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With Nucky taking the death of Sally Wheet hard, "The Devil You Know" will be a "Boardwalk Empire" episode for the ages.

(HBO)

THIS WEEK: Written by the uber-prolific Howard Korder and directed by Jeremy Podeswa, "The Devil You Know" will be an 'Empire' episode for the ages. In Harlem, Chalky finally comes face-to-face with Dr. Narcisse; Eli and Mueller attempt to steal the Capone ledger books with disastrous results and young Nucky starts to realize what he may have to do in order to get in good with The Commodore.

'Boardwalk Empire' Recap / Season 5, Episode 6 / 'The Devil You Know'

(Editorial note: For the bulk of my week, I was holed up in a Vermont lodge that was directly out of "The Shining." Internet service was shoddy and besides, there were leaves to peep and maple syrups and craft beers to try. That said, this week's recap may feel truncated. Even more important, though, the 'Boardwalk Empire' universe has suffered two severe blows with — SPOILER ALERT — death to two beloved characters and I'm sure the bulk of this week's conversation will be on them.)

CHALKY WHITE, EVERYMAN GANGSTER

R.I.P., Chalky ... We'll miss you.

Chalky White was the most decent man in the 'Empire' universe and never hurt anyone who didn't have it coming. That was one of the few codes the criminal lived by and, for a large number of years, that creed seemed to work well for him. He enjoyed the fruits of his labor with a wonderful wife, educated children and a large, gorgeous home — stuff that Chalky knew deep down he had no right having and always seemed uncomfortable in that universe (remember those family dinners?).

I guess you could say that those forbidden fruits were theoretically taken away the moment Dunn Purnsley killed talent agent/booker Dickie Pastor. Thus, his introducing everyone to one Dr. Valentin Narcisse.

OUR WEIRDO, VAN MUELLER

Oh, Van Mueller... Wait, let's be respectful. From the moment we met the pious, flagellating, iron-swinging Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden, we knew that his quirks, ticks and droll one-liners would be among the favorites of the week. And they were.

'Why must there always be pandemonium!?'

I'll admit, when Van Alden became a fugitive on the run, he blossomed for me as a character. The fact he was a wanted man made him dangerous. That desperation to feed his "family" on the run made for great situations and putting him smack dab in the middle of Capone's organization was a master-stroke by Terence Winter.

While getting a hole in his head that rivaled masked sniper Richard Harrow's, the man who "refused to be ruled by fear" died with an absolute dignity. In Chicago, that dignity came in the form of giving mob kingpin Al Capone a bonafide knuckle sandwich.

As for redemption? While Van Alden and Eli sure did bumble that ledger job to the hilt, the fact that Van Alden's unexpected assault on the big man prompted him to fork over the books to undercover fed Mikey D'Angelo.

Well done, Mueller... Well done.

We'll miss your bug-eyed view of the world: "WHY MUST THERE ALWAYS BE PANDEMONIUM?!"

TOO MUCH MARTYRDOM?

Now that I've gotten the eulogies out of the way, I have to ask faithful readers of these recaps: Was there a bit too much martyrdom this week in the "Boardwalk Empire" universe?

Deaths are nothing new to the show. In fact, some can argue that a character death can make a show better. After all, who can forget how the interwebbies were ablaze when Jimmy Darmody bought that big distillery in the sky? Granted, Michael Pitt worked that charismatic gravitas to an almost religious level, so fans were going to miss him no matter what. You have to admit, though, his death allowed the show to "make its bones." It was on the map.

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'BOARDWALK EMPIRE': THE FINAL SEASON

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FOREVER IN THE SHADOW OF 'THE SOPRANOS'

Still, killing two fan favorites in one foul swoop will undoubtedly polarize the 'Empire' fan base and, some could say they reeked of martyrdom and, as a result, cheapened the overall effect.

Singularly, a Chalky death and a Mueller death would have felt more powerful in separate episodes. I can't be alone in thinking this.

That said, it shouldn't shock us that Chalky and Van Alden bought the farm. Van Alden teetered on Capone's ledge every week and after having a pistol down his throat, how many more close calls could he really have? In essence, his goose was cooked the second Lucky Luciano laid eyes on him.

As for Chalky? Really, did he have any business going to Dr. Narcisse's brothel to begin with?

