Sunday 12 February 2023

Better Call Saul: Amarillo

 "Beautiful penmanship, a lost art."

Here, I think, we see the beginnings of why Jimmy, despite his genuine talent, will never thrive at this big, swanky law firm.Not because iof snobbery, or Chuck trying to trip him up- his boss seems to side with him there- but it's the fact he's Slippin' Jimmy. He just is. He's riding for a fall. And the tragedy is that he's certainly going to bring Kim down with him. And she's given everything for him. It's a slow motion car crash. The trajectory is certain.

We begin with Slippin' Jimmy in the most hilariously Texan con ever... but it's solicitation, something for which he can be disbarred. It's a worrying omen, much though he gets away with it this time.

Inevitably, he doesn't. The TV commercial may be clever, it may be right, but- as the previous commercial shoews- it's a clash of cultures. Jimmy just doesn't fit in with the way things are done. And, as soon as we realise he's airing the commercial, events have only to play out.

The B plot is fascinating too, with some superb facial acting from Jonathan Banks. Mike has his morals. He's a good grandad, and an honourable man, but he's a criminal by necessity. And, as we see at the end, his ethics don't necessarily mean he won't kill. So is he a good man? The answer is, as it will be for any real, nuanced, human being, ambiguous.

This continues to be first class television drama.

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