like the Commodore." Jimmy talks a little about Capone's father, who Al said had recently died. He was a barber. "Sometimes I think I'd be better suited to a different life," Jimmy says. Gillian thinks he's a natural leader. Oh really? Which part is most leaderish, Gil? The mumbly speaking voice? The permanent state of ambivalence? The fact that he just now expressed a preference to be a barber? "And what are you?" he asks her. "Just a woman who loves her family."
At the boarding house, Lucy reads lines from "A Dangerous Maid" into the mirror. The role sounds very Roxie Hart-ish. Or the type of woman Roxie was based on. Van Alden comes in upon her, in her fur-lined coat, reading lines about putting on airs. He tells her to hand over the script -- surprise, he doesn't approve! He's not impressed by her dropping Eddie Cantor's name either. But Eddie said she'd be good for the part! Van Alden seems unfamiliar with the concept of a script. "Everything that's written here is intended to be said on stage?" Lucy's like, ain't you ever seen a show? Van Alden says his aunt took him to a Christmas pageant once. When his parents found out, they shunned her and never spoke to her again. Makes sense! Lucy wails that she needs something or else she'll go crazy. He says it's not possible; she's with child, which is a sacred responsibility from the lord, plus a financial agreement between them. Guess it's back to the mirror, then!
Nucky meets with Fleming in his office, and Fleming relays the bad word from the casino. Nucky says three boats full of booze are coming in tonight so Lolly can keep his shirt on. Nucky needs to take a call with the Attorney General (played by Shooter McGavin himself, Christopher McDonald). Of course, Fleming is still hanging around. Nucky: "This isn't to be critical, but you need to learn to pick up on people's signals." Fleming's like, totally, Nuck! Nucky's like, "I need to take this call, Damien!" So the Attorney General, Harry, is an old crony of Nucky's, obviously, and Nucky was clearly partly responsible for putting him in this new job, what with helping Harding win the election and all. So Nucky is pretty explicitly calling in a favor right now. Harry's all, "...I don't know." "You don't know what?" Nucky asks. "I hope it's how to thank me. And now how a bastard kid would've cost your boy the election." No time to muck around, I like it. Harry talks about state-vs.-national matters and how he'd be overstepping his bounds so early in his term. He does invite Nucky down to the White House sometime, so ... Nucky's like, "It sounds like you're fucking me over." He hangs up and throws the phone.
Back in NYC, Meyer and Lucky are taking a meeting with heavily Italian-accented Masseria, the head of the mob running the Lower East Side. The meeting is being brokered by Rothstein, and it is TENSE. Masseria is furious about the murder of the two men last week. Meyer and Lucky don't know that the guys were Masseria's nephews, and nobody knows Jimmy was the one who perpetrated the crime. Rothstein feigns not knowing that Meyer's card game was happening within Masseria's territory. Meyer admits to the game, but no idea about the killings. Masseria doesn't believe it was a coincidence. After all, "this little prick" (Lucky) has been causing problems for him since he was ten. AR proposes Meyer and Lucky make restitution, in the form of a $2,000 payment, plus 10 percent of the poker game going forward. Lucky's like, "Hold on a fucking second," but Rothstein does that thing he does where he silences him with one "Charlie..." Masseria agrees to the deal, like he's doing them a favor. As he exits he asks Lucky, in Italian, what he's doing with these "Christ-killers" and says he should come work for him. Lucky won't, not with Masseria's hands in his pockets constantly. Masseria says he'll be watching him, and Lucky stands up to confront him, but once again, AR's on him before he even stands. After Masseria leaves, the kids bitch about the percentage. After all, they already pay half the take on that game to Rothstein, who fixes them both with a look and says, "And now you boys know why."
