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"Broadway Limited" is the third episode of the first season of Boardwalk Empire, and the third episode overall. The episode was written by supervising producer Margaret Nagle and directed by executive producer Tim Van Patten. It premiered on October 3, 2010.

Nucky Thompson negotiates a favorable deal with African American bootlegger Chalky White but is forced to renegotiate when Chalky's driver is lynched. Jimmy Darmody is identified as one of the shooters in the Hammonton hijacking in a dying admission by the sole survivor. Nelson Van Alden wants to arrest Jimmy while Arnold Rothstein sends Charlie Luciano to kill Jimmy. Nucky orders Jimmy out of town and he leaves on the Broadway Limited train after an argument with Angela. Margaret Schroeder is given a job at La Belle Femme by Nucky and is humilated twice; first by the owner and then by Nucky's girlfriend Lucy Danziger.

Plot[]

Summary[]

Recap[]

Main article: Broadway Limited recap

A detailed recap of the episode scene by scene.

Appearances[]

First appearances[]

  1. Leo D'Alessio, eldest and leader of the D'Alessio brothers.
  2. Ignacious D'Alessio, the second brother.
  3. Pius D'Alessio, the youngest brother.
  4. Edith Mauer, Margaret Schroeder's neighbor.
  5. Isabelle Jeunet, owner of the upscale clothing shop La Belle Femme.
  6. Robert Dittrich, photographer, co-owner of The Dittrich Studios, husband of Mary.
  7. Mary Dittrich, photographer, co-owner of The Dittrich Studios, wife of Robert.
  8. Rose Van Alden, Nelson Van Alden's wife.

Deaths[]

  1. Simon - While being tortured for information by Nelson Van Alden.
  2. Kendall - Lynched by the D'Alessio brothers after mistaking him for Chalky White.

Production[]

Cast[]

Starring[]

  1. Steve Buscemi as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson
  2. Michael Pitt as James "Jimmy" Darmody
  3. Kelly MacDonald as Margaret Schroeder
  4. Michael Shannon as Agent Nelson Van Alden
  5. Shea Whigham as Sheriff Elias "Eli" Thompson
  6. Aleksa Palladino as Angela Darmody
  7. Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothstein
  8. Stephen Graham as Al Capone (credit only)
  9. Vincent Piazza as Lucky Luciano
  10. Paz de la Huerta as Lucille "Lucy" Danziger
  11. Michael K. Williams as Chalky White
  12. Anthony Laciura as Edward "Eddie" Kessler
  13. Paul Sparks as Mickey Doyle
  14. Dabney Coleman as Commodore Louis Kaestner (credit only)

Guest starring[]

  1. Gretchen Mol as Gillian Darmody
  2. Edoardo Ballerini as Ignacious D'Alessio
  3. Max Casella as Leo D'Alessio
  4. Peter McRobbie as Supervisor Elliot
  5. Erik Weiner as Agent Eric Sebso

Co-starring[]

1. Fred Armstrong as Player 2
2. Kathryn Avery as Dancer 1
3. Stephen Badalamenti as Player 1
4. Robert Clohessy as Ward Boss Jim Neary
5. Dan Daily as Buck
6. Stephen DeRosa as Eddie Cantor
7. Josiah Early as Robert Dittrich
8. Lucy and Josie Gallina as Emily Schroeder
9. Jordan Gelber as Simon
10. Enid Graham as Rose Van Alden
11. William Hill as Ward Boss George O'Neill
12. Joe Iacona as Elderly Patient

13. Lisa Joyce as Mary Dittrich
14. Anna Katarina as Isabelle Jeunet
15. Mark Lotito as Dr Cuomo
16. Clayton James Mackay as Bobby Fishbaum
17. John Marinacci as a Dealer
18. Nicholas Martino as Pius D'Alessio
19. Declan and Rory McTigue as Teddy Schroeder
20. Tuck Milligan as Dr Brubaker
21. Adam Mucci as Deputy Halloran
22. Brady and Connor Noon as Tommy Darmody

23. Vic Noto as Hearse
24. Charleigh E. Parker as Lady Jean
25. Douglas Ryan as Train Conductor
26. Elizabeth Rose Sharp as German Child
27. Juliet Jeske as German Mother
28. Sarah Skogland as Dancer 2
29. Michele Tauber as Mrs Fishbaum
30. Kenneth Tigar as Dr Karl Lissender
31. Barbra Tirrell (sic) as Edith Mauer
32. Victor Verhaeghe as Ward Boss Damien Fleming

Music[]

  1. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks - "Eternal Peace" plays as the horse-drawn hearse stops in front of Chalky's warehouse.
  2. Harry Bluestone - "Victory Parade" plays as Lucy tells Nucky she's willing to have his baby.
  3. Boardwalk Empire String Quartet - "String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74.3 "The Horseman" plays as Margaret starts her new job.
  4. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks featuring Stephen DeRosa - "The Dumber They Come, The Better I Like Em" Sung by Eddie Cantor as Margaret changes her clothes, Nucky hosts a party and Eli updates Nucky on Simon.
  5. Wurlitzer 157 - "The Blue Danube" plays as Jimmy and Tommy play on the boardwalk.
  6. Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra]] - "The Japanese Sandman" plays as Rothstein wins a big pot on a bluff.
  7. Ted Lewis & His Jazz Band - "When My Baby Smiles At Me" plays as Jimmy looks through Angela's photo album.
  8. Erica Gemsa - "Waltz Concert Rag]] plays as Margaret takes dresses to Lucy.
  9. Wurlitzer 153 - "Marine's Hymn/Over There" plays as Jimmy meets with Nucky and Eli and is told to leave town.
  10. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks - "Eternal Peace" plays as Chalky discovers that Kendall has been hung and during the end credits.

Reception[]

Ratings for the third episode were mostly stable. Ratings were down 0.1 with adults 18–49 to a 1.4 rating but once again having over 3.4 million viewers in its initial telecast.[1]

Phil Pirrello at IGN gave the episode a positive review with an 8/10 score. He said ""Limited" ends with Nucky forcing Jimmy out of town, and we're left surprised that this turn happens in episode three as opposed to at the end of the season. The first three episodes burn through a lot of story on the Nucky-Jimmy front, but that's okay - sending Jimmy to Chicago to play gangster with Capone is a good thing. It will complicate things for Nucky worse than Rothstein sic-ing Luciano on him. And more Nucky drama is never a bad thing."[2] When talking about Shannon's character Van Alden he said "Shannon's Van Alden is one of the few characters who uses violence as a last resort, as he interrogates the suspect by putting his hand wrist-deep into the man's shotgun wound. As powerful and threatening as men like Nucky are, Van Alden emerges as a truly unique and dangerous threat; a pious federal agent who can use both the Bible and the law to justify his actions. Shannon excels in this scene, and in its follow-up: A quiet dinner at home with the wife that says very little but speaks so much about how complex and unpredictable Van Alden is." Joseph Oliveto at ScreenCrave also gave the episode 8/10 and said "Things are heating up: The previous two episodes of this show featured excellent performances but not much plot development. Luckily, we're picking up the pace now. Characters are facing actual threats, be it from the authorities, or competing criminals. Any good gangster drama needs a constant atmosphere of danger, and now we're getting one."[3]

Memorable Quotes[]

References[]

External links[]

Season One
#01 Boardwalk Empire#07 Home
#02 The Ivory Tower#08 Hold Me in Paradise
#03 Broadway Limited#09 Belle Femme
#04 Anastasia#10 The Emerald City
#05 Nights in Ballygran#11 Paris Green
#06 Family Limitation#12 A Return to Normalcy
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