Summary: Jimmy and Kim try to find someone to spread some word about Howard being a drug addict and Kim comes up with an idea. Jimmy goes to visit the Kettlemans and plants the idea that Craig can get exonerated because Howard is an addict. The Kettlemans refuse to work with Jimmy and go to 4 different places including Davis & Main about Howard's addiction. Cliff sends them away but is perturbed by their words. Jimmy returns to the Kettlemans with Kim and tries to give them money for their silence but they refuse. Kim then turns the tables, telling them that she will report them for tax preparer fraud if they don't cooperate. They agree and Kim gets them to not mention Howard ever again and to stop taking advantage of their clients. Mike replaces Nacho's safe, including a letter, also sending away the girls in Nacho's house. Bolsa's men invade his house and find the letter which connects them to the motel Nacho is staying in. At the motel, Nacho notices he's being spied on. He sneaks out of his room and pulls a gun on the man. He discerns that he's a spy for Gus and realizes Gus isn't going to help him. Nacho goes to a truck to escape, but suddenly The Twins pull up and start hunting down Nacho. Nacho hotwires the car and gets into a gunfight. He tries to drive off but The Twins shoot out his tires. Gus arranges a meeting with Hector for a peace offering, and he discerns that Lalo is alive from Hector's reactions. Gus prepares for Lalo but Mike tells him he's like going after Nacho. Gus asks Mike to bring Nacho's father, but Mike refuses. Nacho calls and asks to speak with Gus.
The Good: Jimmy and Kim's story was again an absolute blast. The return of the Kettlemans is such a fun idea to base this episode around, and it fits so naturally into the story that I can't imagine using any other characters for this specific con. Betsy and Craig are as fun as ever, and there were countless hilarious jokes as Jimmy and Kim set them up. From Betsy being horrified at the idea of her children in public school, to Craig claiming that Howard's addiction was the "talk of the yard", every joke involving these characters landed perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed Cliff and Erin's befuddled reaction to these fools spouting some obviously invalid claims in a hopeful attempt to better their own lives. Jimmy had set them up perfectly to look like buffoons, and their scene was even better than expected. Plus, the plan looks like it is working since Cliff noticeably stops playing his guitar after the meeting, clearly contemplating the possibility that Howard is an addict after two separate events suggested it. Jimmy and Kim's plan is a delightful slowburn and I'm loving it. But even better is how the plot of this episode reflects on both Jimmy and Kim through the simple use of a carrot and stick dynamic. Jimmy obviously does not like these people, and Betsy is sure to remind Jimmy that she doesn't consider him to be a real lawyer over and over throughout the episode, just in case Jimmy forgets how much he is frustrated by them and how much he hates them. But a part of Jimmy feels bad about what they are doing to the Kettlemans. Perhaps part of him somewhat respects their attempted tax preparer fraud, so he is willing to work with them and offer them some money to help keep them quiet. But Kim on the other hand extends no such sympathy. We see her glance at a poor old lady, one of many that the Kettlemans have been scamming, and she decides immediately that these selfish, entitled upper-class idiots do not deserve any of her sympathy. These early episodes have done a great job of establishing Kim's distaste for the rich taking advantage of the poor, which is backed up with what we learned about her upbringing in the last season. Thus it makes perfect sense that she would happily work against the Kettlemans. What came completely out of the left field was how ruthless she was in tearing them down. Kim meant business, and she was intimidating, scary, and authoritative in her handling of the Kettlemans. She was a stone-cold businesswoman in this scene and Rhea Seehorn did a spectacular job of conveying Kim's distaste for them. Another beautiful touch comes at the end of the episode as Kim is disappointed that Jimmy still gave them their payday because he felt bad for them. Thinking on how far they have come together, Jimmy can only say "wolves and sheep", a lovely callback to a flashback in "Inflatable" back in season 2, which highlights that Kim has transformed into being even more of a wolf than he is. Nacho's story is spectacularly tense. Mike and Gus have to work against him and Gus is setting him up to be killed in order to simply tie up another loose end. The opening scene is a brilliant piece of filming as we see Mike plant evidence that Nacho is working for a gang within his personal safe. It's a classic "Better Call Saul" scene where you are left wondering what Mike is doing until the end of the sequence reveals that he's sneaking a letter into Nacho's safe, the contents of which only becoming clear when Bolsa breaks into Nacho's house later in the episode. There are some brilliant moments here that highlighted Mike's humanity, like his handling of the girls in Nacho's house, and hiding Nacho's father's identity to keep him protected. Mike's desire to keep Manuel safe comes into play in a big way late into the episode. We see the pressure building on Gus throughout the episode as he eventually realizes that Lalo is alive. He does so by meeting with Hector in a facade to arrange a peace deal, and it's a wonderful