Boardwalk Empire - Recap: I Wouldn't Put Something Alive in a Box

Episode 6 of Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire, “The North Star,” focused on our main characters’ roles as family men in the wake of Eddie Kessler’s heartbreaking suicide. While much of the episode centered on cleaning up the mess Eddie had left behind, a death in the “family” served to remind Nucky (Steve Buscemi) and his gang of the repercussions of a life in crime. Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) made a brief return this week, and Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) seems to have come home for good. Meanwhile, the deal down in Florida was settled unexpectedly. Here is the Recap and Review of Boardwalk Empire Season 4 Episode 6, “The North Star”! Also, don't forget to check out a special "inside the episode" video from Boardwalk Empire embedded below!

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Episode 6 opened with a dazed and confused Nucky reuniting with Margaret for just a few minutes of conversation in New York. Nucky, having learned the news of Eddie’s passing, attempted to fill his ex in on the tragedy but failed to get his point across. The words were there, but they never seemed to find a way out. Thompson might have put the nail in his own coffin when he handed over Teddy’s birthday present, only to see an eyebrow raised by Margaret. Had he gifted Teddy a pet? No, he "wouldn't put something alive in a box." (Remember what happened to Owen?) I’m not sure where Margaret is going to fit moving forward with Boardwalk Empire. It doesn’t really seem like there’s any hope for reconciliation here, and she’s been missing for half the season. It isn’t as though this meeting set up the possibility for another arc for her either. It was good to see Margaret, though, if only because the removal of Eddie has left a gaping hole in the emotional heart of the show. Female characters who are less involved in the gang plotlines will always bring a necessary light to the screen.

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Meanwhile, Richard Harrow bumped into Julia’s (Wrenn Schmidt) father, Paul (Mark Borkowski) while patching up his hand at the local hospital. Paul, a known heavy drinker, just received news that his liver had begun to fail. With only about a year left to live, the man considered the futures of his daughter and Tommy, the boy Richard had simply dropped on their stoop before fleeing town. Paul and Richard, funny enough, caught up over drinks, and the two admitted to their own shady pasts in somewhat of a therapeutic heart-to-heart as war veterans. Richard has killed countless men, blank faces and shadows, mostly. Paul, on the other hand, recalled a specific story of a time when he killed an innocent child, a thirteen-year-old girl, while overseas for not having proper identification.

In the end, Richard ventured back to Julia’s home, where a happy and healthy Tommy shared his newfound fascination with the astronomy. The boy always wants to make sure that he can find his way home again, which makes perfect sense. Julia, on a quiet dock at night, shared her woes with Richard, who’d turned her life upside down before disappearing. Julia has been protecting Richard in court, refusing to admit to knowing anything about the murders at Gillian’s cathouse that took place during last season’s finale. Of course, Julia is a smart girl and had known all along, but that doesn’t make the legal process of fighting for Tommy’s custody any easier. In truth, the boy needs a father figure in his life, and it seems Julia’s simple talk with Richard was enough to convince him to stick around this time. Richard sees himself as somewhat of a damaged antihero. Perhaps he recognizes his tortured soul, but his heart, at its core, is good. This is Boardwalk Empire, and I’m not sure that there are any other characters at this point who’re more of a straight-up hero than Richard Harrow. Then again, we don’t really know any normal civilians. Everything is related to the world of gangs and crime.

Eddie’s untimely death left Nucky in a bit of a pickle. The safety deposit box Eddie had opened in his own name contained important information, yet Nucky’s team no longer had access to it. First, Eli (Shea Whigham) and Mickey (Paul Sparks) would search Eddie’s tiny apartment for the key. While Mickey babbled on inappropriately, Eli began his arc this week, a retrospective thought process on being a father, after finding Eddie’s pet birds left unattended. He’d feed them throughout the episode, even luckily finding the key in their seed, but this got him thinking about his own son. From what Eli had understood, Willie was busy dealing with some unfortunate situation regarding his roommate. We, of course, are privy to the truth, but what was most important to realize was that Eli, a father of eight, has begun to recognize that his fate in a life of crime will most likely end in his own early demise.

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Agent Knox (Brian Geraghty) was hanging on by a thread at the start of Episode 6. Eddie’s suicide left him without a connection to Nucky, and his higher-ups began suspecting that his hunch regarding a national web of crime lords was truly nothing at all. Knox pleaded for one more short, and initially seemed to fail at convincing Mickey and Eli to trust him with more power; however, Eli needed an in with the bank containing Eddie’s safety deposit box. Knox, using his power as a government official, weaseled his way in with a faux investigation, eventually brining Eli the documents from inside that he needed. Eli had another moment alone with Knox back in Eddie’s apartment. Eddie’s note was left in German, and Knox, who’d revealed to Eddie during the episode prior that he was fluent in the language, translated the letter for Eli. We don’t know how much of what Knox said was actually true. I’m assuming he left out some sort of valuable information, but what he did reveal, that Eddie was proud to be a grandfather, was enough to send Eli over the edge into full on sobs. Mostly, Eli revealed his fears of leaving behind his own children in a great emotional moment. Oddly enough, Knox would reach for his handkerchief, alerting Eli to something fishy. The initials on the cloth didn’t match the name with which Knox had introduced himself during the Season 4 premiere.

Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams) had an emotional breakthrough of his own this week. Dr. Narcisse has spent much of the season criticizing Chalky’s attempts to social climb in white society, and it seemed during this week’s episode that even Chalky, who’s usually seemingly unflappable, has a boiling point. Chalky has been clearly infatuated with his new singer, Daughter Maitland (Margot Bingham), from a distance since Narcisse announced her arrival. This week, the attraction would be taken to a whole new level. Maitland is an artist with a  vision, and she’s a woman who uses her talent to express herself. She's not necessarily out to impress anyone or to score attention. Another trip to Chalky’s family dinner table alerted us to more tension going on at home. Chalky’s wife is particular about the way they raise their children. If you recall, Chalky always prided himself on giving his brood a better life than he’d known as a boy, and much of that process has involved education and the arts. There is, however, a difference between playing the piano and feeling the music.

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Chalky has never truly revealed himself to be a warm family man, but during a scene at his Onyx Club this week, we got another breakthrough. Maitland chose to disobey her boss’ orders in singing a new song for his crowd. The song harped on the emptiness of life and the struggles to find meaning in it. We watched the entire performance, only to see White welling up with tears by the end. By the close of Episode 6, Chalky would have some passionate and angry words with Maitland for choosing a piece that would make the audience feel something, as opposed to a song that would find them ordering a round of drinks in all their drunken merriment. In truth, we were aware of Chalky’s own emotional reaction, as was Maitland. His true rage stemmed from his own discomfort and the forced vulnerability. Chalky White ended his arc this week by finally giving in to his own lust for his nightclub singer.

Down in Florida, Nucky became aware of his business partner, Tucker’s, recent disappearance. Furious with his old business buddy, Bill, Nucky initially thought his entire trip down south was a complete waste. We, of course, know that Bill murdered Tucker, even if he had absolutely no choice; however, this would end up bringing in a new investor from up north that would remain a mystery until later that evening.

Lucky (Vincent Piazza) and Meyer (Anatol Yusef) also made the journey down to Tampa as Nucky’s partners this week. We haven’t seen much of Charlie this season, but Episode 6 might have set into motion a new arc that will unfold over the course of the remaining episodes. The alligator bar fight sure seemed like a good time, but Charlie was certainly not happy to see a familiar face pop in. Petrocelli (Mr. Pierce) was a stranger to Nucky as the mysterious new investor interested in taking part in Thompson’s latest scheme. In Italian, however, he revealed to Lucky, and to us, that he has ties to Joe Masseria. In fact, they’re cousins! Charlie, who is, needless to say, working behind his boss’ back, began to panic. In a one-on-one moment with Meyer, the partners discussed options; however Masseria is not one to forgive and forget. Charlie would have to kill Petrocelli to save his own hide. Meyer, who has been incredibly careful in all of his business dealings up until this point over the course of over three seasons, refused to dirty his hands to clean up more of Lucky’s messes. The two parted ways, and Meyer would end up investing alone.

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Nucky, meanwhile, continued to get cozier with bartender Sally (Patricia Arquette). The two have a great new chemistry. There’s something about the bar broad that puts Nucky at ease. She’s easily gained his trust, and Thompson trusts her with everything from business to personal advice. What started out as simple flirting over the alligator fight eventually led to what would transpire that evening. Drunk beyond belief, Nucky continued to “whine” over Eddie, and how he couldn’t shake the terribly selfish feeling that something about Eddie’s death would end up ruining him. Sally simply hauled off and punched Nucky square in the nose. Come to think of it, she clocked him twice, eventually prompting Nucky to throw a return hit back. He, of course, subsequently apologized for punching a woman before the two would have a steamy sex scene in the back of the bar. All in the name of foreplay, I’d say!

Nucky closed out his arc this week by finishing up the deal with his partners the next morning in the same bar. Sally will officially act as his eyes and ears down south while he continues his affairs in the north.

What did you think of Season 4 Episode 6 of Boardwalk Empire, “The North Star”? Did you like that this week’s episode focused on the strain of fatherhood in the A.C. crime scene? Were you happy to see Margaret’s return? What will end up happening between Knox and Nucky’s team? Will Richard’s past come back to haunt him yet again? Do you like the chemistry between Nucky and Sally?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Season 4 Episode 6 of Boardwalk Empire, “The North Star”! Check out a special inside the episode video from Boardwalk Empire below!