Ourselves Alone (Boardwalk Empire)

"Ourselves Alone"
Boardwalk Empire episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 2
Directed by	David Petrarca
Written by	Howard Korder
Original air date	October 2, 2011 (2011-10-02)
Running time	58 minutes
Guest appearances
Dominic Chianese as Leander Whitlock Ted Rooney as John McGarrigle Erik LaRay Harvey as Dunn Purnsley Charlie Cox as Owen Sleater William Hill as Alderman George O'Neill Anatol Yusef as Meyer Lansky Robert Clohessy as Alderman Jim Neary Kevin O'Rourke as Mayor Edward L. Bader Victor Verhaeghe as Ward Boss Damien Fleming Michael Zegen as Bugsy Siegel

"Ourselves Alone" is the second episode of the second season of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, which originally aired October 2, 2011. The episode was written by Howard Korder and directed by executive producer David Petrarca.

Plot

After getting arrested by Deputy US Attorney Solomon Bishop (Bill Sage), Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is taken to a holding cell where he reunites with Chalky White (Michael K. Williams) who tells him of the conspiracy going on in his political machine including betrayals and sides. Nucky then offers a plea deal with the police and is released from jail. At his office, he finds out that almost all of his ward bosses and aldermen in his political machine have betrayed him alongside his brother and Sheriff of Atlantic City Eli Thompson (Shea Whigham) and have joined a side opposed to him led by Commodore Louis Kaestner (Dabney Coleman) and his former protege Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt). Nucky, shocked by all of this, realizes that the only people on his side are current Mayor of Atlantic City Edward L. Bader (Kevin O'Rourke) and his ward boss Damien Fleming (Victor Verhaeghe) alongside his butler Eddie Kessler (Anthony Laciura) and his live in fiancée Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald).

Meanwhile, whilst Nucky is in jail, Margaret gets a visit from IRA assassin and Nucky's new bodyguard Owen Sleater (Charlie Cox) who tells her that Nucky needs to attend an arms deal meeting with IRA leader John McGarrigle (Ted Rooney). After Nucky returns home, he meets Sleater and talks about his qualifications for the bodyguard job, Sleater reveals his expertise as a bomb maker and talks about the arms deal. At night, Nucky has a meeting with McGarrigle who tells him that the guns he will get from Nucky will further help him in the Irish War of Independence and also to keep Owen with him as bodyguard for the time being until a proposed trip to Ireland for the guns.

At the Commodore's mansion, Louis Kaestner and Eli have a meeting with all of Nucky's political henchmen including George O'Neill (William Hill), Fleming, Paddy Ryan (Samuel Taylor), Al Boyd (Edward McGinty) and Jim Neary (Robert Clohessy) to discuss about joining their side and the opportunities they bring for all 5 of them. Later on, the 4 (excluding Fleming), join The Commodore's organization whilst Damien secretly informs Nucky of their betrayal alongside Louis and Eli's as well, prompting Nucky to make a phone call to Eli where the latter tells him that Nucky is finally going down and that he (Eli) isn't going to live in his shadow anymore.

In jail, Chalky White gets a visit from his wife Lenore (Natalie Wachen) who gives him David Copperfield to read before telling him she loves him and leaving, Chalky is promptly moved to another cell with 7 other inmates including Baltimore career criminal Dunn Purnsley (Erik LaRay Harvey) who says mean things to Chalky and his wife and makes fun of Chalky's illiteracy when he says David Copperfield is Tom Sawyer. Chalky responds by telling all the other 6 inmates how he helped them in life, causing them to brutally beat and injure Dunn before giving the book back to Chalky.

Meanwhile, in New York, Jimmy Darmody has a meeting with Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg) and his associate and protege Charles "Lucky" Luciano (Vincent Piazza). Arnold tells Jimmy that whilst the idea was good, the deal will be gone for now. Outside, an angered Jimmy meets Luciano who tells him to come at his and Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef)'s card game. Jimmy arrives at the game where after a few insults are traded (Luciano's comments on sleeping with Jimmy's mother Gillian and how Jimmy caught and almost killed him), the meeting goes well with Luciano and Lansky agreeing to a trade deal with Jimmy. At night, Jimmy hangs around at the card game gambling and finds out about the crime boss of the Lower East Side of New York, Joe Masseria, from Luciano and Lansky's mouthy and crazy friend and associate Bugsy Siegel (Michael Zegen). When Jimmy goes out for a walk, arriving at the east side, he is ambushed by 2 of Masseria's henchmen and nephews who demand money from him. Jimmy agrees and whilst getting the money, takes out his skull crusher knife from his boot and stabs the 2 henchmen to death before running away from the area to not get caught.

Reception

The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. The A.V. Club awarded the episode a B+ saying, "It’s moments like these—Jimmy in Rothstein’s office, Jimmy at the poker game, Chalky in a cell with Purnsley—that make Boardwalk Empire a much better show than its detractors allow." IGN gave it an 8 out of 10, noting the improved pacing, "'Ourselves Alone' seems to be a direct response to those who had issues with the overall pacing of last season, complaining that the gears on Nucky's political machine turned too slow. It's only the second episode of the new season, and Nucky's already plotting retaliation against those challenging him."

External links

• "Ourselves Alone" at HBO
• "Ourselves Alone" at IMDb