Boardwalk Empire: "To the Lost" Review

Warning: Full spoilers for the Season 2 finale follow...

Man, oh man.

I think the reason that I'm upset about the poetic offing of Jimmy is because, well, I had just gotten to like him. I felt like last week's tremendous "Under God's Power She Flourishes" was the Jimmy episode that we were waiting for. One that let us peek into his skull a little bit. I never thought it would be, essentially, his swan song. Oh but beware the "extraneously nice scenes" on Boardwalk, as they usually mean someone's about to get shot in the face. Much like Jimmy and Angie's cordial scene of fond reflections in "Georgia Peaches" that signaled her end, so did the horseback riding scene between Jimmy and his son.

But even though I'm a bit confused about the killing of the show's second lead, it was still very well done. Because this is Boardwalk Empire and really nothing is half-assed. "I died in the trench, years back. I thought you knew that," Jimmy said coldly to Nucky, almost coaching Nucky through the kill. This show will now probably have to introduce a whole new character for Nucky to play off of next year since Jimmy was half the story. I'm still left wondering though if Nucky killed Jimmy because he believed Eli's story or if it was simply because it was the only fitting, necessary punishment for a betrayal that huge. It was sad to find out that, in the end, Jimmy never came back from the war. Or possibly even from the disturbing days leading up to his enlisting.

- HBO

So now I mourn, but not just for Jimmy's son, but for all the stories this show still had to tell about Jimmy and Gillian and Harrow. It was a sick arrangement, but it was also thrilling. Watching Nucky actually kill someone himself was also a big moment for the show, but this episode didn't quite set up the next season the way the Season 1 finale did. So now I'm left wondering just where the show is headed.

So what was the ultimate price for Nucky escaping the electric chair? His prized land of course. Signed away to that damned church by Margaret. Margaret, who became significantly less hateable in this chapter, save for the last scene. Much like last year, Nucky and Margaret were able to come to some sort of understanding at the eleventh hour, although I don't doubt Nucky's love for her and her kids ("My entire universe is within these walls"). His scene with Emily in the backyard was touching, but also probably done for show too, knowing that he'd wake Margaret up.

And even though Margaret was able to accept Nucky's love, you could still see the discomfort on her face when Nucky returned from killing Jimmy. Even though she didn't exactly know what Nucky had done, she knew it was something monstrous. It's as if she knew, that for the first time, he had gotten his actual hands dirty.

There wasn't much meat for Van Alden here, but again, if we're somewhat comparing this finale off the Season 1 finale, he's basically up s***'s creek again. Which seems to be the seasonal pattern for him. Last week I had a feeling that he and his nanny would make a nice, strictly-religious couple, and now here they are. Having to pretend to be Mr. and Mrs. Mueller. Will Van Alden keep walking that line between righteous crime-fighter and buffoonish hypocrite or will he eventually wind up on an actual side? As a commenter pointed out below, it looks like he's landed in Capone's territory, but what will he be able to do without a badge? And what will he want to do? I think one of the challenges this show will face next season is convincing us that Van Alden's story, away from Nucky and Atlantic City, is something we want to see.

Matt Fowler is an Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @MattIGN.

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