TV Geek Out 226: Boardwalk Empire, "A Dangerous Maid"

Nucky sends a lobster flying, a Victrola saves a life, and Van Alden learns what a script is -- "A Dangerous Maid" has all this and more, and it's only the third episode of Boardwalk Empire's second season! Both Eddie Cantor and Al Capone are in A.C., the former to see the cooped-up, pregnant showgirl Lucy, the latter to deliver some bad news to Nucky and to visit "Jimmy Irish." There's plenty of disheartening news to go around, as Nucky learns that Attorney General Daugherty can't help with his election-fraud case, Rothstein forces Lucky and Meyer into a harsh deal with Joe Masseria to keep the peace, and Margaret's roundabout attempt to reach out to her estranged family leaves her in tears. Meanwhile, the Commodore Conspirators Club continues their attack on Nucky, this time foiling his bootlegging business via the Coast Guard, but Nucky has a new secret weapon, badass Irishman Owen Sleater, whose special skill of getting people to stop "whatever it is you don't want them to be doing" is already coming in handy. Listen in as TV geeks Heather, Dana, and Perry discuss all the goings-on here!

TV Geek Out 225: Boardwalk Empire, "Ourselves Alone"

“Ourselves Alone,” episode two of Boardwalk Empire's second season, finds our favorite corrupt New Jersey politician (sorry for the redundancy) getting help from an expected source in unexpected ways, while Chalky White masterminds the beat-down of a prisoner who can’t resist taunting Chalky’s aspirations for respectability. Meanwhile, Eli attempts to end his relationship with his brother in a fatalistic phone call, Jimmy and the Commodore continue to plot against Nucky, and a young Irishman finds himself working for Nucky after a deal is struck to send funds to the IRA. Join TV geeks Perry, Dana, and Heather as they toast another fine episode of Boardwalk Empire. Listen in here!

TV Geek Out 224: Boardwalk Empire, "21"

The second season of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire begins with confrontations of various sorts including Chalky White vs. the KKK, Van Alden vs. his own sense of morality, and Jimmy vs. Nucky -- even though Jimmy doesn’t seem totally sold on turning against his mentor. Join TV Geeks Dana, Perry, and Heather as they analyze the premiere, wonder what the season has in store for these characters, and shed a tear for the LOR (lack of Rothstein) in this episode. Check it all out here!

TV Geek Out 223: Boardwalk Empire, "A Return to Normalcy"

Boardwalk Empire’s freshman season comes to a conclusion with “A Return to Normalcy,” an episode that wraps up all those pesky plot threads that seemed impossible to bring together when they first started to unravel back in the Martin Scorsese-directed pilot. Rothstein and Nucky make peace, the D’Alessios meet their grisly end, and Nucky remains in power in Atlantic City while enjoying a nice walk along the Boardwalk with Margaret. However, the episode also brilliantly sets up a number of new plot elements that promise for an amazing second season, including the possibility that Nucky will have to treat old friends as enemies, Val Alden’s learning about some unintended consequences for his actions, and Angela using her hair to let Jimmy know their relationship is in serious jeopardy. Join the TV Geeks as we rave, rant, and relive the wrap-up to the Emmy-winning show's first season. Check it all out here!

TV Geek Out 222: Emmys 2011 Chat

TV Geek Out discusses this year's recent Emmys broadcast in this brief chat. Listen in to hear what Perry, Dana, and Heather had to say about the festivities, from our favorite wins and most frustrating losses to our thoughts on Jane Lynch's hosting skills and the layout of the show. Check it all out here!

TV Geek Out 221: Boardwalk Empire, "Paris Green"

Murder in various forms hangs over "Paris Green," the penultimate episode of Boardwalk Empire’s first season. Starting with a doozy of a twist regarding the revelation of Jimmy’s father and ending with an even bigger announcement about the true cause of the Commodore’s season-long illness, this episode also features Van Alden performing a decidedly un-Christian act during a baptism ceremony. Listen in as TV geeks Heather, Perry, and Dana unravel one of the most explosive episodes in the show’s history. Check it out here!

