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* TheDragon: As of Season 3 he's cemented his position as Nucky's Dragon.
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* TheDragon: As of In Season 3 he's cemented he regains his position as Nucky's Dragon.Dragon and cements it in Season 4.
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* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He replaces Nucky's brother, Alfred "[[HilariousInHindsight Alf]]" Johnson.
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* MouthOfSauron: In Season 3, when Nucky sends him to speak om his behalf to Johnny Torrio and Capone
* NumberTwo: In Season 4 he cements his position as Nucky's right hand.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He replacesNucky's Nucky Johnson's brother, Alfred "[[HilariousInHindsight Alf]]" Johnson.
* NumberTwo: In Season 4 he cements his position as Nucky's right hand.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He replaces
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[[quoteright:285:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Eli_Thompson_2952.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:285:"What am I? The repudiated?"]]
[[caption-width-right:285:"What am I? The repudiated?"]]
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
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[[quoteright:288:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Buscemi-as-Nucky_752.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:288:"We all have to decide how much sin we can live with."]]
The primary VillainProtagonist of the series. Originally the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County, he ends up somewhat accidentally in the world of organized crime after he begins investing in bootlegging. Played by SteveBuscemi.
[[caption-width-right:288:"We all have to decide how much sin we can live with."]]
The primary VillainProtagonist of the series. Originally the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County, he ends up somewhat accidentally in the world of organized crime after he begins investing in bootlegging. Played by SteveBuscemi.
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.
The primary VillainProtagonist of the series. Originally the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County, he ends up somewhat accidentally in the world of organized crime after he begins investing in bootlegging.
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Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
** "Wanna be a gangster in my town? You pay me for the privilege"
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** "Wanna be a gangster in my town? You pay me for the privilege"privilege."
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** "I didn't ask for trouble. [[MobWar What was brought to my doorstep]], [[MoreDakka I returned]]."
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* TheObstructiveLoveInterest: To Billie in Season 3. Unusual in that he is a man ''and'' the main character.
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* WouldNotHitAGirl: Although he comes perilously close to it in "Under God's Power She Flourishes".
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* WouldNotHitAGirl: Although he comes perilously close to it in "Under God's Power She Flourishes". In "North Star", after [[spoiler:Sally Wheet punches him several times, he eventually hits back, though not nearly as strongly as she hit him. [[SlapSlapKiss They end up having sex]]]].
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* ManlyTears: When he finds out [[spoiler: Eddie was a father.]]
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* SlapSlapKiss: In S3 with Billie, and in S4 with [[spoiler:Sally Wheet]].
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* TooSoon: His first reunion with Margaret in Season 4 ends with possibly [[SayingTooMuch the worst thing he could have said.]]
-->'''Nucky''': I wouldn't put something alive in a box.
-->'''Nucky''': I wouldn't put something alive in a box.
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* SpottingTheThread: When Agent Knox offers him his handkerchief, he notices that it's monogrammed with different initials.
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* AscendedExtra: Plays a very small part in Season 3, gets his own arc (and a lot of screentime) in Season 4.
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* CoolUncle: Willie and the rest of Eli's children see him as this, for different reasons.
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* EvilMentor: To his nephew, Willie.
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* [[spoiler: KarmaHoudini]]: "Erlkönig" explores this trope extensively in Willie's arc. [[spoiler:After Willie is arrested following Henry's death, Nucky bribes the DA and advices Willie to frame his college roomate, Clayton. At the end of the episode, Willie is free and "rewarded" with the girl he knocked heads with Henry for.]]
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* [[spoiler: KarmaHoudini]]: "Erlkönig" explores this trope extensively in Willie's arc. [[spoiler:After Willie is arrested following Henry's death, Nucky bribes the DA and advices Willie to frame his college roomate, roommate, Clayton. At the end of the episode, Willie is free and "rewarded" with the girl he knocked heads with Henry for.]]
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* ThickerThanWater: Proves that Eli means more to him than Jimmy. It helped that Eli was also [[TheSociopath more useful]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manageable]].
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* ThickerThanWater: Proves that Eli means more to him than Jimmy. It helped that Eli was also [[TheSociopath more useful]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manageable]]. One of the few and most important lessons than Nucky learns during the show, to the point of teaching it to Willie.
-->The only thing you can count on is blood.
-->The only thing you can count on is blood.
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* AffablyEvil
to:
* AffablyEvilAffablyEvil: Though it slips more into FauxAffablyEvil as [[GrowingTheBeard the series]] [[CerebusSyndrome progresses.]]
* [[spoiler: KarmaHoudini]]: "Erlkönig" explores this trope extensively in Willie's arc. [[spoiler:After Willie is arrested following Henry's death, Nucky bribes the DA and advices Willie to frame his college roomate, Clayton. At the end of the episode, Willie is free and "rewarded" with the girl he knocked heads with Henry for.]]
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* NiceGuy
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* NiceGuyNiceGuy: At least when he UsedToBeASweetKid, in Season 3.
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* [[spoiler: ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections]]: In "Erlkönig" [[spoiler: Nucky keeps him away from jail and a charge for manslaughter]].
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* RaisedCatholic: Lucy says this about him: "They raised him a good Catholic boy. And every once in a while, he starts thinking that he might go to Hell, and that he better change before it's too late.
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* RaisedCatholic: Lucy says this about him: "They raised him a good Catholic boy. And every once in a while, he starts thinking that he might go to Hell, and that he better change before it's too late."
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** TookALevelInJerkAss: While in college, as a result of feeling out of place and picked on by the other kids.
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* TookALevelInJerkAss: While in college, as a result of feeling out of place and picked on by the other kids.
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* InferiorityComplex / SelfInflictedHell: As detailed in [[http://www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/episodes/04/40-all-in/interview/ben-rosenfield.html this]] interview with Ben Rosenfield, Willie's "problems" at college stem from the fact that he wants to hang out with the popular, old money kids, but feels intimidated because he's not old money himself.
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* SelfInflictedHell: As detailed in [[http://www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/episodes/04/40-all-in/interview/ben-rosenfield.html this]] interview with Ben Rosenfield, Willie's "problems" at college stem from the fact that he wants to hang out with the popular, old money kids, but feels intimidated because he's not old money himself.
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* InferiorityComplex / SelfInflictedHell: As detailed in [[http://www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/episodes/04/40-all-in/interview/ben-rosenfield.html this]] interview with Ben Rosenfield, Willie's "problems" at college stem from the fact that he wants to hang out with the popular, old money kids, but feels intimidated because he's not old money himself.
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* NiceGuy
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* NiceGuy NiceGuy
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* BatmanGambit: Against Rothstein in "Margate Sands". [[spoiler: Nucky has Doyle phone Rothstein and tell him that Nucky, now in the middle of a war against Gyp Rosetti, is running the biggest distillery of the US on behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon. Rothstein catches the bait and phones Nucky to demand a 99% share of the distillery in return for convincing Masseria to withdraw his support from Rosetti and leave him hang, giving control of Atlantic City back to Nucky. Nucky accepts, and after he has Rosetti killed he rats out Rothstein to Mellon, who orders Rothstein's arrest.]]
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* BatmanGambit: Against Rothstein in "Margate Sands". [[spoiler: Nucky has Doyle phone Rothstein and tell him that Nucky, now in the middle of a war against Gyp Rosetti, is running the biggest distillery of the US on behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon. Rothstein catches the bait and phones Nucky to demand a 99% share of the distillery in return for convincing Masseria to withdraw his support from Rosetti and leave him hang, giving control of Atlantic City back to Nucky. Nucky accepts, and after he has Rosetti killed he rats out Rothstein to Mellon, who orders Rothstein's arrest.]]arrest.
* BedmateReveal: With Billie in "Resolution".
* BedmateReveal: With Billie in "Resolution".
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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Regardless of the current state of his relationship with Margaret, he genuinely loves Teddy and Emily like they're his own children. [[spoiler: In "The Milkmaid's Lot", when he's suffering from a concussion and short-term memory problems, one thing that he keeps remembering (and mentioning) is that Emily was supposed to get a pony for her birthday.]]
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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Regardless of the current state of his relationship with Margaret, he genuinely loves Teddy and Emily like they're his own children. [[spoiler: In "The Milkmaid's Lot", when he's suffering from a concussion and short-term memory problems, one thing that he keeps remembering (and mentioning) is that Emily was supposed to get a pony for her birthday.]]
