Boardwalk Empire
Season 4
DVD cover
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkHBO
Original releaseSeptember 8 (2013-09-08) –
November 24, 2013 (2013-11-24)
Season chronology
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Season 3
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Season 5
List of episodes

The fourth season of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire premiered on September 8, 2013, and concluded on November 24, 2013, consisting of 12 episodes.[1] The series was created by Terence Winter and based on the book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. Set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era, the series stars Steve Buscemi as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (based on the historical Enoch L. Johnson),[2] a political figure who rose to prominence and controlled Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition period of the 1920s and early 1930s. The fourth season takes place between February and August, 1924. The fourth season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on August 19, 2014.[3]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Ron Livingston and Jeffrey Wright joined the main cast, while Charlie Cox and Bobby Cannavale departed.

Recurring

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
371"New York Sour"Tim Van PattenHoward KorderSeptember 8, 2013 (2013-09-08)2.38[4]
February 1924. Nucky, preferring to stay in his room up in the Albatross Hotel and away from the boardwalk, comes to a peace agreement with Masseria and Rothstein. Richard, on his way home to reunite with his sister, leaves some corpses in his wake. Gillian, still an addict but desperate to get her grandson back, is resorting to prostitution until a stranger shows up with a better offer. Revenue Agent Sawicki's new partner, Warren Knox, isn't as naive as he acts. Chalky tries to run the Onyx Club quietly but his right-hand man, Dunn Purnsley, gets into a mess of trouble with a booking-agent and his wife.
382"Resignation"Alik SakharovDennis Lehane and Howard KorderSeptember 15, 2013 (2013-09-15)2.21[5]
Chalky is pressured by Valentin Narcisse, a Harlem kingpin who knows what Dunn did. At home, Van Alden must deal with his new stubbornly middle-class wife Sigrid; at work, he has to deal with an angry Al Capone. Knox's true boss, it turns out, is J. Edgar Hoover. Before he leaves for Florida to visit an old friend, Nucky placates a frustrated Eddie with a promotion. Valentin Narcisse puts an end to the conflict with the booking-agent's wife by having her killed by his men.
393"Acres of Diamonds"Allen CoulterTerence WinterSeptember 22, 2013 (2013-09-22)1.87[6]
While in Tampa visiting Bill McCoy, Nucky becomes intrigued by Sally Wheet, a local bar owner. Roy has Gillian pretend to be his wife. Narcisse meets with Rothstein and later books singer Daughter Maitland for the Onyx Club. For a party at college, Eli's son Willie tries to finagle some booze from Mickey's warehouse. Richard finds himself in some trouble and his sister comes to his aid.
404"All In"Ed BianchiDavid MatthewsSeptember 29, 2013 (2013-09-29)1.99[7]
Federal agents close in on Nucky's ring. Narcisse recruits Dunn. Van Alden learns that Al and Frank Capone are more brutal jokers than O'Banion. Willie's revenge-prank goes horribly wrong. Rothstein's way of dealing with his bad luck at the card table leads Nucky to make Lansky his partner in the Florida scheme. After a night on the town with Ralph Capone, Eddie pays for it in the morning when he's arrested by Knox.
415"Erlkönig"Tim Van PattenHoward KorderOctober 6, 2013 (2013-10-06)2.09[8]
Knox torments Eddie and reveals his dark past, pushing him to betrayal. Willie, arrested over the death of schoolmate Henry Gaines, phones Nucky. Gillian, desperate to regain custody of Tommy but losing her grip, turns to Dunn for a fix. Van Alden is enlisted by Frank and Al Capone to bust some Democrat supporters' heads; Frank is shot by deputized Chicago agents. Nucky has Willie stick to a false alibi, pays off the Philadelphia DA to free him and leaves him with some avuncular advice shortly before Willie's roommate is arrested for Gaines' death. Eddie, back at the Albatross and guilt-ridden about betraying Nucky's trust, jumps out of his window to his death.
426"The North Star"Allen CoulterEric Overmyer and Howard KorderOctober 13, 2013 (2013-10-13)1.90[9]
Nucky and Margaret have a strained meeting at Penn Station before he goes to Florida. While investigating Eddie's death, Eli finds Eddie's key for the safety-deposit box at the bank but isn't allowed access to it. Richard returns and comes across Paul Sagorsky after he's just received stark news from his doctor. Chalky draws closer to Daughter Maitland. Knox, pretending to be a Prohibition agent again, returns to Mickey's warehouse but can't escape Eddie's shadow. In Tampa, Nucky, Lansky and Luciano meet with a new partner brought in by Bill. Julia tells Richard what she needs. Nucky gets into more than just business with a feisty, hard-drinking Sally.
