Summary: The Man in Black and Teddy run into a group of people attacked by Wyatt. They are captured but Teddy shows surprising aggression and kills everyone. Elsie talks to Bernard about her findings. She does further research and discovers that Theresa and Arnold have been responsible for the modifications to the stray. She discovers something else but is silenced by an unknown assailant. Bernard visits Ford for a short conversation. A new girl is hired to work at Westworld above Lee. Maeve is taken by Felix through the Westworld facility. He tells her everything and she makes sure that he makes some modifications to her.
The Good: Maeve's walk was a great moment. Her storyline was fairly engaging and it was nice to see what happens when a host becomes aware of their existence. Maeve is becoming likeable as a host which is good to see, since this show has been severely lacking in characters. It was nice to get confirmation that the kid is actually younger Ford. I had expected it, but it is nice to get some answers for once, without the answers leading to more mystery. I also liked the progression on the Arnold mystery. It was a major focus in this episode and had lots of good surprises and plot movement to keep us interested. I'm very interested by the Theresa reveal, as it may add in some more drama to give us a reason to care about her character. The Arnold reveal is excellent too, as it adds a lot more stakes to the story as Arnold may be a major player in the story. The Bad: Sylvester and lee are bad characters. They are the antithesis of likeable and are so cartoonishly "bad" that it irks me every time they are on screen. Lee's little subplot with the new girl was pretty bad since he matters so little in the overall story and isn't even likeable. Either get him involved with more important things or stop showing him. It's hard to care at all about Teddy in his storyline. He is making the Man in Black rather dull which is a shame. I was really intrigued to see what the Man in Black is doing in previous episodes, but his storyline has ground to a halt ever since Teddy arrived. His lines are scripted so it's hard to care for him at all, and his story arc of becoming more violent means nothing to me as well because I don't care about his character at all. Also, I think it's likely that this violence was scripted into his character anyways, so it means very little. At the moment, all he is doing is lessening my interest in the Man in Black and his storyline of finding the maze. The Unknown: And once more we have a lot to put in The Unknown. What is Ford's overall plan? What is he trying to accomplish and why? What does Maeve want to do? Escape? Find answers? Kill humans? We need an answer soon to really connect with her character. What was with Arnold's voice in young Ford's head? How did that work? Was that programmed? Or has Arnold tampered with young Ford as well somehow? Is that what happened to the stray? Did Arnold's voice tell it to do that? Arnold did want to destroy Westworld, so could this be a reason why he is leaking data? Is he going to try to close down Westworld? But most importantly, how is he alive? Did he fake death? Did Ford fake his death? Did he come back to life as a host and go rogue or something along those lines? What was Teddy's past? Apparently he worked with Wyatt for a while. Why? What is the significance of that reveal? What is so important about Wyatt? What has happened to Elsie? What else did she discover? Who attacked her? Was it Arnold? Who has modified Maeve before Sylvester and Felix? Was it Arnold? Also, is her waking up intentional? Things like paranoia were increased in Maeve, so could that have been intentional to lead up to her wanting answers about the mysterious people in her "dreams"? Best Moment: Maeve walking through Westworld and seeing the reality of her life was a great moment which helped us connect a little more with her. Character of the Episode: Maeve. Conclusion: This was a better episode, helped along with easy to follow mystery development, answers, and an improved storyline for Maeve. The fact that I had less to talk about in this episode is actually a good sign, because it made the episode much easier to digest than the previous 3 which have just thrown information and questions at me at a relentless pace. The show still has faults and the overreliance on the plot and lack of relatable characters does hurt it, but this episode was a little bit of an improvement. Score: 60
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Summary: The Man in Black kills Lawrence to keep Teddy alive. He meets with Ford in a restaurant. Maeve awakens when she isn't supposed to again and questions Felix. Dolores in interviewed by Ford regarding Arnold. Elsie discovers that the stray has a device inside it which is being used to collect data. William and Logan arrive in Pariah where they meet El Lazo who is Lawrence. They make a deal with the group, but William kills people he wasn't supposed to when they threatened Dolores. William and Dolores leave Logan behind but get trapped. Dolores kills the people in their way.
The Good: Another heap of information came from this episode, but amongst everything there were some good scenes. Ford's story about the dog in the beginning of the episode was excellent. Ford is such a charismatic character and while we still don't know much about him, he is so enthralling to watch on the screen. The later scene with Ford and the Man in Black was also extremely good and it felt like a huge scene. Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris played off each other supremely well and I loved the tension in the scene. I was also glad to get some more insight on the Man in Black's goals, and I suppose it also added more to the mysteries in the show. It was good to get more information on William and Logan so we can understand them better. It's an interesting dynamic that they have as they appear to just be friends out of necessity as they are co-workers and I believe soon to be brothers-in-law if I am understanding correctly. Maeve's awakening again was a good moment that helps drive the plot forward. I like that we were teased with the idea of Maeve waking up again, allowing some tension in the scenes where Sylvester and Felix talked together with Maeve on the table. The Bad: This show still remains far too confusing to truly be considered really good. I understand that mystery is being built, and while I do enjoy mysteries, it's hard to enjoy this one when there are just so many confusing details. Every scene just seems to feature secrets, hidden motives, surprise twists and mysterious characters who we don't understand much about. Without anything to really grasp onto, my enjoyment of this mystery is diminished. I also hate that so little is revealed in each episode. I have no doubt that we are heading towards some big answers down the road, but with way too much mystery and no answers, these episodes are feeling more and more unsatisfying. The eternal mystery also really hurts my interest in the actual Westworld storylines. Logan and William's little quest in this episode was completely boring for me because it was staged and offered no hope of any answers. With much more pressing matters I want to understand in other parts of the story, it leaves me extremely impatient to end the scene and move onto more important things like Ford and Arnold's history, backstory on the park, and more explanation of what the maze is. You could shrug off my problems with the show as me simply not being patient, but I really don't think that is the case. The problem is that we are being given a full hour of content, which should be plenty of time to build mystery and answer some questions, yet we receive a little bit of mystery building and no answers whatsoever because the story is trying to focus on the characters. Now I'm all for character focused episodes, but the problem is that I care about nobody in this show, so I can't be bothered to be interested by Felix coding, William and Logan being conflicted and Elsie uncovering more of the plot. All of the storylines seem to be falling completely flat except for the show's overarching narrative which is the only thing that leaves me interested at this point. The Unknown: What are Dolores' flashes? Why does she have them? Why is she picking up on things that apparently she isn't supposed to be picking up on? And why did she actually kill? The killing felt like it was a big character moment, but it just raises a ton of questions. Why is Felix trying to code? How did he get that bird host? What is Arnold's role in everything? Did he create the maze? What is it? What secret did he put in it? Why did he talk with Dolores on the day he died? Why was he trying to destroy the park? Did Ford kill him because he was trying to destroy the park? Why didn't Dolores follow his order to destroy Westworld? How did Lawrence get to Pariah so quickly? How fast are these hosts brought back? Surely it can't be that quickly. Was it just an error? An oversight? But with this show being this show, was it intentional? Are there multiple versions of the same hosts? Or more intriguingly, could the events in the show be taking place across different time periods? Lawrence being El Lazo is not what his storyline was when the Man in Black picked him up, so is it possible there could be a time gap from William, Logan and Dolores' storyline and everything else? There are a lot of inconsistencies in this though, but seeing as we are never given an exact time period, it may be possible. What has Maeve heard from Felix and Sylvester that she wants to discuss? I presume she was awake a lot of the time we saw her and just faked sleep. Who is smuggling data through the stray? Is it Ford? Lee perhaps? We haven't seen Lee in quite some time, so has he betrayed Westworld after being embarrassed by Ford? Best Moment: Ford and the Man in Black talking was great. Character of the Episode: Ford again. I'm sorry, but his performance far overshadows everything else on this show. Conclusion: This show has one of the most fascinating overarching stories on TV and it's a joy to try to piece things together. The problem though is that this completely takes away from my interest in the smaller character stories being told, which results in me being bored for a lot of the episode when characters are dominating the screen. Add on the fact that we receive very little in terms of answers in each episode and we have an unfortunately unsatisfying episode. Score: 57 Summary: Ross is fed kiwi by Monica who forgot he was allergic to it. Ross is rushed to the hospital for a needle while Chandler and Joey are tasked with taking care of Ben. The guys take Ben out in the city to help get girls but accidentally lose him on the bus. Phoebe is upset at Terry, the owner of Central perk who doesn't want her to play anymore and hires a professional guitarist instead.
The Good: In term of pure humour, this is as good as it gets. There are jokes aplenty and so many moments in this episode had me laughing a lot. Each of the 3 storylines had comedic value to it and all 3 did a great job of keeping me entertained throughout. Joey and Chandler's story with them losing Ben was the best of the bunch and had the biggest laughs throughout. Joey was adorably narrow-minded throughout and Chandler was great as the nervous and sarcastic guy constantly adding in some great lines for comedy. I thought the Ross and Monica storyline was good too. it was very basic but allowed them some good bonding which I appreciated since we don't usually get much from Ross and Monica. And of course there were great jokes in there. The Rachel and Phoebe plot had its issues (see: The Bad), but it was very funny overall and it was easy to understand the position of both characters in the situation. The Bad: The Rachel and Phoebe plot didn't have much meat to it. It never made sense why phoebe would get so overcome by wanting money, and even she knows it's out of character. But then why does she do it? No explanation, making it feel a little too convenient. I also didn't like the way that each of the friends just stuck so firmly to their individual stories with minimal interactions between them. Rachel and Phoebe were practically on an island and the other 4 only interacted at the beginning and end of the episode. Lastly, the storylines felt rather inconsequential and didn't matter all that much. Best Moment: The entire scene where Chandler and Joey flipped for the baby. It was fantastic comedy and climaxed with a great joke about clowns. Character of the Episode: Joey for being stupid in the most realistic way. Conclusion: This episode had some flaws, but honestly it was so damn funny they don't bother me as much despite the fact that The Bad was a pretty large section this time. In the end, what matters most about comedy shows is how much they made me laugh, and this was by far the funniest episode of the season for me, earning it a really high score anyways. Score: 78 Summary: Rick and Shane are two cops and they respond to an emergency but Rick is shot and put in a coma. When he wakes up, the world has been affected by the zombie apocalypse. Rick ventures to his house but finds that his family left him. He meets Morgan and Duane who inform him of what happened and tell him to go to Atlanta where there is supposedly a refugee centre. Morgan and Duane stay behind but Rick gives them a walkie to keep in touch. Rick goes to Atlanta but finds a horde of walkers (zombies) which trap him in a tank. Rick gets a message from somebody else while in the tank.
