Boardwalk Empire

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Joe R: A- | 1356 USERS: B
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He's There, the Phantom of the Brothel

Nucky's in his office, taking a meeting with Damian Fleming, the aforementioned family man. Fleming is a chatty, friendly guy, and he's motormouthing some story about the whole family crammed into their one bed. It's a credit to Fleming's personality that this comes across as sweet and not deeply creepy. Nucky asks about the baby, and when Fleming starts talking about how far they've come since the kid was born premature, we see why. Nucky gets that faraway look in his eye that he usually gets when somebody talks about preemies. Just when it seems like Fleming has stopped his yammering and Nucky's about to get down to business, in barges Lucy, who's voice is pushing the needle up to Baby Doll with a Purpose. She's also dressed like the Fantastic Mr. Fox just exploded all over her. Nucky tries to shut her up, but her pout will not be denied. What does Margaret got that she ain't got! Who's gonna buy her clothes? Or take her to the picture show. Eager to placate her, Nucky promises to take her to see "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" later on. "I feel empty without you inside me," she pouts, as Eddie rolls his eyes like a champ and Nucky gets all Hugh Grant-y and flustered, shoving her out the door. Back to Fleming, Nucky says he needs a house, for his kids' sake, and so Nucky is offering his father's old place. Fleming says he can't afford it, which is why Nucky's giving it away for free. He tells Fleming that if he fixes it up, makes it livable, it's his. Fleming doesn't know what to say. He seems like the one, genuine, guileless person in Atlantic City. How soon 'til he dies?

Margaret and Annabel and Annabel's awful haircut (honestly, she looks like she just escaped Girl, Interrupted) chat amiably about life as kept women. For all their compatibility between the sheets, Margaret says she still doesn't know what Nucky wants from her. Of course, beyond loving her new digs and wanting very much to hold onto them, Margaret doesn't entirely know what she wants either. Certainty would be nice, but as Annabel points out, he'll never marry her. She points to Lucy as evidence, though I'm not sure I'd chalk up any man's reluctance to marry Lucy Danziger as much more than common sense. Annabel has a bit of advice for Margaret, on the security front: stash some money away. She herself has squirreled away about four grand, found in dribs and drabs in her man Harry's pockets over the years. Margaret's all, "I would never!" but come on. She's already come this far. Talk turns to whether Nucky loves her, and Margaret thinks he's still never quite gotten over his dead wife. I keep wanting the show to cut to Molly Parker's photo every time Nucky's wife is alluded to or it's obvious he's mooning over her, with sad, Frisky Dingo/Archer style piano music. Anyway, the point is that Nucky's not overly chatty about his past or his feelings. Annabel thinks that's just fine -- the more a man tells her, the more he ends up seeing his own weaknesses reflected in her. Margaret takes this in. But when her daughter comes out and Annabel coos at her, "You'll have no trouble getting a man at all," Margaret has the good sense to look troubled.

Boardwalk Empire

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