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Nucky Thompson

Revision as of 15:25, 15 September 2012 by Opark 77 (talk | contribs) (→‎Background: gm)
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Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi) is an American politician and gangster. He begins the series as the Treasurer of Atlantic County, New Jersey. His brother, Eli Thompson is the Atlantic County Sheriff. Nucky is the boss of a political and criminal organization controlling bootlegging in Atlantic City. The character is based on the historical figure Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson. Nucky is part corrupt politician, part gang boss, and all greedy. A master opportunist, Nucky sees only potential in the passing of Prohibition, and is poised to increase his earnings substantially through the bootlegging of liquor. Shrewd and charming, he is beloved by the people of Atlantic City as their County Treasurer - shaking all the right hands, and kissing all the right babies. Nucky has his fingers in all the underground and illegal enterprises in Atlantic city that he's not actually running himself, and very little happens in "The World's Playground" that he doesn't know about.

Nucky has had a troubled personal life. His sister Susan Thompson died of tuberculosis when they were children. His father Ethan Thompson was physically abusive during his childhood. He became involved in politics during his teens under the wing of Commodore Louis Kaestner. Nucky eventually succeeded Kaestner when he was convicted of election fraud. Nucky's first wife Mabel Thompson killed herself in 1913 after losing their infant son. He has been consumed by his work since but has had superficial relationships with girlfriends. He has had a casual relationship with Lucy Danziger for some time by 1920. He managed two successful election campaigns for Walter Edge sending him to the US Senate. He treated Jimmy Darmody as a surrogate son and protégé when he was growing up, partly out of guilt in his role in exposing his mother Gillian Darmody to being raped by The Commodore.

Biography

Background

Nucky is the oldest son of Ethan and Elenore Thompson. His family home is in Egg Harbor. He has a younger brother Eli and a sister Susan. Susan was a sickly child and died of tuberculosis during Nucky's childhood. He and Eli were jealous of the attention Susan got from Elenore because of her illness. Ethan was alcoholic and abusive, though apparently only to Nucky. After Nucky had his baseball glove stolen, his father forced him to challenge the four older kids who took it to a fight. They were twice his size and Nucky ended up in the hospital for eleven days. On another occasion Nucky went to reach for food before his father and his father responded by searing the flesh of Nucky's right palm with a hot poker before reminding him that "Daddy eats first".

Nucky began working in politics in the 1890s under Commodore Louis Kaestner's wing. Like Kaestner, Nucky is nominally a Republican but his politics are dominated by self interest and maintaining a stable economy for Atlantic City. Kaestner was the boss of the political and criminal organization that controlled protection rackets, informal welfare and election rigging in the city. He held the post of Atlantic County Treasurer but controlled the Mayor, the City Council, the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office and had influence in state and federal government.

Nucky worked to procure women for The Commodore's parties and was responsible for setting The Commodore up with 13-year-old dancer Gillian Darmody in 1897. Gillian was raped by The Commodore and became pregnant with his child. She named her son Jimmy. Nucky felt responsible for the boy and made an agreement with Gillian to always look out for Jimmy. He was an active figure in Jimmy's childhood taking him on hunting trips and preparing him as an eventual successor to lead the organization.

Mabel Thompson

Nucky's first wife Mabel Thompson.

Nucky was the Atlantic County Sheriff from 1908 to 1912. During this period he married Mabel Thompson. In 1912, the Atlantic City organization wad the target of a campaign of depuration lead by the then Democratic Governor of New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson; Nucky and The Commodore made a deal under which The Commodore would take the fall and go to jail for a number of years, while Nucky would succeed him as County Treasurer and take control of the organization, ensuring that things continued the same and The Commodore still received a share of the profits.

Enoch Jr & Mabel's tomb

Enoch Jr. and Mabel's tombstone, as seen in A Return to Normalcy.

Shortly after Nucly took over, Mabel gave birth to their first and only child, a son named Enoch Jr., on December 16, 1912. Enoch Jr. was a little and frail child and Nucky was terrified of holding or even looking at him. Being busy with his new appointment, Nucky opted to leave the baby alone for days with the sole company of his mother. It wasn't until several days later when Nucky returned home and finally decided to hold him. To his horror, he discovered that Enoch Jr. had been dead for days and that Mabel, in complete denial, had continued to dress him, wash him and act as if he was alive. For this reason the exact date and circunstances of Enoch Jr.'s death remain unclear and the date of December 22 carved on his grave likely stands for the day that Nucky discovered his body. After Enoch Jr.'s funeral Mabel fell into a severe depression and ultimately committed suicide on January 19, 1913, severing her wrists with Nucky's shaving razor.

