• Courtesy of HBO
• AT LEAST I DON'T HAVE MY ASS IN A SLING: Steve Buscemi as Nucky

“Boardwalk Empire’s” cool title sequence presents Nucky Thompson standing on a beach as liquor bottles wash ashore, and he’s photographed like the Colossus of Rhodes as played by Steve Buscemi. This week, Nucky stops to consider whether he actually wants to be the god-king of Atlantic City.

We open with Nucky riding the elevator, with spooky lighting and the hint of slow-motion signal that it’s a dream. Nucky sees a group of people gathered outside his office. I didn’t recognize any of them — perhaps they’re deceased members of the Thompson family? Nucky goes into his office, sees a catcher’s mitt and a boy behind his desk with a wound in his palm. Nucky says “Daddy eats first,” a wounded stag appears before his desk and the boy shoots at Nucky with a shotgun. Perhaps Nucky’s subconscious is processing the assassination attempt — his surrogate son Jimmy having turned against him. Or maybe he’s predicting what’s to come with his own father.

We cut to Nucky awake, regarding his injured hand as the doctor changes his dressing. “Stigmata,” Nucky remarks of his wound, a Christian imagery that gets a call-back later, at the artist party, when we hear of a sandcastle built to look like a two-headed Jesus on the cross. Nucky notably has two different guises, one in public and one when he plays house with Margaret and the kids. Nucky chews out the doctor for concealing the news of the Commodore’s stroke. The doctor gives little Emily a check-up.

A clerk from Esther Randolph’s office shows up at Eli’s child-ridden house: Sheriff Eli Thompson, you got served! Eli’s temper explodes over the subpoena and in the commotion, his Dad declares “What do you want with my son — ACK!”

At the Darmody place, Jimmy storms out of the shower to take a call from Al Capone. Jimmy fusses at Al because the hit on Nucky failed, not realizing that Angela and their son have entered the hall. “How much did you hear?” “Enough,” Angela says, taking the boy to the beach.

Nucky prepares to have a legal pow-wow with Esther Randolph. Owen hangs around making things awkward for Katy and Margaret. Margaret worries about Nucky going out while it’s open season on him, and he says “If you’re worried, I’ll call Eddie instead and Owen can stay here.” Margaret says no — is there some suspicion there? Margaret answers the phone and tells him, “Your father has died.” I like the way Buscemi visibly absorbs the news, then plays it cool. “OK.”

At a racetrack stable, Rothstein meets with real-life horse trainer Max Hirsch and quizzes Luciano and Lansky about the hit on Nucky. They feign ignorance and Rothstein sniffs and says, “Manure.”

At Nucky’s office, Esther says, “You’re like an onion, Mr. Thompson. The more layers we peel…” Nucky prefers to think of himself as an artichoke. The prosecutor informs Nucky of his assassins connection to Al Capone, as well as her knowledge of Margaret Schroder, “Your…” “… companion.” Esther says, “I do have ways of showing gratitude.” Is she coming onto him? Or just the viewers at home?

Angela takes a day at the beach — is this the show’s first historical crowd scene of bathers playing on the sand and surf? Angela meets free-spirited novelist Louise, who causes trouble by dressing immodestly. “You’re attracting the beach-lizards,” informs the schoolmarmish beach matron — one suspects that “Baywatch” set in 1921 would be very different. Angela pays the $10 fine Louise incurs.

Jimmy takes a meeting with Manny, who’s annoyed that he didn’t know about the failed hit on Nucky, as well as the outstanding $5,000. He tells a story about a man bringing a deer to the butcher shop with no interest in the meat, just the head for a trophy, hinting that Jimmy hides behind other people. The deer image seems to hark back to Nucky’s dream (not to mention “Game of Thrones”).

We have back-to-back scenes of couples having heart-to-heart talks. Margaret asks if Nucky’s going to grieve for his father and he sighs, “I pretend all day, Margaret. Must I pretend with you?” He assures her that she’s in no danger of jail, and she pushes him to leave his corrupt, dangerous lifestyle: “At the cost of your life, is it not greed to fight to keep it.” While Nucky puts a brave spin on things, Angela and Jimmy speak more frankly about why they married if they don’t seem to love each other. Jimmy admits not only that he sells booze, but that he tried to have Nucky killed.

