"Boardwalk Empire" (Season 2, Episode 9: "Battle of the Century" HBO)

Boardwalk Empire has become irrefutably complex. All the gears in the Atlantic City vice machine are starting to grind and mesh, trying to distinguish who is loyal to whom, compiled with the vague loyalty issues and backstabbing has left the plot becoming increasingly convoluted. In the last episode "Two Boats and a Lifeguard" so much time was spent on interpersonal relationships: Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) steps down from office as treasurer as his protégé Jimmy Darmondy (Michael Pitt) wages war against him over the booze trade, later to take his office as undisputed boss. Then in a twist, Nucky and Eli’s (Shea Wigham) father dies of a heart attack after Eli is served a subpoena. Other than others dealing with prior problems, nothing new is introduced into the plot. However in "Battle of the Century" so many different variables are thrown into the corrupted cocktail. 

Nucky sails out to Ireland with his new protégée Own Slater (Charlie Cox), claiming to customs that he is to bury his father. In a delightful scene, he is asked why his hand is bandaged, only for Nucky to retort "I put my hand in the wrong cookie Jar." Despite the still bleeding gunshot wound, a part of the early charm that has been escaping Nucky still surfaces. His trip to Ireland doesn't go smoothly; arriving in the IRA compound, he meets leader John McGarrigle with casket in tow, opening it to reveal twelve new Thompson machine guns. "There's three-thousand more in the Atlantic City armory." He professes, asking for whiskey for trade, however, McGarrigle is reluctant to supply on grounds that it’s a selfish cause to the IRA. An irate Nucky leaves awkwardly to demonstrate the gun in an even more strange way: he full-autos an entire drum clip into a grandfather clock outside. It really doesn't make sense as to why he does this after even being scoffed: Nucky still needs to demonstrate the gun. Although, McGarrigles reluctance to help is explained as Britain offers negotiations, his motives for peace become clear as he lost a son to the resistance, but doesn't make sense to his rejection of trade. 

Back in New Jersey, Jimmy meets with bootlegging Waxy Gordon to discuss ending ties with intimidating Jewish Butcher Manny Horvitz (Hiram Moore). This comes as betrayal, still owing money to Manny over his advance, but with all the bad blood between James and Arnold Rothstein, why would he turn to Rothstein's ally? After poor assassination attempt on Manny and an amazingly graphic meat-cleaver to the face, he discovers he has been set up. Manny is now becoming a sort of anti-hero to the plot: not only is his persona increasingly intimidating, he also a legitimate bootlegger with loyalty at the top of his list. The scene plays out so fluidly here, the man banging on his window, asking for chickens in an emergency. Then running away only for another man to turn around and shoot him, grazing his shoulder. Manny pulls the man in through the glass door, and rams a cleaver right through his skull. Gore, so real, and disgusting, it adds his otherwise extreme nature.

Jimmy making more alliances with his rise. "The new prince" Jimmy Doyle (Alex Kerr) roots, shown in a neck-brace after being tossed off the balcony by Jimmy in the previous episode. Making the viewer wonder 'Why are still working with Jimmy?' Too see him along side Jimmy did not make sense. However, he is making ties with Lucky Luciano (Joshua Anderson) and Al Capone (Stephen Grahm) to steal medicinal alcohol from Reemus (John Smith). They're putting up three-hundred thousand dollars for the location of the crates, "And what happens when they're here isn't my business" Reemus claims. Where Jimmy is getting the money is of mystery. The alliance between the Jimmy's people is also strange, they all tried at some point to kill each other, now they work together in an almost brotherly fashion. Unexplainable, then again, this must be how gangsters work, or how bad writing pans out.

