What I’m Watching: Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire: Season 3, Episode 4 “Blue Bell Boy” (A-)

It’s absolutely fascinating to see those at the top forced to do their own dirty work. Nucky getting stuck in a cellar for twenty-four hours with Owen and Roland was one of the best things to happen on this show in a while, and I loved the dynamic that developed, which usually involved Roland bragging about something only to be corrected by an amused Nucky or Owen. That state of casual calm during their confinement made Nucky’s decision to kill Roland, which startled and unsettled Owen, all the more shocking. If there’s one person who deserves to be killed immediately, it’s Mickey, whose inability to follow Nucky’s instructions just got everyone killed. Rothstein was especially unhappy to have to be talking to him, which made for an amusing if still intimidating conversation. Eli proved his worth by coming early and trying to warn the caravan about the ambush, which resulted in a devastating scene where he heard the gunfire but couldn’t do anything about it since his car had run out of gas. At the very least, this foresight should help elevate Eli’s status with his brother. This was a great episode for Al, who realized that being tough with his son wasn’t the way to go and went to bat to defend his miserable associate after finding out that someone beat him up. Margaret’s pet project seems to be taking off, even if it is being stunted due to a nun’s objection to the use of words such as “vagina” and “pregnant.”