Van Alden is having breakfast as the nanny, Ingrid, feeds baby Abigail. He observes that she is a natural with babies, and she agrees that it goes with the territory of being the eldest of seven. Such a natural-born mother was she that she even tried breastfeeding her baby sister when she was young. All merriment aside, Van Alden discovers on the shelf a piece of mail from his wife, and tears it open to find nothing so comforting as divorce papers and a note from Rose, imploring him to address the matter "as soon as his activities allow." Oh, snap.
We learned in the previous episode that Margaret's daughter, Emily, has contracted polio. She is now out of quarantine but is still quite sick in the hospital, where Margaret, Nucky, and Teddy go to visit. When Margaret hangs back to speak to the doctor, he tells her Emily's legs will most likely be paralyzed, but they won't know much until her most recent tests come back. Oh, but, at least his nine-year-old daughter is praying for all the sick kids. As Margaret goes in, she sees a little boy struggling down the hall on crutches, his sad parents behind him. Some comfort, this place! As Margaret and Nucky fawn over Emily, we notice older bro Teddy sitting off to the side, looking pissed.
Mickey Doyle's crew is cutting down their huge load of government-issued medicinal alcohol with intent to distribute, an endeavor Jimmy and the boys stop by to check out. Mickey tells them he's only got enough manpower to churn the booze out in a week's time, but Jimmy insists on hurrying the process up. They're all under scrutiny from their respective higher-ups, including Manny Horvitz, who presses relentlessly to be paid back, reminds Mickey. Jimmy is so annoyed at the mention of Manny's name and tells Mickey to just "fuckin' pay him already," in either cash, "booze, whatever. He's Waxey Gordon's problem now, not mine." As they start to head out, Lucky pulls Jimmy aside to show him some powder he's got wrapped up in some paper. He explains that it's this new thing called heroin--a high better than opium, without all the bullshit. Jimmy wants to know the hard numbers, and they tell him that while the market is still a small one, it's "very enthusiastic." Jimmy isn't as psyched about this new enterprise as the other two are, but he'll see how it goes so long as they get up and sell this friggin' booze first.
Nucky is setting his office shit up in some new digs--well, Eddie and Harlan are setting his shit up--as he berates his lawyer for a job poorly done on this whole federal case. His lawyer's all "this Esther Randolph is relentless!" and Nucky's all, "so do something about it, asshole!" Nucky has had it with this useless lump of a lawyer, and he finally just fires the guy. When he's gone Nucky picks up the day's paper, the front page of which declares that the "Black Sox" trial, that which concerns Arnold Rothstein and his fixing of the 1919 World Series, is now under way. He looks thoughtful.
Jimmy is conducting a meeting with what appears to be the major city officials at the Commodore's place. They're trying to figure out what to do about the strike, which is really a bee in their big white bonnets. The Commodore is dressed and sitting upright, but he still can't speak very well, which is evidenced as he starts muttering and tapping his cane in a desperate attempt to be heard. Jimmy wants him to chill out, cuz he's got this. He suggests they acquiesce and give the workers a small raise so they can all get back to business. The group huffs and puffs at the notion (the Commodore does this best of all). Jimmy tells the men that his father needs some rest, a cue they take to leave. The inner circle stays, including Eli, who suggests they just send out 50 guys with billy clubs to get this thing over with. Once again, Jimmy is outnumbered in his lack of desire for violence and mayhem. When asked, Eli informs them that he's got Halloran out on the lines now, whom Neary narcs out by telling them that he's been saying too much to Esther Randolph. Eli is visibly disturbed.
Margaret is supervising Teddy's nighttime prayers, which include a half-assed wish for Emily to get well. As she gets up to leave the room, Teddy says he suddenly can't feel his legs, a complaint Margaret obviously takes very seriously. When he starts to giggle and it's clear he's faking, she smacks him. Nucky steps in to deliver some signature comic relief: "you were just praying!" After she runs out he goes to comfort her, reminding her that Teddy just wants attention. He offers to take Teddy with him to New York the following day, as he has to go hire a new lawyer.