Shockingly enough, Van Alden is making a deal with Mickey Doyle. ...Wait, seriously. Yes, it looks like Doyle, or "Mr. Cusick" as Van Alden insists on calling him, is informing on other speaks in exchange for protection. That doesn't seem like Van Alden's style at all. I would expect Mickey to get royally fucked by this deal sooner or later. But for now, Micky's handing over information ... as well as charging Van Alden a fee for some unspecified thing. "You wanna dance, you gotta pay the piper," Mickey says. He then cheekily asks if Van Alden wouldn't want to sell him the raided liquor. "You're not admitting you're a bootlegger, are you?" Van Alden returns. Mickey looks over his shoulder at three half-empty jugs of booze around him and puzzles that he ain't get a bead on Van Alden at all. VA looks past the bottles to the painting of a naked lady's derriere on the wall. Mickey asks if he likes that kind of thing. Of course not! He's a married man! Mickey gives him some valuable advice: "Treat a queen like a whore and a whore like a queen." Seems Van Alden is doing the opposite. As he's leaving, Van Alden turns back and asks Mickey one very important question: "Would you consider Nucky Thompson fun?"
Hey don't worry! If you feared we were going to go a whole episode without seeing Lucy naked and pregnant, you're in so much luck! She's standing in front of a mirror without even the suggestion of clothing, inspecting her alien body and crying. And just to complete the effect, her cigarette is fuming in the ashtray.
Margaret has Katy set up at the phone with instructions to call and ask for any occupant of apartment 2A. "Is it a friend?" Katy noses. "A relation," Margaret says. So Katy asks for one Peggy Rowan, but the news she gets back isn't happy. The man on the phone said Peggy Rowan died twelve years ago. Margaret doesn't say a word and simply leaves room.
Eddie tells Nucky that Bader and the Mrs. invited him for dinner, but Nucky is not interested. Eddie goes to pick up the phone Nucky threw and gets hollered at. Owen Slater shows up at the door asking for a word. Nucky's in no mood, but whatevs. Slater's been tending bar for Mr. Steinman at the casino, as we know. Nucky's like, "The booze will be coming tonight, get off my jock!" But that's now why Slater is here. He says he reads the papers, and he also reads between the lines. His talents are being wasted behind a tap. Nucky wonders what these "talents" are. Slater says they're making people stop whatever he wants stopping. Nucky's like, "What makes you think I need you?" Slater's like, "If you even have to ask?" Eddie comes in with word from Captain McCoy: the Coast Guard is seizing his ships. Cannily, Slater's like, "Thanks for your time."
At home, Margaret is sobbing in her room. Katy walks past and notices.
Another sad lady, Lucy, perches herself at the top of the staircase outside her apartment. As she cries, she inches herself towards the edge, ready to throw herself down. The fall might not kill her, but it'll kill that baby. She stopped when a car drives up with a delivery for Mrs. Meuller. Cut to inside and we see it's a record player. The delivery guy shows her how to set it up, and pretty soon, she's got jazz music playing in her living room. As the delivery guy leaves, she asks who sent this. Why Mr. Meuller, of course! Lucy smiles and exhales.
At Nucky's house, the maids are drinking downstairs. Margaret comes in on them, and they all stand at attention. Margaret tells them to relax and to pour her a drink, and themselves another. They're surprised, to say the least. Margaret rationalizes the drinking: "They say it's the first drop that kills you. So no harm in the last." A fine personal ethos! Margaret asks Katy whether she was born in Ireland. She wasn't. Margaret says if she had been , she'd have left the place. "And far be it from anyone to begrudge you that escape." Margaret tells them to call her by her first name. "Why put on airs?" Nucky comes home and is more than a little surprised to find Margaret among the help. He disapprovingly asks what's the matter, then says to get dressed, he's taking her out.
Van Alden returns home to find Lucy dancing to the music coming from the record player. He smiles at her. GAH, please don't do that!
At Babbette's -- aw, I wish Babbette had more to do on this show besides look intriguingly androgynous. Anyway, she welcomes Governor Edwards, who joins the Commodore and Jimmy at the table. Commodore hands him his payoff -- Edwards takes it, though he looks somewhat ill at ease with the kickback stuff. Edwards asks Jimmy if they're scandalizing him; Jimmy's seen worse. Commodore brags that Jimmy faced down the Kaiser, and Jimmy says that's nothing, this is Atlantic City. Commodore's all, "Good one!" like he's Joy Behar.
