Boardwalk Empire S2E4 “What Does The Bee Do?”
This season of Boardwalk Empire comes at a weird time in television. It premiered just as Breaking Bad began its breathless race to the finale, emphasizing the differences in the two excellent shows. There’s no doubt that Breaking Bad is more exciting, but Boardwalk lets viewers take in the sights a little, bask in a slow burn, and really go deep with all of these characters. At this, point, it’s not even a slow burn. More like a car in rush hour traffic.
Particularly, as AMC’s dramas have gotten the praise over HBO’s offerings the past few years, Boardwalk hasn’t been praised nearly as much as I expected. Sure, every critic loves it, but I never see people talking about it on Twitter. Small comment sections seem to bolster this opinion. (Comparing the number of comments from the AV Club on the third episodes for both shows this season, BB has 850 comments and BE has 161.) I think this has something to do with where we are as television watchers. A commenter somewhere (sorry, unidentified person) said that BE was like eating his brussel sprouts. I feel the same way sometimes when I watch immediately after BB (as did the first three weeks), but looking at it on paper - Boardwalk Empire is gorgeously shot, has strong characters, and never fails to keep my attention. Breaking Bad may have me breaking out in sweats each week and Boardwalk Empire may have me lounging in sweatpants. But both types of shows are equally necessary.
(I apologize for that line above, but I never can come up with stuff like that when I need it. Just pretend it’s a subtle, slightly off 2 Broke Girls joke.)
Take The Commodore’s sickness. Most shows would’ve had that as the cliffhanger last week and focused on it almost entirely this week - how it impacts Jimmy, how it impacts Nucky, and how much it hurts Gillian. Instead, it’s at the top of the hour, we see him once more in the middle of the hour, and we end with a stroke victim getting the life slapped out of him. It’s such a weird structure to see in television, but it’s more realistic, isn’t it? Gillian would want to keep it secret, and Nucky would have no way to know about it. Instead, almost like everything else on this show, it’s just something else to put on the backburner. Thus, in every scene with Jimmy and Nucky, it’s right under the surface, and even in the other plotlines the specter of The Commodore’s sickness is near. It’s a smart strategy, and as much as I want a straightforward execution in one episode of a great storyline, I think it would undermine the Boardwalk Empire vibe.
For an example of plot, take Gillian Darmody. In S1, she was a background character at best - she had sex with Lucky Luciano, of course, but there wasn’t much there behind her occasional nudity. Strictly due to her age, there was something strange between her and Jimmy, it seemed. She also seemed to come in between Jimmy and his wife, but it seemed more accidental than anything. Now, we know how The Commodore raped her, and how that forced her into an early sexuality. To her, this is normal, as she tells Eli. But privately she obviously knows what he did forced this upon her, and that her relationship with her son is not normal. She kissed him on the lips in this episode. I don’t think we’ll ever see her make a serious move (much like I think Mad Men is too good of a show for Peggy and Don to hook up), but it’s definitely intriguing (and squirm-worthy) to see her next inappropriate step each week. Furthermore, she’s closer to actual power than ever - she’s keeping The Commodore’s plan together right now, and she has some power over both Commodore and Jimmy. That’s where Jimmy’s wife comes in, from last season - it was no mistake. She likes being with men in power, and she took the power of the household out of her hands.
I originally thought The Commodore’s stroke was too deus ex machina-y to slow down the plot that gained some steam after last week’s dinner explosion, but even in that scene, the conflict is between Nucky and Jimmy. The Commodore is just the pawn this season - it’s relatively unimportant if he’s there or not now. He gave Jimmy the push, and now he’s still doing all the business. Given Gillian’s slaps, I don’t expect we’ll see much of The Commodore for the rest of the season, making Jimmy’s place even more central in this conflict. Nucky’s wranglings against his enemies, violent and political alike, has kept me more than interested. Thus, I’m not antsy or bored when we take a lot of time to see Richard Harrow be drawn, which was a beautiful scene. (Wasn’t he grosser in S1?) Getting a deeper look at Chalky’s home life is welcome as well. There just needs to be enough, and I’m not sure there was enough in S1.
Now, the part of why people don’t emphatically love Boardwalk Empire is precisely the same reason they are watching it every week - they are waiting for it to grow into a classic. The show may get marginally better, but I think this is pretty much what we’re getting, folks. It’s still one of the best shows on television, even if it doesn’t make my heart stop every week.
(I should be writing about BE every week from here on out, with my usual theme and character summaries. Just wanted to give a general overview to S2 thus far.)
