Boardwalk 2.12 - "To the Lost"
Last episode of the season, NOOOOOOOOO. Also, the obligatory SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT:
- Hel-LO, badass Jimmy and Richard. Nice to see you're upholding your
deal with Chalky.
- For such a fucking putz, Mickey Doyle sure gets around and manages
to be in the right places at the right times. He's freaking uncanny.
Threw over Nucky for the D'Alessios, then them for Rothstein, then
Rothstein for the Young Turks, then the Turks for Manny, and now he's
gotten full circle back to Nucky. Can we kill him? Oy.
- "If the boychik's wife could still talk, she'd tell you otherwise."
FUUUUUUCK. Not only is that a great line, but Nucky's reaction is even
more perfect. He does NOT approve of killing civilians, especially
innocent ones like Angela whom he liked.
- Manny's right, Nucky would be nothing in Odessa. Men like Nucky
(like Rothstein, too, for that matter), would not have that kind of
power - men like Jimmy would. So what is it, better to be half a
gangster and live to enjoy your fortune, or better to have real power
and die in a blaze of glory fighting to hold onto it?
- "I only asked for 3." "I know you did." DAMMIT JIMMY, WHY YOU GOTTA
BE SO GOOD SOMETIMES AND SO SHITTY THE REST OF THE TIME?
- Ahahaha, I love Chalky's WTF-face at Jimmy asking to talk to Nucky.
- LISTEN TO YOUR BRO, JIMMY. Remember that whole thing where you
trust him with your life and he gives you valuable advice and cleans
up after your punk ass?
- Yowza. That is some bitchface you've got there, Katy. If I were
Owen, I'd be sleeping with one eye open.
- I love Esther Randolph. She has minions, some of whom she has
casual sex with, and she gets shaved ice on demand while snarking up a
storm. Can we make her a regular, plz?
- God, this scene. I love that they went there, that they spelled out
that yes, Margaret was abused, yes Hans beat the kids, and Nucky was a
way out. I love that Margaret knows she's with someone who may not
show cruelty to her, but is not a good man. And I love that while
Esther flat-out says she can paint Margaret either way, she's also
pissed that Margaret isn't owning up to her culpability.
- O hai Fallon. I'm glad they kept him around, because he's
excellently snarky and smart enough to keep up with men like Nucky and
Rothstein.
- Nucky, maybe you should stop alternately treating Margaret like a
pet or an idiot child. That would be an idea. Remember how smart she
was back in "Ourselves Alone"? She could be your right-hand lady if
you let her.
- And can I just flail all over the costume dept. for a while?
Because those SUITS and those COLOR PALETTES and guh. I love the idea
of putting Richard in green and Jimmy in blue and Chalky in reds/golds
and Rothstein in winter tones and Charlie in blacks/greys and Meyer in
browns. I wish the ladies had more screen time, because theirs are
excellent too (Margaret in pastels and Gillian in blues/whites and
Lucy in reds/blacks and Angela in earth tones).
- Wow. I did not expect Nucky to actually show up when Jimmy wanted to talk.
- "It's okay, I used to do your job." "You're the reason I'm doing it
now." Nicely put, Owen. Now if you could just STOP SLEEPING WITH ALL
THE IRISHWOMEN AROUND THINGS WOULD BE BETTER.
- A libation for the dead. Oh, Jimmy. You are so fucking doomed and I
am not looking forward to it.
- ALFKS'F;GLKFD'L;GKDGFLK THIS SCENE I CAN'T EVEN. THINGS THEY SHOULD
HAVE FUCKING SAID WAY BEFORE THIS. HOW ALL JIMMY HAS TO DO IS TELL THE
TRUTH AND HE'LL SAVE THE ONE FATHER HE'S GOT LEFT. AND HOW HE REALLY
ISN'T THAT GOOD ANYMORE.
- Oh, FUCK. Jimmy's going to sell Eli out, Eli's going to find out,
and kill Jimmy in the process, isn't he? Oh, isn't THAT Jacobean all
on its own?