idea by Gus. Gus trusts his ability to read people to determine from Hector if Lalo is alive or not. But in a surprising moment, Hector doesn't let Gus read him and he openly makes a face to Gus, ensuring that he knows that Lalo is alive and that Lalo is coming for him. The moment is fantastic, so perfectly in character for Hector to risk letting Gus know about Lalo for the simple satisfaction of scaring Gus. And it works. Gus is paranoid, he's increasing his protection, and he's using every resource possible to wait for Lalo's arrival. In a beautiful touch, Gus's own anxiety leads to him breaking a glass, which he is forced to methodically clean up on his own, an indicator of the mental pressure he's under, and perhaps also symbolizing that Gus is in a mess of his own making that he now needs to clean up. It takes Mike telling Gus that Lalo will still be in Mexico going after Nacho for him to calm down, and his immediate reaction is troubling. Gus instinctively looks for leverage by bringing in Manuel, and Mike has had enough. Mike went along with framing Nacho and leaving him to die, but he will not endanger Manuel; he respects Nacho enough to not let this happen. Seeing Mike stand up to Gus and remain sturdy in his position even with Tyrus throwing a gun in his face is spectacular, and tells us everything we need to know about Mike and the bond he has developed with Nacho. Mike believes that he owes it to Nacho to keep his father safe, and we can bet that he's not going to let Gus get away with being an inhumane animal on the same level as the Salamancas. Nacho is once again responsible for the most intense, stressful, and heart-pounding scenes in the episode. His time in the motel room is filled with fear and anxiety, which Michael Mando conveys so well. Nacho is careful, he's smart, and he's perceptive. With his only ally Mike not picking up the phone (a decision that likely seems to be Mike's indirect way of telling Nacho that he's been betrayed by Gus), Nacho begins to fear for the worst in his motel room. He paces around restlessly, and the slightest sound of someone walking outside leads to Nacho raising his gun and fearing for the worst. But it's a good thing that Nacho is perceptive and smart, because his suspicion leads him to notice the tiniest of details: a functioning air conditioning unit in a tiny abandoned shack that has a slight hole perfectly angled to watch his room. Nacho takes a risk to step outside and confirms his biggest fear: someone is watching him. The realization is horrifying, and Nacho understands that if somebody is watching him, then death will be coming to him at any time. Nacho's frustration is perfectly conveyed, and it becomes imperative for him to leave that room immediately. The music amps up the stress and Nacho finally manages to get out. But it's Nacho's next moves that really shine. Rather than running away, Nacho confronts the man with his gun. Through a clever trick with Tyrus, Nacho determines that this man is working for Gus and that Gus has no intention of helping him; if he did, then this man would be driving Nacho back home rather than watching him in the motel. Nacho knocks the man out rather than shooting him, another smart move, and now the pressure is on. This leads us to a spectacular action setpiece at the end of the episode. Nacho knows that time is of the essence and that he needs to leave. But when trying to hotwire a truck, the worst happens and the Salamanca Twins pull up to the motel. Again, Michael Mando is spectacular in portraying Nacho's fear, and this becomes a battle for survival as Nacho tries to get this car going so he can escape. But Nacho is spotted, and caught in the middle of a gunfight before the Salamanca Twins stop it; Nacho needs to be captured alive. This gives Nacho an opening, and after a tense confrontation with The Twins, he just about manages to get away with a damaged and shot truck. Who knows how far he's going to get under his current conditions, but watching this escape was tremendously intense, a gripping and exciting setpiece to serve as a climax to this episode. The Bad: The one issue I had was actually with the fact that we had two back to back episodes with Kim making a plan and Jimmy executing it. That means that the show twice had to rely on the trope of cutting away from characters right before they discussed the details of a plan. It was noticeably repetitive. The Unknown: Who is following Jimmy and Kim? That looked like Lalo's car, but surely he is still in Mexico. Has Howard caught scent of their plan? Did Nacho get away from the Salamanca Twins? It looked like they shot out his tires, how far did he get? Why is he calling for Gus? Does he have a plan? How will Gus react to this? Will Mike be able to keep Nacho's father out of harm's way? Will the Salamancas go after him too? Surely he needs someone to protect him. Best Moment: As much as I loved Nacho's escape from the motel, I have to give it to Kim ruthlessly shutting down the Kettlemans. What a moment for a character who continues to surprise and impress me at every turn. Character of the Episode: Nacho. Conclusion: This was excellent stuff, even better than the last episode. The return of the Kettlemans was a blast in the next step of the Howard scheme, while Nacho's moves at the motel are a masterclass in suspense-filled action. The story is heating up, and there is a wonderful mix of fun, tension, action, and character work throughout this episode. Score: 74
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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