Boardwalk Empire: 6 Awesome Moments From 'Farewell Daddy Blues'

2. Maybelle's Death

Boardwalk Empire Maybelle One of the most shocking moments of the entire series came in 'Farewell Daddy Blues' as Chalky's daughter, Maybelle, was accidentally murdered by Harrow. From the blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where she appears in the scope to the utter silence as everyone slowly realizes what happened, it all delivered great tension to the climax. It was a moment I didn't fully see coming and bucked any thought of a cliche €“ I thought Narcisse would retaliate against Chalky by going after his family, but I suspected their deaths may have already occurred and would've come at the good Doctor's hands. Harrow firing the shot was a tragic mistake made all the worse by the former soldier's character arc €“ he'd worked so hard to become a new man and smothering the murderous instincts within him, but he ended up plunging down deeper than he ever had before. Maybelle's death undoubtedly comes as a huge price for Chalky. He spent much of this season neglecting his family as his infatuation with Daughter grew, and his surprise at seeing Maybelle in the hands of Narcisse's man also came as a 'Well duh' moment; did he really think Narcisse would not make an attempt on his family in order to draw him out or use them as bargaining chips? In my opinion, her blood is just as much on Chalky's hands for his negligence as it is on Narcisse's and Harrow's. Michael K. Williams acting was outstanding, the primary factor being his facial expressions selling the torment far more than his high pitched screams. Yet even so, watching the seemingly ubiquitous badass facade slip and the traumatised father revealed was a dramatic gutpunch we possibly didn't expect, even this late in the game. As shocking and heartbreaking as it was, Maybelle's death was one of the best moments from the episode.
Contributor
Contributor

Richard Church has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in Television Writing and Producing. He is an aspiring writer for short stories, novels and screenplays. He is also an avid fan of comic books and graphic novels.