Season 4/ Episode 12 "Farewell Daddy Blues"

Well... I'm gonna... try to get through this... without breaking down... in tears.   Let me just... clear my throat.  (Get a grip Guaps!)  I'm... good.  (You sure?)  Yeah, I'm good now.  Hello everybody and welcome to Infinite Wisdom on Boardwalk Empire.  As you guys should know I'm your host El Guapo.  If you are reading this you probably just witnessed the season finale of Boardwalk Empire and you wanted to read the Guaps' wisdom on that shit.  Or maybe you haven't watched it and just wanted to read what happened via spoilers.  To be perfectly honest that kind of attitude bothers me.  (Yeah it does.)  But I don't want to risk losing readers so I'll just leave it as a "to each his own, I guess" thing.  A lot of shit went down in the finale.  If it's one thing the writers of Boardwalk know how to do it's bookend a season.  Let's just look at their track record.  The season 2 finale killed off Jimmy (that will come up later in the recap) and had us tearing up.  The season 3 finale gave us Richard Harrow going Terminator on Gyp Rosetti's gang and ultimately the death of Gyp.  Even season 1's finale, the worst of the bunch, was at worst a solid way to cap off the season.  If you remember it, it includes the deaths of the remaining D' Alessio brothers.  But more than anything it was a sneak peak into the amazing story line that was to be the following season.  (Jimmy's only betrayal of Nucky and Eli's first.)  So without further delay let's kick off this recap and see how this finale stacks up against the others.

Recap
Okay, let's start off this recap by finishing business in Chicago... for now.  In the aftermath of the shootings on the Capones, Al Ralph and Van Alden discuss who might be behind the attempt on their lives.  The consensus is Dean O' Banion's men as Torrio comes into the scene briefly to put in his two cents.  Later at Johnny Torrio's home a hit-man comes through to take Torrio out.  The motherfucker shoots Torrio's driver and then shoots Johnny Torrio several times in front of his wife.  This dude doesn't finish the job however and runs out of bullets.  (That's why you bring two pieces like Chalky!)  The man dips but Johnny is now on the floor bleeding.  At the hospital Al, Ralph and Nelson wait outside Johnny Torrio's room when Torrio's wife comes out to tell Al that Johnny wants a word with him.  When inside Torrio tells Al that he wants out.  It's a young man's game and Johnny has no place in it, he says.  And with that Al Capone inherits the whole business.  Al is now the undisputed King of Chicago.  (He's grown so much.)

Now that we've wrapped up Chicago let's finish season 4 in Atlantic City.  We open with Nucky on the phone with Sally discussing him moving south with her.  The phone call is interrupted, however, by Chalky White with a gun against new/not-as-good Eddie.  (I forgot the dude's name already.)  He's mad and he's mad at Nucky, believing it was he who set him up.  He pulls out his SECOND gun (that's how you do it) on Nucky, not really giving him a chance to explain.  But Chalky only wants one thing.  He wants Narcisse so he can get back to his family.  And Nucky is going to help him out.  Meanwhile Eli and Warren Knox, the young looking lad who will never get the approval of one J. Edgar Hoover, talk through the set up they are having for Nucky and his business partners scheduled for the following day.  It's pretty apparent that Eli is getting cold feet about this whole ordeal but Knox is the only thing keeping Willy Thompson out of prison.  Later that night Eli and Nucky go see Mickey Doyle to pick up the collection.  Nucky asks Eli about the meeting and Eli confirms that everything is taken care of.  Out of the blue comes Richard Harrow asking for a favor.  Prior to coming to see Nucky, Harrow was giving testifying against Gillian Darmody in court about Rodger, the young man she killed in her bathtub.  She hysterically started screaming that no one was there and that the man she allegedly killed was actually her son who overdosed on heroin.  Now Richard wants Nuck to give him the location of Jimmy's body.  Nucky gives him the location but for a price.

At last we get to see Jimmy again!  (Sort of.)  The authorities find and identify Jimmy's body by the screws in his leg.  The next morning Nucky meets with Dr. Narcisse in Mayor Bader's office.  And in true Nucky fashion he kicks the mayor of of his own office.  (Bawse!)  Narcisse and Nucky discuss Chalky White and Nucky tells him that he just wants this war to end and that Chalky wants to sit down and talk to him.  Nucky implies to Narcisse that he can off Chalky if he wants to.  He further baits Narcisse by telling him that Chalky knows the whereabouts of Daughter Maitland.  Narcisse is hooked and we are ready for another showdown.  Meanwhile Richard is seeing off Julia, her father and Tommy at the train station.  I gathered from their conversation about being with Richard's sister that they are heading west to be with Richard's sister.  (Bet you couldn't figure that part out.)  Richard's not coming however, at least not now, presumably because of the undisclosed deal he made with Nucky.  (Foreshadowing led me to believe that Richard not might make it back.)

