Season 4/Episode 8 "The Old Ship of Zion"

Oooh weee!  Guapo is back from DC and I made it back just in time for the latest episode of Boardwalk Empire.  And if there is a new episode of Boardwalk there is obviously going to be a new recap by El Guapo.  Unfortunately for fans of my main blog I've been spending more time writing for my Boardwalk blog than I have for the blog that started it all.  It was like the time I had a beta fish.  His name was Jefferey and he was purple and he was the coolest fish I ever owned.  (By far.)  He was the only fish that survived past a week.  In fact, Jefferey lived to be over a year.  Me and my fish talked everyday and I fed this dude and changed his bowl and everything.  (I even sang him lullabies.)  Then my family finally agreed to get me a dog and his name was Toby.  Toby replaced Jeffery in every way.  Toby was my new friend and unlike fish, dogs can show love back.  (Yeah, Jefferey!)  Any-who, within a few weeks of getting Toby my old friend, Jefferey, passed suddenly.  I don't exactly remember where I was going with that story so let's jump straight into the recap.

Recap

The newest episode starts off with Dunn Purnsley walking into a heroin house with some product.  Dunn heads to the back to meet with his customer and proprietor of the establishment.  While he's there, Dunn gives the customer a flyer to a play by Dr. Narcisse.  Meanwhile at the deacon's funeral Daughter Maitland is doing her rendition of a song called "The Old Ship of Zion", which of course captivates Chalky White.  (So do her boobs.)  But Chalky's daughter points out that people are staring at him and murmuring about.  Chalky realizes there is something up and that it has to do with Dr. Narcisse.  Nucky talks to Chalky about the importance of keeping his house in order.  Chalky gets his Sherlock Holmes on and brings Dunn Purnsley along to investigate the heroin house.  Chalky and his thugs break into the house and start doing some damage to these heroin fiends with clubs.  When Dunn Purnsley heads to the back room he immediately kills the proprietor to prevent him from talking to Chalky.  This seems a little suspect in the eyes of Chalky but nevertheless he finds what he's looking for: a bunch of heroin and a flyer to the Doctor's play.  Skip over to the play put together by Chalky's nemesis.  The play looks like one of those plays my mom used to take me to in order to get me more "cultured".  (The only difference is my mom wouldn't give me any heroin.)  People aren't really enthusiastic about the show, but it's outside where the real show takes place.  Chalky White stands outside next to Dunn and the rest of Chalky's gang, banging on a trash lid.  Dr. Narcisse comes out and plays his cool as Chalky reveals the heroin that has been plaguing the black side of town.  He sets the H on fire in front of the crowd that surrounds him in a brazen act of redemption.

 Dr. Narcisse has a chat with Daughter Maitland telling her his plan to off Chalky.  When the Chalk man comes over to her place for a little rendezvous in the sheets, Dr. Narcisse plans to send a visitor.  Well later that night Chalky goes to see Daughter.  After they're done making sweet, passionate (?) love, Daughter tries her best to convince Chalky to stick around.  Chalky asks her to sing him the song she sang at the funeral.  She does and while she is singing something special happens.  It's almost as if they are connected at the soul somehow.  (I'm getting a little too corny.)  Snap back to reality because there is a knock at the door and it's Dunn Purnsley.  Chalky finds it weird that Dunn knew where he was.  He asks Daughter to fix them up a plate while they talk.  Dunn tries to tell Chalky that he found out that Dr. Narcisse is behind the heroin epidemic and that Daughter is in cahoots with the doc.  But Chalky knows Dunn is playing him and a battle ensues.  (Yes!)  This one is a goodie.  On one hand we have the smarter, leaner Chalky White who has his back against the wall.  One the other hand we have the bigger Dunn Purnsley who still resents Chalky for having his face kicked in the day they met.  Dunn seems to have the upper hand for most of the battle but at some point Chalky drives a piece of wood through Dunn's cheek.  (Cool!)  Dunn gains dominance and starts choking Chalky to death before Daughter Maitland drives a knife through Dunn's back.  Down goes Dunn and we bid farewell to a character I didn't really like anyway.  This whole scene reminds me of the scene where Nucky and Eli fight and Margaret saves Nucky by holding a shotgun to Eli's head.  (Season 2 throwback!)

Over at Nucky's house, Willy is trying to decide what he's going to do with his life.  Nucky says he should think about what his next move.  Nucky has business and heads to the warehouse to oversee the delivery of the rum shipment from Tampa.  But something unexpected comes with the shipment and it comes with cleavage.  (But not much else.)  Sally surprises Nucky but Nucky isn't as pleased to see her as she'd hoped.  (But Mickey Doyle is.)  Nucky makes it back home to see Willy talking to Mayor Bayder.  The mayor wants to talk to Nucky about the black vote since it's an election year, which is really hard to obtain if Chalky doesn't have his house in order.  After Nucky meets with Chalky at the Onyx, he sees Mickey chatting up Sally.  Being the jealous dude that he is, he whacks Mickey on the head and takes back his jawn.  Everyone wins that night.  Well everyone except Willy, who has to over hear Nucky giving Sally that pipe.  The next morning Willy meets Sally, who shares a good talk over what lies in Will's future.  When his uncle Nucky sees them at the table, Willy tells his uncle of his goals.  He wants to bring the Thompson name back to where it belongs and he's willing to start from the bottom and work his way up.  (Some Drake philosophy, I guess.  Nucky gets his nephew and job at the mayor's office.

