Boardwalk Empire: Complete Episode Guide
Boardwalk Empire – Bone for Tuna
Season Three: Episode Three
Directed by: Jeremy Podeswa
Written by: Chris Haddock
The Spin: Here I was thinking tonight’s episode was another food-themed affair after last week’s “Spaghetti and Coffee” – but the title is instead a riff on the Italian for “Good luck” – a play on words that Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Canavale) takes as a personal insult after Nucky tries to repair their relationship to avoid bloodshed. This was a finely nuanced affair that gazed deeply into the dominant arcs for our main characters. Nucky is heartbroken and guilt-ridden over killing Jimmy while Margaret appeases her own guilt for being a “gangster’s wife” by conning the hospital’s head-honcho into opening a women’s clinic by getting the Bishop to give his blessing to the idea. Meanwhile, Gyp sees an opportunity in Gillian (Gretchen Mol – receiving one golden moment tonight to paint a look of regret as wide as the Atlantic Ocean on her beautiful face when remarking that one has nothing if they don’t have their own flesh and blood) to find out secrets about Nucky. Out near Cicero, The Muller formally known as Van Alden (Michael Shannon) finds himself in an ironic pickle when he gets bullied by coworkers into going to a speakeasy only to see the place get busted. Lastly, that world-class moron Mickey Doyle (Paul Sparks) tries to be a bad-ass by telling people he killed Manny leading Harrow (Jack Huston) to a revelatory confrontation with Nucky.
Favorite Character Development of the Week: In the season premier, Nucky was doing everything to appear as if his transition to “total gangster” was complete while brushing noses with the new hot-head, Gyp. Now, it’s clear that Nucky is still a guilt-ridden man at heart who can’t come to terms with his most heinous deeds, while Gyp is not just some hot-head – he’s a stone-cold psychopath. Who’s the real gangster now, fellas?
Wait Until Next Week: What kind of “good luck” will Gyp bring to Nucky’s gang?
Commentary by David H. Schleicher
To my readers and Boardwalk strollers: Thoughts, reactions, comments?
The Schleicher Spin 
I think between Richard, Gyp, and Agent Van Müller, the nearly unbearable amount of pipsqueak captaincy from Rothstein and Nuck is kept in check. I’m glad Lansky got to kill someone!
But really, this show would be a corset drama with Harrow.
“He was a soldier. He fought, and lost”.
From the illustrious Hustons AND the Rothschilds.
without Harrow^ my bad
I forgot to mention the Lansky bit! I think Gyp has been a great addition so far and is making a very good character foil for Nucky. Meanwhile – Jack Huston, Gretchen Mol, and Michael K. Williams continue to kill it with their limited but pivotal screen-time – as if they are jointly delivering a master-class in character acting for serialized television.
First season felt like a typical Machiavellian power melodrama, albeit with some great acting, great characters, not unclever writing, and with some of its own idiosyncrasies. The season finale was predictable “then let it all be done” Godfathery. But then season 2 took it up a few notches, and hit a home run in the final few episodes.
Harrow, Jillian and Chalky … jesus, what haunting characters.
“I WANT MY HOPPIN’ JOHNS!”