'Boardwalk Empire' Recap: Michael K. Williams, Kelly Macdonald, Steve Buscemi Return In 'Golden Days for Boys and Girls!'

Terence Winters' gangster drama, Boardwalk Empire, returns for its fifth and final season on HBO. Steve Buscemi (Nucky Thompson), Kelly MacDonald (Margaret Schroeder), and Michael K. Williams (Chalky White) are back in their critically acclaimed roles in the premiere episode, 'Golden Days for Boys and Girls.'

In the flashbacks, young Nucky (Nolan Lyons) swims underwater to get his hands on some sinking coins but the other boys are faster. When he paddles back to the surface, the Commodore (John Ellsion Conlee) promises at an opening ceremony a bright future of wealth and prosperity. Living in poverty, Nucky schemes his way, trying to get close to the Commodore.

It turns out young Nucky has a sick little sister at home. He endures getting hit by his abusive father because his sister is all that matters. Once he is able to get the Commodore's attention, young Nucky takes the money he earns and gives the shiny dollar coin to his loving mother.

In the present, Nucky (Buscemi) ends up in Cuba with Sally Wheet (Patricia Arquette). The couple sleaze their way into the pockets of the U.S. Senator. The trio are working on a deal to earn a huge profit with the repeal of Prohibition.

While Nucky watches the beginning of the Cuban Revolution, he unexpectedly meets with Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef). The awkward meeting ends shortly because Meyer says he is on vacation with his wife. 

Elsewhere in Wall Street, Margaret (Macdonald) witnesses the apparent suicide of her stockbroker boss. The reason he shot himself in the head is because there is an internal investigation going on. Margaret discovers her boss has been holding secrets of his own and she knows where the key is to his locked file cabinet. 

We discover mob boss Chalky (Williams) riding in the back of car, wearing a black and white striped prison suit. With the rest of the chained prisoners, Chalky has to work in the woods doing hard labor. No one seems to remember he was once a powerful gangster.

The guards never expect a prison riot to suddenly occur. Chalky ends up killing one of the guards and steals the keys from his cold dead hands. He makes a run for it, across the woods with another prisoner. 

In New York, Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza) sets in motion a risky and daring plan.While he is in the bathroom, a group of hit-men rush into the restaurant, shooting Joe Masseria (Ivo Nandi). With Masseria out of the way, Lucky is next in line to take power.

At the same time Masseria is assassinated, Nucky is also attacked by an unknown assailant. The senator's bodyguard saves Nucky and takes down the assailant with vengeance. The bodyguard keeps the dead man's ear as his trophy. 

Nucky talks to the woman Meyer referred to as his wife. It turns out she is not his wife, but really a paid prostitute. Nucky suspects Meyer was there to make sure the hit went through.

The death count has just started in the first episode of Boardwalk Empire. Readers, what did you think of 'Golden Days for Boys and Girls?'