Boardwalk Empire’s premiere episode had so much work to do in catching us up on the past seven years, that it’s little wonder the follow-up is better. For all of what we saw last week, the biggest event—and the only one that seemed like it had much staying power—was the attempt on Nucky’s life. Other stories were put into motion, but they were peripheral, whereas it’s clear that the question of who tried to kill Nucky can easily be answered with a full-on mob war. “The Good Listener” is an episode that, for once, picks up this obvious thread and runs with it (no small feat for this show), as Nucky uses his connection with another member of the old mob scene, Johnny Torrio, to speak with the current New York mafia leader, Maranzano.
It’s a testament to how interesting this story is, that it’s the centerpiece of the episode—most of the time what’s going on with Nucky is the dullest part of Boardwalk Empire. His politics and widespread connections, trips to Florida and Havana and Philadelphia and everywhere else, rarely make for compelling television, neither does the fact that, oftentimes, his meetings are essentially meaningless. For some time, most of the violence on the show has come as a result of large-scale business deals and restructuring, and very rarely from personal relationships. This is one reason it’s always paled in comparison to The Sopranos (and why its third season may have been its best, as it was the one period of time when the antagonist took everything personally). Here, though, Nucky’s war with Lansky and Luciano has become personal, has become more than just something a few meetings with mob bosses can settle. Nucky has already been forced to resort to violence, something he’s always loath to do. And while, unfortunately, we’ll never go anywhere truly unexpected because of the show’s reliance on historical accuracy, by Boardwalk Empire’s standards we’re still in the realm of suspense.
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