The past is catching up with everyone onBoardwalk Empire, under dire circumstances.
Of course, these outcomes shouldn’t come as a surprise – thisisa show about gangsters.
Nucky being Nucky, he chose the latter.
Because otherwise, what was it all for?
Hit the jump, even though “it’s all a dream to begin with.
Ain’t nobody ever been free.”
No character has undergone more change, and been so fascinatingly unpredictable as the volatile Van Alden.
His later association with Al Capone and others also kept them relevant.
His final words: “and justice shall rain down upon you!”
Could it have been better?
Mike got what he wanted in the end.
Van Alden paid the price.
Eli, of course, managed to survive by telling as much truth as would let him live.
The other thing protecting him, as has always been the case, was his association with Nucky.
The loss of his freedom was only a short-term issue, though.
Would Narcisse honor his word?
Chalky died never knowing if his sacrifice was worth it.
But at that point, what other choice did he have?
The problem is, does Nucky’s struggle hold any emotional weight at this point?
Or are we just tying up loose ends for the sake of it?
He had power, and he lost it.
Episode Rating: B-
Musings and Miscellanea:
– I didn’t like this episode.
But like “What Jesus Said,” I get what it was meant to do.
– Nucky’s drunken, foul-mouthed bar companions felt like a riff on a surrealistMad Menscene.
– So the cycle is repeating with Nucky and the young kid Mickey hired, Joel.
Watch out, kid!
– “We came to … rob the joint?”
- Eli, who had a great few final scenes with Van Alden (the facial expressions!)
– “If you only helped people to help yourself … What kind of world would it be?”
– I loved Althea’s little black doll.
– Van Alden and Chalky’s deaths were pretty telegraphed, but the street urchin being Gillian was interesting.
And didn’t she always ferret away a box of keepsakes?
– “I’m just trying to get ahead” - Joel.
Chalky and Van Alden.
