Boardwalk Empire - Recap: A Clash of Kings

Episode 2 of Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire, “Resignation,” introduced a new power player in Dr. Valentin Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright), who, in my opinion, is one of the most intimidating characters to grace the Atlantic City boardwalk with his presence yet. While the fallout over Dunn’s (Erik LaRay Harvey) massive screw-up came to a head, the changing tides of the political realm have begun to threaten Nucky’s (Steve Buscemi) entire organization, whether he realizes it or not. Meanwhile, Richard Harrow’s (Jack Huston) “work” finally caught up to him in what was probably the most moving scene of Episode 2, and Van Alden (Michael Shannon) reappeared this week with a new flare that seemed like a refreshing direction to go in as Season 4 begins to hit its stride. Here is the Recap and Review of Boardwalk Empire Season 4 Episode 2, “Resignation”!

Boardwalk Empire has always divided our characters between cities, yet mere train rides between them never seemed to so vastly separate these gangsters so much so that it felt as though we were watching too many different stories unfold. Things were always significantly connected, and my only fear in beginning Season 4 is that characters like Richard, Gillian (who took the week off), and Margaret (who is completely out of sight and out of mind, still) are so far gone that their plots serve as rest stops in between the more significant overarching story of Nucky’s next set of moves and motives. We don't want to feel like we're watching four shows at once. That works on a show like Game of Thrones where the entire world serves as a chess board, but I feel it's unnecessary on such a realistic drama as Boardwalk Empire. Richard, for example, is back home with his twin sister, Emma, and it seems as though a life grounded in crime has finally caught up to him.

During last week’s premiere, we caught a glimpse into Richard’s mysterious newfound profession. This week, things were made much clearer, yet with one question seemingly answered, more would pop up in its place. Richard has been working as an assassin of sorts, picking off business foes of Carl Billings, a man he’d met on a train in Jersey. On a mission to pick off the last of his $1,000 targets, Richard seemed to have a strange change of heart upon hearing of the man’s daughters, leaving without even taking a dime in return for cutting the guy a break. Unfortunately for Richard, no good deed goes unpunished. Having accidentally left an overdue bill in the man’s office, a notice that had been used as a bookmark in Harrow’s latest good read, a mysterious new foe has a trail straight back to his home, the home he shares with Emma. Plus, sorry if you thought this arc had a smidge of a happy ending, but the man Richard had originally let live ended up with a bullet between the eyes anyway. When you sign up for a job as someone’s personal hit man, I’m assuming following through matters.

HBO "Boardwalk Empire"

More importantly, I’m thoroughly enjoying Emma, Richard’s sister. She has a tough exterior that isn’t very off-putting. She’s a great representation of a woman of the times who’s struggled with getting by, life and death. Pregnant with her late husband’s child, the dynamic between a more callous Emma and an emotionally buckling Richard is interesting to watch. My favorite scene this week might have been the death of Richard’s old dog. As the pooch struggled in its last moments, Richard, who’s shot plenty of men dead, couldn’t bring himself to put the animal out of its misery. We’re not used to seeing Harrow shake or struggle like that. In the end, Emma did the deed, while Harrow sobbed behind the shed. All of the death has caught up to him, and Season 4 should prove to provide a fresh path for him.

HBO "Boardwalk Empire"

Episode 2 actually opened with the Season 4 reintroduction of Van Alden, who’s been working as a “deliveryman” for “florist” O’Banion (Aaron Shiver). If you recall, Van Alden turned to Dean for a favor. Once O’Banion ditched the body on Van Alden’s hands, the former straight-and-narrow prohibition agent hopped on board in repayment. Van Alden has apparently been struggling financially, but this could change as his work in the crime field begins to expand. This week, he paid Capone (Stephen Graham) a visit under O’Banion’s orders. Remember, Al and Dean are not at all buddies, and control over territory in Illinois is always an issue. Al had been focused on roughing up Democrats as the party continued to fight for control against the Republicans. The Republicans, of course, are the officials in cahoots with these gangsters, and the Democrats’ latest stance, a stance against corrupt officials bending the rules for, say, bootleggers, isn’t sitting well with Torrio and his team. With Van Alden partly snooping and partly pitching in, Capone and his brothers crashed a Democratic candidate's speech with the simple intention of beating the living daylights out of his supporters. Fear works wonders, of course. You know I love Al, but the best part of this scene was most definitely Van Alden chipping in with the assault. For someone who is so strict and cold, he certainly has a ton of character. Credit goes to Michael Shannon for that!

