Keeping true to it’s predecessor, Better Call Saul has maintained a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race mindset, allowing characters to brew and bubble before major events take place. Some of the biggest moments so far may have felt grand on a small scale in comparison to the final seasons of Breaking Bad but I have a feeling things are about to change.
The episode starts out with a flashback to Jimmy in his younger years, presumably the “Slippin’ Jimmy” era, where him and his partner in crime (literally) are scamming scammers out of their hard earned cash. Jimmy even drops his infamous moniker “Saul Goodman” when introducing himself to his victim-to-be. We get to see that even though Jimmy is on the path of righteousness, his past wasn’t always so pure.
Fast forward to present day Jimmy McGill and we see that the money from his deal with the Kettleman’s is being put to good use. Its great to see Saul’s personality coming out more and more and it is ever present as he’s screwing over his rival attorney’s law firm by mimicking all of their branding (all the way down to his copycat suit). Sure this gets Jimmy into some legal trouble, but in great Saul fashion, he is able to maneuver this and use his bad fortune as some good publicity. “Everyone loves a hero!”
A good portion of this episode is spent finally diving into this eccentric brother that Jimmy spends his a lot of his time babysitting. Chuck is apparently “allergic to electricity” which is, of course, as crazy as it sounds. He runs around with his space blanket in his dark house and throws people’s cell phones on the front lawn. Now we can upgrade him to #thief status after he swiped that poor old lady’s newspaper. Never mind the fact that Chuck left a $10 bill under a rock because the law is after him. They bust down his door and drag him to the hospital after the outside nearly puts him in a coma. Of course Jimmy comes to the rescue and is ultimately convinced to have Chuck committed to a psych ward to be examined for a month. Here’s hoping Chuck makes a recovery, just kidding that would make him pretty boring.
This episode really shines in the ending as its dedicated solely to our old pal, Mike. He’s spent the majority of his time on the show sitting in his parking garage booth, growling about stamps and tickets. However, this time around we get to see Mike’s life outside of the booth and in his droll life in what can be presumed is his semi retirement. We see some pretty familiar Mike-isms: eating alone in a diner, stalking some distant family member, and drinking in isolation at home. Unfortunately for Mike, his relatively unknown past comes back to haunt him as a squad of police officers surround his apartment and serve him a warrant. Why do I get the suspicion some one is in need of a good lawyer?
Previews for the next episode indicate that the show is about to open up more and take us in some fun and interesting directions. Finally this show is starting to come together and find it’s legs. Here’s hoping the rest of the season brings the fun and we see Better Call Saul turn into another hit series for BrBa fans. Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 10/9 c on AMC. Stay Entertained!
