Boardwalk Empire Season 3, Ep.7 “Sunday Best” Review

Easter Sunday is ideally the time spent reconnecting with family. For the Boardwalk Empire crew, Easter Sunday was a mix of murder, personal responsibility and acceptance, and a glimmer of hope for the future on yesterday’s episode, entitled “Sunday Best.”

Estranged brothers Nicky and Eli Thompson decide to put on their best facades for an Easter Sunday celebration at Eli’s. While the brood of children is preoccupied by an Easter egg hunt, Eli does his best to convince Nucky that he deserves more than being Mickey Doyle’s lackey after doing a 16 month bid. However, Nucky still holds much resentment for Eli’s role in conspiring to kill him last season. These scenes are among the best of the episode and their final tense discussion is superbly shot as they sit on the opposite sides of a wooden table with a single liquor bottle, symbolic of what has caused the grief between them, standing prominently between them.

When Nucky remains reticent in giving forgiveness, Eli pulls out a gun and asks his brother to kill him, fearful that the same fate that befell Jimmy Darmody for his betrayal will eventually happen. Nucky gives a snide comment (“Why do you have to be so melodramatic?”), but the point was made. Nucky does relent later and gives Eli equal partnership in running the booze stash house with Doyle, bringing the brothers into closer camaraderie which will unquestionably prove invaluable when Gyp Rosetti makes his retaliatory strike.

Joe the Boss to Joe the King?

Speaking of Rosetti, is there any wonder why he’s a psychopath after witnessing that boorish group of women he’s subjected to every day? Nonetheless, it was a nice reminder that these gangsters are human beings with families and personal lives away from the murderous business they work in. With Gyp, we see him again rationalize his psychotic behavior, this time robbing a church after an emotional rant that God has been teasing him with glimmers of good will and success. The real reason, of course, is that Rosetti’s tribute payments to Joe “The Boss” Masseria had been light due to the Tabor Heights adventure, and a succession of light payments to Masseria is a sure death sentence.

Even with the money received, we found out what I suspected last week in that Masseria has not been pleased with Rosetti’s Tabor Heights fiasco. In fact, Joe the Boss feels downright disrespected and Rosetti’s barely saves his life by playing to Masseria’s paranoia and ego. He offers to kill Thompson, Rothstein and Luciano on the pretense that not only is he saving Masseria from a conspiracy, but also consolidating his power through NYC and New Jersey.

For now, Rosetti appears to have Masseria’s blessing, but there’s telling clues in the dialogue that it’ll be Masseria that will be Gyp’s end on the show. Masseria says with  finality that “I can’t control you,” as if he knows Rosetti is a wild animal that will eventually have to be put down.

When it comes to the most disturbing Sunday get-together, none are topping Gillian Darmody, who found emotional closure for her son’s death by seducing and murdering Roger, who bore a passing resemblance to the dearly departed Jimmy. But like Rosetti, Gillian’s insanity is calculated – the body, which she makes sure is submerged in water with her son’s dog tags, will give her the corpse needed to declare her son dead and inherit his estate. And nothing is as wrathful as a woman scorned, so expect Gillian and her newfound riches to be put to use against the man she knows is responsible for Jimmy’s death, Nucky Thompson.

As dysfunctional as it was, Richard Harrow had the sanest Easter Sunday dealing with alcoholic and emotionally broken Sagorsky and his daughter Julia. We see some cyclic foreshadowing in Jimmy’s son Tommyplaying with toy soldiers in the room of Sagorsky’s fallen son, who died in the Great War. For the first time, Harrow has a love interest of his own in Julia and we are slowly starting to see parts of his humanity coming back. We haven’t truly seen this from Harrow since he talked about his relationship with his sister to Angela last season, ironically done when his portrait was being painted.

The Juggling Act Ends, But Peg Still Can’t Come Clean with Herself

Margaret Thompson’s internal conflict didn’t dominate this episode, but her self-realization was the most important character change. Having alone time with Eli’s wife June, the weight of the perfect marriage façade she has with Nucky came tumbling down. She confessed that Nucky was having an affair and how unhappy she was in the marriage. And even when Nucky attempt to rekindle the love, spurned by both their after dinner talent shows displays in the Eli family living room, Margaret delivered her best line of the season thus far.

“I can’t juggle,” she said in response to Nucky offer to teach, her words clearly a double entendre on maintaining the lies, deception and façade of happiness. “I’m sorry, it’s too late.”

The question, as it’s always been with Margaret, is can she face her own sins? With June, she was very quick to list Nucky’s faults in the marriage but conveniently left out her own continued marital discretions and deceptions that have led to the loveless marriage she finds herself in (lying and selling the highway land behind Nucky’s back, constant belittling/smart comments etc.). Now that she’s accepted she cannot do the moral “juggling act” that Nucky’s mastered, her character has reached a climax. Does she leave Nucky (and his money, social status) behind in favor of a clean conscience, or does she repeat the same decision she made in season one of staying mainly from fear of financial struggles? It’s worth noting this same scenario played out with another prominent female character of show creator Terence Winter with Carmelo Soprano. In that series, Carmela wasn’t strong enough to completely break away from Tony. We’ll see if the same fate befalls Margaret.

Sadly, we got no glimpses of what Capone, Chalky, or Val Alden was up to on Easter Sunday. Hopefully that’s rectified this weekend. Unfortunately, there’s no preview for our next episode, “The Pony.”