Perhaps the best thing that ever happened to Vince Gilligan, and by extension TV history itself, is California denying Breaking Bad tax credits to film in the state. That decision moved production to Albuquerque where Gilligan wisely realized that the alien deserts of New Mexico could never stand in for northern California, nor should they.

The location has now created a modern Western for television where there are no black hats or white hats, just working class antiheroes hustling…and one former chemistry teacher who donned a literal black hat.

Better Call Saul’s working class antihero, Jimmy McGill (Bob Odernkirk), returns in season 4, closer to his encroaching Saul Goodman persona than ever before. The first three episodes largely deal with the fallout of his larger-than-life brother, Chuck’s, death. Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) is set to begin consistent employment for Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) who has his eyes on the Southwest America drug trade crown. Nacho (Michael Mando) is dealing with the fallout of his attempted assassination of Don Hector.

Some of these characters’ respective plots cross over. Some don’t. Some learn from their mistakes and grow as people. Some don’t. Some order breakfast at Loyola’s Diner. Some don’t. What’s striking about Better Call Saul Season 4 now more than ever is how confident it is in its own storytelling. The writing staff has clearly spent enough time with each character that they respect each and every character’s decision-making process even if it’s in opposition to the hovering invisible hand of plot.

That also means the show has all but decided to abandon its discomfort over presenting two very different plot threads in one show. Mike’s journey into organized crime and Jimmy’s descent into criminal law practicing remain mostly separate. But in this season each journey is so strong that the time spent apart isn’t as noticeable and the thematic similarities overshadow the physical separation.