He's not the only one who's moving though.  Nucky is getting all his shit packed for the move south.  But now before taking care of one last piece of business.  Nucky calls Eli to come pick him up for the meeting.  Willy asks what Nucky wanted but Eli was kind of rude to his seed.  He goes to pick up Nucky but is surprised to find no security there.  He pulls out his gun and walks into a quiet and dark house.  Once he gets into the living room Nucky emerges and asks him to put his gun away.  He then tells him of his plans to move with Sally.  But that't not the biggest shell he drops.  He also reveals that he knows that Eli's a rat.  Nucky pulls out his piece and doesn't want to hear any of it.  By this point I'm thinking, "Oh shit, we haven't even reached the half hour point and Eli is going bye-bye?!?"  (Looks like it.)  Nucky gets Eli on his knees (not like that) and before he can pop it Willy comes to the rescue.  It is then that Eli has his chance to explain the whole situation about Warren Knox and his threats on Willy.  He also pours his heart out on his feeling of betrayal when Willy came to Nucky after his arrest instead of his father.  Morale isn't too good for the Thompsons but Eli lives to fight another day.  (Which he will have to.)

Warren Knox is a little upset, though, as he awkwardly waits in the hotel where the meeting was supposed to take place.  It's apparent to all the other agents there that the meeting is not happening.  Knox's career is on the line so he is going to go after the person he thinks screwed him over.  When Eli returns home looking for Willy an angry Knox is there waiting for him.  He sends his wife upstairs so the two can talk.  Feeling like he was duped, Knox promises to put Willy in jail where he will be popular with the other inmates.  (He means rape.)  Once again Eli has a gun pressed against his head, but this time he strikes back and we have another exciting fight scene that involves saws, toy trucks and vases.  In the end Eli, the stronger of the two, strangles Warren Knox and then beats his head.  And thus Warren Knox/ Jim Tolliver is dead.  (Good riddance.)

 
We still need to see Chalky White and Narcisse one last time so we head to the Onyx Club where Narcisse is sitting comfortably as the new Chalky.  Chalky claims all he wants is free passage to see his daughter get married.  In exchange Chalky will give Narcisse Daughter Maitland.  "A daughter for a Daughter," Narcisse cleverly says.  (Not that impressed.)  Little does Narcisse know that Richard Harrow is up in cover ready to snipe him like Richard knows how.  But this isn't the same Richard motherfuckin' Harrow from season 1, 2, 3 or beginning of season 4.  Naw, this is the new change of heart Richard Harrow whose main priority is to love and care for Tommy and his new wife Julia.  So the dude has a little trouble pulling the trigger.  Meanwhile Narcisse reveals that he has Maybelle, Chalky's daughter, and brings her out.  Well, this is terrible timing because Richard has just regained his composure and pulls the trigger hitting Maybelle instead of his intended target.  Heartbroken at the sight of his dead daughter, Chalky struggles in tears as his men pull him out of the club while Narcisse's goons shoot at Richard.  Richard gets hit on his side but he still makes it out of the club alive.

Narcisse is alive but he does get taken by the feds.  The doctor gets questioned by the one and only J. Edgar Hoover and is given an ultimatum.  He's going to give Hoover information Marcus Garvey, a political leader, or Hoover is going to pin Knox's death on him.  Narcisse, who has been adamant about the preservation and uprising of the negro, agrees to give Hoover information on his compatriot.  Later we learn that Eli has gone west to be safe with some friends in a conversation between Nucky and Willy.  Nucky tells Will that he is the man of the house now.  (This shouldn't be new since Will already took care of the family when Eli was in jail.)  We are then treated to the annual season finale montage that we love so much.  In this montage we learn that Margaret has moved her family to an apartment owned by Rothstein.  We learn that Chalky is back in Maryland at Oscar's house.  We learned that Daughter Maitland is out there singing again.  But the biggest nugget we get is that Eli is now in Chi-town and guess who picks him up.  Nelson.  van.  Alden.  (Season 5 is going to be fun!)  But the season isn't over yet.  Now we see Richard on a train, presumably heading to see his family.  He gets off the train and sees his whole family in this big house.  Julia walks up to him and we see his face.  All of it.  Perfect face, no mask.  We get tossed back into reality and Richard Harrow is under the boardwalk the morning after the failed shooting.  The whole scene was imagined and we spend the last scene watching one of our beloved characters die.

Power Rankings
1. Al Capone (Last Week: NA)
In a finale where there were more losers than winners, Al was definitely one of the winners.  And not just in this episode but throughout the whole season.  This dude had a lot going for him.  He beat out Dean O' Banion in the duel and got Van Alden in his pocket.  Now, with Johnny Torrio out of his way, Al Capone can finally emerge as the Al Capone we are familiar with, the boss of Chicago.  Sure he lost his brother along the way, but in Boardwalk everyone loses somebody.

2. Nucky Thompson (Last Week: #2)
Once again things work out for our protagonist.  (Sort of.)  He survives and he avoids getting knocked by the feds.  Warren Knox is dead and so far peace is restored now that Narcisse was captured.  He might have to hold off on his trip to Florida though.

3. J. Edgar Hoover (Last Week: NA)
This guy... He puts Narcisse in a corner so I appreciate that.  Warren Knox is dead and let's be honest Hoover never really liked him.  He'd tell you he had a solid week.

4. Margaret Thompson (Last Week: NA)
She got approximately 4.37 seconds of air time but she was winning in those short seconds.  She's looking swaggy in her new home.  One of the few people that ended happy this week.

5. Mickey Doyle (Last Week: NA)
Why not?  He survived another season and that in itself is an accomplishment.

Now before we move on to the Historical Fun Facts segment, I've decided to tally up everyone's rankings this season to present The First Annual Mr. Boardwalk Award!  Our second runner up is... Al Capone!  Our first runner up is... Warren Knox!  And unsurprisingly our winner for the Mr. Boardwalk or Boardy as we like to call it is... Nucky Thompson.  Congrats to Thompson!

