History Headscratchers / BoardwalkEmpire

** Imagine that Masseria never got tipped off about the hit and Owen thus wasn't killed. The idea behind killing the boss is that it's the quickest way to end a war or stop one before it starts. It's a GameChanger, and the only viable option for Nucky who is at a big disadvantage taking on Masseria's army. The death of Masseria would have caused the remaining factions within the Masseria family to sit down and choose a new boss. The soldiers he'd loaned to Gyp would have been forced to return to Manhattan with their respective crews, leaving Gyp with only his own men to back him up, putting him at a severe disadvantage to Nucky (not unlike the D'Alessio brothers of season 1, Gyp needed another boss's backing and the additional manpower to effectively move against Nucky).

** There was nothing particularly odd about how Nucky formed the alliance either. He called together the successful bootlegging operations, precisely the guys who would be interested in an alliance. The lack of regular interaction would have applied only to Peg Leg Lonergan and Bill Lovett. The rest of the bootleggers called to that meeting were guys Nucky had worked with before. It was Rothstein's meddling that ensured the alliance proposal failed. By the way, this alliance Nucky proposed is practically the same one that was formed in Atlantic City during the infamous Bootlegger's Conference of 1929. That conference laid the groundwork for a national alliance of organized crime groups made up of Italian, Jewish, and Irish crews. It was the birth of what we know as TheSyndicate.

** Because killing a boss would be the quickest way to end a war or stop one before it starts. It's a GameChanger, and the only viable option for Nucky who is at a big disadvantage taking on Masseria's army. The death of the boss would have caused the remaining factions within the Masseria family to sit down and choose a new boss. Meaning, the Masseria soldiers who were sent to Gyp would have gone back to Manhattan with their respective crews, and Rossetti would have been left on his own with whatever was left of his crew.
** Also, Nucky's plan is a nod to what happened to Joe Masseria in real life and would happen in season 5: Masseria was killed by his own men to end the Castellamare War in 1931. Furthermore, Luciano and company had another boss Salvatore Maranzano killed to prevent a new war from breaking out between the Americanized Mafia and the traditional Mafia groups.
** The decision to assassinate Masseria came after Gyp's reoccupation of Tabor Heights and the bombing on Babbette's. There is no ire to risk, as Joe Masseria and his troops were backing Gyp's takeover of Atlantic City and have been since Easter Sunday. Nucky's decision to have Masseria killed is not mind boggling, but the correct move in order to break up the Masseria-Rossetti alliance.

** I might add there was nothing particularly odd about how Nucky formed the alliance either. He called together the successful bootlegging operations, precisely the guys who would be interested in an alliance. The lack of regular interaction would have applied only to Peg Leg Lonergan and Bill Lovett. The rest of the bootleggers called to that meeting were guys he had worked with before. It was Rothstein's meddling that ensured the alliance proposal failed. By the way, this alliance Nucky proposed is practically the same one that is formed in Atlantic City during the infamous Bootlegger's Conference of 1929. That conference laid the groundwork for a national alliance of organized crime groups made up of Italian, Jewish, and Irish crews. It was the birth of what we know as TheSyndicate.

** Richard explained why Nucky and family have nothing to fear: Nucky and Margaret were always nice to him. He also explained that Jimmy was a soldier and he went to battle (with Nucky) and he lost. Richard accepted that Nucky killed Jimmy because that's just what happens in war: some soldiers will die. Also, remember Jimmy went to the final meeting with Nucky unarmed. He knew his time was up and he accepted his fate. All this damage had led to Jimmy developing suicidal thoughts which he accomplished by giving everything over to Nucky. He left Harrow behind when he went to the meeting with Nucky because he wanted to die and Harrow understands this truth. Remember, this show takes place in the 1920s when men didn't much open up about emotions in general, let alone something as traumatizing as suicide. So the fact none of the characters outright says, "Jimmy wanted to die" is one of the show's redeeming bits of writing.

