The sight that Van Alden sees when he squires his wife to his office displeases him, to say the least. The room now has many agents as opposed to when only Van Alden and the late Agent Sebso occupied it. What sets Van Alden off is finding that two agents had moved furniture aside to practice wrestling moves on the floor. Van Alden shouts at them to put the furniture back. The agents leap to their feet and try to adjust their disheveled appearance. The shorter, clean-shaven one tells Van Alden that they were just about to finish some field reports. "I take almost no comfort in 'about to,'" Van Alden tells them, adding that Mrs. Van Alden is visiting for the weekend and wanted to see where he works. He then introduces Rose to the two grapplers as Agent Sawicki (Joseph Aniska) and Agent Clarkson (Joel Brady). Van Alden makes a point of explaining to Rose that the more ethnic-looking Sawicki comes from "Polish stock and joins us from Mount Olivet" which Sawicki informs her is outside of Pittsburgh. "Yes, they have a large Christian community there," Rose says. Clarkson insists there are decent activities to do in Atlantic City and hands Rose a tour guide he picked up titled "If Jesus Ever Came to Atlantic City." She asks if it lists churches and Clarkson assumes it does, but says he hasn't had time to look inside the guide.This scene takes place at a Temperance League gathering, where women are distributing moral reform literature to protest against the vice and corruption in Atlantic City. The pamphlet’s title, "If Jesus Ever Came to Atlantic City," is meant to be provocative, drawing attention to the stark contrast between the teachings of Christ and the lawlessness, bootlegging, and political corruption that define the city under Nucky Thompson’s control.
The pamphlet is a piece of period-accurate moral propaganda, echoing the real-life sentiments of temperance and social purity movements of the early 20th century. It serves as a symbolic reminder of the ongoing cultural and moral battle between reformers and the political-criminal machine that runs the city. Though Nucky often presents himself as a man of the people, the presence of materials like this shows how others view his empire—as a godless, sinful place in need of redemption.
So while the pamphlet may seem like a background prop, it's actually doing thematic work: reinforcing the idea that public morality and private corruption are locked in a quiet war, and that Boardwalk Empire is as much about the battle for souls as it is about turf and power.
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