Nucky Thompson: Full Time Gangster

As you can see, last we saw of Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi), he was being forced to fully accept his role as a “gangster” at the very end of Season Two of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. To say I’ve been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Season Three would be an understatement, as I’ve literally been screaming this show’s  praises from the rooftops. Set in the Prohibition-era (1920’s) of Atlantic City, Empire pulls absolutely no punches as it offers a fictional portrayal of the life and crimes of real life figures such as Charlie ‘Lucky’ Luciano, Al Capone, and even the real Nucky (Johnson).

At the end of Season Two, we saw Special Agent Van Alden (played by Michael Shannon) on the lamb with his house keeper and his illegitimate child. I’m definitely intrigued to see where that story goes, as he was essentially caught for the murder/drowning of his ex-partner (Agent Sebso) during Season One. For the record, I’d offer you the consideration of *Spoiler Alert*…but then again, you are reading a preview for Season Three, so you should be well aware of these things by now. 🙂 That said, I’m also very intrigued to see what comes of Nucky’s marriage to Margaret Shroeder (played by Kelly MacDonald). At the very end of Season Two, we witnessed her sign away the rights (to the church) to a massive quantity of land that would have eventually made Thompson richer than he could have ever imagined.

As a huge fan of HBO’s The Wire, I couldn’t possibly escape mentioning Michael Kenneth Williams‘ character (Chalky White). I was grateful Terrence Winter (Empire Creator) took the time to really develop his character during Season Two. We got an in-depth look into White’s family dynamics, the burdens of being the proverbial spokesperson of the Atlantic City Black Community, and we were even privy to seeing White flex his ever-growing ‘muscle’ as a rising figure in the gangster life as well.

As you can see, the timeline has been pushed forward about two years, and Thompson has a new figure to contend with, Gyp Rotseti (played by Bobby Cannavale). If the end of Season Two and trailers for Season Three are any indication, this should be breath-taking season. The premiere is tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 16th) at 9pm EST.