The Old Ship of Zion (Boardwalk Empire)

"The Old Ship of Zion" is the eighth episode of Boardwalk Empire's fourth season and the 44th episode overall. Christine Chambers and executive producer Howard Korder wrote it, while executive producer Tim Van Patten directed. It aired on HBO on October 27, 2013.

In the episode, Willie begins working for Nucky but tries to avoid his father, Eli. Nucky receives his first shipment from Florida and is surprised by a visit from Sally. After talking with Sally, Willie decides to leave the Albatross, apologize to Eli, and start working for Edward L. Bader. Nucky says goodbye to Sally as she returns to Florida.

Dunn becomes more involved in the heroin trade, handing packages to a man named Moses. Chalky grows frustrated that the African-American community in Atlantic City favors Narcisse over him. He leads a raid to find the local heroin dealer. Dunn kills Moses to protect himself, but Chalky finds a flyer for a Narcisse opera on the body. Chalky confronts Narcisse in the street and burns a brick of heroin in public. On Narcisse's orders, Daughter seduces Chalky that night. When Dunn appears claiming to have found the dealer, Chalky realizes the betrayal. They fight, and Daughter stabs Dunn in the back, killing him.

Tolliver investigates Willie with limited information, learning about Henry's death and Nucky's visit to the district attorney. He talks to Clayton in prison and gets vital information. Tolliver then confronts Eli, forcing him to become an informant or Willie will go to prison. Eli accepts. He returns home and welcomes Willie back without mentioning the meeting.

The episode was seen by an estimated 1.91 million household viewers, with a 0.8 rating among adults 18–49—a 12% drop from the previous episode's 2.16 million viewers. Critics gave it extremely positive reviews, praising character development, performances, and pacing. Matt Fowler of IGN gave it an 8.6 out of 10, calling it a "great" episode highlighted by an intense confrontation between Chalky and Narcisse. Genevieve Valentine of The A.V. Club gave it an "A," noting that Michael K. Williams finally got room to stretch. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called it "another strong outing," while Seth Colter Walls of Vulture gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it the most dramatically straightforward and satisfying episode of the season.