Summary: Jimmy starts his business selling burner phones to criminals. Kim starts doing public defender work and starts slacking on Mesa Verde. An error goes through and Kim isn't available, which angers Paige. Jimmy works overnight and sells a ton of burner phones, but he is mugged by three teenagers. Jimmy is upset and tells Kim what happened. Jimmy runs into Howard at the court and Howard is in rough shape. Mike calls in people to build Gus' superlab until he finds a proper choice.
The Good: This episode didn't have very many important or climactic scenes, yet it was fantastic. It reminded me of "Rebecca" from season 2, where the episode was carried by perfect character development, editing and storytelling, making it a tremendously strong episode. Jimmy was terrific here and his story was one of the best we have seen him in. I loved his scenes in the store as he set himself up for business and worked hard to ensure that he would be successful. The little traps he set for his first client to ensure that he buys the phone were well thought-out and in character. I was pleased by all of the little schemes that Jimmy invented and they made the scene so much more satisfying to watch. Furthermore, I loved the touch of Jimmy returning to his magic hands gesture which he used back in season to try to get the truck to stop at his store. It was a great little bit of character continuity. The real meat of Jimmy's story came from the splendid montage of him selling burner phones at night. The scene was so well done and the set-up for it was brilliant. I really liked seeing Jimmy committing fully to his illegal side, and having a hell of a time living the life he really enjoys. The scene was wonderful, well-shot and even included a few familiar "Breaking Bad" locations (the laundry place and the Dog House). I also loved how it escalated in tension, especially with the arrival of the biker gang for Jimmy. You felt that it couldn't possibly end well for him, but Jimmy is so good at his job that it goes off without a hitch. It's not until his guard is down that he takes the fall at the hands of two nonthreatening teenagers, which is another bit of strong storytelling. Jimmy is so used to being respected as Slippin' Jimmy, so he genuinely doesn't expect fellow criminals/hustlers to turn on him and it's that assumption which costs him dearly. I love the scenes with Kim too. Before his night out, Jimmy initially wanted to spend the night with Kim, but as she was busy he decided to step out. This proves how Jimmy is still in a major conflict with himself, as it seems he is unable to simply relax in his own mind, constantly trying to keep busy to avoid all of his problems, which ties into his overall story arc this season, which I'll get into a bit later. But back to his scenes with Kim, I think the scene after his night out was really powerful. Both characters show genuine concern for each other and it's a great wake-up call for Jimmy who realizes how unhealthy everything he is doing is. It makes him consider actually visiting a shrink and dialing back on his Saul Goodman persona. But this change in mind is short-lived as a brilliant encounter with Howard changes all of that. Howard is not doing well at all, and the show has done a terrific job of showing how his health has deteriorated as he mourns Chuck and deals with guilt. Seeing the pitiful state Howard is in allows Jimmy to commit to his scheming side, giving him no interest in exploring his feelings and feeling as awful as Howard is right now. His final monologue to the guy at the end is great to show Jimmy setting his mind towards proving himself to the world by forging ahead, the same way he set his mind to please Chuck all those years ago. It's a great story and will hopefully lead to even better things in this season's second half. Kim's storyline was really good as well. She enjoys her PD work and is clearly having a blast practicing criminal law again. But her dreams are cut short as an error in Viola's work forces her to face Mesa Verde again and try to commit herself to the bank once more. But it remains to be seen how long she can keep herself working, but I don't see her involvement with Mesa Verde to remain much longer. Mike's storyline was pretty good too. While there wasn't much of an emotional element to the story, it was put together beautifully and fun to watch. The long montage of the French man being escorted to the laundry was good and set up how difficult it would be to get a man to create a superlab. Yet he is rejected due to his cockiness and need to just net a profit. Instead it's the less professional German who is hired due to how thorough he is and how he treats the task as important. It has a good juxtaposition to see the more thorough worker being hired, while Jimmy, the shortcutter, profits in his storyline. The Bad: Nothing really. The Unknown: What was in the box that Saul grabbed in the cold open? Also where did he tell Francesa to go? Best Moment: The best scene in this episode was the cold open. As good as the rest of the episode was, it didn't really have a standout moment overall, but this cold open was just a ton of fun to see. It was an unexpected surprise to see Saul Goodman in a flash-forward and I was ecstatic to see his office again. The scene wasn't only fan-service however as it ended up being a powerful reminder that Jimmy's path will lead him to being completely emotionally detached from everything, which ties in thematically to what this episode explores about Jimmy's character. Furthermore, I loved seeing Saul reminisce a little, telling Francesca to tell whomever she is going to that Jimmy says hello. It was a sad moment with a lot of power hidden underneath it. Of course the humour scenes were fantastic too and I loved his interactions with Francesca, as they felt straight out of "Breaking Bad". Speaking of "Breaking Bad", I love that the scene was shot on film, the same way that "Breaking Bad" was. It's a great touch. Character of the Episode: Jimmy. Conclusion: This episode was a fantastic character piece for Jimmy with strong side storylines to aid it even more. The show continues to be slow, but the character work remains unmatched, making it easily one of the best television shows to be watching at the moment. Score: 74
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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