- NO WAIT, THAT'S NOT JACOBEAN. THE TRAGIC HERO HAS TO KILL HIMSELF.
FUCK ALL, JIMMY'S GOING ON A SUICIDE MISSION.
- I almost want to say it's too late for Nucky to apologize and win
Margaret over, but probably not. He is very charming and able to
provide for her and loves her as much as he's able. And unfortunately,
at this time in history, that's almost all a woman could need or want.
- God, this is so heartwrenching precisely because it's half what he
actually feels and couldn't say before, and half what he thinks she
wants to hear so she'll save his ass. It's manipulative as fuck and so
perfectly characterized I could scream.
- NUCKY YOU MORON. "WANT" IS THE WORD YOU SHOULD BE USING. EVEN IF
YOU IMMEDIATELY PRETEND YOU AREN'T PATRONIZING HER.
- *falls over laughing* AHAHAHA, WHISTLING TEAKETTLE OF TENSION.
- Oooh, they're matching in this scene, brown and cream. Oh, I love
that wardrobe conceit. (Especially when they have the ganghusbands
dressing alike too. Nothing says that Meyer and Charlie are
Rothstein's boys more than matching neckwear and coordinating
fedoras.)
- Lawyer Uncle Junior! I hope they keep him around, he's a fun voice
of semi-reason around Commodore's Casa de Crazy (not to be confused
with Crowe Casa de Creepy, though yes, the incest, tandem beverage drinking and Jacobean parallels do about in both).
- Oh, Gillian, your bitch is showing. You know you wanted the old
bastard's money (not that I blame her, I'd have strangled him myself
for what he did).
- ANVIL OF FORESHADOWING IS ANVILICIOUS. Jimmy will die, estate goes
to Tommy officially, but technically, Gillian will get it as Tommy's
guardian. Unless Jimmy makes up his own will and names Richard Tommy's
guardian, which would be HIGH-LARIOUS.
- TOOK YOU FUCKING LONG ENOUGH, PRINCE HAMLET. She is wonderful and
manipulative and would keep you under her thumb (and other parts,
what?) forever. Enough is enough. Boy is SO doomed.
- "Are you the strongest little girl in the world?" N'AWWWWW NUCKY
SERIOUSLY, STOP THAT.
- MARGARET. YOU ARE TOTALLY A SUCKER FOR HIM. YOU SEE HOW MUCH OF A
SUCKER YOU ARE?
- ESTHER, HOW SO HBIC.
- And we have wedding montage. Intercut with Esther practicing her
opening arguments and Jimmy and Richard being well-dressed badasses. Wouldn't be it be cool if THE GODFATHER HADN'T DONE IT FIRST?
- Ahaha, I love how the biggest Woobie in fandom is the dude who
sticks guns in people's mouths and blows their brains out. Richard
remains one of my favorite sociopaths.
- Oh hai, big dumb Clifford. It's good to see Esther's still using
him to work off steam.
- Oooh, mistrial. Excellent. Sucks to be Halloran, but excellent for
everyone else.
- Wow, Gillian is NOT a Horse Person. Hahaha, accurate. Also, guh
Daddy!Jimmy. OVARIES GO BOOM.
- "Soldier." OH FUCK YOU, SHOW. WHY DO YOU GO FOR THE CHEAP
HEARTBREAK LIKE THAT?
- Okay, seriously, it is past New York Tiems NAO. I am feeling a
serious lack of ganghusbands. And also a wrap-up to this Manny
storyline. But mostly ganghusbands.
- "You're awake! And I'm drunk!" *headdesks* Nucky. I, what, I don't even.
- See, I want Eli to try and kill Jimmy and fail, and get killed
instead. But I think Shea Whigam's tremendous in the role, and I know
that the universe does not love me that much.
- "Yeah, how about those Phillies and my brother tried to have me
killed." Ahahahaha, Nucky's deadpan is among my favorites.