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
** In "Blue Bell Boy", he seems to be debating between letting a booze thief (whose death he ordered) go or taking him under his wing after he discovers that [[WouldNotHurtAChild he is only 16]]. [[spoiler: When the kid reveals that he is actually 19 and an epic con man, [[BaitAndSwitch Nucky just shoots him in the head himself]].]]
to:
** In "Blue Bell Boy", he seems to be debating between letting a booze thief (whose death he ordered) go or taking him under his wing after he discovers that [[WouldNotHurtAChild he is only 16]]. [[spoiler: When the kid reveals that he is actually 19 and an epic con man, [[BaitAndSwitch Nucky just shoots him in the head himself]].]]
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* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Big-time in "The Milkmaid's Lot", resulting from a concussion sustained in the explosion that killed Billie.]]
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* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: [[AntiHero Anti]]-HeroicBSOD: Big-time in "The Milkmaid's Lot", resulting from a concussion sustained in the explosion that killed Billie.]]
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* {{Mangst}}: Childhood abuse, dead wife and infant son. Season 3 adds [[spoiler: the death of Billie]] to the mix. He does not indulge in self-pity or let others do it for him.
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* {{Mangst}}: Childhood abuse, dead wife and infant son. Season 3 adds [[spoiler: the death of Billie]] Billie to the mix. He does not indulge in self-pity or let others do it for him.
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* TookALevelInBadass: His development as a whole, from power broker and kingmaker to half-gangster and then full-fledged kingpin. By season 3 his NonActionGuy persona is gone, in "Two Imposters" he singlehandedly [[spoiler: kills three of Rosetti's men ]] in a firefight. With a shotgun. Through a closed door.
* [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy Hot Mistress]]: First with Lucy, then with Margaret, and then with [[spoiler:Billie]].
* [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy Hot Mistress]]: First with Lucy, then with Margaret, and then with [[spoiler:Billie]].
to:
* TookALevelInBadass: His development as a whole, from power broker and kingmaker to half-gangster and then full-fledged kingpin. By season 3 his NonActionGuy persona is gone, in "Two Imposters" he singlehandedly [[spoiler: kills three of Rosetti's men ]] in a firefight. With a shotgun. Through a closed door.
* [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy Hot Mistress]]: First with Lucy, then with Margaret, and then with[[spoiler:Billie]].Billie.
* [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy Hot Mistress]]: First with Lucy, then with Margaret, and then with
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The corrupt sheriff of Atlantic County and Nucky's younger brother. Through the first two seasons he develops an increasing desire for recognition which he feels denied because everyone else only sees him as Nucky's muscle, and that eventually leads him to betray Nucky for the Commodore. This conspiracy is defeated, and Eli loses his sheriff position and [[spoiler:goes to jail for a year and a half in payment for his betrayal]]. Played by Shea Whigham.
to:
The corrupt sheriff of Atlantic County and Nucky's younger brother. Through the first two seasons he develops an increasing desire for recognition which he feels denied because everyone else only sees him as Nucky's muscle, and that eventually leads him to betray Nucky for the Commodore. This conspiracy is defeated, and Eli loses his sheriff position and [[spoiler:goes goes to jail for a year and a half in payment for his betrayal]].betrayal. Played by Shea Whigham.
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* BadBoss
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* BadBossBadBoss: In Season 2, he has Halloran beaten up when he suspects that Halloran might be thinking of talking to the Feds. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard It works as well as you'd expect.]]
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* BigDamnHeroes: At the very end of "Two Impostors", after Nucky has [[spoiler: survived another assassination attempt but has been left by Margaret and gotten Eddie injured]], Eli shows up with [[spoiler: Al Capone and a contingent of men from Chicago he's cut a deal with]].
* BreakTheHaughty: His [[spoiler: jail time between seasons two and three]] serves as this, ultimately giving us a more cautious, more perceptive Eli.
* BreakTheHaughty: His [[spoiler: jail time between seasons two and three]] serves as this, ultimately giving us a more cautious, more perceptive Eli.
to:
* BigDamnHeroes: At the very end of "Two Impostors", after Nucky has [[spoiler: survived another assassination attempt but has been left by Margaret and gotten Eddie injured]], injured, Eli shows up with [[spoiler: Al Capone and a contingent of men from Chicago he's cut a deal with]].
with.
* BreakTheHaughty: His[[spoiler: jail time between seasons two and three]] three serves as this, ultimately giving us a more cautious, more perceptive Eli.
* BreakTheHaughty: His
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** In "Blue Bell Boy",[[spoiler: he sees the warning signs of the trap that Gyp Rosetti is springing in Tabor Heights. Not only is he repeatedly blown off by Mickey, the drivers of their shipment of alcohol outright ignore him on the side of the road yelling to them that it's a trap and drive in to their doom.]]
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: He didn't appear without his trademark police uniform on until well into the first season. By the third season, the uniform has been changed for a yellow jacket and fedora (which is kind of reminiscent of IndianaJones).
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: He didn't appear without his trademark police uniform on until well into the first season. By the third season, the uniform has been changed for a yellow jacket and fedora (which is kind of reminiscent of IndianaJones).
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** In "Blue Bell Boy",[[spoiler: Boy", he sees the warning signs of the trap that Gyp Rosetti is springing in Tabor Heights. Not only is he repeatedly blown off by Mickey, the drivers of their shipment of alcohol outright ignore him on the side of the road yelling to them that it's a trap and drive in to their doom.]]
doom.
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: He didn't appear without his trademark police uniform on until well into the first season.By In the third season, the uniform has been changed for first changes to a yellow jacket and fedora (which is kind of somewhat reminiscent of IndianaJones).IndianaJones, and a brown suit after he gets promoted.
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: He didn't appear without his trademark police uniform on until well into the first season.
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** In "You'd Be Surprised", with Nucky and Owen unreachable, Mickey Doyle is in charge of a liquor convoy from Atlantic City to New York. Eli is the only one who realizes how incredibly bad idea it is to [[spoiler: take the convoy through Tabor Heights]] but Mickey and the drivers ignore him even as he stands in the middle of the road trying to warn them that they are [[spoiler: driving into an ambush.]] During an earlier confrontation with Rosetti, Owen asks Eli's opinion on what they should do and Eli correctly advises him that if they try to fight they will be massacred.
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** In "You'd Be Surprised", with Nucky and Owen unreachable, Mickey Doyle is in charge of a liquor convoy from Atlantic City to New York. Eli is the only one who realizes how incredibly bad idea it is to [[spoiler: take the convoy through Tabor Heights]] Heights but Mickey and the drivers ignore him even as he stands in the middle of the road trying to warn them that they are [[spoiler: driving into an ambush.]] ambush. During an earlier confrontation with Rosetti, Owen asks Eli's opinion on what they should do and Eli correctly advises him that if they try to fight they will be massacred.
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* TookALevelInBadass: He doesn't trust the Tabor Heights sheriff so he goes alone at night to scout out what is really going on. Eli [[spoiler: discovers that Rosetti is setting up an ambush and the police are working for Rosetti. He tries to warn the convoy, but they don't listen, making Eli the SoleSurvivor.]] Earlier, Owen who is usually a good judge of Badassery, picks Eli as the man to consult about how to deal with Rosetti's first road block.
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* TookALevelInBadass: He doesn't trust the Tabor Heights sheriff so he goes alone at night to scout out what is really going on. Eli [[spoiler: discovers that Rosetti is setting up an ambush and the police are working for Rosetti. He tries to warn the convoy, but they don't listen, making Eli the SoleSurvivor.]] Earlier, Owen who is usually a good judge of Badassery, picks Eli as the man to consult about how to deal with Rosetti's first road block.
[[quoteright:266:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/be_willie_thompson_s4_1277.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:266:"My dad said he'd kill me if I got in trouble like this."]]
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* AccidentalMurder: Kills a college mate when his chemically spiked alcohol becomes a DeadlyPrank.
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* AccidentalMurder: Kills [[spoiler:Kills a college mate when his chemically spiked alcohol becomes a DeadlyPrank.]]
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* LastNameBasis: While in college, evryone addresses him as "Thompson".
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and [[spoiler:what he though at the time were]] Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and [[spoiler:what he though at the time were]] Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
to:
* LastNameBasis: While in college, evryone everyone addresses him as "Thompson".
