Better Call Saul: Point and Shoot

 "He is NOT coming back.

And I thought last episode was superlative... soon I'll have no superlatives left. This is simply an extaordinary piece of television- directed, of course, by Vince Gilligan personally.

This is a tale of two levels of existence- that of the cartel, which is full of a huge scale and huge dangers, empire building and ten dimensional chess by powerful warlords. And then we have the level of Jimmy and, especially, Kim, who will nly ever be helpless and highly vulnerable pawns in this world. Hence the opening shot, which turns out to be a flash forward to Mike's faking of Howard's "suicide" but where the symbolism is obvious- a mere shoe is helpless against the relentless force of the tide.

Lalo's orders to Jimmy and, after Jimmy insists, Kim, are brutal. Someone like this, a civilian who is unused to violence, forced to be an assassin.  In this world, Kim and Jimmy (but "Saul" perhaps less so?) will never have any agency. They are pawns in the denoument of the epic clash between Lalo and Gus, ultimately won by the cleverer of the two, as we knew it would, having seen Breaking Bad.

And we end with Mike, the show's grown up, fixing things and authoritatively laying down the law to Jimmy and Kim, making clear his disdain for their childish games with Howard, another victim of Jimmy's behaviour.

And then both Howard and Lalo are buried in the meth lab. They are of the past... what of the future?

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: 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: Bad Choice Road

 "How about a day without drama?"

Oh boy. What an episode.

Kim is, of course, the focus of our sense of mounting dread and, naturally, the episode itself. But let's do a tour of the other plates that are spinning during this penultimate episode of the season...

Jimmy and Mike finally get out of the desert and can begin to recover... but Jimmy is not so battle hardened as Mike, who can afford to be philosophical, true stoic that he literally is. Jimmy is physically worse for wear (although he has Kim, ooooh he has Kim...) but more; he hobviously has PTSD following his experiences.

Gus, chilling as ever, is debriefed by Mike, works out exactly what's going on, and gets back to his usual chillingly amoral ten-dimensional chess, played with typical cold intensity by the sublime Giancarlo Esposito. Mike may sympathise with Nacho's wish to get out of this cartel life, but to Gus, Nacho is just another pawn. Once you become a "friend of the cartel", you don't get out... are you listening, Kim?

But Kim... oh, so many bad decisions. Shockingly, she gives up her job so she can focus on her pro bono workm much less well paid. This is... unwise, and ties her even more to Jimmy's criminally adjacent, "friend of the cartel" life. The final scene, with Lalo demanding andswers from Jimmy, is a masterpiece of tension, with Kim very much present, involved... and showing real guts in resolving the situation.

But she's in, now, irrevocably. Her decision to quit her main job wasd, ironically, so she could focus on work with which she feels much more ethically comfortable rsather than driving old men off their land... but she's driven into the hands of Jimmy, who may not like getting his hands dirty but has zero morals as long as he isn't personally close to the bloodshed.

Oh Kim. I'm now certain. Her downfall will not just be the ruin of a genuinely good person. The moment has come: I'm certain that we're going to see her die. Itr's her only possible trajectory.

Better Call Saul is not Jimmy's tragedy. It's Kim's.

Better Call Saul: Bagman

 "The alternator's shot. Literally."

Wow.

You kbow, when Vince Gilligan himself writes and directs that you're getting a treat, and probably an unusual one. And crikey, we did.

The plot is simple- Lalo gets Jimmy to be the bagman in discreetly collecting his $7,000,000 bail from a discreet desert rendezvous, but he's ambushed by ne'er-do-wells and nearly robbed and killed. But Mike, watching from afar, efficiently saves him, kills the baddies, and eventually leads a desperate, fish-out-f-water Jimmy, to safety.

But it's about the nuances. The directorial touches here are frequently magnificent. The suspense is frequently exquisite. Yet, as ever, it's all about the characters. Lalo manipulating Jimmy into doing the fateful job in the first place. Jimmy demanding a $100k fee, something he may regret. The power imbalance between Jimmy and the scarily calm Lalo.

Then there's Mike's little speech about how he keeps on doing all this- for his granddaughter. And the episode's main point- Kim is now irrevocably involved in Jimmy's underground stuff. She's also the wife we don't see in Breaking Bad. She's... going to die, isn't she? I'm certain. The show isn't even trying to hide it.

Saul is getting involved in things far beyond him. And it's not just him who will be hurt in the process. This is utterly gripping, suspenseful television, even by BCS standards, but it's Kim it leaves me thinking of.

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: The Guy for This

 "It's not about what you want. When you're in... you're in...!"

