Summary: Kim meets with Cliff while Jimmy, dressed as Howard, steals Howard's car while he is at therapy. Jimmy picks up Wendy and makes a show of kicking her out of Howard's car right next to where Kim and Cliff are sitting. Jimmy returns the car, but someone else stole Howard's parking spot. He moves a sign and just about makes it work. Kim drops Wendy off and notices somebody is following her. Kim has lunch with a client and sees that car again. She confronts the people in the car and they drive away. Kim returns to the diner where she is met by Mike who explains that he has men following her and Jimmy in case Lalo emerges. Jimmy goes back to the courthouse where he gets a negative reception from everyone. However, his business booms at the nail salon. Mrs. Nguyen kicks him out and so he finds a new office which he shows to Kim. Gus has constant surveillance of his house. Upon returning home, he goes through an underground tunnel to a second house where he speaks with Mike about Lalo and security.
The Good: This episode was a blast, perhaps one of the most fun of the series. The episode quickly dives into the Howard scheme that was being set up in the previous episode and it is so much fun to watch. Kim might be the mastermind, but it's Jimmy that does the heavy-lifting here. Jimmy busts out the Howard outfit from back in "Hero", one of many callbacks in this episode, and his committed Howard costume is hilarious in all of its spray-tanned beauty. I have always appreciated that this show covers the details, and seeing Jimmy in such a brash, creative outfit was really funny. Jimmy's antics here are wonderful. His interactions with Wendy (great cameo) are fun, and he is clearly enjoying himself doing this con. He goes from hilariously disgusted at Howard's music choice to completely enjoying it while celebrating his success. But his success is short-lived as he finds that someone moved the cone that he so cleverly placed to reserve his parking spot. Bob Odenkirk's delivery of "what kind of asshole moves a cone!?" was outstanding comedy, made better by the irony of Jimmy stealing someone's car, yet it's moving a cone which is unforgivable to him. And in another subtle callback, naturally the perpetrator was driving a shiny white pearlescent BMW, not dissimilar to the one he described Chet driving back in "Marco". The ensuing sequence of Jimmy moving the sign, Howard incredulously not noticing anything amiss, and the sign promptly falling over was brilliant comedy. This whole sequence was a blast, filled with laughs and fun, and it was directed and edited as brilliantly as ever. This was all great fun. But on a more serious note, this sequence serves as an effective reminder of how ruthless Kim and Jimmy have become. They are not doing the right thing here and they have jumped to the nuclear option of tearing down Howard without considering any other options. What hits hard is that Kim conceives of a fake plan that she will tell Cliff to form a pro bono firm of sorts. Surprisingly, it actually seems to work! This means that Kim could potentially have done all of the good she wanted in the world without ruining Howard's career, but Kim and Jimmy never looked for any alternatives. And even after hearing this, they don't stop working on scamming Howard. This is completely indicative that no matter what these two tell themselves they are scamming Howard for, the truth is that they are ruining this man's life purely for the thrill of it all. And Howard doesn't deserve this. A glimpse into his therapy session reminds us of Howard's humanity, hinting at some strife he is dealing with at home. It's a sad reminder that Howard is a genuinely nice person who does not deserve what is happening to him. I've noticed a new side to Kim's moral decay. Her moral decay is shown through her realization of how much power she has and how often she can use it. We have seen Kim gradually confront people more and more, and as her confidence increases, she brings out her powerful side in increasingly dangerous situations. It happens in this episode too when she confronts her followers. But in a surprising twist, Kim's actions lead her into a conversation with Mike, a delightful scene which is the first that these two characters share. Mike clearly has respect for Kim's ability, and Kim fits right in with Mike, connecting with him in a way that Jimmy never did. She even recalls his time as a parking attendant, another of many connections to season 1 in this episode. As fun and well-written as this scene is, it feels ominous. Kim adjusts to this side of the world a little bit too well, and who knows how much deeper she might go and who else she might meet (see: The Unknown). Jimmy gets a good conflict in this episode. While it takes a while to realize what exactly is happening due to an unfortunate timeskip (see: The Bad), we clue in that Jimmy is facing the consequences of being known as Lalo's lawyer. All of his connections at the courthouse treat him like dirt and Jimmy feels the pain and loneliness that sacrificing