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and[[spoiler:what what he though at the time were]] were Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and
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* RevengeBeforeReason / NiceJobBreakingItHero : In the fourth season, Willie's college mates crash his attempt to make out with a girl and laugh at the raging boner he got. Willie blows it completely out of proportion and seeks revenge on college mate Henry at all costs, deciding to dose his cup with laxative and make him crap his pants in public. In the process, he alienates the girl by claiming that she was in the prank, resulting in her deciding to flirt with Henry instead, and this angers Willie so much that [[spoiler: he puts enough laxative to accidentally poison Henry to death.]]
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* TookALevelInJerkAss: While in college, as a result of feeling out of place and picked on by the other kids.
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* AccidentalMurder: Kills a college mate when his chemically spiked alcohol becomes a DeadlyPrank.
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* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: One of his major malfuctions in the present day, his ambition is like an unquenchable thirst.
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* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: One of his major malfuctions malfunctions in the present day, his ambition is like an unquenchable thirst.
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* WickedCultured
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* WickedCulturedWickedCultured: Enjoys all the perks that an upper social class can offer and is well-read, he also happens to be a corrupter and a gangster.
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* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: One of his major malfuctions in the present day, his ambition is like an unquenchable thirst.
-->I recall that I was once [alive, before Prohibition]. Till then, I was a simple, run-of-the-mill crook... a corrupt city official. And I was happy. Plenty of money, plenty of friends, plenty of everything. Then suddenly, plenty wasn't enough.
-->I recall that I was once [alive, before Prohibition]. Till then, I was a simple, run-of-the-mill crook... a corrupt city official. And I was happy. Plenty of money, plenty of friends, plenty of everything. Then suddenly, plenty wasn't enough.
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Military trope, promotion to parent is not perfect, but fits better
* PromotedToParent: "Man of the house" while Eli is in jail.
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* YouAreInCommandNow: "Man of the house" while Eli is in jail.
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* SomethingElseAlsoRises: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in "Acres of Diamonds". When his college pals crash his attempt to make out with a girl, one comments that "his anger is not [[OrAreYouJustHappyToSeeMe the only thing]] that arises".
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* SomethingElseAlsoRises: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in "Acres of Diamonds". When his college pals crash his attempt to make out with a girl, one comments that "his anger his "anger is not [[OrAreYouJustHappyToSeeMe the only thing]] that arises".
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[[/folder]]
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----
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Better at the top, the bottom the index thing-y to go back and forth
[[Characters/BoardwalkEmpire Return to Boardwalk Empire Characters]]
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[[/folder]]
[[Characters/BoardwalkEmpire Return to Boardwalk Empire Characters]]
[[Characters/BoardwalkEmpire Return to Boardwalk Empire Characters]]
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[[Characters/BoardwalkEmpire Return to Boardwalk Empire Characters]]
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* LastNameBasis: While in college, evryone addresses him as "Thompson".
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and [[spoiler:what he though at the time were]] Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and [[spoiler:what he though at the time were]] Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
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* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and [[spoiler:what he though at the time were]] Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
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* SomethingElseAlsoRises: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in "Acres of Diamonds". When his college pals crash his attempt to make out with a girl, one comments that "his anger is not [[OrAreYouJustHappyToSeeMe the only thing]] that arises".
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** While he manages to make amends with Eli in Season 3, things get worse for him when Margaret gets fed up with him and leaves with his children.
** In Season 4 Nucky confides to a bartender that he used to be happier as a humble corrupt politician, since Prohibition has basically caused him to lose his trust in even his closest friends.
** In Season 4 Nucky confides to a bartender that he used to be happier as a humble corrupt politician, since Prohibition has basically caused him to lose his trust in even his closest friends.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: Enoch Malachi "Nucky" Thompson]]
[[quoteright:288:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Buscemi-as-Nucky_752.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:288:"We all have to decide how much sin we can live with."]]
The primary VillainProtagonist of the series. Originally the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County, he ends up somewhat accidentally in the world of organized crime after he begins investing in bootlegging. Played by SteveBuscemi.
!!Tropes:
* AbusiveParents: His father was horribly physically and emotionally abusive to him.
* TheAce: He's a high-flying politician with a double life as a liqour kingpin. He can trounce much younger and larger men when it comes to fisticuffs. [[FlightStrengthHeart And he can juggle like a pro.]]
* AffablyEvil
* AffectionateNickname: Billie Kent calls him "Gus," as in "Gloomy Gus." Nucky does not seem to mind.
* AlcoholicParent: A "drunken piney" in the words of the Commodore.
* AloofBigBrother: To Eli.
* AntiVillain: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type I.]] While certainly corrupt at the beginning of the series, Nucky was also motivated by a desire to help his constituents and a very sympathetic figure because of his kindness to others and tragic backstory. As the show progresses he becomes more and more evil, however, and even gets his own hands dirty.
* ArmsDealer: He becomes this in the second season, trading smuggled machine guns to the IRA for Irish whiskey. He gets briefly confused with the inventor of the [[CoolGuns/SubmachineGuns Thompson submachine gun]], "just a happy [[NamedLikeMyName coincidence]]".
* ArrangedMarriage: To Margaret, in order to avoid jail since she couldn't be forced then to testify against him.
* BadassBoast:
** "Wanna be a gangster in my town? You pay me for the privilege"
** "Want to see how I do business? Show your face in Atlantic City!"
** "I will ruin you. All of you."
** "I see you in Atlantic City again, I'll kill you myself."
* BadBoss: He feels SurroundedByIdiots and always has quips towards any underling who drops the ball or steps over the line.
* BatmanGambit: Against Rothstein in "Margate Sands". [[spoiler: Nucky has Doyle phone Rothstein and tell him that Nucky, now in the middle of a war against Gyp Rosetti, is running the biggest distillery of the US on behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon. Rothstein catches the bait and phones Nucky to demand a 99% share of the distillery in return for convincing Masseria to withdraw his support from Rosetti and leave him hang, giving control of Atlantic City back to Nucky. Nucky accepts, and after he has Rosetti killed he rats out Rothstein to Mellon, who orders Rothstein's arrest.]]
* BeenThereShapedHistory: It's safe to say that Nucky Thompson is a whole deal more influential in 20th century US history than Nucky Johnson was.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He can be a pretty nice guy, just don't cross him.
* BlingBlingBang: After his second assassination attempt Nucky starts to carry a revolver... covered in gold and ivory.
* CallingTheOldManOut: One of them in the Old Man's funeral, no less.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: His enemies think that his job could be easily done by anyone. They are so very, very wrong.
* TheChessmaster: Nucky is trying to become one following Rothstein's advice. If he has no real options left at the moment, he will retreat, put all his pieces back on the board, maneuver them into position and then strike back.
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: Colorful shirts and suits, red flower and homburg hat.
* ConsummateLiar: It comes with the job description. A deceiving master of duality and of the BastardlySpeech. One notable example has him defending the black community and demonizing it in the next phrase thanks to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGRepRsNH24 the montage]].
* ControlFreak
* DeadpanSnarker: And a master of the StealthInsult.
* TheDon: Firmly upgraded to this by the third season.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: When Margaret says that she would like to name her child after him, he responds: "Enoch? You couldn't possibly be that cruel." Nucky's own son, who died in infancy, was named after him, but only because his wife wanted that.
** EmbarrassingMiddleName: ''Malachi''. There's a reason he uses 'Enoch' after all.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: While not without prejudice, he's one of the least bigoted characters in the series.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Regardless of the current state of his relationship with Margaret, he genuinely loves Teddy and Emily like they're his own children. [[spoiler: In "The Milkmaid's Lot", when he's suffering from a concussion and short-term memory problems, one thing that he keeps remembering (and mentioning) is that Emily was supposed to get a pony for her birthday.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being fine with political corruption among many other crimes, he ''strongly'' disapproves of spousal and child abuse.
** In "Blue Bell Boy", he seems to be debating between letting a booze thief (whose death he ordered) go or taking him under his wing after he discovers that [[WouldNotHurtAChild he is only 16]]. [[spoiler: When the kid reveals that he is actually 19 and an epic con man, [[BaitAndSwitch Nucky just shoots him in the head himself]].]]
* FatalFlaw: Nucky has a tendency to take people for granted and has a fixation for professionalism - it includes both his close-ones and his business associates. He disengages emotionally from Margaret, Eli and Jimmy after a while. It also causes most of his problems with crime, since he's unwilling to throw anyone a bone and expects everyone to be as professional and unemotional as himself.
-->'''A.R.''': Hubris. The Greeks call it.
