Boardwalk Empire 2.02 “Ourselves Alone”

Nick Hanover: Last week we spoke about the hole that Nucky has found himself in and what that might mean for the rest of the season. Already in the second episode we’re seeing Nucky basically knocked down to the bottom, with hardly any allies and his competition practically carving up his territory for themselves. What do you think Nucky’s prospects look like after this episode?

Jamil Scalese: The decline of Nucky is as quick as it is brutal, and in two episodes he’s become possibly the character most worthy of our sympathies. To ask me about his chances moving forward, well, I think the whole episode honed in on one conclusion– his allies are jumping ship, but the one that stayed is strong. After being essentially ignored in the premiere Margaret shined in this hour and I love the journey of her character since the beginning of the show. She indicates with her abduction of Nucky’s files from his cop-swarmed office that she is a valuable weapon in her lover’s arsenal. Her interactions with new character Slater show that she has no shortage plot threads moving forward. What did you think of Slater? Can this show afford any more characters on its roster?

What I felt was more promising was Jimmy’s plotline this episode, which had him reaching out to Arnold Rothstein in a fulfillment of the concept of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” His scenes with Lucky Luciano in particular, where they could barely contain their contempt for each other, were dynamite, and I’m pretty excited to see what goes on between those two and Meyer Lansky. Jimmy’s part of the show is often the most entertaining and I get the sense that this season is really going to spotlight that.

Jamil: I was just thinking that, even last year, Jimmy is the best part of the show. He teeters from menacing to smooth to humble and unassuming. He seems as unsure of his next move as we are. I thought his attempted deal with Rothstein was as misplayed as Rothstein implied it was, and the only reason the top New York gangster didn’t react negatively was due to his awe of Mr. Darmody’s brashness. The scenes with Luciano and Lansky were a nice new development in Jimmy’s empire-building journey, and I love the energy of Luciano and how the writers brought together that odd, odd, dynamic between him, Gillian and her son. Of course Jimmy’s father played a “strong” role in this episode as he gathers an even larger faction of Nucky naysayers. Did the Commodore come off more powerful or pathetic?

Chalky White’s story here wasn’t as connected to the larger picture, but damn if it wasn’t intense, and he showed off the kind of pull he has in the community. Watching Dunn Purnsley get his in that cell after being such an asshole wasn’t just a nice bit of brutality, it was also an indication of the loyalty Chalky commands. Do you think we’ll be seeing that aspect of Chalky coming in to play soon?

It brings up a bigger point you inadvertently mentioned — I love being taught history so easily. The way this show incorporates history elements and mingles it with fiction is smart. Somehow there’s suspense in stuff we already know. Even so, the larger, more noticeable names typically have smaller roles, with fictional characters like Jimmy, Richard Harrow and Agent Van Alden being fan favorites.

Overall this episode was about how the men with power on Boardwalk Empire are dealing with the shift of influence. Consequently, many characters were missing from this episode. Where’s Lucy? Richard? Al Capone? Does anyone of significance die on this show? The one most close to death last season is lifting elephant tusks over his head.

Jamil: Yes, it’s time to keep an eye on how these different groups mix and separate, and I guess that is where the momentum in the season lies. It reminds me of Deadwood in a lot in the ways. The show is built with so many separate but not exclusive plot lines and emphasizes inserting all the history it can while still keeping things human.

In terms of who will win: Nucky’s reach is still far and mighty, and I would not be at all surprised to see him and Jimmy team-up again. Real-life Enoch Thompson makes his way out of this soft mutiny, and we even see the Commodore’s underlings openly questioning the intelligence in overthrowing him. As Nuck reminds us, he tries to be fair to everyone, and I think that will resonate with his enemies when it comes to decisive action. But really, the story elements of this show go generally unnoticed to me until I sit down and prepare to chat about it with you, Nick. When watching I’m wrapped up in the lives of the inventive and often wacky characters that scare, humor and fascinate me.

Jamil: They do get lost in the showmanship and aura of the roaring 20’s. Sometimes those musical numbers or character speeches drag on or as you said in the case of the bear metaphor, are repetitive. That’s why it keeps coming back to the ensemble cast for me, is there a limit? I really missed some of my favorite characters, and even if this only the second episode of the season I feel a little robbed. When Slater appeared on Margaret’s doorstep I knew his boyish good looks and dashing accent meant less time with other deserving subplots. Are the showrunners overcompensating for the fact that a lot of the story is written for them? Or am I complaining about getting too much of a good thing?

Nick: No, I think your complaint is legitimate. I’m willing to trust the writers and see what happens with Slater, but I do think you’re right that at this point we don’t need the cast to keep expanding and there are more important, existing storylines that deserve to be followed up on. But with all that said, what are you giving this episode? I wish we had something in between 4 and 4.5 but I’m going to round up and say 4.5 stars.

Jamil: Damn our rigid rating system! I think I’ll mark this one as 4 stars, it was a great episode with some memorable scenes, but was missing some of the key elements. Plus there was that weird scene where Jimmy killed those muggers in the park. That just didn’t sit right with me.