Nucky Thompson: Boardwalk Emperor

Nucky Thompson (real name: Enoch L. Thompson) is the main character in Boardwalk Empire. Everything revolves around Nucky in one way or another.

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Nucky is portrayed by actor Steve Buscemi, also known for his roles in:
Saint John of Las Vegas (2009)
Charlotte’s Web (2006)
The Sopranos (2002-2006)
Fargo (1996)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Atlantic County Treasurer, Nucky Thompson, runs things out of a suite in the Ritz Carlton Hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk. He’s got more connections than a Lego Factory and he’s also got a lot of people looking to bring him down.

Family:
Father: Ethan Thompson (1839-1921) (Tom Aldredge 1928-2011)
Mother: Eleonore Thompson (1848-1903)
Wife: Mabel, deceased (suicide)
Son: Enoch, Jr., died in infancy
Brother: Eli Thompson (Shea Whigham)
Sister: Susan (mentioned in Season 2, Georgia Peaches)

Associations:
Assistant, Manservant: Eddie Kessler (Anthony Laciura)
Protege: Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt)
Mentor: Commodore Louis Kaestner (Dabney Coleman)
Subordinate: Deputy Halloran (Adam Mucci)
Business: Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams)
Business: Johnny Torrio (Greg Antonacci)
Spy: Agent Erik Sebso (Erik Weiner), killed by Nelson Van Alden
Political: Ed Bader (Kevin O’Rourke), Mayor of Atlantic City (thanks to Nucky)
Political: Harry Daugherty (Christopher McDonald), future Attorney General
Political: Frank Hague (Chris Mulkey), Mayor of Jersey City

Ward Bosses:
Neary (Robert Clohessy)
O’Neill (William Hill)
Boyd (Edward McGinty)
Fleming (Victor Verhaeghe)

Adversaries:
Agent Van Alden (Michael Shannon)
Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg)
Mickey Doyle (Paul Sparks)
D’Alessio Brothers

Known Lovers
Margaret Schroeder
Lucy Danziger
Annabelle

Season One :: Season Two

“As you know, in less than two 2 hours, liquor will be declared illegal by decree by the distinguished gentlemen of our nation’s Congress … those beautiful, ignorant bastards!” ~ Nucky Thompson

1. Pilot: It’s 1920 and Prohibition is about to take effect. So is supplying illegal liquor to everyone who wants it. Whiskey is being smuggled in from Canada, the Feds are setting up shop at the post office to investigate corruption, the Women’s Temperance League is rallying for the cause and everyone in Nucky’s world is on one side or the other, or has a foot in each world. A pregnant Margaret Schroeder seeks Nucky’s help in finding her husband, Hans, a job. He gives her money and her husband later beats her, causing a miscarriage. Other aspects of Nucky’s busy life include girlfriend, Lucy; gangsters, politicians, his protege, Jimmy Darmody, and his brother, Eli, the sheriff. Nucky has Eli, kidnap and murder Hans Schroeder, then brings the widow flowers. Darmody pulls off a robbery in the woods that goes terribly wrong.

2. Ivory Tower: “Prohi” Nelson Van Alden questions Nucky about the shootings in the woods and Hans Schroeder’s murder. Eli delivers money to Margaret at Nucky’s instructions. Nucky fires bootlegger Mickey Doyle in prison, replacing him with Chalky White. Nucky confronts Jimmy Darmody about the robbery and demands a $3000 share, but refuses to pay Arnold Rothstein’s demand of $100,000 to cover his losses. Nucky visits the Commodore. When Jimmy pays him the $3,000, Nucky places a roulette bet for the whole amount and loses, showing Jimmy it wasn’t really about the money.

3. Broadway Limited: Nucky sends Eli to finish off the only survivor of the massacre in the woods. He gets Margaret a job at a fashionable dress shop, Belle Femme, but continues to see Lucy. Upon learning that Jimmy Darmody has been fingered by the witness, he sends Jimmy to Chicago to keep his promise to Gillian that he would take care of her son. Nucky and Eli prevail upon a very angry Chalky to rewrite the manner in which his driver, Kendall, died.