437"William Wilson"Jeremy PodeswaDavid Matthews and Terence WinterOctober 20, 2013 (2013-10-20)2.16[10]
As news of Leopold and Loeb's arrest hits the papers, Al Capone, still angry and grief-stricken over Frank's death, kills a policeman. Rothstein runs into Margaret at her work, which is not entirely above-board. Dunn deals with church concern about his heroin in the community. Willie drops out of college—infuriating his father—and turns to Nucky for work. After Johnny Torrio is arrested at a distillery that he just bought from O'Banion, he orders Capone to kill him. Roy helps Gillian kick her habit but confesses to an obsession of his own. Agent Knox is actually Jim Tolliver, as Gaston Means has secretly known all along. Daughter Maitland reveals that her true allegiance is to Dr. Narcisse—not Chalky—for horribly personal reasons.
448"The Old Ship of Zion"Tim Van PattenCristine Chambers and Howard KorderOctober 27, 2013 (2013-10-27)1.91[11]
Tolliver hears about Willie's evasion of the law and pursues Eli as a way to end Nucky's empire. Chalky busts one of Narcisse's drug houses, with two-faced Dunn along for the show. Nucky has a nasty surprise when Sally rides up to Atlantic City with the new bootlegging delivery from Tampa. Narcisse employs Daughter Maitland to way-lay Chalky but she can't bring herself to let Dunn kill Chalky and stabs him fatally in the back.
459"Marriage and Hunting"Ed BianchiDavid Matthews & Jennifer Ames & Steve TurnerNovember 3, 2013 (2013-11-03)1.90[12]
Gillian opens up to Roy; Julia proposes to Richard. Eager to assert his power at home, Van Alden offers to kill O'Banion for Capone but old business gets in the way. Narcisse punishes Daughter for her betrayal, pushing Chalky towards a war Nucky refuses to join. After Frankie Yale, John Scalise and Albert Anselmi kill O'Banion at his shop counter, Van Alden takes $1,000 over his corpse. Rothstein negotiates an insurance plan with Nucky. Chalky's daughter Maybelle discovers her father's affair with Daughter. Newlywed Richard asks Nucky for a job.
4610"White Horse Pike"Jake PaltrowDave FlebotteNovember 10, 2013 (2013-11-10)2.08[13]
Sally discovers heroin being slipped into shipments by Luciano and Lansky for Masseria. Chalky fails to kill Narcisse and is wounded. Margaret does an insider-deal for Rothstein in return for new lodgings. Capone, while trying to nudge Torrio into retirement, is saved by Van Alden from a tommy-gun ambush. Despite Tolliver's turning of Eli, Hoover is still uninterested in scotching the bootleggers' network. Nucky is forced into a deal with Narcisse after learning he is Masseria's partner in the heroin pipeline. Nucky promises Chalky to Narcisse but tells Mayor Bader to have cops slip Chalky out of town; too late, though, he discovers through Willie that Bader is in Narcisse's pocket. Chalky and Daughter narrowly escape the police; Narcisse eyes Maybelle; Nucky, Eli and Willie gather to decide their next move.
4711"Havre de Grace"Allen CoulterHoward KorderNovember 17, 2013 (2013-11-17)1.98[14]
Chalky and Daughter arrive at Havre de Grace to stay with Oscar Boneau, his old mentor. Gillian says goodbye to Tommy and looks forward to a life with Roy when he proposes to her. Knox pressures Eli to set up a meeting between the East Coast bosses in the network. Chalky wakes to find Daughter gone; some of Narcisse's men descend on the house, killing blind Oscar before being killed by his men. Gillian is tricked by Roy, who is actually a Pinkerton agent, into confessing to killing Roger. Nucky agrees to the peace-brokering meeting that Eli suggests but he realizes Knox is the "skunk in his cellar" that Gaston Means had referred to in a phone call and that he's turned Eli.
4812"Farewell Daddy Blues"Tim Van PattenTerence Winter and Howard KorderNovember 24, 2013 (2013-11-24)2.18[15]
Chalky confronts Nucky at gunpoint and demands they get rid of Narcisse. Richard asks Nucky where Jimmy is buried to keep Gillian in jail; in return, Nucky employs him for a hit. Richard sends Julia, Tommy and Paul to his sister. Nucky tells Narcisse that Chalky wants to meet. After an attempt on Torrio narrowly fails, he puts Capone in charge. Knox/Tolliver sets up an eavesdrop for the big meeting but no one shows; Eli is called to the Albatross, where Nucky puts a gun to his head until Willie intervenes. Tolliver confronts Eli in his home; they fight and Eli beats him to death. Chalky meets Narcisse at the Onyx but his bluff of giving Daughter's whereabouts is met by Narcisse revealing that he has Chalky's daughter Maybelle. From his sniper position, Richard hesitates long enough that, when he pulls the trigger, Maybelle has moved to the table and into the shot; she is killed and Richard is mortally wounded by one of Narcisse's men. Narcisse is arrested and turned by Hoover into an informant on Marcus Garvey. Chalky retreats to Havre de Grace. Nucky sends Eli off to Chicago, where he is met by Van Alden. Richard, imagining his reunion with his new family in Wisconsin, his war wounds healed, dies peacefully under the pier.

