Summary: Jimmy and Kim return to business and usual but find it hard to keep living their lives. Gus meets with Eladio after Hector accuses him of killing Lalo. The evidence proves Gus to be innocent but Eladio is wary of the hate in Gus' eyes. Gus meets with a sommelier who he is clearly attracted to, but chooses to leave when given the chance to pursue his revenge. Gus gets Mike to resume construction on the lab. Mike meets with Manuel and tells him about Nacho's death. Jimmy and Kim attend Howard's memorial where they lie to his wife Cheryl to continue to sell the lie that he was on drugs. Afterwards, Kim resigns from being an attorney. Jimmy returns to their apartment and tries to convince her to go back on it but Kim has decided she can't be a lawyer and can't be with Jimmy. After a lengthy debate, they ultimately break up. The story moves forward several years where Saul wakes up and heads to his office.
The Good: "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad" are shows that thrive on showing fallout from major events. This is one of the things that sets these shows apart from everything else. The reason we care so much about the big plot events in this show is because we know that these plot events will affect the characters and their development. As such, it can be just as riveting to watch how the characters react to a major plot development, compared to watching the event itself. That's why this episode, despite being slow and character-driven, was every bit as gripping and engaging for me as the two action-packed episodes that preceded it. This was all about how the characters reacted and changed following the entire Lalo situation, and it was fantastic because of it. Jimmy and Kim interested me the most going into this episode, and their story is the best in my opinion. The opening montage does a spectacular job of setting the stage for this episode and for their story. Sure, we see Mike as well, but the bulk of this opening montage is about Jimmy and Kim, who will never be the same following their run-in with Lalo. It was a bold choice to show Jimmy and Kim simply living out a normal day in their life, almost like nothing happened. But it's clear that despite their normal exteriors, there is a lot that is wrong inside of them right now. The music choice is phenomenal and give these scenes a haunting and melancholy feeling, despite being pretty normal overall. Cutting to Mike a few times also adds to this sense that something is wrong. There are some terrific cuts involving blood that were particularly unsettling, linking the daily lives of Jimmy and Kim to something far more sinister. That permanent link is what makes things so uncomfortable for Jimmy and Kim. By the end of the montage, both have moved to a nearby hotel where Jimmy reiterates Mike's words verbatim to Kim, telling her that one day they can move on and forget. Jimmy clearly believes it, and that's sensible for someone who finds it so easy to compartmentalize his emotions. But for Kim, this is something else. Kim is like Mike in this way: she will never be able to forget what happened and she knows that. So while Jimmy's words are an attempt to comfort Kim, she gets no solace from his words at all. Kim's personal crisis continues when Jimmy and Kim find themselves at a memorial for Howard. The scene here is absolutely brutal, with pictures of a happy Howard plastered everywhere, and a sad air as everyone who knows him now has to mention his drug addiction, an addiction that never existed. Rich's scene alone is tough to get through, but it's the scene with Cheryl that really drives home how awful this whole situation is. As Jimmy taps into his real emotion of jealousy for Howard to defend himself from Cheryl, it's Kim who viciously goes all the way to ensure that there will be no suspicion from Cheryl. Kim not only comes up with a lie on the spot, but she executes it perfectly to make it seem earnest, and follows up by gaslighting Howard's widow for the purpose of protecting her own story. Kim prioritizes her and Jimmy getting away with it, and the cost is doing one of the most immoral things we have ever seen her do. I was devastated for Cheryl in this moment, and horrified that Kim chose to encourage Cheryl's own self-hate for self-preservation. Kim has well and truly gone too far, and there's no denying that now. Kim herself can't deny it either, and the end of the episode is a magnificently executed, heartbreaking cathartic moment as we see the culmination of Jimmy and Kim's relationship after five seasons of them being together. Jimmy is trying to move on, but Kim can't escape the self-hatred and the inner turmoil she is feeling after what she has done. She can't look at herself and she can't live with herself, so the only way forwards for her is to be rid of it all. She has to quit being an attorney, she has to leave her apartment, and worst of all, she has to leave Jimmy. The slow reveal of all of this was incredible, and each step hit harder than the last. We have followed this character and wished for her success for so long, and this is the point when it all finally comes crumbling down. Perhaps the worst part, and also the most genius, is that it wasn't some outside force that took everything away from Kim. It was