Historical Fun Facts
In Narcisse's interrogation scene J. Edgar Hoover asks the doctor to give him information about one Marcus Garvey.  Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican-born political leader heavily involved in Black nationalism.  He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.  He also founded the Black Star Line which advocated a return to Africa by the African Americans.  Interestingly Garvey had better relations with the Ku Klux Klan than he did with W.E.B. Du Bois and the NAACP.  Garvey felt Du Bois had a problem with him because of his darker skin.  Garvey accused Du Bois of hiring saboteurs to fuck things up at the Black Star Line.  He acknowledged the Klan for their honesty in their hatred towards blacks while other white organisations hid their racism.  (Good shit, Wikipedia.)

Closing Thoughts
Wow!  What a finale.  A lot of shit happened that I didn't like, but they needed to happen.  It's like what Batman would say.  We got the finale we needed, but not the one we deserved.  (Right?)  I'm so amped for next season because I know Chalky is going to come with the fire.  Once again Nucky squeaks by without a scratch.  I wonder who is going to be next year's villain.  Is Narcisse going to come back?  He ain't dead.  I hope they don't just abandon him like they did with Esther Randolph.  I think she needed more airtime.  In fact, I want to see a lot of people get more airtime.  Will is probably going to be a big player next season, even bigger than this season.  This season was all about creating a wedge between the Thompson brothers.  Next year he'll be the right hand man that Jimmy and Eli could never be.  To be honest though I like the pairing of Chalky and Nucky Better.   Eli and Nelson van Alden might make a great duo out in Chicago.  I was glad to see Knox dead but I was HEARTBROKEN when Richard died.  That was the biggest loss of the season.  I was already hurt when Eddie Kessler died and I didn't think it could get much worse.  It did.  This death hurt more than Jimmy's.  Jimmy's was okay because 1) he was only on for two seasons, (Harrow was on for four) and 2) Jimmy's life was going down the tubes.  Angela had just died.  We learned about his incestuous relationship with his mother.  He had lost the war with Nucky.  Harrow was making his way up.  He just found happiness in Julia and Tommy.  All he needed to do is kill Narcisse and head west on a train to be with his new family.  But that didn't happen and that's why it hurts.  Plus we have to think about Tommy.  So far his childhood sucks.  Dad goes to war.  Mom goes lesbian.  Dad comes back becomes gangster.  Mom gets killed.  Dad gets killed.  Crazy grandma raises Tommy in a whorehouse.  Gets saved by war vet.  War vet that loves him gets killed.  That's not a fun childhood!  I'm not crying about it (yeah, you are) but I wasn't a fan of Richard Harrow's departure.

Well that wraps up season 4 of Boardwalk Empire.  I'm so thankful to everyone who has followed along with my blog.  It means so much to me to have my work be put out their for people to read, even if it's not that many people I still appreciate it.  (Don't get too sappy, now.)  Boardwalk will be back next fall and I am pleased to announce that Infinite Wisdom on Boardwalk Empire has also been renewed for another season.  So mark your calendars because next fall not only will this amazing show be back, but also this amazing blog.  I know it's months away but you can find other ways of entertaining yourselves.  In the meantime you can check out my main blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo's Brain.  The link is on the right or you can just type www.guapoknowsall.blogspot.com in your url.  Check me out on Twitter, follow me @ELGUAPO3.  I'm also on Instagram and you can follow me @CAPTAINCRUNCHTIME.  You can also find me on Tumblr by typing sirelguapo.tumblr.com in you url.  Please leave comments in the section below.  I want to hear your thoughts on the finale, the season, even the series as a whole.  If you have any comments on the blog itself please feel free to comment.  Until next September, this is El Guapo signing off.  Have a wonderful year and stay Guapo out there!

Season 4/Episode 11 "Havre de Grace"

Hello people and welcome to Infinite Wisdom on Boardwalk Empire.  I'm your host El Guapo.  Before we get started I just want to give a shout out to the people participating in this blog, whether it be the comment section below or on Facebook or any other social media website.  I really appreciate the support and would encourage you guys to keep it up.  This blog isn't just for me, it's also for you.  (Ain't that sweet.)  The penultimate episode in a season is good at lining things up for an amazing finale.  It looks like we are in for a treat next week.  So without further delay let's recap episode 11 of Boardwalk Empire.

Recap
Last week Chalky narrowly escaped death by killing two sheriffs that were sent to kill him.  Now Chalky and Daughter Maitland are on the run.  We open up the episode with Chalky and Daughter in the back of a car with these two black gentlemen in the front.  Chalky and Daughter are being taken to Havre de Grace, Maryland.  More specifically they are being taken to the home of Oscar Boneau to hide out.  Oscar was Chalky White's mentor before Chalky was the most powerful black guy in Atlantic City.  If Chalky is Plato, this Oscar guy is Socrates.  If Chalky is Yeezy, then Oscar is Hov.  Except for the fact that Hov is still a full functioning man.  Oscar is old as shit and can't see his hand in front of his face.  Oscar puts Daughter to work right away cooking and she can't please the man with her dry ass chicken.  (Cut that girl loose Chalky!)  Chalky still believes the his friend Nucky Thompson is the one behind his murder attempt in the last episode.  Oscar reminds him of the advice he gave Chalky about not trusting anyone.  Oscar ain't in a position to help Chalky in the revenge side of the spectrum so the best he can offer is allow Chalky to stay with him.  Later on Chalky and Daughter talk and it's pretty apparent that this affair won't last very long.  Chalky learns that Narcisse is the one who killed her mother and gave her the name Daughter.  The two agree to run away together at the break of dawn but in the middle of the night Chalky wakes up to a lonely bed.  He walks outside to the porch where Oscar is posted and Oscar breaks the news that Daughter just left.  This melancholy moment is interrupted when Oscar hears a noise.  Turns out Narcisse's men found the joint and they are looking for Daughter and Chalky.  The old man gets shot down and Chalky picks up his shotty firing at Narcisse's men.  But just when things look bleak for Chalky, Oscar's men come out with their pieces and come to the rescue.  But if Chalky wasn't mad before, he's steaming now.

