What I'm Watching: Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire: Season 1, Episode 6 “Family Limitation” (B+)

The way this show executes its scenes is often just as flawless and well-blocked as the executions on this show. It's easy to get drawn in and captivated when watching these immensely intriguing characters, and their stories are incredibly fascinating. The intricacies of the relationships are also explored in full form in this episode, as Nucky yells at his butler to knock like a man and Jimmy and Al try to one-up each other with mocking stories about their experiences during the war. Jimmy's visit to Al's home for a family dinner was very informative, and watching Jimmy snap his fingers in front of his son's face was a particularly dramatic moment. Those two do make for a volatile team, yet there isn't much debating their effectiveness in carrying out their display of power, which of course ends with a whole bunch of dead bodies. Margaret's experiences in this episode go the full spectrum of glorious to miserable, as she finds herself surprisingly and positively encouraged when she goes for advice about what to do about Nucky and then completely disappointed and abandoned when Nucky tossed her aside to grease a political ally. That final shot of the phone sitting motionless behind a sad-looking Margaret was especially powerful. Seeing Van Alden's surprise field office review made it clear just how much of an untethered lone wolf he is, and watching him get into character with the aid of a belt was fairly disturbing. It may not be pleasant, but it's still damn good television.