I think this week’s “Belle Femme” was my favorite episode of Boardwalk Empire to date.
As I’ve said in previous reviews, the relationship between Nucky Thompson and Margaret Schroeder is what really draws me in to this show. Their romance has evolved slowly, and she’s only beginning to grasp everything that comes with being associated with him. She’s certainly seen his good side. She’s seen the benefits of their relationship. After she looked in the ledger book and saw all the money he’s making off illegal liquor, she’s seen that he’s not quite the man she thought he was as well.
This week Margaret discovered the power that comes with being Nucky’s girl, as well as the dangers. She convinced him to keep the French store owner Madame Jeunet in business by agreeing to help Nucky get the women’s vote in the upcoming election. And Margaret was rewarded with a stunning blue dress. It’s not that Margaret is particularly conniving or selfish. She just used to be poor. I would have tried to get the dress too.
Margaret experienced the other side of the coin, though, when someone attempted to gun down Nucky on the boardwalk and an innocent woman was shot instead. The poetry of the blood on the new blue dress was perfect for the situation, and the scene was incredibly well-acted.
The assassination attempt is, of course, the glaring proof that Nucky is at war. We knew this after his brother got shot, but a bullet meant for Nucky turned things up a few notches.
As always, my one complaint about the show is that it’s too sprawling. I’m happy that Jimmy is back, although the melodrama of his romantic life isn’t really doing it for me. But there are still characters whose names I don’t know, and characters who only get one short scene per week. Shows like Mad Men or The Wire also had large casts and sprawling plots, but I was interested in each character and each storyline. In Boardwalk Empire, I only care about Nucky, Maragret and the people who directly relate to them.
What did you think of the episode? Do you have any predictions for the final three episodes?