4. Anastasia: Nucky gets a surprise birthday party but the real surprise is when Margaret shows up. He presses Eli to find out who killed Chalky’s driver. Nucky deals with Frank Hague, the mayor of Jersey City, to get funding for roads to Atlantic City. Margaret steals a camisole from her employer to further her designs on Nucky.

5. Nights in Ballygran: Dealing with the City’s pre-St. Patrick Day preparations, Nucky ignores his brother’s jealousy and blows off a gift of Irish soda bread from Margaret. Nucky gives the little people who play leprechauns for the festivities a raise. Margaret with Mrs. McGarry prevails upon Nucky to shut down a liquor delivery spot by her home, but doesn’t do it. Margaret drops a dime on him to Van Alden who arrests Nucky at the dinner. As he’s being taken away, he spots Margaret in the crowd and later goes to her home and makes love to her.

6. Family Limitation: Lucy suspects Nucky will soon replace her. Margaret tells Mrs. McGarry that he has made her an offer to “provide.” McGarry gives her advice on avoiding pregnancy. Eddie moves Margaret and her kids to new digs. Ward Boss O’Neill is robbed on the boardwalk and Frank Hague continues to avail himself of Nucky’s entertainment resources without committing to help.

7. Home: Nucky’s father, Ethan, has an accident at home. Details of Nucky’s unhappy childhood are revealed. Nucky and Margaret double-date with Annabelle and Harry Price. Chalky gets an offer that he thinks Nucky is behind. Nucky fixes his childhood home up, planning to sell it to Ward Boss Fleming cheap, but when he goes to see the finished product with Margaret’s son, Teddy, he is disillusioned to find Eli and Ethan there.

8. Hold Me in Paradise: Nucky makes a deal with Harry Daugherty to help Warren Harding’s campaign and to take his mistress and illegitimate child back to Atlantic City. In return, he wants assurances that Senator Edge will never be Vice-President. He also wants to Jimmy to come back. Eli gets shot in a casino hold-up and Nucky tells Margaret to retrieve his ledger from his office at the Ritz-Carlton. She is to safeguard the ledger and to stay at the hotel with the kids until he gets back.

9. Belle Femme: Jimmy returns and Nucky orders him to take care of the D’Alessio Brothers (who are behind the casino heist), but before he can do it, Jimmy gets arrested for the murders in the woods. Nucky enlists Margaret’s help with the women’s vote. The Commodore advises Nucky to find someone to run for mayor and get a new Sheriff. Margaret gets a new dress and wears it to dinner with Nucky, the Baders and talks Ed Bader into running for mayor. An attempt is made on Nucky’s life after dinner.

10. The Emerald City: Nucky moves Jimmy’s friend Richard Harrow in to protect Margaret and her children, but he scares the kids at first. Mickey Doyle informs Nucky the D’Alessio brothers were behind a lot more than the casino heist. Nucky celebrates women getting the vote with Margaret and prevails upon her to support Bader with a public speech. At Nucky’s behest, Chalky sets up a business deal with the D’Alessio brothers. A chance remark reveals they killed his driver. Nucky and Jimmy are called in to help deal with the two D’Alessios and Meyer Lansky. Chalky and Jimmy dispatch Lucien and Matteo and Nucky sends Lansky back to tell Rothstein what happened.

11. Paris Green: Nucky and Margaret double-date with Harry and Annabelle. Harry reveals he is broke and later steals the stash of money Annabelle stole from him. She goes to Nucky for money. Margaret overhears enough to learn they were once lovers. At home, Nucky and Margaret fight about her dead husband and Lysol. Van Alden’s been harassing Sebso, who turns to Nucky for help. Upon finding out the cause of the Commodore’s near demise comes to light.

12. Return to Normalcy: Nucky works out strategies for the election with his ward bosses and Chalky White. Nucky takes care of hushing up the Commodore scandal. Margaret visit Nucky, after seeing his wife and son’s graves, and he tells her how they died. Johnny Torrio brings Rothstein along to a meeting with Nucky and they work out mutually beneficial deal. Warren Harding is elected President. Margaret and Nucky reunite and celebrate.