Reception

Critical reception

The fourth season of Boardwalk Empire received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the fourth season scored 77/100 based on 13 reviews.[16] Another aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, reported 98% of critics gave the fourth season a "Certified Fresh" rating, based on 43 reviews with an average score of 8/10, with the site consensus stating "Boardwalk Empire continues to benefit from its meticulously realized period trappings, but what keeps the show watchable is its supremely talented ensemble players."[17]

Awards and nominations

For the 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the cast was nominated for Best Drama Ensemble, Steve Buscemi was nominated for Best Drama Actor, and the series was nominated for Best Stunt Team.[18] Jeffrey Wright received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards.[19] For the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Tim Van Patten was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the episode "Farewell Daddy Blues".[20]

References

  1. ^ Gilman, Greg (June 6, 2013). "HBO Sets Return Dates for 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Eastbound & Down' Final Season (Updated)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  2. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (September 16, 2010). "Boardwalk Empire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  3. ^ Lambert, David (May 8, 2014). "Boardwalk Empire - Press Release for 'The Complete 4th Season': Date, Cost, Extras, Artwork". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  4. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 10, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night + NFL Countdown 'Dexter', 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 12, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  5. ^ Bibel, Sara (September 17, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night, 'Real Housewives', 'Dexter, 'Devious Maids', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'The Newsroom' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  6. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 24, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night + 'Dexter' Series Finale, 'Devious Maids', 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  7. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 1, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Big, 'Talking Bad', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire','Masters of Sex' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  8. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 8, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' & 'Thursday Night Football: Special Edition' Tie for Lead + 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  9. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 15, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Witches of East End', 'Homeland, 'Boardwalk Empire' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  10. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 22, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night + 'Talking Dead', NASCAR, 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Guy's Grocery Games' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  11. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 29, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Witches of East End' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  12. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 5, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Rules Again + 'Talking Dead', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  13. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 12, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Homeland', 'Killing Kennedy' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  14. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 19, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night + 'Talking Dead', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', NASCAR & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  15. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 26, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Witches of East End' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  16. ^ "Boardwalk Empire: Season 4". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  17. ^ "Boardwalk Empire: Season 4 (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  18. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 11, 2013). "SAG Award Nominations: Breaking Bad, Big Bang, 30 Rock Lead the Pack, Kerry Washington, Mayim Bialik Sneak In; Orange, Mad Men Shut Out". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  19. ^ "Big Bang, Fargo, The Good Wife, Masters of Sex, The Normal Heart Lead 2014 Critics Choice Nominations". TVLine. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  20. ^ Lowry, Brian (July 10, 2014). "2014 Emmy Awards: 'Game of Thrones,' 'Fargo' Lead Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.

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