Recap: Marriage and Hunting – Boardwalk Empire

In “Marriage and Hunting,” Episode 9 of Boardwalk Empire Season 4, the main storylines took place in Atlantic City and Chicago.

CHICAGO:
The episode opens in Cicero, Illinois, with Nelson Van Alden aka George Mueller trying to fix the water in his do-it-yourself Sears Roebuck house. His Norwegian wife, Sigrid, is frustrated with her inability to make their baby Chester some Cream of Wheat. Chester is howling his hungry little head off, and Van Alden says he’s going off to work. Sigrid belittles his florist shop job with O’Banion. Van Alden storms off.

At his flower shop, Dean O’ Banion and Hymie Weiss discuss the Leopold & Loeb case and whether the kidnappers were gay or did it only for the ransom. O’Banion has a rush delivery but first wants to give Van Alden/Mueller the business about the disappearance of Stu, the truck driver murdered by Al Capone. Mueller claims ignorance and O’Banion wonders why he’s getting defensive. “Guilty conscience, Mueller?” he prods. Mueller says O’Banion’s tone can be “quite accusatory sometimes.” Outside we see a man peering in the flower shop window – why, it’s Phil from the Faraday Electric Iron Company. The very same Phil that Mueller burned with a hot iron after being teased beyond his limit (in The Pony).

Delivering the wreath to 210 Racine, Mueller finds himself in the presence of Al and Ralph Capone who want information on O’Banion and they don’t want to hear any BS out of Mueller either. Ralph Capone roughs him up, but Mueller is a man on the edge and issues this warning: “Hit me again, you’ll regret it.” Al Capone can’t believe his ears but takes Mueller up on an offer to blow Dean O’Banion’s head off for $1,000.

Mueller goes to work the next day, armed and dangerous after another run-in with Sigrid, but before he can go even go in the shop, he is attacked by Phil with a blackjack. Phil has Scotty Gulliver, the Faraday manager, and another iron salesman, Ralph, with him. All three are prepared to show Mueller some street justice. Mueller asks them to stop beating him, but they are just having too good of a time. “You’ve got it coming, George,” Gulliver says. Mueller pulls the gun meant for O’Banion out of his waistband and kills all three of them.

At home, Sigrid interrogates Mueller about his injuries. He has had enough of her nagging and is about to give her a piece of his mind when the Capones barge in. Mueller finagles another chance to do O’Banion in after closing. At the florist shop, O’Banion decides to give the Stu issue another go. He demands to know the truth and puts a gun under Mueller’s chin. Mueller tells him the truth — Al Capone killed Stu. And he gives him a lot more info O’Banion wasn’t anticipating, telling him all the murders he committed, including Agent Sebso’s and how he used to be a prohibition agent. “I used to believe in God,” he says, but now I don’t believe in anything at all.” O’Banion is taking that in when he hears customers in the shop, and tells Mueller to finish sweeping up the trimmings. Two men are browsing when Frankie Yale comes in and asks what kinds of flowers he can get his wife to get out of Dutch. O’Banion suggests chrysanthemums, offering a money-back guarantee. He puts out his hand to shake Frankie Yale’s hand, and seems to notice a weapon on the Yale at that point. But the two other gents come up and open fire on O’Banion who falls dead behind the counter. Frankie Yale drops a mum on top of him and leaves. Mueller enters and makes his way cautiously around the corpse.

He takes out the cash box, sheds his apron and stuff a wad of cash in his pockets. At home, he goes all who’s your daddy on Sigrid, throwing $1,000 on the bed, telling her his name is Nelson Van Alden and ordering her to take her nightgown off!

Quotes from Marriage and Hunting

ATLANTIC CITY
Back in Atlantic City, Chalky White is telling Nucky Thompson what went down with Dunn Purnsley and how he knows Dr. Valentin Narcisse was behind it all. Nucky wonders if Dunn could have been a lone wolf, or if Daughter Maitland knew Narcisse was behind the heroin and the attempt on Chalky’s life. Nucky says they need some proof, and if Chalky makes a move against Narcisse, he could lose everything. Nucky chides Chalky for not having his mind on business because of “some piece of tail with a sugary voice.” conveniently forgetting how he let his own life spin out of control a year ago when he was Billie Kent’s sugar daddy.

