Boardwalk Empire is a show about mobsters... some dude was planting Easter eggs in his neighbor's gardens to kick off "Sunday Best?"

Certainly there was a nefarious reason behind it. Right? Little did I know it was Nucky's brother, planting eggs for the kid's Easter egg hunt. It never ceases to amaze me the connection between mobsters and Christianity.

Gillian sexually carousing with a boy who obviously resembled Jimmy was really creepy and wrong on very many levels. They even went so far as to desecrate the Easter dinner table by sexing on it.

Meanwhile, her grandson was hanging out at the house of a real piece of work who, the more I think of it, probably had more to offer than Gillian. It turned out she wasn't just sick, but a cunning murderess. The things people do for money. I know he's dead, but it would be cool if Jimmy really wasn't, and came back now that she killed someone else. Just because payback is a bitch.

I don't know anything about Richard Harrow, but I feel like he has a good heart. Is it only because of his war-ravaged face and the way he treated Tommy and Julia Sagorsky? I don't really care. If he was written properly, I should be able to get at least a little feel for him in one episode. After all the crap talk at the dinner table about Jesus giving up on those who were in the war, when Julia had a plate prepared for Richard in the kitchen so he could eat "without any fuss," it brought a tear to my eye. He prayed before eating.

Yep, Richard is a good guy and if his story finished in this episode, he would have had a happy ending.

Things were certainly a lot more entertaining at the Sagorsky house than at Nucky's brother's place. Paul Sagorsky had all the right things to say in celebration of the rebirth of Christ. His tough guy persona fell to pieces when he found Tommy in his (apparently dead?) son's room playing with his toy soldiers. Before that, he was a one man quoting machine. Check out the Boardwalk Empire quotes for some more like these:

Of all the days on the calendar, this one takes the cake. He dies, comes back to life, disappears for two thousand years, but don't worry! He'll turn up again. Ha. Suckers. | permalink

Over at Eli's house, Margaret made an attempt to share with the sister-in-law she apparently just met that her marriage with Nucky was falling apart. That didn't go over too well with June. She was more interested in the cake Margaret brought than the intimacies of her marriage. Given that June was painted as a teetotaler by Eli, it didn't come as a shock that talking about personal issues was beyond her social capabilities.

So, was Eli in prison for 16 months? It seemed like he just wanted out of everything. Either that, or for Nucky to just finish it off. He even gave him his gun. Funny thing about that was I figured Eli knew damn well Nucky wouldn't shoot him, so he trusts his brother whether he likes him, whether he hates being in business with him and whether he's willing to turn against him and get on Nucky's bad side.

Pretty interesting sibling relationship there. In any event, the conversation worked in Eli's favor.

I obviously didn't get to see much of the Gyp character, but I was really intrigued by his scene in the church. I had wondered where he was going to use his suit if not for Easter dinner, and it was fitting that such an unhappy man (really, who wouldn't be given that badgering family of his?) would take it out on God, and then take from the man he thought was responsible for his lot in life.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.