No fun alert! No fun alert!  That can only mean one thing.  It's time to talk about one of the only 2 characters that never have any fun.  The first guy is Nelson Van Alden, but he wasn't in this episode, so by default let's talk about Warren Knox/Jim Tolliver.  I'm sticking with the Warren Knox name to keep it simple.  (I'm doing the same with Nelson Van Alden.)  Warren is struggling to make the case against Nucky, with no leverage whatsoever.  But then one of his associates points out that's Willy's roommate, Clayton, is in for life for a crime Willy was originally accused of.  Warren pays Clayton a visit and offers the kid a few cartons of cigarettes.  Next, Warren goes to see Eli and unveils the information Clayton gave him.  Warren now has Eli by the balls and tells him to give up Nucky or his son can go away for a while.  The final scene is Eli making home to see his son Willie back playing that Ukulele.  Willie tells his dad the news that Nucky got him a job.  Eli and his brother embrace but there is trouble on Eli's mind.

Power Rankings
1. Chalky White (Last Week: NA)
He finally has some upper hand over Dr. Narcisse.  He's discovered his heroin spot.  Dunn Purnsley is dead and Daughter Maitland is on Chalky's side.  How will Narcisse respond?

2. Nucky Thompson (Last Week: NA)
Nucky's still getting it in with Sally.  He got his nephew a job at the mayor's office.  His deal with Tampa seems to be working out for him.  The only thing that can stand in his way is Warren Knox.

3. Warren Knox (Last Week: NA)
Speak of the devil, Warren did a little wheeling and dealing with Clayton and he struck gold.  He has Eli Thompson by the balls and could potentially knock Nucky off his pedestal.

4. Willy Thompson (Last Week: NA)
He has this spot for now.  He got a sweet job at the mayor's office not really doing shit.  He's moved back in with his fam.  But Warren Knox will have an affect on Willy.

5. Daughter Maitland (Last: NA)
Daughter vanquished Dunn Purnsley, a character I didn't like at first, then sort of liked for a little bit, then stopped liking again.  Plus she's getting that good pipe from Chalky.

Fun Historical Facts
Daughter Maitland sang "The Old Ship of Zion" twice this episode, once at the deacon's funeral, and once for Chalky White before Dunn comes over.  "The Old Ship of Zion" is an old Christian hymn that was written by M.J. Cartwright circa 1889.  The tune to which this song is sung to was written by Daniel B. Towner.

Final Thoughts
The Chalky vs Dr. Narcisse feud has really only gotten good recently.  This plot line has gotten so good and I'm really pulling for Chalky's affair with Daughter to work out.  I never really liked Narcisse the way I liked Gyp Rosetti.  I know I'm not the only one who's happy saying goodbye to Dunn Purnsley.  I'm not going to lie, there were some good times with Dunn.  I liked when Dunn got all the workers in the restaurant he worked at to go on strike back in season 2.  But other than that, Dunn just wasn't that likable.  The big question is, will Eli betray his brother in order to save his son?  I think he will.  Eli has already done it once, this time he has some real motivation behind it.

So that's it for this week's recap of Boardwalk Empire.  I apologize for this being so late.  I think some house keeping issues that needed to be taken care of.  But I should be back on time next week.  Leave any comments you have in the section below.  Be sure to check out my main blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo’s Brain.  The link is on the right.  Follow me on Twitter @ELGUAPO3 and Instagram @CAPTAINCRUNCHTIME and I’m on Tumblr at sirelguapo.tumblr.com.  See you guys next week.  Stay Guapo out there!

Season 4/Episode 7 "William Wilson"

Hey everyone.  Guapo here with another edition of Infinite Wisdom on Boardwalk Empire.  You know the routine by now.  The Monday after the premiere of the newest episode of Boardwalk Empire I sit down on my desk and write greatness and wisdom on this amazing show, yada, yada, yada.  Let's get right into this because I got something really important happening tonight.  (I really do have a life.) Try to keep up because there was a lot of shit going on this episode.

Recap
We start off episode 7 with Al Capone shooting a random cop in public and then dipping before anybody can identified.  Al is still hurting because of his dead brother and is taking his anger out on the Chicago police.  (Those bastards.)  He then shows up to Johnny Torrio's office, totally coked up, where he orders his boss an impromptu steak while having to explain himself for the shootings.  Al wants to go after Dean O' Banion believing that Dean is responsible.  Johnny doesn't believe it and tells Al not to start a war with the north side of Chicago.  Later Johnny meets with Dean at his flower shop where they discuss Johnny buying a brewery from Dean and the incident that got Frank Capone killed.  Dean insists that he didn't have anything to do with it.  Later on after Torrio buys the brewery from Dean and signs a contract, the 5-0 busts in on them, arresting them and their men.  Later Torrio gets released and goes to the cat house where Al and his brother are tending to the bar.  Al informs Torrio that Dean got released immediately after getting released and that he was probably the one who called the cops.  Johnny Torrio commands Al Capone to have Dean O' Banion killed.  (Shit just escalated to a whole 'nother level!)

Let's take a detour to AC.  Chalky White is doing well at the Onyx Club and he's doing Daughter Maitland well.  (Ha!)  He asks Dr. Narcisse to extend Daughter's stay in Atlantic City.  Dr. Narcisse allows her to stay if Chalky allows him to open up a United Negro Improvement Association chapter on Chalky's territory.  Meanwhile Chalky's people are growing displeased with him.  At a town meeting, which Chalky doesn't attend (prolly getting his D wet), people are complaining to Dunn Purnsley about Chalky's apathy to the heroin problem in the community.  Dr. Narcisse takes this opportunity to plug his new chapter, to which the people are receptive.  Later at night Dunn catches the deacon leaving the church.  The deacon knows that Dunn is selling the heroin and is on his way to tell Chalky.  Dunn in turn decides to stab the deacon.

