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‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season 5, Episode 3 ‘What Jesus Said’

Boardwalk Empire season 5, episode 3 What Jesus Said airs on HBO.

Chalky heads in a new direction after assessing his latest partnership. In New York, Margaret finds herself in a quandary as a result of her association with Arnold Rothstein. Nucky hosts a prospective “big fish” partner from Boston. Luciano and Siegel meet with Narcisse in Harlem, promising business as usual, but encounter resistance. In 1884, young Nucky is privy to the passion of a hotel guest and flirts with a young girl.

The show chronicles the life and times of Nucky Thompson, the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who was equal parts politician and gangster. A bustling little city by the seashore, totally dependent upon money spent by tourists, Atlantic City’s popularity rose in the early 20th century and peaked during Prohibition. The resort’s singular purpose of providing a good time to its visitors — whether lawful or not — demanded a single mentality to rule the town. Success of the local economy was the only ideology, and critics and do-gooders weren’t tolerated. By 1900, a political juggernaut, funded by payoffs from gambling rooms, bars and brothels, was firmly entrenched. For the next 70 years, Atlantic City was dominated by a partnership comprised of local politicians and racketeers. This unique alliance reached full bloom in the person of Enoch “Nucky” Johnson – the second of three bosses to head the Republican machine that dominated city politics and society.

Boardwalk Empire season 5, episode 3 airs Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO.

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