Margaret’s (Katy O’Donnell) youngest has been stricken with illness, coughing and staying up late. Unable to get up, the poor girl tries to move her legs only to fail. Margaret calls a doctor, but with the way she is portrayed, it’s hard to believe that she’s even sincere, “I cannot drive, you take them.” She says to the doctor, that familiar blank stare smeared across her face. It’s obvious that her child is stricken with polio, later quarantined but then again, all the elements are there, it comes as no real surprise to the audience. Though the scene of the child receiving a spinal tap come as gruesome, the screams seem very real, then again, Katy’s performance is lack-luster.

Over to Chalky White (Leroy Thompson) is about to call a strike from Nucky’s orders. It seems Chalky never left the shed he was in after a dismal dinner-date with the family. His demeanor seems broken and empty after being paroled for the murder of a Klansmen. Though without even leaving the shed he entered last episode, he convinces his right-hand man to start rallying the troops in a local restaurant to strike, starting with the sloppy food their served for lunch. This is the best part of the episode, because the feeling of racial bigotry is palpable. Being referenced to as “Boy” is enough to grind anybodies teeth. The other kitchen workers are fed up as well, but are intimidated with being fired. It poses the question of how hard it could be for a black man in 1920 to get a job. Six days a week, twelve hours a day, one ten minute break the whole time, it truly seems miserable.

After being threatened to be fired, and then being physically hit by the racist kitchen manager, finally the hoard stands up and attack the man in unison. Throwing pots, pans, and screaming, they tear up the kitchen, the anger is so relatable. This is the beginning of problems for the new treasurer Jimmy, proving Knucky’s brilliance in manipulating a situation to get what he wants, his hand in the till to create the strike on his orders to Chalky.

Back in Ireland, after a painfully awkward dinner between Knucky and McGarrigle, Knucky asks “So I’m going home empty handed?” to no response from the salty McGarrigle. Leaving for the shore, he packs into a car and a mysterious person sitting next to him. As they drive, Knucky looks distraught, but the man looks intense, the camera pointing out the back window, showing distance between the car and castle. Out of nowhere a loud pop, and smoke is seen, someone shot McGarrigle. The man starts speaking “One-thousand machine guns, thirty-thousand crates of whisky, you deal with me now.” To which Knucky nods uneasily. This is too much of a strange, out of nowhere situation. The IRA boss is now dead, was it planned? Has it been in the making? It begs the situation why they would do that, however, with mitigating factors of peace-talk and a near dead whisky consumption during war-time, McGarrigle seemed too much of an old Publican to lead the revolution. The situation still seems unresolved and the killing of McGarrigle is far too subtle.

This is the same problem that has been facing Boardwalk Empire: not to say that they have been declining in quality, but in certain situations, the scope of stories covered is coming as too great to keep up even with the directors. Some nameless people are killed at any given moment, and the problem with loyalty arises. Then again, the question of where the steady flow of money is coming in from, a few episodes, Jimmy had all the alcohol confiscated by the coast-guard, then where is any additional income coming from? What is happening in the personal lives of some of the characters seems irrelevant at certain points, does it matter that Chalky is illiterate? Does it matter that Jimmy is in a failing marriage still (still echoing from episode one)? 

The last scene shows Nucky returning to the docks, with Owen reading him his mail, again awkward, Nucky seems at least like the man who’d read his own mail. A telegraph from his lawyer telling him to prepare for the ‘real fight’ in reference to the Dempsey fight happening that day that never is explained, a note telling him that the youngest has polio arises. Like the past episodes, Knucky seems to be losing it; his face goes distraught, spouting “We need to go.” The episode ends on a shot of the boats, the analogy of the whole bootlegging empire.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe anything that is occurring anymore. Strange new characters continue to enter the show, and then leave. Random people continue to die, and more variables are tossed into the jumble of awkward relationships amongst people. It’s hard to tell whose fighting who, everybody has tried to kill everybody at least once at this point, so who to root for? Perhaps that’s the brilliance of the story, Knucky is indeed the protagonist, then again, it seems like Jimmy is the sort of Robin Hood of the story. It’s compelling to see how the story will unfold, but, god damn it’s like watching a boxing where bets were placed on both fighters: you just want to see who wins at this point.