** Even worse is his monumental hypocrisy. Most people drawn against him do because he is not an example of the professionalism he demands from other people. Nucky not only [[ReallyGetsAround can't keep it in his pants]] (which is another fatal flaw of his in itself), he also becomes lovestruck with whatever woman catches his attention at the moment to the point of putting at risk his business and life itself, and the lives of those around him in turn. Worst of all is that when he is called on it, [[NeverMyFault he acts as if it is perfectly normal]] and the other person is stepping his ground (Eli), overreacting (Margaret) or at ''[[ValuesDissonance worse]]'' fault itself for ''not'' being an open skirt chaser like Nucky (Rothstein).
* FriendToAllChildren
* GondorCallsForAid: Asks for the support of his old associates in the upcoming war against Rosetti-Masseria, but he's considered a liability and only [[DragonWithAnAgenda Al-Capone]] and Chalky join his camp.
* GrammarNazi
* HappyMarriageCharade: In the third season, to Margaret.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Big-time in "The Milkmaid's Lot", resulting from a concussion sustained in the explosion that killed Billie.]]
* HonoraryUncle: To Margaret's children, before getting a PromotionToParent.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Played best in his interactions with Eli, where he always commands him to toughen up and take responsibility, yet Nucky always denies any wrongdoing on his part, even when he knows that the person he is talking to also knows about them. Eli's HazyFeelTurn comes precisely after he points out how resentful Nucky is and how he can't let any slight go unpunished no matter how small or far away in time it is, yet he expects other people to forget his own slights to them right after handing them a wade of cash.
** Multiple examples in his relationship with Billie, in which Nucky crosses his own lines by mixing business and personal priorities. Rothsein even calls him out for it.
* IOwnThisTown: Atlantic City, inherited from the Commodore. Nucky venturing into organized crime makes for a stronger but more dangerous grip.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although sometimes the heart can be really deep.
* KarmaHoudini: The show's plot could be summed as "watch Nucky Thompson weasel out of the problems he's getting into".
* KavorkaMan: Like many older men of the time period, it's astonishing how much tail he gets.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: When Eli comes crawling back to him in "Gimcrack and Bunkum", Nucky tells him to "get on [his] knees, bend down to the ground, and kiss [his] fucking shoes, you piece of shit". They then get into a knock-down, drag-out brawl. It's a long time coming.
* LonelyAtTheTop: While he has wealth and prestige and is known for his charm, he manages to alienate Jimmy, his brother Eli, and even Margaret... ''right after marrying her''.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: His relation with Billie makes him neglect his business affairs. A.R. calls him out on this "cavalierness" and labels him a liability.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Mayors, senators and even ''presidents'' owe him their position in some way.
* {{Mangst}}: Childhood abuse, dead wife and infant son. Season 3 adds [[spoiler: the death of Billie]] to the mix. He does not indulge in self-pity or let others do it for him.
* ManipulativeBastard
* NeverMyFault: As detailed under "Hypocrite".
* NiceToTheWaiter:
** He ''is'' nice to constituents who he patronizes, but he's a pretty big jerk to Eddie. In "Family Limitations", Margaret asks Eddie if Nucky is nice to him. Eddie loyally responds that he is. (In the same episode, Nucky berated him first for not knocking loudly enough, then for knocking too loudly). In "Two Imposters" he realizes that he has known Eddie for years but never bothered to find out whether Eddie has any family (he is actually married and has two children) or where Eddie lives.
** He also gets more and more jerkish to Harlan after he begins working directly for him.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Inspired by the real historical figure Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, with the name changed so the writers have more leeway for telling his story. The character also seems to be [[AgeLift older]] than his real counterpart, who was 37 in 1920 - and his hands a lot bloodier.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Everybody calls him "Nucky" or "Nuck", though Margaret addresses him as "Enoch" a few times in season 3.
* ParentalSubstitute: First to Jimmy and later to Margaret's children.
* PromotionToParent: In "Two Boats and a Lifeguard", when he asks Teddy to call him "Dad", and in "Georgia Peaches", when Teddy casually does.
* RaisedCatholic: Lucy says this about him: "They raised him a good Catholic boy. And every once in a while, he starts thinking that he might go to Hell, and that he better change before it's too late.
* ReallyGetsAround / YourCheatingHeart
* RedemptionRejection: Just a few scenes after basically telling Margaret he'll make a HeelFaceTurn he tells Jimmy "You don't know me. I'm not seeking forgiveness". Right before shooting Jimmy in the head.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: This has become something of a personal philosophy as a result of all of his experience with corrupt pols and the benefits of graft. It's also probably Nucky's FatalFlaw, as he's very prone to throwing money at friends and loved ones in circumstances where he should be taking an active emotional interest.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Usually Nucky is the connection that people call on to get out of trouble. However, when he gets into legal trouble himself, he is not shy calling up his connections in the White House and later, New York, to get out of it.
* SleazyPolitician: Before turning full-gangster, Nucky made a living by exploiting - if not outright invoking - DemocracyIsBad, or "Not voting Republican is worse", to be precise.
* ThickerThanWater: Proves that Eli means more to him than Jimmy. It helped that Eli was also [[TheSociopath more useful]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manageable]].
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Nucky himself pulls the trigger to end Jimmy's life.
* TookALevelInBadass: His development as a whole, from power broker and kingmaker to half-gangster and then full-fledged kingpin. By season 3 his NonActionGuy persona is gone, in "Two Imposters" he singlehandedly [[spoiler: kills three of Rosetti's men ]] in a firefight. With a shotgun. Through a closed door.
* [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy Hot Mistress]]: First with Lucy, then with Margaret, and then with [[spoiler:Billie]].
* TheUnfavorite: His father constantly expresses scorn toward him, yet secretly feels that he's the only son who can handle himself.
* VillainousBreakdown: See ''Heroic BSOD'' above.
* VillainProtagonist
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: As far as the people are concerned, Nucky is a pillar of the community and a social celebrity in Atlantic City. In season 3 he also becomes a philanthropist and a Knight of the Church, albeit involuntarily.
* WickedCultured
* WifeBasherBasher: Played with. When he called the hit on Hans Schroeder, he was partly motivated by outrage at Hans's savage abuse of Margaret. Then again, Nuck needed a fall guy, and Hans was a convenient one.
* WouldNotHitAGirl: Although he comes perilously close to it in "Under God's Power She Flourishes".
* WouldNotHurtAChild: Ordering it is not off-limits, though.
* YourCheatingHeart: Has an affair with Billie Kent while married to Margaret.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sheriff Elias "Eli" Thompson]]
[[quoteright:285:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Eli_Thompson_2952.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:285:"What am I? The repudiated?"]]
The corrupt sheriff of Atlantic County and Nucky's younger brother. Through the first two seasons he develops an increasing desire for recognition which he feels denied because everyone else only sees him as Nucky's muscle, and that eventually leads him to betray Nucky for the Commodore. This conspiracy is defeated, and Eli loses his sheriff position and [[spoiler:goes to jail for a year and a half in payment for his betrayal]]. Played by Shea Whigham.
!!Tropes:
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: To Nucky.
* BadBoss
* BadLiar
* BigDamnHeroes: At the very end of "Two Impostors", after Nucky has [[spoiler: survived another assassination attempt but has been left by Margaret and gotten Eddie injured]], Eli shows up with [[spoiler: Al Capone and a contingent of men from Chicago he's cut a deal with]].
* BreakTheHaughty: His [[spoiler: jail time between seasons two and three]] serves as this, ultimately giving us a more cautious, more perceptive Eli.
* CainAndAbel: In the second season he basically forces Jimmy to order a hit on his own brother.
* TheCassandra:
** Eli is the only one to not proclaim victory when Nucky resigns as Treasurer and warns Jimmy that he must be planning something. Jimmy's response?
--->'''Jimmy''': Fuck you Eli. Pissing all over my party?
** In "Blue Bell Boy",[[spoiler: he sees the warning signs of the trap that Gyp Rosetti is springing in Tabor Heights. Not only is he repeatedly blown off by Mickey, the drivers of their shipment of alcohol outright ignore him on the side of the road yelling to them that it's a trap and drive in to their doom.]]
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: He didn't appear without his trademark police uniform on until well into the first season. By the third season, the uniform has been changed for a yellow jacket and fedora (which is kind of reminiscent of IndianaJones).
* CharacterDevelopment: His imprisonment at the end of season 2 takes away his cockiness and gung-ho attitude. By the time he gets out, he is more weary, down to earth and a good deal smarter. See OnlySaneMan and TookALevelInBadass.
