Better Call Saul: Plan and Execution

 "Is this how these usually go?"

Wow. SPOILERS, obviously.

This was a perfectly crafted mid-season finale, with all the pieces fitting together prefectly. I'm still reeling.

It was clear from the start that sonething big was about to happen. The word "Execution" in the title made me nervous from the start."D-Day", Kim and Jimmy's plot to do over Howard is one plan, but there's also Lalo's plan to do over Gus, with Lalo and Mike between themselves playing three dimensional chess. Perhaps not quite as well  as Jimmy and Kim do in manipulating Howard, but, well...

It's constantly emphasised how decent Howard is. Kind to junior employees, with a real sense of perspective and wisom, optimistic even at the end. And this decent man has been going through "debt, depression, my marriage falling apart". So yes, as ever, it'ds fun watching him get done over, all ther littler reveals as one of Jimmy's biggest schemes comes to fruition. He's going to get his share of the Sandpiper money quickly, and he's done over Howard. And yet- the script is at pains to emphasise Howard's decency. Should we be feeling entertained...?

And this is why the ending is so devastating, as Lalo suddenly shoots a Howard who has no idea what is going on. A decent man, dead, the last day of his life one of suffering and humiliation. And all for such childishness. Not just Jimmy this time, but also Kim, as Howard correctly states, are irredeemable after this.

Because the games played by the likes of Lalo and Gus are of an entirely different level of seriousness. Jimmy and Kim, now utterly fallen, seem to be about to learn that hard lesson.

Good.

Better Call Saul: Axe and Grind

 "Pop Pop, it's not that kind of gas!"

Quickly checking the cast list on iMDb made me realise why Gus isn't in this- Giancarlo Esposito directs, shortly after Rhea Seehorn did the same! 

Anyway... it's getting very obvious that next episode, the mid-season finale, is going to be somewhat eventful. We know that it's "D Day", we've seen many glimpses of elements of what Jimmy and Kim are planning, but we haven't seen the big picture of what they're planning... although it's likely to do over Howard in some way. And the fact that the judge in questiion has an arm in a cast threatens to derail things... or does it?

We begin with an interesting flashback to kim's childhood: her mother was a scammer too, a direct parallel to Jimmy. This is significant- part of the attraction for her? I note she grew up in Nebraska, too: the same state where Jimmy lives in the show's present day. Coincidence? Perhaps.

It's interesting to see how much Cliff obviously admires Kim as both a brilliany lawyer and an ethical one- the polar opposite of Jimmy, although very much in the process of being corrupted. And hereby lies another tragedy- Cliff makes an offer that could help her struggling career, which it looks as though she's just going to throw away, for "D Day". What could be that important...?

Elsewhere, Francesca realises the ethical dodginess of working for "Saul". Lalo is still in Germany, violently trying to work out exactly what Gus was building underground. Howard's marriage is looking a little shaky, nothing overtyly wrong but with he and his wife gradually drifting apart. Mike is a good grandad...

It's all excellent television, as ever. But oh, next episode...

 

Better Call Saul: Black and Blue

 "You've mistaken my kindness for weakness."

This is, as if it needed to be said, a superb episode, but aren't they all? It feels like the calm before the storm, not least with the ever-present threat from Lalo: there's a certain tension pervading everything. 

The opening sequence is blurred to keep us guessing. It looks at first as though this isa chemistry lab. Could it be...? But no. I'm sure the teasing is deliberate, though.

Lalo hasn't been seen for a long time now, yet his presence pervades everything. Gus is positively paranoid... although Lalo genuinely is about to get him. But he seems to end up with some sort of plan...

Meanwhile, Howard realises what's been going on aftef Cliff confronts him... and he confronts Kimmy and goads him into a boxing match! This is unexpected, and leaves things in an interesting place. Howard, who isno fool, despite his decency, is now no longer just a passive victim but an active player, and he's taking steps to have Jimmy watched...

Another piece clicks into place as"Saul" starts business in his shell of a new office... and has to offer Francesca a lot of money to work for him again.She's visibly shocked by how much has changed over the last year or so, which should really give us pause. Jimmy, and even Kim despite her surface altruism (she's samoking more, which seems to represent her dark side, and indeed her poor choices), are moving to some dark places, and this won't end well.

