Nelson Van Alden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Agent Nelson Van Alden
Boardwalk Empire character
First appearance"Boardwalk Empire"
Last appearance"Devil You Know"
Portrayed byMichael Shannon
In-universe information
Full nameNelson Kasper Van Alden
AliasGeorge Mueller
OccupationAgent of Bureau of Prohibition (seasons 1 and 2)
Iron salesman (season 3)
Enforcer for Dean O'Banion (seasons 3 and 4)
Enforcer for Al Capone (season 5)
ChildrenAbigail, Chester

Nelson Kasper Van Alden (alias George Mueller) is a fictional character in the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, portrayed by Michael Shannon, who is a puritanical, repressed religious fundamentalist and agent for the Bureau of Prohibition.

Biography[]

There is not much known about Nelson Van Alden's childhood, but in season 2 he explained that his parents were believers in a second coming of Jesus Christ in 1892, and in preparation for this, they decided to sell the family farm and went poor, at one point even living in a tent for over a year. Later on, his parents did not like to see him because he served as a reminder to them of these experiences.

At the start of the series, Nelson Van Alden acts as Nucky Thompson's (Steve Buscemi) primary antagonist, as he takes the lead to bring the kingpin down. However, in the midst of trying to tackle one of Prohibition's most notorious bootleggers, Van Alden's volatile temper and self-loathing start to blur his ethics; and by the end of Season 1, he has killed his corrupt partner Agent Eric Sebso (Erik Wiener) and violated his religious values through a one-night stand with Nucky Thompson's ex-mistress, who he accidentally impregnates.

Season 2 follows Van Alden's fruitless efforts to conceal his crimes from the previous season. In the second season, Van Alden forces the ex-misstress to stay in his apartment in order to give birth to their child, and also forces them to keep the pregnancy a secret, being highly controlling towards her in the meantime. The season ends with Van Alden discovering he is the prime suspect in Sebso's murder, and he spends Season 3 on the run with his infant daughter and nanny Sigrid (Christiane Seidel) (with whom he later fathers a son), eventually settling in Chicago under the alias George Mueller. He also began a job as an office worker, where his co-workers and boss would repeatedly misstreat him. At one point, Nelson snaps and uses an to burn his co-worker's face. Later on, a lethal interaction occurs when that very worker and his friends discover Nelson in an alley and threaten him, resulting in Nelson shooting and killing all of them them with his gun. By the end of Season 4, Van Alden becomes an associate/muscle for Dean O'Banion (Arron Shiver) and eventually Al Capone (Stephen Graham), still going by the name George Mueller to avoid them discovering he is a former agent on the run.

The final season sees Van Alden struggling to keep the lifestyle of associate/muscle George Mueller balanced during his second failing marriage, this time to Sigrid. Van Alden has since been partnered with Thompson's brother Eli (Shea Whigham), who knows Van Alden's true identity. Mike D'Angelo (Louis Cancelmi), an undercover agent in Capone's crew, recognizes Van Alden, and both he and Eli agree to work with D'Angelo to help take Capone down. Van Alden also learns that Eli is having an affair with Sigrid. Eli and Van Alden eventually return to Capone's hotel to steal ledgers as proof of his tax evasion, but Capone's brother Ralph (Domenick Lombardozzi) becomes suspicious of their behavior. The Capone brothers confront them, with D'Angelo present, not knowing he is working undercover. With Van Alden's deteriorating home life and facing death at the hands of the Capones, he snaps and attacks the brothers while Eli and Malone watch in shock. In a rage, Van Alden confesses his true identity while choking Capone, but before he can successfully strangle him, Malone shoots and kills Van Alden in order to ensure that he is not exposed as a federal agent. The Capones then foolishly entrust Malone with the ledgers. Van Alden's death unwittingly leads to Capone going to prison for tax evasion.[1][2]

Reception[]

Nelson Van Alden has been frequently cited as a fan-favorite on Boardwalk Empire.[3] The role earned Shannon three nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.[4]

Despite starring on the series for all five seasons, Shannon claims to only have watched a "little bit" of the show.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Leeds, Sarene (October 13, 2014). "Boardwalk Empire recap: 'Devil You Know'". Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  2. ^ Hinckley, David (October 12, 2014). "'Boardwalk Empire' Season 5, Episode 6 Recap: Two major characters bite the bullet in 'Devil You Know'". nydailynews.com. Daily News. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  3. ^ "10 Wicked 'Boardwalk Empire' Villains". Rolling Stone. November 21, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "Screen Actors Guild Honors Outstanding Film And Television Performances at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®". Screen Actors Guild Awards®. January 29, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  5. ^ Peele, Anna (January 24, 2018). "Michael Shannon Waco Interview". GQ.com. GQ. Retrieved September 23, 2018.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""