The Good: This was one hell of a pilot. It was really long as it went over an hour but I was never bored and I was entirely engaged the entire time. This episode did such a wonderful job of leaving the viewer gripped and in suspense as we get introduced to the characters and the post-apocalyptic world. The first scene does such a fantastic job of this as we are introduced casually to Rick while he scavenges for gas as we instantly understand something is wrong. The lack of music gives the scene a real air of suspense and that first reveal of the little girl walker was really great. It was tense, creepy and the big gunshot really felt like a big moment. It was so well executed and instantly draws you in to see more. And more did the episode show. Everything after that scene completely delivered. Thankfully, the episode chooses to establish Rick as a character before the apocalypse. We get a good scene with Rick talking to his best friend Shane about his life and his family. It was a good scene which nicely transitioned into the action sequence which led to Rick being put in a coma, causing him to miss the apocalypse. This scene did a good job of establishing the reality of the world and the nature of humans to remind us that they will be affected by the need to deal with loss and to kill walkers. This comes into play later on with several powerful scenes involving Rick and Morgan dealing with these very same things. But on to the actual apocalypse scenes. Holy cow were they great. Those first 10-15 minutes with Rick in the hospital were fantastic. No dramatic music or much actual speech. Just silence, and that's all that is needed to convey the shocking change Rick is witnessing. The slow development of what has happened is shown fantastically as Rick goes through the discovery of time passing, nobody being around, no power and then of course dead bodies and then soon after the existence of actual zombies. Or walkers as they are called here. All of this was executed in such a fantastic silent scene which appropriately depicts the creepy atmosphere and the pure horror of what has happened. Following this, we get scenes with Rick and Morgan which were also just as great. Morgan does a great job of showing the effect that the apocalypse has had on him while also managing to be a relatable character who we can get attached to. His story is very sad as we learn what happened to his wife and how it has affected his son. It was nice to get to know him alongside Rick as well which lets us continue to relate with Rick even while introducing us to these new characters. Following Rick's time with Morgan, we get a great climax to the episode as Rick travels to Atlanta. Before he arrives we get a wonderful scene showing us a new take on the apocalypse as Rick ends up seeing a family who killed themselves after the apocalypse in brutal fashion. It was a suitably disturbing and chilling scene which continues to prove that there are surely many different stories to hear about the survivors in the apocalypse. Thankfully, the show doesn't revel in this darkness though as we are given a nice scene with a lighter tone as Rick tames a horse he finds at the family's house. After this the episode reaches a high point in Atlanta as Rick travels through a surprisingly barren city with some terrific shots and set design. The tension builds up slowly as some walkers wake up in the city to follow Rick. And of course this leads to a climax as Rick is surrounded in a very tense scene leading to Rick trapping himself in the tank, trapped in a horde of zombies as his horse is brutally eaten on the outside. This was a good action-packed climax which ends the episode on a high note but also with a good cliffhanger as Rick is contacted by somebody else in Atlanta, promising us some answers already about what happened in Atlanta. Very good writing. The Bad: There were a couple weird moments in the big climax though. Rick simply entering the hatch felt a little too convenient, especially since he was readying for a suicide, making it just feel weird. Also it's a little hard to believe that Rick would get so perfectly surrounded by a horde of walkers like he did, especially since there have hardly been any other walkers seen beforehand. The Unknown: Do walkers have something of a memory? The little girl in the beginning picks up the teddy bear. Morgan's wife goes straight to their house and tries to open the door. Do they have something of a memory because of this? Or at least some intelligence? What caused the apocalypse? How did it breakout? Is it worldwide? Is it an infection of sorts? Does Shane know Rick is alive? Did he just use it as an excuse to hook up with Lori? Was Lori cheating on Rick before the apocalypse? Will Rick find the group somehow? What happened in Atlanta? Did the refugee centre get overrun? Did the military get destroyed? How about the CDC? Who was on the radio in the tank? Will he help Rick escape? Best Moment: Rick shooting the bicycle girl occurring while Morgan failed to kill his wife was very powerful and human stuff. It's great to see humanity remain as the primary focus during this otherworldly experience everyone is going through. Character of the Episode: Morgan was awesome here. Rick is a very close second though since we saw everything through his eyes. Conclusion: This was a stellar pilot. So gripping, so tense, so magnificently crafted. Expectations for this sow are immediately high because the quality was just that good. This whole episode flew by and I can't imagine not wanting to keep watching this show. Score: 80 Summary: Chandler is called by a girl looking for Bob and he is able to manipulate the situation to have sex to Ross' dismay. Chandler gets his comeuppance when the girl calls again saying that she hooked up with a guy who wasn't good in bed. The friends get in an argument when Rachel, Phoebe and Joey are upset that everyone else doesn't consider that they make less money.
The Good: Chandler's storyline is the highlight here and it offers so many great laughs to counteract the more serious tone to this episode. The show did a brilliant job of making Chandler's role in the story fit his character and be relatable while also giving him the appropriate comeuppance later on when the girl completely destroys his ability in bed. It was all very funny and the addition of Ross to the story adds even more laughs as he tries to prevent Chandler from doing something bad. The final scene with Joey was also really funny. While the B-story was the best part of the episode, it doesn't mean that the A-plot under-delivered. Honestly, the A-plot was really well done with some great laughs as the friends try to talk through some problems they have. It all felt pretty real and led to a nice, if predictable, conclusion. I thought that the dissension between everyone was done better than in "The One where Underdog Gets Away" and really shows how much the writing has improved as the show has gone on. As long as an episode is given a decent story to focus on, it is bound to deliver because the show is quickly mastering the ability to structure good comedy from anything. The Bad: The ending was predictable with everyone deciding to just be friends as it's a very common sitcom storyline. I also didn't like how some of the friends at times were a little bit too cruel to each other for my liking. Best Moment: Chandler getting his comeuppance as the girl told "Bob" how lame that guy she slept with was. It was hilarious and led from one funny moment to another. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was definitely the best episode of the season. It had a great storyline throughout and delivered some quality comedy. Weaker storylines have made season 2 a little disappointing so far, but this episode proves that as long as Friends can come up with something good, the comedy will absolutely deliver. Score: 79 Summary: The Man in Black meets Armistice who has ties to Wyatt. He is taken to prison where he meets and frees Hector. He takes Lawrence and they find Teddy. Hector and Armistice attack the town and Hector talks with Maeve. Maeve discovers that her reality is fake and that nothing matters. William continues to stay with Dolores whilst doing a quest. He gets into conflict with Logan. Theresa speaks with Ford about his new narrative and Ford threatens her to stay out of his way.
The Good: Again there was too much mystery and confusion for there to be many scenes that I can consider to be in The Good. The Man in Black storyline had some fun moments as he provides the "cool" factor of Westworld. The basic action and excitement is still decently enjoyable even if it is extremely simple. I liked William's scene with Dolores. We always get cryptic and mysterious scenes with Bernard and Dolores, but those are ruined by the show's need to be so damn mysterious with Bernard's true intentions. So now to see William, a character who we actually understand (though not care for very much), have this kind of conversation with Dolores is much more satisfying. My brain wasn't constantly asking questions and I was able to genuinely enjoy the progression of William and Dolores' storylines. The standout was of course Ford once more. His scene with Theresa was fantastic and just lovely to behold. Anthony Hopkins was sublime in his facial expressions to convey the tone of the meeting even if we don't know much about Dr. Ford's motives at this point in the story. The scene went excellently from a casual conversation to a very intimidating threat in a matter of seconds, which I can thank Anthony Hopkins for with his awesome acting. The Bad: Once more I have to criticize the lack of emotional attachment to the story. There is so much mystery and convoluted storytelling to really develop an emotional attachment to the show or its characters. Now don't get me wrong, the plot is very enjoyable because it's convoluted and filled with mystery, but I don't watch TV shows for the plot. I watch for the story, which involves characters and genuine emotion. Unless the show changes its course to clear some of the mystery around these characters so we can understand them, it won't ever hit the height of enjoyment I had gotten from the series' pilot episode. I thought the ending scene was pretty poorly executed in all honesty. The writing for this show has usually been pretty good, but I felt it was lacking here because I ended up noticing so many inconsistencies which just confused me the entire time as I hoped they would be answered in some way. This confusion completely took away from the progression of Maeve's story which adds on to my point of the convoluted plot hurting the story. I feel like this should have been a powerful moment but I was confused with the staging of it all. Why was Maeve saying this to hector and not somebody closer to her like Clementine? Why did Hector just talk to her about it? We got no answers. Why did Hector and Armistice just leave the Man in Black? We didn't see them separate so I was very confused to just see them strolling into the town. We also cut to Elsie and Stubbs throughout the scene to add even more confusion. Apparently guests were arriving in 20 minutes so they ended the heist. Okay? Why did they start the heist if they knew this? Was the heist set up by them? How did they set it up exactly, especially since Hector was supposed to be in jail for longer than he was? The only reason he was out was because of the Man in Black. And if they are able to watch and interact with everything, how come nobody noticed Hector and Maeve talking for some odd reason? That conversation absolutely couldn't have been programmed and how has nobody noticed Maeve's drawings before? There were just too many inconsistencies and questions for this scene to be any good at all. The Unknown: How is Bernard talking to Dolores? Does he just secretly take her at night after she goes to sleep? How does nobody notice this? Or is it possible that these talks with Dolores are actually happening in flashbacks or something? I would put this in The Bad, but I feel like there will be answers given about this in the future. Why is Bernard keeping the host's patterns of glitches secret? And what was the stray drawing if it wasn't Orion? Could it be part of the maze? Why did Dolores see Lawrence's daughter who was apparently not there? Why was she drawing the maze? Why did that trigger a response in Dolores? What are these flashbacks? Why is she remembering the staff like Maeve is? How are they both remembering these things anyways if they were technically asleep at the time? What is the Man in Black's foundation? Two guests went to thank him, but we don't know what that was about. Could it have something to do with why he is a VIP of sorts? Also he knows about the existence of Arnold and that he died in the park. Does that mean he is a former employee or a friend of Ford's? What is Ford's new narrative? Clearly it has something to do with Wyatt who seems to be more important than I had initially expected him to be. What is the significance of Maeve's new discovery? She won't be able to remember it anyways, so how is she going to get past that block? Best Moment: Ford's intimidating speech is probably my favourite scene in the show thus far. Character of the Episode: Ford. Conclusion: This episode was more solid plot progression and the show proves to be quite good at intriguing storytelling once more, but the flaws still stick out badly. Score: 58 Summary: Teddy is given a backstory by Ford involving somebody named Wyatt who shot up his village. Teddy goes on a mission to hunt down Wyatt but is attacked by mysterious cultists. Dolores fights back against Rebus and actually kills him before escaping and running into William. Bernard talks with Ford who reveals that he used to have a partner named Arnold who died. Stubbs and Elsie chase down a stray who acts out and mysteriously kills himself.
