Boardwalk Empire - Recap: Harlem by Torchlight

Episode 8 of Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire laid one villain to rest and set up one of our favorite antiheroes (That's how we'd define everyone at this point, right?) for a heartbreaking yet game-altering decision. This was arguably the strongest episode of the season mostly because it focused on so few of the main cast of characters. This is a show that sometimes falls victim to spreading itself too thin. After all, the plot follows the lives of several gangsters over the span of several states. The action this week was focused tightly on Nucky’s (Steve Buscemi) dealings in A.C. as well as Chalky White’s (Michael Kenneth Williams) long overdo realization that something under his nose was amiss. Here is the Recap and Review of Season 4 Episode 8 of Boardwalk Empire, “The Old Ship of Zion”!

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Willie Thompson (Ben Rosenfield) arose in Eddie Kessler’s old bed to the sound of chirping finches. Unsure of how to move forward following his rash decision to leave Temple and utter disrespect he'd displayed toward his father, Eli (Shea Whigham), Willie would spend the majority of Episode 8 coming to terms with a new step towards his future. Nucky would do his best to put some positive pressure on the kid while he not so covertly attempted to push his nephew out of his own current beachside home.

Meanwhile, Nucky was pleasantly surprised to find Sally Wheet (Patricia Arquette) among the booze and oranges of his first shipment from Florida. Sally, arriving unannounced yet without any outwardly apparent intention to spend her time up north with Nucky, brought her particular brassy brand of Tampa charm to A.C. this week, continuing this new kind of a dynamic in Nucky’s love life. Nucky is used to taking the lead and controlling the game. This is a woman who is set on ensuring him that he’s met his match. That isn’t to say that these two are going to settle down any time soon. On the contrary, much of how this relationship works is based on unpredictable chemistry and an easy sense of freedom.

Chalky White opened his arc this week at the funeral services for the deacon Dunn (Erik LaRay Harvey) had murdered during last week’s episode. This is where Chalky would initially become privy to the fact that all was no right in his neck of the woods. His daughter would point out the very clear fact that many of the folks in the room were focused on Chalky rather than the speaker, and the unnerving presence of Dr. Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright) was enough to get the gears in White’s brain turning. It was nice to finally see Chalky as growing increasingly present this week, rather than simply entranced by his new love interest. Previously, we’d witnessed Dunn venturing over to a drug den to oversee some heroin dealings. The house was filled to the brim with young African Americans, the people Chalky had promised to protect, high on the drug Dunn had been secretly peddling along with Narcisse. Heroin is expensive, though, and their supply would become more and more diluted as the product became in higher demand.

Chalky, getting a sense of the tragedy occurring behind the closed doors of the house, would enlist Dunn’s “help” in busting the operation spontaneously, roughing up the men inside who’re inebriated by the drug. From the get-go, it seemed as though Chalky had begun to suspect Dunn’s involvement in the crimes at hand, which is why so much of Chalky’s plan this week involved having Dunn as close to him as possible. As the plot would unfold, Dunn would seem guiltier and guiltier. For example, Dunn was extremely quick to open fire on the businessman overseeing the dealings form within the house before Chalky could interrogate him. Of course, we knew just a few scenes prior Dunn had dealt with the man himself. What’s the easiest way to prevent someone from pointing their finger straight at you in the world of organized crime? Chalky might have spent most of Season 4 infatuated by Daughter Maitland (Margot Bingham), but he’s been around the block. Business comes first.

Nucky would later pay Chalky a personal visit at his club. If Chalky wasn’t aware of the fact that he’d been careless and sloppy in his dealings since the Season 4 premiere, Nucky made sure to point out the absolute mess that had fallen in his lap. Mayor Bader is up for reelection, and the African American vote is imperative to his victory. This just goes to show you how everything here is connected, even when things seem like they could be entirely unrelated. Dr. Narcisse’s heroin business has inadvertently begun to weaken Nucky’s ties to politics; however, Season 4 Nucky seems to always be a step ahead. He’s learned since Season 3.

Of course, Nucky is, indeed, completely unaware as to what’s been transpiring in Washington, as Agent Knox (Brian Geraghty) has continued his crusade against the organized crime chain in America. Apparently, Hoover’s decision to take credit for Knox’s/ Tolliver’s hard work has only driven him to elevate from anger to rage in his undercover attempt to expose Thompson. Luckily for Knox, a new tip would arrive via one of his team members pointing the finger at Willie and his recent brush with manslaughter. How could Willie Thompson walk away scot-free when his roommate stands trial for the accidental murder of their classmate? A noted appearance by Nucky Thompson at the D.A.’s office sent up a major red flag, and Tolliver now had a solid means of breaking the chain of Nucky’s dealings… in Eli.

