Boardwalk Empire - Season 3 Episode 2 - Recap and Review - Spaghetti & Coffee

I've written quite a few recaps by now and I have to say, "Spaghetti & Coffee" is probably the best title I've had to jot down yet. I'm still getting used to the year and a half time jump on Boardwalk Empire and I'm still waiting for a little more closure regarding Jimmy Darmody. You know, "the Jimmy thing" from last season's finale? Anyway, this episode saw the return of the much beloved Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams) and that scummy bum Eli (Shea Whigham).

The episode sort of opened with a goldfish going through what seemed like the equivalent of Saw III for fish but the episode truly opened with Eli being released back into the wild terrain known as the Tri-state area. If he hadn't been such a jerk, I would have said Eli looked like he had a rough time in prison. Instead, I'll just say Eli looked flat-out tow up. Mickey Doyle (Paul Sparks) seemed to be in on the joke when he dropped by to pick up the former sheriff. Getting picked up by Mickey is just plain insulting. Having to work for Mickey is, apparently, even worse. Eli gave a resounding, "no way, José." Mickey looked a little too giddy discussing regarding the most recent exploding face. "Who shot Manny? Why shoot Manny? Who's Manny again?" To which, viewers everywhere muttered, "no one cares..."

I have to say, I'm greatly enjoying the presence of Rosetti (Babby Cannavale) thus far. He's such a loose cannon, and we really haven't had a gangster like him around yet. He's the kind of guy who blows things (and people) up for fun. Still burnt over not being invited to eat with the cool kids in the cafeteria, Rosetti did his snooping this episode. He struck gold when he realized the gas station in Tabor Heights was the last one for miles before Staten Island. He toyed with an attendant, learned how to use a map, and figured out that the sheriff was being paid off by Nucky's folks to turn a blind eye. Once Eli and Mickey passed through town a short while after, they solidified Rosetti's assumptions by paying off the sheriff in anticipation for a big future delivery.

Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) was still bent out of shape over that little episode she witnessed last week in the hospital lobby. You remember, the wailing woman who miscarried in front of everyone? Yeah, that stuck with Margaret for some reason. After getting shot down by one of the head doctors last week for merely suggesting an offering of education for female patients, Margaret decided to take matters into her own hands. After visiting the woman herself, and getting quite a cold welcome, she decided to meet with the man who first brought this matter to her attention.

Doctor Mason, the young man who first patronized Margaret for allowing this to happen as a board member, was once again ready to shoot some barbs and toss out some quips when she arrived in his office. Frustrated with his antics, Margaret almost stormed out entirely. Instead, she brought back that old Margaret Schroeder sass-attack we've come to love. That's what was missing from last week (besides Jimmy-D)! "Don't complain and point fingers if something really matters to you! And your tobacco smells," Margaret shouted. "It's a Catholic hospital," the man argued back. Oh, so no real attention paid towards women. Maybe Margaret can convince this Catholic hospital to see women as more than just a means to procreating more boys? She's a savvy lady doing things for herself, nowadays. Also, she has nothing better to do.

Chalky White made up for the lack of Richard Harrow this week. That boyfriend of his daughter who insulted his love for rice last season showed up to ask for her hand in marriage. I was ready for Chalky the care bear to ream him a new one, but he was actually surprisingly nice! I guess a year or so does make a difference, even for someone like Chalky White. All he required was a free check-up from the future doctor. Like the great Trey Songz says, "Say Aah!":

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"Sure, you can marry my daughter." The only issue seemed to be that his daughter had no interest in marrying a boring old doctor. She wants to marry someone "interesting" like her father. I guess it's important to be in love with your husband? Not if Chalky White has anything to say about that. Later on, the couple bumped into Chalky at a bar. Chalky only noticed them after Samuel, the future fiancé, got a razor blade to the face. His expression more so said, "I just got bitch slapped" than "Someone just took a knife from ear to mouth." Interesting enough, yet?

Maybe I'm just not interested enough in his story arc with Billie Kent (Meg Steedle), but Nucky (Steve Buscemi) isn't doing himself any favors thus far this season. I'm guessing he's not as likable without Jimmy or Margaret to counter his flaws. Billie just seems like a fame whore. Didn't Nucky learn this lesson via Lucy? I miss Lucy so much. In her defense, Billie sang a lot better this week. She was all focused around creating some kind of a ridiculous stage show about a hummingbird who drinks and has sex. Stop applauding this, Nucky! Important to note is that Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg) is her landlord. Nucky and Billie have this weird pact that she can talk on the phone with a stranger all she wants, and Nucky can't ever ask who she's speaking with. That makes so much sense. I guess it's because they were uncommitted. This changed by the episode's end. He admitted his deeper feelings for her, and she was pretty apathetic. Although, I have to admit I thought he was gearing up to dump her after seeing her floozie ways in action. Her friend seemed fun, though!

Nucky did a little business this week, too. Questions arose regarding the state of Daugherty and the protection he's offering. Nucky met a kooky and creepy new friend of his when he went to make a drop-off. According to Rothstein, safety and caution are priceless, so just pay whatever! If you haven't learned already, Arnold Rothstein, a.k.a friendly Satan, is always right. He's still a-okay with me.

Eli caught up with his mob of children post-prison. Mostly, they were happy to see him. His eldest son, though, had disappointed written all over his face. Working manual labor to pay the bills, the son looked at Eli like a crooked failure, and rightfully so. Also, Eli looked scary this episode. He got a little choked up when he realized his boy hadn't even bothered to open the birthday present he sent over. Eli built the model plane for him.

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After seeing his son man-up, Eli decided to go work for Mickey. Start from the bottom up. After preparing the shipment, Owen (Charlie Cox) gave the orders on how the delivery was going to work. Guess where they need to stop along the way? The gas station!

I got a kick out of watching Rosetti have the waitress describe what spaghetti is. Basically, "it's like a noodle and it has meatballs and sauce." When Rosetti asked for wine, the sheriff suggested coffee instead. Get it, guys? "It's the episode title!" We all say out loud. If you put two and two together, this meeting over italian food spells trouble for Nucky's men. They were absolutely blindsided by Rosetti's clever move to buy control of the fuel, and were forced to turn back for Atlantic City. All that, and the spaghetti was better than his mama's.

Next week, Nucky has to put on a good face when he begrudgingly meets a bishop.

What did you all think of the episode? Were you worried for that fish in the scotch glass? Did you enjoy getting to know Chalky's daughter more? As more characters become unlikable, is Mickey become more likable? When is Margaret going to get over her obsession with working with the church and getting Nucky dragged into things? Have you lost hope for Nucky and Margaret as a couple?

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