** Not only did Nucky treat Richard well, he and Jimmy made Richard's life have a semblance of normalcy. When Jimmy befriended Richard, Richard was completely isolated. He desires relationships because he finds the isolation (a lot of which results from his injuries) hard to deal with. Richard would never think of himself as someone who plays with little children. That's what normal people do. Richard was a brother to Jimmy, but Nucky was a father and mentor to Jimmy. Richard would kill anybody, but he wouldn't kill Nucky, and Jimmy wouldn't ask him to because he appreciated the conflict it could create within Richard. Once Jimmy knew he was a dead man, he quickly was resigned to his fate. So he told Richard to stand down, because he didn't want to put Richard in that position. Jimmy had realized that he had been puppeted by both of his parents (his mother's puppeting being what led to Angela's death, while being puppeted by the Commodore was what led to the rift between him and Nucky). Facing his fate alone was one thing that Jimmy took upon himself to do, something he needed to do to feel like a man. Therefore, he went out like a soldier. He made the wrong decision, and he took his medicine to atone for that bad decision. Richard understood.

** Because killing a boss would be the quickest way to end a war or make sure one never started. It's a GameChanger, and the only viable option for Nucky who is at a big disadvantage taking on Masseria's army. The death of the boss would have caused the remaining factions within the Masseria family to sit down and choose a new boss. Meaning, the Masseria soldiers who were sent to Gyp would have gone back to Manhattan with their respective crews, and Rossetti would have been left on his own with whatever was left of his crew.
** Also, Nucky's plan is a nod to what happened to Joe Masseria in real life and would happen in season 5: Masseria was killed by his own men to end the Castelemare War in 1931. Furthermore, Luciano and company had another boss Salvatore Maranzano killed to prevent a new war from breaking out between the Americanized Mafia and the traditional Mafia groups.

* Alright, I understand that the ending--with Tommy Darmody being the one to take Nucky out as the ultimate consequence of his Start of Darkness--was intended to be poetic, but it really doesn't make any sense to me. Wouldn't he have been far too young the last time he saw Gillian to remember her? He barely remembered her the last time we saw her and chose Julia over her. Even if he did have some memories of her, would he really care enough to dedicate that much time to avenging her? How did he discover the full story (I'm presuming she didn't really tell him everything as a child, though I'd be surprised if he remembered that much, either)? What happened to Julia, anyway? She seemed to be a very sensible and kind person, so it's hard to see her either abandoning him or raising him in such a way that he would be capable of anything like this. Finally, if his endgame was to kill Nucky, why didn't he take any of his other opportunities? The one on the boardwalk was literally his worst chance, as he had at least one chance to kill Nucky without any witnesses whatsoever. I certainly don't mind seeing Nucky face justice at the end of the series, but there are so many questions here that the landing didn't stick for me at all.

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* Alright, I understand that the ending--with Tommy Darmody being the one to take Nucky out as the ultimate consequence of his StartofDarkness--was intended to be poetic, but it really doesn't make any sense to me. Wouldn't he have been far too young the last time he saw Gillian to remember her? He barely remembered her the last time we saw her and chose Julia over her. Even if he did have some memories of her, would he really care enough to dedicate that much time to avenging her? How did he discover the full story (I'm presuming she didn't really tell him everything as a child, though I'd be surprised if he remembered that much, either)? What happened to Julia, anyway? She seemed to be a very sensible and kind person, so it's hard to see her either abandoning him or raising him in such a way that he would be capable of anything like this. Finally, if his endgame was to kill Nucky, why didn't he take any of his other opportunities? The one on the boardwalk was literally his worst chance, as he had at least one chance to kill Nucky without any witnesses whatsoever. I certainly don't mind seeing Nucky face justice at the end of the series, but there are so many questions here that the landing didn't stick for me at all.

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* So in the season 3 finale Eli and Nucky show up armed at Rosetti HQ, seemingly alone [[spoiler:(Chalky and Capone are elsewhere)]]... what were they bloody thinking, two intelligent guys -but not exactly elite killers- come up with that half-assed plan? One guy with a small revolver and the other with a shotgun... [[spoiler: If Richard doesn't happen to clean the house, Terminator style on his own iniciative and by coincidence]], the Thompsons are facing about a dozen of professional muscle and Rosetti himself, who is not slouch either, [[spoiler: even if they are baffled by the retreat of Masseria's men]]. The odds are terrible.

** It could be conversation of detail. Presumably, the Thompsons brothers brought some men to the Artemis Club, were fairly confused by the lack of surprise, sent a couple of redshirts to investigate and when they came back and told them what was inside, decided to go in by themselves.

So, Gillian says she is selling the Commodore's house, which she describes as "hers", to provide for Tommy. The house was inherited by Jimmy after destroying the document willing it to the maid, and since Jimmy didn't make a will it passed down to Tommy (or so was his intention in the episode he was killed in). So, how come does Gillian own and live in that house, which should be owned by Tommy, but is not Tommy's guardian right now? Shouldn't the two "items" go together?