Finally, we have Lalo, in Germany, turning on his psychopath charm to seduce Werner's widow and find out more about the future meth lab.. the same lab that seems to form part of Gus's own plans. 

Something is going to happen. Something huge. 

Better Call Saul: Hit and Run

 "You think we're wicked?"

This is a very artily directed episode by... Rhea Seehorn. Wow! 

There's so much going on here in this typically sublime pieceof television. The ongoing cheap scams may be fun but sordidly seek to destroy Howard's reputation. You laugh, you enjoy, but you feel dirty afterwards. And it's not just Jimmy, it's Kim- even her success in getting Cliff to help with her charitable endeavours is achieved in the course of something reprehensible. Howard is a decent man who deserves better. 

This episode oozes with unease and foreboding. The odd, almost random opening scene turns out to be a glimpse into the extreme lengths to with Gus is going to ensure his persinal safety. Paranoid? Perhaps. But Lalo realy is out to get him, and his hidden presence hangs over everything, paradoxicallyby means of his very absence.

It is he who causes Kim and Mike to interact for the first time, Kim realising she's being followed, despite Jimmy's obliviousness. Lalo is doing nothing, yet as a catalyst he's powerful.

Catalyst? Oh. A chemistry metaphor. For the chemistry teacher feels close, does he not? The Breakimg Bad Easter eggs are coming thick and fast. Yet, even there, Lalo is the catalyst. Jimmy is persona non grata with his now-former colleagues for his unethical if unprovable acts in letting Lalo get away... but, for the same reason, business is suddeny very good for Saul. So he needs a new office. Yes, that one.

The future seems bright. Why, then, is there so much foreboding in the air...?

Better Call Saul: Wine and Roses

"Sounds like the day from Hell."

"It was one of the best days of my life."

And so begins the final season. It seems, at the start of episode one of thirteen, that we're a long way from the events of Breaking Bad. But there can't be far to go. And the pre-toitles is a slow, lingering scene with Saul Goodman's opulent and disgustingly tateless office being examined by the Feds. In the present day, with Saul in Nebraska, the net is closing in. And the episode really lingers on that fact.

And we move directly to the contrast with Nacho, also hunted, desperate, and possibly doomed, with a price from Don Eladio on his head. All the scenes with him are impossibly tense, with us feeling fear on his behalf. Yet he's a pawn. Lalo, wanting everyone to think him dead (although Gus suspects) is out to get him, and plotting with Hector. Mike tries to speak up to Gus about him, but Gus is playing his own inscrutable game. And Lalo has seldom been scarier.

Meanwhile, Kim and Jimmy are the usual contrast- Kim doing good work for the vulnerable and loving it while Jimmy remains a "friend of the cartel". Yet they're both tainted, and Kim is the driving force in their fascinating plot to do over Howard. We're not privy to the details, so it's fun to see the early stages of the scheme play out, reminding us of the scams from earlier seasons... but the stakes are higher. The golf club scene is fascinatingly layered. The golf club stands for the snobbery againstwhich Jimmy has alwayds genuinely struggled... yet Kevin is right to blackball him for being the bounder and the cad that he is. And to play the antisemitism card ("only following orders", ouch!) when he's about as Jewish as my cat... wow.

And plot threads abound. Is Jimmy going to get rumbled in court for the stints he played to get Lalo bail? Is Mike suddenly now not the person on the phone to Nacho? What is Lalo planning? What are Jimmy and Kim planning? And what of that sphinx, Gus? This is a superb start.

Better Call Saul: Something Unforgivable

 "Am I bad for you...?"

For tne record, Kim, the answer is YES. Sigh....

This is, of course, a superb finale. Script and acting top notch as we've come to expect, as well as some very nice directorial touches.

But I must confess: it got me. I was convinced, perhaps through deliberate misdirection, that Kim was going to die this episode. So many of what seemed to he hints. She's "in the game" as of last episode. She and Jimmy are on the run in a hotel, looking over their shoulders. She's making plans for a pro bono future. She breezily ignores a dire warning from Howard about what Jimmy is like. She and Jimmy spend what seemed like possibly a last night together.

