- Nucky's relationship with Billie grows as Margaret becomes involved in women's issues at the hospital. A humbled Eli is released from jail as Gyp muscles into the operation.
- Nucky mixes business with pleasure in NYC; Gyp makes a power play in Tabor Heights; Chalky and his daughter fail to agree on her future with Samuel; Eli gets a new boss and faces new realities at home; a major liquor shipment takes an unexpected detour.—Anonymous
- Eli has been released from prison and Mickey Doyle is there to pick him up. Mickey cracks jokes while Eli says nothing. Before they leave, Eli asks Mickey how he's still alive. Mickey tells Eli "things have changed" and that Nucky is a hard man to get to these days. Mickey also reports on the killing of Manny Horvitz, and says no one knows why or who shot his face off. Mickey tells Eli that Nucky now wants Eli to work for Mickey. Eli gets out of the car. Mickey follows along and reminds Eli, who's walking away, that "there's no one else coming for you." Eli says nothing and gets back in the car.
Rosetti is back in Tabor Heights, plotting his next move. He talks up a gas station attendant, wondering about the distance to New York and who might know what's really in the trucks that come in and out of the gas station, which is the last one in Jersey on the way to Staten Island.
Margaret relays the story of the woman at the hospital who lost her child because she didn't have proper prenatal care to another woman, Mrs. Predock. Slater drops by. Mrs. Predock steps away. Margaret asks Slater to remind Nucky about the St. Gregory award he's won and says it wouldn't be proper to turn it down. Margaret tells Slater she has business to tend to at the hospital and he offers her a ride. She tells him she has a driver.
Nucky is waking up with a naked Billie Kent. They make some joking references to how she looks like The White Rock Girl when she's crouched down to tend to a leaky radiator. He wants her to ask Rothstein about fixing the leak.
An aspiring doctor looking to take the hand of Chalky's daughter Maybelle in marriage pays his prospective father-in-law a visit. Chalky asks him to "doctor" him. Purnsley watches curiously while the young man examines Chalky. He looks at Chalky's hands and tells him he has a mineral deficiency, suggesting he eat more vegetables. Chalky directs Purnsley to have a big plate of greens cooked up, then welcomes to young man to the family.
Margaret visits the woman at the hospital who had the miscarriage. The woman mentions she's brought nine kids into the world and that five lived. Margaret's questions make the woman wonder if it's feared that she's about to skip out on her hospital bill. Margaret asks more questions to get a sense of what the woman's life is like and the woman tells Margaret it's none of her business.
Nucky walks into an empty room. There's a fish bowl with a $100 dollar inside and a voice from another room tells him to "put the money in the bowl" through a closed door. Nucky refuses, saying he won't give $40,000 to someone without knowing who he's giving it to. The man says, "It's the entire essence of the system." Nucky says he's leaving, but he hears the man move to open the door to his room and turns back to enter. Nucky meets Gaston Bullock Means (Stephen Root), special investigator from the U.S. Department of Justice. Nucky asks where Jess Smith is, and Means tells him Jess is "conspicuously absent." Means goes on about how the bribery system is supposed to work through anonymity, but Nucky wants to know what's going on between Smith and Harry Daugherty. Means says his understanding is that they're no more than close friends. Means suggests Nucky could get his answers in a different conversation, in a difference room. Nucky asks how much that would cost him, and Means asks Nucky how much he would trust a man he could buy within five minutes of meeting him. Nucky says he wouldn't, and Means says they face a paradox. Nucky hands over the money and just as he's about to leave, another "customer" walks into the empty room, sees and hears nothing but the fishbowl, and puts a stack of cash into it. It's George Remus, and Means allows Nucky to take a look through the peephole, then asks Nucky to leave through a different door and sends his regards to Rothstein, whom he knows Nucky is meeting with later.