Some real quick story lines.  Margaret works for a stock broker and has a routine where she cons guys meeting with her boss into buying shares.  One of the guys she tries to con turns out to be non other than Arnold Rothstein using another moniker.  Margaret is caught off guard and is thrown off her game.  She is later given a one hundred dollar bill as a gift from AR and then a phone call thanking her in advance for her discretion.  Lucky Luciano, meanwhile, has a sit down with Joe Masseria who knows about his time in Tampa.  Luciano tells him he didn't make the deal, but Joe wants Charlie to head back down to Florida to make a heroin deal with Vincenzo Petrucelli.  Back in AC, Gillian is feeling withdraws from going cold turkey with her heroin addiction.  No worries because Roy is taking care of her.  (What the hell is wrong with this guy?!)  Well, I guess they make each other happy so that's nice and dandy.

Let's see what's going on in Thompson territory.  Eli approaches Nucky with the handkerchief that Warren Knox gave him.  You remember, the one with Warren's real initials.  Nucky asks his trustworthy information specialist Gaston Means who tells Nucky that there is no information on this Warren Knox character.  Meanwhile Warren Knox AKA Jim Tolliver, along with J. Edgar Hoover and Esther Randolph (the baddie lawyer), meet with Reemus who is cooperating with them on taking down Nucky.  J. Edgar is a little reluctant but later at a dinner he announces that this operation to take down organized crime was all him.  (Came up that's all me, all me for real!)  Warren Knox is pissed because it was his idea to go after Nucky in the first place.  He goes to vent with none other than Gaston Means, with whom he has some kind of deal with.  (Was that grammatically correct?)  Back to the Thompsons, Willie is getting it in with that baddie.  (Way to go, Willie!)  But Willie is obviously is feeling the pressure over his actions recently.  He storms out of class and decides to drop out of college.  Willie reveals this decision when Nucky comes over and his dad Eli is pissed.  After Willie tells his dad to take his hands off him, Eli smacks the shit out of his son.  (My pops would prolly do the same shit.  I would definitely do that shit if my son gave me some attitude.  Damn, I'm angry at my unborn son!)  Nucky tries to deescalate the situation but Eli is going to discipline his family his way.  Willie leaves home and stays with Nucky.  The last scene is Daughter Maitland meeting with Dr. Narcisse.  Daughter is playing Chalky and running to Narcisse with info.  It was also revealed that Dr. Narcisse killed Daughter's prostitute mother.

Power Rankings
1. Dr. Narcisse (Last Week: #5)
He's encroaching on Chalky's turf.  He has the respect of Chalky's people and he has two minions in Dunn and Daughter who are double crossing Chalky White.

2. J. Edgar Hoover (Last Week: NA)
He's decided to go forth with the Nucky Thompson take down and he's getting all the credit for it.  Plus Reemus is going to cooperate so this plan has momentum.

3. Al Capone (Last Week: NA)
It sucks that his brother died but he finally has the OK to go after Dean O' Banion.  And I'm 90% sure he orchestrated that set up with the cops.

4. Gillian Darmody (Last Week: NA)
Don't get me wrong, I still hate this crazy bitch.  But I'm glad she's getting clean and she's found love, I guess.  Plus I realized there's never women on this power ranking.  (You can all it affirmative action.)

5. Joe Masseria (Last Week: NA)
He only got a few minutes of air time but he is going to have Charlie Luciano go back to Tampa to strike a heroin deal.  Let's keep an eye on this development.

Historical Fun Facts
Let's talk about heroin, a drug I've never tried, mom.  Heroin comes from the opium poppy  which was synthesized by a chemist named Felix Hoffman working for a pharmaceutical company.  He was trying to make codeine but instead made heroin, which as first was marketed as a less addictive form of morphine.  They later found the drug metabolizes into morphine quickly.  In 1914 the Harrison Narcotics Act limited the sale and distribution of heroin to medical purposes.  By 1924 heroin was completely banned.  The moral of the story is don't do heroin.  (It's illegal and shit.)

Closing Thoughts
Al vs Dean!  Showdown of the century.  If there was an episode dedicated just to this war I wouldn't be mad at it.  This is what we've been waiting for this season.  I'm pretty sure Al Capone called the cops on Torrio and Dean to make Torrio give Al permission to go after Dean.  I'm just upset that we were in Chicago and we didn't even see Nelson Van Alden.  Chalky White is in trouble.  Dr. Narcisse really thought this plan through.  I'm a little more interested in this story than I was at the beginning of the season.  Can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm halfway invested on what goes on with Margaret and AR.  Are they going to get together somehow?  Is AR going to lead her back to Nucky?  I'm a little shocked that Gaston Means is working with Warren Knox/Jim Tolliver but then again I'm not.  I think the tension between Warren and Hoover might cause a problem for their little operation.  (Obviously more on Warren's end.)  I was happy to see Esther Randolph again.  I felt like we left her story completely behind last season when she is really one of the more interesting female characters in the show.  The interesting thing about the relationship between Willie and Nucky is that it seems pretty similar to the relationship between Nucky and Jimmy, you know, before Jimmy betrayed him.  Jimmy and Willie both looked up to Nucky as a father figure even though they were not sons of Nuck.  They both dropped out of school and Jimmy went straight to the path of a criminal coming out of the war.  It looks like Willie might head down the same path.

 Leave any comments you have in the section below.  Be sure to check out my main blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo’s Brain.  The link is on the right.  Follow me on Twitter @ELGUAPO3 and Instagram @CAPTAINCRUNCHTIME and I’m on Tumblr at sirelguapo.tumblr.com.  I'm out!  See you guys next week.  Stay Guapo out there!

Season 4/Episode 6 "The North Star"

Guapo here!  I'm back with a whole new episode recap of Boardwalk Empire.  Is it just me or is the season really picking up.  After the exciting events of last week's episode, Boardwalk kept the momentum going and delivered another good episode.  It's like when Steph Curry goes for 30 and 13 in Game 2 of the playoff series against Denver and then follows that up with 29 and 11 in Game 3.  (If you couldn't already tell, I'm super excited about NBA season starting again.)  There are so many questions heading into the latter part of the season and I'm here to shed a little light on the subject.  So without further delay, let's get this recap started.