But no. And nor does Lalo die. There's lots of tension for him, of course... and for Nacho, who gets out alive, as arranged, before the hit. But the hit going south leaves Nacho in a dangerous position. But then, something had to give.We spend time here with Don Eladio- menacing as ever- by THAT swimming pool. All this tension as Eladio sizes him up, but the life of a double agent is always an impossible one, expendable to both sides.

But the events with Kim and Jimmy are just as dramatic in their eway.Jimmy opens up about the events in the desert and his PTSD, although not about the context. And their bond, if anything, only deepens. Yes, even when Jimmy confesses that the bowling ball and prostitute incidents actually happens. And, even more scary, she's the driving force- the Jimmy- in a plot to get rich by screwing over Howard, a decent man, in a deeply ethical way. Indeed, even Jimmy is shocked. She may not die this episode but, well, is this where she finally turns to the dark side...?

One season to go. Damn.

Better Call Saul: JMM

 "No rings. Okey dokey..."

After last episode's deeply dishearening last line, we begin the last line with the world'd least romantic wedding ever, presided over by a very bored and disengaged judge. No rings, no wedding guests, witnesses who are not exactly friends, no celebration... and let's say the two new spouses are not exactly equally invested. Poor Kim. This is the wedding she gets... and this is the wedding she gets. Even worse, she really should know what she's marrying, and gets more reminders later when she realises Jimmy- no, Saul- is being forced to get Lalo out on bail and is quite happy to use this to get money. Oh, Kim...

She isn't in Breaking Bad, of course. I fear for her. Perhaps a fate even worse than ruin awaits. And she's a good, decent person.

Interestingly. Kim, the other lawyers and Kevin all reconcile, after a little brutal honesty on both sides, in a situation of genuine mutual respect. No Jimmy here: these people are all grown-ups.... and that makes the situation worse. Kim is decent, professional, respected. As Kevin says, she could do a LOT better.

Mike is a grown-up too- we see him doing the patient hard work of making amends to his family, and successfully. But the ongoing cold war between Gus and Lalo, with Nacho and his dad in the middle, is getting increasingly complex. Lalo's engaged Jimmy to get him out on bail so he can skedaddle... so why is Mike, on Gus's behalf, handing him the means to do so on a plate? Gus has reason to be furious at Lalo: I suspect the latter is not long for this world, and Gus has plans to kill Lalo in ways thst won't start a "war". The discussions with Lydia and Gus' desperate old German friend is fascinating, pointing ahead to the Madrigal stuff but hinting at quite a long history. Giancarlo Esposito continues to play Gus with such exquisite nuance.

Yet it feels very much as though big things are being set up. Despite this, the episode is as gripping as ever.

Better Call Saul: Wexler v Goodman

 "Because it's cold pizza fondled by community actors..."

For the first time, the pre-credits shows a small episode from Kim's childhood: she refuses to get intothe car with her mother, who's been drinking, and bloody well sticking to her principles, even back then. Not hard to see what the subtext is here. Kim has her strong moral principles. We know that. But alas, she seems to be in love with Jimmy for some reason, and I'm sticking to my own guns: Jimmy will be her ruin and her downfall.

Bizarrely, we then see a young Kevin in an old Mesa Verde commercial, zand get a long montage of Jimmy trying to film stuff in his plot against Mesa Verde, getting stuck in to the writing, the directing, anything but lawyering... and along comes Kim. She wants out, unnerved by Rich's suspicions. It's gone too farand she's even willing togive some of her own money to the old man so there can be compromise. And... Jimmy agrees, so that's that, right? I mean, it's not as though he's the unscrupulous type, right...?

We then shift to Nacho who, like Kim, won't be in Breaking Bad. But with him, I suspect, we're looking at literal death. He simply lives too dangerously, inforning Gus and Mike of what Lalo is up to... and wow, as ever, Gus isquite the presence. It looks as though we'll see a lot of Mike and Nacho together from this point. Lalo may appeal to Mike's morals... but, of course, Gus owns Mike. We're so far into Better Call Saul at this point that the nuances between all the characters are utter perfection.