TV Geek Out 220: Boardwalk Empire, "The Emerald City"

The Wizard of Oz allusions that have weaved through Boardwalk Empire’s first season grow even more pronounced in its tenth episode, “The Emerald City,” when the deformed Harrow pronounces he’s like the Tin Woodsman. The gangland maneuvers continue as Rothstein gets even angrier than he usually is over the failed hit on Nucky, Al Capone learns to grow up, and the women of America earn the right to vote. Join TV geeks Dana, Perry and Heather as they follow them all down the yellow-brick Boardwalk. Check it out here!

TV Geek Out 219: Boardwalk Empire, "Belle Femme"

TV Geek Out continues our first-season coverage of Boardwalk Empire with this discussion of episode 9, "Belle Femme," in which Margaret learns she has more power with Nucky than she realized when she intercedes on Madame Jeunet's behalf. After some initial friction over the matter with Nucky, he gives in and Margaret ends up with a fancy new dress. Jimmy's return to Atlantic City is the other big development in this episode -- Van Alden gets pissed at Agent Sebso for withholding Jimmy's telegrams announcing his return, Angela's threesome with the Dittrichs is stopped before it even begins when Jimmy arrives with no warning, and Nucky wastes no time in telling Jimmy to "take care" of the D'Alessio brothers now that he's back in town. When Jimmy nabs Luciano from his own mother's bed for questioning (and probably death), he's foiled by Van Alden and arrested, with Lucky living up to his name and going free. But Van Alden's whole case against Jimmy goes up in gunsmoke when Sebso kills the witness while supposedly transferring him to New York City for safety. All that, and the D'Alessios take a shot at Nucky right on the Boardwalk, splattering Margaret's fine new frock with the blood of an innocent bystander and giving Eddie a chance to demonstrate his surprising marksmanship as he saves the day. TV geeks Perry, Heather, and Dana discuss all this, Perry reveals his long-time love of songstress Sophie Tucker, and the Geek Out crew tackles the complex machinations at play as A.C. nears the big election of 1920. Check it all out here!

TV Geek Out 218: Boardwalk Empire, "Hold Me in Paradise"

TV Geek Out is back to finish up our coverage of Boardwalk Empire's first season! Here we discuss the eighth episode, "Hold Me in Paradise," in which Nucky takes a trip to Chicago for the Republican Convention and wheels and deals his way around town, eventually supporting the nomination of Warren Harding for president. Back in Atlantic City, Eli is temporarily in charge, and manages to start a porn fire and get shot in the gut while the casino is being held up. Meanwhile, Margaret has a run-in with Lucy and ends up slapping her, Van Alden's wife wants an expensive procedure to cure her infertility, and Angela hasn't been getting any money, or even a letter, from Jimmy. TV geeks Perry, Heather, and Dana discuss all this and more, including the tensions between Nucky and Jimmy, how Rothstein resembles a ventriloquist's dummy, and what Margaret might do with the incredibly detailed incriminating information she discovers in Nucky's ledger. Listen in here!

TV Geek Out 217: True Blood, "I Wish I Was the Moon"

Named for the devastating Neko Case ballad that closes the episode, "I Wish I Was the Moon" wraps up the first half of True Blood's fourth season with possession, transformation, that old black magic, and a long-awaited love scene. Marnie is finally fully possessed by the spirit of spurned and burned witch Antonia, and her first act is to make the formerly fearsome vamp Luis her slave. Meanwhile, Lafayette and Jesus get more than they bargained for when they reconnect with Jesus' brujo grandfather, and Tommy does more harm than he intended when he shifts into Sam, officially making him a skinwalker. And while Jason isn't going to be a werepanther, his feelings for Jessica are changing under the light of the full moon. We also get another clue as to what's going on with Baby Mikey and the creepy doll, and -- last but definitely not least for fans of the Southern Vampire books -- Sookie and Eric finally consummated their budding relationship. Even a relatively quiet True Blood ep is pretty action-packed, and Dana and Heather discuss it all here!