Now we move to Gillian Darmody, our terrible whore mother turned terrible whore grandmother turned heroin fiend turned redeemed person.  Gillian makes the tough decision to stop pursuing custody to Tommy.  At long last she is ready to let go of the past.  She goes to visit Tommy one last time though.  (The whole interaction was more creepy than sweet, but hey, that's Gillian for you.)  But after an embrace with Tommy, Richard pops in telling her to get away.  However, she tells him that she knows that he and Julia will do a great job raising Tommy.  Before she leaves, she gives Tommy his dad's dog tags from the First World War.  (Shit made me shed one tear.)  But now she is ready to move forward with her relationship with Roy.  At dinner Roy tells her that he finished the business he came to Atlantic City to do.  He's going to have to move where ever his company sends him.  The good news is he wants her next to him for the rest of his life.  Roy performs the second worst marriage proposal in the history of this series.  (Beat out Nucky/Margaret but couldn't catch Julia/Richard.)  She says yes and it looks like things are looking up for these two.  But then they hit a little speed bump.  An angry colleague of Roy's comes out of the blue looking for trouble.  Roy thinks this man is pulling a gun on him so Roy gets his gunslinger on and takes him down.  Stunned, the two  take off in the car before anyone sees them.  Back in Gillian's mansion, Roy is obviously not taking this whole murder thing too well.  He considers turning himself in but Gillian needs him to get a hold of himself.  In an effort to calm Roy down she confesses to murdering a young man named Rodger back in season 3 by drowning him in her bathtub.  (Bad idea.)  Roy reveals that he is a Pinkerton detective and she just admitted to murder of the first degree.  Several men emerge and one of them is Leander, the Commodore's homeboy.  Gillian tries to make a run for it but the men apprehend her.  And thus ends that boring ass relationship between Gillian and Roy.

Still in AC we are looking at the Thompson family.  Nucky gets a late night call from a panicking Gaston Means.  Means says he has valuable information for a price.  There's a skunk in Nucky's seller says Means.  But Means keeps upping the price the longer Nucky waits.  Fed up, Nucky hangs up the phone.  Means on the other hand gets arrested by the U.S. Capitol Police for perjury.  Nucky decides to invite Eli and his family over for a fun day at the beach.  Nucky brings up what Gaston says about the skunk in the cellar and asks Eli who he doesn't trust.  Eli suggests having a sit down with all the players from the Tampa deal to settle terms and what-not.  Little does Nucky know that this suggestion really comes from Warren Knox's need to have Nucky and all those guys in the same room so he can have a case.  Eli does lose his cool though at the dinner table when his wife mentions a baby-faced home insurance salesman who was at his house.  His explosion makes Nucky realize Eli is the skunk in the cellar.  Later Nucky has a conversation with Willy and tells him whatever they talk about is between just them two.  Before Eli and his family take off Nucky tells Eli to set up the meeting he mentioned earlier.  (This has to be some mega strategic shit.)  The final scene of the episode is Nucky calling Sally that he wants out.

Power Rankings
1. Roy Phillips (Last Week: NA)
Not sure if he should even be proud of this but he got the number one spot.  I'm merely respecting the fact that he did the job he set out to do.  I still think he's a dickhead though.

2. Nucky Thompson (Last Week: NA)
Check it.  He has an ace in the whole in Richard Harrow.  He knows Eli is plotting on him.  He has Willy's full allegiance.  He's the smartest player in the game.  Things are looking up.

3. Willy Thompson (Last Week: NA)
He basically replaced his father Eli in Nucky's inner circle.  Trust goes a long way on the Boardwalk and when you are trusted by the Boardwalk's best player, you're doing something right.

4. Tommy Darmody (Last Week: NA)
We all just want what's best for Tommy.  I don't give a fuck what happens to Margaret and her kids.  But I love Tommy.  I think he'll be happy.  Anyone who disagrees with this ranking has no heart.

5. Warren Knox (Last Week: #3)
Why not?  On Boardwalk Empire anything can happen.  Plus, there weren't a lot of players in this episode.  Who was I going to give it to? Eli? Gillian?

Historical Fun Facts
There was a lot of shit to choose from this week.  I decided to talk about Havre de Grace, the city in which Chalky and Daughter hide out in this episode.  That city is actually pretty important in a American history if you can believe that.  The city's name is French is Haven of Grace.  (Is your city's name something beautiful in French?  No.)  It's located in Hartford County in Maryland is was one of the contenders for the United States capitol.  In 1789 the House of Representatives was voting for a capitol city and the vote was tied between Washington, D.C. and Havre de Grace.  A final tie breaker gave the honor to a place the locals refer to as the DMV.  But there's more for Havre de Grace.  In the mid 1800's this town served as a primary city on the Eastern route of the Underground Railroad.  Runaway slaves would make it to this town and then take a ferry across the Susquehanna River to safe cities.  There's some more shit about this city but that's all I'll give you guys for now.

