Battle of the Century - Recap

Nucky walks up to the customs officer, his red flower popping out from his olive colored tuxedo. Owen stands behind him checking his papers as the customs officer looks over Nucky. “Welcome to Belfast.” Can be heard, being chanted in the middle distance. Nucky explains to the officer that he is bringing his dead father “to be buried in the land of his birth.” At the Thompson house Emily is not feeling well. She refuses to get out of bed, claiming she cannot move her legs. Margaret asks her to wiggle her toes. Her toes do not move but she tells Margaret that she is trying. Margaret shouts to the housemaids and instructs them to call the doctor.

Jimmy sits in his dining room with Al, Lucky and Meyer waiting to meet Mr. Remus. “Mr. Remus enjoys his trip to the shore.” He explains to the group that he sells medical alcohol to certified individuals. When the alcohol is on the trucks, where it goes is no longer his responsibility. They agree to put up $ 300,000 and tell Mr. Remus the weekend is on Jimmy. He can enjoy being in Atlantic City. Mickey and Meyer try to tell Jimmy to pay Manny or make him a partner. Jimmy tells them he’ll take care of it. The rest of the group has plans to go to Jersey City. Jimmy stays back; “Darmody wants to see what all the fuss is about.” He tells them.

In Ireland Nucky is waiting to meet Mr. McGarrigle, he stands next to a coffin filled with Thompson submachine guns and donates it to the rebellion. He offers Mr. McGarrigle more submachine guns for liquor. Mr. McGarrigle seems to get offended at the offer. He arrogantly tells Nucky that he will send word and he leaves. Owen calls him a “flinty old geezer” and tells Nucky to “make no mistake.” In A.C. Eli stands at Mr. Thompson’s grave. The preacher reads the death sermon. The Feds watch from the distance for a time. Emily is now being seen by the doctor. She cannot feel anything in her lower region. She tries to move but can’t. The doctor asks Teddy to leave the room, he must be seen immediately. Margaret knows its Polio. She is terrified.

In a kitchen Dunn Purnsley washes dishes, his eye still blackened from the fight in jail. A white man walks up to him and says “boy, be careful with those plates.” He turns and tells the man he has a name, but the man very meanly replies “yeah, but I don’t have to remember it.” “LUNCH!” is yelled out and all the men in the kitchen gather and to eat. Dunn turns to the chef and asks him why they get served garbage for lunch. The least they could do would be to let them eat the left overs and good food sent back. The man tells Purnsley that he serves what they tell him to. Dunn doesn’t like that. He begins to plant the seeds of rebellion in the men around him. The white man walks back to the group and tells Purnsley that if he speaks another word he’s fired, and to get back to work. He smiles; “you heard the man…eat it up.” At the hospital Margaret stands outside of an operating room of some sort. She watches as the nurses set up a spinal tap. She stands outside and watches, unable to help or hold Emily while she endures this torture. Emily calls out to Margaret. She tries to go to her, the doctor stops her and reminds her how contagious polio is.

Ester lies with Agent Clifford in bed. They talk about Nucky and Van Alden. Van Alden has Nucky for 12 murders with no proof. They want to use Van Alden. Clifford tells Ester that he went to a funeral today. He informs Ester that Eli had buried his father despite the fact that she had given Nucky permission to go to Ireland to bury the same person. “God knows what he’s doing over there.” Ester says. In Ireland Nucky is showing some of the rebellion his guns when Mr. McGarrigle arrives, he tells the men that the British have offered a truce; A free state. Mr. McGarrigle tells them he will make peace if he must. Nucky is offered a drink by one of the men. He accepts.

