BWW Recap: 'Life's a Shipwreck' on BOARDWALK EMPIRE

BOARDWALK EMPIRE came in strong this week with assassination attempts, affairs, pregnancies and cockroaches galore! The fifth episode of BOARDWALK's final season entitled "King of Norway" was one of the best of this season as we had some real movement and development.

One of the biggest issues I had with the last four episodes was that as we neared the halfway mark of the last season, there was still no clear direction or driving force for the season. We had through line connecting all the dots and pointing us to what to expect coming forward and now, we're finally laying the groundwork for the real major plot points of the season. More than halfway there, it seems like these last four episodes were one big premiere episode, laying the groundwork for the actual season.

There's a lot of talk about starting over this episode, first when we're greeted by a smartly dressed Chalky White in what was previously The Onyx Club, Nucky tells him that in the face of all that's happened to him, he should just start over. We hear this notion repeated when Eli tells June that her pregnancy is a "blessing," a "chance to start over." Additionally, Nucky's main objective this season has been to start over, in a sense, as he wants to wipe his hands clean of his past wrongdoings and move forward into a quieter, cleaner and more legitimate way of living. As we see, this notion of starting over is impossible for these men and what they've done in the past cannot be swept under the rug in hopes of a brighter, new future.

Chalky has been through hell and back over the past few seasons. We've seen several attempts on his life, we've seen his daughter be shot and killed right in front of his eyes, we've seen him have an affair and proceeds to wreck the one thing that was always important to him: his family. Now this season, back in Atlantic City from escaping a chain gang by killing, and killing once again when he finds himself in cahoots with a rogue partner, Chalky is past the point of no return. He even says so himself when Nucky tries to give him information as to where to find his wife and family. As he points out, he can't just turn up on their doorstep and expect to be welcomed inside after what's went on. He can't simply move on from what's happened to him, and all that we see motivating him this episode is this need for revenge against Narcisse.

We see all of this manifest itself when Chalky heads over to Narcisse's brothel in an attempt to kill him. He walks through the door of what he presumes to be Narcisse's room, weapon in hand, and what does he find? Not Narcisse, but a little girl calling for her mama. Her mama turns out to be Daughter Maitland, who stares at Chalky with shock and sorrow in her eyes. Thus, this revenge plan Chalky has wont be as simple as killing Narcisse. His past and what he's done has it's ramifications and now Chalky not only faces a purely 'evil' villain, but a woman he basically risked his life for and possibly their child (I do believe this little girl could be Chalky's!) as well. Life's not simple, it's endless complication and in a world of endless webs and tangles, starting over completely is impossible.

In this episode as well, we also see Eli get a visit from his wife June, who it turns out, is quite pregnant with Eli's child as a result of her last visit. They are one fertile bunch! Eli tells June this baby is a chance for them to start over and that she should move down to Chicago, begging her that he needs her desperately. We know at this point, Eli is a drunken mess, but this scene gives us a sense of hope that maybe things will finally turn around for him, as June and his children have always been a saving grace in his life.

Eli and June visit the Muller's for dinner, and what ensues from there is more than just your typical awkward meal. During the whole meal, Sigrid is cold and angry but not just to Nelson (or George if we're going with Mueller), to her children as well. This came as a shock to me as her love for children was her first defining characteristic that we were introduced to. I understand her resentment for her husband, as he's always been distant, boring as can be, and has an awful track record as a husband/lover, but for her to also share some resentment for her children is quite strange. It's just a jarring switch for not having ever seen the in-between, developmental stages that made her this way. Her daughter, or rather her 'step-daughter' even whispers to June that her real mother is "a ballerina who died", referring to Lucy Danzinger of course. I do have to wonder where she heard this from and wish we were allowed more time with this couple and this family to explore what's making them all despise each other so.

We soon learn however, that Sigrid did more than just smoke and simmer with anger in that household, but she also had sexual relations with Eli there when Nelson was not home. June looks at Eli in horror and hits him, Nelson internalizing his anger and emotions as usual. Lo and behold, that is not all that happens to these two couples, as double agent Mike D'Angelo walks in and tells "Nelson" and "Sheriff Thompson" that they need to talk. The two get carted off to the FBI and are given an ultimatum, cooperate or the gas chamber. He sets them a mission to get Capone's ledgers to help them pin him on tax evasion and the two are reluctantly forced to take the assignment.

Once again, it's proven that it's impossible to escape the past and it will always catch up to you. You can't evade it forever and starting over is truly an impossibility. Eli can't just start over with June after what he's done, cheating and killing. (Which by the way, I am very saddened to see Eli cheat on June, considering his relationship with her and his family was always his one likable quality!). He's done what is unforgivable, and he can't just have it all, her and a new baby, without paying the consequences for his actions. Eli and Nelson's past wrongdoings (both convicts in hiding for murder, what a perfect team!) will not be forgotten about and they must answer for their crimes.

The same goes for Nucky. He can't just start over and live a life of legality and legitimacy after the amount of blood and sin on his hands. We're given these parallel storylines in this episode: flashbacks with an young adult Nucky and horrid sanitarium scenes with Gillian. We see young Nucky (who by the way is played by Marc Pickering, giving a spot on Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson) courting his future wife, Mabel Thompson and trying to prove to her father that he's worthy of asking her hand. To do this, he asks the Sheriff if he could start helping with the other jobs the Commodore asks be done. The jobs that have their own rules. This we see in counterpart with Gillian facing disgusting mistreatment, doctors and horrifying "surgery" at the sanitarium. It's leading us towards Nucky's first real sin, his first real wrongdoing and perhaps one of the most despicable things he's ever done. We approach, not yet reaching, Nucky forcibly handing thirteen year old Gillian to the Commodore, facing a lifetime of horror, rape and misfortune. As we see Gilian in this awful place, we see Nucky is really the reason why she is there. We are all capable of doing terrible things after all, given the right circumstances, and the person Gillian manifests to be is all a result of the blow after blow that life constantly hit her with. It's all just a step for Nucky to get to the top, and his ruthlessness and lack of empathy is utterly despicable. He'll never be able to leave such a horrible crime of humanity behind. He'll never be able to "start over". I think it's very interesting they choose to set up these scenes this way as there's literally no sympathy for him left in me and as we near the end, the fact that they choose to distance us from the "lead" in the show, is quite fascinating.

Next week things seem to be shaking up and turning violent as we draw closer to the wars and fights erupting in every direction!

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