Ep 9. Belle Femme

Boardwalk Empire season 1 episode 9 is titled "Belle Femme." This episode centers around the character of Nucky Thompson, the treasurer of Atlantic City and the main character of the show. Nucky finds himself facing several challenges as he tries to maintain his power in the city and deal with personal issues at the same time.

One of the main plotlines of this episode involves Nucky's relationship with Margaret Schroeder, a widow who he has been seeing for some time. Margaret is struggling to raise her two young children on her own and is finding it difficult to make ends meet. Nucky offers to help her out financially, but she is reluctant to accept his money and instead asks him to help her find a job. Nucky is torn between his desire to help Margaret and his own business interests, as he fears that hiring her could cause problems with his associates.

Meanwhile, Nucky also finds himself dealing with a new rival in the form of a gangster named Manny Horvitz. Horvitz is a dangerous and unpredictable figure, and Nucky must walk a fine line to avoid angering him while still protecting his own interests. At the same time, he is also trying to negotiate a deal with a politician who could help him secure a lucrative contract for the city.

As if all of this weren't enough, Nucky is also facing personal problems in the form of his brother Eli, who is struggling with alcoholism and has become increasingly unstable. Nucky must balance his loyalty to his brother with the need to maintain his own power and control in the city.

Throughout the episode, there are also various subplots involving other characters in the show, including Nucky's associate Jimmy Darmody and his brother Richard Harrow, who is a veteran of World War I and dealing with his own traumatic experiences. There are also tensions between various ethnic groups in the city, as different factions jockey for power and influence.

Overall, "Belle Femme" is a complex and multi-layered episode that offers a glimpse into the complex world of Atlantic City during the prohibition era. It is a tense and suspenseful hour of television that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, even as it explores deeper themes of power, loyalty, and the human cost of violence.