Richard is sitting with Jimmy in his parlor, Richard asks Jimmy about finding a girl and settling down. A horn beeps outside. Richard asks why Jimmy why he was making fun of him. Jimmy tells Richard he wasn’t. Waxy enters Jimmy’s house and they introduce each other. He needs Waxy to “take care” of Manny and their partnership would be beneficial for them both. Waxy gives the order and Manny is now a marked man. At Nucky’s house Margaret is throwing out and burning everything the children could have touched. Teddy asks Margaret if Emily is going to die, she gets angry and tells him not to think that way. Nucky toasts with Owen and their new Irish friend in a warehouse filled with whiskey. Nucky asks if the man wants to make a deal with him. Fitzgerald says he cannot, and will not go against Mr. McGarrigle’s orders.

Ester and Clifford are interviewing policemen to find out more about Nucky and Eli, they ask about Hans Shroeder. Chalky sits in his workshop sharpening a knife when Dunn Purnsley walks in, they speak as if they have earned each other’s respect. Dunn tells Chalky that “he’s pushin his luck according to the bossman.” Mr. White asks how the other boys in the kitchen feel about it. Dunn tells him that “they are simmerin…just waitin for me to give the word.” Chalky says; “Well go on, give it to em then.” Dunn nods his head, places his hat back on his head and walks out of the garage. Mr. McGarrigle and Nucky eat dinner with Owen standing behind Nucky. They discuss the guns again. Mr. McGarrigle will not waiver. He is willing to accept peace at any cost. Nucky stands disgusted at Mr. McGarrigle’s arrogance and leaves. Mr. McGarrigle asks to speak to Owen, he asks him to stay and Owen seems reluctant, “I’ll serve as needed.”

Manny sits in his butcher shop counting money when a man knocks on the door begging for a butcher. As soon as Manny opens the door the man runs away and another man steps up with a shotgun. He shoots Manny right in the shoulder, then runs at Manny still standing behind the now broken glass of his butcher shop door, he pushes the shotgun through the open window. Manny shoves it to the side as the man pulls the trigger, it fires off into the store, Manny grabs the gun and pulls it, and the man, through the broken door and into the shop. They begin to tussle when Manny pushes the man up against the wall, while he quickly turns around and grabs a cleaver. He then swiftly and expertly “thumps” the cleaver into the assassin’s skull. The man falls and Manny searches through his pockets finding a matchbox with “Atlantic City” scripted onto the side. Dunn begins questioning his fellow workers in the kitchen; he begins to rile them up. Reminding them they deserve more money for all the work they do, asking them if they’ve ever gotten any raises. He tells them it may be worth striking. If they all do it, then “the man” will give in. Dunn then gets fired for not eating his lunch. He tells the man he and the other men want a raise. They begin to stand in defiance one by one as he barks orders at them. They start throwing plates and destroying the kitchen. The strike has begun.

Nucky thanks the Irish for their hospitality; Mr. McGarrigle says goodbye to Nucky, there is a man waiting in the car to go to the port with Nucky. Mr. McGarrigle asks Bill to get Nucky safely to the port. Bill tells John he will and the car pulls off. Bill stares forward as Owen drives the car drives down the driveway. Bill and Nucky sit in the back seat behind them; through their back window Mr. McGarrigle can be seen walking towards his front door when the man walking with him shoots him in the back of his head. Nucky quickly turns and looks back after hearing the shot. Bill tells Nucky he will deal with him now. “A thousand machine guns, for 10,000 cases of whiskey.” He then looks at Nucky and looks forward again. Listening to the fight over with wireless Richard and Jimmy enjoy the crowd. Some girls seem interested and he and Richard begin to have even more fun.

At the hospital Margaret waits outside of Emily’s ward. There is no one around because the entire staff is huddled around the radio listening to the “Fight of the Century.” Margaret quietly opens the ward door and slowly walks inside to Emily. She sits with her and rubs her hair. She apologizes for the wrong she has done to bring this upon her daughter. At the port Owen receives a telegram for Nucky. He reads it and gasps. “Emily has polio.” He says to Nucky. Nucky silently and quickly begins walking towards the boats. In the background you can hear the fight. “The champ unleashes a punishing right to the chest and a left uppercut to the Jaw… and Carpentier is down again…he is down again on the canvas…”

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