Chalky brings up his part in saving Nucky’s butt from the Gyp Rosetti war but Nucky says the Onyx Club settled that score. Nucky wants to feel Narcisse out before Chalky takes any action, and Chalky says he’ll give him “a minute.”

In Harlem, Narcisse meets with Cotton Club owner Owney Madden who is admiring a ceremonial spear in the office of Marcus Garvey. Madden tells Narcisse that Arnold Rothstein has been squeezed out of the heroin business by Joe Masseria. Narcisse wants to talk to Joe “the Boss,” but Madden warns him that, unlike Rothstein, Masseria is adverse to doing business with “the darker types.” He agrees to set up a meeting at the Cotton Club all the same.

A chill is in the air at Chalky White’s house, as they prepare for a visit from Maybelle’s future mother-in-law. Chalky brings Lenore some knives he has sharpened for the occasion. Lenore is ungrateful and peevishly asks if there’s anything he’d like her to say about his appearance. Maybelle tries to smooth it over by suggesting that a shelf with lumber fell on Chalky in the shed. “Whatever you say,” Lenore remarks.

Maybelle brings up the guest list. Lenore feels that an odd number is unlucky. Chalky says they can just take Dunn Purnsley off the list. Lenore seems to sense that is who lost in the altercation Chalky was in. Too bad that sixth sense isn’t telling Lenore she needs to appreciate her man more.

Marriage and Hunting Supporting Cast

Nucky has a meeting with his brother Eli to take about the Chalky/Narcisse problem. He wants Eli’s opinion on whether he still owes Chalky for his assistance in last year’s problems, pointing out that getting involved could stir up a bit of a hornet’s nest with Narcisse’s connection to Owney Madden. Eli can’t believe that Madden would go to bat for Narcisse, but still thinks the answer to Chalky should be no. That’s just what Nucky wanted to hear. Eli wants to hear more as he fishes for information with a calculated “Anything else I should know,” but the question hits Nucky the wrong way, and he changes the subject to how Willie is doing at home. One thing Eli knows for sure now – Nucky isn’t going to volunteer any information about the Philadelphia incident.

Dr. Narcisse goes to Atlantic City where he interrogates Daughter Maitland while inspecting her apartment. Daughter claims Dunn Purnsley never showed up and she couldn’t make Chalky White stay. Narcisse reminds her of the vow they once made that she would be free to be with any man she chose but her heart would always be his. That’s when he springs it on her that he knows something went down by the glass shards still in the carpet and beats the hell out of her.

We see the results of the beating after Chalky gets a call at the dinner Mrs. Crawford came all the way from Newtonville (about 35 miles) to attend. Chalky’s daughter, Maybelle, tries to deflect the call, but Chalky takes the receiver from her and learns from Daughter’s piano player what happened. Against his wife and daughter’s wishes, Chalky leaves.

Chalky gently coaxes Daughter into allowing him to see her injuries and asks if the doctor did it. “It was the right hand of the Lord,” Daughter mumbles through swollen lips, her face a mass of bruises. Chalky tells Mr. Coates to keep Daughter comfortable until he returns.

Siddidy’s in the Club

Narcisse strides through the Onyx Club, much to the surprise and dismay of the white patrons, walking right up to the front table where Nucky Thompson is sitting. “May I join you,” he ask, and without waiting for a reply, plops himself down. Nucky is annoyed but does not want to make a scene: “Why don’t you stand up?,” he asks. Narcisse tells him that he doesn’t believe he should have to stand. This “whites only” system does not exist where he comes from and he refuses to be subjected to it. Narcisse says that Chalky’s days are numbered. “Is that a threat?” Nucky wants to know, but Narcisse informs him of Chalky’s waning political power on the Northside. Nucky brings up the heroin Narcisse was pushing when Chalky storms up to the table and demands that Narcisse stand up. Chalky calls him out for beating up Daughter, but Nucky holds Chalky back and warns him not to start a war right there or he will be on his own. Chalky flips the table over and leaves.

