Boardwalk Empire - Recap: Stray Dogs and Bachelors
The fruity cocktails down in Tampa weren’t necessarily up to Nucky Thompson’s standards, but would a vacation to Florida blossom into a business opportunity? Boardwalk Empire’s fourth season continued tonight!
Once again, Boardwalk Empire kept our cast divided this week as Season 4 continued to gain momentum. Sooner or later, I’m assuming all of these people will become intertwined, as the heroin game continues to boom and past mistakes rise from the grave. I’ll start this week’s recap with Richard Harrow, who continued to make himself at home back in his family’s crumbling old house. First, we were introduced to a serious new love interest for Richard’s twin, Emma, who clowned around in the "Rick" Harrow’s kitchen before the duo would begin renovating the borderline decrepit home. Emma had planned on having Richard stay for the long haul, remember, but things would quickly crumble.
If you recall, Richard’s are during Episode 3 saw the final moments of his days as an assassin. Christened by the death of his family dog, Samson, Richard attempted to start a new chapter, burying his trusty gun before beginning to clean out the shed. Unfortunately, the man Richard had let slip through the cracks last week, the final target of Mr. Carl Billings, would subsequently lead the hirer straight to Richard’s family home, looking for revenge. See, I was a little confused as to why this man was so aggravated with Richard after he’d so easily killed the final target himself last week. The deal was a half now/ half later situation, and Richard had done most of his duties. Wouldn’t losing half of his earnings over not killing one last man be enough to let this slide? In any case, it was not. Billings was out for blood. Luckily, Richard managed to get the upper hand on the muscle brought to do the deed, and Emma, funny enough, put a bullet through Billings’ brain from the doorway.
Sadly, this seemed to sever the ties between the siblings. By the final moments of Episode 4, Richard would be saying his goodbyes and heading for the train. There is a baby coming to this home, people. Hit men can’t be popping up out of the blue and out for blood. Also, didn't they give Harrow fair warning during Episode 3? Still, it will be interesting to see where Richard ends up. I guess the saying is true… you can never go home!
HBO "Boardwalk Empire"
Meanwhile, Gillian continued to woo Mr. Phillips while they hunted for real estate. In a slightly awkward turn of events, Roy invited Gillian to dinner with a business associate looking to ink a deal. The catch was, of course, that Gillian would have to pretend to be his faithful wife, the woman he’d recently left for good. Gillian had no problem playing dress up for a night at Chalky’s (Michael Kenneth Williams) club, but her growing addiction issue began to rear its ugly head throughout the evening. Each time Gillian found herself in an uncomfortable conversation or confrontation, she’d get the itch to use. She’d manage to hold off, it turned out, until the two could finish off the night sharing ice cream at a diner.A nickel for your thoughts? I pay better than most people.Unfortunately for Gillian, she’d find herself caught off guard by a very unlikely source… one of Roger’s curious friends. You remember Roger, of course, as the man Gillian had selfishly murdered last season in order to bid Jimmy one final farewell. That was that for Gillian, and she’d close off Episode 4 taking a hit in the bathroom. Back at the table, she’d discover that her ice cream had melted into mere soupy cream. Just how long was she in there? Phillips' certainly raised an eyebrow!
Speaking of heroin, the super intimidating Dr. Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright) made a grand return during Episode 4, revealing more of his true colors and plans for Atlantic City. Narcisse is looking to bring power to the African American community through the illegal sales of heroin, the current mega powerful business commodity. Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg) would ink the deal for a massive sale, but how would Narcisse weasel his way into Nucky’s territory?
Narcisse infiltrated White’s club with a beautiful new starlet, and while Chalky sat fixated on the performer, Narcisse would seize the opportunity to enlist a new unlikely ally. Dunn (Erik LaRay Harvey) was initially entirely put off by Narcisse, but as it turned out, it seems that the doctor was merely testing to the waters. He resents Chalky’s catering to the white clientele, organizing his business around pleasing those customers. Dunn, on the other hand, recently found himself on the receiving end of a terrible hate crime, one that Narcisse ended up eradicating from their radar. Will Dunn truly betray Chalky for a chance to work alongside Narcisse in the heroin trade? It’s looking that way, folks! Silly me, by the way, I was fairly certain Dunn considered Chalky a friend! Apparently, I was incorrect!