And so cue another series of scenes where we get to see how Mike operates, this time manipulating a librarian and the local police into dropping Lalo right in it... ending in what looks like Lalo's arrest. Nut this, I suspect, is a mere opening skirmish. I note that Lalo has a pet lawyer... although, of course, on this occasion, I use the word "lawyer" in its loosest possible sense.

Still, yes, there's an interlude of Jimmy being an utter **** to Howard but, as the episode comes to an end, it looks as though Kim's going to get her was with Mesa Verde... and then Jimmy REALLY goes for the kill, harassing Mesa Verde to the max, and Kim is furious, very visibly so, to be thrown under the bus like this. This threatens to have dire consequences for her, despite her very visible and real anger.

Kevin, incidentally, has a very clearidea of exactly what Jimmy is, and he certainly isn't a lawyer.

Finally, we have the confrontation. Kim really laying into Jimmy and there's a sense that even he may now realise that he may have gone too far. Is this it? Kim is beginning to sound like he might dump him, as she should have done long ago....

"Maybe we get married".

Oh Kim....

Obviously, this is televisual perfection. Yet again.

Better Call Saul: Namaste

 "It is... acceptable."

Three episodes in, and Jimmy's slow paced morphing into "Saul Goodman isbeing handled well indeed. The scene where he has dinner with Howard is instructive- Howard asks full on why he's changed his professional name, and suggests it's to avoid associations with the name "McGill", Chuck and Howard's very firm.

He's right.

And yet... Howard, ever-gracious and actually pretty decent underneath, offers Jimmy a job. And what does Jimmy do? He uses those bowling balls he bought in the pre-titles to damage Howard's car. Jimmy is now committed to the Saul Goodman path- defending petty, druggy criminals while having links with dodgy people and using dodgy methods, as we (and Kim) see in court. He's far from a decent man, unprincipled, but has found a niche where he can use his actual, salesman type skills as a "lawyer".

Meanwhile, Kim is having actual moral scruples (something Jimmy would never understand) with that man whose home Mesa Verde is going to take. The solution? Jimmy. Ouch.

Elsewhere, it's ten dimensional chess between Hank, who knows games are being played but, well, we've seen over five seasons of Breaking Bad how skilled he is at working stuff out... and a very scary Gus. Giancarlo Esposito once again gives an acting masterclass.

And then there's mike, still not quite trusted after his outburst to Kaylee and clearly upset. And then there's that ending, with him seeming to wake up in an old Spanish mission...

It's exciting seeing the pieces gradually move into Breaking Bad territory, but in the short term I've no clue what's going to happen. And the key to it all is the characters. We know them so well, and they're all so real.

Better Call Saul: Pinata

 "Get rich quick schemes never work."

The saddest scene, and also the most revealing, is where Jimmy visits HHM to pick up his $5,000. The firm, and Howard, are struggling... and it is all, of course, the fault of Jimmy, who destroys all he touches. Worse, HE tells HOWARD that hes a "****** lawyer" and much better at being a salesman. Pot, kettle...

Jimmy's only talent is the gift of the gab. The episode begins with a fadscinating flashback to Jimmy's mailroom days. We see a brilliant, triumphant Chuck and intern Kim, clearly going places. No one sees Jimmy as important. Cut to today... and Kim is still awesome, clearly held back by Jimmy, going places as he sells phones to the dodgy.

Jimmy has a brutal side, too, as we discover when he deals with the three ne-er-do-wells who attacked him last episode. But nowhere near as brutal as Gus. Giancarlo Esposito has a truly chilling, sublime monologue, making it clear he wants Hector alive and conscious just so he can suffer. Brr.

Gus trusts Mike increasingly, though, his fixer and reliable lieutenant already. Mike is fascinating, working for some dodgy people while also being a good family man, making amends with his daughter-in-law, with whom he has a genuinely sweet relationship. These characters, all of them, are very, very real people. This is, as ever, close to televisual perfection.

Better Call Saul: Quite a Ride

 "You can't play chicken with me. I invented chicken."

It's a fascinating choice that this episode, filled with notably creative directorial choices even by the standards of Better Call Saul, begins with a flash forward to the very end of Breaking Bad, showing us the offices of Saul Goodman for the first time,or the last time, depending on your perspective. Saul's... Jimmy's last goodbye to Francesca is as awkward as it was always going to be. It's the end of Jimmy's life as anuything other than monochrome mediocrity and paranoia, reminding us that yes, he may seem to get away with his morally dodgy choices while others suffer, but karma will be back to punish him in the end.