"That's something that wouldn't do either of us any good," were Nucky's words last week when Chalky inquired about the Harlem nemesis and the Nuckster was right. It was a doomed mission from the start. Chalky's denouement felt sloppy and 'Empire' rarely gives us plot points that reek of Screenwriting 101. Chalky deserved better. And to die an the hands of mere thugs owned by Valentin Narcisse is, to me, a even sadder ending than Omar Little received.

DAUGHTER GETS A GIG

So we come to find out that Daughter Maitland (Margot Bingham) seeks the help of Dr. Valentin Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright) because, in essence, he's managed to blackball her getting any kind of singing job throughout the country.

Will Daughter Maitland finally be free from the grips of Dr. Valentin Narcisse?

When Chalky sees Daughter's little one Althea, Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams) wonders who the father is?

"She's not his," Daughter tells him.

"Then whose?"

"Just mine..." she darts back. She implores Chalky to leave.

"Let's BOTH see him," Chalky sneers.

* * *

It's obvious that Chalky still holds a grudge against Daughter for leaving him in Havre de Grace, Maryland years back.

"I know I had to leave or never be free..." she says.

Chalky explains that for seven years the only thing that allowed him to sleep was her voice in his head. "And then I realize I don't even remember what you sound like..."

While he figured she was making a living as a singer, Chalky learns that Daughter cleans toilets in Memphis. Narcisse finally enters and after some sinister chit-chat with little Althea says, "Well, I suppose we all have our affairs to discuss."



Daughter retrieves her suitcase and takes out a demo recording she had made and paid for herself but no one will hire her. Again, she puts the blame on Narcisse.

"Perhaps the failure is your own..." he says.

Narcisse explains that he just got back from a meeting with Luciano. He laments the fact that Charlie is putting the squeeze on him in his own area.

"Ain't a concern of mine," Chalky sneers.

"What if it were?" Narcisse asks. "Am I worse than those devils that betrayed you?"

"You the only devil I know..." Chalky tells him.

Chalky orders Narcisse to put the record on. She sings "Dream a Little Dream" and he's visibly moved. It's then that he stops the record and tells Narcisse that he'll take the deal that the doctor laid out earlier. One that could have questionable consequences for Chalky.

Daughter objects. "It's not what I came for" and "You can't trust him," she pleads.

Chalky tells her that she came to be heard as he turns to the doctor. "Set it up and I belong to you..." he tells Narcisse.

Chalky White paid the ultimate price tonight, ensuring that Daughter and Althea will be set up financially.

The doc tells Daughter that she'll be booked in the city of her choosing by the morning. Chalky kneels beside what may be his daughter and tells her to stay close to her mother and far away from men like him. He then forks over his gun to Narcisse and kisses the woman he loves goodbye.

In the alley, Chalky tells Narcisse that he'll never stop Luciano and the other white gangsters. "They everywhere. You just here..."

Narcisse exits the alley as Chalky's men prepare for their execution.

CAPONE RATTLED

So Mueller and Eli completely foul up the plan laid out by Mikey D'Angelo (where they were ordered to steal the Capone ledgers). That doesn't really shock us. Didn't even really shock Mueller. Even he admitted, "This has not been thought through..." What shocks us are the events that follow (as discussed above).

When Capone comes back from a night on the town with Hollywood actors George Raft and Paul Muni to find brother Ralph (Domenick Lombardozzi) dealing with these two suspicious stumblebums, it gets heated. And quick. (1)

(1) Turner Classic Movies explains: "A former Broadway dancer who befriended a number of New York mobsters, actor George Raft developed a rather notorious stardom playing tough guys throughout the 1930s and 1940s. After gaining attention on Broadway for his unbelievably fast Charleston, Raft moved to Hollywood, where he had numerous supporting parts before landing his breakout role in Howard Hawks' infamous crime drama, "Scarface" (1932)."

"Paul Muni was truly an actor's actor," says TCM. "Although he always protested that he didn't know what acting was, he threw himself into each role, changing his voice, his body and even his face. His penchant for hiding his good looks behind tons of make-up for each role won him the nickname "The New Lon Chaney." Both Raft and Muni would go on to star in 1932's 'Scarface'

In his office, Capone asks both men what did he ever do to them to deserve them stealing?

He tells Eli, "I take you in as a favor to your brother so you can lay low. You ever say thank-you? I never heard it." He turns to Mueller. "And you. I thought we was buddies."

Capone says that he thinks Charlie Luciano was right, pulls out his gun and points it at Mueller's head.