At the hospital, Margaret visits Dr. Mason, the doctor who first told her about the poor prenatal care at the hospital. She tells him it's been bothering her. Mason is short with Margaret again, saying he's frustrated. Margaret wonders why he seems to be blaming her for his problems. She leaves angrily, but sees Dr. Landau in the hall and comes back and gives Dr. Mason a speech. She asks him whether he has a real proposal for how to treat pregnant women. He casually says, "It's a Catholic hospital," to which she reminds him he knew that when he spoke to her last time. He asks how she proposes to persuade Dr. Landau, and she tells him he may not ask. Then she insults his pipe tobacco.
Mickey and Eli are watching the Tabor Heights gas station. The sheriff rolls up and Mickey steps out to give the sheriff and his partner a payoff in advance of a convoy coming through the next night. The second half of the payment will be with the convoy. The sheriff first claims he doesn't recognize Eli, who reminds the man that he once came around Atlantic City asking for a job. But as they walk away, the sheriff calls out, "You take care, now, Sheriff Thompson."
Chalky's kids are talking about music when Chalky comes in and tells Maybelle that her beau came to see him. Maybelle tells Chalky that Samuel is a nice man and he's going to be a good doctor, but she doesn't seem that into him. She asks Chalky how old he was when he married her mother, and whether he "knew" she was the one. He tells her that her mom's father didn't like him much until he ran into some problems and Chalky helped him out. He doesn't want to say how. Maybelle tells Chalky she's not ready for marriage and kids, and doesn't think she ever will be at least not with Samuel. Maybelle insists on knowing how Chalky helped her grandfather, but Chalky isn't about to talk about that. He tells Maybelle she's marrying Samuel.
Mickey drops Eli off at his house and tells him to be ready the next morning at 8:00 am. Eli curses him. He goes inside and his kids are excited to see him. His oldest son has been working in a lumber yard and offers a handshake instead of a hug.
Rosetti shows up inside a diner and asks the young waitress to describe spaghetti and meatballs to him. She does, and he orders it. He asks for some wine, but she says it's illegal. He suggests there might be some hidden back behind the soda pop, but before she can respond the Tabor Heights sheriff walks in and suggests the coffee. Rosetti plays along and orders "spaghetti and coffee." Rosetti tells the sheriff that he and his partner are staying in town, and the sheriff tells him Asbury Park and Atlantic City are "where the action is." He suggests Rosetti "head back to New York" if those two options are too far. Rosetti asks how he knows they're from New York.
"Call it a hunch," the sheriff says.
They get their spaghetti and Rosetti chokes down the first bite before looking over to his partner and saying, "Better than mama's, huh?"
Nucky meets with Rothstein and they chat about Means. Nucky asks Rothstein about getting mixed up in Daugherty's issues, and Rothstein says the protection is good and the cost is insignificant. He also thinks the precautions, like collecting money in a fishbowl, are worthwhile, "considering the ongoing volatility in the marketplace." Nucky thinks Rothstein is poking around for info about Manny Horvitz's killing, and he says Waxy Gordon comes to mind. Rothstein agrees, but Nucky says it's not Waxy, because he would've had to clear it with Rothstein, who would have said no, because he's in business with Nucky. Rothstein suggests maybe that's what he wants Nucky to think. Nucky says if that were the case, Rothstein wouldn't be so obvious about it. Rothstein then reminds Nucky to be paying attention to their business arrangements, and notes that a shipment scheduled for that day was going to come the next day a day late. Nucky retorts that Rothstein should fix the radiators in the apartment building he owns, clearly suggesting that he's been spending time with Billie Kent. Rothstein asks Nucky if he's considering renting, and says east of the park would suit him better. Nucky asks Rothstein what he's suggesting, and he simply says, "She's a charming and vivacious young woman."
Margaret asks a maid to clean Nucky's suit for the bishop's award ceremony. The maid asks if she didn't get the message that Nucky wouldn't be attending. Margaret tells her to clean the suit anyway, adding, "I'm afraid he's mistaken."
