The third season premiere promotes Nucky to full-fledged gangster
Boardwalk Empire premiered its third season Sunday, Sept. 16 as once again part of HBO’s Sunday night line-up. The first episode of the series, titled “Resolutions” opens 16 months after the shocking season two finale. The episode centered on a gala to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 1922.
When viewers last tuned into Boardwalk Empire during its season two finale, they were stunned to see the “half gangster” Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) off his protégé Jimmy Darmody. Fast forward months later, the powerful Nucky is now a darker and more violent character that is looking to optimize his liquor selling. By announcing that he will become a wholesale dealer, Nucky cut deals he formerly had with bootleggers and gained new enemies.
Although Nucky is in no way reeling for his killing of his protégé, critics worry that the storylines and plots in Boardwalk Empire will suffer considering that Jimmy Darmody’s character made up a third of the narrative. The premiere included several new plots and characters to fill this void, including the disintegration of Nucky’s marriage to social climber Margaret Schroeder, his newfound love in a dancer named Billie and introduction of possible new enemy Gyp Rosetti.
The HBO award-winning Boardwalk Empire may have completely changed the tone and structure of its narrative thanks to the season two finale, but the third season premiere promises scandal, lust, violence and, of course, all things gangster.