Recap
We follow the death of dear Eddie Kessler with Nucky having coffee in New York.  In walks my least favorite character, Margaret Schroeder.  (She's back!)  Shit's awkward between Nuck and Margaret as I would have predicted.  Nucky gives her the news that Eddie is dead and that he has a gift for Teddy.  Margaret is now working in an office downtown and is living with her brother.  It seems like she's trying to live the straight life now, let's see how long this lasts.  (Not long probably.)  After some more awkward interaction the conversation is over and Margaret heads back to work.  Meanwhile Nucky heads back to Tampa to finish the deal with Bill McCoy and August Tucker.  Problem is, Bill killed August a few episodes back and never got around to telling Nucky.  Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky have also come down for this deal expecting to meet with August Tucker.  Bill, however, assures the men that he found a new partner who wants in on this land deal.  They all meet this man in an alligator duel arena type-thing.  Vincenzo Petrucelli is very enigmatic but Nucky agrees to make a deal with this guy.  The problem for Charlie Luciano is that not only does this guy know him, he knows his boss, Joe Masseria.  Petrucelli is Joe's cousin and he knows that Charlie is doing this deal without Joe.  Charlie urges Meyer to back out of the deal with him, also contemplating offing Petrucelli but Meyer has his mind made up.  He is adamant about this deal and decides to continue with the deal and to cut Charlie out, creating a conflict between the two.  (It always sucks when best friends fight.)  Meanwhile at the bar, Nucky is moping about Eddie's death in front of Sally.  Out of nowhere she socks the shit out of him.  Sally doesn't like whiners and she punches him again.  She then proceeds to egg him on until Nucky gives her some of that right hand to the eye.  This weird moment of them strangling each other segues into the two of them making out and then making Tampa love in the kitchen.  In the morning Nucky meets with Bill and Meyer and they agree to the deal.  Nucky reveals that Sally will be managing his business down in Tampa while he is up North.

Back in Atlantic City, Eli and Micky Doyle are raiding Eddie Kessler's old room, looking for the key to his deposit box where he's kept Nucky's money and files.  The two find the key and his note, which is in German.  Neither of them know German so it's almost no use.  Eli goes to the bank to retrieve the possessions of the safety box but they will not let Eli in without permission from Eddie via will or letter.  Warren Knox goes to meet Eli and Doyle because ever since Eddie departed he has no informant.  At first Eli and Mickey dismiss him, thinking that he only wants his cut.  But then Eli decides to use his power as a prohibition agent to retrieve the contents of the safety box.  Hoping to earn Eli's trust, Warren goes to the bank and puts on his bad cop routine and gets what Eli needs.  (I like his bad cop routine.)  Warren returns to Eli with the contents and Eli notices that the money is all there, which confuses him because he thought Eddie might've killed himself because he felt guilty for stealing Nucky's money.  Eli tells Warren he's going to make more of those safety deposit raids and then asks him to read Eddie's letter.  Warren tells him it says that Eddie's son had a baby, which is a lie.  (Duh.)  In one of the most confusing emotional breakdowns of the season, Eli opens up to Warren that he is worried about his son, Willy.  Warren comforts him and hands him a handkerchief.  Unfortunately for him his handkerchief contains his real initials "JTM" which Eli notices.

Over at the Onyx Club, Chalky White is still angrily admiring the singer Daughter Maitland from afar.  She is singing her happy songs at the club rehearsals while teasing Chalky.  This woman is really having an affect on our dude, especially at home.  Daughter decides to go rogue at a show and sing some sad song which causes Chalky to call her to the office.  Let's talk Richard Harrow.  Paul  is visiting the doctor's office where he is told that he is dying.  There he sees Richard Harrow who just got his hand re-bandaged.  The two talk over drinks and talk over the events of that night at the Artemis Club and Tommy.  Harrow is remorseful over the things he has done is his lifetime.  Paul opens up to him, telling him there are things that he has done that he is ashamed of and encourages Harrow to reunite with Julia and Tommy.  Richard goes to visit Tommy who is going on and on about astronomy.  (Kids.)  Julia is a bit hesitant to let Richard back into their lives, but when Tommy asks if Richard is coming home with them, Julia replies, "He's coming."  The last scene is Daughter Maitland meeting Chalky in his office.  He wants her to sing the songs he wants for the club and has complaints about her boss, Dr. Narcisse.  After a heated encounter the two passionately kiss.  (We all saw this coming.)  

Power Rankings
1. Richard Harrow (Last Week: NA)
He's finally reunited with Tommy and Julia.  He's really trying to turn his life around and this new family might be the key to him fulfilling his journey to a clean life.

2.  Meyer Lansky (Last Week: NA)
He's all in on this deal.  No Lucky.  No AR.  He's really making a move as an independent businessman and if this deal with Nucky pans out for him it will make lots of money.

3.  Nucky Thompson (Last Week: #2)
Following the death of Eddie Kessler, Nucky as continued forward with the business venture in Florida and seems to have found a trustworthy and savvy partner in Sally.

4.  Warren Knox (Last Week: #5)
I'm reluctant to put him on this list because Eli is now suspicious.  But on the other hand he was able to earn Eli's trust and gain some information out of him.

5.  Dr. Valentine Narcisse (Last Week: NA)
Even though he wasn't in this episode his plan finally worked out.  He got Chalky attracted to Daughter Maitland.  Chalky and Daughter got together.  Still not sure where this is going, but it worked.

