Introducing the Ladies of Boardwalk Empire

This season of Boardwalk Empire started out as explosive as ever, and though we can hardly tell what’s in store for the men of Boardwalk it’s pretty clear that the women of the series are going to have a big season this year. With Margaret Schroeder (now Margaret Thompson) leading the pack, it seems likely that the ladies of Boardwalk are going to be making some pretty big waves in Atlantic City this season.

Last week, we started the season with the plotline of our leading lady, the new Mrs. Thompson, infatuated with the story of the fictional aviatrix Carrie Duncan (a faux Amelia Earhart). The story of the female aviators breaking boundaries and flying free is clearly a metaphor for whatever Margaret is going to be up to this season. We’ve already seen her taking charge at the hospital, and it looks like she’s shaping up to be a medical advocate for women as well as taking the reigns from Nucky in her own unhappy marriage.

Margaret isn’t the only woman making waves this season. With the love between Nucky and his wife effectively dead, we now have a new love interest in the form of showgirl Billie Kent. We’re only two episodes in, but Billie is already blazing her own trail with her fiery personality and independent mindedness. It seems like Nucky has his work cut out for him with Ms. Kent who appears to be entertaining a slew of other lovers. It looks like in season 3 it’s Nucky’s turn to get played, though I have a feeling his jealousy will be managed far less elegantly than Mrs. Schroeder or Lucy Danziger of seasons past.

In this most recent episode, we also got a glimpse at another woman who may be making her own way this season in the form of Maybelle White, who made it pretty clear that she has her own ideas for her future saying that she “may never be ready” to settle down as a wife with kids. We know very little about Maybelle as of yet, but it’s clear that she is an independent minded, strong young woman with an interest in poetry, jazz, and the shady dealings of her father. I think it’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing Maybelle married anytime soon, and that we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg of what she has in store for us this season.

All in all season three is shaping up to be a big season not only for Nucky, Rothstein, and Capone, but also for the ladies who have often remained as merely support systems for their male counterparts. I, for one, can’t wait to see what 1923 brings for these fiery ladies.