Summary: Gene forces a situation that allows him to bond with Jeff's mother Marion. When Jeff arrives, Gene offers to get him into the game and Jeff agrees. Gene spends the next while bonding with the security guards Nick and Frank at the mall, timing how long it takes Frank to eat a cinnamon roll. Gene plans to use this window for Jeff to rob the department stores in the mall, unnoticed on the cameras. Gene executes the plan with Jeff's friend bringing a fake delivery into the mall - Jeff in a wooden box. Gene fakes being a supervisor and convinces the lady working there to leave the box overnight. At night, Gene distracts Frank while Jeff robs the stores. The plan goes well until Jeff slips and falls unconscious. Gene fakes an emotional breakdown to give Jeff enough time to get back up and get out of there. The next morning, Jeff leaves successfully. He celebrates with Gene, but Gene ensures that they are done, threatening that if Jeff turns him in, he's going to get Jeff behind bars too. Jeff agrees and Gene returns to his normal life.
The Good: This was a sudden change in pace and I think that it works pretty well. Coming off of what was probably the most intense 3-episode stretch of the show, we needed to rebuild a little bit to set up the endgame of the show. This episode does a great job of slowing things down and transitioning the show to a new phase while also telling a compelling character story that allows the episode to stand up on its own and become more than just a transition into the post "Breaking Bad" era. This episode covers what Gene does to take care of Jeff, and it is beautiful to watch. One of the biggest questions coming out of the previous Gene scene in season 5 was which character would Gene return to. Would he become Saul again, or would he return to Jimmy? We finally get our answer here as Gene uses the reputation of Saul Goodman, but his actions are unequivocally a classic Slippin' Jimmy con. Gene has turned back to Jimmy to make this work, and the episode is packed full of references to Jimmy's past, which I'll dive into with more specifics later in the review. But first I will focus on the con itself, because it takes up the majority of the episode. This felt like classic "Better Call Saul" as the entire episode sees Gene making some questionable moves, with the purpose behind them only becoming clear as the episode goes on. It's puzzling when we see Gene befriending Marion, and it's puzzling that Gene continued to give Cinnabon gifts to the security guards. Like with all of the great schemes in this show, we never know what the plan is and slowly realizing what is going on is part of the fun. It helps that this episode was created with that typical "Better Call Saul" flair to add another level of enjoyment. Things like that gorgeous montage halfway through the episode, Gene faking his knowledge of sports, and the clever rhymes to ensure Jeff remembers what to steal are delightful little things which make the episode feel that much more immersive and real. It's something that this show has always done well. Furthermore, the cons are amplified by the high stakes. We know that any mistake will result in Gene going behind bars, so there is suspense in the possibility of failure. This adds a great deal of tension to the execution of the robbery. Jeff running around is so intense because we have a sense that something is going to go wrong, and so the suspense is enormous through every second of that painstakingly long sequence, which left me at the edge of my seat. I was really pleased with how Gene turned the tables on Jeff following the successful robbery. It's so easy to get lost in the small scale success of this robbery to the point where you almost forget that Gene is only doing this to get rid of Jeff as a threat. I think that this is one of the episode's big successes, since I think that Gene himself also almost forgot about the real purpose of this scam as well. Gene comes to life when he is returning to Slippin' Jimmy to pull this con, and it would not be a stretch to assume that he got so lost in the scam that he almost forgot that he was doing all of this only to return to the mundane, uneventful life he was living before. It's always a show of impressive talent when an TV episode can unconsciously place you in the exact mental state as the main character of that episode, creating a strong sense of empathy that elevates an episode from good to great. Now let me take a look into the character of Gene in particular. Bob Odenkirk brings him to life splendidly and we can see the light returning to his eyes throughout this episode as he does what he does best throughout the episode. We can see that Gene is back in his element when he's playing Jimmy McGill, and that he enjoys everything that he is doing. This makes it especially impactful when Gene is forced to dive into his buried emotions when he fakes a breakdown to allow Jeff the time he needs to regain consciousness after his fall. We have seen Jimmy draw out his buried emotions for his own benefit before ("Expenses" and "Winner" come to mind), but this one is a bit different. Here, Jimmy uses his disappointment at the state of his own life to get out of this situation, but this time he's actively shaken by doing that. Before it was always crocodile tears, but this time there's a much harsher truth to his breakdown, evidenced by Gene needing to take a moment before leaving the mall. We can see the harsh reality of Gene's unsatisfying life weighing on him in this moment and it is brutal to watch. What makes it so much easier to buy into this story of Gene finding joy in returning to being Jimmy is the countless references to Jimmy in this episode. I've already mentioned