Boardwalk Empire Season 2, Ep. 6

• Courtesy of HBO
• MAY WE SUGGEST... BEEF? Michael Pitt and William Forsythe

I feel kind of bad for Dabney Coleman.

At the end of “Boardwalk Empire’s” first season, The Commodore seemed poised to become season two’s Big Bad, a formidable opponent to Nucky Thompson. Instead, on the fourth episode, apoplexy — or Diana’s righteous punishment — struck him down, and now he’s a paralyzed invalid. This week, he sits in on a power meeting, growls incoherently and then gets unceremoniously wheeled off like a dessert cart. No more horn-lifting for him, it seems.

It’s like the kind of Big Bad switcheroo Joss Whedon did all the time on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Set up one villain, then kill it off and reveal the actual threat is someone else. The Anointed One gave way to Spike and Drusilla, Mr. Trick to Faith. But does Jimmy have the resources and killer instinct to be Nucky’s big bad? Jimmy vs. Nucky seems like a one-sided battle, although the scale shifts again this week

At the Commodore’s house, Leander Whitlock (Dominic “Uncle Junior” Chianese) officially steps into the gap as Jimmy’s new mentor/power broker, and gently scolds him for scalping that guy last week. He also compares Jimmy to Alexander the Great, who vastly exceeded his father’s accomplishments, and there’s a shot of Jimmy standing next to a stuffed lion like a piece of classical artwork. Whitlock advises Jimmy that not every insult requires a response in kind.