As the protesters on the boardwalk sing and march, a mob of white men (with billy clubs) rushes them violently. Suddenly we see the two officers who are standing with Halloran back away from him knowingly just before a couple of the men begin beating him to a bloody pulp as well.
In New York, Nucky and Teddy enter the office of William Fallon, the lawyer of Arnold Rothstein, who is also in attendance. Teddy admires a baseball perched on Fallon's desk, which he is told is autographed by Ty Cobb. Fallon gives the baseball to the ungrateful boy, only to replace it once Teddy leaves the room. Getting down to business, Fallon starts in with the civilized trash talk of Nucky's former lawyer. Nucky hopes he isn't on the clock already, because he'd "hate to think I'm paying to hear what a fool I am." Fallon assures him that part's free, but what isn't free is all the bribe money he's going to need for the judge and jury. Nucky doesn't have that kind of cash flow, but with Rothstein's endorsement he looks like he will probably be motivated to get it if need be.
Eli pays a visit to the busted up Halloran at his home, and in no uncertain terms calls him out for blabbing too much. Eli's kind of sexy when he's all authoritative and shit, but unfortunately the intimidation approach doesn't have the desired impact on Halloran, who immediately rings the US Attorney's (post) office when Eli leaves.
Margaret seeks comfort in the church, where Father Brennan finds her. She intimates that her dear daughter has polio, and though she's not encouraged by a God that would let this happen, she's got nowhere else to turn. The priest reminds her of her last confession to him, regarding "temptation" (aka Owen Sleater's loins). She says she doesn't want to talk about that (aka "been there, done that"), which Father Brennan judges as her wanting from God but not willing to give in return (even though I'm sure he's just a gossip hound). She asserts she's got her devotion, a concept Father Brennan sees as an "act" to be demonstrated.
Jimmy, accompanied by Richard Harrow, is meeting for an under-the-radar chat with Chalky White. Jimmy wants to come to a settlement on the strike, which Chalky makes clear is just a symptom of the long list of the white man's wrongdoings against his black brethren. Jimmy says neither the picket line assault nor the KKK warehouse shooting were his ideas, and Chalky says, in his own way, what we're all thinking: "Jesus boy, ain't you got any notion at all?" Lol! Jimmy's got ideas though, one being the erasure of Chalky's murder charge. In addition, Chalky wants $3000 for each family who lost a man in the shooting, which Jimmy easily agrees to, but what he can't agree to is delivering the "three hooded crackers" personally to Chalky. And why not? Does Jimmy feel bad about giving up some ol' racists, or are the perpetrators those he knows well? He looks to Richard, who gives nothing away, but it's all or nothing for Chalky.
That night Nucky and Teddy are in their New York hotel room, where Teddy is on the phone saying goodnight to his mother. After they've hung up Nucky has a heart-to-heart with his new son, letting him know he understands that Teddy is feeling ignored. He offers that when he was a kid he was in a similar situation with a sick sister, but that he knew his mother loved him all the same. Teddy asks if his dad loved him too, and Nucky reluctantly says yes. When Teddy asks if he is in trouble, Nucky admits that he is, though he's innocent. The boy wants to know if it's about him burning his dad's house down; Nucky is taken aback at his recollection of this event, which he denies, though Teddy totally knows the truth.
Jimmy's crew meets back at the warehouse to piss and moan over their failure to sell the booze they desperately need to get rid of, due to the fact that the city's already "drenched" with Irish whiskey. Awww shit! Jimmy, pacing back and forth, knows "in his bones" that it's Nucky's doing. Unable to unload their investment, they pass the blame around, which of course lands on Jimmy. Meyer Lansky suggests they split up and sell it in their respective towns. Mickey suggests Jimmy stay away from Philadelphia and Manny Horvitz. Showing his cracks, Jimmy kicks over some boxes and declares he's heading north. The guys are losing faith in the crumbling Jimmy, and he knows it.