- "Et tu, Eli?" "What?" "Shakespeare, it's Julius Ceasar." "There's a character named Eli?" Oh my god, why is everyone not named Rothstein, Nucky, or Lansky DUMB AS BRICKS?
- Oh, FUCK. Stop it, Eli. Stop lying to your brother, WHO YOU TOTALLY
DID WANT KILLED.
- DAMMIT STOP MAKING ME FEEL BAD FOR ELI.
- NEW YORK! IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH.
- I see what you did there, research team. Nice detail with the chips
from The Brook.
- Oh god, that's right, Idiots. Give heroin to the gambling addict.
Even Rothstein can't be straight-edge forever.
- Meyer, what the fuck did you do to your hair? And speaking of hair,
that is some extreme amounts of pomade you've got there, Charlie.
- OH AR. LOOOOOOOVE. HE'S SO GLEEFUL AT THE SHINY NEW WAY OF MAKING MONEY AND PROFITING OFF PEOPLE.
- Is that the first Rothstein's bodyguard has spoken? I don't
remember him talking before at all.
- Hee, he checked with the boys, just out of respect. And of course,
Charlie and Meyer are well rid of the whackjob.
- Van Alden, what the hell are you wearing? YOU LOOK LIKE A LOST AMISH WAITER.
- He ran away with his baby daughter and his Swedish nanny? WHY IS
THE SWEDISH NANNY THERE? Where are they, Kansas?
- CICERO. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. Either he's going to be teaming up with Capone, or he's officially going all Elliot Ness.
- EEEEEEE RICHARD AND JIMMY GETTING DRUNK AND TELLING WAR STORIES IN
THEIR SHIRTSLEEVES AND HOLSTERS. IT'S LIKE WINTER LOVES ME OR
SOMETHING. NO WAIT, HE'S STILL GOING TO KILL JIMMY.
- OH GOD NO. MORE FORESHADOWING ANVILS. HEY LOOK, JIMMY'S MAKING SURE
THAT RICHARD WILL BE OKAY IF HE DIES.
- NO, YOU FUCKING IDIOT. TAKE RICHARD WITH YOU. AT THE VERY LEAST,
HE'S MORE SOBER AND WILL STOP YOU FROM WALKING INTO A FUCKING TRAP.
- HE LEFT TOMMY THE TAGS. SUICIDE MISSION. I FUCKING KNEW IT. FUCK
YOU SIDEWAYS, SHOW.
- Gillian. Gillian. Gillian. You really got handed a zero sum game
there, didn't you? You got what you wanted - the Commodore's
house/money and your grandson - and the fact that you're going to lose
your son really hasn't hit yet. It will. I don't know if I would want
to be around when it happens.
- Oh, look, Chekhov's Armory. And a double subversion - Nucky and
Munya were playing ALL sides. And involving Eli. Oooh, New York is NOT
gonna like that, not after Rothstein basically said Munya could die.
And Jimmy was walking into a death trap.
- Owen, just remember, Jimmy's boyfriend promised to kill you one
day. If you involve yourself in his murder, he's DEFINITELY GOING TO
DO IT.
- Nucky, you shouldn't be holding a gun. You're not meant to, because
you're still only half a gangster. Power is only absolute if you've
got nothing to lose. Jimmy and Angela taught you that if you've got
family, you can lose everything.
- "I died in a trench." Oh, Jimmy, yes you did. But you came back,
and you had the chance to live. For Angela and for Tommy and for
Richard and maybe even for Gillian.
- AUGH THAT FLASHBACK. HOW FUCKING OPERATIC AND APROPOS AND EVIL.
- Margaret, you cannot be that stupid. All the best liars, cheats,
and murderers drink tea, after all.
- Oh, good. You have retained enough smarts to KEEP THAT FUCKING DEED.
- . . . which you have just signed over to the Church. Oh, you bitch.
You're not even magnificent, because a Magnificent Bitch would have
kept it for herself and her family.
Also, this interview with Terrence Winter is making me feel a bit better. As are the interviews with Michael Pitt where he shows what a class act he is. Shame they couldn't have treated Aleksa Palladino better.