"What do you have to say?" Capone asks him. Just then, Mueller grabs his arm and wallops the big man, admitting that, yes, he is in fact a former Treasury Agent and that his name is Nelson Kaspar Van Alden and that justice will reign down upon him when ... MIKEY D'ANGELO shoots him in the head (!). Eli is dumbfounded and petrified.

Nelson Kaspar Van Alden certainly threw Al Capone for a loop.

As Capone kicks his dead corpse, Eli whispers that he's sorry over and over. Snork then starts in on Eli who admits they came for the ledgers on the orders of Elliot Ness.

Capone orders Eli to be killed, face down in the corn field. "What about his brother?" Ralphie asks.

"Luciano's taking care of him," Capone answers. As Al enters the parlor at the Lexington, Raft and Muni look very scared as the night continues

Down in the basement, D'Angelo throws Eli some cash and tells him to get out of town.

MEETING RAGGED 'GILLIAN'

In this week's 'Young Nucky' arc we see how the young sheriff's deputy is adjusting to not only married life, but municipal life as well. We can easily tell Nuck feels better about his job and is more comfortable in its skin.

Even chit-chatting with Mr. Glass, a boardwalk shopkeeper about a young thief constantly hitting the store, Nucky makes the shift to protection collection with the utmost of aplomb.

Even with pregnant Mabel (Maya Kazan), Nucky, while still a lowly deputy, wants to be the young-man-on-the-rise but can't seem to impress the Commodore.

Young Nucky Thompson is certainly setting his sights higher than Alderman Jim Neary.

He laments the fact that everyone was calling him Nucky at a recent business banquet honoring Jim Neary.

"Oh, no ...' Mabel scoffs and puts on a Southern accent, joking. "My name is Nucky, boys... I'm in ladies garters. What's YOUR line? Say, have yourself a see-gar."

Nucky stresses that he WILL make his way for their child.

While others, namely a young Eli (Ryan Dinning) covet the alderman job of a young Jim Neary, Nucky knows it's all chump change.

"You wanna be like JIM NEARY? The man doesn't have an honest bone in his body." He and his brother will be destined for better. That he'll make sure of.

Just then, they see the "dirty little monkey" that the shopkeeper warned Nucky about and he begins to chase the young thief along the boards and then underneath. The child is gone but Nucky finds the stolen wares.

Later, Eli and Nucky ambush the child, while waiting under the boardwalk. When Nucky asks for a name, she says, "Nellie Bly."

Nucky inspects her stuff once again and finds the book "Around the World in 72 Days." (2)

"It's not s bad as you think," Nucky says. "Just tell me your name."

"Gillian..." she answers.

(2) Says LibriVox about the book: "This is a true account by American woman journalist [Nellie Bly] who, in 1889, set out to see whether she could beat the fictional journey in Jules Verne's 1873 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. Wearing one dress and carrying one handbag, Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (pen name "Nellie Bly"), reported her travels back to avid readers in America."

Suddenly that Nellie Bly letter is making more sense.

NUCKY ON A BENDER

At the Old Rumpus, Joel Harper (Travis Tope) is more and more visible and, for all intents and purposes, becomes somewhat of a chum with Mickey Doyle (Paul Sparks). Who else will listen to those dopey jokes and goofy life perspectives ("It's like the clock is running backwards")? Doyle also tells Harper that when he was a teen, he was knocking over storefronts with a pocket Colt.

After bringing Nucky and Arquimedes (Paul Calderon) some sandwiches and a growler of beer, they find that Nucky has flown the coop. Gone. Archie begins to frantically look for his boss.

Nucky finds himself in the seediest of dive bars and cozies up to Dianah, a woman who could easily be the brunette version of Sally Wheet. Smoking her stogie, Nucky and she jab back in forth, exchanging vulgarities that would make even Capone blush.

The REAL Francis X. Bushman

When she asks his name, Nucky gives her the fake moniker Francis X. Bushman. (3)

(3) Bushman was a silent screen star. Golden Silents explains: "In 1915 he became an early Metro star. He also worked for Vitagraph studio and others. Francis is best remembered today for playing the frightening, stone faced Messala in the original 1925 film version of "Ben-Hur", with Ramon Novarro playing opposite him as Judah Ben-Hur. This version of "Ben-Hur" was the most expensive silent film ever made, at a budget of 3.9 million dollars, a phenomenal sum in those days. Francis's interpretation of the role of Messala was quite different from the later 1959 version, played by actor Stephen Boyd."

