Boardwalk Empire: Eli Thompson

Elias “Eli” Thompson is a character in Boardwalk Empire. He is the brother of head honcho, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson.* His bitterness and jealousy of Nucky leads him to betrayal.

*loosely based upon the real Nucky’s brother, Atlantic County Sheriff, Alfred Higbee Johnson (born March 17, 1878).

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Eli is portrayed by actor Shea Whigham, also known for his roles in:
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Numb3rs (2009)
Pride and Glory (2008)

Family:
Wife: June (Nisi Sturgis)
8 Children: Michael (Charlie Plummer)
Patrick (Matthew Broadley)
Brian (Brandon Zumsteg)
Dermot (uncredited)
4 other names unknown so far
Father: Ethan Thompson (1839-1921) (Tom Aldredge 1928-2011)
Mother: Eleonore Thompson
(1848-1903)
Brother: Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi)
Sister: Susan (two mentions: Two Boats and a Lifeguard and Georgia Peaches)

Associations: See Nucky Thompson, Season One, Season Two)

In Season One, Eli is at first Nucky’s right hand man as County Sheriff. Eli figures out Jimmy Darmody is behind the Hammonton hijacking and murders. At Nucky’s behest and with the help of Deputy Halloran, he carries out the murder of Hans Schroeder and they frame Hans for the hijacking and murders. Nucky sends Eli to the hospital with money to give Hans’ widow, Margaret. She is recovering from the miscarriage she suffered after Hans beat her. Eli suggests Hans was involved in bootlegging without her knowledge. He implies that the custody of her children is in jeopardy if she doesn’t go along with that story. When Eli visits Nucky at the jail, he is criticized for dumping Hans’ body in the sea. Nucky felt Eli took stupid risks.

One survivor of the Hammonton hijacking, Simon, turns up. Eli is told to let him die naturally or, if necessary, help him along. Eli’s attempts to suffocate Simon but is interrupted by the arrival of Agents Van Alden and Sebso. Eli refuses to let them question Simon or to yield jurisdiction to them.

While Eli reports back to Nucky, Van Alden tricks Halloran into turning Simon over to him with a false warrant. Before dying, Simon identifies Jimmy Darmody as one of the hijackers. Eli displays his contempt for Jimmy as Nucky sends Jimmy out of town.

When Chalky White’s driver, Kendall, is found lynched, Nucky convinces Chalky that the real cause of death must be disguised because it is an election year. Nucky proposes a shooting by a jealous husband. Eli shoots Kendall’s corpse twice. Nucky tasks Eli and Halloran with finding Kendall’s killers but they are unsuccessful. Nucky impresses Chalky’s importance upon Eli: Chalky delivers the colored vote. Eli and the ward bosses don’t understand. Halloran and Eli bust up a Ku Klux Klan meeting and arrest the leader, Dinler, who calls Eli a grafter, whoremonger and bootlegger. Eli says Dinler must be thinking of Nucky. Eli turns Dinler over to Chalky for interrogation. Chalky gets nothing out of Dinler except his severed finger. He shows it to Eli as proof that Dinler was not involved. Eli does not attend Nucky’s birthday party and uses the incident as his excuse.

During St. Patrick’s Day preparations, Eli tells Nucky their father believes Nucky hates being Irish. Nucky says he loves being Irish. He just hates drunken public spectacles. At the Ritz-Carlton, Eli is offended when Nucky is offered breakfast but he isn’t. Nucky says it’s because he is a big tipper, but Eli still takes it personally. Eli wants to make a speech at the annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner and assures Nucky he can handle it. He’s been studying: “Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business” by Dale Carnegie. Now, Nucky taunts, Eli is Daniel Webster. Margaret Schroeder interrupts their discussion with an offer of freshly baked Irish soda bread as a birthday gift. Nucky brushes her off. Eli notices that she is pretty, but Nucky says: “Life’s complicated enough…”

Nucky jokes about Eli’s upcoming speech to the ward bosses, fueling Eli’s suppressed anger even more. Eli arrives at the dinner late because his children were playing Tarzan with his sash. When Eli begins his speech, he is ridiculed for his ignorance of Irish history. Loud arguments threaten to turn into a brawl. Nucky gets things under control and tells Eli the next time, he should know his audience. Eli says. “Maybe one day I’ll lie as good as you.” Nucky criticizes Eli’s grammar.The dinner is broken up by Van Alden and Sebso. Later, Eli takes a drunken swing at Nucky and misses. He is taken home, where he throws up the alcohol he ingested as his wife June rubs his back.

Ward Boss O’Neill is robbed on the boardwalk and tells Eli he believes the robbers were Italian. Eli notes that the Italians do not respect the rules. He is sent to pick up Lucky Luciano who denies any involvement and claims he’s only staying in Atlantic City because of his affair with Gillian.

Nucky slaps Luciano and Eli prevents him from retaliating with a billy club. Nucky warns him to treat Gillian with respect, and outlines the consequences of stealing.

In Home, we learn that Eli was actually his father’s favorite when Ethan Thompson falls and breaks his hip. When Nucky arrives, the old man grouses that he might have lost his leg if not for Eli. Ethan is taken to the hospital. Eli and Nucky discuss the perils of Nucky enterting into a relationship with Margaret Schroeder. Nucky suggests putting Ethan in Sailor’s Haven, but Eli says he will take care of him at his home. He says his children love their grandfather.