 
Closing Thoughts
First off, Roy pulled off such a dick move.  Gillian is one of my least favorite characters in the history of this show.  But Roy's ploy was so fucked up I was actually feeling called "sympathy" for Gillian.  I was actually hoping she would escape from Roy's guys.  The fuck is wrong with me?  I think that chapter is over, for now.  I really like having Tommy in the custody of Richard and Julia.  It's been so painful to watch him over the seasons.  I hope Chalky can hook back up with Nucky.  I've stated before that I love this tandem of Chalky and Nucky.  But Nucky has problems from all different angles.  He's a smart player though and he definitely has something up his sleeve with this meeting with the Tampa players.  I think we have a really exciting finale coming up.

Next week is the finale and the last blog post until 2014.  I'm gonna miss you guys so much.  But I'm going to provide my best effort on the next post.  It's going to be brilliant.  If not I'll retire.  (This shit don't pay anyway.)  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 10 "White Horse Pike"

Yo!  Guapo here!  It's about that time again.  It's the time we all gather around our screens and discuss what's good in Atlantic City circa 1920's.  Whether you are an avid reader, or it's your first time here via accidentally stumbling on link, I just want to say welcome to Infinite Wisdom on  Boardwalk Empire.  You are in for a treat.  We just finished the 10th, yes 10th, episode of the season and we got a lot of shit to go over.  So let's get started.

Recap
Tonight we begin with Eli Thompson enjoying some coffee with the amicable Warren Knox.  (Liar!)  Okay, Warren is making Eli spill some info while Eli tries to enjoy his coffee, so I wasn't completely off.  Eli tries to get off by giving Warren some faulty information.  Meanwhile Sally is overseeing Nucky's operation in Tampa when she stumbles upon a shady transaction.  As Masseria requested Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky are loading Nucky's booze-filled crates with heroin.  (I still don't see the appeal in doing heroin.  It just doesn't seem fun.)  Sally immediately tells Nuck who isn't too happy with the idea.  The next morning Eli is surprised to see Warren Knox at his breakfast table enjoying coffee with his son and wife.  Warren is posing as an insurance agent (double secret identity!) and wants a chat alone with Eli.  Turns out the info Eli gave Warren was bullshit and darn it to heck if Warren is going to just let this go.  Moving along, Nucky meets with Eli and Mickey at the warehouse to discuss the whole heroin thing.  Nucky wants Eli to take Warren and his men to intercept the cargo on its way to Atlantic City.  Well, intercept the cargo they did and who is there but Nucky's new partner in the Tampa deal, Meyer Lansky.  Eli, Warren and his men find the heroin and Meyer has some 'splainin' to do.  Now Nucky has to take precious time out of an already stressful day (we'll get to that later) and meet with Eli and Warren who have Lansky detained.  This ain't the first time Nucky has Meyer on his knees.  (Pause.)  In season one Nucky, Chalky and Jimmy had Meyer detained along with two of the D'Alessio brothers and Meyer was the lone man allowed to survive.  The difference is Meyer breaks down this time when he has the tool pressed against this noggin.  (Come on dude!  I'm out here vouching for you on the "Power Rankings" and you're just gonna start sobbing and shit?!?)  Nucky lets him live and tells Meyer to tell Masseria to get his creepy Italian-accent-having ass down to the AC.  Warren also goes to Hoover to tell him that he has leverage over Nucky like a school boy coming home with an "A" on his math test to show his rarely impressed father.  (Why can't you be proud of me, dad!)  Hoover has bigger fish to fry and disinterested.

Let's do some traveling around the country before we finish the recap in Atlantic City.  Our first stop, Chiraq!  With Van Alden finally allowed to sit at the cool table with Al and Bottles Capone, it appears life is good.  Al is a little ambitious and is going to have Nelson do his routes while Al tries to expand.  That's not going to be easy with Torrio still around.  There seems to be some kind of power struggle between Al and Johnny and Johnny Torrio doesn't want to retire anytime soon.  Later at the cat house Nelson is serving drinks to the guys who are certainly having a good time.  Torrio leaves the crib and that's when Al gets a phone call.  Al brings his fatty girl (to each his own, I guess) and receives a very peculiar message.  That's when Nelson notices men from across the street and pulls Al to the ground.  Tommy gun shells riddle the cat house and mayhem ensues.  Bullets scatter while men and women try to find a safe spot close to the ground.  The shooting ceases and Al & Co. live to see another day.

New York, New York and we are back to see Margaret who I surprisingly no longer hate.  Arnold Rothstein pays Margaret a visit who is currently looking for places to live way out of her price range.  AR can help her out but she has to do something for him.  (No, not that.)  Arnold knows that her boss is driving down the prices of a stock he's invested in.  He wants Margaret to give him the inside scoop on her boss' dealings and in exchange Arnold could fix her up with a better housing situation.  Later they meet at Margaret's and Margaret lets Arnold know that her boss is buying up shares and that he should be doing the same.  She'll tell Arnold when to sell if Arnold gives her an apartment in a safe neighborhood and room for her kids rent-free for five years.  The two agree to the deal and a new partnership begins.