I often note the artiness of the openings to these episodes, but the one here, with the fire ants climbing last time's ice cream cone as though it were Everest and, eventually, incrementally, disposing of it... wow. That's superb.No sure what it's supposed to conver- the transience of human existence in the wider context of nature?- but wow.

The "a" plot here, with Jimmy, is superbly exciting. Firstly, we get to meet, er, a "younger"(!) Hank and Steve Gomez, but they're just patsies in a plot by Lalo and Nacho (it's short for Ignatio, the penny drops!) to screw over Gus... and, of coutrse, this involves using Jimmy (Saul?) as a lawyer. It look as though this is just the first of many times too. Yet, despite the ethics, Jimmy's lack of real choice and, worst of all, Nacho's truly terrible car interior decor, this is a lucratiuve day for him, pointing towards the future. It's nicely done.

Kim's "b" plot is very different. She seems displeased at having to work for Mesa Verde these days: her heart is in her criminal work, morals above money. And yet, given a morally dodgy job to do- helping evist a man from his house- her attempts to do good are rejected. Is she becoming more Jimmy-like? Is her arc one of eventual corruption and darkness?

Meanwhile, we see very little of Mike... but he's not in a good way. What happened to Werner is REALLY getting to him.

This is a very impressive episode, more so even than usual. Yet I can sort of see where Jimmy's arc is going. Kim's, and Mike's, less so...

Better Call Saul: 50% Off

 "Dude, that's almosthalf!"

I love these kinds of episodes- slow, building up to something, lots of character stuff, lots of room to breathe.

We're fainly fcusing on Jimmy- busy busy busy with his new, Saul Goodman, type of criminal law stuff, and having to juggle things- proper con man stuff. And, of course, his massive discount sparks off a minor drime wave... but hey, it's all about Jimmy, as ever. Never mind the little people who get hurt.

The relationshiop between him and Kim... well, she's busy and blows off a movie night. Are they drifting apart, with their obvious ethical differences, and that nonsense with the big house being obvious pie in the sky? Well, yes... but we still see him charming her as ever.

It's an interwsting scene with Mike, too. At first we see his wholesome grandad side... but then he lashes out angrily at Kaylee when she asks too many questions about her dad being a police officer. This is a fascinating scene... but I'm sure, too, that it's leading somewhere.

But most fascinatingly, perhaps, we have Nacho. His father threatened by Gus, he has to gain Lalo's trust in order to relay thingsback to Gus... and does so in pretty much the most badass and hugely entertaining fashion possible, in a sequence that has to be the highlight of the episode... but what does he want with Jimmy....

Superb stuff, as ever.

Better Call Saul: Magic Man

 "Doesn't that sound like you're envouraging people to commit crimes?"

We begin the season- as we haven't for a while- in the monochrome present, in Nebraska, as the artist formerly known as Jimmy continues his life of constant worry and looking over his shoulder, miserable, with nothing to look forward to. We continue in this vein until, suddenly... he's recognised by someone from New Mexico. So what to do? Yet another new life (from the same bloke and the same actor!) would be far too expensive... so he's going to take matters into his own hands.The whole sequence takes thirteen minutes, and only then do the titles kick in.

This is exciting, to say the least. For every other plot thread, we know roughly how things are going to pan out. That Jimmy is going to practise as Saul Goodman, that Gus is going to win out over Lalo, that Kim was nowhere to be seen in Breaking Bad. But for this, in the "present"... this is uncharted territory. It seems this part of the show may get more prominent.

And yet so many more plot treads, potential season arcs, are beginning to unfurl. Nacho, having thought he'd won, now has to contend with Lalo. And Lalo is a problem for Gus too, who is on the back foot in relation to him, and can't overtly act against Lalo without annoying Don Eladio. But Gus is Gus, and it's clear he intends to kill Lalo... an arc for this season?

Interestingly, there's a comment about Gus. he's competent, he gets results, but he's "not one of us". Subtle racism?

Then there's Jimmy, setting up as Saul Goodman to the existing criminal clientele to whom he's been selling phones... and he is, as ever, quite the successful salesman. Kim, of course, being a real lawyer, can't understand what he's up to, and it seems the rift will grow... and yet, at the end, she is again seduced by his tricks despite hereself.

Most interestingly... Mike sends away Werner's very scared crew, and when Kai states that Wener had it coming... he gets hit for his troubles. And yet, when another German tells Mike that Werner was worth fifty of him... Mike lets it slide. Ouch. There even seems to be a rift developing between him and Gus.

Already, this season is sizzling, with so much going on. At last, we really feel as though the world we experienced with Walter White is not too far away. Superb television, as ever.