* DirtyCop
* DirtyCoward: Turns tail at the first sign of trouble.
-->'''Eli''': You are one nasty prick.
-->'''Nucky''': And you're a frightened little boy with no place else to go.
* TheDragon: As of Season 3 he's cemented his position as Nucky's Dragon.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: For the first two seasons. He finally gets a part of it in "Sunday's Best".
* DumbassHasAPoint: Frequently throughout the first two seasons. By the third, the dumbass part is gone and he just tends to make a lot of good points.
* TheDutifulSon: Cares for his aged father and generally does whatever his brother says.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He is devoted to his father and children. His wife too, even though [[DeliberateValuesDissonance Eli thinks that spousal abuse is not something to frown upon]]. He is completely faithful to her, in contrast with his compulsive womanizer brother.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: He is distraught to discover that his eldest son has left school during his imprisonment.
* {{Expy}}: Some passing resemblance to Fredo from ''TheGodfather'', particularly in the second season.
* {{Foil}}: To Nucky. Same origins, but Eli's become the family man Nucky's always aspired to be. He's also unfortunately developed a nasty inferiority complex.
* HappilyMarried: Strangely enough, despite the insinuations of spousal abuse, Eli is clearly devoted to June. Nucky says Eli's never been unfaithful to her, and many times during "Sunday Best" we see them being sweet and loving.
* HazyFeelTurn
** [[HeelFaceDoorSlam Hazy Feel Door Slam]]: He later comes begging to Nucky for a second chance, only to be told to get lost. Eventually Nucky changes his mind when Eli earns a deserved second chance.
** [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Hazy Feel Revolving Door]]: Just ''whose'' side is he on? Pick one already!
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Sometimes comes across as this because of how desperate he is for respect and often out of his depth. On the other hand, he's also frequently a reprehensible brute.
* JustGotOutOfJail: In “Spaghetti & Coffee.”
* KickTheDog: Most prominent in Season 2, where almost, if not every time he does something nice is immediately followed by him doing something terrible.
* {{Malaproper}}
* MetaGuy: Hilariously, since unlike most examples of the trope Eli is neither the most intelligent nor the most popular character in the fandom. His track record includes criticizing Nucky for starting a dangerous relationship with Margaret in season 1, drawing attention to Jimmy and Gillian's [[IncestSubtext even weirder relationship]] in season 2, and pointing out both Mickey Doyle's KarmaHoudini status and everyone's abuse of the IdiotBall regarding the Tabor Heights plot in the first four episodes of season 3.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He replaces Nucky's brother, Alfred "[[HilariousInHindsight Alf]]" Johnson.
* OfficerOHara: Doesn't have the stereotypical accent, but he is Irish-American.
* OnlySaneMan: In season three.
** In "You'd Be Surprised", with Nucky and Owen unreachable, Mickey Doyle is in charge of a liquor convoy from Atlantic City to New York. Eli is the only one who realizes how incredibly bad idea it is to [[spoiler: take the convoy through Tabor Heights]] but Mickey and the drivers ignore him even as he stands in the middle of the road trying to warn them that they are [[spoiler: driving into an ambush.]] During an earlier confrontation with Rosetti, Owen asks Eli's opinion on what they should do and Eli correctly advises him that if they try to fight they will be massacred.
** In "Sunday Best", Nucky recognizes that Eli was "the only smart one in the bunch" and as such, promotes him to equal standing with his now-former boss.
* PapaWolf: In "Two Imposters", he is really unhappy that Nucky got his son William involved in their war with Rosetti.
* PetTheDog:
** His genuine love for his family and his wife and children's adoration of him does a lot to humanize him.
** Tells Capone to watch out for civilians during the gang war in Season 3.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Unlike Nucky, he is pretty racist and frequently uses ethnic slurs, and by his commentary in one scene where he advises Nucky on how to deal with Margaret, it's implied that he beats his wife.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Working for [[TheDitz Mickey Doyle]]? FateWorseThanDeath.
* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Tells Jimmy to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim simply shoot]] [[CainAndAbel Nucky]], to [[EvenEvilHasStandards Jimmy and Harrow's horror]].
* ThickerThanWater: Nucky certainly proves so in "To the Lost".
* TenMinuteRetirement: In the first season, a scandal breaks out after he is shot while collecting bribes for Nucky, forcing Nucky to suspend him until the upcoming election is over. Although he is restored immediately, the relationship between the two brothers is considerably damaged.
* TookALevelInBadass: He doesn't trust the Tabor Heights sheriff so he goes alone at night to scout out what is really going on. Eli [[spoiler: discovers that Rosetti is setting up an ambush and the police are working for Rosetti. He tries to warn the convoy, but they don't listen, making Eli the SoleSurvivor.]] Earlier, Owen who is usually a good judge of Badassery, picks Eli as the man to consult about how to deal with Rosetti's first road block.
* TookALevelInKindness: By season 3, his JerkAss tendencies are completely gone.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Eli realizes that his father, while seeming to favor him, doesn't have any respect for his intelligence. His relationship with Nucky also sours because of Nucky's lack of respect for him.
* YouHaveFailedMe: He has Halloran beaten up to dissuade him from testifying against him. [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal It fails, at first]], because this actually [[HoistByHisOwnPetard moves Halloran to testify]], but Halloran ends spending [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished much more time in jail]] than Eli, with his connections to Nucky, will.
* YouNeverDidThatForMe: In season 1 he feels that Nucky gives Jimmy more slack than he ever got, and it is one more thing added onto a long list of things he resents Nucky for.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ethan Thompson]]
[[quoteright:230:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nuckys-Father_5657.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:230:"Look who's here: the big shot."]]
Nucky and Eli's old and progressively more senile father. He was abusive to the first and protective of the second during their childhood, and still remains more attached to Eli in the modern day - in part, however, because he knew that the more intelligent Nucky was more capable of making his way into life. Played by Tom Aldredge in his last role.
!!Tropes:
* [[CrazyCatLady Crazy Cat Guy]]: In his old age.
* DomesticAbuser: To Nucky. If he ever was to Eli (his favorite) he has forgotten about it.
* GrumpyOldMan
* HollywoodHeartAttack: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in "Two Boats and a Lifeguard". It's debatable if he even realized what was going on.
* {{Jerkass}}
* LonersAreFreaks: He lives alone in what was once the family home, in the middle of nowhere. Here he enjoys such pastimes as cooking bread on a stove, fending stray cats off with a fireplace poker, and apparently peeing everywhere.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: By virtue of being Nucky's father, he'd have to be of Enoch Johnson's father, Smith Johnson. [[OutOfFocus But it is not elaborated on.]]
* RealLifeWritesThePlot/ TheCharacterDiedWithHim: Very narrowly averted since the episode featuring the character's death was filmed mere months before the actual death of actor Tom Aldredge from natural causes at the age of 83.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Or as he puts it: "Ah, what do I give a shit?"
* ShownTheirWork: "Ethan"'s popularity as a baby name was nonexistent from the 1880s-about 1970 and spiked in the '80s to a peak around 2000. Therefore it just doesn't conjure up an old man in [[TheNewTens viewers' minds]], however it might've in TheRoaringTwenties.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:June Thompson]]
[[quoteright:234:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/June_Thompson_6322.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:"You had enough to worry about."]]
Eli's wife and mother of his eight children. Played by Nisi Sturgis.
!!Tropes:
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Sunday Best".
* HairOfGold
* HappilyMarried: To Eli. She met him when she was 17 and they've been together ever since.
* {{Housewife}}
* MafiaPrincess
* MoralityPet: Eli's, along with their children.
* [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]]
* ThePollyanna / StepfordSmiler: She never asks questions and just welcomes new events with a big smile. When Margaret tells her that Nucky is cheating on her June just ignores it, changes subject and finally excuses herself out of the room.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:William "Willie" Thompson]]
Eli and June's eldest child. Played by Kevin Csolak in Season 3 and Ben Rosenfield in Season 4.
!!Tropes:
* [[ShesAllGrownUp He's All Grown Up]]: PlayedForDrama. Eli missed two of Willie's birthdays and had trouble dealing with the idea that he had left school to support their family in Eli's absence.
* NiceGuy
* TheOtherDarrin: ''Very'' obvious. Csolak has blonde, straight hair; Rosenfield has red,curly hair. The fact that his brothers have been consistently cast only highlights it.
