What a treat this is, huh? We get two episodes of Better Call Saul in two days. I guess it makes up for the year-and-a-half wait in between seasons. The events of this episode build out of Jimmy’s snap decision to offer discounts to anyone who didn’t get a free cell phone last week. Just like she predicted, it sounded like he was encouraging potential clients to commit felonies. Despite his insistence that his guys know better at the beginning of this episode, two of them go on a non-violent felony bender. They buy a bunch of meth, steal groceries, drive recklessly while high, and buy more meth. The whole episode, you’re waiting for the moment that Jimmy will have to defend these two boneheads. It doesn’t come. What actually happens is much more interesting.
While all that is happening, Gus Fring’s men kidnap Nacho in the middle of the night. They drive him to a restaurant where his father is eating dinner. One of Fring’s men enters the building and acts all friendly, while carefully watching Nacho in the car. Nacho begs the men to leave his father alone, insisting he has nothing to do with the drug business. Gus gets in the car and instructs Nacho to tell him everything Lalo is going to do before he does it. He says Nacho should find a way to gain Lalo’s confidence. Nacho agrees and the driver flashes his headlights. Gus’ man leaves the restaurant without incident, and the single most tense scene of the episode ends.
Mark Margolis, Tony Dalton (via AMC)
And what better way to follow up a scene like that than with Jimmy and Kim playing House Hunters. Before Kim goes off to work, Jimmy climbs into her car and asks if he can show her something. He takes her to a nice house that’s for sale. They take a look around, and Jimmy’s excitedly pointing out everything nice about the place. It has a big bathroom with separate sinks. It has a giant closet big enough for both their stuff. It’s gorgeous. Kim, for some reason, doesn’t seem quite as excited. Like they both know there’s tension between them. They both know they’re growing apart, but Jimmy’s doing a much better job of ignoring that fact.
Kim takes the opportunity to tell Jimmy what’s bothering her. She doesn’t want to lie to her clients ever again. Any of them. Jimmy takes the message and promises no more. After that, things start to seem a little better. They even have fun with each other again when Kim turns the shower on while Jimmy’s standing in it. When the real estate agent scowls at them as they exit smiling, it’s a glimpse of why they’re together in the first place. They really are perfect partners in crime. That’s exactly the problem for Kim who’s trying to go straight. Jimmy clearly wants to buy the house, and Kim says it’ll be great… someday. You can’t miss her pointed delivery of that line. I love scenes between these two. Even lighthearted or mundane activities have an inescapable air of melancholy now, and it’s fascinating to watch.
Michael Mando as Nacho Varga – Photo Credit: Warrick Page/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Meanwhile, Nacho finds a way to prove himself to his uncle. During a poker game, Krazy-8 gets called away to deal with some trouble at a dealing site. See, Saul’s dumbest clients decided to buy 10 bags of meth, but they got stuck in the drain pipe. This causes all sorts of trouble, and Krazy-8 has to climb up on a ladder and un-stick the product. That’s when the cops show up. Of course. Everyone bails, but Krazy-8 is stuck on the ladder. Just has he’s explaining to the cops that the pipe is clogged, all the meth spills out. Now the DEA is swarming the place and the dealers had to leave a full supply in the apartment.
Everyone, including Lalo, is writing it off as a lost cause, but Nacho goes after it. He climbs up the neighboring building and jumps from one roof to the other. He gets into the apartment through the ceiling and stuffs all the meth in his pocket. He’s able to escape out the window just before the cops break in. Nacho’s having a real rough episode here.It’s all worth it, though. The next morning, Lalo trusts him to make the call to send the dealers out on the street. He even makes breakfast and drinks beer with Nacho. He’s just concerned about one thing: Krazy-8. Nacho is sure Krazy-8 will stay quiet, but knows he has to be proactive to keep Lalo’s trust.
Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn (via AMC)
That’s where Jimmy comes in. We got to see Jimmy spend a full day in his Saul persona. It’s a ton of fun to watch him scam and manipulate everyone around him, even people who see through him at first. Morally questionable, yes, but what fun is watching good lawyers? He tries to get a number of his cases settled that day, but his opposing attorney knows his game. He’s taken on too many clients, and he’s trying to get fast turnovers so he can take on more and keep billing. She’s not eager to help. So, he bribes an elevator maintenance worker to get them stuck in an elevator together. While they’re in there, he manages to settle all but three of his cases with her. God, he’s the worst, but we can’t look away.
Just as he’s celebrating his victory, Nacho finds him. Jimmy can’t even finish his ice cream cone before Nacho tells him to get in the car. Saul has a new client now, which will bring him back in the middle of cartel business. I get the sense this isn’t going to be a quick episode-long trial. Or even if it is, it won’t be the end of Jimmy’s dealings with Nacho. Remember, when Jesse and Walter kidnapped Saul back in Breaking Bad, he mentions Ignacio, and is terrified by the possibility that Lalo sent him. Now, I think we’re going to see what that’s all about. Everything’s coming together, and it’s so cool to see it happen. Two episodes two days in a row kind of spoiled me. Do we really have to wait a week for the next one?
Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on AMC
Previously on Better Call Saul:
- Better Call Saul Season 5 Premiere recap
- Better Call Saul Season 4 Finale recap
- Better Call Saul Season 4 Episode 9 recap
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