Boardwalk Empire S2E5 “Gimcrack & Bunkum”
Yes, I copied and pasted that title.
The most common complaint about Boardwalk Empire is that there’s not enough action. Some people combine that with another complaint, that the show is slow, but those are really two different things. Tonight’s episode, while high on violence and action, did no more than usual to advance the plot. To avoid spoilers, let’s jump earlier than usual.
The two deaths tonight will be remembered and satiate those who say the series is “boring,” but they were actually inconsequential characters whose deaths simply send messages. It’s not like Eli died and the entire scope of the series must change as a result. George has been around for a while, but it’s tough to name anything he actually did other than worry. Meanwhile, Parkhurst got his first major screen time tonight, and I doubt he’ll be joining us any other times. (I wanted the last shot to be Richard using some more knife-work, staring down at the camera, saying, “I think this just might be my masterpiece.”)
That’s why I welcomed “Gimcrack & Bunkum.” It was exciting and tense, yet it didn’t change the Boardwalk mood I talked about earlier this week. Everything was completely character-based and set up things later in the series. No cheap thrills, except for the nudity in the last 5 minutes.
The centerpiece of the episode was undoubtedly Nucky and Eli’s fight, which easily could’ve ended in a death. Although I didn’t fear for either one’s death, I liked that the series went there, as both were reaching for Eli’s revolver. Eli’s always been a child, and he still is being treated like one by everybody. When a meeting with the “men who built this city” goes wrong (including getting Jimmy rapped on the head) and Jimmy abandons him, citing his weakness, Eli has no one else to turn to. Nucky seems to relent, and then demands Eli kiss his shoes, proving Nucky hasn’t learned a damn thing from seeing his brother turn on him. Eli at least feels a little bad - this simply seems to be from being on the wrong team, but at least it’s something. They erupt, and it turns from a shoving match into a tumble, and things get serious when Eli begins to choke Nucky to death. Neither man knows when he’ll stop, and this moment lasts a bit too long for comfort. Margaret steps in with an unloaded gun, but it’s clear to her Nucky doesn’t know how to deal with his brother.
Eli, simply trying to get in some quality time with his son, is interrupted by George, who stammers that he’s heard rumors that The Commodore is ill. George tries to stand up for himself, but Eli unleashes all of his frustrations onto him, showing he still has some power in this city. After unleashing an accidental blow and severely injuring him, Eli makes an important choice and lets go completely, smashing George’s face into pieces. Eli should still be childish after this, but I doubt he’ll be as timid. A lot of his stress should be gone, at least. They should have had stress balls back then.
Eli is clearly still as childish as ever, as he results to violence to solve both of his problems, whereas Nucky is all about deal-making and avoiding violence as much as possible. Not that Nucky’s methods are too much better, after all, but Eli is simply not smart enough to run an organization. In other words, their father is right. And Eli has learned little to nothing due to the ordeal, it seems.
Jimmy, pissed from being attacked by the man who fed him crap during the war, needs some pushing from his mother. She asserts her power again in this episode when she knowingly nods that she knows all of the powerful men in Atlantic City, and acts as his motivator in The Commodore’s absence. It’s telling that Jimmy lies as always to Angela about his wound and lets her answer the door when danger could be knocking (very Walter White of him). Angela, much like Margaret, is unsure about how much danger her husband is in. Margaret, at least, has an unloaded gun.
Richard Harrow had the most best storyline tonight, as he took a detour into the woods, expecting to kill himself. In a beautiful little sequence, he takes off his mask, eats his food, and puts on his war medals. Only a dog takes his mask before he pulls the trigger, and Richard weirdly goes chasing after him. It’s obviously a sign he’s not ready to die, as no one ready for death would let that stop them. Furthermore, the two men he meets at the camp further assert the humanity that Richard so obviously needs. They aren’t mean or remiss; they are aware of his mental problems without being probing. They’re seeming guardian angels to Richard, and I’m wondering if we’ll be seeing them later into the series. I’d be happy either way - as a standalone, the sequence works beautifully. If they come back, it’ll be interesting to see what role they take in Jimmy’s operation.
Richard’s mental state has been really well done from the get, and his picture book remains creepy as ever. With some exceptions (“How does it feel to have everything?”), his character has been the most understated and perhaps best of the series, so I’m glad to not see him go tonight. Yet, when Jimmy says at the end of the episode that he’d fight until the “last bullet” for Richard, I’m not sure we can believe him. The two soldiers either have a real bonding moment (as evidenced by Jimmy holding Richard’s head after the talk), or Jimmy ropes him into a few more missions before he gets killed. Boardwalk hasn’t gone quite as far as Breaking Bad has on how low will men go to keep their power, but it’s a question that will gain importance as Nucky and Jimmy continue to wrestle for control.
And control is what Jimmy desperately seeks as he scalps Parkhurst. He’s losing his grip on the situation and now has no one else but his mother and Richard. As his mother pointed out, $70,000 is nothing to these men - they are grappling for power just as much as he is. He will now have to control the old men by fear until the money starts to roll in. I doubt Jimmy’ scheme will ever truly work, although he clearly does know the rules of the game, as Nucky challenged him. This episode was set entirely in Atlantic City, and I’m looking forward to see how New York and Chicago fit into the changing dynamics.
Meanwhile, Nucky seems to be rid of his political problems, although there are no promises. Also, the servant and the Irish guy are banging, and I don’t really care about that. This episode was so dominated by the violence, and near-misses, it didn’t leave time for many smaller plotlines like that.
In addition to the violence, though, there were verbal battles. Nucky and Eli had a good back-and-forth, and Jimmy got destroyed by the old men. But the most important one, as is fitting for this season, was in the first scene, as Jimmy proved up to Nucky’s surprising call. They’re more similar than they know, as both Nucky and Jimmy should have taken Eli. He’s an ally, and both pushed him away due to their own weaknesses. Eli, in his drunkenness, has killed another ally. Nucky and Jimmy are now struggling in public, and as the fight becomes more public and more bloody, Boardwalk Empire promises to be as exciting and slow-paced as ever.
(The title refers to two words that essentially both refer to nonsense. I’m not a good enough critic to figure out how it fits into tonight’s no-nonsense episode.)