Historical Fun Facts
As we probably know, Warren Knox's boss, J. Edgar Hoover, was head of the F.B.I. until his death in 1972.  Before that he was head of the Alien Enemy Bureau, a division of the Justice Department.  Hoover's job was to arrest disloyal foreigners without trail during World War 1.  In 1919 he became head of the Investigation Bureau's General Intelligence Division.  Their purpose was to disrupt the work of radicals on the homeland.  Hoover rose to power quickly becoming deputy to head of the whole Bureau in 1921 and then being appointed to acting director when the previous director was allegedly involved in the Teapot Dome scandal in 1924.  (That's where we are now.)  Not going to say anything else, although I doubt I'll spoil anything since the show isn't really about J. Edgar.

Final Thoughts
I've dreaded this day but it wasn't as bad as I anticipated.  We've seen Margaret and I know it won't be for the last time.  She's like that ex-girlfriend who keeps coming over to your dorm even though you found a new girl and when your ex realizes that you are perfectly fine without her she starts talking with your roommate, but it ain't workin', bitch!  (Sorry to get personal.)  I like this new Sally broad.  She's a go-getter.  And I think she's going to play a really big role on how this season ends.  I''m glad we finally got to see Lucky but just like that we lose him again.  But this is going to be the first time we really see Meyer without any help from Lucky or Arnold Rothstein.  (This should be interesting.)  We also got to see some Mickey.  The good thing about Mickey is I don't think he'll ever die.  (I hope I didn't jinx anything.)  Warren got some information from Eli, but can Eli tell from the handkerchief that Warren isn't who he says he is?  I'm trying to figure out what Dr. Narcisse's plan is for Chalky, but whatever it is, it's working out.  Finally, I'm glad to see Richard reunited with Tommy and Julia.  He's never been able to have a family like that and Richard's someone who I've rooted for on a personal level for a long time.  Plus Tommy is easily the cutest kid on the show.  And every time I see the little rascal I remember Jimmy Darmody, which was a favorite character of mine until he was killed off.

Boom!  Lot's of shit going on and next week should be more of the same.  Leave any comments you might have in the section below.  Be sure to check out my main blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo's Brain if you are into getting your mind blown away by knowledge.  The link is on the right.  Follow me on Twitter @ELGUAPO3, Instagram at CAPTAINCRUNCHTIME and Tumblr at sirelguapo.tumblr.com.  I'll see you guys next week so stay Guapo out there!

Season 4/Episode 5 "Erlkonig"

Come one, come all and witness greatness in its process.  And I'm not talking about my blog, I'm talking about the show!  (I'm might also be talking about my blog.)  With so much uncertainty in life, there's only a few things you can be sure of.  One of them is that when there's a Boardwalk Empire episode on you are going to be amazed.  Of course you guys know me as El Guapo but at this point I'm just a humble messenger of the good show delivering insightful recaps on this blog we call Infinite Wisdom on Boardwalk Empire.  If you didn't watch last night's episode I suggest you close this tab right now and go watch it immediately.  I'm serious, gifted as I might be, my words could not do that episode justice.  It was amazing and it's just what we needed.  Enough with intros, let's just jump into this recap.

Episode 5 starts off with Nucky getting a phone call from Willie out in Philly.  Remember that kid Henry that Willie accidentally killed?  Well, Willie is now arrested because of this little prank and Nucky has to come to his rescue.  (Shit, I wish my uncle could do that.)  He sits with him and they both agree on a story to tell, saying that Henry was a friend of Will's, Will did not bring alcohol to the party and that Henry drank a lot.  Nucky tries to work his magic with the DA but has a few speed bumps because his underling says that Henry was poisoned and someone has to be charged.  Nucky goes back to his nephew to learn the truth about what actually happened and that Clayton, Willie's nerdy roommate, helped him out.  However, because of Nuck's connection with Waxy Gordon and Waxy Gordon's connection with the DA, Willie is able to lie his way out of this mess and throw Clayton under the table.  In Willie's dorm Nucky gives the kid a little pep talk.  The gist of this talk is that Willie's anger is a gift that he shares with his uncle.  He has to use it but not show it.  Nothing is more important than blood.  Eventually Willie is going to forget about this Henry kid he killed.  You know, the usual uncle pep talk.  (I love this cool Uncle Nucky.)  Later on the coppers apprehend nerdy Clayton.  Willie on the other hand is Scot free AND he had that cute jawn come over to his dorm to be comforted.  (I killed you AND took your hoe, Henry!)

Gillian Darmody isn't doing so well.  She's still on that heroin.  She tries calling Roy at his hotel but she doesn't have any luck.  All Gillian really cares about today though is her grandson Tommy.  (And heroin.)  She has a meeting with the judge in her case to gain custody of Tommy.  Things aren't going so well and she decides to offer sexual favors in exchange for help in this custody case.  It doesn't work though and the judge asks her to leave, ruining her chances of ever getting her grandson back.  But Gillian does not stop there.  She has to see Tommy.  But not before getting her fix on.  She heads to the black part of down looking like a crackhead from West Oakland (we got a lot of those) and sees the illustrious Dunn Purnsley.  She doesn't have a lot of money but Dunn cuts her some slack.  Now that she has her heroin, Gillian is ready to see Tommy at school.  The incestuous mother turned heroin addict grandmother goes to see Tommy who isn't exactly thrilled to see her.  Julia and two teachers approach her and Tommy wisely goes with Julia as the teachers drag Gill away.  Later Roy sees her and he's found out about her little problem.  Weirdly he's actually okay with seeing an addict.  (To each his own, I guess.)  