Chalky returns to see Daughter where she makes excuses for the doctor and begs Chalky to promise her he won’t kill Narcisse. Chalky apparently has already promised himself he will. “I can’t lose you too,” Daughter says pitifully. There is a knock on the door and Chalky’s daughter Maybelle demands to be let in. “Daddy, I know you’re in there.” Chalky opens the door and tells his daughter that Miss Maitlin was in an accident and he had to see about her. Maybelle can see Daughter is hurt but she clearly feels her father’s priorities are at her dinner. She storms off.

Rothstein Sells Nucky Insurance — On Mickey Doyle

After waxing sentimental about his gambling days as a little tyke to his manservant, Arnold Rothstein pays Nucky a visit to show him an insurance policy he has owned on Mickey Doyle way back from Season 1 when Rothstein was working with Mickey and the D’Alessio brothers. (We assumed Rothstein collected on the other policies a long time ago). Nucky is a bit bemused and tells Rothstein to go ahead and kill Mickey, an imbecile he’ll be glad to get rid of. Rothstein instead offers to sell Nucky the policy, making him the beneficiary, admitting that his funds are low after falling victim to an unscrupulous broker. (Margaret Thompson’s boss, no doubt). Nucky offers him 10 cents on the dollar but Rothstein holds out for 20 cents. Nucky agrees: “It’s probably the best investment I’ll ever make. I know a dozen people who would kill Mickey for free.”

The Custody Battle for Tommy Darmody 

Out on the Atlantic City boardwalk, Gillian Darmody declines an Eskimo Pie in favor of telling Roy Phillips her early history. She had her first kiss under the boardwalk with a boy named James, the day before she became one of King Neptune’s consorts at the Opening of the Sea ceremony. The sheriff (who was Nucky Thompson at that time) took her to meet the most powerful man in the city, the Commodore. Roy thinks she’s spinning a yarn but is appalled at the rest of the tale: 6 weeks shy of her 13th birthday, she was ravaged by the Commodore and gave birth nine months later to a baby boy she named James. “The last pure thing I could remember.” She and her son lived for each other, the child and the child, she says, then relates how James went off to war. We know her version of how he died of a heroin overdose in her bathtub is false. That was Roger McAllister.

A new judge is presiding over Tommy Darmody’s custody case, Judge Varick no doubt having bailed after Gillian put the moves on him. Gillian tells the court how she was orphaned and married young (to whom, we wonder?). Despite all the tough breaks, she feels that love is the only thing she has to give and it’s the only thing that matters. Apparently, the judge doesn’t agree, at least as far as Julia and Paul Sagorsky are concerned. He grills them about their income ($85 and 28 cents a month) and brings up Julia’s status as a single woman. The judge tells the parties the court usually prefers to place the child with blood relatives but he will review the case, including Judge Varick’s notes, and render a final decision within a month. Hopefully, Judge Varick made a note about Gillian’s crotch-grabbing techniques.

Later we see Roy at the Artemis engaged in a secretive phone conversation that sounds like someone is complaining about his long absence from home. Someone who is saying “I love you.” Roy responds “Me, too. It shouldn’t be too much longer,” but when Gillian appears in the doorway, he immediately pretends it is a business call. Roy expresses concerns that Gillian is struggling with the urge to use heroin. Gillian says she has to be strong for Tommy. When Roy points out that the decision may not go the way she wants, she refuses to contemplate that after all she has done for that boy. Apparently, she still sees her little grandson as Jimmy.

Julia wastes no time in proposing marriage to Richard Harrow, at the same time letting him know that she is aware that something is up with her father’s health. Richard refuses to tell her exactly what her father has but he accepts the marriage proposal. They go off and get married the next day. That night, Harrow appears out of the mist at the Albatross Hotel to ask Nucky Thompson for a job.

The episode ends with an overwhelmed Nucky placing a call to Sally Wheet who is about as much comfort as a bucket of ice down the front of your pants.