!Thompsons in the Artemis Club
So in the season 3 finale Eli and Nucky show up armed at Rosetti HQ, seemingly alone [[spoiler:(Chalky and Capone are elsewhere)]]... what were they bloody thinking, two intelligent guys -but not exactly elite killers- come up with that half-assed plan? One guy with a small revolver and the other with a shotgun... [[spoiler: If Richard doesn't happen to clean the house, Terminator style on his own iniciative and by coincidence]], the Thompsons are facing about a dozen of professional muscle and Rosetti himself, who is not slouch either, [[spoiler: even if they are baffled by the retreat of Masseria's men]]. The odds are terrible.
* This one only makes sense as an error in the transition between script and direction (another one in the same episode is the discrepancy in the number of Gyp's men). Maybe we are supposed to assume that they brought more men but left them all in the ground floor when they found all the bodies, with only Nucky and Eli going upstairs.
* It could be conversation of detail. Presumably, the Thompsons brothers brought some men to the Artemis Club, were fairly confused by the lack of surprise, sent a couple of redshirts to investigate and when they came back and told them what was inside, decided to go in by themselves.

!Why does Nucky feel the need to kill Joe Masseria?
He's having enough trouble at the beginning of the season with Gyp Rosetti, who doesn't have an army. Why he decides to risk the ire of the most powerful boss in New York if his hit fails (which it did and he does) to deal with the comparative nuisance that is Gyp Rosetti is beyond mind-boggling. Why not just try to form an alliance (the way he does this is odd in and of itself considering he had to have known the odds of getting all those that he called to help him, most of whom he has no regular interaction with, was a long shot) and take Gyp head on?
* Because killing a boss would be the quickest way to end a war or make sure one never started. It's a GameChanger, and the only viable option for Nucky who is at a big disadvantage taking on Masseria's army. The death of the boss would have caused the remaining factions within the Masseria family to sit down and choose a new boss. Meaning, the Masseria soldiers who were sent to Gyp would have gone back to Manhattan with their respective crews, and Rossetti would have been left on his own with whatever was left of his crew. Also, Nucky's plan is a nod to what happened to Joe Masseria in real life. Masseria was killed by his own men to end the Castelemare War in 1931. Furthermore, Luciano and company had another boss Salvatore Maranzano killed to prevent a new war from breaking out between the Americanized Mafia and the traditional Mafia groups. Also, your timeline is off, as the decision to assassinate Masseria came after Gyp's re-occupation of Tabor Heights and the bomb attack on Babbette's. There is no ire to risk, as Joe Masseria and his troops were backing Gyp's takeover of Atlantic City and have been since Easter Sunday. Nucky's decision to have Masseria killed is not mind boggling, but the correct move in order to break up the Masseria-Rossetti alliance. Additionally the bootlegger's alliance would be a backup plan in case the Masseria hit failed, as well as a deterrent for future groups wanting to muscle in on a territory. I might add there was nothing particularly odd about how Nucky formed the alliance either. He called together the successful bootlegging operations, precisely the guys who would be interested in an alliance. The lack of regular interaction would have applied only to Peg Leg Lonergan and Bill Lovett. The rest of the bootleggers called to that meeting were guys he had worked with before. It was Rothstein's meddling that ensured the alliance proposal failed. By the way, this alliance Nucky proposed is practically the same one that is formed in Atlantic City during the infamous Bootlegger's Conference of 1929. That conference laid the groundwork for a national alliance of organized crime groups made up of Italian, Jewish, and Irish crews. It was the birth of what we know as TheSyndicate.

!Gillian and the house

* Considering Tommy is still just a kid, it would probably be very easy for Gillian to hold the house in "stewardship" until he comes of age.

* Later episodes explain this. She is currently in a legal battle over custody of Tommy.

* So in the season 3 finale Eli and Nucky show up armed at Rosetti HQ, seemingly alone [[spoiler:(Chalky and Capone are elsewhere)]]... what were they bloody thinking, two intelligent guys -but not exactly elite killers- come up with that half-assed plan? One guy with a small revolver and the other with a shotgun... [[spoiler: If Richard doesn't happen to clean the house, Terminator style on his own iniciative and by coincidence]], the Thompsons are facing about a dozen of professional muscle and Rosetti himself, who is not slouch either, [[spoiler: even if they are baffled by the retreat of Masseria's men]]. The odds are terrible.

