Let’s catch up with Boardwalk Empire, shall we?
Our favorite, Nucky seems to be stretching himself a little thin these days. He wants to be a businessman, a father, and a gangster all at once. However, Nucky is too preoccupied to really care about all that because of Billie Kent. When the lovely Margaret interrupts Nucky buying a few things for Billie, Nucky quietly lays down the law for her.
Later in the episode, we return to Nucky and Margaret at home. Margaret isn’t interested in his excuses and tells him his obsession with women comes from a place of having to save all of them. Of course, Nucky disagrees. However, Nucky gets swept away in Billie’s show and convincing Eddie Cantor, Chalky White, & Dunn Purnsley to headline The Naughty Virgin with Billie.
Though Nucky would much rather watch Billie on that stage, he still has business to take care of. In a scene that involves Eli, Arnold Rothstein, & Lucky, viewers learn that Nucky is to be shut out of the next liquor shipment. We learn that Rosetti, who hijacked the last liquor shipment, doesn’t care about the business. He is upset because Nucky insulted him. Rothstein, being as clever as he is, listens to him just so he can get information our of him. We learn that after Rosetti’s purpose has been served, he plans to hire an assassin to handle him.
This tension crosses state lines to the Midwest where Van Alden/Mueller learns that the agent he paid off at the speakeasy wants to talk to him. After that exchange has happened with Agent Coughlin, Nelson sits his wife down to tell her who he really is. In a surprising twist of events, she already knows. When Nelson comes home to Coughlin, he realizes it is just about a faulty iron he’d been sold. Before any arrangements can be made, Sigrid kills the agent, forcing Nelson to finish the job and ask Dion O’Banion for help to dipose of the body.
While these events are happening, James Cromwell is in D.C. to step in for Andrew Mellon. He is testifying before a committee about the effect of Prohibition in general and what his men have to do with defects. Mellon’s part may lead to trouble down the road for a few of our characters, but we’ll just have to keep watching to find out!
