"The Ivory Tower"
Season 1, Episode 2
Air date	September 26, 2010
Written by	Terence Winter
Directed by	Tim Van Patten
Episode Guide
previous "Boardwalk Empire"	next "Broadway Limited"

"The Ivory Tower" is the second episode of the first season of Boardwalk Empire, and the second episode overall. It was written by series creator and executive producer Terence Winter and directed by executive producer Tim Van Patten. It premiered on September 26, 2010.

Nucky is paid a visit by straight-arrow Agent Nelson Van Alden, who feels that Nucky has pinned the recent shootings on a scapegoat (Hans Schroeder). Nucky utilizes his brother Elias' position as sheriff, to visit Hans' widow Margaret Schroeder in the hospital and help do some damage control. Nucky receives a visit from Margaret before heading out for a night on the town, as she has come to return the hush money Elias had given her. She asks for his help providing for her young children, but through an honest job. After an incident involving Al Capone's beating of a reporter in Chicago, Nucky contemplates the upcoming election with his aging mentor, Commodore Louis Kaestner.

Contents 1 Plot 1.1 Summary 1.2 Recap 2 Appearances 2.1 First appearances 2.2 Deaths 3 Production 3.1 Cast 3.1.1 Starring 3.1.2 Guest starring 3.1.3 Co-starring 3.2 Music 4 Reception 5 Memorable Quotes 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

PlotEdit

SummaryEdit

RecapEdit

Main article: The Ivory Tower recap

A detailed recap of the episode scene by scene.

Appearances Edit

First appearancesEdit

1. Gillian Darmody, Jimmy Darmody's mother.
2. Carl Heely, a midget boxer.
3. Harlan, a shoe-shiner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
4. The Grey-Haired Man, an assistant to Arnold Rothstein.
5. George Baxter, a travelling cutlery salesman.
6. Claudia, a girl Baxter tries to seduce.

DeathsEdit

None.

ProductionEdit

CastEdit

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

Guest starringEdit Gretchen Mol as Gillian Darmody Greg Antonacci as Johnny Torrio Danny Burstein as Lolly Steinman Frank Crudele as Big Jim Colosimo (photo appearance) Peter McRobbie as Supervisor Elliot Erik Weiner as Agent Sebso

Co-starringEdit

Brent Bateman as Eddie Corrigan Ellie Braverman as Showgirl 2 Bill Bria as Wire Service Operator Clem Cheung as Chinese Man Peter Claymore as Grey-Haired Man Robert Clohessy as Ward Boss Neary Bob Engel as Abe Klein Lauren Champlin as Female Patient Megan Ferguson as Claudia Ken Forman as Stage Manager Lucy and Josie Gallina as Emily Schroeder Jordan Gelber as Simon Allison Guinn as Capone's Whore Sam Guncler as Croupier

15. Johnnie Mae as Louanne 16. Edward McGinty as Ward Boss Boyd 17. Declan and Rory McTigue as Teddy Schroeder 18. Brady and Connor Noon as Tommy Darmody 19. Nic Novicki as Carl Heely 20. Katelyn O'Friel as Showgirl 3 21. Annie Paul as Showgirl 1 22. Joseph Riccobene as Frankie Yale 23. Allen Lewis Rickman as George Baxter 24. Kendal Ridgeway as Nurse 25. Julian Rozzell Jr. as Harlan 26. Bob Sorenson as Dale 27. Victor Verhaeghe as Ward Boss Fleming 28. Michael Warner as Ku Klux Klan Recruiter

MusicEdit

Reception Edit

Ratings for "The Ivory Tower" fell to 3.329 million viewers in its original telecast. However, if the repeat-telecast that night is included, the total viewer count reaches 4.4 million.^[1]

IGN gave the episode a score of 8 out of 10, calling it "...an episode that is in some ways better than the pilot." They continued by praising Buscemi's performance as Nucky by saying: "Here, Buscemi effortlessly switches between sliver-tongued politician and two-steps-ahead gangster, and in doing so eliminates any previous doubt that Nucky is not as formidable a presence as Tony Soprano."^[2]

Memorable QuotesEdit

• "I'm making a statement!" -- Al Capone

NotesEdit

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

• "The Ivory Tower" at HBO.com
• "The Ivory Tower" on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
• "The Ivory Tower" at TV.com
• "The Ivory Tower" on Wikipedia

Season One

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