The episode was written by series creator Terence Winter and directed by Tim Van Patten, both executive producers.
The episode received wide critical acclaim, particularly for Michael Pitt's performance, Tim Van Patten's direction and Terence Winter's writing.
Jimmy asks Chalky to arrange a meeting with Nucky, during which he expresses a desire to make things right and blames Eli for the assassination attempt.
When she sees Nucky caring for Emily, who is still recovering from polio, Margaret agrees to marry him prior to the trial.
Meanwhile, Congress announces its intention to supply the road appropriations funding Nucky needs to profit from his investment in a tract of land between Atlantic City and Philadelphia, which he plans to use for a lucrative construction deal.
Jimmy spends a day taking his son to the beach and drinking with Richard while recounting war stories.
Nucky calls Jimmy and arranges to meet him at the Atlantic City War Memorial, claiming to have captured Manny.
The following morning, Nucky lies to Margaret about his whereabouts, and his involvement in the murder, claiming that Jimmy had re-enlisted in the army.
When series creator Terence Winter and the other Boardwalk Empire writers were plotting the second season's storyline, they decided to have Nucky cross the line.
[1] The storyline worked out for the writers in the end as, Winter stated, "Just given the fact that episodic TV being what it is, the audience is so in tune to the rhythm of things: Okay, well, they'll never kill a main character.
The whole sappy story about God and the family — it's not that she doesn't believe he loves her and the kids, because he does, but in terms of him learning any kind of lesson or changing in any way, I think she knows things are pretty much the same, if not worse."
[2] Tim Van Patten won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for this episode.