Atlantic City.  Exterior.  Alleyway behind Onyx Club.  Chalky has his men rounded up and they are ready to do some damage.  One of his men gets upset at the sight of Richard Harrow who is merely doing his job throwing away lettuce or some shit.  But Chalky ain't mad at it at all.  He extends his greetings to his Richard and offers him help if he'd ever need it.  (I wouldn't say he's in much position to help out much.)  Chalky takes his men to Narcisse and they shoot up the joint with pistols and kill everyone except their intended target, the doctor.  (That's why you always double check before you turn around.)  Narcisse gets up and fires at Chalky and his guys and ends up getting Chalky in the shoulder.  Chalky goes to hide out with Daughter at the American Legion spot via Richard Harrow who is tending to Chalky's wounds.  Meanwhile Narcisse approaches Nucky demanding he tells him where Chalky is.  Being the good friend that Nucky is, Nucky doesn't tell Narcisse shit.  Motherfucker has other shit to deal with anyway.  Nuck meets with Chalky first and basically tells him that he has his back.  But before he leaves he drops this gem of a quote on Chalky.  (I love Nucky's quotes!)  "Someone once told me, all a man's problems comes from his inability to just sit in a room."  Thank you Nucky.  I won't apply it in real life but I appreciate it.  Later on Narcisse meets Maybelle White and we learn that the family is in ruins and her fiance never showed up.  (Bummer.)

Nucky goes to the Onyx to meet with Joe Masseria who apparently does not know how to say flaws.  (Seriously?)  But there's more; Masseria has a business partner and it happens to be none other than Dr. Narcisse.  The three make a deal to give Nucky a third of the dividends in the heroin business in exchange for Chalky White and the north side.  But Nucky isn't going to sell out his good old friend Chalky just like that.  Nucky calls the mayor, who is already under stress because of the election and all the shootings, and tells him to have some sheriffs escort Chalky out of the city.  However, Willy Thompson, who is working in the mayor's office, has inside knowledge that Dr. Narcisse has Mayor Bader in his back pocket.  Before Nucky can warn Chalky the sheriffs have already picked Chalky and Daughter up.  Chalky senses something is up when they go off route.  He pretends to fall asleep and when one of the sheriffs pulls his gun on him, Chalky commandeers his gun, shoots the sheriff and then strangles the other one.  The final scene of the episode in Eli showing up at Nucky's house where Willy is posted.  Eli realizes that his son is heavily involved in this and the three start talking about how to resolve this problem.

Power Rankings
1. Joe Masseria (Last Week: NA)
Despite his stupid accent Masseria makes this list for the first time this season, or ever.  The heroin deal seems like it's going good for him and Nucky will probably go after Narcisse before going after him.

2. Margaret Thompson (Last Week: NA)
She's getting a place for her family rent-free for the next five years and all she has to do is be an informant for Arnold Rothstein.  Plus she's finally relevant again.

3. Warren Knox (Last Week: NA)
He's in a good spot with the Thompsons where he can get all the info he wants.  He basically has Eli by the balls.  If only he can make J. Edgar love him.

4. Arnold Rothstein (Last Week: NA)
Just when you think he is slipping into irrelevance he bounces back with a big time deal with Margaret that could potentially take him back to the promised land.  (Again, not like that.)

5. Nelson Van Alden (Last Week: #2)
All he did was save Al Capone's life, but in Boardwalk, something like that can keep you alive.  Good shit, Van Alden!  Way to stay active!

Historical Fun Facts

I mentioned a quote by Nucky Thompson earlier and it's the second time we've heard that quote this season.  The first time was said by Arnold Rothstein to Nucky Thompson in the premiere of season four.  Who said it best?  I'll give it to Nucky; Arnold tried too hard to sound cool.  But that's neither here nor there.  The quote comes from a philosopher named Blaise Pascal.  The actual quote is, "All of humanity's problems stem from humanity's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."  I don't know about you, but I can't sit alone in a room quietly for more than 5 minutes.  (I get lonely.)  Pascal was a French Christian philosopher who wrote the book Pensees which translates into "thoughts" and served as a defense of Christianity.

Closing Thoughts

Who could have shot at Al Capone?  The dude has a lot of enemies so it's a little tough.  Common sense dictates that it was Dean O' Banion's men, but that's too easy.  Am I the only one who thinks it was Torrio?  It's good to see AR back on his feet and it feels refreshingly good to not be actively rooting against Margaret anymore.  Still, unless something big happens, this story line is pretty dull.  So much going on against Nucky that I just don't know what's going to happen.  Will Eli commit to betraying his brother?  Will I ever gain respect for Meyer Lansky?  (Give it a few days.)  The relationship between Nucky and Chalky White is one of my favorites of the series.  Out of all the bonds in this show, none have been as strong as the one these two had.  Jimmy betrayed Nucky and so has Eli.  Chalky on the other hand has never wavered.  I hope it works out for these two.

We only have two episodes left in the season so we are in the final stretch!  What do you think is going to happen?  Leave a comment in the section below and be sure to check out my main blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo's Brain.  The link is on the right.  Check out any of my past recaps if you are behind or you just want to relive the moment.  (Though if you were you I'd just re-watch the episode.)  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 9 "Marriage and Hunting"

Wow! So much to talk about this episode.  For those who don't know, I'm El Guapo and I'm your host for the evening.  This is Infinite Wisdom on Boardwalk Empire and every week after the premiere of the latest episode, I sit down with my laptop and some coffee and bring you the best recap on this amazing show.  We have made it all the way to episode 9 and no one has written to me asking to stop, so I'll just keep trucking.  This episode was titled "Marriage and Hunting".

