'Boardwalk Empire' Season 2, Episode 5 Recap - 'Gimcrack and Bunkum'

For the longest time I was convinced that the most fascinating character from “Boardwalk Empire” (amongst a surprisingly long list of potential candidates) was Prohibition Agent Van Elden (Michael Shannon), whose repressed anger and sexuality serves as a nice analogy for the fallacies of Prohibition, or maybe Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams), Nucky Thompson’s deeply conflicted black ally and arguably one of the baddest men on television currently.

In last night’s episode of “Boardwalk Empire,” “Gimcrack and Bunkum,” the visually fascinating Richard Harrow (played by Jack Huston), who wears a mask on half his face to avoid displaying a severe disfigurement gained in the trenches of World War 1, was fleshed out more as a complete character, and given life and complexity just as he was trying to off himself.

Up to that point he'd been almost a stylistic oddity - some sort of character from a Kubrick or even Fellini movie, deliberately brought in just to make you unsettled -- almost like a mood piece. But last night that all changed.

On the afternoon of Memorial Day, when Nucky has surprised Jimmy at a ceremony honoring veterans by having him speak at the podium (which Jimmy eventually does a good job of handling), Richard has wandered off into the woods.

After he leafs forlornly through a photo album with pictures and drawing of his long-lost sister and the sketch Jimmy’s wife Angela has made of him, and realizing that he is likely never to be able to find love, he tries to off himself by putting a rifle in his mouth. A stray dog comes up to him just as he is about to pull the trigger, growls and steals his mask. He drops the gun and chases the dog.

Eventually, a man and his friend who live in the woods find him. They talk to him by their campfire, feed him, and warn him that the woods are a place for life. Suicide crisis averted, at least for the short time. When he comes back to town, he talks to Jimmy, and asks him if he would fight for him. When Jimmy answers “to the last bullet,” it’s clear that Richard’s new purpose in life is to be a very loyal soldier in Jimmy’s new Army.

Meanwhile, Jimmy has had his own issues. The liquor factory explosion means that his investors are worried and threatening to pull out. They’ve caught wind of the fact that the Commodore is sick, and though they don’t know the details, they don’t like it.

When Jimmy makes a snide remark in a meeting with the investors about “their little yacht club,” city father Parkhurst, a man who regularly glories in telling tales of slaughtering Indians during the Civil War, smacks Jimmy square in the head, causing him to bleed. Parkhurst says something about how the younger generation needs to learn some respect and Jimmy says that he’s been taught something alright.

Later, as Parkhurst sends his servant away to get him some cocoa, Jimmy and Richard (his new most loyal soldier) slip in and literally scalp Parkhurst for his transgression. Woah - brutal stuff. Little Jimmy is going to war, and he’s apparently not taking any prisoners.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Eli remains a traitor and a coward. He comes crawling back to Nucky, begging forgiveness and spilling the beans that the Commodore has had a stroke and is incapacitated. Nucky thanks him for the information, then tells him to get down on his knees and kiss his shoes, calling him a "piece of sh^&" and proceeding to beat the holy hell out of him.

The two roll around Nucky’s patio and Eli strangles him, then once Nucky gets out of that hold, he tries to pull a gun. Once again, Nucky’s ass is saved by Margaret, who points a shotgun at Eli and tells him to get out of the house. Nucky isn’t exactly grateful when he tells her she should never pull a gun on someone unless it’s loaded (the shotgun is empty).

Speaking of Margaret, while in bed later, she’s startled by a screaming sound. When she goes to check on what it is, her maid Katy is out in the hallway looking around. When Margaret asks her if she heard anything, she says she only heard Margaret scream.

Of course, all the while, the dastardly IRA bomber Owen Sleater is in the room, and he’s the obvious source of the “screaming.” In case we just weren’t sure, Katy drops her robe and gets fully (not to mention gloriously) naked, offering herself to him.

Meanwhile, Eli has sulked off home and is getting hammered in the garage with his son. When an agitated George comes to visit him, freaking out about rumors that the Commodore is sick, and starts to get loud and threaten to tell everyone, Eli finally snaps and beats him down.

When he realizes that he’s hurt him much worse than he had imagined, he goes ahead and finishes the job in brutal fashion. He then hauls the body off to a cornfield and buries it.

Lately, every time I say things are about to get even more violent on “Boardwalk Empire,” I seem to be right. Next week, it gets even uglier…