Boardwalk Empire: 10 Things You Forgot From The First Episode

Boardwalk Empire‘s first episode still ranks as one of the most expensive TV episodes ever made. With legendary director Martin Scorsese at the helm, HBO couldn’t be blamed for not sparing any cash to ensure the period drama kicked off with a bang. Even though Scorsese didn’t return for later episodes, the foundation he laid was solid enough to keep the series going for five seasons.

The series premiere—which aired on September 19, 2010—also had a lengthier runtime of 73 minutes. For his work on the episode, Scorsese was awarded an Emmy for “Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.” Hopefully, he’ll do some work on the small screen again in the future. Here is what you forgot about the pilot.

10 Nucky Lied To Get Votes

Flamboyant city treasurer Nucky Thompson showcased his public-speaking skills as he addressed a crowd at the Women’s Temperance League. He immediately won their unwavering support by lying how he was once such a pauper that he caught three rats to feed his wife and children.

He later bragged to his driver about the lie, telling him: “The first rule of politics… Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” Quite a way to introduce the antihero.

9 The “Liquid Gold” Robbery

At the beginning of the episode, Prohibition had just been enacted. Without wasting any time, Atlantic City’s top criminals had begun smuggling Canadian whisky aka “liquid gold.”

Smugglers who were attempting to move new shipments into the city were tricked by two masked men who went on to rob them. One of the men being robbed asked the assailants if they knew who the load belonged to, implying that they were making a big mistake. Later in the episode, it emerged that Al Capone and Nucky’s driver Jimmy were the robbers.

8 Nucky Ordered A Hit On The Husband Of His Future Mistress

A pregnant Mrs. Schroeder came to plead with Nucky to give her abusive alcoholic husband Hans a job. She had to wait for hours to see him because he preferred to sleep until 4 pm. Blame it on the party nights. Nucky opted not to help her husband and gave her a stack of cash instead so that she could survive during the winter period.

Mrs. Schroeder was so glad that she offered to name her child after him. Nucky was against the idea, stating that his name wasn’t beautiful. Later, Hans assaulted Mrs. Schroeder and took the money. When Nucky found out, he had him whacked and thrown into the ocean, a node to the Big Bussy murder in The Sopranos. Mrs. Schroeder would go on to become Nucky’s mistress and eventually wife.

7 The Introduction Of Al Capone

The series did a magnificent job of covering the early years of Al Capone before he rose to be America’s most feared mob boss. He was introduced in the series premiere as a 21-year old gangster and Torio’s personal driver.

He accompanied Torio and Big Jim Colosimo to a meeting in Atlantic City where the two Chicago mobsters were meant to discuss Prohibition with New York City mobsters Lucky Luciano and Arnold Rothstein. Al Capone was not allowed in the meeting so he waited outside where he bonded with Nucky Thompson’s driver, Jimmy.

6 A Distillery Below A Funeral Home

Nucky visited Berns’ Funeral Home where it emerged that Mickey Doyle was operating a massive illegal distillery. In the basement, there were 10 men, working around the clock every day.

Doyle explained to Nucky that his operation could produce 2000 cases of alcohol each week, by using water and fermenting potatoes. The funeral home acted as the perfect cover. At the entrance, Doyle had placed a fake mourner who would welcome any associate that would enter.

5 Jimmy’s Frustrations

Nucky’s driver Jimmy was portrayed in the episode as a frustrated mobster who felt that he deserved much more. He had the right to feel that way since he had attended Princeton college and fought in WWI.

During the meeting at the funeral home, he begged Nucky to make him a bigger part of his operations. Nucky’s response? “This is America! Who’s stopping you?” And as he was having a chat with Al Capone, he lamented how Lucky Luciano was earning $5 million at 22 yet the two of them were mere drivers.

4 Agent Nelson Van Alden’s Efforts To Take Down The Mobsters

Where criminals reign, there is always a brave law enforcement officer looking to make a name for himself by taking them down. Such was what Nelson Van Alden was all about. He was introduced in the pilot as an agent with the Bureau of Prohibition, which was a branch of the Department of Internal Revenue

Despite most of his colleagues being incompetent, Nelson was determined to catch the bootleggers. Knowing Jimmy’s history, he approached him with an offer to join the Bureau, terming it a godly pursuit.

3 Big Jim Colosimo Got Whacked

Martin Scorsese is good at showcasing “the painting of houses” in his movies and when it came to the small screen, he didn’t disappoint either. When Big Jim Colosimo went back to Chicago, he got comfortable in his restaurant and put on some music. In jail or dead is how it always ends for mob bosses and Colosimo’s time had come.

The Chicago mob boss didn’t notice hitman Frankie Yale approaching from behind. Frankie proceeded to shoot him in the back of the head.  It then became clear that Torio had ordered the hit on Colosimo. His crime? Resisting the hottest new business venture—bootlegging.

2 Nucky And Rothstein’s Rivalry

Arnold Rothstein made a deal with Nucky to buy whiskey worth $60,000 from him for a wedding. However, the relationship between the two didn’t get better, especially after Rothstein cheated and won $93,000 while playing at Nucky’s casino.

Things got worse later on when Al Capone and Jimmy robbed Rothstein’s whiskey shipment. The men transporting the shipment were shot but one of them stayed alive long enough to identify Jimmy as one of the robbers. This added more fire to an already worsening relationship between Nucky and Rothstein.

1 Nucky Snubbed Chalky

Fans of crime dramas were glad to see Michael Kenneth Williams’s face. Williams famously portrayed Baltimore gangster Omar in The Wire. He was introduced in the series premiere as Chalky White, the leader of Atlantic City’s black community.

Chalky went on to be a recurring character in the series but in this particular episode, it didn’t look like his role was going to be a prominent one. He was seen at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, eager to have a meeting with Nucky but the corrupt treasurer kept on snubbing him. A frustrated Chalky warned Nucky that he didn’t have all day.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1232 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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