"Two Boats and a Lifeguard" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American periodcrime drama television series Boardwalk Empire. It is the 20th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Terence Winter, and directed by executive producer Tim Van Patten. It was released on HBO on November 13, 2011.
The series is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. The series follows Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, a political figure who rises to prominence and interacts with mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look up to him. In the episode, Nucky faces more trouble in his domestic life, while Jimmy plans on his next move.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.54 million household viewers and gained a 1.0 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised Buscemi's performance, character development and pacing. For the episode, Steve Buscemi was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Plot
As Nucky recovers from the assassination attempt, he starts experiencing daydreams. To make things worse, Margaret informs him that his father has just died after having a stroke that was brought on by a government official confronting Eli over skipping many appointments for Randolph. Nucky and Eli attend their father's funeral. Nucky claims that he could not forgive his father for his past, but cries after Eli leaves.
Jimmy speaks with Capone over the phone, where he confronts Capone about the hitman. Part of the conversation is overheard by Angela, who leaves the house with their son. She goes to the beach where she meets a woman named Louise. Louise gets in trouble due to her bathing suit being too short, but Angela pays her fine. Their conversation prompts Angela to return home and question Jimmy about his life. When she asks if he tried to get Nucky killed, he confirms it. When she asks what motivated him, he confesses that he felt pressured by his mother's advice. Angela decides to leave for a party with Louise, where they kiss after being introduced to some of the guests.
Van Alden hires a woman, Sigrid, to work as a nanny to his daughter Abigail. At the same time, Randolph interrogates Nucky, who refuses to disclose details on his business. After being informed that Capone was involved, Nucky meets with Rothstein and Torrio to dicuss the matter. Eventually concluding that Jimmy and others were involved, Rothstein suggests waiting instead of outright killing Jimmy. Nucky decides to inform Jimmy and the Commodore that he is resigning as treasurer, claiming the attempt on his life made him re-evaluate things. He then meets with Chalky, telling him that his crew must go on strike, which will benefit Chalky. He later asks Owen to schedule a meeting with John McGarrigle, IRA's leader, intending to leave for Belfast as soon as possible.
Production
Development
The episode was written by series creator Terence Winter, and directed by executive producer Tim Van Patten. This was Winter's fifth writing credit, and Van Patten's seventh directing credit.[1]
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Two Boats and a Lifeguard" was seen by an estimated 2.54 million household viewers with a 1.0 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a 8% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.74 million household viewers with a 1.1 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]
Critical reviews
"Two Boats and a Lifeguard" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote, "It became evident, while watching Nucky meet with Rothstein and Torrio, that the days of 'paying your dues' in the gangster business might be at an end. Along with bootlegging, this series is also chronicling the birth of modern organized crime and while it might seem like 'slow and steady wins the race,' we know, thanks to history, that hot-headed guys who don't like to pay their respect like Jimmy, Capone, Luciano and Lansky eventually take over the whole scene."[4]
Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "It took a while for this week's Boardwalk Empire to get revved up, especially given that it came after such a slam-bang episode. 'Two Boats And A Lifeguard' is more aftermath-y, and more elusive. Until Nucky makes his move, that is. Then the situation gets interesting in a hurry."[5]Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "In the home stretch now, with four episodes to go. Now that Nucky's fighting back, I imagine things are going to get very interesting, no?"[6]
Seth Colter Walls of Vulture wrote, "Unlike last week's mess of an episode, which featured three on-screen writing credits, this vastly superior hour comes from Terrence Winter's desk alone. The show is still setting up all its arcs for the final run of season two episodes, but this transitional hour feels both graceful and surprising."[7] Michael Noble of Den of Geek wrote, "In this, the eighth of twelve episodes, we find ourselves moving into the season's climactic sequences and major battles are definitely brewing. The lines have been drawn, old alliances severed and new partnerships formed. The strongest break has been generational, between Jimmy and Nucky, Al and Torrio and Rothstein and Lucky and Meyer. The problem with the rising generation was a simple one, they were too stupid. Most of them still are. Johnny Torrio's joke about Romulus and Remus flies straight over Al's head, while Lucky and Meyer fail to understand Rothstein's double meaning of horse manure."[8]
Teresa Lopez of TV Fanatic gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "What I love most about Boardwalk Empire is its ability to constantly thwart our expectations. The show not only maintains a consistent level of quality but also allows the story and the characters to grow."[9]Paste gave the episode a 7.3 out of 10 and wrote, "The show was continuing to build momentum for the last few weeks and then it just dropped off for a good 40 minutes here. It was a great ending, but most of what happened before that seemed inconsequential or, in some cases, only served to reemphasize things we already knew about characters."[10]
