Anastasia (Boardwalk Empire)
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"Anastasia" is the fourth episode of the first season of the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...
'', which premiered October 10, 2010. It was written by co-executive producer
Lawrence Konner Lawrence Konner is an American screenwriter, producer and film director. Konner has written over twenty-five feature films, including ''Mona Lisa Smile'', ''Planet of the Apes'', ''The Legend of Billie Jean'', ''The Jewel of the Nile'', and '' ...
and supervising producer
Margaret Nagle Margaret Nagle (born January 12, 1969) is a screenwriter, television producer and human rights activist. She has been nominated for two Emmy Awards and won three Writers Guild of America Awards. Nagle began her undergraduate work at UC Berkel ...
and directed by
Jeremy Podeswa Jeremy Podeswa (born 1962) is a Canadian film and television director. He is best known for directing the films '' The Five Senses'' (1999) and ''Fugitive Pieces'' (2007). He has also worked as director on the television shows '' Six Feet Under ...
. The episode received generally favorable reviews from television critics. The episode centers on Nucky celebrating his birthday while dealing with several simultaneous crises and Jimmy getting settled into his new home of
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
as he begins to learn the ropes of being a gangster. The title of the episode comes from a contemporary news story in March 1922 when
Anna Anderson Anna Anderson (born Franziska Schanzkowska, 16 December 1896 – 12 February 1984) was an impostor who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, Nicholas II an ...
, a Polish factory worker, surfaced claiming to be the lost Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, only for her claims to be proven fraudulent.


Plot

In
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, Jimmy finds himself working for Torrio, who puts him up in the Four Deuces, a
brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...
operated by Capone. Jimmy dislikes having to rely on the notoriously short-tempered Capone but puts up with it as he needs work. Torrio, displeased with Capone's rough treatment of bar owners who refuse to buy his alcohol, requests that he and Jimmy negotiate with Chicago's
Irish mob The Irish Mob (also known as the Irish mafia or Irish organized crime) is a collective of organized crime syndicates composed of ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia, and have been in ...
for a larger share of their territory so as to prevent further bloodshed. Ignoring Jimmy's advice to accept a smaller deal and bide his time, Capone physically threatens the Irish boss, Charlie Sheridan, into accepting a blatantly unfair deal. In
Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
, as Nucky plans his "surprise" birthday party, he worries that Chalky might refuse to deliver the black voters his machine depends on if the lynching of his driver is not resolved. Eli delivers the leader of the local chapter of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
to Chalky, who tortures him until he is satisfied that the Klan was not involved in the killing. As it turns out, the murder was actually committed by
Mickey Doyle Mieczyslaw "Mickey Doyle" Kuzik is a fictional character in the HBO TV series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He is played by Paul Sparks. Mickey Doyle is loosely based on Polish American mobster Mickey Duffy. Mickey is a gangster in Prohibition-era Atla ...
and the D'Alessio brothers, who mistook the driver for Chalky himself. Mickey, still under pressure to repay the D'Alessio family, convinces them that they can make an easy three grand by robbing one of Nucky's
ward boss An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...
es during collections. At Nucky's party, he is displeased to find that many of the attendees are still in denial about the power of the women's vote, a feeling only reinforced when Nucky runs into
Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
and is stunned by her intellect and willingness to challenge male politicians who dismiss women as too "weak" to understand politics. When Nucky's beautiful but airheaded mistress Lucy shows up in a risqué costume, he can't help but watch Margaret as she quietly leaves. Margaret herself becomes increasingly attracted to Nucky after they share a dance and steals an expensive dress from her employer after noticing how well-dressed Lucy is when she's on Nucky's arm. At a private conference,
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Walter Edge Walter Evans Edge (November 20, 1873October 29, 1956) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who served as the 36th governor of New Jersey, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, during both World War I and World War II. Edge ...
informs Nucky that he will not receive the roadbuilding funds he needs to complete Atlantic City's development, which will go instead to his political rival,
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
Frank Hague Frank Hague (January 17, 1876 – January 1, 1956) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as the Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jerse ...
of
Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Pimm's Cup The Pimm's cup is a cocktail that is popular in England, in the United Kingdom. It is one of numerous fruit cups, a type of cocktail with gin, a soft drink, and fruit. Its primary spirit is Pimm's No. 1 Cup, a gin-based beverage flavored with fr ...
with a card marked "I do expect to have everything.". Luciano finds Jimmy's mother Gillian at his house and tells her he is looking for "James", claiming to be a close friend. She sees through his cover story and throws him out. Luciano follows her around for several days; she spots him and initiates a physical relationship when Luciano admits his lust for her. Sheridan's men visit the Four Deuces and vandalize the bar; Jimmy's girlfriend Pearl is left permanently disfigured when one of the men cuts up her face with a knife. Capone quietly comforts a distraught Jimmy.


Reception


Critical reception

The episode received positive reviews from critics. ''IGN'' gave the episode their highest rating up to that point with an 8.5 and said "It's amazing that the writers found a way to commit so much good storytelling into one hour of television." They also said ""Anastasia", Boardwalk's fourth episode, is so far its best, turning its criminals into sympathetic characters despite their vices and secrets, and doing so without resorting to forced or saccharine ways." ''TV Fanatic'' gave the episode 4.5/5.0 and enjoyed the transformation of Margaret. "My favorite moment of the night was Margaret's brilliant transformation into a well-spoken and intelligent character. Her change from a quiet wallflower with small ambitions came at the best time, during Nucky's party. As the Commodore repeated his enraging "test" of female intelligence and political acumen on Lucy ("You're assuming they have minds at all"), Margaret voices an informed opinion about Women's Suffrage by stating, "In most civilized countries, women are afforded that privilege."


Ratings

The episode plunged to a 1.1 adults 18–49 rating this week from a 1.4 the week before, and lost over 800,000 average viewers from the week before.


References


External links


"Anastasia"
at
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
* {{Boardwalk Empire 2010 American television episodes Boardwalk Empire episodes Television episodes directed by Jeremy Podeswa