At an armory the next day, Nucky meets Torrio and Rothstein, and they realize that the young Turks are conspiring: “The pups have grown fangs, gentlemen.” Torrio advises Nucky to either “Kill the prick” (Jimmy) or “Take a plea” (with the feds) but Rothstein says, “Do nothing. You have no move, Mr. Thompson.”

Angela and Louise go to a party of bohemian artist-types and hold hands: “It’s OK, cookie, we’re invisible here.” They kiss as a guy playing the ukelele sings “By the Light of the Silvery Moon.”

Nucky shows up early to the vigil for his dead father but runs into Eli anyway. They speak warily about their father, with Nucky still harboring resentment. “Whatever he did, he made us the men we are today, didn’t he?” Eli protests, overlooking the fact that they’re both either murderers or accessories after the fact. Eli accuses Nucky of having no capacity for forgiveness, and Nucky tells him to grow up and take responsibility. Nucky’s about to leave but stops to tie his Dad’s shoes, and tears take him by surprise. You’re human, Nucky — Gotcha!

Nucky pays a visit to the Commodore’s house and mentions his dead Dad. The Commodore says something that sounds like “I’m sorry… to hear that.” Nucky announces his retirement, “You built this town, and you can have it back.” Jimmy and Nucky wish each other luck. Back at his office, Nucky takes care of one last piece of business by encouraging Chalky White to lead the city’s African-American workforce in a strike, in the middle of tourist season.

this week Nucky asks Margaret's kids to call him "Dad," but can he really relinquish being the Colossus of Booze? Maybe not. At home that night, Nucky hints that he’s not going gently into that good night. He takes Owen aside and indicates that he knows where Owen was the night of Nucky’s shooting, and seems to look upstairs. Owen all but gulps — does he know about his and Margaret’s tryst? — and Nucky reveals that he means that Owen’s still fighting for “The Cause.” Nucky wants a meeting with McGarrigle in Belfast. Later, Nucky has the dream again, and wakes up to find Margaret with an ailing Emily.

Jimmy and his cohorts have a victory party, and Jimmy tells Harrow, “Everything you ever wished for is yours.” Jimmy gives a speech about “A kingdom on the ocean rising up from the sand,” and that he wants to share that kingdom with his court. Eli warns him not to underestimate Nucky, which annoys Jimmy nearly as much as Manny and Mickey Doyle do. For no good reason, Jimmy tosses Mickey Doyle off the balcony, where he crashes at Manny’s feet. Because it’s not a part until somebody gets broken.

Notes
Okay, why doesn’t Jimmy just reimburse Manny for that $5,000? Is it really that much money for Jimmy? Manny might be a condescending pest, but he’s got a point.

Jimmy seems like a sore winner at the victory party. Perhaps his lingering guilt over turning against Nucky makes him feel like a pretender, and he overcompensates with violence.

It doesn’t seem a stretch to assume that Nucky wants to sell the armory’s 3,000 surplus machine guns to McGarrigle. The episode’s boat imagery seems to anticipate a voyage across the Atlantic to Belfast.

Torrio says of George Remus, “There’s a shipment coming in. Romulus couldn’t make it.” Al doesn’t get it.

Not much of Nelson Van Alden this week, although he hires a Swedish nanny named Sigrid, who’ll probably help to humanize him. He also contemplates the nature of what’s “evil” vs. what’s “unlawful,” and seems to be saving up a stash of money. To give to Lucy?

Speaking of which, I half-expected to see Lucy Danzinger at the bohemian party, or at least Patricia-Patrick, the carnival hermaphrodite.

“Who knew your Kaiser’d chicken out so soon?” “Asshole.” Nice for Eddie to get a laugh.

The “Two boats and a lifeguard” joke is one of my favorites, but I prefer the more contemporary version with a jeep, a boat and a helicopter.

The elevator in the dream reminded me of Buscemi's appearance as the bellman in Barton Fink.