While the Commodore is giving comedy his blessing, Nucky, Margaret, Bader and Mrs. Bader arrive. Poor Babbette knows exactly how awkward things are going to get. She apologizes to Nucky, who is pretty gracious about it. As he spots the Commodore across the room, Bader suggests they go elsewhere, but Nucky is defiant. They stride past the Commodore's table, and it's awkward as hell. As Commodore's table is serves, the Governor asks Jimmy if he's going to follow in Dad's footsteps. Jimmy: "I'm my own man." But he's eager to learn everything he can. So far, he's learned that "nothing's free." Edwards grumbles about Volstead, but the Commodore sees it as a fine situation. "As soon as Nucky Thompson --" Jimmy interjects that as soon as Nucky is brought to justice, ahem -- then there will be a big ol' party in Atlantic City. Edwards drinks to that, while Nucky looks on, ghostly white (well, more than usual) at the implications of this union. Margaret reiterates that she would be fine eating elsewhere, but they're not moving.
They order food, and when Margaret orders the Lobster Thermidor, she's informed that they just sold out of it. Nucky looks over to the Commodore's table and sees his enemy slobbering all over that rich, creamy, lobster goodness. He's had it. Nucky marches over and flips the plate off the table. "You've had your last meal in this place," he says. Jimmy tries to get Nucky to calm down, but Nucky's all, "Get your fucking hands off me." He greets the governor, who coldly says Nucky has his sympathy for his troubles. Nucky: "And you have my undying wish for a long political life." Ah, the pleasantry that's actually a threat! I love those! Nucky tells Jimmy he's looking "very respectable." The Commodore, ever the micro-manager, tells Jimmy, "Meet his eyes boy!" Gee, thanks, DAD! Oh wait... Jimmy steels himself, then looks up at his old mentor, says they both seem to be putting up a pretty good front. Nucky asks what the 'Dore promised him. Jimmy says it's more than Nucky ever did. Nucky says he keeps his promises, and he promises now to ruin all three men. Commodore mumbles that he's acting like a fucking child. Nucky: "You'd know about children." Then, to Jimmy: "He didn't even ask her name. Just pointed to the one he wanted. The rest was understood." Jimmy's on his feet after that insult to his sainted showgirl mother. Commodore tells him to sit down, he's smarter than that. After a stare down, Nucky wishes the men a nice dinner and stalks off.
At Lolly's casino, Richard Harrow supervises as the Commodore's product is being unloaded from the trucks as Lolly telling him what he wants. Slater shows up and tells Harrow to peddle his goods elsewhere. Lolly's like, "But the booze!" Slater tells him, "You work for Mr. Thompson. These aren't Mr. Thompson's men." Lolly looks plausibly surprised by this. Slater pegs Harrow as a soldier, and the two men face off. He heads off another man unloading the truck, who says he don't take orders from no Paddy. This fine gentleman gets knocked out for his trouble. Slater spins around, pulls his gun, and winds up looking down the barrel of Harrow's pistol. The men stare each other down, and there seems to be a strain of mutual respect there. "Why'd you not shoot me?" Slater asks. Harrow: "I may yet." Slater's got no quarrel with him. They're just not buying any liquor. Harrow, a more honorable man than most, stands down. Looks like Slater's already paying off.
Jimmy, back at home after dinner, drinks and glowers. Angela asks him how dinner went with his father. Jimmy: "Which one?" Okay, Boardwalk Empire. Settle down. She kisses him sweetly and hopes he doesn't start interpreting her awful new haircut as a giveaway for her past lesbian dalliances.
Nucky and Margaret also return home, as Katy passes by and sees Nucky plant one on Margaret. He doesn't ever want to see her sad again. He tells Katy to lay out his suit for tomorrow and heads upstairs. Katy, with much familiarity, asks Margaret what happened at dinner to rouse Nucky's spirits. "Goodnight, Katy," Margaret formally replies. I guess keeping up appearances DOES have an effect on people. Katy tries one more time, conspiratorially telling Margaret that she figured it out: Peggy Rowan is HER. "I'll never tell, don't worry!" she says excitedly. I do think she's wrong, but there's enough in the implication that rings true -- that Margaret emigrated and started her new life -- that Margaret momentarily looks caught. She gathers up her poise, and once again formally -- and this time a bit crossly -- dismisses Katy. Aw. R.I.P. Fun Boss Margaret.
Joe Rlikes the implication that Katy could be "A Dangerous Maid." Don't mess with her, Margaret! He can be reached for lavish praise and nothing but at joseph.reid21@gmail.com, and you can listen to him yammer on to his heart's content on the Extra Hot Great podcast.