HBO "Boardwalk Empire"
For a show that’s constantly bringing in fresh meat, I’m happy Season 4 is spending time acquainting us with Willie, Eli’s sun, as he continues his college days. We need more youth on this show! Willie, remember, alluded to being quite popular among his classmates, but our first glimpses into Temple life told us otherwise. Willie, needless to say, did have one awesome card to play; he comes from a family of big time bootleggers, and college kids love to booze! I think my favorite scene this week was probably Willie’s trip to visit Mickey (Paul Sparks) at the distillery. When asking politely didn’t work, Willie attempted to steal the box of booze, only to find himself on the receiving end of a whopping *SLAP* across the face from Mickey! Doyle, feeling sorry for the boy, inevitably handed him a crate of whiskey out of pity. Eli will be none the wiser… for now!
The party that evening seemed like a blast, but something that didn’t sit so right with me was the fact that Willie brought his nerdy buddy to visit his father’s place of work prior. The friend already begun running his mouth about thugs and shotguns, and I’m thinking it’s only a matter of time before this domino effect is set into motion. I have to be honest, I’m not sure why Willie was so incredibly embarrassed when the drunken party busted in on his private make-out session with a girl. I mean, aren’t you supposed to “pop wood” in that kind of a scenario? No one else was getting laid!
HBO "Boardwalk Empire"
The central story arc during Episode 4 centered on Nucky’s trip down to Tampa. How interesting was it to see Nucky in a quasi-tropical area? Coconut based drinks and Nucky Thompson do not mix! Nucky’s been interested in getting involved with the bootlegging game down in Florida, but as I previously stated, nothing ever goes according to plan. The easy as pie scheme his pal Bill laid out seemed foolproof, as the team would have hundreds of acres worth of property on which to conduct business. Nucky has learned his lesson, though. If something seems to good to be true, it usually is.
Over lunch, Nucky happened to overhear a boy squawking quite loudly about the booming real estate market in the area. After buying the lad a drink and asking some polite questions about the business, Nucky managed to discover that the land he’d intended to use for bootlegging would indeed become thriving communities. Tucker, the man in charge of the business down in Tampa, was not too pleased with Nucky or their middle man, Bill. Later that evening, Nucky would promptly dismiss their offer at Sally’s Bar.
This is where things began to unravel. As it turned out, Bill McCoy was in a great deal of debt with this backwoods Tucker fellow. Previous seized shipments of booze cost him a great deal of money, and Tucker offered to loan him cash if he could seal a deal with Nucky. This, needless to say, was not Nucky’s problem at all. A bad business deal is just that, and Bill would have to suffer the consequences on his own. That evening, Tucker paid him a visit at his home, and it looked like McCoy would pay the ultimate price.
One of the best scenes this week gave us a formal introduction to Patricia Arquette’s Sally, the bar tender. She and Nucky would chat before Nucky’s trek back up to New Jersey, and the two discussed everything from his son Teddy’s birthday to life itself. In the end, Sally would give Nucky enough information about working down in Florida, enlightening him to the fact that Tucker was a total halfwit and still managed to run the show. Just imagine what Nucky could accomplish being, well, Nucky! Later, the bar broad would send Nucky a gift for Teddy, and hopefully we’ll finally get some connection back to Margaret through this used lizard toy! I’m curious to see a relationship develop between Nucky and Sally now that he has, indeed, decided to take McCoy up on his offer. Episode 4 closed with one last phone call to Bill confirming Nucky’s decision. Tucker sat lifeless on the floor next to him… with a massive knife cracked through his skull… just like a coconut.
What did you think of Boardwalk Empire Season 4 Episode 3, “Acres of Diamonds”? Will heroin or something else connect these story arcs, or will they continue on separately? Will Gillian be held responsible for her actions? Will Willie’s party come back to haunt Eli and Nucky? Is Chalky in trouble with Narcisse? Will Nucky have to deal with the death of Tucker?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Boardwalk Empire Season 4 Episode 3, “Acres of Diamonds”!