Nucky immersed himself in his work and built up the financial ties of the organization to the community, ensuring that all residents and businesses paid their dues. His brother was elected Sheriff after he became Treasurer. In 1916 he paid for Jimmy to attend Princeton University. He was shocked and disappointed when Jimmy dropped out of Princeton and enlisted in the US Army. Jimmy did not discuss his reasons for leaving and Nucky assumed that he was unable to handle the academic pressure. Jimmy's college girlfriend Angela Ianotti moved to Atlantic City and gave birth to his son Tommy in 1917. Nucky helped to support the family while Jimmy was fighting in World War I. Meanwhile, Jimmy was injured by shrapnel from a German grenade near the end of the war and did not return to Atlantic City until January 1920. Nucky hired him as a driver upon his return.

Season 1

Main article: Nucky Thompson Season 1
Town-bosses-meeting

Nucky Thompson (center) meets just as Prohibition is enacted with NYC gangsters Arnold Rothstein and Lucky Luciano (right) and Chicago's Big Jim Colosimo and Johnny Torrio in order to trade illegal liquor. ("Boardwalk Empire")

Just as Prohibition begins in January 17 1920, Nucky makes preparations to enter bootlegging and profit from what he (correctly) predicts to be an extremely lucrative business. However, his first deal to supply alcohol to New York City crime boss and gambling legend Arnold Rothstein is twarted by the ambitions of Jimmy Darmody. He steals the alcohol while it passes through Hammonton, New Jersey and sells it to Chicago crime boss Johnny Torrio instead. The hijacking is bloody and ends with four of Rothstein's men killed and one badly wounded, who identifies Jimmy before he dies. The incident results in a feud between Nucky and Rothstein, who blames Nucky for the hijacking, and in a political scandal that compromises the Republican prospects in the 1920 Atlantic City local election. Nucky responds by exiling Jimmy, who takes refuge in Chicago under the protection of Torrio.

Nucky begins a serious relationship with Margaret Schroeder, a poor Irish immigrant and mother of two. Nucky meets her when she approaches him for help regarding her abusive husband, Hans Schroeder. Nucky has Hans murdered and framed for the hijacking and is initially more interested in "saving" Margaret than sleeping with her. Margaret impresses him with her wit, education, energy and conviction, in contrast to his much more dull current girlfriend Lucy Danziger. Margaret moves into a house paid for by Nucky and he enjoys the chance to play the family man. However, she struggles to come to terms with his criminality and they separate.

Rothstein's agents, the D'Alessio brothers continue the proliferation of criminal violence in Atlantic City and threaten Nucky's organization. Nucky recruits Jimmy back to work for him as an enforcer.

Nucky-Daugherty-HMIP

Nucky strikes a deal with Warren Harding's campaign manager, Harry Daugherty. ("Hold Me in Paradise")

Nucky also plans to improve road links to Atlantic City in order to facilitate the arrival of tourists and alcohol to the city, and is incensed when Senator Walter Edge does not give him the funding he needs. He forges connections to the Warren Harding presidential campaign by delivering the New Jersey delegation at the Republican convention and concealing Harding's mistress in Atlantic City during the election season. In return he asks that Edge not be made Vice President and the Congress approves the road funding he wants.

By the end of the year, Rothstein finally agrees to a truce in exchange for Nucky's assistance in escaping prosecution over his involvement in the Black Sox Scandal. Nucky accepts on the condition that Rothstein pay him $1,000,000 and give up the D'Alessio brothers. Nucky uses a variety of well practiced election rigging techniques to ensure his incumbents retain their positions in the 1920 elections and is pleased when Harding takes the White House. He also reconciles with Margaret and they move in together. His aloofness and perceived arrogance alienate The Commodore, his brother Eli, and Jimmy. They begin a plot to usurp his position.

Season 2

Main article: Nucky Thompson Season 2

In mid-February 1921, The Commodore influences the Ku Klux Klan to attack Nucky's bootlegging connection, Chalky White. The attack coincides with Nucky investing heavily in farmland, expecting the land value to skyrocket once the proposed highways begin construction. Nucky's rivals turn his local political subordinates against him leading to his arrest for election fraud based on their testimony. He secures bail but is frustrated when The Commodore uses his connections in the Coast Guard to block his shipments of liquor. Fearing for his investments he places the land in Margaret's name, for safekeeping in case he is convicted.

Nucky responds by forming a partnership with his past nemesis, Arnold Rothstein, and his connection in Philadelphia Waxey Gordon. They use Philadelphia's ports to land Nucky's shipments. Nucky also makes donations to Sinn Fein to maintain the support of his Irish American voting base. He employs ex-Irish Republican Army soldier Owen Sleater to replace Jimmy as his driver, bodyguard and enforcer. He forms a plot to have the charges against him made federal and then use his influence in the government to avoid conviction.