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and [[spoiler:what he though at the time were]] Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
* RememberTheNewGuy: In Season 3. Season 2 implied that his brother Michael ([[AuthorsSavingThrow or Patrick]]) was the eldest of Eli's eight children.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: He's very much like Jimmy was before the war [[ShellShockedVeteran messed him up]]. In Season 4 he's even going to college.
* YouAreInCommandNow: "Man of the house" while Eli is in jail.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mabel Thompson]]
[[quoteright:172:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mabel_Thompson_2792.png]]
[[caption-width-right:172:"She completely broke with reality."]]
Nucky's first wife who committed suicide seven years before the start of the series. Played - sort of - by MollyParker.
!!Tropes:
* TheCameo: Although "played" by a big actress the character only appears in some photographs during the first season.
* DrivenToSuicide: She slashed her wrists with Nucky's shaving razor roughly a month after the death of their newborn first son, in January 1913. Nucky can't cope with the guilt and prefers to tell strangers that she died of tuberculosis.
* TheLostLenore: To Nucky.
* OfCorpseHesAlive: Mabel's first and only child, Enoch Jr., died shortly after birth. Mabel fell into denial and continued to bathe, dress and care for him as if he was still alive, until she was discovered by a busy Nucky days later.
* PosthumousCharacter
* ShoutOut: Parker's casting is a Shot Out to ''{{Deadwood}}'', the third {{HBO}} show ''BoardwalkEmpire'' is often compared to, after ''TheSopranos'' and ''TheWire''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: It has been said in at least one interview with TV Guide that Parker's photograph was a prelude to her appearance in flashback during season 2, but that never materialized.
[[/folder]]
[[Characters/BoardwalkEmpire Return to Boardwalk Empire Characters]]
[[folder: Enoch Malachi "Nucky" Thompson]]
[[quoteright:288:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Buscemi-as-Nucky_752.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:288:"We all have to decide how much sin we can live with."]]
The primary VillainProtagonist of the series. Originally the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County, he ends up somewhat accidentally in the world of organized crime after he begins investing in bootlegging. Played by SteveBuscemi.
!!Tropes:
* AbusiveParents: His father was horribly physically and emotionally abusive to him.
* TheAce: He's a high-flying politician with a double life as a liqour kingpin. He can trounce much younger and larger men when it comes to fisticuffs. [[FlightStrengthHeart And he can juggle like a pro.]]
* AffablyEvil
* AffectionateNickname: Billie Kent calls him "Gus," as in "Gloomy Gus." Nucky does not seem to mind.
* AlcoholicParent: A "drunken piney" in the words of the Commodore.
* AloofBigBrother: To Eli.
* AntiVillain: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type I.]] While certainly corrupt at the beginning of the series, Nucky was also motivated by a desire to help his constituents and a very sympathetic figure because of his kindness to others and tragic backstory. As the show progresses he becomes more and more evil, however, and even gets his own hands dirty.
* ArmsDealer: He becomes this in the second season, trading smuggled machine guns to the IRA for Irish whiskey. He gets briefly confused with the inventor of the [[CoolGuns/SubmachineGuns Thompson submachine gun]], "just a happy [[NamedLikeMyName coincidence]]".
* ArrangedMarriage: To Margaret, in order to avoid jail since she couldn't be forced then to testify against him.
* BadassBoast:
** "Wanna be a gangster in my town? You pay me for the privilege"
** "Want to see how I do business? Show your face in Atlantic City!"
** "I will ruin you. All of you."
** "I see you in Atlantic City again, I'll kill you myself."
* BadBoss: He feels SurroundedByIdiots and always has quips towards any underling who drops the ball or steps over the line.
* BatmanGambit: Against Rothstein in "Margate Sands". [[spoiler: Nucky has Doyle phone Rothstein and tell him that Nucky, now in the middle of a war against Gyp Rosetti, is running the biggest distillery of the US on behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon. Rothstein catches the bait and phones Nucky to demand a 99% share of the distillery in return for convincing Masseria to withdraw his support from Rosetti and leave him hang, giving control of Atlantic City back to Nucky. Nucky accepts, and after he has Rosetti killed he rats out Rothstein to Mellon, who orders Rothstein's arrest.]]
* BeenThereShapedHistory: It's safe to say that Nucky Thompson is a whole deal more influential in 20th century US history than Nucky Johnson was.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He can be a pretty nice guy, just don't cross him.
* BlingBlingBang: After his second assassination attempt Nucky starts to carry a revolver... covered in gold and ivory.
* CallingTheOldManOut: One of them in the Old Man's funeral, no less.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: His enemies think that his job could be easily done by anyone. They are so very, very wrong.
* TheChessmaster: Nucky is trying to become one following Rothstein's advice. If he has no real options left at the moment, he will retreat, put all his pieces back on the board, maneuver them into position and then strike back.
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: Colorful shirts and suits, red flower and homburg hat.
* ConsummateLiar: It comes with the job description. A deceiving master of duality and of the BastardlySpeech. One notable example has him defending the black community and demonizing it in the next phrase thanks to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGRepRsNH24 the montage]].
* ControlFreak
* DeadpanSnarker: And a master of the StealthInsult.
* TheDon: Firmly upgraded to this by the third season.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: When Margaret says that she would like to name her child after him, he responds: "Enoch? You couldn't possibly be that cruel." Nucky's own son, who died in infancy, was named after him, but only because his wife wanted that.
** EmbarrassingMiddleName: ''Malachi''. There's a reason he uses 'Enoch' after all.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: While not without prejudice, he's one of the least bigoted characters in the series.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Regardless of the current state of his relationship with Margaret, he genuinely loves Teddy and Emily like they're his own children. [[spoiler: In "The Milkmaid's Lot", when he's suffering from a concussion and short-term memory problems, one thing that he keeps remembering (and mentioning) is that Emily was supposed to get a pony for her birthday.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being fine with political corruption among many other crimes, he ''strongly'' disapproves of spousal and child abuse.
** In "Blue Bell Boy", he seems to be debating between letting a booze thief (whose death he ordered) go or taking him under his wing after he discovers that [[WouldNotHurtAChild he is only 16]]. [[spoiler: When the kid reveals that he is actually 19 and an epic con man, [[BaitAndSwitch Nucky just shoots him in the head himself]].]]
* FatalFlaw: Nucky has a tendency to take people for granted and has a fixation for professionalism - it includes both his close-ones and his business associates. He disengages emotionally from Margaret, Eli and Jimmy after a while. It also causes most of his problems with crime, since he's unwilling to throw anyone a bone and expects everyone to be as professional and unemotional as himself.
-->'''A.R.''': Hubris. The Greeks call it.
** Even worse is his monumental hypocrisy. Most people drawn against him do because he is not an example of the professionalism he demands from other people. Nucky not only [[ReallyGetsAround can't keep it in his pants]] (which is another fatal flaw of his in itself), he also becomes lovestruck with whatever woman catches his attention at the moment to the point of putting at risk his business and life itself, and the lives of those around him in turn. Worst of all is that when he is called on it, [[NeverMyFault he acts as if it is perfectly normal]] and the other person is stepping his ground (Eli), overreacting (Margaret) or at ''[[ValuesDissonance worse]]'' fault itself for ''not'' being an open skirt chaser like Nucky (Rothstein).
* FriendToAllChildren
* GondorCallsForAid: Asks for the support of his old associates in the upcoming war against Rosetti-Masseria, but he's considered a liability and only [[DragonWithAnAgenda Al-Capone]] and Chalky join his camp.
* GrammarNazi
* HappyMarriageCharade: In the third season, to Margaret.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Big-time in "The Milkmaid's Lot", resulting from a concussion sustained in the explosion that killed Billie.]]
* HonoraryUncle: To Margaret's children, before getting a PromotionToParent.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Played best in his interactions with Eli, where he always commands him to toughen up and take responsibility, yet Nucky always denies any wrongdoing on his part, even when he knows that the person he is talking to also knows about them. Eli's HazyFeelTurn comes precisely after he points out how resentful Nucky is and how he can't let any slight go unpunished no matter how small or far away in time it is, yet he expects other people to forget his own slights to them right after handing them a wade of cash.
** Multiple examples in his relationship with Billie, in which Nucky crosses his own lines by mixing business and personal priorities. Rothsein even calls him out for it.
* IOwnThisTown: Atlantic City, inherited from the Commodore. Nucky venturing into organized crime makes for a stronger but more dangerous grip.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although sometimes the heart can be really deep.
* KarmaHoudini: The show's plot could be summed as "watch Nucky Thompson weasel out of the problems he's getting into".