Jimmy's behaviour here is typically cynical. Instead of honestly selling phones in the shop, he goes out at night to sell to the mildly criminal, grey market semi-undrrworld, only to be mugged for his pains: on this one occasion, karma is more immrediate, and he seems to learn his lesson and go back to orthodoxy. At his typically hmilating meeting with his parole officer, he seems resigned to biding his time until he can hopefully get his law licence back. And... we've seen where that ultimately leads.

Meanwhile, he continues to slowly ruin the lives of others around him. Kim really damages her reputation with her Mese Verde clients because she's having to take on other work to support Jimmy. And Howard, being a decent sort, seems to be falling apart with all the guilt. Guilt that rightly belongs to Jimmy.

And yet, while elsewhere we see Jimmy with his dodgy ways, and how he damages the lives and careers of thosearound him, we end the episode with a German structural emngineer bimpressing Gus with his consummate professionalism. Professionalism with not a Jimmy in sight.

Superb telly, obviously.

Better Call Saul: Breathe

 "I decide what he deserves. No one else."

Better Call Saul already seemed to be pretty much the embodiment of televisual perfection. Yet, two episodes into its fourth season, it seems to show signs of getting... better? Can such a thing be possible?

Jimmy's job interview for the position of photocopier salesman reveals so much about him, even though his real agenda is revealed later on. He's so very suited to the job, whuich suits him far more than being a lawyer- not to stereotype those in said profession, but Jimmy is outgoing, dishonest, a born bullsh***er, and entirely devoid of any true moral sense. He effortlessly charms his prospective employers, "selling" himself to get the job despite his dodging the awkward question on why he stopped practising law... and throws it all away by insulting them as soon as he gets the job out of what looks like pure self-loathing- and I think, despite the ulterior motives, that remains a fair summation.

Kim, meanwhile, is a total git to poor, decent Howard, guilt tripping him on Jimmy's behalf at the discussion of Chuck's will... and hiding Chuck's letter to Jimmy. Jimmy's behaviour is rubbing off on her. Kim is, of courdse, doomed by her love for Jimmy... perhaps this will be via the slow ruination of her character? She always liked the Slippin' Jimmy stuff. She's the good girl who fell for the bad boy.

Mike, meanwhile, is confident despite his sparring with a highly annoyed Lydia: Gus likes him, and he knows it. And Gus has never been more chilling than in this episode, nor Giancarlo Esposito a more sublime example of acting perfection: Mr Esposito truly is up there among the greats. Gus's sadistic, vindictive desire to consign Hector to a life of fully conscious, helpless paralysis is a thing of pure horror. As is the tone of voice wioth which he says "you're mine" to Nacjo after the horiffic final scene.

Wow. Can Vince Gilligan make some more telly please?

Better Call Saul: Smoke

 "Well Howard, I guess that's your cross to bear..."

We begin, as season openers tend to do, in the monochrome, smaller-than-life present day, with Jimmy existing, if not living, as a a small business owner with a rubbish moustache in Nebraska, recovering from the incident with the vault, with every arty shot simply dripping with existential ennui. For Jimmy, this is a Hell indeed. And, as we emphasise, there's the constant stress of discovery. He's miserable, depressed, and forever looking over his shoulder. We're reminded that, however much of a terrible person Jimmy is, it will lead only to darkness in the end. His sins will not go unpunished.

Nacho, in the usual timeframe (2003-04?)- is unwittingly in a similar position. Don Hector has had his stroke... but his replacement wants everything to continue as before. Was it all for nothing? Worse, he's under suspicion, and Gus is eloquently concerned about a gang war filling the gap left by Hector. This is all going to get complicated.

For Mike, though, things are looking up. He leaves his old job and receives his first monthly paycheque of more than $10,000!!! We haven't seen much of him lately, so it's great seeing somre cool, fun scenes, including a warehouse montage(!) where he checks Madrigal's security.

