"Gangs of London" makes good use of a streamlined story to deliver a shocking, superbly directed episode. It's times like this when the pieces all come together into one cohesive whole that propel the story forward. Better yet, there is are some serious strides here to make characters count.
Elliot (Sope Dirisu) is one such character. Fighting skills and calm demeanour aside, he's failed to fit in as a whole so far. He's doing the bidding of too many people who want vastly different things, but the way he is led around and what he ultimately does once this episode ends cements him as a more prominently positioned player. Furthermore, the Wallace family get's a chance to lean into their past a little more and mourn the loss of their head a little more, to great effect.
Whether or not the outcome of this episode will lead to further ramifications between the underworld mobs is yet to be seen, but the setup is masterful. A skilful combination of tension, camerawork and character-work. Combining both urgency and action, episode four has an outstanding sequence. It's chaotic, it's loud, it's extremely gory. Whatever stagnancy this chapter had beforehand was immediately washed away by the final act (which tends to the case with the past episodes actually).
So, with a less sporadic story and one killer third act, but with all its trademark ambition intact, "Gangs of London" finds a new high-point that looks to lead the season into exciting territories.