Boardwalk Empire: Bone for Tuna Recap

The significance of the title of the 3rd episode of Season 3, Bone for Tuna, was revealed after Owen Slater delivered a message from Nucky Thompson to Gyp Rosetti. The comic misspelling of ‘buon fortuna” as delivered by Owen was funny at first, but the joke went up in flames because of the atrocity it led Gyp to commit.

We follow several different storylines throughout the episode but the main one is the interaction between Nucky and Gyp. The episode begins with Nucky trying to call Billie Kent from his office. The operator tells him the only thing there is to worry about is when you run out of a company. He then sees a young boy. “Hungry, slugger?” he asks, and presto! He has a sizzling pan of bacon for young Jimmy Darmody, no doubt, because the next thing you know, the kid is shot right in the face. Eddie Kessler wakes Nucky up to his real life nightmare: his wife importuning him to make an appearance before he has to really see the Bishop to pick up the St. Gregory award she maneuvered him into getting. Margaret then strong arms the priest into a meeting with the Bishop all by herself.

Nucky meets with Gyp at Tabor Heights diner, trying to reason with Mr. Irrational, who Nucky says can find an insult in a bouquet of roses. He makes a deal with Gyp to supply him with a month’s worth of liquor and a complimentary night in Atlantic City. After that, Gyp’s on his own. Gyp accepts even though he cannot understand the concept of not taking things personally.

In Atlantic City, Gyp interrupts Nucky having a flashback to another celebration as “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” plays in the background. At dinner, Gyp proposes a toast “a nostro buon fortuna,” translating for Nucky and adding they both deserve good luck. He tells Babette he wouldn’t mind a slice of her when she comes to get their orders, but she says she’s “much too tough.” He’d crack a tooth. Gyp’s eyes follow her as if he might take offense but Nucky puts his foot in it again by refusing an invitation to visit Gillian Darmody. Seems Gyp finds her red hair irresistible. Nucky says he will visit Gyp in his neck of the woods sometime, which is not to say he lives among the trees. Gyp takes this to mean he’s like a monkey and starts making monkey noises. Nucky shrugs it off with an uncomfortable laugh.

Gillian complained earlier to Lucky Luciano about the condition of their hoah-house, while pretending Jimmy is still alive, but Lucky seems to know that is a fairy tale. When Gyp is dropped off at the brothel, the awkward glance between Gilllian and Nucky does not go unnoticed. Gyp listens to a recitation of Dream-Love by Christina Rosetti, which he doesn’t understand a word of. (Only the last two verses were read):

(Christina Rossetti’s poetry also made an appearance in Boardwalk Empire Season 2 in “What Did the Bee Do?” the title of one of her children’s poem.)

He privately pumps Gillian for information about Nucky. All she will spill is a rumor that Nucky’s own brother tried to have him killed. Gyp muses that if you lose your flesh and blood, what have you got left. That seemed to hit a sore spot sure enough. “Nothing,” is Gillian’s answer.

Gyp meets Eli when he goes to pick up his shipment. Eli is less than cordial and Owen mangles the buon fortuna message. This sends Gyp into a tizzy even though his driver explains that they are Irish. Gyp returns to Tabor Heights. The sheriff tells him he shouldn’t be smoking so near the gas pumps and wishes him good luck. Gyp says he’s going to stick around, sprays gasoline all over the sheriff and sets him on fire!

Nelson Van Alden aka George Mueller
Van Alden is initiated into the Brotherhood of Bullshit and Blarney with a co-worker prank that gets ink all over him. His wife, Sigrid, says she will get the ink out and coaxes a smile (more like a grimace) out of her man, then she proceeds to further ease his troubled mind with her womanly charms. Van Alden should be praising the Lord for being so lucky, but what can you say… it’s Van Alden. His co-workers invite him to a speakeasy and wouldn’t you know, it gets raided. There’s a moment when Van Alden thinks he will be recognized as a former Prohi, but the man just shakes him down and lets him go.

Richard Harrow Scares the Pants on Mickey Doyle
Well, Mickey Doyle practically had his pants off when he and his floozy discover that Richard Harrow is in the room. Harrow got wind of Mickey’s claim to have killed Manny Horvitz. At gunpoint, he presents the terrified Doyle to Nucky, forcing him to admit that he is not the one who killed Horvitz. After letting Doyle go, Harrow admits he did it as revenge for Angela. Nucky is amazed because he thought he did it for Jimmy and he’s next. He wants to know if he and his family will be safe, and Harrow assures them they will be. Harrow tells Nucky he’s killed 63 people and Nucky asks if any of them bother him. Harrow replies Nucky should know the answer to that.

Bugsy Almost Gets Killed
Bugsy Siegel is sent off to take care of a drug deal by Luciano and Lansky. He doesn’t get very far when some Masseria hoods try to take him out. But Lansky manages to save him and he runs after their speeding car, screaming revenge.

Margaret’s Manipulations and Nucky’s Godfather III Moments:
As Enoch Malachi Thompson is honored by Pope Piux XI and inducted into the Order of St. Gregory, he has a few bad moments where he keeps seeing young Jimmy Darmody with a bullet hole in his head.

Margaret launches into some pretty crazy maneuvers, making the Bishop think that a pre-natal clinic is all Dr. Laudau’s idea, while the flabbergasted doctor can’t manage to get a word in. She and Dr. Mason later share a chuckle over her triumph.

Billie Kent Finally Shows Up
Throughout the episode, Nucky kept trying to call Billie Kent unsuccessfully. Finally he goes to her apartment and lets himself in. She’s not home and he falls fitfully asleep. He wakes up to the sound and smell of sizzling bacon and Billie is in the kitchen cooking. After learning she just got home, he says he thought he had a nightmare that he was alone. She replies, “Well, you’re not any more,” and rather than remonstrating her for her 2-day unavailability, he tenderly lays his head on her shoulder. At which point, we wanted to pick up the frying pan and hit him in the head with it. But the episode was then over.