Four fatalities. None of them Rosetti’s.
Every season on Boardwalk Empire, we wait for that crucial turn – where a dialogue heavy drama snares us in with an action hook.
When Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale) was introduced in “Resolution,” we knew that he would be this season’s proverbial “bad guy.” The ill-humored gangster steadily created problems for Nucky (Steve Buscemi) throughout the first four episodes of Boardwalk Empire‘s third season. Rosetti took control of the road in Tabor Heights, thereby blocking Nucky’s whiskey route from New Jersey to New York.
Then, in episode 5, “You’d Be Surprised,” Nucky went on the offensive. He sent an assassin to murder Gyp. Unfortunately, the shooter only succeeded in killing everyone but Rosetti, including a paperboy.
Now, the stage has been set for the second half of Boardwalk Empire – the half where things happen. War will most assuredly breakout on the Boardwalk. This isn’t like the Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) battle of old. Jimmy and Nucky shared a pseudo-family bond, which made their “beef” intriguing. Plus Eli’s involvement in trying to usurp Atlantic City from his brother added in an additional layer of interest. Most fans rooted for team Jimmy, even though they knew Nucky would be the inevitable winner in that fight.
In the case of Gyp, we have no vested interest in seeing Gyp survive. To be blunt, he’s just a jerk who likes killing people. His jokes feel like a coin toss from Batman’s Two-Face character: heads you live, tails you die. Gyp also has an asphyxiation fetish.
In “Bone for Tuna,” Nucky had a vision of his stepson getting shot. We’ll see how quickly this premonition plays out. Based on what’s happened so far, it would seem as though Gyp will take the war to Nucky’s family.
Another character thread is also beginning to take flight. Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon) and his new wife have committed murder in Chicago. So far, Van Alden’s character arc has been bland and disconnected with the Jersey story. However, it now looks as though he will reluctantly invest himself in organized crime. He’s gone to one of Chicago’s crime bosses for help with disposing of a body. A debt like that never gets paid in full.
In this clip from Episode 3.06, Gillian Darmody spots a familiar face, who reminds her of her son.
This second clip features Harry Daugherty and focuses in on Nucky’s legal problems. The nasty word indictment comes up again.