Over in the Midwest we go back to Nelson Van Alden.  He's in his home enjoying family life on election day in Cicero.  Wife is complaining about the noise, baby not wanting to eat.  (Happy sigh.)  Now Frank Capone is at his house to pick him up.  Frank and Nelson/George go over to see Al who is once again bumping cocaine in his office.  It's election day and it's important to the Capones that the people of Cicero vote Republican.  Al sends Van Alden to the factory with a bunch of their men to go "persuade" the workers to vote the way Al and Frank want them to vote.  But not before making Van Alden take a bump of cocaine with him.  (Now Nelson's having fun!)  Frank gives Nelson a little advance and tells him to keep his handgun ready just in case.  Now having to lead this group of thugs with clubs who just want to kick some ass, Nelson asks that they don't use violence with these men and that they just ask them who the workers are planning on voting for.  Nelson's men reluctantly do what he says but it doesn't work when the factory workers ignore the men.  All hell breaks loose when a worker punches Nelson and things turn violent very quickly as the workers try to get back behind the gates.  A few hours later Frank and Al come to see how things are going and the workers are still behind the gates but they have the numerical advantage.  Not to worry, they say, because they have reinforcements on the way.  But it isn't long until the workers decide it's time to strike back and they start to beat some ass.  Frank's getting his ass beat, Al has been knocked to the ground and is now crawling and Nelson isn't doing much better.  But then Nelson remembers he has a gun and pulls that shit out.  He spots Al crawling on the floor and sees the opportunity to take him out.  (This is the point where your balls should be tingling like a motherfucker.)  Frank sees Nelson and reaches for his gun and then bang!  There's a bullet hole in Frank's chest and a special squad of Chicago police shoot Frank at least a couple dozen times Robocop style.  Al is obviously in pain and at the morgue vows to Nelson Van Alden that people will pay for this.

Let's see how Eddie Kessler is doing.  Warren Knox has Eddie in this room by himself.  Eddy is being a good loyal soldier to Nucky by keeping his mouth shut.  But Warren is determined to get information out of Eddie.  He figures a solid punch to the gut might get Eddie to talk but all it does is make Eddie vomit.  (A lot.)  Maybe telling Eddie that nobody is looking for him might work.  Nope.  A whole day of work doesn't seem to be gaining any progress until Knox comes back with a file.  Turns out after Eddie shamefully left Germany and his kids behind his two sons changed their last name.  Knox wants to send Eddie back into the custody of the police in  Germany where he will have to face humiliation in front of his boys.  This finally breaks Eddie down, who prides himself on loyalty, and he tells Warren that he delivered money to Ralph Capone on the orders of Nucky.  Knox lets him go and Eddie waddles his way back home to Nucky where he is asked where he was.  Eddie lies and says he was out drinking with a friends (which isn't entirely false) and that it won't happen again.  But before Eddie retires to his room Nucky shows him that his socks don't match.  (That would ruin my day too.)  Eddie goes back to his room, writes a letter, fixes Nucky's sock drawer, puts on his nice suit and poetically jumps out the window.  And thus we see the last of our funny, loyal, German friend.  (I almost shed a tear.)

Power Ranking

1. Willie Thompson (Last Week: NA)

I'd never think I'd include him on this list, but check it out.  He killed a kid and got away with it by blaming it on the nerd.  He then got the girl who was seeing the guy he killed.  And he got Nucky's blessing.  There's no way he's not number one on this list.

2. Nucky Thompson (Last Week: #2)

He's still in a good position of power.  He got his nephew out of a murder charge.  Things might start to go south now that Eddie gave away info and then went and killed himself.

3. Nelson Van Alden (Last Week: #5)

He almost killed Al and the only person who saw him attempt to kill Al is dead.  Al still has no clue and trusts Nelson.  He's in a good spot right now.  

4. Dunn Purnsley (Last Week: NA)

Heroin business is booming.  He's obviously got a reputation with the black part of town and performers. Let's see how long this success lasts for him.

5. Warren Knox (Last Week: #3)

On the one hand he has a way to connect Nucky with Ralph Capone and the handling of money.  On the other hand his only informant has committed suicide. (This is a toughie.)

Historical Fun Facts
Today we are going to talk about Frank Capone.  Yes, Frank Capone was the real life brother of Al Capone and moved from Brooklyn to join his brother in Chicago to work with Johnny Torrio.  All of that is accurate in the show.  However, in the show Al is more of a hot head while Frank is usually more calm and open to negotiation when in reality the brothers' roles were reversed.  While Al was violent in real life, his brother Frank was much worse.  (Creative license and such.)  The events that happened in Cicero in this episode were pretty accurate, with the exception of the fictional character, Nelson Van Alden, attempting to kill Al Capone.  The previous year in Chicago the people elected a new mayor who was adamant about riding the city of Torrio and his gang.  So the Capones set up shop in Cicero and put the city manager and several committeemen on their payroll.  The Democratic Party set to challenge the Republicans who were under Capone's control.  On election day, April 1, 1924, the Capones attempted to persuade voters by sending their thugs to assault voters at the booths if they voted wrong.  The city of Chicago sent 70 plainclothes officers to Cicero to maintain the peace.  At the polling station at the plant the Capones believed the plainclothes officers were rival gang members.  The police opened fire on Frank Capone and killed him.  It is debated on whether or not he ever pulled out his gun. (Police obviously say he did.)

Final Thoughts
First things first, I saw the promo for next episode and it looks like we're finally going to see Margaret.  (The streak is over.)  Damn, I was really enjoying not having to see her.  I guess she'll add her self-righteous dynamic to the show again.  I'm finally excited about Willie's story line.  I don't think we'll see much of Willie just yet, but I think next season we are going to see Willie emerge as a big time player on the boardwalk.  I did not see Frank Capone's death coming and I love history.  It's not a big event in history so you can't blame me.  (I honestly didn't know Al had a brother.)  It was exciting to see, though.  I'm anxious to see how this Chicago story ends.  This is easily my favorite story line in Boardwalk Empire.  Speaking of unexpected deaths, what the fuck, Eddie?  Not Eddie!  I loved him!  He felt so ashamed about selling Nucky out when he prides himself on loyalty that he decided to end it all.  (Some really deep shit.)  That death came out of left field.  And the thing about it is that his death is probably the most emotional since Jimmy Darmody's death in season 2.  I can tell you right now, I had a hard time sleeping.