The Good: There were a few parts of this I can confidently say is good. Teddy's hunt for Wyatt is basic fun and is easy enough to follow. It's enjoyable enough but still flawed (see: The Bad). Ford once more steals the show with a fantastic speech about Arnold. It was filled with mystery and Anthony Hopkins' performance is just fantastic to watch. There was so much fascinating content in that scene and it raises the most intriguing questions of the show so far (see: The Unknown). Dolores killing was another cool scene that paid off of some set up from previous episodes and this episode with Dolores being unable to kill things. It's a nice bit of progress to emphasize that the hosts are growing in their ability to disobey their programming. It was nice to get some actual character development for Bernard to make us start to care for him. He has been the most easily likeable so far and it was good to get some backstory and character for him. We still don't know his motivations but he is easy to like which makes him the first character I have a chance for caring about in this show. After complaining about the lack of character development, this is a good response to my complaints that hints that this show may still grasp some memorable characters. The Bad: It's hard to care about the hosts since they aren't real characters. Teddy and Dolores' relationship falls completely flat because of this and their scenes are incredibly bland because I know that what they say isn't what they really feel since it is all programmed. It really takes away from my engagement and prevents me from becoming emotionally invested. Teddy's individual storyline was basic fun but even still it completely disappointed because I couldn't bother caring about Teddy. And it also is completely uninvolved with the main plot because I'm completely sure that Wyatt is just programmed and there isn't anything interesting about him that I want to discover. Not a whole lot happened here. In a show so fixated on plot over characters and story, it's flaws in emotional attachment become very apparent when there isn't a whole lot going on plot-wise. There were several stretches n this episode when I was starting to get a little bored and lose interest. The Unknown: What does the Man in Black want with Dolores? Why was she remembering him? Has he traumatized her in some way? Why did he want Dolores to shoot him? Does he want the hosts to obtain consciousness? Why was Walter talking to Arnold? Why is that programming still here? Is somebody keeping it there, like Ford perhaps? Why did Walter hold a grudge? Is Maeve not the only one to start experiencing memories? Is this something in all of the hosts? Did somebody put this in the hosts? How did Arnold die? How was it covered up as an accident? What did he do? What was his relationship with Ford? Was Ford involved in it at all? Does the accident have something to do with the incident? Is there any significance to Bernard still talking to Dolores like Arnold was? Why is Bernard talking to Dolores? What does he see in her? Is he following the same path as Arnold? Is Wyatt's cult group made of guests since Teddy couldn't kill them? Or is it just a stronger host that can't be killed by other hosts? What was with the stray? Why did it go astray? What is with the Orion carvings? Why did it wake up from sleep mode? And why did it kill itself? Kissy had hat thing under his scalp for the maze? Could the stray have been trying to access that in some way by bashing his head in? Best Moment: Ford talking about Arnold was interesting and fascinating. Character of the Episode: Bernard this time for developing and because I don't want to give this to Ford every episode. Conclusion: This was an entirely unspectacular episode. Less development, less memorable moments and less mystery. There were some flaws as usual but still some solid storyline progression. This was certainly enjoyable to watch but it was a step down from the last 2 episodes and I can tell this episode will be forgettable once I'm further into the show. Score: 58 Summary: Phoebe reunites with gay ice skater Duncan who she is married to. Duncan asks for a divorce as he wants to marry someone else and Phoebe is hurt but ultimately complies. The friends reveal big secrets about each other, with Chandler being revealed to have a third nipple and Joey having been in a porno movie. Ross asks Rachel for relationship advice and she tries to sabotage his relationship despite understanding how cruel it is.
The Good: This was a good episode. The best part was easily the secrets scene which was hilarious and so real. It was a brilliant use of all 6 major characters and provided one good laugh after the other. In fact the entire first part of this episode was brilliant and uniquely funny. There were great jokes consistently and the plot was created very logically and organically. It was half of an amazing episode, though unfortunately some of the later parts of the episode drag down the score (see: The Bad). Joey's porno was also a nice subplot and it made for a few good laughs. But it was Chandler's third nipple which provided the best jokes of the episode at a consistent rate. The Bad: Phoebe's storyline is pretty bland. It felt like a poor attempt to make us feel something, and feels like a rip-off of Phoebe's storyline with David from "The One with the Monkey". Unfortunately this storyline isn't anywhere near as powerful or as funny so it really drags down the episode. Rachel sabotaging Ross wasn't very good either. Well it was funny, but it felt so extremely and unrealistically cruel for Rachel to go to such lengths to stop Ross and Julie's relationship. The problem is that Rachel is put in a positive light but it's hard to support her as she purposefully holds back Ross' relationship. Rachel was toeing the line in previous episodes but here she took a step too far. The quality drop in the episode actually really hurt the flow because it was so noticeable. This is the first episode of Friends where I really felt like time was being wasted on things that weren't that interesting in the second half. Best Moment: The secrets revel scene was fantastic and one of the best scenes the show has provided so far. Great comedy. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: The first half of this episode made me believe we would get a fantastic episode, but unfortunately the second half of the episode wasn't very funny and actually dragged on at times, which is rare for a sitcom. In the end, the episode is simply good. Score: 65 Summary: Two visitors, Logan and William arrive in Westworld and explore the world. Logan is rash and an asshole whereas William is kind and hesitant to hurt the hosts. The Man in Black finds a host named Lawrence and uses him to attempt to find the entrance to the maze. Maeve acts up and is taken backstage but she wakes up ad sees the realty of her world before being put back to sleep. Lee presents his narrative to Ford, but Ford doesn't like it and rejects it, choosing to create his own narrative which he has been working on.
