Boardwalk Empire - Season 3 Episode 7 - Recap and Review - Sunday Best

I don't typically recap in this fashion, but tonight's Boardwalk Empire may be best reviewed broken up by dinner table. "Sunday Best" was probably my favorite episode this season has put up thus far. I tend to enjoy the episode's that focus mainly around relationships and family, as opposed to those centered around gangster nonsense. It's Easter Sunday in Atlantic City, but as it turns out, it's also April Fool's. Nucky can juggle better than any fool!

2 Couples, 1000 Kids:

We're used to Eli (Sheah Whigham) having nothing to do at this point, and he woke up bright and early to open the show by hiding Easter eggs all about his front yard. Sneaky Eli took pride in his hiding locations. Too bad his son Willy blew his cover later in the episode. He hides the eggs in the same places every year.

Margaret's (Kelly Macdonald) daughter Emily knew all of Eli's one thousand children by name by the time she arrived at their front porch. I admired Margaret for letting Emily challenge herself with the front porch steps. They don't help her unless she asks for help. I was also happy to see the show address her disability again this season. I was beginning to think they weren't treating that story arc well at all.

Grace was said by Emily. Then Eli's wife June stepped in to top Emily's standard grace with a heaping of dramatic gratefulness in Nucky's (Steve Buscemi) favor. Emily totally got one-upped. Does everything grow again in spring? Eli would like to think so. He awkwardly hinted at reconciliation with Nucky, attempting to leave business out of the equation. He also left drinking out of the equation. No booze on Easter?! Not till after sundown. After dodging bullets season after season, Nucky almost died right there on the spot.

Before the real confrontation, the one laced with desperation and booze, the children would have to compete in an Easter egg hunt. Show Nucky what you're made of here, Eli! Poor Emily stood in the middle of the yard helplessly while the others ran about rabidly. Nucky's mom would always hide three red eggs. Find the red egg first, and you win a quarter! Nucky's dad would keep the money. Luckily for Emily, Willy the Man agreed to partner up with her. He knows the secrets!

Inside, Margaret got stuck with the wife. She seemed like a nice enough lady, genuinely grateful for Nucky's generosity. However much she knows, she certainly made sure everyone knew how grateful she was. She's proud of her son Willy for stepping up to the plate while Eli "went away." She also let Margaret know of how Eli worships Nucky for holding their family together as children. More importantly, her kindness cracked Margaret's wall. Margaret spilled everything; the affair, the dirty business, etc.

June: "You brought pineapple upside-down!"

Margaret vented it all and all she got was that lousy shoulder tap.

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While the kids meandered the lawn and Margaret heaved up word vomit, Eli pulled Nucky aside in the garage to talk business and to, you guessed it, apologize. He missed his kids growing up. Hasn't he taken his licks? Not quite. Nucky wasn't having any of it. What hurts him most is that Eli still calls him his brother, after all he's tried to take from him. Eli pulled out a pistol and pleaded with Nucky to shoot him on the spot. He knows Nucky will one day be the death of him, anyway. Quit being so dramatic, Eli! You're stealing Jesus' thunder!

"Show some leg" was one of the only times I laughed out loud this season. Give that kid a raise. By sundown, it was time for the talent show. The opening act was a lackluster instrumental number by child number thirty seven, followed by a stirring juggling act performed by Nucky. That egg show was so impressive, it brought tears to Margaret's eyes. The power of eggs! Next, Nucky put Margaret on the spot and pushed her to perform something in front of the whole tribe. That situation is literally my worst nightmare. Margaret did a fine job singing a tune, though. For a moment, Nucky looked over with a little spark in his eye. Is there hope yet?

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Probably not. According to Margaret later that evening, one great night just wasn't enough. It was nice to get out of the house, though! Over at Eli's his wife passed out shining silverware, and Eli got a phone call from Nucky. Thanking him for being smart enough to attempt to thwart the Tabor Heights shooting, he got a promotion. Thanks for dinner!

