What I’m Watching: Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire: Season 5, Episode 5 “King of Norway” (B+)

I could have sworn that the young deputy looked and sounded a whole lot like Nucky Thompson, and then there you had it, it was him! Marc Pickering really is a find and quite the dead ringer for Steve Buscemi, a perfect middle between the curious boy we’ve seen over the past few episodes and the seasoned businessman we see in the present. I wasn’t sure about this device originally, but now I think that filling in the gaps of Nucky’s past while chronicling his future is a terrific idea. The past is certainly coming back to haunt some of our favorite characters who are in very different places than when we first met them. As if Sigrid’s behavior at the dinner table and her revelation about her affair with Eli weren’t brutal enough, it turns out that the FBI is onto Van Alden, well aware of his identity and ready to put him and Eli in jail – or worse – if they don’t help take Capone down on tax fraud charges, something that historically did end up taking down the overconfident mobster, who’s having a bit of bathroom trouble these days. Gillian’s misadventures in psychiatric prison do seem to be more interesting than I initially thought, though it’s still unclear whether she’ll actually get out and be released back into the world before the show concludes its run. Chalky coming to see Nucky was a smart idea, and Nucky is going to be counting his friends now that his old pal Torio has betrayed him and his dearly departed Sally is gone with no one left to be held to account.