Boardwalk Empire: “Devil You Know”
(Episode 5.06)

“The Devil You Know” completes the stories for two of Boardwalk Empire’s leading men, and, as such, it’s impossible to watch without wondering about the entirety of their arcs. Did they make sense? Did they add something to the show, or were they somewhat incoherent? It’s an uncomfortable question for Boardwalk Empire because the answers aren’t really as positive as they should be, particularly in the case of Michael Shannon’s Nelson Van Alden.
When introduced in Season One,Van Alden was a devout opponent of alcohol. Yet it was ultimately his crusading in that cause that led to his downfall, and now he’s a gangster in Chicago, working as a low level henchman for Al Capone. It’s a fall-from-grace story that sounds interesting from a distance, but the question is, how much does it add to Boardwalk Empire as a whole, which (especially now, in its final season) is for the most part the story of Nucky Thompson? Not all that much, it turns out. There’s a sense that for a while, Van Alden’s story was about the requirement for corruption in the police, and then eventually about how a man whose values have been stripped from him can rebuild his life. For the most part, though, despite numerous great scenes, it’s been a mess. Van Alden dies after he and Eli try to pull off a half-hearted scam to steal Al Capone’s books, and get caught redhanded. When Al confronts him about this, he goes into angry proselytization mode one last time, but this mostly acts as a reminder of just how rambling his character has been. Van Alden is revealed, in the end, to have existed for so long (with hours of screentime spent upon him), not because the character was particularly interesting, but because of Michael Shannon. At least, that’s the only rationale I could really come up with. His ignominious, largely pointless end seems fitting for a character that was always less interesting than the fantastic performances the actor gave.
All of that is criticism of the show as a whole, which has proven time and time again to be rather terrible when it comes to serialization, often in surprising new ways. However, as far as this episode in particular is concerned, Van Alden and Eli’s tense series of confrontations in Al Capone’s apartment made for some exciting television, even though we knew that there was no way Capone would be the one dead at the end of it. Once again, that’s the problem with relying on real people, as there’s no sense of danger on that side of the room, even when Boardwalk Empire really wants there to be. And fortunately, when all of the drama is done, Eli is left wondering what to do next. Likely, this means a return to Atlantic City for him, and some form of reconciliation with his brother, after their years apart (which, due to the time jump, really just feels like no time at all).