At the post office, Esther Randolph and Van Alden are practicing his testimony. When he begins to stray from the hard facts and offer presumptions, she and her partner Lathrop encourage him to stick to what he knows for certain. When she addresses the murder of Hans Schroeder (Margaret's abusive husband, as you will recall), Van Alden (who investigated the case thoroughly because of his infatuation with Margaret) asserts that he doesn't know anything for certain, on the record. Off the record, he has "no doubt whatsoever." Once Randolph and Lathrop agree that they "have enough," she directs her colleague to "bring him in."
Mickey visits Manny Horvitz in Philadelphia, who's come away from his attempted murder with a wounded shoulder and a sweaty case of paranoia. Manny is already wary of Mickey (like he's any physical threat?), and after they've settled into the sitting room Manny makes it clear he knows it was Jimmy's doing. Mickey denies it, maintaining it was Waxey Gordon (which I think it was, right?), and offers Manny a bottle of their new liquor, an adequate supply of which should settle Jimmy's debt. Manny accepts the payment but is still sure Jimmy tried to have him whacked, so with brute force he attempts to extract from Mickey Jimmy's whereabouts.
In the county jail we find Eli, who has been arrested by order of Esther Randolph. She lets him know that thanks to Officer Halloran, she's got the dish on his involvement with the death of Hans Schroeder, a tactic she's undoubtedly using to acquire intimate information on Nucky's role. With Eli and Nucky's relations now very volatile, and Eli seemingly without a good lawyer, they are both, as they say, fucked.
We see Margaret at her house, gathering her fine jewelry and the wad of money she's been hoarding in her vanity, which she later brings to Father Brennan as her "act of devotion." More than fine things and money she says she wants her daughter to be well, though as she's unloading her treasures she admits that it's a burden to her, on her soul, which really doesn't sound like much of a sacrifice for God. Are we going to find out what she was saving the cash for anyway?
It's a beautiful afternoon at the Darmody beach house, where Jimmy stares serenely out the window at a sunbathing tourist. Angela moves pleasantly about, fixing flowers in a vase and telling him a joke she'd heard that day. Jimmy tells her he knows she's not happy and that he's going to make it all up to her and "be the person you want me to be." They share a warm kiss, and she leads him off to the bedroom.
Margaret and Nucky meet with Emily's doctor, who, despite her devotion and prayer, gives them the rotten news that Emily indeed has spinal polio and that she'll most likely be permanently paralyzed. Damn, guess God doesn't like diamonds and pearls as much as we were led to believe. That night we see Teddy looking through his keepsake box, which contains a family photo from years before. He stares longingly at his dead father.
Late that night, Manny creeps into Jimmy's house, gun in hand, where someone (presumably Jimmy) is showering, and Angela lies sleeping. Manny grabs Angela and waits outside the bathroom door for Jimmy to emerge. As the bathroom door opens, Manny shoots immediately, but we see it is not Jimmy who he's killed, but Angela's new girlfriend Louise. Dammit! Manny is more surprised than we are at this development and allows Angela to fall to her side, crying. She begs him for her life, but Manny shoots her as well, and she collapses dead onto her lover. He has a certain amount of remorse drawn on his face, remorse perhaps for killing a woman whom he either doesn't know and/or has nothing to do with revenge on Jimmy, but probably more remorse for feeling obligated to kill such a nice girl like Angela.
But business is business,
and it must be done. Seriously, SHIT! I did NOT think that was going to happen.All of this as yet unbeknownst to Jimmy of course, he is on the road, entering his old stomping grounds of Princeton.
I feel much sadness with the death of Angela, who is not only a strong anchor for Jimmy's love but also a strong character in her own right. I wanted to see her storyline continue! The effect this will have on Jimmy is probably obvious--he's going to go nuts--but I also wonder how this will affect Richard Harrow. He did, after all, let Angela momentarily crack his shell when she sketched him sans mask, and throughout this season we've been witness to his scrapbook of family life fantasies. Will he just give up on all of that, seeing how fragile that sense of wholeness really is? I don't think it's much of an exaggeration to imagine that Jimmy and him grieving together--shit, they might just KILL EVERYONE.
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