* Why does Nucky feel the need to kill Joe Masseria. He's having enough trouble at the beginning of the season with Gyp Rosetti, who doesn't have an army. Why he decides to risk the ire of the most powerful boss in New York if his hit fails (which it did and he does) to deal with the comparative nuisance that is Gyp Rosetti is beyond mind-boggling. Why not just try to form an alliance (the way he does this is odd in and of itself considering he had to have known the odds of getting all those that he called to help him, most of whom he has no regular interaction with, was a long shot) and take Gyp head on?
** Because killing a boss would be the quickest way to end a war or make sure one never started. It's a GameChanger, and the only viable option for Nucky who is at a big disadvantage taking on Masseria's army. The death of the boss would have caused the remaining factions within the Masseria family to sit down and choose a new boss. Meaning, the Masseria soldiers who were sent to Gyp would have gone back to Manhattan with their respective crews, and Rossetti would have been left on his own with whatever was left of his crew. Also, Nucky's plan is a nod to what happened to Joe Masseria in real life. Masseria was killed by his own men to end the Castelemare War in 1931. Furthermore, Luciano and company had another boss Salvatore Maranzano killed to prevent a new war from breaking out between the Americanized Mafia and the traditional Mafia groups Also, your timeline is off, as the decision to assassinate Masseria came after Gyp's re-occupation of Tabor Heights and the bomb attack on Babbette's. There is no ire to risk, as Joe Masseria and his troops were backing Gyp's takeover of Atlantic City and have been since Easter Sunday. Nucky's decision to have Masseria killed is not mind boggling, but the correct move in order to break up the Masseria-Rossetti alliance. Additionally the bootlegger's alliance would be a backup plan in case the Masseria hit failed, as well as a deterrent for future groups wanting to muscle in on a territory. I might add there was nothing particularly odd about how Nucky formed the alliance either. He called together the successful bootlegging operations, precisely the guys who would be interested in an alliance. The lack of regular interaction would have applied only to Peg Leg Lonergan and Bill Lovett. The rest of the bootleggers called to that meeting were guys he had worked with before. It was Rothstein's meddling that ensured the alliance proposal failed. By the way, this alliance Nucky proposed is practically the same one that is formed in Atlantic City during the infamous Bootlegger's Conference of 1929. That conference laid the groundwork for a national alliance of organized crime groups made up of Italian, Jewish, and Irish crews. It was the birth of what we know as TheSyndicate.

** Because killing a boss would be the quickest way to end a war or make sure one never started. It's a GameChanger, and the only viable option for Nucky who is at a big disadvantage taking on Masseria's army. The death of the boss would have caused the remaining factions within the Masseria family to sit down and choose a new boss. Meaning, the Masseria soldiers who were sent to Gyp would have gone back to Manhattan with their respective crews, and Rossetti would have been left on his own with whatever was left of his crew. Also, Nucky's plan is a nod to what happened to Joe Masseria in real life. Masseria was killed by his own men to end the Castelemare War in 1931. Furthermore, Luciano and company had another boss Salvatore Maranzano killed to prevent a new war from breaking out between the Americanized Mafia and the traditional Mafia groups Also, your timeline is off, as the decision to assassinate Masseria came after Gyp's re-occupation of Tabor Heights and the bomb attack on Babbette's. There is no ire to risk, as Joe Masseria and his troops were backing Gyp's takeover of Atlantic City and have been since Easter Sunday. Nucky's decision to have Masseria killed is not mind boggling, but the correct move in order to break up the Masseria-Rossetti alliance. Additionally the bootlegger's alliance would be a backup plan in case the Masseria hit failed, as well as a deterrent for future groups wanting to muscle in on a territory. I might add there was nothing particularly odd about how Nucky formed the alliance either. He called together the successful bootlegging operations, precisely the guys who would be interested in an alliance. The lack of regular interaction would have applied only to Peg Leg Lonergan and Bill Lovett. The rest of the bootleggers called to that meeting were guys he had worked with before. It was Rothstein's meddling that ensured the alliance proposal failed. By the way, this alliance Nucky proposed is practically the same one that is formed in Atlantic City during the infamous Bootlegger's Conference of 1929. That conference laid the groundwork for a national Syndicate of organized crime groups made up of Italian, Jewish, and Irish crews.