On a lighter note, Mickey (Paul Sparks) was in fine form this week. I’ve missed his comic relief this season, and surprisingly, I thought his chemistry with Sally, at least on a trivial plutonic level, was great to watch. Sally is the kind of girl who pays for her own hotel room and buys herself a drink. Nucky, oddly enough, is intrigued, and although she might have resisted to begin with, the two would inevitably get busy that evening, much to Willie’s dismay (The walls are thin). The next morning, however, it would be Sally who’d drive Willie to find his next step in life.

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The two chatted over breakfast, eventually sharing with Nucky that Willie intended to find work in the city. He’d take advantage of his family’s standing to get his foot in the door, but would agree to work his way up from the bottom in order to someday earn a position of power. With Nucky’s help, he’d land a brand new opportunity at the Mayor’s office with the promise that he could, in time, act as a future Mayor Bader within the family business. Sally would eventually leave with her team of men, asking Nucky for her cut of the earnings first. This obviously won’t be the last we see of her, and I, for one, am glad!

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Unfortunately, as Willie’s arc seemed to take a positive turn on the surface this week, behind the scenes, his life might have just become a complete disaster. Knox sideswiped Eli at a local bar, muscling Thompson into listening to his offer. Eli, remember, was clueless as to how involved Willie was in the murder of his classmate. Knox would inform him of everything, leaving Eli shattered when he was presented with two options; rat on Nucky or send his son to prison for life. In a truly heartbreaking moment, Eli returned home that night to find Nucky, Willie, and his entire family singing songs in a circle. Willie, under Nucky’s advisement, offered up a genuine apology for disrespecting his father in his own home. The two hugged as tears welled up in Eli’s eyes. Nucky, none the wiser, remained completely unaware of Tolliver’s hold on Eli. What do we think? Is Eli set up to betray his brother once more, or will he send his son to jail in order to protect the organization? If I’m to make an educated guess, I’m going to take a bet on the latter. I think Eli is upset over his son’s recent deeper connection with his uncle and the fact that he’d been left in the dark regarding this manslaughter situation. I also don’t see Boardwalk Empire repeating history and having Eli, yet again, betray Nucky’s trust. I can much sooner see the show punishing Willie for his incompetence in poisoning a silly school rival and playing with fire in his desire to join the realm of the gangsters. We expect Eli to turn on Nucky, and we expect him to do anything for his son. It just seems too easy.

Narcisse would put up a self-penned play this week, attempting to rally the black community behind his cause of “purifying” their people of their vices and demons while simultaneously secretly making a buck in the heroin game. Chalky White was on his way, however, after finding a piece of evidence on the body of the man Dunn had murdered at the drug house. A flyer advertising the performance linked Narcisse to the heroin game quite clearly, and Nucky would stir up a ruckus in front of their entire community outside of the performance before lighting the drugs he’d discovered on fire for all to see, a performance of his own he titled, “Harlem by Torchlight”!

Narcisse, realizing that his cover was all but blown, paid Daughter Maitland a visit later in the episode, ordering her to keep Chalky in the bedroom as long as possible that evening. A third “visitor” would arrive in good time. Now, last week I noted that I was not worried for Chalky. This show isn’t typically fond of defeating those who’ve already been punished, at least not bruised and battered in the present day. Chalky has had a rough go during Season 4, so I’ve only ever smelled redemption. This show likes to kill off an “Icarus,” someone who flies too close to the sun only to witness their wax wings melting away and a subsequent dive to death. Still, by the time Chalky had Daughter privately sing to him “The Old Ship of Zion,” the song that had been performed at his father’s funeral, I was second guessing myself. Daughter sang beautifully while Chalky wept, as though he were grieving for his own looming demise. By the time Dunn arrived at the room, the suspense had built to a boiling point. Someone was about to bite the bullet, and once Chalky made it perfectly clear that he’d become aware of Dunn’s betrayal, the fight was on. The brawl was brutal. Chalky would first pierce Dunn’s cheek from the inside out (Ouch!) with a shard of shattered wood, only to find himself on the receiving end of a good strangling. Just as Chalky was about to be snuffed out forever, Daughter Maitland drove a massive knife straight into Dunn’s back, killing him and rescuing White.

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If you ask me, that final moment of connection during the song was what sealed the deal and switched her allegiance. The two are perpetual world wanderers, and they’ve at least found each other.

What did you think of Season 4 Episode 8 of Boardwalk Empire, “The Old Ship of Zion”? Did you have faith that he would pull through, or did you think it was curtains for Chalky? Is Nucky in trouble thanks to Eli, or will Willie take the fall? Are you hoping to see more of Sally?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Season 4 Episode 8 of Boardwalk Empire, “The Old Ship of Zion”!