Boardwalk Empire S5E6 Review: "Devil You Know" By Greg Hernandez

"Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't."

This was a sad episode to watch. It was even harder to review.  Two characters who have been around since the beginning are now dead. To the lost... Let's dive in.

All characters present in this episode were in situations that they could not figure out and control.

Nucky manages to slip past his bodyguard and escapes to the nastiest dive bar Jersey has to offer. There, he begins drinking heavily. He is mourning Sally. Perhaps that is why he seeks out the two tough bar women, they might remind him of his lost love.

We can see that Nucky is still in between worlds. He continues to look back on his life with regret.
Where did it all go wrong? We'll find all that out in the final 2 episodes via flashbacks. Once this season ends, Nucky's arc will come full circle.

 The end is near for Nucky in the present.
In the past we will see exactly when his planned out life begins to inevitably crumble.

Nucky has lost many loved ones in his life. Many of whom are females. Sally is the latest one.
I'm curious to see how Mabel fares.

The last thing Sally said to Nucky was, "Have your coffee." That's harsh.

This episode reminded me of Murakami's novel, "Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World." Two distinct conclusions are set to converge. The ending is not pleasant, yet you desire it. We desire Nucky going to war. We so badly wish to see how Nucky became who he is.
It's all sad. The true embodiment of this example is the deaths of Van Alden and Chalky.

Nucky goes back into his season 3 mode and engages a middle-aged man in a fight. "Apologize!" he commands him. The man refuses. Nucky knocks him out.
Afterward, Nucky desires the company of both bar women. "I want to fuck you both," he says.
Ah, nothing like a fight and two women help your mourning.
Unfortunately things go south. It was all a set up. Nucky has been swindled. In his unconscious state, Nucky reminisces of his time as deputy sheriff. We see the Commodore engaging in some shady activity...a young girl goes in to see him, while the mother waits outside. The impatience is palpable. Now, that's sick...

We know it's vile and disgusting because Nucky and Eli ambush a young robber who is in fact not a boy, but a young Gillian. This will set the stage for her eventual date with the Commodore, which will lead to her infamous rape.

 I suspect the Commodore will be caught in this heinous act and be shamed, it allow Nucky to rise to power.
That's my speculation. I am now more intrigued by the flashbacks than the present day story line, which in my opinion is bad.

Now onto the two unceremonious deaths of Chalky and Van Alden.
First off, Game of Thrones does a much better job at killing off their characters. There is never a dull death in that show.
In this particular season of Boardwalk, there have been many dull deaths. It's all underwhelming.

"No one goes quietly," is the theme for this season. Van Alden went out with a scathing monologue that seemed to have been buried deep inside of him. Van Alden was like a volcano. When all was calm, he was still and borderline boring for the characters present, yet intriguing (I loved this character). There were several eruptions throughout past seasons and this was the biggest of all.

Van Alden and Eli are pushed into a corner. They have been squeezed by the under cover fed "Mike D'Angelo," but even when you're squeezed, there is still some wiggle room right?

A tense interrogation from Capone leads to the deadly scuffle with Van Alden.

Van Alden, remarks that this has not been thought through.
After a series of missteps, we're right back where we were a few episodes ago with Capone holding a gun to Van Alden's head. Everyone knew Capone was not going to shoot him.

Nobody saw Van Alden leaving behind George Mueller forever and going the righteous route to heaven.

D'Angelo pulls the trigger, killing Van Alden, thus saving Capone's life....where were the rest of Capone's men? Ralphy is not the fighting type. Van Alden was easily able to push him back. Re-watching that part, I do not understand why Capone continues to handle the gun himself, why not bring in more men, I don't know, just my thinking.

Eli, rats out Elliot Ness to Capone, thus saving himself and D'Angelo.
Capone apparently was so shaken after his encounter with Van Alden, that Ralphy, gives D'Angelo the ledgers. That seemed far too convenient for me, because if I survived an attack that was geared toward taking the ledgers, I would keep them as close to me as possible. I would not trust anyone!
Plus, Capone survived Bugs Moran and other wars. He's been scarred. Now he fears for his life?
Perhaps that is how Capone truly was, a push over who got ahead.

Eli gets a bill of money for his work. Once again, Eli is worthless. He can now escape for Chicago and go where? Out west, back to Atlantic City? It's all over for him.

So, I know Van Alden almost shot Al last season, but the resurgence of his alter-ego from seasons past was quite sudden to me. Of course we see glimpses of it when he shot his iron co-workers last season, telling O'Banion off, telling his wife to take off her clothes etc; but what separates all of those from his final scene, is one thing. the outcome. In every other situation, Van Alden understood what the stakes where. In this scenario, it did not make much sense to me.

Allow me to elaborate, the writers placed Chalky and Van Alden in situations where they could only react one way. The writing seems far too convenient. Everything has to fit perfectly in order to mesh. This is what happens when you're dealing with a show that has a lot of  history behind it.  Then again, perhaps Van Alden had just finally reached his breaking point.
Remember the fork to the cheek from season 3 - ouch!

After seven years of exile,  running with young crews and prison time, Chalky is finally face-to-face with Daughter and Narcisse. "Is this how you imagined it, after all these years?"

As soon as Chalky decided to wait for Narcisse, the audience should have known that there was no way out for him. I already knew he would die going into this season, just a feeling.

Remember, this episode takes place in the wee hours of the morning.

People feel Chalky went out quietly...
I disagree. We heard daughter's voice in his head. He went out on his terms- very similar to Jimmy. Unfortunately, the effect was not the same. I was not amused with the execution. It felt too cliche for Chalky.

With Sally, Van Alden and Chalky gone- the final 2 episodes become less interesting for me. I have a good idea how this will all end.

Best bits:

-Eli's face after Van Alden has been shot dead.

-D'Angelo's face during the interrogation. I think he was about to soil himself.

-The two actors who portrayed Paul Muni and George Raft were fantastic! I love how they had to sit there uncomfortable. Here's the trailer for the 1932 film, "Scarface" Scarface - Trailer

-We got to see Chalky's daughter.

-Narcisse doesn't like locked doors!

- Chalky gives a big fuck you to Narcisse before going out. "Ain't nobody free."

-Nucky reciting old songs from his youth. Nucky is at his best when he is lying.

-Al Capone- "I thought we was buddies...you steal from buddies?"

-Joe Harpur, er, I mean Tommy Darmody- where is this character going? He is getting closer and closer to Nucky.

Here are two farewell videos to two amazing characters. Michael Shannon and Michael Kenneth Williams you were both phenomenal! Thank you for incredible performances.

Chalky White Memoriam

Van Alden Memoriam

Below is a fantastic explanation from Howard Korder.

While I disagree with the final moment of the episode, I completely respect it.

Inside the Episode E6 "Devil You Know"

Here's the promo for next episode.

Boardwalk Empire Episode 7 Promo