A Return to Normalcy

"A Return to Normalcy" is the 12th episode of the first season of HBO television series Boardwalk Empire and the season finale, which premiered on HBO December 5, 2010.^[1] The episode was written by series creator Terence Winter and directed by Tim Van Patten, both executive producers.

Nucky and Atlantic City brace for change on Election Day; Torrio brokers a deal between two nemeses, with far-reaching consequences; Jimmy ponders his future, as do Margaret, Agent Van Alden and Eli.^[2]

The title of the episode is a reference to the acceptance speech of President Warren G. Harding, which is featured on the show.

Plot

Van Alden, having passed off Sebso's death as a heart attack, has requested a transfer out of Atlantic City, although his supervisor asks him to reconsider. Van Alden tells his wife Rose of his decision, she tries to dissuade him; he says if God should want him to remain in Atlantic City, he will send him a sign.

The Commodore's maid admits she tried to poison him because of his mistreatment. Nucky lets her leave Atlantic City quietly over the protests of the Commodore. Nucky is increasingly stressed about the election, which the Democrats stand a good chance of winning. Chalky offers to deliver the black vote for $10,000, a new car, and an invitation to the (whites only) Election Night victory party.

Margaret and the children are staying with Nan Britton, who insists that Warren Harding will send for her when he becomes President. Margaret does not have the heart to tell her otherwise, but is preoccupied with taking care of the children and deciding whether to leave Atlantic City.

Rothstein is about to leave for Scotland to escape an indictment for fixing the 1919 World Series when Luciano and Lansky suggest setting up a meeting with Nucky to end their war. At a meeting brokered by Johnny Torrio, Nucky agrees to end the war and use his political connections to quash the indictment for $1 million in cash and the location of the D'Alessio brothers. As Nucky calls a press conference blaming the D'Alessios for the robbery of Rothstein's shipment, Jimmy, Richard Harrow, and Torrio's man Al Capone murder the gang.

Through Nan and an All Hallow's Eve procession through the cemetery, Margaret discovers the graves of Nucky's wife and child. When she returns to ask him about them, Nucky tells Margaret how happy and terrified he was by his son's birth - so terrified of harming the baby that he buried himself in work. After a week he finally approached the cradle, only to find his son already dead and his wife's mind permanently shattered with grief. He tells Margaret that he experienced the same terror and happiness in spending time with her and her children. Margaret decides that Nucky must be kind at heart, but asks him why he does what he does. Nucky responds that everyone must decide how much sin they will live with, and the two say farewell, with Margaret planning to leave Atlantic City after the election.

Confronted by Angela about his disturbing night terrors, Jimmy talks to her about his life in the trenches, and the two agree to forgive each other and start afresh. However, when she receives an apologetic postcard from her lover Mary in Paris, she cuts her long hair that Jimmy was so fond of, disappointing him.

Lucy Danziger comes to Van Alden in the post office and tells him their one-night stand has made her pregnant.

On election night, Bader is elected and the Republicans score a decisive victory across the city. Eli is still angry with his brother for dropping him from the ticket. When Nucky promises to make it up to him, saying "Blood is thicker than water," Eli retorts, "Why'd it have to be my blood?" In response, Nucky has Mayor-elect Bader baldly fire Halloran and reinstate Eli to the sheriff's office as his first official act; this only humiliates Halloran and fails to mollify Eli. Further spoiling the celebration, a drunken Jimmy confronts Nucky, accusing him of pimping out his mother to the Commodore and generally exploiting everyone around him. At the Election night party, Margaret and Nucky reunite before Harding wins the Presidential election.

At his mansion, the Commodore tells Jimmy how Nucky's recent behavior with the poisoning maid represents the final insult. Years ago, Nucky was sheriff in the Commodore's political machine; when reformist governor Woodrow Wilson sought to indict them, the Commodore took the fall and left the promising young Nucky to manage things, only to have Nucky completely usurp his position by the time he came out of prison. The Commodore reinforces Jimmy's opinion of Nucky as a smooth manipulator lacking the stomach to do his own dirty work. Finally, Eli walks into the room, and the Commodore asks Jimmy to join them in dethroning Nucky Thompson.

The end montage shows the characters contemplating their decisions and futures. Margaret and Nucky leave the celebration and stand out on the boardwalk, gazing out towards the ocean as the sun rises.

Reception

Critical response

IGN gave the episode a score of 8.5. The website said, "As Harding's victory speech calls for a return to normalcy, despite Margaret back in his life, Nucky is poised to return to anything but. 'Everyone of us must decide how much sin we can live with.' The amount Nucky has chosen for himself threatens to bite him in the ass, despite the episode's 'happy' ending. For Boardwalk to raise the bar it's already placed quite high, this consequence thing will have to get more play in a second season. For the only thing that can be better than Nucky getting away 'fast, [and] totally devoid of any emotion' is watching him squirm when there are no clean getaways."^[3]

Ratings

The season finale rose two tenths of a point a 1.3 adults 18–49 rating, and added about 300,000 viewers vs. last week. "A Return to Normalcy" had a viewership of 3.294 million.^[4]

References

External links

• "A Return to Normalcy" at HBO
• "A Return to Normalcy" at the Internet Movie Database
• "A Return to Normalcy" at TV.com