But Jimmy... oh, Jimmy. He's very down after Chuck's death, but still very much not the grown-up. Both Kim and Howard do a lot of adulting here: Jimmy does none whatsoever.Worse, Howard, who comes across as more and more decent the more we gets to know him, confesses that he feels responsible for Chuck's death. Jimmy, who has far more cause to blame himself... just lets him. Wow. 

Jimmy deserves his eventual fate. Terrible moustache and all. I can't help wondering, though... what next? We can see where Mike's thread is going, and all the gangland intrigue. But what next for Jimmy?

I am, needless to say, gripped. The camerawork, the depth of the characters... I'm running out of ways to praise this show.

Better Call Saul: Lantern

 "In the end, you're going to hurt everyone around you. You can't help it. So stop apologising and accept it."

The above quote is, of course, from the key scene of the episode, the last conversation Jimmy and Chuck will ever have, in which Chuck tells little brother some hard truths. And we know he's right. And this conversation will go on to shape one Saul Goodman.

t's not that Jimmy doesn't care. He's genuinely caring with Kim, looking after her,and he is willing to humiliate himself- and presumably end all future hope of working in elder law ever again- to un-ruin Irene's life. He's not evil. But he's self-centred and, crucially, totally lacking in integrity. And we see it in his relations with those around him. He made Kim work too hard, and nearly die, for him, because he does that to people. Yet Kim, unlike Jimmy, has integrity, as we see in this episode. She insists on taking responsibility for her actions, and cares about her clients even at a time when she shouldn't even be thinking about work. Such thoughts, to Jimmy, are alien.

Chuck is self-centred, too: the brothers are not completely unalike. See what he does to the firm he helps to build, from nothing but pride... and how Howard saves the firm by paying Chuck out of his own pocket. True integrity. Howard may often come across as arrogant, but underneath he's a decent sort. Chuck? Well, he's neither a Jimmy nor a Howard. Self-centred? Oh yes. But he believes in values other than himself, not least the law.

Or, at least, used to beieve. Because I'm in no doubt as to what that last scene means. To bookend the episode with this scene and the opening teaser, the only flashback we ever get of the two brothers as kids, both with the motif of a lantern, is very nicely done.

No Mike this episode but, in a scene where we can absolutely see the tension for Nacho, Don Hector finally succumbs to the doctored pill... and Gus twice gives Nacho a look. He knows.

I'm running out of ways to say that a given episode of Better Call Saul is as good as television gets. But it is.

Better Call Saul: Fall

 "This is not what fine looks like..."

This episode is eventful, as penultimate episodes of seasons often are. We see Mike's first day as a contractor, for purposes tof proper money laundering, with Madrigal, whom we remember from the final season of Breaking Bad... along, of course, with Lydia.

We also see consequences happening to those who are under pressure. Nacho, unable to wait any longer for the poison to take effect on Hector, is forced to come clean to his appalled father, who must submit to Hector after all, the one thing he didn't want to happen. Meanwhile, conscientious and professional Kim is burning the proverbial candle at all possible ends to make up for what Jimmy isn't doing, overworking and spreading herself too thin. There's a nice bit of foreshadowing early on: the concluding car crash, redolent in metaphor, isn't meant to be a surprise.

Jimmy is oblivious to what Kim is doing for him, of course. Much of the episode focusres on his truly evil mind games with the Sandpiper old fols, manipulating them into accepting the settlement now rather than a larger one later... as Howard says, it's purely because Jimmy needs the money. Slippy Jimmy with stop at nothing for his own selfish needs, and he cares not who suffers along the way.

Chuck, meanwhile, is far more urbane, respdctable and, in some ways, principled. Yet, if his condition isn't real (the jury, I think, is very much out), he may be just as much a con man as his father. And his decision to go scorched Earth on Howard and the firm, rather than accept retirement, is very much a prallel with Jimmy. Both brothers are very much capable of cdestroying others to get what they want. Both of them are far more terrible than they seem.

A brilliant and eventful episode, first class telly... but the characterisation is even more suble than it may at first seem. Superb.

Better Call Saul: Slip

 "This is the land of the free and the home of the lawsuit."

Once again, and I know I'm always saying this, an episode that's clearly setting stuff for later proves to be a superb character piece. The dramatic episodes aren't necessarily the only good episodes.

