Sunday 3 September 2023

Better Call Saul: Expenses

 "Come on. Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple."

"Oh, Another Brick in the Wall."

"I weep for the future."

Oh my. There's so much to break down here. This is, as I'm fond of occasionally stating, an episode of developmemnt and set-up of plotlines and characters. In a sense, not much happens. In another sense, a lot does.

For Jimmy, he's hit with a new, brutal reality. This con man, who sees rules as being for other peoople, has no choice but to follow the rules on community service. There's no refund for his insurance despite his disbarment as a lawyer. His TV commercial business is failing. He's maxing out his credit cards. He stares in the face of ruin. He's cornered, desperate, dangerous... and so deliberately sets out to ruin Chuck. Behind the nice guy act, Jimmy is not nice at all.

Yet poor Kim can't see this, despite everything. She's besotted. Yet her conscience about Chuck, which is really troubling her, contrasts with Jimmy's latest casual betrayal. And it's revealing that their night out is spent looking at potential marls to con. She's horrified when Jimmy seems to be suggesting it for real, but soon falls back under his spell. Oh, Kim...

Then there's Mike, using drug money to work on a church playground, and... am I reading too much into things, but does he meet a potential love interest?

Nacho, too, is a desperate man. To save his father, he must destroy Hector. So he turns to baseball card man, who will never escape from him. Yet Mike, being Mike, takes control of the situation. So many spinning plates, but Mike spins them with aplomb.

No action, then, but first class writing and action. And an awful lot is being set up. Superlative, as ever.

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