Episode Title: “The Old Ship of Zion”
Writers: Cristine Chambers and Howard Korder
Director: Tim Van Patten
Previously on “Boardwalk Empire:”
Betrayals abound in this week’s episode of “Boardwalk Empire,” as several characters get stabbed in the back, both figuratively and literally speaking.
Up until now, Willie Thompson’s (Ben Rosenfield) tale hasn’t meant much to the larger story. Watching Nucky (Steve Buscemi) swoop in to rescue his troubled nephew from a murder charge and cautiously begin to take Willie under his wing, the late Jimmy Darmody comes to mind. You could argue Nucky was a much more interesting character when Jimmy was alive, but at the same, you could also argue theirs was a relationship we don’t need see to see played out again with Nucky’s nephew.
And at the conclusion of this episode, it doesn’t look like we will. There may be shades of that past relationship in Nucky’s bond with Willie, but the context and consequences are quite different. For starters, Nucky’s hotheaded brother, Eli (Shea Whigham) already resents his involvement in Willie’s life. Though their relationship has had its ups and downs through the years, family matters have always been a touchy subject between Nucky and Eli. And now the one thing Eli has that Nucky doesn’t is in jeopardy, though who is to blame is debatable.
Determined to find a weak link in Nucky’s empire, Agent Knox (Brian Geraghty) sits down with Eli and enlightens him on Willie’s troubles at school. Knox offers a very shaken Eli a deal; he’ll drop his investigation into Willie’s classmate’s death in exchange for Nucky. Eli returns home to find Willie leading a sing-along with the family gathered around, including Nucky. Eli accepts his son’s apology and thanks Nucky for taking care of Willie. But his somber, brooding demeanor suggests Eli’s got a lot to think over and a very big decision to make.
Unlike Eddie, Eli’s has someone besides Nucky to live for and Agent Knox’ offer would not only absolve his son, but could present an opportunity for a power grab. It’s too early to tell exactly where this storyline is going, but with a firecracker of a character like Eli, it’s fun to speculate.
The episodes other grand gesture involves the brewing war between Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams) and Dr. Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright), with Dunn Purnsley (Erik LaRay) and Daughter Maitland (Margot Bingham) playing ever changing roles. When Chalky and Dunn visit a drug den connected to Narisse, Dunn makes a point of killing Narcisse’s man before Chalky gets to him. However, Chalky finds a flyer for Narcisse’s play on the dead man’s body . At the same time, Chalky becomes even more suspicious of Dunn. While Chalky correctly suspects Dunn is working for Narcisse, he doesn’t question Daughter’s motives, despite her close relationship with Narcisse. As taken as he is with Daughter, Chalky’s smart enough to know better.
With the discovery of Narcisse’s drug den and the community eyeing him in the murder of the deacon, Chalky decides to expose the doctor by burning several packages of heroin in the street outside the place where he is play was put on. All pretenses of a civil business arrangement end right there as the doctor plots to have Dunn kill Chalky later that night.
Narcisse asks Daughter to entertain Chalky until Dunn arrives. Whether it’s love or fear or a little of both that leads Daughter to save Chalky’s life, time will tell. Chalky calls Dunn out as a traitor when he tries to get Chalky to leave with him to go after Narcisse. A scuffle ensues with the requisite violence we’ve come to expect from “Boardwalk;” this time it’s Chalky stabbing Dunn in the mouth with a wooden stake. Dunn is about to choke Chalky to death when Daughter emerges and stabs Dunn in the back. Dunn’s death was to be expected, considering the dangerous line he was walking between Chalky and Narcisse. As for Daughter, it’ll be interesting to see how much Chalky’s feelings for her factor into his next move against Narcisse.
Meanwhile, Nucky spends most the episode entertaining Sally (Patricia Arquette), who decides to tag along on a shipment of booze up from Florida. Nucky’s relationship with Sally is one of his more interesting affairs, as she prefers to play head games rather than just let Nucky wine and dine her.
Nucky also pays Chalky a visit on behalf of Mayor Bader (Kevin O’Rourke), who is concerned about the black vote, to warn him not to let his life get out of hand. It’s interesting advice from a man whose only friends he had killed, left him or committed suicide.
“The Old Ship of Zion” connects the dots with two big storylines, making them suddenly matter much more. Nucky’s love life post-Margaret hasn’t meant much to the larger story, but Sally’s not just a lover, she’s a business partner, a point she makes clear when she asks Nucky to pay her for chaperoning his booze shipment. But as this episode demonstrates, playing two roles at once can get you killed in this world.