Jimmy is still struggling to earn a living and pay his half of the office money. There's a brilliant early scene where his TV commercial racket is brutally exposed. Yet Jimmy is a con man par excellence. The pre-credits scene is highly revealing: not only is he in denial about how his selfish actions ruined his opnen and generous father, but he sees his father's honesty and integrity as a weakness. Manipulate, or be manipulated. And this is how he gets out of the hole he's in.

So he gets out of a day's community service by conning the supervisor, rather impressively, and earning himself $700 into the bargain. Why should Jimmy have to suffer consequences for his behaviour? Shame is for suckers. And worse, he seems to manipulate Kim, who adores him, into letting him off paying his half... and taking extra work, spreading herself thin. Ouch. Does Jimmy care at all about the woman who clearly loves him? Obvioisly not. Behind the surface charm is a cold, calculating, self-centred git.

As an aside, I wonder about Chuck, too. Was his "condition" always a lie? Does this episode show him finding a way to escape from having to pretend not that the condition no longer serves its purpose? I don't know, and I may be wrong that he's ben faking. We shall see.

As a contrast, other characters prominent in this episode are all, to a degree, on the criminal side. But they have morals and integrity, at least of sorts, things that Jimmy will never have. A tense and extraordinary scene shows Nacho delivering poison pills into Hector's pocket, but he's doing it for his dad. Mike is also trying to do Hector over, but he has his reasons. And then we have his arrangement with Gus at the end... Gus, too, has his principles.

A nuanced and fasdcinating episode. As ever. These characters are extraordinary.

Better Call Saul: Off Brand

 "It's a name..."

This episode is a crossroads in several ways. It moves away from the Jimmy/Chuck sparriung of the first half of the season into other plot threads, and also makes a conscious choice to look ahead to Breaking Bad. Hence Gus deciding on the meth lab. The surprising cameo from Lydia. The first inkling we see of Don Hector's health problems.

There's also a nice wholesome scene between Mike and Stacey highlighting how sweet and wholesome their relationship is, utterly unlike all the other things in Mike's life. But there's nothing else at all wholesome in this packed episode.

We begin with Kim being magnificent in defending Jimmy, succeeding in limiting him to being barred for twelve months only. She does so much for the man with whom, sadly for her poor, doomed self, she is besotted. Besotted in spite of glimpses of his bullshitting self which she is nowhere near sufficiently stupid not to notice. There's one momernt in particular here, where Jimmy seems to disown Chuck in front of Rebecca, that his coldness really shows. And Kim doesn't fail to see it.

There is also much fascinating political skulduggery between Don Hector and Gus, with Nacho in the middle. It is he, as lieutenant, who exerts violent authority on behalf of Hector. And yet, when Hector threatens to use Nacho's father's business as a front for smuggling, suddenly Nacho has a motive to turn right against his boss. I've no doubt this will be a step in Hector's downfall.

Jimmy, of course, is not a lawyer for a year, and needs to do something else to keep Kim and himself afloat. He's desperate, creative... and then it happens: a TV commercial for TV commefcials. But he can't do it as Jimmy the lawyer. after some "Karloff" stuff... the character of Saul Goodman is born. Viewers had, literally, better call Saul.

This is, needless to say, exquisite.

Better Call Saul: Chicanery

 "My brother, whatever else may be said about him, is quite clever."

Before I write a blog post, I invariably look at iMDb in order to get the names of the less regular actors to put in those labels at the bottom. Thgis time, though, I couldn't help but notice that this episode had been rated 9.7. That is, it has to be said, a bit good. And I'm not surprised. This may be the finest courtroom drama since Witness for the Prosecution.

Other things happen too, though, although for once there's no Mike this episode. We see Kim having professional success with Mesa Verde, impressing her clients. Jimmy isn't ruining and destroying her career yet... but the foreshadowing is obvious. Then we have the flashback, tintred blue, of Chuck enlisting Jimmy to go to elaborate lengths to hide his "condition" from Rebecca. This, of course, is also foreshadowing.Yet there are other character moments, too. Chuck and Rebecca, with their cultured cosmopolitanism, do not live in Jimmy's world. And Chuck, while disapproving of Jimmy's tricks, is happy to benefit from them.

