Summary: Victor and Tyrus stage that Arturo and Nacho were attacked by somebody unknown. Nacho is shot multiple times to follow this story. The cousins pick him up and take him to Caldera to save his life. Gus is called by Bolsa who says that they don't want product crossing the border anymore and that Gus should get a supplier. Gus talks to Gale to get him to make product from his end. Mike refuses Jimmy's deal to steal the Hummel, so Jimmy gets Ira to do it for him. Ira almost gets caught so Jimmy has to go bail him out. Kim gives Jimmy Chuck's letter but Jimmy has no real reaction to it, which shocks and hurts Kim.
The Good: This episode was divided into two contrasting halves, the cartel stuff and the main Jimmy/Kim storyline. The contrast was surprisingly effective as somehow the stories had similarly bad things happening to its characters despite the differing stakes. It was handled well, spliced together appropriately and didn't take away from the experience at all for me. Nacho's story was very well executed but it was extremely risky and ambitious. The entire storyline banked on how much we cared about Nacho and if we didn't care, this would have been dull and unsatisfying. Thankfully, the show has done a terrific job of making us like Nacho, so this worked very well. It was emotionally powerful to see Nacho in such a helpless place with nobody to truly help him. The idea that the cousins are the only ones who are on his side at the moment is very good at establishing how lost Nacho is right now, and it also shows how difficult it is for him to escape the cartel life now. It's sad and effective storytelling. The opening scene in particular was extremely well done. Everything was so mysterious and confusing and I had no idea what was going on for a long time, but then the pieces finally came together and Nacho was shot, making the moment feel more significant. "Better Call Saul" is the only show on TV right now where I can always count on watching an impressive cinematic feat in every episode, and that helps it feel special. I also loved seeing Gus manipulate even more. It's great to see all of the set-up that went into the creation of his meth empire in "Breaking Bad", and it also allowed for a tremendously fun cameo from Gale, who was hilariously and impressively singing the elements song. The Jimmy storyline was also tremendously strong. Jimmy is closer than ever to being Saul Goodman and he continued to show that here. He is so determined to get the money for the Hummel that it is off-putting. There are a lot of people who got in his way to try to get him to stop, but he just callously goes through them to get to his goal anyways, no longer giving a damn about what he had to do. He doesn't even care for Mike's reasoning that somebody needs to deserve what their getting, as Jimmy simply wants to get money without any thought about the person he is robbing. It's a disturbing morality and it's sad to see Jimmy like this, but of course it had to be like this since the beginning of the show. This season so far is feeling more tragic than any of the others before, and it seems like a reality check for us watching, to remind us that this does not have a happy ending. The struggles of Nacho mentioned earlier, as well as Kim's in this episode continue to highlight that feeling. Additionally on Kim, she is very clearly being set up for a fall and it is heartbreaking to watch. She is trying so hard to work for Mesa Verde and be successful while also trying to take care of Jimmy, who she loves. But both of them are completely destroying her in this episode. Mesa Verde essentially just piled an absolute ton of work on her lap while she is still fresh off of the car accident. She isn't even being thorough anymore, letting her assistant Viola do work which she isn't even bothering to check herself anymore. And then we add on Jimmy being extremely cold and detached and it's really easy to see the pressure mounting on Kim. The final scene is a breaking point for her as all of her emotions come pouring out all of a sudden (see: Best Moment). I enjoyed the break-in sequence as well as it was very tense. I also loved the cameo of Ira, who was the owner of Vamonos Pest in "Breaking Bad". I was ready to call the cartel story as somewhat bad because Gus didn't seem to plan it out too well as Nacho could have easily died. But then I realized that Gus didn't care for Nacho's life. If Nacho died, then it wouldn't matter to him since it would be another threat taken out, but if he survived, he could be of further help. Gus clearly didn't value Nacho's life at all considering what Nacho did to Hector. The Bad: Nothing really. The episode is very depressing which could be grating on the viewers. The Unknown: What are Kim's feelings on the Mesa Verde expansion? Does she not want to work with them anymore? It appears to be overwhelming for her. Was Chuck's letter authentic? Could it have been made by Kim to lessen the impact on Jimmy? That could be one of the reasons that she cried. Speaking of which, why did she end up crying? The most fascinating part of this show is how a single character action makes sense but it could have 4 or 5 different reasons for why it happened. Best Moment: Kim gives Jimmy Chuck's letter and Jimmy just reads it out casually and isn't effected by it at all. All the while Kim notices how broken Jimmy is and she tears up seeing him like this. It's powerful and heartbreaking television with so many layers. An extremely impressive scene. Character of the Episode: Kim. Conclusion: This was another great episode with layers and powerful emotions. The show has gotten darker and more depressing, and it is hitting the emotions harder than before. Score: 69
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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