The Good: This was a solid episode, even if it did dump another mass of mystery on our heads. There were several genuinely enjoyable scenes here that I felt weren't dominated by confusion and mystery, which there was a LOT of (see: The Unknown). First of all, I love that we got to see the entire park in the eyes of a newcomer. We know nothing about Westworld and that made some of the first episode a little confusing since there was very little information offered. In this episode we learn a ton however by looking at everything through William's eyes as he arrives in the park with asshole friend Logan. We learn more about the hosts, the attraction of the park, what the guests are told and given before arriving and so much more. These scenes worked very well because they provided a lot of extremely satisfying answers mixed in with necessary exposition and world-building which will surely be very useful to help us understand what is happening in future episodes. The Maeve storyline was also very good for the most part. The scene with Elsie and Maeve was very good as it helped us understand more about the hosts and how they work, specifically tackling things like the dreaming of hosts. It's nice to get more concrete answers for little things like this as it helps add to the sense of immersion we get in this show, which is probably its strongest aspect so far. The world feels genuinely thought out, fleshed out and filled with depth. The show even tells us in the spectacular ending dialogue from Ford (see: Best Moment) about how people always come back for the finer details. More on that later though, and for now let's get back to Maeve. I enjoyed the scene where Maeve escaped into the real world. the host incidents are rapidly increasing and it continues to add to the sense of tension and dread that the show is producing. There will obviously be a host outbreak at some point, but it's not a matter of if, but when. The show is using this to its full potential to build tension and suspense, though there are some flaws with this focus on tension (see: The Bad). I really enjoyed the scenes with the Man in Black too, specifically the ones with Lawrence with his family. I thought the scenes were visually cool, but more importantly they helped build some sympathy for the hosts. With a lot of the cast being robots, it is very hard to get invested to their programmed personalities, so we absolutely needed some cruel actions like these to help us start sympathizing with the hosts. Logan's antics help with this as well. It makes it easier to relate with the hosts if we see them being misused by the humans, and I think the Man in Black scene did the best job of getting me to start to feel some sympathy. We are going to need more scenes like this to demonstrate why we may want to vouch for the hosts over the humans in charge and the guests. If executed properly, this could be a very good exploration of some morally gray territory. Of course I loved Ford once more. Anthony Hopkins has been superb in the role and he was easily the highlight once more. I never liked Lee and I still think he is shallow and annoying, so it did some good to see Ford bring him some comeuppance for being a general dick with his final speech. But as I said before, more on that speech in Best Moment. The Bad: The biggest problem with this show so far has been characters. It has done so many little things well which is very impressive, but it doesn't mean as much if it can't get the most basic aspect of storytelling right. Right now I'm intrigued by the plot, but I can't care less about the story. The characters themselves are dull to me and that takes away from a lot of the experience. We are introduced to William and Logan in this episode and I feel that we are meant to like them and grow attached to them but I just can't. Logan is an asshole so I don't care about him and William is just extremely generic. Without depth to their characters, I don't care about anything they do. The other characters are suffering as well. I don't care about a single person in charge of management, even the ones I'm supposed to like, including Bernard and Theresa. Their relationship was completely cold to me. Even Ford, who has been the best thing about the show so far, is too mysterious for me to actually care for him. He just interests me, nothing more. Now I'm not saying these characters are bad in design, but I haven't been given a reason to care for them which is a problem because it means I won't be able to get emotionally invested in the show and the individual character arcs. And of course, if I don't care, anything that happens won't be memorable or powerful. Unless this flaw is rectified, this show will likely not hit a score of 70 ever again, leaving it at good but not threatening great. The plot is messy but I think it has been very well done, because I only have one minor flaw with it. I don't like that there is discord between park management. A multimillion (maybe even billion) dollar company needs to take care of everything, yet it seems like nobody cares about hierarchy or even bothers to listen to each other. This is notable with Maeve, as Bernard wants her taken off, but Elsie completely disobeys orders and puts her back in the park. We don't see any consequences coming to Elsie for this decision either which makes it feel more perplexing and awkward than anything. The Unknown: Once more I'm left with so many questions. What is the maze? Where is the entrance? Why does the Man in Black want to find it? How did he learn about it? Why did the girl say the maze isn't for him? Why do all the park people just let him do what he wants? Was my theory of the Man in Black saving the park from the previous incident correct? Has he earned a right to visit the park as much as possible because of this or something along the lines of that? What were with Maeve's memories? Why did the Man in Black want her? What did he do with her? Why are her memories being triggered now? Will this happen to other hosts too? Why did Maeve wake up when she wasn't supposed to? What is going on with Dolores? Why and how does she have a gun? What was with the one scene with Bernard? What did he want from her? He implies that they have had previous talks as well. What were they about? What is the significance of Bernard and Theresa's relationship since it was treated as a really big deal? What was Ford doing on the hill? What was that steeple in the ground? Could it be the entrance to the maze? How does it relate to Ford's narrative? Is the maze Ford's narrative? Best Moment: Ford's speech at the end about what people truly want was so fascinating. It offers tons of possible insight as to what Ford's motives are, which are still murky. He clearly understands people and hosts very well though, which makes him very interesting as his knowledge could have a massive impact on or understanding of the story. I love that Ford completely shut down lee because of his ability to properly understand what humans want, whereas Lee is only doing what he wants. I also love that Ford's monologue completely explained to us in a very subtle way why we come back to this TV show. In a way the show is the park and we are the guests who keep coming back to learn more of the fascinating details about it, and that to me is a very good piece of writing that feels nearly fourth-wall-breaking but not quite. Character of the Episode: Ford. Conclusion: This was another strong episode. Though there is a major flaw with the lack of memorable characters, the show remains fascinating to watch and there were loads of great details given here to get us to start theorizing. Score: 66 Summary: After a brief scene with the friends, Mr. Heckles dies, leaving all of his possessions to Monica and Rachel. Chandler notices eerie similarities between himself and Mr. Heckles, and becomes paranoid of dying alone because he is too picky with women. Monica and Rachel argue over keeping one of Mr. Heckles' lamps. Phoebe and Ross argue about evolution.
The Good: This is one of Chandler's best episodes as a character. There was some great storytelling in him realizing the similarities between himself and Heckles and becoming super paranoid about it. It also managed to create some good laughs throughout the episode, especially at the end when Chandler still finds himself unable to change his habits. I like the storytelling and the comedy was enjoyable enough to make this storyline very good. The funniest storyline was definitely Ross and Phoebe's as both of them got involved in a hilarious squabble over evolution. The final scene where Phoebe completely defeats Ross with him just walking out was hilarious and I loved Phoebe laughing afterwards saying "that was fun". This is the perfect way to pull off a humorous background storyline. The Bad: Rachel and Monica's storyline was extremely bland and didn't really provide any laughs at all. The episode would have probably been better off without it. Best Moment: Chandler being unable to stop thinking about the girl's big head was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This episode had an excellent character storyline, but was lacking in the comedy department, aside from a great Ross/Phoebe storyline. In the end this episode is above the average for comedies, but isn't as awesome as Friends usually is. Score: 68 Summary: Westworld is an amusement park created by Robert Ford which consists of several lifelike robots, or hosts, that make it feel like a real life world. Guests are allowed to go in and can even kill the hosts, which are then fixed up by the staff at night. There is a mysterious man in the park who has been coming for 30 years with a secret agenda. An update was created by Ford but it's causing many of the hosts to malfunction and they are getting dangerous.
The Good: Westworld chose to open its season with massive amounts of mystery and intrigue which leaves our heads absolutely spinning trying to piece things together. It's such an ambitious choice and I think it's one that really works because it instantly makes this engaging television which leaves you desperate for more. The hook of this episode is the desire for answers, which I think it creates seamlessly in the first five minutes and it manages to explore it fantastically for the rest of the hour, even going as far as to top the mystery and intrigue that other great shows like Lost created. Of course this mystery-grounded introduction does leave room for some flaws (see: The Bad), but as long as those flaws can be corrected in future episodes while answers are slowly revealed, this can be another great TV show. The show had an absolutely enthralling first scene which set up the setting, characters and premise of the show in a wonderful way. The early plot twist that Teddy was actually a host was a good surprise which provides a great hook to keep the viewer watching for the rest of the hour, with a lot of speculation going on in their head (see: The Unknown). I also like the choice to show the same sort of scene over and over again to establish that the story will take place over many days, and more importantly to establish the repetitive nature of the lives of the hosts in order to help us sympathize a little more with them. It's a great choice from a cinematic perspective and it also pays dividends in the story which makes it a very smart inclusion. I like the issues with the update being shown over and over. It adds a large sense of tension, letting us know that these robots are very unstable and we can't be sure what they may do next. The escalation of the malfunctions is excellent as we climax when Dolores actually kills a fly, despite the creators of the hosts saying "they can't even harm a fly". It's a great scene that lets us understand the impending danger ahead which will surely keep us on the edge of our seats. Speaking of keeping us on the edge of our seats, I thought the shootout scene was really well done. By no means will we care about the people involved, and the show knew that so it kept us hooked in a different way: the show kept us interested to see what Lee's programmed speech was, which I thought was very smart. It didn't add tension to the scene, but rather it built anticipation in a splendidly organic way to ensure that we wouldn't get bored by the constant violence which was on display. The scope of this show is really impressive. It has aimed really big and I absolutely hope it can succeed with its huge storyline. Additionally, I think the shooting of the show is excellent at conveying the grand scope of the show as many glorious shots display the vast mystery of Westworld. The Bad: The nature of putting so much mystery in this show makes it really tough to review it. So much is put in The Unknown, and not enough in The Good. I enjoy the mystery, but it can't really be considered a good story. TV shows need a good story for us to really be emotionally invested as we can almost always relate in some way to a character's personal story arc. This show doesn't give us any story, and rather it hammers in a lot of plot. Sure it's intriguing to find out where the plot is headed since so much is unclear, but without a memorable story to keep us hooked in, it becomes a real chore to spend an entire season just watching a mystery slowly unfold. Of course this major flaw can e fixed if we can get real characters on the show who we can relate to and grow attached to. The human we have so far are totally generic and two-dimensional, whereas the hosts are robots and as such can't exactly be considered characters since they aren't even real. And as a side note, Lee's character is totally obnoxious and clichéd. I really don't need to see any more of him unless he receives some proper development so I can have a reason to care for him. The Unknown: So much to put in here. What is the time period exactly? How far into the future is the story taking place? We know that Westworld has been open at least 30 years due to mentions of an outbreak from 30 years ago. What was that outbreak? What caused it? What happened? How was it resolved? Who is the man in black from the intro scene? He says he has been going to the park for 30 years, meaning he was around for the outbreak. Was he a part of it? Did he cause the outbreak? Could he have saved the park from the outbreak? Is he plotting for another outbreak? What are his motives exactly? What did he do with Dolores? He said he had a history with her, so what is that history? Why did he specifically target Dolores and Kissy? What was that on Kissy's scalp? Is it a symbol? A map? What does it mean? And why does the man want it? How does he plan to use it? Ford is another mysterious character. I was tempted to put him in The Good, but we know too little about him. What are his motives? Why did he create the hosts? What does he want to do with them? How is he able to control them like that? Did he program them to be controlled by him somehow? Or is he a host too? We have seen the host twist in the intro scene, so I'm betting that one of the human characters is a host. My money is on Ford programming himself to be a host at this point. What did he mean by his "we are as good as we are going to get" speech. It hints at his motives, but doesn't come anywhere close to revealing them. What is the problem with the update? Is it the reveries which are causing things to go downhill? What is happening to the hosts exactly? Why are they getting so confused and receiving non-programmed lines? Why did the fly affect the sheriff? Why did the picture affect Peter? Why was Dolores able to kill the fly? What is significant about Dolores? She is the oldest host, so does that mean anything? Could she have been modelled after a significant person in Ford's life, seeing as she is the first host? What was with Walter going on a killing spree? Clearly the reverie of milk caused him to murder with the milk, but why didn't he die when he was shot? What caused him to keep going? Why did Elsie kiss Clementine? What was the point of that scene? It felt extremely awkward and out of place, so I was tempted to place it in The Bad, but I get the feeling there is some significance to it. Where were Walter and Peter sent away to? How many other hosts are there? Where is Westworld exactly? Is it in a desert? Space? Underwater? Seeing the leaking water in that one room makes me suspect it may be underwater with a fake sky, but I'm not completely sure about that. Best Moment: I really enjoyed Ford's speech. Anthony Hopkins is a brilliant actor and the scene had loads of interesting mystery. Character of the Episode: Ford. Conclusion: This was a very unique pilot episode. It completely lacked in character and story development, but the mystery is so gripping and exciting to follow that it makes this pilot one of the most engaging and genuinely thought-provoking I have seen. I think it should be considered a great pilot because of what it accomplishes. It's just up to the rest of the series to correct the errors that this episode did make. Score: 71 Summary: Howard pays off Chuck with his own money and forces him to leave HHM. Jimmy takes care of Kim who is finally starting to loosen up a bit. Jimmy has regrets about what he's done and goes to see Chuck to try and fix their relationship. Chuck isn't having any of it though and sends Jimmy away heartbroken. Jimmy plays the villain and turns the elderly community against him so Irene can have her social life back. Chuck relapses into his illness and destroys his house to remove all power sources. He knocks over a lantern after losing hope, setting his house on fire. Nacho tries to take things into his own hands to kill Hector. He is stopped though when Hector has a secret meeting with Gus. The pills kick in this time and Hector collapses and is taken away in an ambulance.