all morality will bring you. There are more nice callbacks here with the lady that Jimmy bribes with stuffed animals refusing him, and with Bill once more struggling with the vending machine. But more than callbacks, the story pushes forwards and changes. Jimmy negotiating with Bill has been happening since way back in "Mijo". They have always felt like two equals, down on their luck and struggling in a difficult world. But now Bill has a moral high ground over Jimmy, beautifully realized by him leaving Jimmy behind at the bottom of the stairs. He also gets a fantastic line as he tells Jimmy that even though he can't prove it, knowing what Jimmy did is enough for everyone to turn on him. But when faced with the consequences, Jimmy also gets some unexpected positives as his business explodes within the realm of criminals. And as we know, Jimmy is going to double down on this business. The ruin of Jimmy's courtroom relationships feels like the final nail in the coffin for Jimmy McGill in his transformation to Saul Goodman. Now, by the end of the episode, he's opening up his office and now there's no turning back to Jimmy McGill. A final callback that further cements Jimmy's change to Saul is that he is finally kicked out from the nail salon where he has been set up since the first episode. Mrs. Nguyen has finally had enough, and after one final "cucumber water for customer only", she is done with Jimmy. It's sad how flippant Jimmy is about leaving this nail salon, and there is a sense of finality to Jimmy leaving the nail salon behind and opening up a new office. This episode has a theme of paranoia. Of course that applies to Kim, but more seriously, it applies to Gus. This episode sees Gus taking every precaution to prepare for Lalo and I appreciate how thoroughly "Better Call Saul" shows his preparations. He has men hired everywhere, watching his house, following Lalo's associates, and even working with him (though that man is not up to "Pollo Standards" which is a hilarious touch). Furthermore, Gus is wearing Kevlar constantly, keeping a gun on him, and hiding out in a separate house that is connected to his own house to further ensure his safety. I enjoyed the show's creative ways of showing all of this. The cold open sequence is a blast, a perfect use of the random disconnected scene that gradually becomes important trope. Further, I loved the long take as Gus goes through the tunnel from one house to another. The Bad: For once I actually found myself disappointed by the lack of detail-work in this show. It's surprising because this show is usually so good at addressing the little things, but I had problems here. For one, there was no follow-up on Nacho's death whatsoever. I was really shocked by that since it was such a huge moment which should have had some sort of effect in the story. But none of the characters even acknowledge that it happened. Furthermore, we never learned what Gus's explanation for capturing Nacho was, which is a significant oversight. Another skipped detail was Jimmy's decision not to rat on Lalo. Kim presented Jimmy with the option in the previous episode, but we skipped Jimmy making his choice. This is very unlike "Better Call Saul" which is often so good with showing us these key choices and extracting drama from it. Instead, Jimmy made his choice off-screen and we are left playing some confusing catch-up over why everyone at the courthouse is so upset with him over a simple rumour. The scheme to start the episode was a blast but it was a bit too much to suspend my disbelief by the end. I find it hard to believe that Howard never noticed that his car was in a different spot. That was a bit much. Furthermore, Howard would certainly have likely heard Jimmy's footsteps when he ran, which wouldn't have been a dead giveaway, but it would have heightened his awareness so that he would notice that his car was moved. Jimmy moving the sign would make little difference because if Howard didn't notice the stripes beneath his car, he certainly wouldn't have noticed the sign. These are very minor things, but they do bother me. The Unknown: Did the scheme go off properly? Does Howard suspect anything? How about Cliff? Mike treating Kim with such respect was a surprise. We know that Jimmy will never meet Gus, but can we say the same for Kim? Is she going to meet Gus and get involved in his business? It would be surprising if Kim ends up meeting Gus, but then again, she's already gone much deeper than we ever expected her to go. Where exactly is Lalo? Where has he gone to find proof? Why is it taking so long for him to return? Best Moment: Kim meeting Mike was delightful. They shared a great scene with quality dialogue. Character of the Episode: Kim. Conclusion: Outside of a few rare gripes, this was a fun episode with plenty to enjoy. This isn't one of the show's best episodes, but it's a good time. Score: 65
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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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