Halfway through the season and I finally care about this show. 

I was having trouble staying interested in Boardwalk Empire, and I put off watching episode six until Sunday, almost a week after I’d downloaded. But it was so good that I watched the seventh episode almost immediately after downloading. 

The difference? For me, it was the relationship between Nucky Thompson and Margaret Schroeder. For five episodes it was nothing more than a flirtation that built each time they interacted. It was hard to tell if Nucky actually cared for Margaret or if he just felt regret over the death of her husband. But now it’s safe to say that he truly cares about her. He dumped that whiny tramp he had before, moved her into a new house and has even started to bond with her kids. But he’ll never marry her, which makes the situation rather precarious and keeps some suspense in the show. They can’t stay happy forever, can they?

The other thing that’s made this show more interesting is the development of Jimmy as a real gangster. Previously I felt there were too many characters on the show with too many boring, disjointed storylines. But Jimmy seeking revenge for what happened to Pearl and becoming more immersed in gang culture has made the show infinitely more interesting. 

Episode seven, which aired on Sunday night, was more subtle than the previous week. Still, it was a great episode. We learned more about Jimmy’s PTSD and the relationship between Margaret and Nucky deepened. We also learned a lot more about Nucky, which was my favorite part. He’s what makes the show tick, and learning about his damaged childhood and his terrible relationship with his father was fascinating. Watching him torch his childhood home was a perfect end to the episode. 

I’m glad I can finally say I like this show. Did you notice an improvement in these past two episodes as well?