Boardwalk Empire: Golden Days for Boys and Girls

In the Season 5 premiere of Boardwalk Empire (Golden Days for Boys and Girls – 9/7/2014), Nucky Thompson is in Havana, Cuba with Sally Wheet, who now owns a fancy nighclub and looks like she has been living the good life for quite a while. She takes Nucky for a trip around the dance floor while he is preoccupied with a meeting with Senator Wendell Lloyd that was supposed to happen four days ago.

The senator shows up and they discuss the political climate and a possible end of Prohibition. Nucky, of course, wants to benefit from it. The senator expresses concerns about dealing with Nucky and his dirty hands. The every jaunty Nucky confesses that he was indeed convicted of buying a pint of Old Granddad at the train station in Washington, DC once and paid a $5 fine. “It’s haunted me ever since,” he jests. Sally Wheet distracts the senator with a sexy prostitute to keep him company and Lloyd spends the night with her, showing up late and hungover to the next day’s meeting with Nucky.

In the meantime, Nucky has chanced to meet Meyer Lansky, and they mention the death of Arnold Rothstein. Lansky claims to be visiting Havana with his wife.

The senator, Nucky and Sally proceed to a meeting with Don Maxime Ronis, an executive with the Bacardi Rum empire. Nucky wants to set up everything it will take to have Bacardi rum flowing into America the day Prohibition is repealed, but Senator Lloyd is unwilling to make any assurances.

Back at the hotel, the senator continues to gripe while Nucky does business with a local boy. Suddenly a man with a machete attacks Nucky with deadly intentions. Nucky’s Cuban bodyguard kills the attacker and slices off his ear, puts it in a handerchief and slips it in his pocket. Spanish-speaking Sally translates for a Cuban army guy who explains that just being a rich American in Cuba can make you a target for loonies. There are formalities that need to be taken care of. A shaken Nucky wants to know how much it will cost to keep it quiet. Suddenly, the soldier knows English: $200.

Later, Nucky wants Sally to spend the night with him but she declines. “It’s not a night to be alone,” he says. The ever sassy Sally responds that she is not alone. Nucky then spots Meyer Lansky’s “bride” who offers to be his wife for a night, or even a week.

We find Chalky White on a chain gang. There’s a guy named Milton who likes to sing and bust his chops and the guards aren’t exactly fond of Chalky either. One kicks him in his ass when Chalky bends over to tie his boot. Another singles him out as the last one to always get up. When another prisoner attacks a guard and is killed, a revolt breaks out. Chalky seizes the chance to be free. He turns his guard’s rifle back on the guard’s face, killing him, grabs his keys and takes off. Milton catches up to Chalky and pulls a gun on him, wanting the keys. Milton wants to know if Chalky has ever talked on a telephone and when he learns Chalky has, decides to go into business with him instead of killing him. Another crazy and unstable business partner — just what Chalky needs.

How Arnold Rothstein’s death affected Margaret Rohan Thompson’s living quarters was not revealed. He had just installed her in a 5-year rent-free apartment off when we left her in 1924 as part payment for keeping an eye on his investments at Conors & Gould, the brokerage house where she is still working. Rothstein has been dead since November 6, 1928. Her boss Mr. Bennett has called everyone to give them a pep talk about the company’s prospects in the wake of the stock market collapse. He relates how he took his family to the cinema to see “The Front Page”. The feature was preceded by the Mickey Mouse cartoon “The Castaway”. After expounding upon Mickey Mouse’s tenacity, Bennett assures everyone that the market is on solid ground. Suddenly, he pulls out a pistol and shoots himself in the head.

Margaret later meets later with Mr. Conors, a firm owner. He wants to know how she feels and what she did for Mr. Bennett. He asks her if she is married. She says no. He asks if she has relatives and she mentions her brothers and sisters, but not her children. Mr. Connors says it’s time for her to find a husband. Margaret thinks she’s getting her walking papers. Connors asks her if she knows where Bennett kept the key to the filing cabinet in his office. She says no so he tells her to call a locksmith.

Later Margaret opens the file cabinet because she is still the same sneaky wench she always was she knew where the key was the whole time. She takes out the file of “A. Redstone”, the alias Arnold Rothstein used when buying stocks from Mr. Bennett. Mr. Connors shows up and she quickly pops the file back in the cabinet, spins around and announces: “I found the key!”

What would a Boardwalk Empire season premiere be without a dead body? And we get one with the assassination of Joe “the Boss” Masseria, which is arranged by Lucky Luciano and carried out by Tonino Sandretti and Bennie Siegel. The point that Lucky Luciano has already gone for the infamous ride that left him with a droopy eyelid is also made. As Masseria lies in a pool of his own blood, Luciano says in Italian, “The fight is over,” gets his hat and walks out.

Later at a meeting in the Bronx, crime boss Salvatore Maranzano tells a group of mafioso: “Kingdoms rise, kingdoms fall. Pretenders reach for the throne but only Caesar can rule.” He says that everyone in the room will get rich and introduces another young Caesar. Then he presents Lucky Luciano with a knife. Luciano takes it, turns and faces the men and slashes his own palm. The men approach him one by one, each slashing his own palm and mingling his blood with Luciano’s through a handshake.

Throughout the episode, flashbacks to Nucky’s childhood were shown and as a result, we have not yet caught up with Al Capone, Nelson Van Alden, Eli Thompson, Willie Thompson, Gillian Darmody, Mickey Doyle or Valentin Narcisse, who has been shown in the previews.

Supporting Cast of Golden Days – 1931