Yet the courtroom drama is, of course, exquisite, a masterclass in psychologicak manipulation and, well, chicanery. Jimmy's position starts out as extraordinarily weak, and yet Chuck is humiliated and destroyed. His outburst at the end is ironic- it makes him seem unhinged, persecuting his poor, innocent, doting brother, yet every word is literally, unambiguously true.

Better Call Saul: Sabrosito

 "Sabrosisto tells me Gustavo's is bigger than yours."

Even by Better Call Saul standards, this is a bloody good episode. And Jimmy doesn't even appear until twenty-six minutes in.

More than most, this episode gices a fair amount of screen time and development to the whole ensemble cast while several plot lines move forwards. Yet it doesn't feel in any way functional, or like set-up.

We begin in Don Eladio's Mexican mansion that we remember so well from Breaking Bad, with the opening and closing shots both from the distorted view of the pool, in itself a stylish nod to the other programme. The entire scene has a yellowish tint, giving it an air of unreality. Yet Don Eladio emanates constant menace, as though the slightest misstep could mean random death, the ultimate stressful working environment.

And the direction of things, cartel-wise, is clear: Gus is performing much better than the humiliated Hector. And so Hector attempts to intimidate Gus, a serious mistake. He has violated Los Pollos Hermanos, Gus' legitimate business, with his legitimate employees. It's fascinating to see how he cares for his legitimate employees, and their genuine respect for him. He similarly shows respect for Mike and his integrity. Gus is cold, ruthless, a killer, yet he has his principles. He and Mike are two of a kind. Both ruthless, but both men of integrity, in their way. Both actors, too, are exquisitely good. Yet Giancarlo Esposito's subtle facial acting is, as ever, extraordinary.

We know how Hector will end up in a few short years, doubtless a consequence of crossing Gus. At last we have scope for Mike working for Gus, the two of them bonding over their shared intense hatred for Hector. And we know, in the long run, that Gus is going to continue to make Hector suffer.

Meanwhile, we have a fun little scene of Kim and Jimmy plotting- Kim gets a phone call montage!- to exchange Chuck's door repairer for, inevitably, Mike. A burglary, I suspect, is planned. They both know Chuck will have another copy of the tape. Jimmy is humiliated in accepting guilt, with restitution and humi8liation. The next step is to somehow avoid being disbarred, but plans are afoot; Kim has an admission from Chuck that the tape exists. Yet isn't she, a professional, sinkind to his level and slowly ruining herself...?

First class telly. Again.

Better Call Saul: Witness

 "Perfection is the enemy of the perfectly adequate..."

Regarding the above quote, this episode is pretty much the former, with the season going in the directions I expected:

The Mike story parallels last episode with a long investigation scene vwithout dialogue, relying solely on superlative directing and facial acting, yet it's compelling. The plot is predictable, yes, but that's the point. That early reveal of Los Pollos Hermanos isn't a surprise, it's the culmination of what we've been waiting for. Then, with that scene of Mike roping in Jimmy to dstake out the restaurant, it's all about making us wait in anticipation until Gus appears... and we're thrilled when he does. Gus is no fool, as Giancarlo Esposito can imply with his facial expression alone.

Even more shocking is when, yep, it's made clear that Mike has been noticed. He's about to fall into Gus' orbit. Things are falling into place.

But the deep, clever drama here is between sweet, trusting, doomed Kim and slippery Jimmy, as Chuck schemes. We see another old/new face as Francesca is hired, a little haphazardly, with Kim being all professional while Jimmy is the folksy charmer. Francesca complains about "too much red tape" in her old job: I don't think shre'll be having that problem again.

It's when Ernesto tells Kim about the tape that things get truly fascinating. Kim does that "give me a dollar" thing from Breaking Bad(!), but she's still dipped her hand in the blood now. She can't pretend she doesn't know, yet she's still blind to the sort of man she's come to love. A con man and shyster who will drag down her professional reputation. A man who isn't violent, mean, verbally abusive or unkind, but a bad and self-centred, amoral man who ruins lives. Including, inevitably, hers. 

We end with Chuck's real trap, his clever, intended use of the tape after so much speculation. Ouch. Hook, line and sinker. This is simply sublime telly.