“What does the bee do? Bring home honey. What does father do? Bring home money. What does mother do? Lay out the money. What do children do? Eat up the honey!” Margaret’s daughter
In the growing hive of Atlantic City, there are all sorts of bees carrying out all sorts of business – legal or otherwise. There are bees that drink, bees that dance, bees with an incurable “itch;” and one with a particularly vengeful sting. As Gillian (Gretchen Mol) presents herself – all of herself – to the Commodore, he suffers a debilitating stroke that jeopardizes the political coup against Nucky. His pitiful state of incapacitation, however, still isn’t enough justice for Gillian, who suffered Lewis’ lechery for most of her life; the episode closes with a vicious assault against the bed-ridden invalid.
Eli is already unsettled after his father called him clueless (being mistaken for his brother, Nucky) and the Commodore’s long road (if any) to rehabilitation makes him further question his role in the coup. He leaves Jimmy to deal with the shipment of liquor that they stole from Nucky, and to extend their political and underground influences beyond the boardwalk. Jimmy makes a new connection in Philadelphia, facing dangerous consequences if he fails to adhere to their deal. Manny Horwitz, the Yiddish-speaking butcher, pays up front for the liquor, assuming his new relationship with Atlantic City to be amicable. Unfortunately, the buzzing from the boardwalk hasn’t made its way to Mr. Horwitz’ ears just yet, or else he would have been more wary in switching suppliers.
After last week’s dinner confrontation with Jimmy and the Commodore, Nucky has promised to ruin the very people who he put into the position that made it possible for them to undermine him. His newest recruit, Owen Slater, may be his driver, but that doesn’t mean he always sticks to the right side of the road. Putting his talents to use for his new cause, Slater constructs a bomb which he plants at the warehouse where Nucky’s stolen liquor is being held. The warehouse had already been targeted by Van Alden, but his need for secrecy rouses suspicion in two rookie “prohees,” one of whom is caught in the explosion trying to gather evidence of Nelson’s corruption.
Margaret’s financial worries are accumulating in-tandem with Nucky’s increasing confidence that the fraud charges against him will not stand. In order to gain the help of the Attorney General, Nucky coordinates a story about using out-of-state prostitutes to swing votes, thereby introducing federal charges against him. When Margaret finds out, however, she begins to stockpile money.
Chalky, too, is reassessing his own economic status since being released from jail; it’s become increasingly clear to him that his social identity is problematized by his lifestyle. As a black man living the “white” lifestyle of luxury and splendor, he occupies a space of racial ambiguity, and therefore has no real influence in either community. The people at his parish see him as a man who sold out his color, while his family sees a man too colorful for their “proper” home.
Nucky’s new relationship with Arnold Rothstein interestingly puts Charlie “Lucky” Luciano in the middle of the rivalry between Jimmy and Nucky, as he is now working with both parties. The introduction of esteemed boxer Jack Dempsey possibly adds more muscle to Nucky’s entourage, while the aptly named Richard Harrow finally reveals the man behind the mask, opening up to Jimmy’s wife Angela, who discovers a latent tenderness beyond his expressionless mask.
It’s really no surprise that Boardwalk Empire has been renewed for a third season. Even in the grand scheme for control of the city, the personal lives of the characters continue to drive the show forward as they grow – or at least change – alongside each other. The stellar cast of stars and guest-stars truly bring the 1920s period-drama to life, portraying the vivacity of the era while preserving those historical personalities and events that are the keystone of any work of historical fiction.
Some stats and info about Boardwalk Empire, “What Do the Bees Do?”
TV SHOW – Boardwalk Empire
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 2 Episode 4
AIRED ON – October 16th, 2011
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – HBO/Max
GENRE – Drama, Crime Dramas, Period Show
CREATED BY – Terence Winter
CAST – Steve Buscemi,Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham,Stephen Graham, Vince Piazza, Michael Kenneth Williams, Paul Sparks, Grechen Mol, Michael Stuhlbarg, Anthony Laciura, Jack Huston, Anatol Yusef
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.