the crocodile tears moment evoking Jimmy's actions from before, but stopping there would be a great disservice to the sheer number of moments which evoke the past for Gene. Perhaps the most obvious is the return of the pinky ring, which was the moment that confirmed that Gene was going to return to Jimmy and not Saul. The pinky ring has always been symbolic of Slippin' Jimmy, and it was nice to see it return. I also loved the brief moment where Gene did Jimmy's iconic "it's showtime folks" hand gesture in the mirror before executing the robbery, evoking that Gene was embracing Jimmy in spirit. Gene's interactions with Marion and his effortless ability to charm her is another lovely callback to Jimmy's lauded ability to charm old folks and make them love him, which is something that we haven't seen him do in quite a long time. Lastly, I couldn't help but smile at the irony that it was a slip and fall which almost screwed up Gene's con. Live by the sword, die by the sword. I imagine there were even more references that I missed here, but the sheer number of callbacks added so much more depth and emotion to Gene's story in this episode. I haven't talked about them much, but the side characters in this episode have been wonderful. Pat Healy was a different Jeff to be sure (see: The Bad), but he does a good job with the role. Frank and Nick were lots of fun as the security guards too, and I was surprised to see Carol Burnett being given a role as Marion, which she also does a really good job with. The casting in this show is always spot-on, and that continued here. I really enjoyed the new intro. It was a surprising moment that was indicative of how the show is about to go through a change before these final episodes. The Bad: The Jeff recast is evident immediately and it's an unfortunate situation. Don Harvey was so splendid in the role in seasons 4 and 5, so it's a shame to lose him. Pat Healy does well, but it does feel jarring to have Jeff feel so different from the last time that we saw him. He feels like a different character because of how the two actors brought out such a different energy. It's an unavoidable situation, but it is still something that I have to mention because I found it to be distracting while watching the episode. This episode was slow, especially coming off of three of the most eventful episodes of the series. I'm not surprised that this episode is polarizing because of that. There's nothing wrong with the writing or storytelling, but the timing of the episode is really unfortunate and works against it. Coming after a transition to the "Breaking Bad" era is jarring, and it feels like it was intentionally done to frustrate audiences. Even if it's intentional, frustration is never a good thing to make your viewers feel, so I can sympathize with the people who weren't fond of this episode, and I understand why this episode will not go down as a beloved episode. The Unknown: Is this the end of Jeff's story? If it is, then what's next for Gene? What will he do next? I'm surprised that we didn't spend any time at all in the "Breaking Bad" timeline. When will we see that timeline? Next episode? Or even later? I'm curious about how these remaining three episodes will handle chronology. Curious ending scene as Gene chooses to leave behind the Saul Goodman-esque clothing. Does this symbolize that Gene is going to attempt to return to his uneventful life? Or could this be Gene embracing Jimmy McGill ahead of Saul Goodman? It's open to interpretation right now, and I'm sure that the final three episodes will make the significance of this moment much more clear. Best Moment: The robbery scene was tense and lots of fun. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the shoe to drop, and I was delighted by Gene faking an emotional breakdown for just long enough to allow Jeff the opportunity to get out of there. Character of the Episode: Gene. Conclusion: Placement and timing issues aside, this episode did a lot right. It was a pleasure to return to Gene's world and the story we got was masterfully executed. I'm left curious and excited to see what's next following a fascinating and fun episode that gave us further exploration of Jimmy/Gene. This character has become so layered and complex that anything exploring him is interesting to watch. Bring on the final three episodes. Score: 70
3 Comments
Joe Y
8/6/2022 02:30:15 pm
This was the equivalent of Breaking Bad's "Fly", I think. And much like "Fly", I'm definitely positive towards it. It's a fascinating character piece that adds a lot of depth to the titular character. And it's very much true to the show that came before it that the series doesn't end with a "Breaking Bad" or "The Shield"-esque sprint to the finish line, but with calm, methodical character work that still manages to be gripping. That it succeeds despite that slow pace is what's made this show stand out from the very beginning.
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Aaronic
8/6/2022 03:26:45 pm
I totally agree with it being fitting to conclude the show with calm, methodical character work. It's easy to be tempted by explosive action sequences and nail-biting tension, but I don't think it's necessary, especially for a show like this.
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Joe Y
8/6/2022 03:47:23 pm
" I totally agree with it being fitting to conclude the show with calm, methodical character work. It's easy to be tempted by explosive action sequences and nail-biting tension, but I don't think it's necessary, especially for a show like this."
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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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