The Good: Every storyline in this finale was excellent. The follow-up on last episode with Kim's crash was great. I like that it impacted Jimmy as much as it did, letting him realize his sins and stray away from the path of Saul. It was a real look at what almost losing someone you love can do to somebody, and Bob Odenkirk was spectacular at showing a more shaken and scared side to Jimmy throughout the episode. I liked the changes to Kim as well. The crash allowed her to open her eyes and realize that work isn't everything. This whole season has just been Kim overworking herself and being dedicated to work, so it's a surprising development to have her finally take a break and relax, possibly enjoying it a little too much. This could be a huge change in Kim's character and I'm excited to see how it will come into play next season. I enjoyed the continuation of their stories as well. I really enjoyed seeing Jimmy go back to doing the "right thing" again after what happened, by ultimately destroying his own career in elder law in order to get the heat off of Irene. It was honourable and highlights exactly why it's easy to sympathize with Jimmy. He did a terrible thing in the last episode, but he never intends for any lasting consequences with these things. Clearly he was hoping that Irene could get back to her life after everything, but when that didn't happen he did anything to undo the damage he caused. It's somewhat tragic, but Jimmy was very clearly digging a hole for himself by doing so many bad deeds and I'm glad that he had to face some major consequences for his actions once more. The Erin cameo was also great and I enjoyed her brief conversations with Jimmy. I also love how the dialogue between them during Jimmy's little con felt completely staged because it obviously was. I do like that the season ended with Jimmy practically losing his entire career which opens up a lot of possibilities for what he does in the next season with Kim now that they are moving out. Chuck's storyline was even more powerful in this episode. Like the Jimmy storyline, I thought there was some superb follow-up in this episode with his conflict with Howard. I thought the storyline may take longer, but I think the fast resolution makes more sense because Howard should absolutely be done with Chuck after all he's done. It's easy to sympathize with both sides here, and it's completely understandable that Howard would do everything to get Chuck out of the way to protect the firm. There was some genuine emotion in Howard's speech when he lets out his disappointment in Chuck, which was also contrasted with the emotion from seeing Chuck's despair when he realizes that losing his job may be a reality. I thought the ensuing scene with Chuck leaving HHM was tremendous and Michael McKean was wonderful as always in showing Chuck's distaste in leaving HHM while being forced to put on a fake smile. Howard says Chuck won, but in reality he really didn't. Another nice touch I enjoyed was seeing Howard stop clapping and leave while Chuck is still not out the door, demonstrating the broken nature of their relationship. While on the topic of broken relationships, this episode makes it clear that Chuck's flaw which lead to his suicide is his inability to work with others. He is egotistical and selfish, which was highlighted with his dead relationship with Jimmy, and then used again here as his own ego completely destroys a very long friendship with Howard. As easy as it is to sympathize with Chuck for all this, the show has done an excellent job of demonstrating that everything that has happened to Chuck has happened for good reason. I think that one of the strongest points of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is that everything that happens to the characters are a result of their previous actions and decisions. It makes for very satisfying and deep storytelling, which is always the reason why my scores for these shows will be really high on average, because of the extremely satisfying nature of the story. Anyways back to Chuck now, I like how the deep storytelling I mentioned before applies to his relapse. On top of losing his own job, he completely breaks Jimmy in a powerful scene when Jimmy comes with hopes to rebuild their relationship (see: Best Moment). Chuck's sadness at losing his job and purpose in life, combined with the guilt of what he said to Jimmy as a result of his own selfishness are a deadly combination and completely destroy Chuck mentally. The montage of Chuck relapsing was absolutely spectacular as we get to see him slowly lose it and give in to his sensitivity to electricity. Seeing him destroy his house completely was surprisingly effective at making me sympathize with Chuck and it conveyed its message of Chuck getting overwhelmed by his mental illness really well. Mentally ill and depressed people would focus on anything to escape their troubles and in this case Chuck made it his mission to find the power source in his house, but eventually he broke and couldn't take it anymore. That final scene was brilliantly shot as we didn't know exactly what was happening until the end when it hits us that Chuck has fallen over the edge. The final image of Chuck's house starting to burst into flames was extremely chilling and dark, ending the season on a shocking and powerful note. The Nacho storyline reached a wonderful climax in this episode too. I really liked how Nacho's desperation was shown when he became afraid that the pills wouldn't work in time. The scene at Nacho's father's shop was great and very tense as Nacho had to practically beg his father to tae the money from an angry Hector. The scene really raised the stakes and highlighted how Nacho's father wouldn't last long because Hector has lost trust in him and will more than likely kill him for his own benefit. It was the perfect scene which would push Nacho into trying to kill Hector himself in a very tense scene where Nacho would attempt to kill Hector with a gun. I bought that Nacho would reach the point where he would try to kill Hector so rashly and it made for a very tense sequence since we know if Nacho kills Hector, there would be some major consequences for him. I do like how Hector was portrayed in this episode. While he is a complete and total ass, we can still somewhat sympathize with him as he completely rages at Bolsa after he is having his drug business taken from him by Gus. That scene was very good and Mark Margolis was phenomenal as always. I really like that he incorporated one of Hector's signature mouth twitches from Breaking Bad when he was angry. The stroke (I accidentally called his stroke a heart attack in past reviews. It was obviously a stroke which affected him and I think the pills caused a clot in his brain which led into a stroke, and it wasn't a heart attack which crippled Hector.) was a big moment and was very satisfying to watch. I like that Gus lost composure to save Hector. Hector was always his weakness, so I like that it was kept as his weakness in this scene as Gus is horrified at the thought that Hector dies without receiving his comeuppance. The Bad: I do wish that we got to see more of the effects on Jimmy after his conversation with Chuck. What Chuck said was absolutely terrible and I wish we got to see more of the real Jimmy dealing with that, instead of Jimmy acting all pleasant the very next scene while talking to the elderly. The Unknown: Is Chuck dead? We didn't see the body, but I assume he is dead. How will everyone react to Chuck's death? I expect Kim, Jimmy and Howard would all be blaming themselves. How would they deal with it? What will Howard's role in the story be now that Chuck and Kim aren't involved with HHM anymore? Gus seems to suspect Nacho. Will he try to do something to Nacho in return? Or will he perhaps ally with Nacho? What is in store for Kim and Jimmy? What are they going to do no without the office? How will Kim's new change in behaviour affect her career and relationship with Jimmy? Best Moment: Jimmy and Chuck's final scene was extremely powerful. Chuck's selfish and egotistical nature once again took over as he completely ruins Jimmy's morale and tells him the most hurtful thing a brother could possibly say to his sibling: "you never really mattered much to me". It was a brutal line and I really like that the camera lingered on Jimmy processing the words and slowly leaving the house in silence. It was really powerful television and just about sums up the relationship between these 2 brothers. Character of the Episode: Chuck. Conclusion: An excellent season finale. All the stories climaxed in the perfect way, allowing for a lot of story arcs to be resolved with a lot of interesting set-up for next season. This season as a whole was excellent. It's the best season of the show for sure as it had loads of powerful climactic moments, including the best episode of the show thus far in "Chicanery". The first half of the season was very well paced as every episode progressed the story in a meaningful way while also offering some truly excellent scenes to keep us on our toes. The back half of the season wasn't quite as good, but it featured Better Call Saul's signature storytelling and pace which allowed for some really worthwhile stories to be told, which all culminated in superb fashion in this episode. Score: 77 Summary: Ross is disgusted by the thought of drinking Carol's breast milk. Monica goes shopping with Julie which upsets Rachel. Rachel tries to be friendly to Julie, but it doesn't work out. Joey has a Wild West-style showdown with a fellow worker when spraying cologne on shoppers.