Better Call Saul: Winner

 "I mean, four or six nipples. That's interesting..."

This is, of course, a truly astonishing finale, based around two shocking moments. The long pre-titles gives us some very bad karaoke and a flashback reminding us of the dynamic between Jimmy and Chuck, with Jimmy, even back then, as shallow and self-centred as ever. But then we get to the two contrasting narratives that define this finale.

Werner is going to die. We know this from the start. He's been too indiscreet, and attracted the attention of Lalo. The final scene between him and Mike is as inevitable as it is harrowing. The scene is utterly masterful, with Werner slowly realising wjhat has to happen, and accepting his fate with calm resignation. Yet the shot itself is not the worst part. It's that Werner, sothat his wife may live, has to phone her one last time and break her heart.

Throughout it all, we see Mike's pragmatic efficiency. He lies well, yes, but not like Jimmy- for him it's a job. And he has his ethics. He goes as far as he can in trying to persuade Gus to show mercy... but Gus's face is chilling. Giancarlo Espososito is a true master of facial acting.

And then we have Jimmy's hearing to be readmitted as a lawyer, an operation planned with the same military precision as the hunt for Werner. Jimmy's cynicism is a sight to behold. Visiting his own brother's grave only to be seen, performing as the good and dutiful man. His performance, in the end, is extraordinary... but it is just that: a performance. There are, perhaps, signs at the very end that Kim may be beginning to understand what Jimmy really is.

And the final lines, that Jimmy is not going to be practising under his on name and "Good, man"... oh my.

And yet... none of this is the most revealing thing about Jimmy.It's how strongly he identifies with a former shoplifter who is fated never to be accepted because of one mistake in her youth, how much he projects himself on to her, his own demons, how his rant supposedly in support of her is... not a good thing. Even in empathy, Jimmy is a selfish monster, one of the most fascinating characters of all television drama.

Better Call Saul: Wiedersehen

 "We should only use our powers for good..."

This is a fascinating penultimate episode. An awful lot happens, and there's so much character development... but it's still not clear how the finale is going to shape up. Well, aside from Werner escaping and trying to go home because he misses his wife. This is nicely done, and logically follows on from subtle hints that have been recently dropped. The lab is progressing, and starting to look like the lab we know from Breaking Bad.  Morale with the other Germans is high. There's a cool sequence with the demolition.

But then there's new guy, Lalo Salamanca, who we (and Nacho) first saw last episode. Suddenly he's in charge, using a clearly annoyed Nacho as an underling and throwing his weight around. He visits his "Uncle Hector, now disabled as we knew him in Breaking Bad... and, in a bizarre little mini-origin story, gives him the bell. This is a symbolic changing of the guard from one Salamanca to another. He's smarter than Hector, confident, and I love his comment that his uncle is  "Same old Hector... just wants to kill everybody".

He's going to annoy a lot of people, of course. His confrontation with Gus, two intelligent alpha males sizing each other up, is fascinating. But I rather fancy Gus' chances. Lalo isn't long, I suspect, for this world.

We start the episode with Kim and Jimmy on another scam, Kim by now absolutely a natural at the lying and all that comes with it. The two of them are on exactly the same page. Jimmy confidently expects to be reinstated as a lawyer... and he now has a new potential clientele, who know him as Saul Goodman. It looks like the future is being set up...

But he fails his reinstatement hearing.

And Jimmy doesn't take it well. The mask slips. Jimmy, a selfish, malevolent, entitled *** behind the surface charm, lashes out at Kim, who in turn tells him some home truths: she always comes running to him.

They seem to reconcile, but... what now? I don't know, but this is extraotrdinary television.

Hawkeye: So This Is Christmas

 "Is this what heroes do? Arrest their mothers on Christmas?"

It's interesting watching this season finale the day after an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Doctor Who finale. But Hawkeye was in no way overshadowed.

Much of the episode was a big, fun, set piece Christmas party battle, with trick arrows, owls, LARPers, falling Christmas trees and... the actual bloody Kingpin. Wow. Vincent D'Onofrio is exacrly as superb, in the same way, as we've seen, but in another context. No way does he die. No bodies are seen.

Yet there are so many character moments. Kate is such a hero. Her whole privileged life is based on immoral acts... so she abandons it, in a heartbeat, hard though it is. Because kit's the right thing. Her mother is an unrepentant gamgster and criminal who isn't very good at gaslighting... so she gets her arrested. Hard, so very hard, but the right thing. Also, she's awesome in a fight. And this time more tactical. And Clint is, by now, impressed. So much so that I suspect he sees a successor in her, accepting her as a partner and inviting her to spend Christmas with his family. And she's made very welcome, bless her. 

