TV Review: Boardwalk Empire 3.2, "Spaghetti and Coffee"
rating: 3
Last week's season premiere of Boardwalk Empire started with a bang, so it's not surprising that the following episode should feel somewhat like a slow unwind. As Eli and Chalky re-emerge, both find themselves confronted with issues of domestic upheaval and in Eli's case, professional as well. I don't know if Shea Whigam's weight loss was intended to match up to his stint in prison, but intentional or no, the change in Eli is clearly more than just skin deep. He's gone from asking his brother if one of the characters in Julius Ceasar was also called Eli to actually reading it. Misreading his character it might be easy to think prison has broken Nucky's younger brother, but if anything it has had the opposite effect, making him harder, leaner and a deal more cautious. It'll be interesting to see where the writers take his character over the course of the season. When Chalky White's daughter introduced her friend Samuel last season, few of us would have expected him to be practically forcing this young man on his daughter now. The confrontation at the end of the episode that sees Samuel's cheek get sliced open speaks volumes about his character. Rather than flee, panic or break down, the young doctor calmly steps forward to assist the very man who just scarred him for life. Chalky's chastisement of his daughter after this can't help but make us feel smug as she sees just how interesting her father is and will hopefully go some way towards making her recognise the virtues of the quiet, respectful man she seems to think is so dull. Margaret continues to march her way right to the top of the TV Wives We Hate list in her infuriatingly lacklustre plot. She's become little more than gold-digging trophy wife intent on buying her way into heaven, much like Carmella Soprano was. This is a foolish delusion that she should have overcome by now. Giving away Nucky's land at the end of season two to the church was her way of repenting for the life of luxury she lives through bloody money, but at this point she's outright just wasting Nucky's time, money and energy. No wonder he's taking his pleasures elsewhere. The conversation between Rothstein (the ever scene-stealing Michael Stuhlbarg) remains one of the best scenes of the episode. Their dialogue is like a fencing match between two professionals. Few characters on this show ever really convey a level of mutual respect, but between Nucky and Rothstein, it always feels as though we're witnessing the discussion of two greats acting as equals. Nucky's slipping in the arrangement of his shipping is evidence of his personal life disrupting his business. He's also visibly possessive and jealous of Billie's affections when its not directed at him. If he doesn't watch it, his enemies are going to get wise to this in no time. Gyp Rossetti, first introduced last week, continues to behave in a caricature fashion. I'm not convinced the writers want us to like him, but they're working a little too hard to make him an obviously despicable character. Beating a man who helped with a broken down car with no provocation whatsoever shows just how much of a loose cannon he is, and while Bobby Cannavale is giving a solid performance, it doesn't stop me from outright wanting someone to blow his character's brains out. His taking over of Tabor Heights is inevitably going to lead to an all out war between himself and Nucky, but I can't yet see where his character can go beyond the scope of one season. Let's hope the writers give us something more in the coming weeks.