Later, Nucky impresses his female companions by reciting the poem "The Song of Hiawatha" (*)

(*) The poem, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, can be read in its entirety HERE.

As the two ladies playfully insult one another, one calls the other "King Neptune's Consort." (**)

CATCH UP ON SEASON 4 'BOARDWALK EMPIRE' RECAPS

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Episode 1 / 'New York Sour'

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Episode 2 / 'Resignation'

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Episode 3 / 'Acres of Diamonds'

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Episode 4 / 'All In'

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Episode 5 / 'Erlkönig'

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Episode 6 / 'The North Star'

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Episode 7 / 'William Wilson'

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Episode 8 / 'The Old Ship of Zion'

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Episode 9 / 'Marriage and Hunting'

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Episode 10 / 'White Horse Pike'

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Episode 11 / 'Havre de Grace'

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Episode 12 / 'Farewell Daddy Blues'

"I almost was once," Irene says.

(**) I think we can see where this may be headed. Last season, Gillian told Roy that her first kiss was under the boardwalk with a boy named 'James.' She explained that the next day she was supposed to meet him at The Opening of the Sea, a local tourist ceremony. When Gillian pushed her way to the front she was asked to be one of King Neptune's consorts. That's when the sheriff approached her (we now know this was a young Nucky Thompson) and took her to The Commodore, who molested and impregnated her that night.

Is THIS how young Nucky would ultimately get into the good graces of The Commodore, who, up until now, has no use for the young deputy?

After Nucky plants the seed that the three of them can waltz into the Ritz-Carlton, he waxes poetic about getting ahead in life and the sometimes dirty little secrets that often follow.

When an old drunk insults Nucky and the ladies, an awkward fight ensues but Nuck gets the better of the old, cranky man. As his reward, he tells the ladies that he wants to have sex with them both.

But they have other plans. Outside, Dianah sucker punches the drunk Nucky.

Later, when Nucky awakes, he's on the ground and sees Joel Harper and babbles in a post-drunken stupor.

Is Joel Harper really Tommy Darmody? Does Nucky really know who he is?

"You think I don't know who you are? ... You little scheming monkey, I'll run you out of town... You stupid child.. Why would you trust me?"

Later, back in his room he tells Joel that someone he was close to just died and was because of him.

"She's gone and I'm still here. What kind of world is THAT?"

Downstairs, Mickey is rallying the Nucky Thompson troops. He sees Nuck looking from above and asks, "We saddling up for a showdown or not?"

"We are..." Nuck answers. Stuff is about to go down!

OTHER STUFF ON MY MIND

• The title of the episode comes from the exchange between Narcisse and Chalky when the latter said, "You the only devil I know..." It's subtle and to the point.

• We picked up right where we left off. I can count on only one hand how many times the 'Empire' action picked up directly after the prior week's. This was prevalent in the Gyp Rosetti season when the end-of-episode cliffhangers were more kinetic.

• Is Dr. Narcisse really THAT powerful that he can blackball someone with such an angelic voice as Daughter? He barely has control over Harlem (with Lucky pressing him) and his influence in speakeasies spans the country? Doubt it.

• "Your father set me up with your mother..." Doyle jokes with Harper. Can the foreshadowing hit us any harder? That seemed to really confuse teen Joe.

• I could be loopy but watch Harper with Nucky's sandwich early in the show. Looked waaaay suspicious.

• It's official. Nuck likes his women tougher than he, perhaps?

• Young Nucky seems to certainly be onto the Commodore's penchant for little girls.

• Who else thought that the dirty little 'flatcap' was going to be Mickey Doyle?

• Line of the night? "We're having trouble at home," Mueller says. Eli raises his finger, "I can vouch for that."

• If they had only left seconds earlier, our Mueller would still been alive.

• Not the first time pop culture has seen George Raft as a character. Joe Mantegna played him in the 1991 drama "Buggy."

• "Give her up. Others do ..." That's cold.

• So why did Dianah and Irene work Nucky over? He had the fifty dollar bill on him so they didn't rob him. Thoughts?

• What's Nucky going to do without Chalky? He was truly one of the only guys he could count on.

• Hmmm... We got a silent, non-musical end credit sequence. A first, if I recall correctly. And fitting.



Anthony Venutolo may be reached at avenutolo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyVenutolo and Google+. Find NJ.com on Facebook.