"Sunday Best" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American period crime drama television series Boardwalk Empire. It is the 31st overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Howard Korder, and directed by Allen Coulter. It was released on HBO on October 28, 2012.
The series is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. The series follows Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, a political figure who rises to prominence and interacts with mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look up to him. In the episode, Nucky visits Eli during Easter, while Gyp returns to New York City to settle things with Masseria, and Gillian spends the day with Roger.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.97 million household viewers and gained a 0.7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the directing, performances and character development. For the episode, Bobby Cannavale won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Plot
During Easter Sunday, Nucky and Margaret take their family to visit Eli at his house. However, Eli is still mad at Nucky for his perceived lack of progress by working for him. He gives him a pistol, asking him to kill him, which Nucky refuses to do. After a talk with Margare, Nucky decides to promote Eli as co-leader of the warehouse.
Gillian feigns sickness and asks Richard to take Tommy with him. She then spends the day with Roger at the Artemis Club, during which they have sex. Later, she brings him to a special bathtub where she starts showering him. However, she surprises him by injecting him with a lethal dose of heroin. Roger slowly dies in the bathtub, with Gillian putting Jimmy's dog tag on his neck.
In New York City, Gyp Rosetti is stressed not only for the assassination attempt, but because his profits are plummeting. He then reluctantly joins his wife and her family in an Easter dinner, where it is clear that they do not respect him. He later goes to church, reprimanding God for everything bad that happened to him. When a priest approaches him, Gyp brutally beats him. He then meets with Joe Masseria, with Masseria not hiding his disdain for Gyp, claiming he cannot trust him anymore. Gyp then offers to kill Nucky, Rothstein, Luciano and their associates. Although skeptical, Masseria gives him his blessing.
Richard takes Tommy to accompany him to the Sagorskys' house as Julia invited him to dine. However, Paul has been drinking and displays his abusive nature to his family. Tensions escalate when Paul scolds Tommy for sneaking into his dead son's bedroom. When Richard threatens to kill him for harming Tommy, Paul orders him to leave his house. Richard convinces Julia to join him and Tommy on a carnival at the boardwalk. That night he returns to the Artemis Club, where he is visited by Gillian, who has finally accepted that Jimmy died. Women find Roger's body and Richard leaves the room to check, while Gillian stays behind, sobbing.
Production
Development
The episode was written by executive producer Howard Korder, and directed by Allen Coulter. This was Korder's eighth writing credit, and Coulter's fifth directing credit.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Sunday Best" was seen by an estimated 1.97 million household viewers with a 0.7 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.7 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a 16% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.34 million household viewers with a 0.8 in the 18-49 demographics.
Critical reviews
"Sunday Best" received extremely positive reviews. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 and wrote, "While still in recoil mode, Boardwalk gave us another slow episode with 'Sunday Best' - but a much more engaging one than 'Ging Gang Goolie.' Last week's look at Margaret, Teddy and the gypsy fire was a shaky, but this week's Thompson family dinner provided many great, small moments of both reconciliation and refusal. Plus, we had some movement, albeit not earth-shaking, in the lives of Gillian, Harrow and Gyp."