The Televangelist: ‘Breaking Bad,’ Season 4 Episode 1

To paraphrase Chekhov, if you introduce a box cutter in the first act, someone’s going to get their throat slit in the third.

?But first thing’s first: for anyone who doubted that Jesse did in fact shoot (and kill) Gale in the Season Three finale, it turns out Gale and his Italian pitter-patter records are indeed lost to us forever. Show creator Vince Gilligan was surprised in an AV Club interview last year to learn that anyone found that final sudden camera swipe to be ambiguous, but he should know better than to think viewers can or should ever take anything for granted in the “Breaking Bad” universe.
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• AMC.com
• The Silent Quartet a.k.a. The Survivor’s Club

?The premiere episode began in that familiar “Lost” way the series has gotten into the habit of, with a scene from the past (and a momentary shock for those still holding out hope that somehow, Gale had survived). These backstory clips provide two kinds of illuminating information: deeper character profiles and a more complete history of that action that has lead up to the current episode, as well as a dose of foreshadowing and tonal prologue to the coming storm. So it was with “Box Cutter’s” opening scene, in which a fresh and chipper (and incredibly nerdy “a doth my cap to you sir … hehe!”) Gale uses that proverbial knife to unwrap the new lab equipment Gus has so painstakingly provided for him. More importantly, we see Gale write his own death warrant when he stands in awe (with an unusually pressing manner toward Gus) of Walt’s meth product, calling it “99% perfect … perhaps a touch more,” while Gale himself claims to only feel confident producing a measly “96% pure product.” Gus seemingly dismisses this quibble over percentages, but the businessman inside (along with some hubris, no doubt), goads him on - if he can’t beat Walt’s product, he’d better bring him in. But with the typical Gus twist: bring him in long enough for Gale to learn his secrets, then dispose of him. The backstory scene also confirms Walt’s suspicions on which he hinged his and Jesse’s lives at the end of Season Three - that with Gale out of the picture, Gus would have no choice but to keep Walt alive.