"The Emerald City"
Boardwalk Empire episode
Jimmy watches Angela paint
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 10
Directed by	Simon Cellan Jones
Written by	Lawrence Konner
Original air date	November 21, 2010 (2010-11-21)
Running time	59 minutes
Guest appearances
Greg Antonacci as Johnny Torrio Max Casella as Lucien D'Alessio Josiah Early as Robert Dittrich Jack Huston as Richard Harrow Dana Ivey as Mrs. McGarry Lisa Joyce as Mary Dittrich Peter McRobbie as Supervisor Elliot Erik Weiner as Agent Sebso Anatol Yusef as Meyer Lansky

"The Emerald City" is the tenth episode of the first season of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, which aired on HBO November 21, 2010.^[1] The episode was written by co-executive producer Lawrence Konner and directed by Simon Cellan Jones. The title is based on the fictional Emerald City from the Oz Books.

The episode deals with Nucky further involving Margaret in the corrupt affairs of his gang, Angela witnessing Jimmy's violent side as he struggles to adapt to a changing home environment, Capone maturing as a gangster, and Van Alden grappling with his emotions.

Plot

In the aftermath of a failed assassination attempt on Nucky, Richard is assigned to guard his house at all times; his scarred face and tin mask frighten Margaret and her children. Sebso's false account about Winslow's attempted escape is accepted by Van Alden's superiors; Sebso is exonerated of misconduct charges and Van Alden is warned that his career is finished if he embarrasses the Bureau again. Jimmy is released from jail for lack of evidence; he returns home and works at reconnecting with Angela and Tommy. Nucky tries to allay Margaret's apprehensions about living under guard, promising her that he has the situation well in hand.

In New York, Rothstein meets with Mickey and the D'Alessio brothers. Rothstein, who values the power of accurate information, reprimands the group for failing to account for Eddie's presence, wounding a civilian, and unintentionally revealing his plans to Nucky. He refuses to do any further business with them until they repay the cost of their mistake. In Chicago, Torrio becomes furious with Capone for interrupting an important business meeting with a juvenile prank. While attending the bar mitzvah of the son of Torrio's beer supplier, Jake Guzik, he learns how the Jewish faith places great importance on men behaving responsibly and being held to account for their actions. Recognizing his own failings, he asks Torrio to give him a chance to prove he can contribute more to the Chicago mob's bottom line. Torrio then assigns him to oversee Guzik's mismanaged brewery.

As the Darmodys pass the photography shop on the boardwalk during a family outing, Jimmy's son Tommy points to a picture of Robert and Mary Dittrich and calls one of them Angela's "kissing friend", referring to Mary. Jimmy assumes otherwise and publicly beats Robert with his own camera tripod, prompting Angela to promise Mary she will leave Jimmy and move with Tommy and her to Paris. Margaret celebrates the passage of women's suffrage, but Nucky immediately pressures her to help rally new female voters in support of Bader's mayoral campaign. She finally gives in and makes a rousing, well-received speech, but sours when she sees Nucky gladhanding with other powerful men.

While reading The Road to Oz to her children, Margaret encourages Richard, whom she refers to as the "Tin Woodman", to sit with them. Later, as Richard proves himself adept at caring for the family, she confesses her shame at treating him like a monster when he has done nothing to deserve it. Richard replies that because he himself has not moved past judging by appearances, he can hardly expect the same of others. He also notes that he sometimes forgets the changes he has undergone and is reminded only when he looks into a mirror and sees his face. Van Alden visits Margaret and, in a plea fraught with religious and romantic overtones, demands that she let him save her from damnation for participating in Nucky's life of crime. When she rejects him, he visits a bordello, where he takes shots of whiskey and has drunken sex with Lucy.

Mickey, fearing for his life, betrays the D'Alessios to an enraged Nucky; he enlists Chalky to arrange a false deal with Lansky in the hopes of luring Rothstein's men into an ambush. When Lansky and two of the D'Alessios meet with Chalky, one of them mentions his Packard, a detail they could only know from seeing it when they killed Chalky's driver. After Chalky takes them prisoner, Nucky identifies one of the brothers as his would-be assassin; Jimmy shoots him in the head while Chalky personally strangles the other to death and has his men dump the bodies. Seeing that the original plan is ruined, Nucky releases Lansky and instructs him to tell Rothstein what has happened. Nucky returns home to Margaret, blaming his late return on a "campaign strategy meeting". The episode ends with Margaret looking in the mirror, contemplating the decisions she has made.

Reception

References

External links

• "The Emerald City" at HBO
• "The Emerald City" at IMDb