Boardwalk Empire: Complete Episode Guide
Boardwalk Empire – Ging Gang Goolie
Season Three: Episode Six
Directed by: Ed Bianchi
Written by: Steve Kornacki
The Spin: After last’s week depraved hour, there was somewhat of a return to normalcy in this episode of reunions and introductions that featured the return of one of last season’s strongest female characters, Esther Randolph (Julianne Nicholson), the former Assistant US District Attorney now regulated to night court after taking the fall for the botched federal case against Nucky. It’s in that night court where she “reunites” with Nucky, who’s been brought in on a petty charge of buying a pint of liquor in Washington D.C. after threatening the Attorney General (Christopher McDonald) that he would bring him down with him if anyone came after him again. After some barbed banter, Esther agrees to let Nucky buy her breakfast where he claims he can help her fry the corrupt big fish all the way at the top. Back home in AC, Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) can’t figure out if Teddy is setting fires and telling tall tales about a gypsy threat, a vagrant is doing it, or Gyp Rosetti is stalking them. The suspense and mixed emotions lead to a “reunion” with Slater (Charlie Cox). Meanwhile, in the land of interesting subplots featuring top-notch acting and psychosexual melodrama – Harrow (Jack Huston) meets a potential love interest while missing his sister, and Gillian (Gretchen Mol) finds a Jimmy substitute and acts out her deranged fantasies.
Nicest Relief of the Week: No Gyp.
Wait Until Next Week: Heyehey – Gyp is back.
Commentary by David H. Schleicher
To my readers and Boardwalk strollers: Thoughts, reactions, comments?
The Schleicher Spin 
What was Slater really doing in the greenhouse? He was rustling around somehow, and I doubt he was called by Nuck. That irish sumbitch is up to somethin’.
Things that make you go hmmmmm…
“After last’s week depraved hour, there was somewhat of a return to normalcy”
Well if picking up a guy that looks like your son James, having sex with him, and then nicknaming the guy umm James is normal lol.
Overall I find this season has been bordering on complete disaster territory. Too many characters to juggle that simply disappear for long stretches, plot lines that don’t work or are completely perfunctory (the whole woman’s hospital storyline is blander than Wonder bread), and a tacked on heavy (Gyp) that seems completely unnecessary when you got Luciano, Rothstein, Capone, Lansky, and Siegal hanging around begging for screen time. I could go on and on with my personal reservations, but the truth is that Boardwalk Empire is a second rate The Sopranos knockoff (with specific rehashed bits from that show) that got away from the best elements of season two… Dormondy and Richard. It’s a show running on fumes at this point that basically serves as a warm up to The Walking Dead.
Maurizio – Yes, that’s normal for Gillian – LMAO. I agree it’s been the weakest season of the lot so far and it’s been spotty week over week with some subplots simply going through the motions. However, I would argue that two weeks ago with the episode “Blue Bell Boy”, it approached those heights of being a “minor masterpiece” and I still have faith it can pull off episodes like that. We shall see. “Mad Men” has gone through similar shaky periods only to rebound…