The Good: Phoebe was great in this episode. The usage of her character has gotten better as the series goes along and her jokes were expertly timed here, even if they weren't quite as funny as usual. I did enjoy Monica and Rachel's conflict which felt realistic and had some funny moments. I liked how one of their conversations was used to parody a conversation of somebody catching their significant other cheating on them. The Wild West showdown was also mildly amusing at times. The Bad: I thought this was very poor at times though. Friends tried very hard to parody in this episode and it just didn't work. This show is entertaining because it feels realistic and makes comedy out of real situations and funny interactions. The presence of a Wild West-esque storyline was just too unrealistic and didn't provide anywhere near enough laughs to make up for it. Joey's job also comes completely out of nowhere, which is pretty bad in terms of the show's consistency. I didn't like Ross' storyline either. The idea that breast milk is disgusting is honestly pretty stupid and I couldn't buy into it. The story wasn't funny either and a lot of the interactions left a lot to be desired. Even Susan and Ross interacting couldn't produce any good laughs. Overall, a lot of this episode was just forgettable. Best Moment: Monica and Rachel making up in the coffee house with Phoebe adding the odd joke was the funniest part of the episode for me. Character of the Episode: Phoebe. Conclusion: This was an unusually poor episode with nowhere near the usual amount of laughs we get from Friends. Parodying is not this show's strong suit and I hope that it doesn't become a consistent thing for the show. Score: 53 Summary: Jimmy visits Irene Landry and discovers that if Sandpiper settles he will make over $1 million. He tries to talk Irene into settling but when it doesn't work, he completely destroys her social life to get what he wants and Irene decides to settle. Mike visits Lydia to get on Gus' payroll. Gus and Hector meet and the cartel approves their joint operation to Hector's dismay. Hector hasn't died yet so Nacho is forced to tell his father that Hector will be going to visit soon. The insurance company threatens to raise the premiums of everyone in HHM and Chuck responds by seeing them in court. Howard has had enough and wants Chuck to leave HHM and retire. Chuck isn't pleased and threatens to sue HHM, while also threatening Howard. Kim gets in a car accident.
The Good: Like last episode, this episode was mostly set-up but the execution was superb. The episode moved at a good pace, had a purpose, and there was an overall tension throughout the episode which never went away. This was every bit as impressive as the set-up in the previous episode, and all the storylines were extremely exciting as they reached a boiling point. I can't wait for the payoff in the finale. But before I get into the finale, I'll have to talk about this episode. I'll start with the Mike storyline for this one. I think Mike's story has been the weakest in the back half of this season (see: The Bad), but nevertheless, I enjoyed his storyline because it managed to finalize the deal with Gus and because it allowed us to see Lydia and Madrigal once more. The Gus and Hector storyline remains interesting too. There hasn't been much time given to that storyline since "Sabrosito", but in a single excellent scene their rivalry got to continue in a big way. We got to find out why Gus was happy about the joint operation, because he suspected the cartel would be fond of it, and it ended up being a perfect way for Gus to smite Hector. I really enjoyed getting that pay-off by seeing Hector's anger. It also helps remind us that Nacho's swapped pills will be taking effect soon, but we have no idea when. I like that every scene Hector is in has an air of tension because we don't know when the Ibuprofen pills will actually hit him hard. I suspect we will be seeing the big moment in the finale, but I'm sure that Better Call Saul will find a way to make things less predictable and more tense. Also as a side note, I really enjoyed the cinematography in that scene. The lighting, camera angles and sound were great at conveying the mood of the scene to make it feel especially brilliant. I enjoyed Nacho's scene with his father. That story hasn't been developed much, but it is simple and it's easy to follow the emotions of both characters. It was a powerful scene which delivered some good set-up for when Hector inevitably comes to Nacho's father's business, likely in the next episode. Kim's short storyline was very well done too. We have seen her under a ton of stress in the last few episodes, and to see her drowning herself in work to try to avoid facing it is very good television. It's so subtle that I feel like there may be varying interpretations as to why Kim is working herself so hard. I took it as her dodging her guilt and stress by working extra hard, but I can understand if somebody else sees the storyline in a different light. Her story had a lot of tension too because there was just something off about the tone in her scenes. It felt like something would go wrong, and that car crash at the end felt like a culmination of all that tension. The jarring nature of that scene was also a great call-back to the scene where Kim took a brief nap back in "Expenses". The Chuck storyline was a highlight in this episode. His conflict with Howard came quicker than I expected, but it felt very organic since the consequences of Chuck's malpractice insurance going up were much greater than I thought they would be. It was a pleasant surprise to see such huge consequences from Jimmy's actions back in "Expenses" and I think it did a great job of developing the tensions between Howard and Chuck. The meeting between Chuck, Howard and the insurance people was excellent and it conveyed Howard's growing frustration in a great way. After all the bad decisions Chuck has made in the recent past which have hurt HHM, it is hard to blame Howard for wanting to get Chuck out of HHM. I was happy to hear Howard still trying to act friendly and pleasant even when suggesting Chuck retire, which fits the character of Howard that we have come to know after 3 seasons. The following scenes were great too as Chuck reacts in a very negative way, suing HHM. The "god dammit Chuck" from Howard was a funny line, but it felt real and transitioned nicely into the verbal spat between Howard and Chuck. Once more we get to see Chuck's despicable side coming out, but it's refreshing to see that it isn't Jimmy on the receiving end this time. It makes it easier to sympathize with Howard, who only wants to keep his father's firm alive afterwards. Lastly, we have Jimmy's storyline which was tremendous. In the last review I commented how Jimmy seems to be starting the transformation into Saul, but just one episode later he seems to have whole-heartedly committed and I honestly think it's a good thing. This process could have been dragged on, but it wouldn't make sense. Jimmy has already conned before, so there isn't much change for him to ponder. In his mind, he's getting results through conning again, so he's going to keep doing it to reap his reward. And when the reward is $1 million which will solve all of his and Kim's problems, why wouldn't he go back to his "morally flexible" side to get it? This show has done a great job of making us understand Jimmy's character to the point where we are able to understand why he does something as depraved as ruin an old woman's life for his own gain. But still the show is able to convey how despicable this is to the point where we no longer support Jimmy. Once again his motivation is to help Kim, but this time he goes too far. Chuck wasn't an innocent, but here Jimmy just prays on an innocent old woman who never did anything to harm him. And worse yet he does it without even an ounce of remorse for her. It was tough to watch and I genuinely felt bad for Irene by the episode's end, which was helped by a stellar performance from the actress who conveyed Irene's heartbreak in a painful way. The bingo scene where nobody clapped at all told a story in itself. I liked the little things in the Jimmy story too. The set-up of Jimmy's con and its execution was very satisfying and a lot of it was very fun to watch. Jimmy is so charming when talking to the elderly which is very fun, and on top of that it was great to see little things like the trunk full of shoeboxes. The Bad: Mike's storyline has been disappointing after it started off so well this season. He hasn't done much of note since "Sunk Costs" and his deal with Gus was very disappointing. It occurred too quickly and without enough build-up, making it lack the emotional impact it should have had. This hurts the Lydia scene in this episode because I really don't buy into why Gus is willing to go so far for Mike when they really haven't known each other for long or done much. The Unknown: How hurt is Kim by the accident? Will there be repercussions with Mesa Verde or Gatwood? How will Jimmy react to Kim's injuries? How will Chuck vs Howard go? Will they eventually make up or will this actually be taken to court? Best Moment: The bingo scene with Irene was excellent fun to watch and the following scene where Irene showed her confusion and pain at losing her friends was just as powerful. Jimmy really did his worst deed in this episode, and there isn't anything else even close to as bad as this. Character of the Episode: Irene. Conclusion: While not as explosive as the penultimate episodes of previous seasons, this was a very tense hour that set things up for a big finale. I really enjoyed this and it leaves me very excited to see a lot of these storylines come to a head in the next episode. Score: 70 Summary: Rachel is surprised to see Ross has a girlfriend now and starts to freak out. Ross introduces his girlfriend Julie to everyone who is surprised. Rachel struggles with the fact that she now loves Ross but chooses not to tell him when he says how happy he is with Julie. Chandler visits a tailor suggested by Joey and is furious when the tailor takes advantage of him. Monica convinces Phoebe to give her a haircut, but Phoebe models the hairstyle off of the wrong person.
The Good: This had so many hilarious moments throughout. Season 2 couldn't have gotten to a better start. Rachel was the highlight in this episode as Jennifer Aniston played her desperation and frustration in a perfect way as Rachel tries so hard to be happy and fun while she is so angry on the inside. All of her interactions with Ross and Julie were awesome and had me laughing very hard at a consistent rate. This was the perfect storyline to start out the new season. And it also featured a genuinely touching moment when Rachel decides to not tell Ross she likes him in fear of disturbing his happiness. The Chandler storyline didn't amount to much but it was very funny to make up for it. The idea that Joey might not know how pants are tailored due to not having seen it done any other way is great, and his follow-up of questioning doctors too was brilliant. I especially loved Chandler's rage and Ross' reactions after what happened with the tailor. Chandler as usual delivered some funny lines throughout, keeping everything light. His scene with Ross and Rachel at the coffee shop was brilliant and was an excellent showcase for how his character tends to behave while also providing great laughs. The Bad: The Phoebe storyline stretches believability for me and it isn't funny enough to make up for it. Wouldn't Monica notice her hair looking disgusting before taking off the cloak? And why would Phoebe think Monica wants her hair done like a guy's? It was a weak storyline, made worse by the fact that there was no point to the story and that the ending joke still wasn't funny. This drags down this episode from being as excellent as some of the best episodes from season 1. Best Moment: Chandler venting to Joey about his tailor was fantastic, and Ross also added some great humour to that scene. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: Phoebe plot aside, this was an excellent season premiere which delivered tons of laughs and signals that we can expect the same comedic quality as last season. Score: 77 Summary: Ross has to go to China on an emergency on Rachel's birthday. Chandler accidentally reveals Ross' love for Rachel to everyone. Rachel tries to see Ross before he goes to China but isn't quick enough. Rachel goes on a date with Carl before she accepts that she loves Ross. She goes to see Ross when he comes back but Ross has got a girlfriend in China. Joey donates sperm to the doctors and is unable to have sex. He has a girlfriend and is forced to have sex with a woman for her instead of for himself.