Recap
We'll begin this recap with Nelson Van Alden.  We all knew this was going to involve the conclusion of the Dean O' Banion/Al Capone feud.  So let's check out what Nelson's role was in this crazy mess.  We start with Van Alden doing some pipe work.  And I'm not talking about the type of pipe work I do.  I mean literally he is fixing the pipes to his sink while his foreign wife nags him.  (We all know how wives get.)  She's complaining about the house and how Nelson is getting paid scraps.  Over at work Dean brings up the death of his henchman the night Nelson disappeared with the Capones.  Whatever the opposite of playing it cool was, that's basically how Nelson reacted.  Nevertheless, Dean has him deliver a large wreath for a "Mr. Dob".  Unbeknownst to Nelson, he is delivering to Al Capone and his brother and "Mr. DOB" stands for Dean O' Banion.  Clever, right? (Eh.)  The Capones want a Nelson to give them information so that they can assassinate Dean.  But Nelson takes this opportunity to make a little mula.  You know, get some lettuce in his pocket.  So he offers to kill Dean for a thousand bucks at work.  So Nelson goes to get the heater, and I ain't talking about no furnace.  He gets the clapper, and I don't mean no juicy booty, nahmean?  (He gets his gun.)  Nelson is all ready to off Dean, but a little bit of his past comes back to haunt him.  Remember how "George Mueller" used to work at that iron company?  (Kinda.)  And then he had that big meltdown and burned his coworker Phil's face with an iron?  (Oh yeah!)  Well, this guy makes his grand return at the worst possible time and meets Nelson in the alley with another coworker and Nelson's former boss at the iron company.  Nelson is just trying to kill and gangster but these three guys are fucking his shit up.  They start to beat his ass and Nelson politely asks them to leave him alone.  They don't listen though and they force Nelson to bring out the tool, and I'm not talking about no screwdriver.  With three head shots the three former coworkers are dead.

Nelson goes back home to his nagging wife who is still complaining about god knows what.  (Seriously, after a while it's just blah, blah, blah, am I right? Anyone?)  But then there is a knock at the door...  Al Capone comes in and he's angry.  Dean O' Banion is still alive and Al is getting impatient.  Nelson assures Al that he will get the job done at the store's closing time.  Fast forward to later that night.  Nelson is sweeping at the store.  Dean asks Nelson what happened the night he disappeared with the Capones and his henchman died.  This time though, Dean doesn't want a bullshit answer and he'll blow Nelson's head off if he doesn't give Dean a straight answer.  Nelson reveals that Al was the one who killed Dean's guy.  But that's not all!  (There's more?)  Yes, he also reveals his past, such as his real name, the fact he use to be a prohibition agent, he drowned his partner and that he used to believe in God but now he doesn't believe in anything.  (Damn.)  This somehow gets Dean off his back and Dean heads out to the front to deal with some customers.  Only these are Frankie Yale and some gunmen covering as customers.  As Dean shakes the hand of the Frankie, Frankie holds his grip while the other two men gun Dean down.  A single flower is dropped on Dean's body and Capone's men walk away.  Nelson walks into the room to see Dean's body.  He quickly grabs the cash from the register and gets the fuck out of that flower shop.  He goes home to his wife and wakes her up.  After making it rain on his wife with the money he took from Dean's register, the two have sex.  (All's well that ends well, I guess.)

Let's briefly talk Gillian and then Richard.  Gillian is happy with Roy and is clearly falling in love.  So much that she reveals the story of how at the age of not even 13 she was raped by the commodore.  She stops halfway short and changes a few minor details about her son, Jimmy.  (You know, the part about fucking him.)  But her main goal is still to get Tommy back.  At court Gillian makes the case that she as the grandmother should have custody of Tommy.  Julia is facing an uphill battle, being that she and her father don't make a lot of money and Julia isn't married.  Later while watching Tommy play with with her father, Julia asks Richard what he and her father talk about at night.  Julia learns that her father is dying but he isn't ready to tell her.  She then brings up the fact it will be harder for her to win the case to keep Tommy if she was married in the most awkward marriages proposal in  Boardwalk history.  Even Nucky's proposal to Margaret in season 2 was more romantic than that.  The two go to the offices where they have to wait until almost closing time to get their license.  (You know how inefficient the government is.)  Richard goes to pay Nucky a visit and asks him for a job.  Meanwhile back at Gillian's, Roy is making a phone call with an anonymous person.  When Gillian walks into the room Roy's tone changes along with the topic. (Hmm, suspicious.)  Well that's enough of those folk.