Kim herself, distraught and unable to live with what she had done. Somehow, this is even worse than our worst nightmares about Kim's fate. The final argument with Jimmy is spectacularly written and acted with so many little details done perfectly, like Kim tragically having to downplay the "I love you" moment, and also a subtle nod to how Jimmy and Kim drifted apart when they weren't scamming together, and Kim's fear that this would happen again if she didn't con with Jimmy anymore. I was pleased with how the show handled Kim telling Jimmy that she knew that Lalo was alive, and how it framed Kim's self-hatred with Kim's own disgust in herself for not telling him. Jimmy has always been one to lie to himself and others, but Kim has proven that she is unable to, and that is true again here. When giving her reasons to Jimmy about hiding Lalo's survival, she is able to go past the excuses she told herself, and face her true motives. Rhea Seehorn's delivery of "because I was having too much fun" is devastating, and encapsulates the dilemma in Kim's head perfectly. It's the perfect note to end this scene on, and it leaves devastation in its wake. I've focused a lot on Kim, but Jimmy is just as broken by the end of this episode. Jimmy is messed up by what happened to Howard, but as I mentioned before, he is able to compartmentalize and move on easily. Unlike Kim, Jimmy has this ability to seamlessly become someone else in his business life so that he can forget about all of his pain. But what Jimmy isn't able to escape from is the tragedy of losing Kim. The past few seasons have been explicit in showing how much these characters love each other, and while Kim is able to make the choice to leave Jimmy, we know for sure that Jimmy would never be able to make the same decision. So it wrecks him when Kim leaves, and we see the carnage in such an unexpectedly genius way: with a flashforward to the future. Jimmy has embraced Saul, and it becomes clear that he is no longer Jimmy McGill anymore. Saul is present in every moment, whether it's at work or not. In that final sequence, there isn't a single sniff of Jimmy left, and Saul dominates everything. In fact, I don't even think that it's correct to call him Jimmy anymore, so I will be calling him Saul when discussing this ending sequence. At the start of this show, all of us were excited and waiting to see Jimmy become Saul, excited at the possibilities. But this episode takes Jimmy turning into Saul and turns it into something devastating. The sudden cut from Jimmy and Kim's break-up to Saul Goodman emphasizes that this is how Jimmy coped with Kim leaving. He became somebody else in every single facet of his life to the point that he is now permanently playing a character. This final sequence is filled with Saul's energy, and yet it feels lifeless, like we're looking at a husk going through a daily routine. Saul has never felt so empty because we know that Jimmy McGill that is supposed to be there, and yet he isn't even remotely present. It's unbelievably depressing, and it sells the idea that Jimmy turning into Saul was always a tragedy. It's another example of tremendous storytelling ability in this episode. The cartel half of proceedings aren't quite as interesting, but they manage to tell a powerful story that centers on the theme of how lusting for revenge has stolen away the lives and inner peace of Gus and Mike, damning them to their fates in "Breaking Bad". Both characters have a sense of finality in this episode, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last that we see of them in the show. Mike's story sees him meeting with Nacho's father Manuel and the emotional journey here is superb. We start in a familiar image as Mike is once again unable to sit peacefully at home, calling back to episodes like "Inflatable", and "Smoke" where he is unable to find peace in a home life. The knowledge of Nacho's death eats away at him because he can empathize all too well with Manuel, another father who lost his son. Calling back to the situation with the good samaritan back in seasons 2 and 3, we also remember that Mike likes to give closure to families when their loved ones are killed, instead of leaving it up in the air. So Nacho meets with Manuel, tells him what happened to Nacho and assures him that justice will be done to the people that took his son away from him. Manuel is emotional upon hearing about Nacho's fate, but what is unexpected is how viciously Manuel turns on Mike, throwing his justice back in his face. I was surprised yet impressed by this because it's perfectly in character for Manuel to condemn all of the "gangsters", stating that revenge is not the same as justice. And it's a harsh lesson for Mike because Mike has to face the hard truth from Manuel that he is the same as everyone else. Mike may have tried to empathize Manuel, but he's hit with the cold reality that they are completely different. The cinematography emphasizes this spectacularly, framing Mike inside a cage while Manuel roams free. Manuel mourns Nacho without a care for vengeance, and because of that he is free. But Mike? Revenge is all that Mike knows. It's revenge for his son that put Mike on this path that led to him becoming a button man for Gus, and Mike has been condemned to