- Hel-LO, badass Jimmy and Richard. Nice to see you're upholding your
deal with Chalky.
- For such a fucking putz, Mickey Doyle sure gets around and manages
to be in the right places at the right times. He's freaking uncanny.
Threw over Nucky for the D'Alessios, then them for Rothstein, then
Rothstein for the Young Turks, then the Turks for Manny, and now he's
gotten full circle back to Nucky. Can we kill him? Oy.
- "If the boychik's wife could still talk, she'd tell you otherwise."
FUUUUUUCK. Not only is that a great line, but Nucky's reaction is even
more perfect. He does NOT approve of killing civilians, especially
innocent ones like Angela whom he liked.
- Manny's right, Nucky would be nothing in Odessa. Men like Nucky
(like Rothstein, too, for that matter), would not have that kind of
power - men like Jimmy would. So what is it, better to be half a
gangster and live to enjoy your fortune, or better to have real power
and die in a blaze of glory fighting to hold onto it?
- "I only asked for 3." "I know you did." DAMMIT JIMMY, WHY YOU GOTTA
BE SO GOOD SOMETIMES AND SO SHITTY THE REST OF THE TIME?
- Ahahaha, I love Chalky's WTF-face at Jimmy asking to talk to Nucky.
- LISTEN TO YOUR BRO, JIMMY. Remember that whole thing where you
trust him with your life and he gives you valuable advice and cleans
up after your punk ass?
- Yowza. That is some bitchface you've got there, Katy. If I were
Owen, I'd be sleeping with one eye open.
- I love Esther Randolph. She has minions, some of whom she has
casual sex with, and she gets shaved ice on demand while snarking up a
storm. Can we make her a regular, plz?
- God, this scene. I love that they went there, that they spelled out
that yes, Margaret was abused, yes Hans beat the kids, and Nucky was a
way out. I love that Margaret knows she's with someone who may not
show cruelty to her, but is not a good man. And I love that while
Esther flat-out says she can paint Margaret either way, she's also
pissed that Margaret isn't owning up to her culpability.
- O hai Fallon. I'm glad they kept him around, because he's
excellently snarky and smart enough to keep up with men like Nucky and
Rothstein.
- Nucky, maybe you should stop alternately treating Margaret like a
pet or an idiot child. That would be an idea. Remember how smart she
was back in "Ourselves Alone"? She could be your right-hand lady if
you let her.
- And can I just flail all over the costume dept. for a while?
Because those SUITS and those COLOR PALETTES and guh. I love the idea
of putting Richard in green and Jimmy in blue and Chalky in reds/golds
and Rothstein in winter tones and Charlie in blacks/greys and Meyer in
browns. I wish the ladies had more screen time, because theirs are
excellent too (Margaret in pastels and Gillian in blues/whites and
Lucy in reds/blacks and Angela in earth tones).
- Wow. I did not expect Nucky to actually show up when Jimmy wanted to talk.
- "It's okay, I used to do your job." "You're the reason I'm doing it
now." Nicely put, Owen. Now if you could just STOP SLEEPING WITH ALL
THE IRISHWOMEN AROUND THINGS WOULD BE BETTER.
- A libation for the dead. Oh, Jimmy. You are so fucking doomed and I
am not looking forward to it.
- ALFKS'F;GLKFD'L;GKDGFLK THIS SCENE I CAN'T EVEN. THINGS THEY SHOULD
HAVE FUCKING SAID WAY BEFORE THIS. HOW ALL JIMMY HAS TO DO IS TELL THE
TRUTH AND HE'LL SAVE THE ONE FATHER HE'S GOT LEFT. AND HOW HE REALLY
ISN'T THAT GOOD ANYMORE.
- Oh, FUCK. Jimmy's going to sell Eli out, Eli's going to find out,
and kill Jimmy in the process, isn't he? Oh, isn't THAT Jacobean all
on its own?
