2.4 Gloves Off We start with a classic cold open. Mike limps into his house, looking weary and worse for wear. He deposits an envelope of money on his desk, then goes to the fridge, gets some frozen peas, places them on his face and sits down. It’s only when he removes the peas for a moment that we see the extent of the damage he has sustained. Immediately we know that Mike accepted and completed the job he was given at the end of the previous episode, but took one hell of a beating in the process. Whoever Nacho needed to disappear, Mike made it happen. Now imagine if the episode had just continued from there, without flashing back to show the who or the how. It could almost work, right? The point had been made; Mike took the job and got the money. The main meat of last week’s cliffhanger has been resolved in two minutes. Except then the episode throws a spanner in the works; it takes us back and reveals that Nacho’s target is none other than Tuco Salamanca. And we know Tuco is still alive and dangerous by the time the events of Breaking Bad roll around. But we also know that Mike completes his job. So suddenly, we are on the hook, desperate to know just how he manages it, and a story in which the outcome seems unquestionable has become compelling. Imagine the Saul of Breaking Bad screwing up and getting his friend/maybe girlfriend into trouble at her work in the process. Would he immediately go to the brother he hates with every intention of throwing himself on his sword to save her, only to be stopped in his tracks when he has to make sure his damaged sibling is alright through the night? It’s a sequence that shows us that while Jimmy may be disillusioned with doing ‘the right thing’, he’s still Jimmy McGill and he still cares deeply for the people in his life. Chuck has betrayed, sabotaged and belittled him, and despite Jimmy’s care shows no sign of stopping. But Jimmy still sits up all night, gets his brother water and blankets and makes sure Chuck is okay before he lets loose his justifiable rage. This guy is the same as the slimy lawyer who casually suggests ‘sending people to Belize’ when they become a problem in Breaking Bad. What could possibly break him so horribly? The clues are certainly present, and the central showdown between Jimmy and Chuck, a confrontation I was sure was still a good while away, brought the themes of the series front and centre in an absolute barnstormer of a scene. Bolstered by some amazing performances from both Bob Oedenkirk and Michael McKean, it’s a wrenching, nail-biting moment where the differences between the two brothers are clearly delineated. Jimmy tells Chuck that he will quit Davis and Main and walk away from law altogether; provided Chuck helps Kim regain her rightful position at HHM. The temptation for Chuck is undeniable; as Jimmy says, one sentence would give him everything he wants. But the problem is that it would also give Jimmy what he wants too; definitive proof that Chuck is just as bad as him. This episode didn’t do a huge amount to move Jimmy’s plot forward; rather it starkly presented the fallout of last week’s blunder. Jimmy may have managed to escape with his job intact, but there was no squirming out of the trouble he was in. None of his arguments held water in the face of Cliff Main’s fury. Perhaps his mistake was assuming that his softly spoken, patient, guitar playing boss was anything other than a shrewd lawyer with a reputation to uphold. Jimmy gambled with his ability to talk his way out of this and he definitively lost, in the process hurting Kim more than he hurt himself. Jimmy underestimated his new job, and the extent to which he does not fit in was unclear until now. When Jimmy offered to resign to Chuck, did he actually want his brother to hand him an excuse to walk away? Possibly. At this moment I would wager that Kim’s opinion of him is the only thing keeping him at Davis and Main, and that may not be a factor for much longer. Meanwhile, Mike’s material is leaving me conflicted. On the one hand I admire how brilliantly it is written and structured. On the other hand, as I said last week, it still feels separate from the main thrust of the series and at times like it belongs to another show altogether. This week alone we had guest appearances from three Breaking Bad alumni, from Tuco to the more surprising arrivals of Krazy-8 and Jim Beaver’s laconic arms dealer. Better Call Saul has reached an interesting point where, while these cameos are fun, they’re a little superficial and don’t do much more than elicit a response of ‘hey, it’s that guy!’ Tuco works because his fate being a forgone conclusion is a key part of how Mike’s story played out. The others actually run the risk of being a little distracting. That said, however, Mike’s plot this week was possibly the most satisfying we’ve yet seen (barring, of course, his heartbreaking backstory in Five-O), and it was worth it all for the punch-the-air moment when he grins at Tuco through bloodied teeth and calmly asks ‘is that all you’ve got?’ Is it blatant fan service? Absolutely. Did I still cheer at my TV? You bet. It also effectively removed Tuco from the show, at least for now. I actually like this move because it makes room for new villains who aren’t constrained by the development we’ve already seen in Breaking Bad. Nacho’s every action is no longer overshadowed by his role as Tuco’s offsider and, in keeping with the masterful use of the prequel format, we now have the question of exactly what changes Mike from a man who will go to great lengths not to kill to the cold hitman we see in Breaking Bad. I have a feeling that the surely inevitable arrival of Gustavo Fring will answer a few big questions for us. Read Gabriel’s review of the previous episode, Amarillo, here.
