Previews suggest that we're dealing with a very different Nucky Thompson.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Steve Buscemi in "Boardwalk Empire"
Photo: HBO

Warning: Spoilers ahead for those who haven't watched season two of "Boardwalk Empire."

HBO has started to roll out short previews for the upcoming third season of its Prohibition drama "Boardwalk Empire," and as the first teaser tells us, this is a new year, and there are some new rules.

Suffice it to say, we're dealing with a very different Nucky Thompson.

The second season's finale saw Steve Buscemi's character not so much breaking bad, but finally showing his true colors. Until then, Nucky had been a man who delivered orders and not bullets to the head. The last episode changed everything, however, when Nucky took out his onetime ward, Jimmy Darmody.

In the first of the two new teasers, which feature dialogue from the season premiering this fall but no new footage, we hear Nucky explaining how his plan for the new year has changed. He talks about simplifying things for everyone involved, which we can probably assume means for ruthless business.

The clip closes out with a line that definitely signals that the Nucky we saw in the season two finale is here to stay: "Put a bullet in his f---ing head." It's more direct talk than we're used to hearing from Nucky, but now that we know he is "Not. Seeking. Forgiveness," this kind of talk isn't that surprising.

The second teaser examines what's left of Nucky and Margaret's relationship after her decision to sign the land over to the church.

We figured that things would not be exactly peachy between the couple, but we'll have to wait until "Boardwalk Empire" returns in the fall to see just how bad things get.