Nucky arranges to renovate the home and give it Damien Flemming but when he comes to make a final inspection, he finds Eli and Ethan there. Ethan verbally attacks Nucky calling him worthless. After they leave, Nucky burns the house down.

While Nucky is in Chicago on business, Eli takes over for him. He complains to Halloran about the lack of political favor seeker. Halloran assumes familiarity with Nucky lies behind it. Eli thinks all he needs is a joke book to be the “toast of the town” like Nucky. O’Neill visits and asks for Friday off so he can be with his daughter, who is being fitted for leg braces. Eli decides to cover for O’Neill.

Eli, Halloran, Neary and Damien Fleming watch a porn film in Nucky’s suite involving the clergy. Eli also decides to oversee Lolly Steinman’s casino personally after he attends the wedding of his wife’s cousin. When Eli walks into the casino, a robbery is already in progress and he is shot by Leo D’Alessio who is wearing a mask. Leo and his brothers, Ignacious and Matteo escape to a waiting getaway car driven by their brother Pius.

Nucky returns to Atlantic City and visits Eli who has no idea who the assailants were. Nucky informs him that he has asked Jimmy Darmody to come back. In Belle Femme, Nucky,  Lolly Steinman, Deputy Halloran and O’Neill meet with still bedridden Eli. The D’Alessio brothers are identified as the culprits. O’Neill identifies Pius as the decoy when he was robbed.   Nucky explains explains the political ramifications of the incident as reported in the press. At the Commodore’s suggestion, Nucky makes Halloran the acting Sheriff. Eli seethes and complains, even though Nucky continues to take care of him. After the election, Nucky has his man, Mayor Bader, reappoint Eli Sheriff. He tells Eli to trust him. Blood is thicker than water. But Eli joins forces with Jimmy Darmody and the Commodore against Nucky.

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In Season 2, the Commodore’s plan to destroy Nucky is set in motion. Eli accompanies Nucky to Chalky White’s house after the KKK ambushes Chalky’s operation. He later meets with the Commodore who assures him and  Jimmy that they can topple Nucky’s reign. In Ourselves Alone, they lay out their plans to the ward bosses, but Damien Flemming reveals what is going on to Nucky, who has just gotten out of jail. Eli calls and taunts Nucky: “All alone, big brother?” Nucky offers Eli a chance to return to the fold, but he refuses, telling Nucky he no longer has any power. The Commodore introduces him to Atlantic City’s power brokers.

Nucky tries to get Jimmy and Eli out of the Commodore’s web but his warnings fall on deaf ears. The Commodore introduces Jimmy and Eli to Atlantic City’s power brokers who bankroll them with $70,000. In a Dangerous Maid, Eli tends to his father, Ethan, who is upset about Nucky’s negative press. Ethan thinks Eli is Nucky. “You need to help him,” he says, “You can handle things. But Eli?”

In “What Does the Bee Do,” after the Commodore suffers a stroke, Eli and Jimmy meet with the power brokers. Jimmy offends one and is hit with his cane. He storms out and Eli chases after him. Jimmy warns Eli to stay out his business. In Gimcrack and Bunkum, after a talk with Jimmy’s mother, Gillian, Eli decides it’s time to take Nucky up on his offer to get him out of the Commodore’s web. Nucky doesn’t like Eli’s motive and hits Eli who retaliates. Margaret chases Eli off with a shotgun.

Eli goes home and gets drunk. Ward Boss O’Neill shows up and threatens to tell Nucky about the Commodore’s stroke. Eli kills him in a fit of rage and enlists Deputy Halloran to help bury the body.

Still angry Eli arrives at a meeting at the Commodores. He now wants Nucky killed and Jimmy’s new partners concur. Outnumbered, Jimmy goes along with the plan to bring in a gunman from Chicago. The plot fails when Nucky is only shot in the hand.

In “Two Boats and a Lifeguard,” Esther Randolph sends an agent over to Eli’s house to serve him with a subpoena. His father, Ethan, gets so upset he has a heart attack and dies. Nucky and Eli run into each other at the funeral parlor. Eli tells Nucky he had nothing to do with the attempt on his life and tells him about the subpoena.  Nucky says he is only there for his mom and Susan. Eli says “They’re all together now.” Nucky doesn’t believe their father went to heaven.

Nucky hands the reins over to Jimmy but makes plans to take over the bootleg business and sets a worker strike in motion. At a victory celebration at Babette’s Eli tells Jimmy that Nucky will outsmart him. Eli advises the use of violence to break up the worker’s strike. Eli believes Deputy Halloran spilled information to Esther Randolph. Halloran is severely beaten in the melee to break up the strike. Eli visits him at home and lets him know the beating was a result of his visit to Randolph. Halloran drops a dime, confessing to the Hans Schroeder murder and detailing Eli’s part in it. Eli is arrested and thrown in jail.

After all charges are dropped against Nucky, he visits Eli. He tells Eli Jimmy ratted him out as the driving force behind the attempt on Nucky’s life. Eli calls Jimmy a liar. Nucky tells Eli he will have to do two years in jail. June and the kids will be well taken care of. Nucky calls Jimmy and lures him to the War Memorial. With Eli, Manny Horvitz and Owen Sleater watching, Nucky shoots Jimmy Darmody to death.