At the end of last week’s episode we were left wondering what the heck was going to happen to our dear friend Mike. After his nightly parking garage duties, Mike made it home to kick back and relax while enjoying an old movie only to be interrupted by two of Philadelphia’s finest policemen. Why were they at his front door? Was Mike in some sort of trouble? Who could Mike possibly call to help him in his time of need? These questions were all we were left with at the conclusion of last week’s episode and this week brought the answers.
Episode six was the first time in the series that Jimmy (Saul) was not the prominent focus of the story. Odenkirk is actually only in one scene this week as AMC treated us to an almost entire episode dedicated to fan-favorite, Mike Ehrmantraut. Before diving into Mike’s messy past there should be mention that Jimmy is definitely starting to fully identify with his Saul persona. While on the inside he’s struggling to maintain his by-the-books, goodie two shoes mantra, Saul is officially shinning through and this week it’s in the form of his new suit. And was that a legit “Better Call Saul” business card that Mike slapped down on the interrogation table? Looks like boring old Jimmy is two steps out the door and Saul is finally bursting through.
Back to the main attraction of this episode. It was alluded to previously in Breaking Bad that Mike had some sort of history as a police officer in Philly and that, for some unknown reason, he left it all behind to become the right hand man to Albuquerque’s second most dangerous crime lord. Turns out there is a huge reason Mike left the field and in true Gilligan/Gould fashion, its heart breaking. You probably remember Kaylee, the youngest Ehrmantraut, who Mike tried numerous times to leave huge sums of money for so that she could have the life she deserved. Well its more or less assumed that her mother must be Mike’s daughter and they’re obviously dealing with some family tension. However, Mike always made time to see his granddaughter and make her life (and his) as happy as possible.
Surprise, surprise! Kaylee’s mother, Stacey, isn’t the daughter of Mike but rather the widow of his son Matt who was a fellow Philly PD officer until he was shot and killed in a routine crack-house raid. Apparently, this is what has Stacey and Mike in a rough patch as neither can see eye-to-eye on what to do to bring Matt’s killers to justice. Stacey clearly wants to go the legal route and have her husband’s killers thrown in jail and “dumped in the garbage” when they die. Obviously, Mike would rather do something a little more…Mike. Unfortunately for Stacey, we all know what’s gonna happen.
Or rather, what has already happened. Mike had a hunch from the very beginning as to who murdered his son and apparently acted on it immediately. He explains to Stacey that Matt was surrounded by dirty cops because that what officers had to do. Officers set up their partners, took dirty money, abused power and it was either get by or get out. In one of the more emotionally charged scenes of the season, Mike, teary eyed, shares that Matt had come to him saying his partners wanted him to take dirty money and that he wanted to be an honorable man and turn them in but it was his own father who convinced him to compromise his integrity and take the money. “And it was all for nothing.” So what happened to his dirty partners? Mike lets them know he has them figured out and after a night of “drinking” is thrown in the back of their cop car to presumedly be murdered. However, Mike had something else up his sleeve. As the cops reveal they’re going to kill Mike for getting in their way, he pulls out his gun and shoots them both.
And that’s why the cops showed up at Mike’s door at the end of last week’s episode. He wasn’t even truly under arrest, they just needed him to clarify what happened the night he was seen in the bar with the two dirty cops. Of course, we know that won’t be the case for long since Mike had Saul help him steal the Philly cop’s notepad and he’s probably going to be coming back for that soon.
Stay tuned every week for a recap of the latest Better Call Saul episodes and don’t forget to leave us your thoughts down below. Stay Entertained!
