It should come as no surprise that Better Call Saul's Season 4 opener, "Smoke," is sublimely subdued. The Breaking Bad-verse, long ago, excelled at the craft at filling time and space with artfully detailed moments of contemplative quiet. "Smoke" picks things up right where Season 3 left off and drops a heavy load on Jimmy McGill's lap, right at a moment in his life when he's both optimistic about new career ventures and content in being Kim's shoulder to lean on during her recovery.

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Better Call Saul: "Smoke" Photos 9 IMAGES

Given that this series exists, wholly, to document Jimmy's transformation into one "Saul Goodman," it's understandable that a huge part of this paradigm shift, this character morph, will happen under the cloud of Chuck's death. The first three seasons gave us pieces, glimpses, of the Saul to come, but there wasn't a defining moment or clear fork in the road until now.And that's not to say that with Chuck's death, the transformation is complete - as this is a meticulously paced and plotted show that's, most certainly, in no rush - but unless this series plans on running longer than Breaking Bad itself, there are fewer episodes ahead than behind and Jimmy's most definitely closing in on Saul.In "Smoke," written by EP/showrunner Peter Gould, Jimmy's momentum is halted by the discovery of Chuck's fate, when guilt overtakes him. From here, the question becomes, "How will Jimmy spin this?" Meaning, more succinctly, how will he sell this to himself? Is this a man who's able to wallow in negativity and own his mistakes, or is he someone who runs? How much do those around him, namely Kim, truly mean to him in the grand scheme of his own penchant for denial? Star Bob Odenkirk pulls off a few nifty emotional left turns in "Smoke," and with them the Saul pieces begin falling into place.Paired with the core story of "Smoke," nicely, is the black and white Present Day bookend - now a series premiere tradition - where Jimmy, as Cinnabon Gene, begins to collapse (literally) under the immense strain of living a purposefully anonymous life. It's about 8 or so minutes of glorious tenseness where "Gene" finds himself viewing every casual interaction like minefield. The man who once relied on being able to quickly communicate with and relate to others in a way that put them at ease, now dreads conversation and confrontation. His greatest strength has become the very thing that could undo him. Like a Samurai forced to shun his own sword."Smoke" also checks in with the criminal world of the show, in a manner just as curiously calm and reserved. It might be a stretch to call Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul modern Westerns, since that type of designation usually falls to something like Justified or other shows that contain more action and more "white hats," but Saul still manages to fill its long stretches of solitude and silence with suspense and danger.It's a show that definitely pops us with bursts of unexpected bloodshed and moments of brutality that stand starkly apart from some of its more serene aspects, but the quiet elements are still filled with massive amounts of tension and unease. Even something like watching Mike calmly infiltrate the Madrigal shipping company, or Nacho having to navigate a meeting with his bosses following his failed attempt to kill Hector, is crackling and compelling. "Smoke" isn't filled with huge moments, but it does open the door to Season 4 and give Jimmy his first big push toward Saul-hood.