Before we get to the Doctor/Chalky feud let's quickly touch on an encounter between Nucky and Arnold Rothstein.  As it turns out Rothstein is strapped for cash.  (Looks like that gambling has caught up to him.)  He pins it on a broker and needs some cash to exact his revenge on this guy.  Rothstein still has Mickey Doyle's life insurance from season 1 and it's worth half a million dollars.  He wants to know how much money he can get from Nucky to not kill him.  Unfortunately for Arnold, not a lot.  But Nucky will by the insurance policy from Rothstein for 20 cents on the dollar claiming that there are lots of people who would love to have Mickey killed.  Now back to some real shit.  Chalky meets with Nucky to tell him that Dr. Narcisse is out to get him and that he's going to make a move on him.  Nucky doesn't want him to be too hasty though.  Besides, Nucky feels like he's paid back any debt between him and Chalky.  Back at the White household, Chalky's daughter, Maybelle, is ready to get married.  The wedding preparations are being made, the guest list is getting adjusted, and there's a dinner with the two joining families.  But Maybelle knows there's something wrong with her daddy.  Meanwhile Dr. Narcisse meets with Daughter Maitland who is hiding the fact that she saved Chalky's life.  She didn't do that good a job thought because the Doctor finds shards of glass on the rug.  Apparently they made a deal that Daughter could sleep with whoever but her heart belonged to Dr. Narcisse.  (Terrible deal if your the guy.)  Well that's not the case because she obviously has feelings for Chalky.  The Doctor is pissed and he beats the shit out of her.

Before Chalky's dinner with the future in-laws, he gets a phone call about the news on Daughter Maitland.  Chalky leaves his family to go see Maitland and leaves his daughter disappointed.  He sees Maitland and she looks awful.  She looks like she put a face on top of her face and did a bad job at it.  Chalky knows Dr. Narcisse is behind this.  Meanwhile Nucky is sitting front row at the Onyx when Dr. Narcisse waltzes in like it's normal for a black guy to sit with the whites.  (It's not... At this time I mean... It's totally cool nowadays... I'm not a racist.)  Narcisse tells Nucky that Chalky's time is almost up.  Chalky sees Nucky sitting with the Doctor and is infuriated.  He goes over to the table and causes a scene, but Nucky warns Chalky to watch what he says because he'll be alone if he starts this war.  A discouraged and angry Chalky flips over a table and walks out of the club.  Later Chalky is chilling with Daughter Maitland comforting her when there is a knock on the door.  To Chalky's chagrin it's Maybelle and she knows about Chalky's affair with the talented club singer.  Heartbroken she storms off leaving Chalky to his affairs with Maitland.  The final scene of this episode is Nucky Thompson calling Sally (aka Ms. Cleavage) out in Tampa.  Nucky is thinking about visiting Sally soon.  The two exchange in pleasant talk and then hang up.  Sally grabs a shotgun and places it between her two massive hooters and the camera pans out from Nucky's home as the music cuts in.  And scene.

Power Rankings
1. Al Capone (Last Week: NA)
Wasn't that hard of a choice.  He finally got Dean O' Banion killed.  Al won the battle and the war.  Doesn't look like anyone is standing in his way of controlling Chi-Town.

2. Nelson Van Alden (Last Week: NA)
He's finally going by his real name.  Dean is dead.  He has money for his home and his family.  He has asserted his role as man of the house once more.  Life seems good.

3. Nucky Thompson (Last Week: #2)
If anything it's because of the deal with Arnold Rothstein.  Good deal.  However, things could get tricky with Chalky.  Nucky needs to pick a side and pick a side quickly.

4. Richard Harrow & Julia Sagorsky (Last Week: NA)
For the first time ever we have a pair in the power rankings.  Why not?  Let's be happy for the married couple.  This is what we've all wanted for Richard.

5. Dr. Narcisse (Last Week: NA)
This was tough, but he was able to essentially ruin Chalky's life with Maybelle finding out about her father's affair.  It's the little victories that count.

Historical Fun Facts
In today's episode we saw the departure of Dean O' Banion.  The death portrayed on the silver screen was actually pretty accurate according to the producers, of course with the exception of Nelson Van Alden's presence.  Dean died on November 10, 1924 in his flower shop.  Frankie Yale and two gunmen entered the flower shop in the morning and when Frankie went to shake Dean's hand, he held a tight grip while the other two gunmen shot Dean dead.  The gunmen shot Dean twice in the head and twice in the chest and while Dean lay motionless on the floor one of the men shot him in the back of the head.  Being the notorious crime lord he was, the Dean was denied by the Catholic church to be buried in consecrated ground.  However, a priest that Dean knew blessed him with an "Our Father" and three "Hail Mary's".  Dean's funeral was held at the Mount Carmel Cemetery four blocks west of his flower shop, Schofields.

Closing Thoughts
Wow.  All I can say is wow.  What a war between Capone and O' Banion and now it's all over.  Honestly, Dean's death seemed a little anti-climatic but at the same time I can't be mad because it's historically accurate.  That's what I love about the show.  It's able to include a lot of dramatic scene while also staying true to its historical influence.  (Nerd!)  I'm not sure what else is going on in Chicago so my attention is now shifting towards Chalky White in Atlantic City.  His family life looks to be falling apart and Nucky doesn't seem to be much help.  I hope Nucky can recognize this friendship because it's one of those bonds that have stayed true the entire series.  I'm happy for Richard and Julia.  I think I speak for everyone when I say this is what we've wanted for a while now.  Hopefully they can keep Tommy now.  Can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually not rooting against Gillian.  Now about this Mickey life insurance thing.  I hope it's not foreshadowing Mickey's death.  More likely than not this is just ushering in a story line that involves Arnold Rothstein and Margaret's broker company.  Here's an interesting development: Richard asked Nucky for a job.  I know Richard is trying to stay away from the violent life but that can't happen if he works for Nucky.  He'll probably be handling the Chalky situation or even the Warren Knox situation.

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!