Nucky-shot

Nucky is shot through the hand. ("Peg of Old")

The Commodore is incapacitated by a stroke but Jimmy and Eli continue to act against Nucky. He retaliates by having Owen blow up their bootlegging warehouse, destroying their stock. Eli fears that the coup will fail and attempts to betray his co-conspirators but Nucky rejects his overture. Enraged, Eli responds by pushing for Nucky's assassination and an unsuccessful attempt is made on his life.

Nucky feigns retirement, needing time to regroup and money to fund retaliation. Meanwhile, Margaret's daughter Emily is paralyzed by polio. This causes the (until then lapsed) Catholic Margaret to fear that she is being punished by God for her relationship with Nucky. His plans to avoid prosecution are thwarted when Senator Edge puts pressure on the Harding administration to assign a new prosecutor out of Nucky's reach, and this comes in the form of feared Esther Randolph.

Nucky-margaret-wedding

Nucky and Margaret's wedding. ("To the Lost")

Ethan Thompson dies suddenly and Nucky, free of his position as County Treasurer, pretends to take his father's body to Ireland for burial in order to trade weapons for whiskey with the IRA. Nucky subsequently floods Atlantic City with the high quality liquor, thwarting Jimmy's fledgling bootlegging efforts. Nucky also triggers a city wide strike by African American workers that undermines Jimmy's leadership credentials. This, coupled with Jimmy's wife being murdered by a disgruntled bootlegging partner, Manny Horvitz, drives Jimmy to attempt to reconcile with Nucky. Nucky allows Jimmy to end the strike in exchange for Jimmy convincing - and failing that, murdering - the key witnesses against him. However, the guilt-striken Margaret also begins to seriously consider testifying against him. Nucky assures her loyalty with a marriage proposal, which she accepts.

A mistrial is declared as all witnesses recant or fail to give their testimony. Nevertheless, Nucky still murders Jimmy personally, unable to forgive his betrayal. He arranges for Eli to plead guilty to the charges in his place so that they cannot be tried again. Realizing that she was conned into marrying him, Margaret gives the deed to all of Nucky's land to the Church.

Season 3

Relationships

Family

Personal life

Politics

Racketeering

Staff

Law Enforcement

Victims

Memorable Quotes

  • "First rule of politics, kiddo: never let the truth get in the way of a good story." ("Boardwalk Empire")
  • "To those beautiful ignorant bastards!" (toasting the U.S. Congress in "Boardwalk Empire")
  • "Do you know who dies for their countries? Fucking rubes." ("Boardwalk Empire")
  • "You young fellas... no appreciation for the art of conversation." ("Boardwalk Empire")
  • "Did the envelope catch on fire?" (receiving a roll of cash from the fire chief) ("The Ivory Tower")
  • "You want to see how I do business? Show your face in Atlantic City again!" ("The Ivory Tower")
  • "That imbecile is going to be the next President of the United States!" ("Hold Me in Paradise")
  • "We all need to decide how much sin we can live with." ("A Return to Normalcy")
  • "Success breeds enemies, which you'll discover soon enough after women win the vote."
  • "You can tell me what ever you want, but don't scream, don't cry and don't throw anything..."
  • "I do expect to have everything" ("Anastasia")
  • "The difference between me and him is that I do fulfill my promises. I'm making you one now: I will ruin you. All of you." ("A Dangerous Maid")
  • (to Eli, after he comes asking for a reconciliation) "Alright... we'll sort it out... But there is something I have to ask of you. I need you to get on your knees... Bend down to the ground... And kiss my fucking shoes, you piece of shit! You come crawling back here because you don't have the balls to finish what you started! [Slaps Eli] Fuck that little cocksucker you call a partner! Fuck his conniving cunt of a mother! Fuck that [slap] old man! I'll see his corpse in a ditch! [Double slap] AND FUCK YOU BROTHER!!" ("Gimcrack & Bunkum")
  • "You don't know me, James. You never did. I..am not..seeking..forgiveness." ("To the Lost")
  • "If we only elected good men, we'd never have leaders."

Appearances

Season one appearances
Boardwalk Empire The Ivory Tower Broadway Limited Anastasia
Nights in Ballygran Family Limitation Home Hold Me in Paradise
Belle Femme The Emerald City Paris Green A Return to Normalcy
Season two appearances
21 Ourselves Alone A Dangerous Maid What Does the Bee Do?
Gimcrack & Bunkum The Age of Reason Peg of Old Two Boats and a Lifeguard
Battle of the Century Georgia Peaches Under God's Power She Flourishes To the Lost
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