The Good: This was a very fun season finale. There were loads of funny moments and there was some great movement on the show's overarching plotline of Ross being in love with Rachel. I was pleased by the ending as it should add an excellent new dynamic to the show with Rachel now being the one desperately in love with Ross but unable to tell him. Ross was fantastic in the role, and Rachel's character seems to fit in really well with a role like that so it leaves me wanting to see the jokes made in season 2. As for the episode itself, it was very funny. Chandler's accidental reveal was spectacular and he played it off so hilariously, making it a standout scene. Phoebe was great in this episode too and she continuously kept delivering perfectly timed jokes at every opportunity. Phoebe excels as a background character and nearly always says some of the best jokes in the episode. Joey's storyline was great too as it highlighted his character in a hilarious way with how he is always selfish when having sex. And yet even when he learns how it is to give, he still wants to do it for himself as soon as he can again. It was a great storyline and a perfect B-plot for this season finale. The Bad: Nothing. Best Moment: Chandler accidentally giving away Ross' secret is one of the season's best moments for sure. Character of the Episode: Phoebe, but Chandler is a close second. Conclusion: This was an excellent season finale with loads of funny moments and a very memorable storyline. There was no better way to set up season 2 than this. On the season as a whole, I think it was fantastic. Absolutely the best season of comedy I have seen so far, though that isn't counting the other seasons in this show. Friends was so special because of how much it focused on the characters and putting them in relatable situations which we can all understand all laugh at. The jokes were smart and often times the episodic plot was actually worth watching and made us learn more about the characters which is essential. This season was a huge thumbs up. Score: 82 Summary: A flashback shows Jimmy and Marco return to Jimmy's father's store after it is closed down. In the present, Jimmy's clients try to back out of the deal to Jimmy's dismay. Jimmy reverts to Slippin' Jimmy to make a profit out of them. Later Jimmy pulls a con job on the Community Service Hours guy to make money off a drug dealer who wanted to leave. Kim signs on with a new client, Billy Gatwood. She runs into Howard who is very upset at Kim doing so much damage to HHM from the trial. Chuck is recovering from his illness but he is met by Howard who has to discuss insurance. Nacho prepares for the pill swap and executes it without being detected.
The Good: Jimmy's storyline was excellent. This episode feels like Jimmy taking his first steps to becoming Saul, and you can even say that he figuratively took on his first Saul Goodman client in this episode with the drug dealer. This was a long time coming, and it feels so satisfying to watch Jimmy ultimately taking his first steps towards Saul territory. And yet it also feels somewhat sad to see Jimmy relapsing to Slippin' Jimmy like this, which is a testament to how well this show has been written. It's mastered the ability to create a mixture of emotions for every storyline. Both of the cons were extremely enjoyable to watch and they effectively demonstrated how being Slippin' Jimmy is much more effective for Jimmy than whatever legitimate business he is working right now. Adding on to the Jimmy storyline, I really enjoyed the brief scene between Jimmy and Kim. It's being established that both are growing more and more distant despite working together and I'm sure that this will lead to a breakup at some point in the future. It is hard to predict when though. The actual conversation was interesting and it's nice to see Kim still trying to cut Jimmy a break, despite Jimmy now being able to easily pay off his half. Kim's storyline continues to intrigue me. She is still feeling the guilt for what she did, but now we learn that it's much more than just guilt for Chuck. She has practically betrayed HHM and that is definitely hurting her a lot on the inside. Her scenes with Howard were very good as Howard was excellent at showing his anger after all the reputation of HHM was practically destroyed. There was a very tense conflict there and I'm very excited to see how it plays out later. In the end this storyline was set-up, but I enjoyed it more because it never felt like set-up. We got to see a lot of conflict happening now, which distracted from the nature of the set-up, and making the storyline more engaging as a result. Furthermore, it was nice to get to see the full nature of the damages to HHM after Chuck's breakdown in court. It's interesting to see Howard having to work extra hard because of it, and it does make me believe we will be getting a split between Howard and Chuck at some time in the near future, perhaps early next season. Chuck's storyline was very good too. It's nice to see that he accepted his mental illness right away. While Chuck may be a prick, I'm glad that the writers have given him some redeemable qualities. Chuck seems very decent in this episode, even likeable as he accepts his condition and simply works to improve it without showing off his ego as much as he usually does. I like seeing this kinder side of Chuck and it does help us sympathize with him a little bit now that he seems to have actually left Jimmy behind. Of course things may change with the insurance storyline, but more on that later (see: The Unknown). Nacho's storyline was an absolute joy to watch in this episode. It was completely dedicated to Nacho just pulling off the pill swap stunt and it was compelling to watch. I loved seeing him prepare everything and the little things like seeing every step Nacho took when crushing the pills down and the addition of a small scene showing Nacho breaking the AC vents on the roof. The actual pill swap was fantastic too. It is undoubtedly the most tense scene in the whole show thus far and had me at the edge of my seat. I had a sense that Nacho would pull it off, but there was always a chance he wouldn't because he isn't in Breaking Bad. And additionally, we know Hector doesn't die and Nacho's pills were intended to kill Hector so there was always the chance of a little wiggle room which kept me tense. It was a great sequence to watch unfold. Mike's story was good too. It was nice to get some closure on the man who was shot by Hector and I think it fits Mike's character. It also helps show why Anita's speech may have made Mike go to Nacho since he didn't want the man's wife to suffer without closure like Anita did. The final deal with Gus was nice too and was a good note to end the episode, but I feel it wasn't as big of a deal as it should have been (see: The Bad). There were a few other small things I enjoyed. The flashback was great as it showed us more about Jimmy's past, adding even more depth to the storyline with his father. It was also great to see Marco again. And finally, I love that Francesca was trying to secretly read a magazine which she quickly put away when Kim leaves her office. The Bad: There was a very awkward cut away from Chuck in the grocery store. It looked like he was about to pass out, making it feel awkward to leave us thinking that before showing Chuck later on completely unaffected. It felt like some stupid drama that added nothing to the story. The Mike and Gus deal felt like it came out of nowhere. We understood why Mike went to met Nacho (to find the man who was shot), but we don't know why he suddenly went to Gus. I don't buy that Mike would trust Gus completely and I feel like they shouldn't trust each other so much yet. This deal feels like it should have been made a little later on. I suppose more time was wanted for Mike's choice to work as Gus' "head of security" but it still feels cheap to see this deal created so suddenly. The Unknown: How will the insurance affect Chuck? Could it put Chuck back on Jimmy's scent? This could add a lot of irony as Jimmy's actions may inadvertently have caused Chuck to become a thorn in his side once again. The flashback was very interesting. I'm not sure what it's purpose was since it didn't accomplish a whole lot except for fleshing out the relationship between Jimmy and his father. I'm curious to see if it has anything else to it that may be expanded on in future episodes. Could the box of coins come into play later on? Best Moment: The pill swap scene was a master-class of tense filmography. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Character of the Episode: Jimmy for reaching into his inner Saul. Conclusion: This was an excellent set-up episode which still managed to have more than enough of an identity to itself to overcome the crutches of set-up episodes. Like "Rebecca" from last season, this was a surprisingly great set-up episode which exceeded my expectations. Score: 70 Summary: Jimmy struggles to manage his new commercial business while also finishing his community hours. Jimmy works hard to get clients, but is unable to make a profit as his clients are few in number and only ever want a single commercial. He is forced to shoot a commercial spot for free when he runs out of options. Jimmy goes to his malpractice insurance place to try to cancel it but learns that he can't and his premiums will be going up. In spite, Jimmy ensures Chuck's rates go up too. Kim begins feeling guilty for what she and Jimmy did to Chuck. Nacho makes a deal with Daniel to get empty pills identical to Hector's. Mike meets with Nacho and gives him advice for what he is about to do.