HBO "Boardwalk Empire"

Season 4 Nucky is a no bull kind of a gangster. Last season’s “can’t be half a gangster” Nucky is still around, but he seems to have less of an emotional attachment to his work following the massive betrayals of Season 3. He’s clocking in and clocking out. It’s not so much about vengeance and pride anymore. Interestingly enough, when the personal drama is set aside, the business seems more respectable. Yet, when you’re a corrupt public figure, pickles always seem to pop up. During Episode 2, Nucky’s plot centered on three major points. First, his relationship with Eddie Kessler (Anthony Laciura) reached a crossroads. Next, Nucky would unknowingly have problems surrounding his ties with Washington dropped in his lap as he planned for a trip to Florida. Lastly, the fallout over Dunn’s mistake continued to spiral everything out of control.

Eddie continued to struggle with remedial tasks this week following last season’s unfortunate bullet wound situation. The eggs were overcooked, coffee spilled, etc. More importantly, Kessler became frustrated with Nucky’s coddling and excuses for his poor performance. Funny enough, the answer seemed to lie in two extremes. Eddie could hand in his resignation for good, or he could find himself promoted to more important yet less physical work. In the end, Nucky’s bond with Eddie seemed to grow stronger by the close of Episode 2. The respect demanded drew Eddie further into the world of crime that Nucky has become so comfortable with, the world he’d previously hesitated to expose Eddie to. Now, Kessler is stepping up to the plate! I like this concept very much. Having Eddie handle the money situation from afar as Nucky begins business in Florida is not only smart, it’s putting Nucky’s most loyal player to much better use.

HBO "Boardwalk Empire"

Meanwhile, that wacky new prohibition agent, Warren Knox, continued to stir up trouble for Thompson and the gang. After leading our old buddy Stan straight into a trap, seemingly to seize the bounty of booze for himself, Knox continued to raise this recap writer’s eyebrows during Episode 2. His introduction to Nucky as the new Stan was, as he put, succinct. Thompson can’t be bothered with this, of course, yet he did manage to make a few calls to perform an unofficial background check on the man who could make or break his business with a single blow. Seriously, in any case, is this someone you’d want representing your corrupt bootlegging company in the government? No matter, by the close of the episode, Knox was squealing to the U.S. treasury department, tipping them off to their unknowing ties to Nucky Thompson. Still, we don’t know all there is to know about this alleged mole. He’s a snake in the grass with a hint of psycho to him, and he’s most definitely motivated by some sort of selfish gains. Still, that bit of craziness certainly makes him very entertaining. Crazy does well on Boardwalk Empire. Think of what Gillian and the dearly departed Rosetti have brought to the show. We need nut jobs here!

HBO "Boardwalk Empire"

Probably the most important plotline this week surrounded Chalky’s (Michael Kenneth Williams) new opponent, Dr. Valentin Narcisse. As I previously stated, this man is a very intimidating new wild card. He already seems unflappable. He can quote the Bible off the cuff in a way that strikes fear in the hearts of anyone he confronts. The twisted woman who set Dunn up last week reappeared with this man by her side. First, he confronted Chalky solo, mocking his attempts at playing a “king” by running his new club for a white audience. When Chalky refused to acknowledge the murder Dunn had committed, the killing of Narcisse’s best talent agent, the connection to the hired acts was pulled. With no entertainment, Chalky had no club. More importantly, Nucky was brought in to negotiate following the unfortunate turn of events. It’s interesting to consider what Narcisse stands for considering his fascination over “kings” and their common language when you take his faith into account. Is this someone playing God? He barely respected Chalky in his own club, and Dunn was all but completely disregarded as a relevant human being. Yet, he had a certain interest in Nucky. To fix what was broken, Nucky offered ten percent of the club’s revenue to Narcisse, and a deal was struck.

To add a twist to the equation, Narcisse rode home with his client’s newly widowed wife. In the back of the car, the woman suggested that Dunn be hanged for his crime against her husband and the much fibbed about "rape." At this point, Narcisse revealed that he never believed her tale of Dunn forcing himself on her, deducing that her husband was in on the scheme the entire time. Because she suggested the unnecessary gratuitous murder of Dunn after the score had already been settled, she’d have to be punished. Also, there was a lot talk from Narcisse regarding the dilution that occurs from "mixing." Hmm… This could prove to evolve into something super entertaining to watch. Narcisse had his men strangle the woman to death with a noose, leaving her dead in the mud of a construction site that would soon be the place of a new church. Things just got interesting, didn’t they?

What did you think of Boardwalk Empire Season 4 Episode 2, “Resignation”? Is Narcisse a friend of a foe? What about the intentions of Warren Knox (Jim)? Were you happy to see Van Alden back in the game? Will Richard somehow find himself tied back to the central plot, or will he make good on his promise to stay at home with Emma? Did you like the turn Nucky’s relationship with Eddie took? Where is Margaret going to fit into all of this?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Boardwalk Empire Season 4 Episode 2, “Resignation”!