'Boardwalk Empire' Recap: 'The Good Listener' Presents Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham's Return To Crime!

Terence Winters' gangster drama, Boardwalk Empire, kicks up the ante for its fifth and final season on HBO. In the aftermath of season four's finale,  we see what has happened with  Gretchen Mol (Gillian Darmody), Shea Whigham (Eli Thompson), and Michael Shannon (Nelson Van Alden) are back in their critically acclaimed roles in the premiere episode, 'The Good Listener?'

The opening starts with Eli (Whigham), Nucky's younger brother, waking up from his drunken haze. He realizes his bootlegging plant has just been raided by the FBI, led by Elliot Ness. Back at his headquarters, Al Capone (Stephen Graham) laughs off the name of Ness, but he walks his money back from Eli and his partner, Nelson (Shannon). 

We find Gillian (Mol) lying in her steamy tub, almost as if she's enjoying herself. the murderess gets a rude-wake-up call, as the crazy women in the mental institution start a riot. Gillian isn't even in a safe herself, as the Warden wants a bigger peak at her naked body. Turns out Gillian is still a mess with a medication she's taking.

Back from Cuba, Nucky sets up a meeting in New York with the wealthy class. The politicians and businessmen in the group do not want to work with Nucky because of his violent history. Nucky reminds them that if Prohibition is repealed, they will make a profit out of bringing rum into the states.   

Nucky is met with uncomfortable resistance by the group, who want nothing to do with him. Joe Kennedy though is very intrigued by the lucrative proposition.  Though the meeting didn't go well, Ducky may have met a new ally.

In Nucky's flashbacks, we see him waking up, discovering his little sister dead. Young Nucky (Nolan Lyons) is late for work because he was burying his sister in the backyard. The Commodore (John Ellsion Conlee) is quite surprised about hearing the sad news, and lets the boy get back to sweeping the floor.

The Commodore heads towards Nucky's home but is greeted by a shotgun. Nucky's father promises he will pull the trigger if he does not leave his property. The Commodore and Nucky's father have past history together, which involved a get-rich-quick scheme gone sour.

Back in the present, Nucky has a meeting with Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza). Thoughout the interrogation, Lucky continues to repeat he doesn't know  who put out the hit on Nucky in Cuba. He doesn't even know where Meyer Lansky is, who's supposedly away on his honeymoon.

After the meeting, while Nucky leaves, Eli and Nelson attack two of Lucky's hired goons. The masked duo rob money that belongs to Lucky and shot both of his men dead. "It's always pandemonium with you!" Nelson shouts as he runs away with Eli.

Nucky talks to the silent Bodyguard (Paul Calderon) about how he should retaliate. The Bodyguard takes down one of Lucky's men, cutting off his ear and leaves his dead body lying in the streets for all the public to see. 

Nucky Thompson strikes back and continues the death count in Boardwalk Empire. Readers, what did you think of 'The Good Listener?'