die in the business of revenge because of the choices he has made. It's a very sobering reality for Mike to accept that he is no longer free because of the choices he has made. This is further accentuated by Mike's brief interaction with Gus in this episode. In "Breaking Bad", I had assumed that these two were on good terms and mutually respected each other, but "Better Call Saul" makes it explicitly clear that this is not the case. Mike is not fond of Gus at all, in fact it seems that there is some hatred in his eyes. Mike absolutely has many reasons to hate Gus (keeping him in the business, Werner, Nacho, etc.), but he's a slave of his past choices and has to continue living this life until the day he dies. This is the tragic reality of Mike that this episode paints so beautifully. Gus also gets a good story in this episode. We start by closing out the cartel story by exploring the fallout of Lalo's death and how Gus covers it up to Don Eladio. Eladio continues to be such a joyful character to watch. He's so aloof and fun that it's easy to forget that he has to be quite the cunning and imposing man to be a cartel leader. I really like that Eladio has clocked that Gus hates him, but that "a little bit's okay" as long as Gus doesn't actively go against Eladio. Eladio is likely smart enough to know that Gus killed Lalo, but so long as Gus isn't sabotaging Eladio directly, he doesn't mind. I really like how the show handles Eladio, making him a fun character with more than what he shows on the surface. I also got a real good laugh out of Eladio mocking Hector with the bell, a rare moment of levity in an otherwise relentless episode. Gus was very lucky to get out of this situation though. It's easy to forget, but Gus has two gunshot wounds going into this meeting, and it's great to see him wincing throughout the episode so that we remember that he has to keep these wounds a secret or he will be completely cooked. Somehow, Gus survives, and we get a rare moment where he gets to celebrate and live in peace for a moment. He gets some joy from the simple act of opening his windows again, and in his ecstasy, he goes to a bar where we learned a surprising and interesting tidbit about Gus: there is somebody, a sommelier, that he is attracted to. I was completely taken aback to see somebody like the methodical, eternally calculating Gustavo Fring sitting these enraptured by this sommelier's conversation, looking completely vulnerable and at peace. Giancarlo Esposito plays it brilliantly, giving a new dimension to this character. For a moment, you can't help but hope that Gus has found some peace in this newfound love. But it's not meant to be. We know that Gus rarely visits this place, and his interactions are limited to 3 or 4 minutes to celebrate surviving Lalo and then we see him put on that veil again. Gus leaves the establishment because, just like Mike, he's committed to revenge and he is not allowing himself a way out of it. Gus refuses his own personal happiness to get this petty revenge, and the sad reality is that Gus is going to follow revenge to his death without ever having the chance to share that wine with the sommelier. Just like with Mike, it's a sad reality check which likely concludes the story of Gus in "Better Call Saul". The Bad: Nothing bad. I suppose some might be turned off by the slow pacing of this character-centric episode. The Unknown: Is this the last time we see Gus and Mike? Their scenes had a sense of finality to them, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is how we conclude their arcs. But I do wonder if they have some sort of role to play in whatever happens in these final 4 episodes. On that note, what exactly is going to happen now? How is this show going to tell a compelling story during the "Breaking Bad" timeline? Are we at that point in time now? This episode doesn't offer us many clues on what time period this is. The license plate sticker suggests it is 2005, but that could also be long expired as a way to symbolize that Jimmy has expired and it's just Saul now. Further, the mention of a public masturbator echoes Saul's introduction in "Breaking Bad" where he mistakes Badger for a public masturbator. Could this ending scene be on the same day that Saul first meets Walt? Is Kim gone for good? I imagine that she must come back at some point. Where did she go after breaking up with Jimmy? What is she doing now? Did she ever get over her guilt? Best Moment: And again we are spoiled for choice, but it's hard to argue against Jimmy and Kim's break-up scene. Such a devastating moment that pays off of seasons worth of storytelling. Character of the Episode: Kim. Conclusion: Another magnificent episode as "Better Call Saul" continues to nail its final season. This episode was quieter and less action-packed than the last two, but the emotion, storytelling depth, and consistent feeling of despair made it every bit as good as those episodes, if not better at certain points. This is certainly one of the show's best ever episodes, and the fourth such episode of what is turning out to be a monumental sixth season. Score: 86
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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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