* KavorkaMan: Like many older men of the time period, it's astonishing how much tail he gets.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: When Eli comes crawling back to him in "Gimcrack and Bunkum", Nucky tells him to "get on [his] knees, bend down to the ground, and kiss [his] fucking shoes, you piece of shit". They then get into a knock-down, drag-out brawl. It's a long time coming.
* LonelyAtTheTop: While he has wealth and prestige and is known for his charm, he manages to alienate Jimmy, his brother Eli, and even Margaret... ''right after marrying her''.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: His relation with Billie makes him neglect his business affairs. A.R. calls him out on this "cavalierness" and labels him a liability.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Mayors, senators and even ''presidents'' owe him their position in some way.
* {{Mangst}}: Childhood abuse, dead wife and infant son. Season 3 adds [[spoiler: the death of Billie]] to the mix. He does not indulge in self-pity or let others do it for him.
* ManipulativeBastard
* NeverMyFault: As detailed under "Hypocrite".
* NiceToTheWaiter:
** He ''is'' nice to constituents who he patronizes, but he's a pretty big jerk to Eddie. In "Family Limitations", Margaret asks Eddie if Nucky is nice to him. Eddie loyally responds that he is. (In the same episode, Nucky berated him first for not knocking loudly enough, then for knocking too loudly). In "Two Imposters" he realizes that he has known Eddie for years but never bothered to find out whether Eddie has any family (he is actually married and has two children) or where Eddie lives.
** He also gets more and more jerkish to Harlan after he begins working directly for him.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Inspired by the real historical figure Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, with the name changed so the writers have more leeway for telling his story. The character also seems to be [[AgeLift older]] than his real counterpart, who was 37 in 1920 - and his hands a lot bloodier.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Everybody calls him "Nucky" or "Nuck", though Margaret addresses him as "Enoch" a few times in season 3.
* ParentalSubstitute: First to Jimmy and later to Margaret's children.
* PromotionToParent: In "Two Boats and a Lifeguard", when he asks Teddy to call him "Dad", and in "Georgia Peaches", when Teddy casually does.
* RaisedCatholic: Lucy says this about him: "They raised him a good Catholic boy. And every once in a while, he starts thinking that he might go to Hell, and that he better change before it's too late.
* ReallyGetsAround / YourCheatingHeart
* RedemptionRejection: Just a few scenes after basically telling Margaret he'll make a HeelFaceTurn he tells Jimmy "You don't know me. I'm not seeking forgiveness". Right before shooting Jimmy in the head.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: This has become something of a personal philosophy as a result of all of his experience with corrupt pols and the benefits of graft. It's also probably Nucky's FatalFlaw, as he's very prone to throwing money at friends and loved ones in circumstances where he should be taking an active emotional interest.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Usually Nucky is the connection that people call on to get out of trouble. However, when he gets into legal trouble himself, he is not shy calling up his connections in the White House and later, New York, to get out of it.
* SleazyPolitician: Before turning full-gangster, Nucky made a living by exploiting - if not outright invoking - DemocracyIsBad, or "Not voting Republican is worse", to be precise.
* ThickerThanWater: Proves that Eli means more to him than Jimmy. It helped that Eli was also [[TheSociopath more useful]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manageable]].
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Nucky himself pulls the trigger to end Jimmy's life.
* TookALevelInBadass: His development as a whole, from power broker and kingmaker to half-gangster and then full-fledged kingpin. By season 3 his NonActionGuy persona is gone, in "Two Imposters" he singlehandedly [[spoiler: kills three of Rosetti's men ]] in a firefight. With a shotgun. Through a closed door.
* [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy Hot Mistress]]: First with Lucy, then with Margaret, and then with [[spoiler:Billie]].
* TheUnfavorite: His father constantly expresses scorn toward him, yet secretly feels that he's the only son who can handle himself.
* VillainousBreakdown: See ''Heroic BSOD'' above.
* VillainProtagonist
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: As far as the people are concerned, Nucky is a pillar of the community and a social celebrity in Atlantic City. In season 3 he also becomes a philanthropist and a Knight of the Church, albeit involuntarily.
* WickedCultured
* WifeBasherBasher: Played with. When he called the hit on Hans Schroeder, he was partly motivated by outrage at Hans's savage abuse of Margaret. Then again, Nuck needed a fall guy, and Hans was a convenient one.
* WouldNotHitAGirl: Although he comes perilously close to it in "Under God's Power She Flourishes".
* WouldNotHurtAChild: Ordering it is not off-limits, though.
* YourCheatingHeart: Has an affair with Billie Kent while married to Margaret.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sheriff Elias "Eli" Thompson]]
[[quoteright:285:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Eli_Thompson_2952.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:285:"What am I? The repudiated?"]]
The corrupt sheriff of Atlantic County and Nucky's younger brother. Through the first two seasons he develops an increasing desire for recognition which he feels denied because everyone else only sees him as Nucky's muscle, and that eventually leads him to betray Nucky for the Commodore. This conspiracy is defeated, and Eli loses his sheriff position and [[spoiler:goes to jail for a year and a half in payment for his betrayal]]. Played by Shea Whigham.
!!Tropes:
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: To Nucky.
* BadBoss
* BadLiar
* BigDamnHeroes: At the very end of "Two Impostors", after Nucky has [[spoiler: survived another assassination attempt but has been left by Margaret and gotten Eddie injured]], Eli shows up with [[spoiler: Al Capone and a contingent of men from Chicago he's cut a deal with]].
* BreakTheHaughty: His [[spoiler: jail time between seasons two and three]] serves as this, ultimately giving us a more cautious, more perceptive Eli.
* CainAndAbel: In the second season he basically forces Jimmy to order a hit on his own brother.
* TheCassandra:
** Eli is the only one to not proclaim victory when Nucky resigns as Treasurer and warns Jimmy that he must be planning something. Jimmy's response?
--->'''Jimmy''': Fuck you Eli. Pissing all over my party?
** In "Blue Bell Boy",[[spoiler: he sees the warning signs of the trap that Gyp Rosetti is springing in Tabor Heights. Not only is he repeatedly blown off by Mickey, the drivers of their shipment of alcohol outright ignore him on the side of the road yelling to them that it's a trap and drive in to their doom.]]
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: He didn't appear without his trademark police uniform on until well into the first season. By the third season, the uniform has been changed for a yellow jacket and fedora (which is kind of reminiscent of IndianaJones).
* CharacterDevelopment: His imprisonment at the end of season 2 takes away his cockiness and gung-ho attitude. By the time he gets out, he is more weary, down to earth and a good deal smarter. See OnlySaneMan and TookALevelInBadass.
* DirtyCop
* DirtyCoward: Turns tail at the first sign of trouble.
-->'''Eli''': You are one nasty prick.
-->'''Nucky''': And you're a frightened little boy with no place else to go.
* TheDragon: As of Season 3 he's cemented his position as Nucky's Dragon.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: For the first two seasons. He finally gets a part of it in "Sunday's Best".
* DumbassHasAPoint: Frequently throughout the first two seasons. By the third, the dumbass part is gone and he just tends to make a lot of good points.
* TheDutifulSon: Cares for his aged father and generally does whatever his brother says.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He is devoted to his father and children. His wife too, even though [[DeliberateValuesDissonance Eli thinks that spousal abuse is not something to frown upon]]. He is completely faithful to her, in contrast with his compulsive womanizer brother.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: He is distraught to discover that his eldest son has left school during his imprisonment.
* {{Expy}}: Some passing resemblance to Fredo from ''TheGodfather'', particularly in the second season.
* {{Foil}}: To Nucky. Same origins, but Eli's become the family man Nucky's always aspired to be. He's also unfortunately developed a nasty inferiority complex.
* HappilyMarried: Strangely enough, despite the insinuations of spousal abuse, Eli is clearly devoted to June. Nucky says Eli's never been unfaithful to her, and many times during "Sunday Best" we see them being sweet and loving.
* HazyFeelTurn
** [[HeelFaceDoorSlam Hazy Feel Door Slam]]: He later comes begging to Nucky for a second chance, only to be told to get lost. Eventually Nucky changes his mind when Eli earns a deserved second chance.
** [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Hazy Feel Revolving Door]]: Just ''whose'' side is he on? Pick one already!
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Sometimes comes across as this because of how desperate he is for respect and often out of his depth. On the other hand, he's also frequently a reprehensible brute.
* JustGotOutOfJail: In “Spaghetti & Coffee.”
