Boardwalk Empire: Spaghetti and Coffee Recap

In Episode 2 of Season 3 (September 23, 2012), Nucky’s brother Eli Thompson gets sprung from jail after serving, we guess, a bit over a year in lock up. Eli looks like shit, don’t you think? Much thinner than we remember. Nucky sent Mickey Doyle to pick him up, who says: “How, Big Chief! Which way to Little Big Horn?” Eli is not amused and wants to know why the bleep Mickey is still alive. Mickey rambles about how tough it is to get to see Nucky these days, how Munya got his face blown off and asks Eli to work for him. Eli would rather walk than work for Mickey but Mickey tells him the sad truth: he has no other options. Eli gets back in the vehicle.

In Tabor Heights, Gyp Rosetti is given some coffee by one of his thugs who asks if they’re going back to New York and gets no response. Rosetti ambles off to interrogate a filling station attendant who senses he is dealing with one unbalanced dude. In fact, everybody who has to have a conversation with Gyp senses that, even if it’s just about spaghetti and “balls of meat,” which comes up when Gyp goes to the diner and asks the waitress to describe the spaghetti dish. He also wants some wine but settles for coffee at the suggestion of the Tabor Heights law.

Margaret’s tea with Miss Predock is interrupted by Phillip who says “the Irish fellow, m’am.” Margaret insists Owen Slater be announced by name. Owen is delivering her monetary allowance and they have a more pleasant exchange than last week, discussing Emily. Margaret wants Owen to get Nucky’s ear about the St. Gregory’s award from the diocese that the Bishop is supposed to present to the Thompsons — together. It’s important at least to her. Nucky is busy with his own pursuits, having a good time with a totally nude Biliie Kent. Nucky says she looks like the White Rock Girl (Psyche the logo for White Rock Beverages). After getting a private call, Billie wonders if the White Rock girl ever gets laid. Nucky says it would be like screwing a hummingbird. While Billie has a good time with potential lyrics, she suddenly realizes Nucky is not on the same wavelength, being a Gloomy Gus. He’s obviously pissed about the phone call and doesn’t want to share the razor in the bathroom with whoever else was sleeping over either. And he intends to intervene on her behalf with her landlord, Arnold Rothstein.

At Chalky White’s, future doctor Samuel has come to ask Chalky for his daughter Maybelle’s hand in marriage. Dunn Purnsley is playing the piano. Chalky asks Samuel to give him an examination which he does with whatever is on hand, like a bar glass, while an amused Dunn looks on. Sam discovers a mineral deficiency. He sends Dunn to order up some greens and gives Sam his blessing: “Welcome to the family, son.”

Margaret goes to visit Mrs. Shearer, the lady who miscarried (aka the Ecoli Case) and probes her for information on her life, but the woman pretty much tells Margaret to butt her do-gooder nose in somewhere else. Margaret doesn’t get too far with Dr. Mason either, still thinking he is blaming her for the non-existent prenatal care. After she storms out of his office, she seems to realize who is the person in a higher position, returns and give Dr. Mason a piece of her mind. Her charming brogue comes out in full force and she even informs Dr. Mason to buy better pipe tobacco because whatever he’s stuffing in there now is appalling. You just know it won’t be long till the good doctor is getting another piece of her, but not her mind!

Nucky enters a suite where a voice behind a door tells him to put the money in the bowl. Since it’s 40 grand, Nucky declines to cooperate with “the entire essence of the system.” He meets Gaston Bullock Means, Special Investigator, U.S. Dept. of Justice, who explains the twin concept of simplicity and mystery. Nucky gives him the money but wants to know what is going on with Jess Smith and Harry Daugherty. Means isn’t divulging any info, not even for money. “How would you judge a man you could buy within 5 minutes of meeting him?” Nucky wouldn’t trust him (but who does he trust anyhow?) Means expresses his admiration and says that ordinary men avoid trouble. “Extraordinary men turn it to their advantage.” He throws Nucky’s tribute on a couch lined with stacks and stack of dough. Another voice is heard and Means signals Nucky over to watch Remus come in and put his protection money in the bowl. Means asks Nucky to leave another way and give his regards to Rothstein.

Chalky’s daughter doesn’t want to marry Samuel and Chalky’s not happy. He relates her maternal grandfather’s opposition to his own marriage, telling everyone he was “half Apache and such” and a “no account” because he came up from Texas, but changed his mind when he got in some problems and Chalky helped him out. Maybelle says Chalky is interesting and presses him for details of helping her grandfather. Chalky cuts her off, warning that this is not a discussion. Later when she takes Samuel to Chalky’s speakeasy, a man punches slashes Samuel’s face for simply asking him to stop dancing into his table. Dunn Purnsley beats the living daylights out of the man. Maybelle is so horrified, she almost throws up when her father storms out and orders her and Samuel out: “Am I’m interesting now,” he demands, as Samuel disobeys and goes to the aid of the viciously beaten man.

After a detour to Tabor Heights with Mickey Doyle, Eli receives a resounding welcome from his children and wife June at home. He finds a model plane present he gave his son with a note saying they will build it together. He puts it together, tells his son he’s back to take over the reins. He shows him the plane and says: “Happy birthday, two years ago,” as Will leaves for work.

Nucky asks Rothstein about Means, while the latter plays pool. They discuss who offed Manny. Rothstein reminds them of their own arrangement and it seems Nucky is a day off on his delivery plans. Nucky brings up Billie Kent’s leaky radiators. “She’s a charming and vivacious woman,” Rothstein observes and sinks the 8-ball. Out at the club, Nucky jealously watches Billie talk to “his great satanic majesty, the spider of Wall Street.” Later, Nucky cooks for an impressed Billie. While the Rothstein delivery is being sabotaged by Gyp Rosetti in Tabor Heights, the phone rings but Nucky asks her not to answer it. Nucky says he wants everything to run by itself and he wants to stay with Billie forever, if he could. “You know you can’t,” she laughs. This is not what he wanted to hear. Resignedly, he asks who is calling. “I said I’d never tell,” Billie replies, “and you said you’d never ask.” When the phone rings again, she does not answer it. More’s the pity. It was Owen, and they now have no choice but to order the men back to Atlantic City.

There were no dead bodies left behind in this episode, so those of us who are bloodthirsty will have to wait till next week to see if anyone gets bumped off.

Did you recognize “Lovesick Blues” as it played over the credits even before it got to the title line? Take a look on Second Hand Songs for the song’s entire history.