- NO WAIT, THAT'S NOT JACOBEAN. THE TRAGIC HERO HAS TO KILL HIMSELF.
FUCK ALL, JIMMY'S GOING ON A SUICIDE MISSION.
- I almost want to say it's too late for Nucky to apologize and win
Margaret over, but probably not. He is very charming and able to
provide for her and loves her as much as he's able. And unfortunately,
at this time in history, that's almost all a woman could need or want.
- God, this is so heartwrenching precisely because it's half what he
actually feels and couldn't say before, and half what he thinks she
wants to hear so she'll save his ass. It's manipulative as fuck and so
perfectly characterized I could scream.
- NUCKY YOU MORON. "WANT" IS THE WORD YOU SHOULD BE USING. EVEN IF
YOU IMMEDIATELY PRETEND YOU AREN'T PATRONIZING HER.
- *falls over laughing* AHAHAHA, WHISTLING TEAKETTLE OF TENSION.
- Oooh, they're matching in this scene, brown and cream. Oh, I love
that wardrobe conceit. (Especially when they have the ganghusbands
dressing alike too. Nothing says that Meyer and Charlie are
Rothstein's boys more than matching neckwear and coordinating
fedoras.)
- Lawyer Uncle Junior! I hope they keep him around, he's a fun voice
of semi-reason around Commodore's Casa de Crazy (not to be confused
with Crowe Casa de Creepy, though yes, the incest, tandem beverage drinking and Jacobean parallels do about in both).
- Oh, Gillian, your bitch is showing. You know you wanted the old
bastard's money (not that I blame her, I'd have strangled him myself
for what he did).
- ANVIL OF FORESHADOWING IS ANVILICIOUS. Jimmy will die, estate goes
to Tommy officially, but technically, Gillian will get it as Tommy's
guardian. Unless Jimmy makes up his own will and names Richard Tommy's
guardian, which would be HIGH-LARIOUS.
- TOOK YOU FUCKING LONG ENOUGH, PRINCE HAMLET. She is wonderful and
manipulative and would keep you under her thumb (and other parts,
what?) forever. Enough is enough. Boy is SO doomed.
- "Are you the strongest little girl in the world?" N'AWWWWW NUCKY
SERIOUSLY, STOP THAT.
- MARGARET. YOU ARE TOTALLY A SUCKER FOR HIM. YOU SEE HOW MUCH OF A
SUCKER YOU ARE?
- ESTHER, HOW SO HBIC.
- And we have wedding montage. Intercut with Esther practicing her
opening arguments and Jimmy and Richard being well-dressed badasses. Wouldn't be it be cool if THE GODFATHER HADN'T DONE IT FIRST?
- Ahaha, I love how the biggest Woobie in fandom is the dude who
sticks guns in people's mouths and blows their brains out. Richard
remains one of my favorite sociopaths.
- Oh hai, big dumb Clifford. It's good to see Esther's still using
him to work off steam.
- Oooh, mistrial. Excellent. Sucks to be Halloran, but excellent for
everyone else.
- Wow, Gillian is NOT a Horse Person. Hahaha, accurate. Also, guh
Daddy!Jimmy. OVARIES GO BOOM.
- "Soldier." OH FUCK YOU, SHOW. WHY DO YOU GO FOR THE CHEAP
HEARTBREAK LIKE THAT?
- Okay, seriously, it is past New York Tiems NAO. I am feeling a
serious lack of ganghusbands. And also a wrap-up to this Manny
storyline. But mostly ganghusbands.
- "You're awake! And I'm drunk!" *headdesks* Nucky. I, what, I don't even.
- See, I want Eli to try and kill Jimmy and fail, and get killed
instead. But I think Shea Whigam's tremendous in the role, and I know
that the universe does not love me that much.
- "Yeah, how about those Phillies and my brother tried to have me
killed." Ahahahaha, Nucky's deadpan is among my favorites.
- "Et tu, Eli?" "What?" "Shakespeare, it's Julius Ceasar." "There's a character named Eli?" Oh my god, why is everyone not named Rothstein, Nucky, or Lansky DUMB AS BRICKS?
