Boardwalk Empire: The Rohan Clan

Margaret Catherine Sheila Rohan Schroeder has traveled to Brooklyn after her brother Eamon responded to her letter. Her intentions become clear very soon. She intends to redeem her soul with cash and she also wants to spirit her little sister off to Atlantic City to live with her, if not permanently, at least for the summer.

Eamon (Tony Curran), Nuala (Shannon Garland), Beth (Nadia Alexander), Eilish (Emma Kenney)

Little Eilish practiced all day for Margaret’s visit, and greets her at the door with a Gaelic toast that means “Health to the men and may the women live forever!” Margaret doesn’t know her Gaelic any better than when she met Owen Slater and why the kid wouldn’t save it until dinner is as much a mystery as is why she prefers to be called “Juliet.” Beth and Nuala also come to the door. Nuala appears to be the only one she really knows.

When Margaret’s brother Eamon appears, she thanks him responding to her letter. Margaret presents him with some salt water taffy from Atlantic City as a gift. Eamon puts the gift down at first saying he can get the same, but after a look from Nuala, says he’s sure it’s grand and gives Margaret a hug as awkward as the roast and potatoes dinner that follows. Margaret’s adorable little sister asks Margaret if she took a boat to get there, being under the impression that she came direct from Ireland and calling Margaret “miss.” Beth says Margaret is not a “miss” age and Nuala adds: “She’s our Peg of old.”

Margaret tells them where she lives and that she has two children, 7 year old Theodore and 4 year old Emily. Her sister zeroes in on the American names, but brother Eamon zeroes in on the father. Margaret informs them that her husband Hans died last year. Margaret’s early widowhood makes Nuala want to cry. “You’ve a good heart, Nuala,” Margaret says, not showing a bit of guilt at letting her sister think it was a tough time for her. Eamon wants to know who she left her kids with while she’s on this visit and keeps making little remarks on how prosperous Peg of old seems to be.

Eamon says he has to go to work on the 4th Avenue subway line and shares what the Rohan family does these days: Nuala does sewing, Beth works in a laundry and Eilish goes in school. Margaret remarks that she knows he works hard and can offer help. “We haven’t asked,” Eamon observes drily. Then he decides to speak to Margaret alone before their dessert of trifle.

He informs Margaret that their mother is dead. Margaret already knows this information from keeping in touch with a cousin: “She’s in the Keel parish yard,” Margaret says. Eamon says she’s “Right beside Da. Not at each other’s throats for once. She asked for you at the last. I told her you’d be coming home. What else could I say?” Eamon continues and asks if she will cry “… now that it doesn’t matter?”

Margaret won’t be unfairly indicted. “I did what I had to,” she says. She asks her brother if he would have preferred her being sent to the dreaded Magdalene Sisters to be “broken in the workhouse.” Eamon believes that was the proper fate for a girl in her situation. “What makes it right for others and not you?” Margaret doesn’t think it’s right for anyone: “Would you wish it upon Nuala? Eilish? Or am I the only sinner you’ve ever met?” She reveals that the barrister’s boy was the child’s father and he did not force himself on her contrary to her original claim. (A social climber even when she was back in the ol’ sod). She tells him she miscarried while crossing the Atlantic.

Then Margaret puts some money on the table “to return what I stole.” She stole the money meant for Eamon’s passage to America but he says “It was Ma you took it from, not me.” He wants to know if this is what has brought her to see them, “to return a debt,” but Margaret says she wants to be “among those who know me.”

Eamon quickly hides the money when Eilish comes in to announce she’s being sent off to the butcher but would like to have some trifle first. As they clear off the table, it comes up that Margaret’s has hired a car for the day and Beth says “Her man pays for it,” Eilish begins to give an eerily accurate description of Margaret’s man: “He’s very mysterious and very powerful. He has minions … it means people do his bidding or they pay the price. Don’t they?” Margaret is taken aback but decides to make a game of it: “Yes, with a snap of the finger,” she laughs. “But he has a secret tragedy. His heart was broken and he’ll never let anyone near it again,” Eilish embellishes some more and that’s just too close for comfort. “Where are you getting that from?” Margaret asks. Nuala says Eilish always has her nose in a book and gets it from her stories. Ah! Margaret sees an opportunity and offers to send the child books. That would be subject to Eamon’s approval.

Later, when Margaret is leaving only Nuala hugs her. Beth and Eilish just stand there, then the child runs down the stairs and tells Margaret she was only joking about her man. “He must be very nice, really,” she offers. “Yes, he can be,” Margaret responds. As Eamon comes out and cuts short this sisterly conversation, the child whispers: “Send me books. I like anything with a horse in it.”

The next day Margaret returns with Francis Lynde’s novel “The Girl, a Horse and a Dog.” She gives it to Eilish in the street and tries to establish a connection whereby they can keep in touch. Margaret also wants her to come to Atlantic City over the summer and meet Teddy and Emily. As Eilish ponders how strange it is that she’s an aunt, Eamon interrupts.

By now he has made up his mind that Margaret has used the same asset she tempted the barrister’s boy with to elevate her status in the world, or worse, and he gives her back the money. He informs her that she’s not going to weasel her way back into the family or “rescue” Eilish to ease her mind. “Must you hate me so, Eamon?” Margaret pleads.

“I don’t hate you. I don’t feel much about you at all,” Eamon says, “I can’t accept the money. I don’t know where it’s from.” Margaret sees the handwriting on the wall. So she lets him have it, reminding him how she begged for his help when she’d no one else to turn to and he turned his back on his own flesh and blood. Eamon shows no emotion as she accuses him of being proud of it. “You did what you wanted, Peg. You always have. Nothing you bring and nothing you buy will change that,” Eamon responds.

Margaret insists she can make Eilish’s life better. Eamon’s thinking over his dead body and let’s her know that he’s on to her: “The way you’ve made yours?” he says, “You’ll go now, back to your own place and leave us be. There’s no one here who knows you.” He looks her up and down coldly, turns and walks away.

Margaret gets in the car and weeps softly. It is clearly very important to Margaret to be accepted back into her family. But it’s equally clear that will never happen now. Eamon would never allow Eilish to stay with her without knowing her situation. But never say never. There’s sure to be some future drama with the Rohans.

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Upon Margaret’s return to Atlantic City, she finds Owen alone in the house. He helps her with her luggage and asks her if she finds it “odd” in America. Margaret wonders what he means, and he explains that everything is a bit off: “the air, the water, the people and yourself… and you think, ‘If I vanish now, who’d care or even notice?'” Margaret thinks that is from fear. Ha ha ha. That’s what she thinks. He tells her he will leave if she wants him to and she asks if he is her to command.

An affirmative on that lands him in her bedroom. “Are you the cool one, missus,” he asks and she says she’s not as he sees her at all. We thought he was doing a pretty good job of reading her. She tells him that when they’re done, he will leave and neither of them will speak a word about it “ever.” Owen agrees and they have at it, with Margaret getting so excited, he has to pull away so she can’t give him a hickey. Margaret has quite the time with Owen, and it’s hardly the mechanical sex act we saw between her and Nucky last week.

We don’t think Owen is going to give a rat’s butt, but we wonder how “the cool one” will feel when she finds out that Nucky was shot in the hand while she was indulging. Oh, and in the preview, we noticed Owen standing in the doorway when Nucky (sporting a bandaged hand) pays the Commodore and Jimmy a visit.