Bone For Tuna
Boardwalk Empire | Season 3 | Episode 3

Bone For Tuna

TV-MA | 55 MIN

Written by Chris Haddock
Directed by Jeremy Podeswa

A phone call wakes Nucky from a nightmare in which he fries bacon for a blond boy he then shoots. Margaret chastises him for forgetting their meeting with the Bishop's man to discuss his knighting at the St. Gregory Award ceremony in gratitude for his donation to the Catholic Church. Forced to take the meeting alone, Margaret seizes the opportunity to pressure the scheduling of a private audience with Bishop Norman during the reception.

Meanwhile, Nucky heads to Tabor Heights to make peace with Gyp. Gyp reminds him of the town's simplicity: "Only one road in, one road out...Atlantic City to New York." With limited options for transporting his liquor to New York, Nucky invites Gyp to be his guest in Atlantic City, promising to send him home with a month's supply of liquor.

In Cicero, Van Alden's co-workers take pleasure in making him the brunt of an exploding pen gag; later he admits his lack of confidence in his sales ability to Sigrid.

Back in Atlantic City, Gillian complains to Lucky Luciano, her financial backer, about needed repairs to the Artemis Club. He refuses to give her more money: "Start showing me a return on my investment." Luciano turns his attention to his own business with Meyer Lansky, preparing Benny Siegel to close a heroin deal. The drug deal is aborted when Masseria's men try to take down Benny. Lansky kills at least one man, while the unpredictable Benny shoots wildly at the speeding getaway car, stirring even more unrest between the gangs.

At his warehouse, Mickey shakes down a client by telling him that he was the one who killed Manny Horvitz. A young employee, delivering liquor to the Artemis Club, passes along the information to Richard Harrow: "He may seem dopey, but I sure wouldn't mess with that guy," the kid says of Doyle.

While waiting for Gyp at Babette's, Nucky recalls Jimmy Darmody's return to Atlantic City after the war. Gyp makes plans to visit the Artemis Club where Gillian Darmody stole his heart. He invites Nucky to come with him, but Nucky declines.

Nucky drops Gyp off at the Artemis Club, and promises to see him off at Doyle's warehouse in the morning. Before departing, Gyp wishes Nucky, "Alla nostra buon fortuna," Italian for "good luck." Inside, Gyp talks to Gillian about business - particularly the poor treatment she's received from both Nucky and Luciano. A calculating Gillian reveals that Nucky's own brother tried to have him killed.

Nucky, Margaret, and the children attend his St. Gregory's Award ceremony. As the Bishop bestows his medal, Nucky confuses the blond boy from his dream with an altar boy. Shaken, Nucky excuses himself from the reception and tries to call Billie, whom he's been unable to reach for two days. Meanwhile, Margaret meets Bishop Norman and introduces him to Dr. Landau: "Dr. Landau is trying to convince my husband and I to sponsor a women's health clinic at the hospital." Caught, the doctor must play along with the Bishop's endorsement.

Van Alden's co-workers talk him into joining them at a speakeasy, but it's raided by Prohees. Van Alden escapes arrest when Agent Coughlin realizes he knows him from somewhere. Believing it's because they're neighbors in Cicero, Coughlin lets Van Alden pay the fine directly to him.

At Mickey Doyle's, Gyp is loaded up with alcohol for his trip back to New York City. Nucky fails to see him off as promised, but sends a note, via Owen, in his place: "Bone for tuna." Gyp takes the misspelled good wishes as an insult: "Sets me up to lose...then it's ‘buon fortuna' like he's rootin' for me to get back on my feet." Boiling with rage as he heads out of town, Gyp burns Sheriff Sickles alive in retribution.

Harrow waits for Mickey in his apartment, seizing him and taking him to Nucky. He forces Doyle to confess his lie about killing Horvitz. After Doyle is gone, Harrow confirms to Nucky that he was the one who killed Manny to avenge Angela Darmody's murder - not Jimmy's. Harrow assures Nucky that he will not go after him or his family because "Jimmy was a soldier. He fought. He lost."

Nucky shows up at Billie Kent's apartment uninvited and finds that she's not at home. In the morning, he wakes to the sound of bacon frying and fears he's having another nightmare, but it's only Billie cooking breakfast.

HBO Max