The Good: The scenes of Jimmy doing community hours were very good. This episode did a great job of portraying the struggle Jimmy was forced to go through throughout the episode which led to his breaking point at the end of the episode. The community service hours were excellent as we saw him working hard to collect trash while also trying to make important phone calls to get his business going. And of course the fact that he only got 30 minutes of credit only added salt to the wound. And on top of that it gave us a great joke with the "I can make it zero" line which would be reused in hilarious fashion later in the episode. Jimmy also conveyed his struggle wonderfully while actually shooting the commercials. The scene where he is talked down to making a commercial spot for free shows him at a real low, which would then be beaten when Jimmy is forced to give his own pocket money just to pay his film crew. It was effective television to make us sympathize with Jimmy and understand why he did the needlessly cruel thing at the end of the episode. Back to the commercial shoots for a second, I also thought they were excellent in terms of comedic value. There were some great comedy sequences like the film crew rushing to get into the car, and the Duke City recliner commercial being shot twice with Jimmy being forced to pretend it was the best thing he ever saw. While this episode gave us Jimmy at a real low with some serious storytelling, it was also able to keep things lighthearted so the depressing storytelling wouldn't be a turn-off at all. Jimmy's story also tied nicely into Kim's. Whereas Jimmy is suffering because of what Chuck did to him, Kim appears to be suffering because of what Jimmy did to Chuck. It's a very nice irony and I like the way it was explored here. Kim is understandably guilt-ridden, since she can sympathize with Chuck more than Jimmy at the moment. To Kim, Chuck is just a sick man and all they did was just completely ruin the one thing he cares about the most: how people respect him in public. Her meeting with Paige was also very good as we got to see Kim in a rare moment of annoyance where she lightly took out some frustration out on Paige before quickly apologizing. Kim and Jimmy's stories got to meet in spectacular fashion at the bar, which was one of the best moments in the episode. Jimmy's anger at the world clashed with Kim's feelings of guilt from working with Jimmy at damaging people. The idea of making them discuss conning people hypothetically was perfect for this, as it easily allowed for both of their storylines to reach a brief, tense moment. In the other half of the episode, Daniel made a very funny return as Nacho went to him to get some empty pills. It was great to see him return for a cameo and there were a number of hilarious things in his story, including him going through all the security just to find Nacho waiting for him and the baseball game he played when he went to talk with Mike. I enjoyed his conversation with Mike, who continued to completely disregard anything Daniel tried to say and for good reason. The final scene with Mike and Nacho was great too. I'm glad that we got to hear exactly what Nacho's plan is for Hector as it answers some questions and prepares us for what I'm expecting will be a very tense storyline of Nacho trying to keep all of his moves below the radar as he attempts to end Hector. I'm very excited to see this in the final three episodes of the season to see how this storyline climaxes. There were a few small scenes I really liked as well. Kim's mini-nap was excellent and I think the filming of the scene did a fantastic job of capturing the jarring feeling of waking up after a nap. Also, I like how the first scene mirrored the episode "Amarillo", which effectively showed how much Jimmy's life has been damaged by Chuck since that episode. And of course the Kevin Costner reference was very funny and satisfying. The Bad: I'm a little hesitant to put this in The Bad, but I didn't enjoy Mike's storyline very much. I understand that they were going for a story of him trying to leave the business, but being unable to, but I just didn't find it particularly thoughtful or exciting. Mike's family life just isn't exciting, and while I liked Anita, she really didn't provide much to the story. Also, I was never clear as to why Mike actually decided to go help Daniel. Anita's story would probably have affected him in some way, but I can't figure out why. Maybe this would be better suited for The Unknown, but I feel like we need to understand more of what is going on in Mike's head than we do. This may not be a problem in the future, but I think it takes away from my enjoyment right now, and that's worth putting in The Bad. The Unknown: What does Mike want from Nacho? Could this have something to do with why he decided to accept Daniel's request? What consequences will arise from Jimmy's actions in the insurance office? Best Moment: I haven't mentioned the insurance scene much in this review. And that's because I was saving it for this section, because it was an excellent scene. This last scene was a real showcase for Bob Odenkirk, who had to convey a whole myriad of emotions throughout the scene as he tries to get things to work out for him. Jimmy's breakdown was superb and I believe it honestly started as something real in some form, but Jimmy took complete control of his breakdown and kept it going in order to smite Chuck for all the pain and suffering he put onto Jimmy. I love this scene because it once more explores that gray area in the relationship between Jimmy and Chuck. What Jimmy did here was completely wrong and cruel, yet can you blame him for doing it? It's a fascinating scene to think about, just like many previous scenes involving the relationship between these 2 brothers. Character of the Episode: Jimmy. Conclusion: This was a rock solid episode. There weren't any big moments, but this was a very necessary episode of story progression that builds things up for the end of the season. Better Call Saul continues to avoid having weak episodes even when it is transitioning between storylines. Score: 67 Summary: Jimmy is spared from disbarment but is suspended for a year from practicing law. Kim wants to lower their expenses by finding a new location but Jimmy doesn't want to do that. He tries to find a way to make money and decides to create commercials for other clients since he still has several airings left for his "Gimme Jimmy" commercial which won't be used. Jimmy creates a commercial for himself, using the name Saul Goodman. Chuck talks to Howard and he decides to move on and leave Jimmy behind. However he then goes into the city and calls Dr. Cruz. Nacho is now doing the work Tuco usually did for Hector involving Krazy 8 and Gus. Hector wants to use Nacho's father's business as a front.
The Good: This was a very solid episode overall to follow up the show's masterpiece which was "Chicanery". There were a ton of different stories in this episode which I will examine. I'll break my usual format and actually tackle the Nacho storyline first. First of all, it was good to see Nacho getting some focus after all this time. He has never felt like a real main character like everyone else due to limited appearances, but this episode allowed us to see more into his head and how he is as a person which is excellent. And on top of that, this episode gives him a problem to solve which will surely help us understand him better as a character. To get into more detail, I really enjoyed that opening scene. It gave us a good look as to how Nacho differs from somebody intense like Tuco. Just based off of Krazy 8's mannerisms, we can tell that Nacho is often much friendlier and isn't as effective as an intense drug dealer. Hector's supervision also demonstrates this and it was pleasing to see Michael Mando display Nacho's conflict through some great subtle facial changes. Having Nacho as a main character is pointless if we don't like him, but by showing us that Nacho is a decent human being it helps us understand him more. And on top of this, it allows us to understand why he ay consider betraying Hector since he wants to take his father's business. I'll discuss more on this in The Unknown, but the ending of the storyline in this episode was very good set up and leaves me wanting to see much more. Now onto the main storylines of the episode. I like that there was plenty of time given to follow up on the court proceedings in showing that there was more that happened after Chuck left the witness stand, which helps the court realize that Jimmy would be good for the community. I also liked the editing done in the scenes that spliced Kim's speech in the courtroom with Chuck suffering at home after what happened. The immediate follow up with Rebecca was nice too. I enjoyed seeing Jimmy and Kim celebrating briefly over their victory, but more than that I was extremely happy with Jimmy coldly dismissing Rebecca and not wanting to help Chuck. While it seems cruel, what Chuck did to him was much worse since he manipulated Jimmy's emotions. It felt very real to see Jimmy still holding it against Chuck and refusing to go help him, having learned from the last time he went to help Chuck. This was a perfect conclusion for the Jimmy/Chuck plot in this episode as both characters seemingly moved on to different things. Chuck's scenes after that were very good. I enjoyed seeing Howard show his friendly and loyal side for once, refusing to leave Chuck just like Jimmy did back in "Klick". While we have been trained by the show to dislike Chuck ever since "Pimento", but this does show us that Howard isn't as bad as Chuck and is simply just a friend trying to help Chuck out through this whole case with Jimmy. It seems like Chuck is actually trying to develop an affinity to electricity now which is nice to see. I'm interested to see if he can actually recover now. Lastly, the walk through the city was a magnificent sequence. This show has been brilliant at bringing Chuck's illness to life and this scene was another example of that. Jimmy's storyline for the rest of the episode was great too. I like that he is trying to keep everything he and Kim worked so hard to attain from the end of season 2 until now, refusing to lose the office and Francesca. It fits what we have seen from Jimmy in the past that he doesn't want to give up things he has worked hard to earn which may affect Kim, just like he did with the Davis and Main job. I enjoyed his immediate follow up to this too. The several calls to the older clients were hilarious and it was nice to see Jimmy's patience getting tested after having to speak with so many different elderly people about the same thing. I also do like how it reminded him about the commercials which would then become a major plot line for the episode. I feel like everything was done organically, with every action from Jimmy leading to the next problem he has to take care of. The actual commercial shooting was fantastic too. I loved seeing Jimmy offer to shoot commercials for clients, but ultimately estrange them in his desperation. It was good comedy and led to Jimmy facing a very credible conflict which he then managed to somewhat subvert when he made his own commercial. The actual shooting of his own commercial was awesome and there was loads of humour as he prepared to do it. It was great to see the film students once more as they consistently produce some of the show's best comedy. The commercial itself was amazing too. It was hilariously choppy and I love how Jimmy dressed up with various articles of clothing which belonged to the film students. It was a really well put together commercial that injected Jimmy's character into it perfectly. And on top of that it brought in Saul Goodman into the story in a very good way, making for a very satisfying moment at the end when he reveals his name. There were a couple other small things I enjoyed. Jimmy's goldfish was some nice continuity as we see that Jimmy bought a tank and is properly feeding her. And of course, I loved seeing the Lydia cameo and it was nice to see the location of the superlab from Breaking Bad being introduced. The Bad: Mike's story feels a little aimless at the moment. I understand that the show wants Mike to settle down after enacting his vengeance, which will likely lead to him eventually going to Gus. The problem is that we know this is going to happen, so there is little drama to be had. Jimmy's story has a similar problem, but it always overcomes it because there is much more depth to Jimmy as a character and it's compelling to watch other characters like Chuck and Kim in that storyline. Stacey and Kaylee aren't interesting enough to carry Mike's story here and it just feels really bland at the moment. We love Mike for being a smart badass who can pull off some crazy stunts. Without playing to Mike's strengths, his storyline gets boring quickly. Gus and Hector's operation confuses me and that's a problem. The scene between Nacho, Arturo, Victor and Tyrus (!) was hurt by this. We don't know what Gus and Hector's deal is about transport so I didn't know what the significance of Nacho grabbing another package was. It also didn't help that I didn't know for sure that Hector had ordered Nacho to do that, which took away from the drama as well. The Unknown: Why did Chuck call Dr. Cruz? Is it to help him get past his illness? Or does he still have Jimmy in mind and is planning something? Will Nacho give in to Hector and let him use his dad's business? Or will he step up and face against Hector? It's safe to assume that Nacho does get in legal trouble at some point which will bring him back to Jimmy, but we don't know why yet. This adds some drama to his storyline since we don't know what his fate is and when it happens. Could this conflict lead to that? Hector also had a very key moment where he had a stress attack of some kind and took pills to calm him down. Could this problem he has potentially lead to his stroke which puts him in the wheelchair? And also, will Nacho cause this to happen? He has hidden a pill under his show so could he potentially be thinking of using it to end Hector? Best Moment: I'll go with Jimmy and Rebecca's scene from early in the episode. It was the most powerful moment in the episode. Character of the Episode: Nacho. Conclusion: This was a solid episode that set up a lot of storylines for the second half of this season. There were a few flaws, but the good stuff was good enough to make the episode enjoyable. Score: 66 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
February 2024
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