Troubling Times for Chalky White in the New Boardwalk Empire Teaser

When Michael K. Williams revealed that Boardwalk Empire would jump forward to 1931 for the HBO drama’s final season, the time-jump brought with it the possibility that Williams’ Chalky White may have improved upon his diminished circumstances from Season 4’s finale. If the new “St. James” teaser that HBO released last night is any indication, however, Mr. White seems to be in even worse conditions than when we last saw him.

Though the teaser isn’t totally explicit, it seems Mr. White has spent — or is currently spending — some time in prison. Also in a bad way is Gillian Darmody (Gretchen Mol), who appears trapped in some sort of straightjacket/bathtub contraption. We also get quick glimpses of Nucky (Steve Buscemi), Margaret (Kelly MacDonald), Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), Dr. Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright), Al Capone (Stephen Graham) and Charlie Luciano (Vincent Piazza), but the brief 53-second clip doesn’t hint much about what they’ll be up to in Season 5.

Boardwalk Empire returns on HBO on Sunday, Sept. 7.