"Nights in Ballygran" is the fifth episode of the first season of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, which premiered October 17, 2010. It was written by co-executive producer Lawrence Konner

Lawrence Konner

Lawrence Konner has had a long and distinguished career as an American screenwriter and television writer. In addition, he has produced a number of award winning documentaries.-Career:...

 and directed by Alan Taylor

Alan Taylor (director)

Alan Taylor is an American television and film director, television producer, and screenwriter. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO...

.
"Nights In Ballygran" received positive reviews from critics.

The episode is set during Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...

 and progresses the relationship between Nucky and Margaret.

Plot

Margaret sees men loading beer barrels into a garage behind her house. She tries to report the situation to Nucky, but he initially brushes her off. After discussing the matter at a Temperance League meeting, she and a colleague manage to meet with Nucky, who promises to take action, but does not. After seeing deliveries again that night, she reports the operation to Van Alden.

As Nucky and Eli prepare for the St. Patrick's Day celebration, Eli presses to "say a few words" at the Celtic Dinner, describing his efforts to become a better public speaker. Nucky tries to discourage him

In Chicago, Jimmy takes care of Pearl after her attack. Johnny Torrio

Johnny Torrio

John "Papa Johnny" Torrio , also known as "The Fox", was an Italian-American mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s that was later inherited by his protege, Al Capone...

 orders her eviction, since she is too disfigured to attract customers. Jimmy offers to pay for her keep. Later that night, Pearl kills herself

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 with Jimmy's gun.

In New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, Arnold Rothstein

Arnold Rothstein

Arnold Rothstein , nicknamed "The Brain", was a New York businessman and gambler who became a famous kingpin of the Jewish mafia. Rothstein was also widely reputed to have been behind baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which the 1919 World Series was fixed...

 reads a newspaper article about the Black Sox Scandal

Black Sox Scandal

The Black Sox Scandal took place around and during the play of the American baseball 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from baseball for intentionally losing games, which allowed the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series...

and tells his lawyer he is worried about his involvement becoming known.

At the Celtic Dinner, Eli's speech is a debacle, inflaming a factional dispute and forcing Nucky to intercede. Van Alden, acting on Margaret's information, raids the dinner, arrests the alderman who owns the garage, and shuts the event down. Nucky sees Margaret with the Temperance League, cheering on the raid, and realizes her role. Later that night, he visits Margaret's home unannounced. The couple abruptly embrace and begin a physical relationship.

Critical reception

IGN said the episode was "Outstanding" and gave the episode 9/10. They said "For those who are still on the fence about Boardwalk Empire's greatness, shut up and watch episode five, "Nights in Ballygran". The episode features the show's strongest character interactions yet, as Margaret's role in the Temperence League threatens both Nucky's political and criminal enterprises as Federal Agent Van Alden applies pressure to both." "The more shows like this make it harder for their main characters to do the right thing - the farther away they get from what the right thing is - is when television approaches being great. With "Nights in Ballygran", Boardwalk pushes past great and puts its sights on landmark."

Ratings

The episode rebounded a bit to a 1.3 adults 18–49 rating after the previous week's plunge to a 1.1 rating and received a total of 2.850 million viewers.