Kate's confession to Hawkeye about her childhood glimpse of him is cute. And the scene between Clint and Yelenba turns out to be far more heartwarming and less murderous than we might expect. The rapport between Kate and Yelena is awesome too.

And we even get a musical number at the end.

This is really rather good. Not top tier telly, perhaps, but well characterised and acted. I enjoyed the episode and I enjoyed the series.

Hawkeye: Ronin

"Kate, this is not cutlery."

This is a bloody brilliant episode. Yes, there are revelations upon revelations, but after last episode we see Kate deflated at Clint's rejection of her, until she's ultimately determined to, er, reject his rejection, and he ends up saving Clint, as Ronin, from Maya, genuinely saving him. She even has her escape route planned. Nice one.

And Clint seems to accept her. He's very much worried, though, hinting that the Tracksuit Mafia is much bigger than Maya, that there is a "Big Man" behind the scenes, gunning not only for him but also for his family. Yet he has revelations for Maya, too, about who killed her father...

Families are very uncertain here. We learn that Yelena died when Thanos snapped his fingers, only to instantaneously return after five years, her sister dead and very much blaming Clint... why? Her conversation with Kate is delightful. Florence Pugh and of course Hailee Steinfeld both excel. Yet we also have a final bombshell... Kate's mother seems to be the one who hired Yelena. Well then. And it seems her boss is... Kingpin.

Yes: Kingpin. As in Daredevil. As in the Netflix shows now appear to be canon...

Hawkeye: Partners, Am I Right?

 "If I ever met Huey Lewis, I'd be a wreck."

Hawkeye is not, perhaps, the best Disney Marvel series yet, but it's pretty solid. This is, of course, the episode where Clint and Kate really, really click- the movie marathon, reminiscencing and planning scene are wonderful- and so it's inevitable that he should angrily drive her away at the start. There's a harbinger of this in thev awkward scenes at the Bishop residence, as Kate's mum warns Clint not to make her lose her daughter.

And then we have Clint admitting to Kate how much he misses Natasha, So, when it turns out that not only are the Tracksuit Mafia taking notes on his family but suddenly a Black Widow assassin turns up... and it's Yelena. Ouch. No wonder Clint reacts like he did.

Kate is awesome though, charismatic yet vulnerable, and clever enough to work out who Ronin really was. And it's confirmed, as if there was any doubt, that Jack is a baddie.

This is very good. Not great, but very good.

Hawkeye: Hide and Seek

 "A twenty-two year old vigilante. Shouldn't you be in school?"

Ok, first of all, the Hawkeye LARPing montage was obviously awesome. But we hearing aid wearers find it easier to follow what's going on with tabletop RPGs. Maybe Clint would enjoy that more...

Yet there's so much elseto admire in a series that is settling down quite nively. Clint's frustration at not being with his family at Christmas brings us closer to him. Yet Kate is awesome, too, just like us in a way: wanting to learn from Clint to achieve her dream and make it as a superhero. Anything to escape from the life with the family business that's been planned out for her.

Then there's her new stepfather, Jack... the Swordsman. Charming, evasive... and seemingly at the scene of Armand's murder. Kate has problems, and complications. Not only are she and Clint captured and at the mercy of the, er, Tracksuit Mafia, but the cops want to question her in the morning.

Best of all, though, is the chemistry between the hero worshipping, naive yet resourceful Kate and the gruff and annoyed Clint. The script, and both actors, are superb.

Hawkeye: Never Meet Your Heroes

 "I need a bow and arrow!"

This is all very new to me. I know Hawkeye, obviously, but Kate Bishop is from well after my comics-reading years. I know Jack must be the Swordsman, which is exciting, but I've never heard of Hawkeye as the Ronin, which I think of as a massive great big robot kaijin that went up against the Avengers.

We get a big revelation about Clint's unexpected past, we see him with his kids, and we get an actual mentioj of his hearing aid- although, trust me as one who knows: if you switch your hearing off you bloody well take it out and let your ear breathe a bit. Hearing aids help you hear more like other people do so you can fit in, but they're bloody uncomfortable to wear for hours on end.

I like Kate. The odds are stacked against her as a spoiled little rich girl, but I like her, a credit to both Halle Steinfeld and the writing. She's cool, resourceful and has just the right amount of sadness in her past. Plus she worships superheroes, especially the esteemed Mr Barton.

This is mostly set-up, but there's much to intrigue. The Swordsman. Simon Callow, as the late Armand, playing American. What the hell is going on with all this Ronin stuff. This isn't quite up there, so far, with WandaVision and Loki, but I'm enjoying it.