Halfway done with the season and I am having a blast.  I hope you guys are having as much fun as I'm having.  Please leave any comments you might have in the section below.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter @ELGUAPO3 and Instagram at CAPTAINCRUNCHTIME and also Tumblr at sirelguapo.tumblr.com.  Check out my main blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo's Brain.  The link is on your right if you want to expand your mind on some other knowledge.  You can also check the right to look at some recaps for previous episodes.  I think that's it then.  Have a wonderful week on the Boardwalk and stay Guapo out there!

Season 4/Episode 4 "All In"

Hey folks!  El Guapo here with another edition of Infinite Wisdom on Boardwalk Empire and I'm here to provide another much needed recap to one of the best shows on the air.  With Breaking Bad now ended I have more time to focus on my favorite TV show.  It's not just my favorite show because of the compelling characters, its historical connection and awesome plot lines.  I have a connection with this show because I "discovered" and recognized it's potential at the ground floor.  Unlike shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men or Game of Thrones, shows that were recommended to me by friends mid series, I started watching Boardwalk the day of the premiere.  Furthermore I was able to then enlighten other people about this amazing new show I had just discovered.  I told a few of my best friends about it who have now also fallen in love with this show.  I got my mother into Boardwalk and she was immediately drawn to Jimmy Darmody.  (Hey Ma!)  I'm even starting to get my girl into this show.  (Sorry ladies!  Meat's off the rack.)  I've been able to make a little community with this series.  Boardwalk Empire may not have the recognition that shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and The Wire have but that's just because I haven't educated everyone just yet.

Before we get started with the recap and everything let me make a few announcements regarding the structure of the blog.  Last week I tried something new with the "Power Rankings" and it didn't really work.  I took a suggestion seeing if I could use the "Power Rankings" to talk about historical figures and see how they rise and fall throughout the series.  It was a good idea, the problem was that not enough historical figures were on air in the last episode to make a whole "Power Ranking" segment.  I suspect that could happen again so I've decided to switch back to the old format.  However I did like the idea of including historical figures and historical events.  Considering how the historical aspect of the show is one of my favorite things about the series I figured I could spend some time speaking on the subject.  I've decided to add a new segment to the blog called "Historical Fun Facts" that will be fit in between the "Rankings" and the "Final Thoughts."  In this new segment I will rattle off some facts rooted in history that may be interesting to a Boardwalk fan.  It does require a little extra work on my end but you guys are worth it.  (Ungrateful bastards!)  If you guys have gems of knowledge to add please feel free to share them in the comment section.  So without further delay, let's do this!

Recap

The episode starts off with one of Capone's men collecting money for him.  This guy is pretty fat and is struggling to get to the top of the stairs.  (Silly fatty!)  Out of breathe when he reaches the top of the stairs he falls back down the steps.  Still in Chicago, Nelson Van Alden/George Mueller is still linked up with Dean O' Banion in the flower shop.  Dean is your typical prankster gangster type making Nelson load up flower pots so Dean can pull a prank on one of his men using a shotgun.  Dean asks Nelson to deliver flowers to the Capones who are currently with one of their injured men, the fatty mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph.  Nelson is reluctant because the last time he was with Capone he got whacked in the head, but Dean isn't going to take "no" for an answer.  Van Alden does what he's told and goes to visit Al and Frank Capone at the hospital to deliver the flowers.  Since their guy can't go on the money run anymore Al and Frank decide to go on the money run themselves, and they want to bring poor little Nelson along.  Nelson tries to get out of going with the Capones claiming that he can't keep Dean waiting, but Frank and Al can be persuasive.  (Everybody picks on Nelson.)  Al tends to intimidate while Frank resorts to using charm.  Van Nelson and the Capones go on a series of money collections before finding one of Dean's new speakeasies.  Dean likes to disguise his speakeasies as bread trucks but Al and Frank know better.  They decide to jack the "bread truck" drag Nelson into it.  Nelson rides in the newly stolen "bread truck" with Al Capone where Al snorts a little coke and tells Nelson he has to live a little, and Nelson claims that he indeed has a sense of humor.  (I saw a little twinkle in his eye.)  Al and Nelson talk about how with Dean, Nelson gets payed well but he doesn't feel respected.  In response Al offers Nelson a better opportunity in Cicero with him and his brother.   But then they hear a noise in the cargo.  Frank brings out the Tommy gun to give to Al and Nelson opens the door to reveal one of Dean's men.  Dean's man recognizes Nelson as George Mueller and the Capones allow the poor fella a 10 second running head start.  Frank gives Van Alden his handgun to gun him down, and although hesitant at first, fires at the slow man until his gun jams.  Al then finishes the guy with his Tommy and a smile.