 Rosetti Giuseppe Attemps Saying Grace:

Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale) licked his wounds this week. The true stars of the show? The ladies of Gyp's Italian brood were pretty hilarious. As it seems, they're the only one's tough enough to tame the beast that is Gyp Giuseppe Rosetti. Even his business partner couldn't get away. There was no turning down these ladies on Easter Sunday. She made the extra!

Later, Rosetti ventured to church to call out Jesus and his friends for toying with him. Blaming God, Rosetti cursed him from the pews for letting him see, almost touch, but never have. He ended up taking what he felt was his. He robbed the church before heading over to Joe Masseria.

Joe seemed pretty done with "bull in a china shop" Rosetti. He can't be controlled and he makes no money. He seemed useless, but in a last ditch effort Rosetti managed to compel Masseria into listening up. He wants a shot at Rothstein and Nucky, both of whom are planning something big. Why let them build something big without giving anything to the Italians who have given their blood, sweat, and tears? Thus, Rosetti has his last shot.

Richard Gets Real:

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Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) spent Easter Sunday with little Tommy, who has become quite a pip. Over at Julia and Paul's, the old vet Harrow helped last episode, Tommy rated the grace of another table guest. It was just okay. I agreed. Paul wanted to know who the six year old punk was. Harrow was, of course, interested in courting Julia, who seems like a great match for him. Her sharp personality brings out a nice side of Richard. After Paul got a little testy and a lot drunk, she pulled Richard aside, embarrassed. In the kitchen, she apologized and offered Richard a private plate of food. She figured he'd appreciate that. There, Harrow said a prayer to remember the needs of others. Much appreciated, Julia.

After listening to old people talk politics a.k.a. the worst dinner conversation ever, Tommy had to pee, but he ended up forgetting all about that when he wandered into Paul's son's old bedroom. Covered in dust since the boy died at war, Tommy tinkered with toy soldiers before a drunken Paul grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. After a stellar death threat from Richard, the party was over. Richard, however, got up the gusto to ask Julia to leave with him. He got a yes!

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They spent the rest of Easter Sunday chatting it up on the boardwalk. I realized here how much Julia reminds me of an older Kimmy Gibbler. Did anyone else out there get nervous when Tommy kept veering off of the camera? There were so many people, and it's A.C.! Also, was Richard teasing? Can Richard Harrow tease? He claims he was only acting like a tough guy when he threatened to murder his date's father and he agreed not to do that again. In the end, the three took a family portrait. Finally, Richard has another real picture to paste into his magic book of dreams.

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The Son Also Drowns:

Could Gillian (Gretchen Mol) get any crazier? Could she possibly take the Jimmy doppelgänger situation to a new level? It came to her with ease, my friends! Gillian began Easter Sunday by faking lady problems. She feigned cramps to ditch Richard for the day, and Roger James swung by for a little hanky-panky and some booze. The whores are off on Easter, apparently.

What can you do when the cook has the day off? Tabletop sex and promises of brighter futures in place of a honeyed ham. James Two attempted to convince Gillian to sell her "late husband's" mansion and to run away with him. You know her ex-husband? They were children together... but she was older... she doesn't know if he's actually dead... oh... So that's how Gillian sees things, huh? You know what sounds like fun? A bath!

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Gillian took Roger down to the most fantastic bathroom ever. I'm not even sure if it had a toilet, but Roger's face said it all. That there was heaven. Not for him, though. Gilian coaxed Roger into the tub and decided to bathe him. After he closed his eyes and started dozing off, Gillian stuck him with an overdose of heroin and helped him drown. Under the water, he would look more like Jimmy. She tied Jimmy's tags around his neck, and let him go. After venting to Richard that her son was dead later on, she let him clean up her mess.

Chime in, folks! What did you all think of the episode? Did you want to see Eli's pirate impression? How will things work out for Richard? Did you get a kick out of Tommy? Where can Gillian possibly go from here? Are Margaret and Nucky officially dunzo? Who said the best grace? Who's Easter dinner would you most like to attend? Who found the red egg?!