BWW Recap: 'Jesus Was Wrong' in This Week's BOARDWALK EMPIRE

"There's forgiveness for everyone. That's what Jesus said," utters Fern.

"Baby girl," Chalky informs her, "Jesus was wrong."

This episode wasn't the most fast-paced, informative episode. In fact, we really didn't learn much, but there were a lot of great character moments, and set-ups for what is sure to be an incredible next few episodes.

This episode revolved around two things: forgiveness,and the mistreatment of women (mistreatment being neglect, abuse or crimes against women).

We find our beloved Chalky White with his new "partner" Buck (not really by choice) going to rob the house Buck told him about. Chalky and Buck break in, only to find a mother and her teenage daughter at home. Chalky soon learns how unstable his new companion is, and grows visibly more and more uncomfortable with the whole situation. Buck is absolutely insane. He mistreats these women because he believes the woman of the house's husband had mistreated him by not paying him a sufficient amount for moving ice to the cellar several years ago.

It's quite a horrifying scene when he asks Fern, the teenage daughter, to put on her formal dress, thank God this line of revenge was stopped before it went too far. Chalky is constantly two seconds away from intervening, but doesn't do so until the end of the episode.

Fern clearly reminds Chalky of Maybelle. The death of Maybelle clearly ripped Chalky apart, and now, after failing to protect his own daughter, he cannot bare seeing someone else's daughter being hurt, so when Buck seems to have lost all sense of control, and beings to strangle Fern, Chalky finally intervenes, and kills his partner with a blow to the head with a hammer.

Chalky tells Fern during this episode that Jesus was wrong when he said there was forgiveness for everyone. A lot of this episode forced us to really look at Chalky and all that he's been through, and to understand his bitterness and contempt for what has happened. He blames himself, and what he was, for Maybelle's death. Chalky is convinced that he does not deserve forgiveness, because he feels that the wrongs he's done in his life led to the loss of his beloved daughter, and that this fact is impossible for anyone, let alone God, to fogive. He cannot forgive others for what they've done, nor can he forgive himself for allowing it.

Nucky has the opposite view on forgiveness in a sense, as he searches for a way to leave a legacy behind, and a way to shroud all of his illegalities and guilt with something new, something to earn a sense of legitimacy to his life.

Nucky states in this episode to Joe Kennedy that he wants to "leave something behind." That something isn't the gangster work he so readily dismisses when Kennedy asks him about it, but rather something that can be sustained, recognized and celebrated throughout history.

A lot of this feeling of needing forgiveness and regret of what he's done in the past comes from being around Kennedy who may teeter on the gray line of the law (thats for sure!), but never completely crosses over. Nucky sees the kind of man that Joe is, and is jealous that he could have had that sense of legitimacy and legacy to his name, if he only followed the path Kennedy had, instead of "wading through blood to make a buck."

We're given some more Nucky flashbacks his episode (yay....you know how much I "enjoy" these). Young Nucky is ordered to deliver flowers for a hotel patron to his lady friend whom he claims to love, only later to find that he's killed her. All of this going on while Nucky has his first interaction with his first, now deceased, wife. There's a lot of guilt and regret there that plays a part in forming the person that we see Nucky become.

Nucky's flashbacks seem to present us with the idea that because of what he's seen (his mother, his sister, and this woman), Nucky has this complex about saving hurt women and rescuing them from their terrible lives. I find this idea quite grotesque actually and wrong, considering what he did to Gillian, as he practically sold her to the Commodore when she was a little girl. He might be able to lie to himself that he was good to her and Jimmy, but that does not make up for what he's actually done. That event was fatalistic for Gillian, as it was one of the major reasons she's done a lot of the wrong that she has over the past seasons. Nucky likes to "save women," but only women who need saving. When they don't need saving, or no longer are in the position to need it, who can save them from Nucky?

Last but not least, we get to see more of Margaret this episode, and she's in trouble. The irregularities in the Rothstein files are surfacing and closing in around Margaret. Sooner rather than later, she goes to see Caroline Rothstein (who is suing the office for a great deal of money). Caroline, who by the way is all sorts of amazing, immediately knows Margaret's whole facade is a lie, that she's really Mrs. Thompson. She says that she's not surprised A.R. would have another mistress (another?!), which Margaret assures her wasn't the case. She calls Margaret's bluff and insists on being payed a great deal of money in return for Margaret not having her name smeared all over the paper next to "notorious gangster." Again, we have an instance of the mistreatment of women, and this time it's referring to Arnold Rothstein, who left his wife in this difficult spot, as well as had numerous affairs, according to Caroline.

Nucky too can fit this mold as he constantly berated, underestimated and cheated on Margaret. These women are quite alike, as Margaret tries for inform Caroline, but she refuses to see it that way. This scene between the two ladies was incredible, and we really need more scenes like it! Bring on all of the female characters please! Also, I would be 100% okay with Caroline being the one to bring Nucky down.

Speaking of Magaret, we get quite an awesome ending, as Nucky wakes up from a drunken stupor (involving flashback dreams), and finds none other than Margaret sitting in his room (at first he mistakes her for his deceased first wife). The two smile at each other in a way that is quite warm and touching. Not touching in the sense that they can rebuild their relationship, but touching in the sense that these two people know each other quite well, and have been through a lot together, thick or thin, and here they are, in the same room after all this time, comfortable. It's really strange to say, but there's this nice feeling about seeing them together (This time though, as partners).

One more thing to note this episode: Luciano's men also shoot up Narcisse's brothel because he turned down his business offer, and can I just say, ENOUGH with the unnecessary death of women, please BOARDWALK EMPIRE! It's getting disturbing, and you could have definitely sent Narcisse the message in a different way.

Next week's episode looks absolutely crazy! Capone finds out Van Alden was a Fed and we see him stabbing someone vigorously, as blood splatters across onto his face. I, for one, cannot wait! Check out the preview below:

Photo Credit: HBO

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