- Oh, FUCK. Stop it, Eli. Stop lying to your brother, WHO YOU TOTALLY
DID WANT KILLED.
- DAMMIT STOP MAKING ME FEEL BAD FOR ELI.
- NEW YORK! IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH.
- I see what you did there, research team. Nice detail with the chips
from The Brook.
- Oh god, that's right, Idiots. Give heroin to the gambling addict.
Even Rothstein can't be straight-edge forever.
- Meyer, what the fuck did you do to your hair? And speaking of hair,
that is some extreme amounts of pomade you've got there, Charlie.
- OH AR. LOOOOOOOVE. HE'S SO GLEEFUL AT THE SHINY NEW WAY OF MAKING MONEY AND PROFITING OFF PEOPLE.
- Is that the first Rothstein's bodyguard has spoken? I don't
remember him talking before at all.
- Hee, he checked with the boys, just out of respect. And of course,
Charlie and Meyer are well rid of the whackjob.
- Van Alden, what the hell are you wearing? YOU LOOK LIKE A LOST AMISH WAITER.
- He ran away with his baby daughter and his Swedish nanny? WHY IS
THE SWEDISH NANNY THERE? Where are they, Kansas?
- CICERO. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. Either he's going to be teaming up with Capone, or he's officially going all Elliot Ness.
- EEEEEEE RICHARD AND JIMMY GETTING DRUNK AND TELLING WAR STORIES IN
THEIR SHIRTSLEEVES AND HOLSTERS. IT'S LIKE WINTER LOVES ME OR
SOMETHING. NO WAIT, HE'S STILL GOING TO KILL JIMMY.
- OH GOD NO. MORE FORESHADOWING ANVILS. HEY LOOK, JIMMY'S MAKING SURE
THAT RICHARD WILL BE OKAY IF HE DIES.
- NO, YOU FUCKING IDIOT. TAKE RICHARD WITH YOU. AT THE VERY LEAST,
HE'S MORE SOBER AND WILL STOP YOU FROM WALKING INTO A FUCKING TRAP.
- HE LEFT TOMMY THE TAGS. SUICIDE MISSION. I FUCKING KNEW IT. FUCK
YOU SIDEWAYS, SHOW.
- Gillian. Gillian. Gillian. You really got handed a zero sum game
there, didn't you? You got what you wanted - the Commodore's
house/money and your grandson - and the fact that you're going to lose
your son really hasn't hit yet. It will. I don't know if I would want
to be around when it happens.
- Oh, look, Chekhov's Armory. And a double subversion - Nucky and
Munya were playing ALL sides. And involving Eli. Oooh, New York is NOT
gonna like that, not after Rothstein basically said Munya could die.
And Jimmy was walking into a death trap.
- Owen, just remember, Jimmy's boyfriend promised to kill you one
day. If you involve yourself in his murder, he's DEFINITELY GOING TO
DO IT.
- Nucky, you shouldn't be holding a gun. You're not meant to, because
you're still only half a gangster. Power is only absolute if you've
got nothing to lose. Jimmy and Angela taught you that if you've got
family, you can lose everything.
- "I died in a trench." Oh, Jimmy, yes you did. But you came back,
and you had the chance to live. For Angela and for Tommy and for
Richard and maybe even for Gillian.
- AUGH THAT FLASHBACK. HOW FUCKING OPERATIC AND APROPOS AND EVIL.
- Margaret, you cannot be that stupid. All the best liars, cheats,
and murderers drink tea, after all.
- Oh, good. You have retained enough smarts to KEEP THAT FUCKING DEED.
- . . . which you have just signed over to the Church. Oh, you bitch.
You're not even magnificent, because a Magnificent Bitch would have
kept it for herself and her family.
Also, this interview with Terrence Winter is making me feel a bit better. As are the interviews with Michael Pitt where he shows what a class act he is. Shame they couldn't have treated Aleksa Palladino better.