* KickTheDog: Most prominent in Season 2, where almost, if not every time he does something nice is immediately followed by him doing something terrible.
* {{Malaproper}}
* MetaGuy: Hilariously, since unlike most examples of the trope Eli is neither the most intelligent nor the most popular character in the fandom. His track record includes criticizing Nucky for starting a dangerous relationship with Margaret in season 1, drawing attention to Jimmy and Gillian's [[IncestSubtext even weirder relationship]] in season 2, and pointing out both Mickey Doyle's KarmaHoudini status and everyone's abuse of the IdiotBall regarding the Tabor Heights plot in the first four episodes of season 3.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He replaces Nucky's brother, Alfred "[[HilariousInHindsight Alf]]" Johnson.
* OfficerOHara: Doesn't have the stereotypical accent, but he is Irish-American.
* OnlySaneMan: In season three.
** In "You'd Be Surprised", with Nucky and Owen unreachable, Mickey Doyle is in charge of a liquor convoy from Atlantic City to New York. Eli is the only one who realizes how incredibly bad idea it is to [[spoiler: take the convoy through Tabor Heights]] but Mickey and the drivers ignore him even as he stands in the middle of the road trying to warn them that they are [[spoiler: driving into an ambush.]] During an earlier confrontation with Rosetti, Owen asks Eli's opinion on what they should do and Eli correctly advises him that if they try to fight they will be massacred.
** In "Sunday Best", Nucky recognizes that Eli was "the only smart one in the bunch" and as such, promotes him to equal standing with his now-former boss.
* PapaWolf: In "Two Imposters", he is really unhappy that Nucky got his son William involved in their war with Rosetti.
* PetTheDog:
** His genuine love for his family and his wife and children's adoration of him does a lot to humanize him.
** Tells Capone to watch out for civilians during the gang war in Season 3.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Unlike Nucky, he is pretty racist and frequently uses ethnic slurs, and by his commentary in one scene where he advises Nucky on how to deal with Margaret, it's implied that he beats his wife.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Working for [[TheDitz Mickey Doyle]]? FateWorseThanDeath.
* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Tells Jimmy to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim simply shoot]] [[CainAndAbel Nucky]], to [[EvenEvilHasStandards Jimmy and Harrow's horror]].
* ThickerThanWater: Nucky certainly proves so in "To the Lost".
* TenMinuteRetirement: In the first season, a scandal breaks out after he is shot while collecting bribes for Nucky, forcing Nucky to suspend him until the upcoming election is over. Although he is restored immediately, the relationship between the two brothers is considerably damaged.
* TookALevelInBadass: He doesn't trust the Tabor Heights sheriff so he goes alone at night to scout out what is really going on. Eli [[spoiler: discovers that Rosetti is setting up an ambush and the police are working for Rosetti. He tries to warn the convoy, but they don't listen, making Eli the SoleSurvivor.]] Earlier, Owen who is usually a good judge of Badassery, picks Eli as the man to consult about how to deal with Rosetti's first road block.
* TookALevelInKindness: By season 3, his JerkAss tendencies are completely gone.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Eli realizes that his father, while seeming to favor him, doesn't have any respect for his intelligence. His relationship with Nucky also sours because of Nucky's lack of respect for him.
* YouHaveFailedMe: He has Halloran beaten up to dissuade him from testifying against him. [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal It fails, at first]], because this actually [[HoistByHisOwnPetard moves Halloran to testify]], but Halloran ends spending [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished much more time in jail]] than Eli, with his connections to Nucky, will.
* YouNeverDidThatForMe: In season 1 he feels that Nucky gives Jimmy more slack than he ever got, and it is one more thing added onto a long list of things he resents Nucky for.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ethan Thompson]]
[[quoteright:230:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nuckys-Father_5657.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:230:"Look who's here: the big shot."]]
Nucky and Eli's old and progressively more senile father. He was abusive to the first and protective of the second during their childhood, and still remains more attached to Eli in the modern day - in part, however, because he knew that the more intelligent Nucky was more capable of making his way into life. Played by Tom Aldredge in his last role.
!!Tropes:
* [[CrazyCatLady Crazy Cat Guy]]: In his old age.
* DomesticAbuser: To Nucky. If he ever was to Eli (his favorite) he has forgotten about it.
* GrumpyOldMan
* HollywoodHeartAttack: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in "Two Boats and a Lifeguard". It's debatable if he even realized what was going on.
* {{Jerkass}}
* LonersAreFreaks: He lives alone in what was once the family home, in the middle of nowhere. Here he enjoys such pastimes as cooking bread on a stove, fending stray cats off with a fireplace poker, and apparently peeing everywhere.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: By virtue of being Nucky's father, he'd have to be of Enoch Johnson's father, Smith Johnson. [[OutOfFocus But it is not elaborated on.]]
* RealLifeWritesThePlot/ TheCharacterDiedWithHim: Very narrowly averted since the episode featuring the character's death was filmed mere months before the actual death of actor Tom Aldredge from natural causes at the age of 83.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Or as he puts it: "Ah, what do I give a shit?"
* ShownTheirWork: "Ethan"'s popularity as a baby name was nonexistent from the 1880s-about 1970 and spiked in the '80s to a peak around 2000. Therefore it just doesn't conjure up an old man in [[TheNewTens viewers' minds]], however it might've in TheRoaringTwenties.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:June Thompson]]
[[quoteright:234:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/June_Thompson_6322.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:"You had enough to worry about."]]
Eli's wife and mother of his eight children. Played by Nisi Sturgis.
!!Tropes:
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Sunday Best".
* HairOfGold
* HappilyMarried: To Eli. She met him when she was 17 and they've been together ever since.
* {{Housewife}}
* MafiaPrincess
* MoralityPet: Eli's, along with their children.
* [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]]
* ThePollyanna / StepfordSmiler: She never asks questions and just welcomes new events with a big smile. When Margaret tells her that Nucky is cheating on her June just ignores it, changes subject and finally excuses herself out of the room.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:William "Willie" Thompson]]
Eli and June's eldest child. Played by Kevin Csolak in Season 3 and Ben Rosenfield in Season 4.
!!Tropes:
* [[ShesAllGrownUp He's All Grown Up]]: PlayedForDrama. Eli missed two of Willie's birthdays and had trouble dealing with the idea that he had left school to support their family in Eli's absence.
* NiceGuy
* TheOtherDarrin: ''Very'' obvious. Csolak has blonde, straight hair; Rosenfield has red,curly hair. The fact that his brothers have been consistently cast only highlights it.
* MoralityPet / {{Protectorate}}: In "Two Imposters", the supreme JerkAss Nucky Thompson redeems himself by putting himself between Willie and [[spoiler:what he though at the time were]] Rosetti's men. Eli is also angry with Nucky for putting Willie in the line when he decided to seek refuge at the lumberyard Willie worked at.
* RememberTheNewGuy: In Season 3. Season 2 implied that his brother Michael ([[AuthorsSavingThrow or Patrick]]) was the eldest of Eli's eight children.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: He's very much like Jimmy was before the war [[ShellShockedVeteran messed him up]]. In Season 4 he's even going to college.
* YouAreInCommandNow: "Man of the house" while Eli is in jail.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mabel Thompson]]
[[quoteright:172:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mabel_Thompson_2792.png]]
[[caption-width-right:172:"She completely broke with reality."]]
Nucky's first wife who committed suicide seven years before the start of the series. Played - sort of - by MollyParker.
!!Tropes:
* TheCameo: Although "played" by a big actress the character only appears in some photographs during the first season.
* DrivenToSuicide: She slashed her wrists with Nucky's shaving razor roughly a month after the death of their newborn first son, in January 1913. Nucky can't cope with the guilt and prefers to tell strangers that she died of tuberculosis.
* TheLostLenore: To Nucky.
* OfCorpseHesAlive: Mabel's first and only child, Enoch Jr., died shortly after birth. Mabel fell into denial and continued to bathe, dress and care for him as if he was still alive, until she was discovered by a busy Nucky days later.
* PosthumousCharacter
* ShoutOut: Parker's casting is a Shot Out to ''{{Deadwood}}'', the third {{HBO}} show ''BoardwalkEmpire'' is often compared to, after ''TheSopranos'' and ''TheWire''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: It has been said in at least one interview with TV Guide that Parker's photograph was a prelude to her appearance in flashback during season 2, but that never materialized.
[[/folder]]
[[Characters/BoardwalkEmpire Return to Boardwalk Empire Characters]]
