i believe so. the woman who was renting it out said the midwest. also too there is a rumor that season three will start in the year 1923. season two started and ended 1921.

There are other midwestern states (besides Illinois) that have towns named Cicero, but I'm betting it was Illinois. Cicero was to become one of the most crooked towns in the country (if not THE most crooked one) and that would leave it open for van Alden to go the dark side.

In the posted interview Terence Winter confirms that it is Cicero Illinois and that mob historians would pick up on the significance.

So what about 1922?

In the posted interview Terence Winter confirms that it is Cicero Illinois and that mob historians would pick up on the significance.

Turnbull nailed it, too many stories, with story lines crawling like a snail till the last two episodes, only to kill most of the characters off at the end ...

Oh, Turnbull bitches and moans about everything. Nobody pays any attention to what he says.

just asking did lanskey work with the luciano family or another family?

but, yea idk why others had a hard time with following the story lines. it was pretty easy for me to keep track of everything.

Lansky's initial business partnerships were with Luciano and Costello. But he had plenty of other relationships.

Lansky and Luciano were chums since boyhood. Lansky, Luciano, Costello and Siegel were all proteges of Rothstein. But, during the Twenties, Luciano was associated with the Masseria family, while Lansky and Siegel did most of their work together.

During the Castellemmarese War of 1930-31, Salvatore Maranzano cajoled and then tortured Luciano into betraying Masseria. Lansky put together the squad (Siegel, Adonis, Anastasia) that murdered Masseria. Maranzano then appointed Luciano head of Masseria's family. But he was plotting to whack Luciano. Lansky then put together the hit squad that whacked Maranzano.

The producers of "Boardwalk Empire" are entitled to take many liberties with history to keep the story interesting. But, for the record, there's no evidence that Luciano, Lansky or Capone were ever in AC until a big gangster convention in 1929, or that Rothstein had any business with Nucky Johnson.

Since, contrary to his usual habit Jimmy was unarmed do we think that he knew/accepted what was going to happen? As did Richard?

I believe that he knew and was ready to face what was coming to him. When the "Tin Man" says that he is going to come with him, Jimmy immediately tells him to stay put because this is something that he must do himself.

How GODFATHEResque was this episode?

I loved this season much more than the first.

And as our esteemed friend Turnbull has pointed out, the writers of this show have taken many liberties with the characters and what may or may not have really happened in real life. One thing that bothers me is the way that they portray Lucky Luciano on the show. At times they made him look like some kind of a dumb schmuck...which I do not believe that he was.

I also get the impression that the writers are slowly laying a foundation to eventually make it look as though Lansky and Luciano set up the murder of Arnold Rothstein. Little facial expressions as well as remarks made here and there almost make it look like they are not happy with Rothstein.

One thing that bothers me is the way that they portray Lucky Luciano on the show. At times they made him look like some kind of a dumb schmuck...which I do not believe that he was.

i doubt they will have rothstein killed off before 1928(?).

That bothers me too, DC. Luciano was anything but a schmuck. And he was never servile. One of his greatest strengths was to recognize that non-Sicilians--even non-Italians--could be helpful to him in organizing Organized Crime.

Refresh my memory. After Jimmy was murdered, what happened to Richard? Is he still a player?

He was left behind and didn't have anything else to do. But the show's creator says he will still be a player next season.

I think Richard will work for Gillian to help raise
And protect Jimmy's son. And it's possible at
some point he could try to take out revenge
on Nucky for Jimmy's death.