At his home, Eli finds an unopened gift he sent his son, Will. It's a model airplane with a note that reads, "We'll build this together."
The next morning, Eli is sitting at the dining table with the built model plane when Will comes down the stairs. He tells Will he's proud of what he's done for his mother and siblings. He tells Will now that he's home, he's going to get back on the horse so Will won't have to work anymore. He thinks Will should go back to school. Will's boss rolls up and Eli grabs the plane and offers it to his son, wishing him, "Happy two birthdays ago." Will looks at it and says, "Pretty keen." He leaves.
Mickey is watching the workers load trucks for the night's shipment. Eli shows up late. Mickey reminds him he's late, and Eli gets to work loading crates.
Nucky and Billie are telling another performer about their "White Rock Girl" idea, which is complete with hummingbird wings. Billie steps away to chat up another man. Nucky looks jealous. Billie comes back and tells the other girl that she ran into the spider of Wall Street. Billie then proceeds to place her hand on Nucky's crotch under the table, which seems to assuage his jealousy.
Slater lays out the agenda for the shipment, which will make exactly two stops: One at the gas station in Tabor Heights and the next at the final destination in Brooklyn. Slater says hello to Eli and tells him he'll report to Nucky that he's settled in. Eli asks Slater if he's "the golden boy" now, and Slater says he sees to it things run smoothly. He offers Eli an extra $50 for the trip to New York. Eli says he doesn't need a handout, and adds that he doesn't have a gun. Slater hands him one.
At an underground dance, Samuel is upset because Maybelle doesn't want to marry him, but won't come out and say it. A man bumps their table and Samuel yells at the man to watch it. The man pulls a knife and slashes Samuel's face, and suddenly Purnsley steps out and beats the knife-wielding man senseless. Chalky tells the band to keep playing, then asks Maybelle what the hells she's doing there. Chalky hands Samuel a handkerchief and tells him to walk and to take Maybelle with him. Samuel goes to tend to the beaten man. Chalky, meanwhile, tells Maybelle to look at him and asks, "Am I interesting now?" Maybelle tears up and says nothing.
Slater and Eli pull up to the gas station, which is dark. The pumps are locked. Slater goes to break into the gas station office and look for a key to the pumps. Just as he breaks the glass, the sheriff walks up and asks what's in the trucks.
"Same as always," Slater says.
"If it's liquor, there's a problem," the sheriff says.
"Since when?" Mickey wonders.
"Since he read the Constitution," says a new voice Rosetti, who emerges from the shadows.
Rosetti breaks the news that he now owns the gas station. Slater says they'll gas up, pay him and move on, flashing his gun a bit. Rosetti pulls his own, and a bunch of other men emerge, guns drawn, from the darkness.
Rosetti pulls a gas pump nozzle and starts letting the fuel flow to the ground, telling Slater and Mickey that they aren't going to get to New York tonight. There's no gas.
Rosetti tells Slater to tell Nucky "Old Pop Collingsworth says hello," referring to the name of the previous owner of the gas station whose name still graces the business.
Nucky cooks for Billie that night. Her phone rings and Nucky asks her not to answer. He tells her he wants people to be honest about what they want. He tells her he wants everything to run by itself so he can stay there forever. She laughs and tells him he knows he can't. He wants to know who's calling.
"I said I'd never tell," she says. "And you said you'd never ask."
The phone rings again.
We see Slater hanging up a phone from inside the home of some neighbors. Slater comes back and asks Eli how many men he counted. Eli says 12, maybe more. Slater asks if he trusts the men in a gunfight, and Eli says, "Not for a second."
Mickey tells Eli and Slater that Rothstein expects to get what he pays for, but Slater says, "He won't be getting it tonight."
Eli and Slater get in their car, and Eli looks back at Mickey and asks, "What's your pleasure, boss?"
Mickey calls out to everyone to turn the trucks around and head back to Atlantic City.
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