Up in Harlem Dunn Purnsley goes to visit Dr. Narcisse in his office to give him his cut of the heroin money.  Dr. Narcisse is quite revolted at the fact that Dunn would come to a place of such prestige to present him with dirty drug money.  Narcisse politely asks Dunn to leave his office.  (It wasn't that polite.)  However, Dunn isn't finished in Harlem just like that.  He waits for the Trinidadian outside and asks for a word with him.  The two walk as Dr. Narcisse lectures Dunn Purnsley about the importance of preserving the race and tells him that Chalky White's time is over.  The scene ends with Dunn beating up this guy on the stoop.  On Willy Thompson's side of the fence things aren't looking too good for him.  He is still upset about his peers embarrassing him at that party, especially that guy Henry.  (That asshole.)  He gets a little pep talk from his dad telling him to stick to his studies and to stay out of trouble.  Well, sorry Daddy, Willy wants revenge.  Willy decides to put some shit in Henry's drink at the party to make him have extreme bowel movements.  At first this plan was solid because it makes Henry shit himself which is super embarrassing.  But then shit goes south (no pun intended) when in the morning Willy finds out that he killed Henry.  (Bummer.)  Meanwhile Warren Knox is in a meeting with J. Edgar and the rest of the bureau with a presentation on the bootlegging business in AC which all ties back in with Nucky.  Knox's plan is to find Nuck's weakest link and use him to bring Nucky down.  Cut to the very lovable and newly promoted Eddie Kessler.  Nucky has sent him on a job to deliver money to Bottles Capone, the other Capone brother.  (He has one job to do.  One!)  Eddie befriends Bottles and brags about his new promotion and his contribution in the Nucky/Gyp Rosetti wars.  The two spend the night drinking and having fun before sending off Bottles back to Chicago in the morning.

Finally, Nucky is ready to go forth his plan to buy land in Florida.  Rum will be shipped up north to Atlantic City and other northern cities and whisky will be shipped south to Tampa.  Now all Nucky needs is a business partner.  Predictably he calls upon his old friend Arnold Rothstein who has done business with Nucky before.  Arnold brings along his trusted business partner/pupil Meyer Lansky.  Arnold Rothstein is hesitant to enter a deal with Nucky because Nucky attempted to screw him over in a previous deal in season 3.  (You guys remember.)  Arnold tells Nucky that he will think about it over a game of poker and that he would like Nucky to join him, claiming that you never really know a man until you play poker with him.  Nucky does join him and the two play cards in attempt to really get to know each other.  One man playing with the gentlemen proceeds to disrespect Rothstein.  Meyer is offended but Rothstein doesn't allow him to make a big deal out of it.  During this long game of poker Nucky wins a lot of money from Rothstein.  In an attempt to save face Rothstein continues to gamble in hopes of getting his money back.  Finally Meyer makes Rothstein realize that he is only embarrassing himself and Rothstein calls it a night.  Afterward, Meyer meets with Nucky and Nucky lets him know that he is cutting Rothstein out of the deal.  Through the poker game Nucky learned that Rothstein has a need to win that is potentially a bad quality in a business partner.  Meyer takes this opportunity to take the deal without Rothstein's involvement.  Later Meyer Lansky meets the guy who was disrespecting AR outside in the alley and shows him some of that Yiddish fury.  The final scene of the episode is Eddie Kessler dropping off Bottles Capone at the train station.  After Eddie sees him off he is apprehended by Warren Knox and another agent.

Power Rankings

1. Meyer Lansky

Finally stepping out of his mentor’s shadow in a big way, Lansky is showing signs of his future business success by entering this business deal with Nucky.  The kids are all grown up.

2. Nucky Thompson

He didn't get the partner he was seeking but that might have been a good thing.  His new deal with Lansky could benefit him in a way that a deal with Rothstein couldn't.

3. Warren Knox

It looks like Agent Knox has a solid plan put together to take down Nucky Thompson.  And now he has Eddie Kessler in his custody.  Problem is, I don’t think Eddie will talk.  But who knows.

4. Dr. Valentin Narcisse

He has Dunn Purnsley wrapped around his finger and Dunn is ready to jump ship.  We still don't know what he has planned but it should be good.

5. Nelson Van Alden/George Mueller

He is caught right in the middle of this rivalry between Al Capone and Dean O' Banion.  This is actually a good thing because all Nelson has to do is pick the side with the better opportunity.

Historical Fun Facts

In the scene where Warren Knox is explaining the different cities and their respective kingpin bootleggers, Warren mentions a few familiar names such as Arnold Rothstein, Waxy Gordon and of course Nucky Thompson.  Another name that was mentioned is probably unfamiliar and that is King Solomon.  Charles "King" Solomon was a Jewish American bootlegger based out of Boston.  He was also heavily involved in illegal gambling, cocaine and other narcotics.  He was one of the "Big Seven" who helped influence the National Crime Syndicate in 1932, a group that consisted of Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano and Nucky Johnson, the historical figure Nucky Thompson is based on.  Solomon was murdered in 1933 by a rival gang in he men's room.

Final Thoughts

First of all I just want to continue to express my glee over the absence of Margaret thus far.  I'm still not sure how Willy plays into the rest of the story line but I think we will find out next episode.  Hopefully we get another Mickey Doyle sighting.  I'm not that excited about Dunn Purnsely's involvement in this season because at this point I think he's just a small piece of what Dr. Narcisse has planned.  As far as Eddie Kessler goes, I don't think he will work with Warren but I think Warren is going to catch Nucky Thompson with someone else later on in the season, maybe it involves Margaret.  (No!)  I'm glad we are going to get some Meyer Lansky this season, I'm just sad there hasn't been much Lucky Luciano.  I thought it was great to see this different side of Lansky, a violent side.  We are so used to seeing this composed Meyer Lansky who is constantly holding Luciano back from a fight and is similar to Arnold Rothstein.  Now we see this Meyer Lansky who is separating himself from Rothstein.  My favorite story line this season however, is the Capone and O' Banion rivalry in Chicago.  I think this season is going to focus on the war these two powerhouses had and it's amazing to have Nelson Van Alden caught right in the middle of it.

We are finished with episode four and I'll be back next next week for (you guessed it) episode five.  Please leave any comments, suggestions, questions or compliments in the comment section below.  If you are interested in reading my other work check that out in my main blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo's Brain.  You can find that link on your right.  If you've missed any recaps you can also check them out.  Follow me on Twitter @ELGUAPO3 on Instagram at CAPTAINCRUNCHTIME and Tumblr at sirelguapo.tumblr.com.  Have a wonderful week and stay Guapo out there!