Courtesy of HBO

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP NUCKY: Steve Buscemi (center)

One of the first scenes of “Boardwalk Empire’s” second season depicted a Klansman with a Gatling gun, shooting up Chalky White’s warehouse. The Season Two finale, “To The Lost,” begins with the other half of the bookend as two masked men, whom we soon recognize as Jimmy and Richard, intrude on a backwoods, riverside KKK meeting, guns a-blazing. They demand the whereabouts to the three guys who shot up the warehouse, shooting two Klansmen to get their attention, and stabbing a guilty party who tries to bolt.

In Philadelphia, Manny Horowitz, in a synagogue basement, waxes nostalgic about his (presumably) his Russian hometown of Odessa and its more open ruthlessness. He suggests that there, it’s worse for the middlemen: “From the middle, it’s easier to fall down than climb up.” Manny’s taking a meeting with Nucky, Owen Sleater and Mickey Doyle, and offers, “You give me Waxey, I’ll give you Darmody,” although Nucky points out that Manny seems hardly in a position to give up anybody.

Perhaps Manny’s too well hidden for Jimmy and Richard to exact their revenge on him, so instead, Jimmy’s being a responsible civic leader/crimelord and addressing the Chalky situation. Back in Atlantic City, Jimmy and Richard deliver the three Klansmen to Chalky’s warehouse. “Welcome back, fellows,” says Purnsley (I think) to the Klansmen. Chalky says, “Tell your Daddy I’ll call off the strike,” and Jimmy replies, “I will,” and not, “Oh, I stabbed Daddy.” Jimmy also asks Chalky to notify Nucky that he wants to meet. Richard points out that Nucky will never forgive Jimmy.