[rating=9.00] “Nails”
If ever there were a television show that went from 0-100 in just a few minutes, it surely pales in comparison to the utmost riveting bit of drama that went down during this week’s episode of Better Call Saul. Jimmy’s tactics dribble down the morality line a bit too far, while Mike manages to take a chunk out of the cartel’s profits with a quick little trip into the desert. How does one manage this rousing bout of everything all at once?
Last week Mike had his cute little granddaughter drill into a hose with him so they could water his newly planted flower garden with ease. Of course, by the end of the episode we were privy to his true intentions as he drove nail after nail into the hose. Homemade defensive system? A weapon of some sort? Turns out it was the key to his woefully elaborate plan to piss off the cartel, or rather, Hector Salamanca. Mike’s antics were incredible, and as he pulls out his bone-saw to dig through the mule truck’s tires it becomes increasingly apparent he’s got no fucks left to give. The question that one has to ask though is why? It seems like a sloppy move on Mike’s part, walking down that revenge back alley again, but then again we need that driving plot right?
Mike’s insistence is surely leading to someone’s death or demise; they don’t always go hand in hand. We can see this as it’s mirroring Jimmy’s storyline. Jimmy too is facing that obstructive sense of self as he attempts to navigate this new life he and Kim are embarking on. Since we already know Slippin’ Jimmy isn’t an inevitability but rather a current happening, one must question the legitimacy of his every move. In Mike’s case he’s always made the right moves, but this revenge heist could be his first slip up. In Jimmy’s it’s the fraudulent papers he planted in Chuck’s folders. While he flawlessly copied and edited each one to his liking, it is his insistence on doing so without the cloak of anonymity that winds up being the tipping point. Where Mike walked in the shadows with a disguise, Jimmy walked into the bright florescent lights with an unabashed swagger.
What was interesting was Kim’s reaction to Chuck’s allegations. We know she’s capable of the con, she continuously proves herself in a manner that puts her on par with Slippin’ Jimmy. The big question now is whether or not Kim’s running the long con to get what she needs from Jimmy. Whether she’s aware of it or not is up for debate, but one thing is for certain- Kim (like Mike) has ran out of fucks. At this point she wants to succeed without HHM and if that means looking past Jimmy’s criminal workings in order to hold onto her newly acquired client then she’s going to lie, cheat and steal through her everyday sensibilities.
The big drama of the night came from Chuck’s accusations against Jimmy. Jimmy doctored Chuck’s Mesa Verde paperwork leading to a huge snag in their plans to expand. This leads to Chuck getting fired, the start of a witch hunt, and later Kim’s stand as she chooses Jimmy’s side in the matter. We’ve seen Chuck pushing himself past his limits over and over this season, and as his temper boils and he searches for evidence of Jimmy’s deceit it finally comes to head. Well, his head that is. Can anyone come back from that sort of injury? Is this where we lose Chuck? Where Jimmy loses himself? Even with all the gore we were subject to throughout Breaking Bad, and now in short bursts during Saul, nothing compares to the image of Chuck’s head cracking over the counter as he topples to the ground.
Next week’s season finale is a toss-up. It’s too early for a Saul reveal, but we now have both Mike and Jimmy scrambling to clean-up their mistakes. For Jimmy it will be keeping his secret and using all means to do so. He’s not a monster, he still loves his brother, but he’s locked inside of a “me against the world” mindset, keeping Kim in his circle of deceit. In Mike’s case he’s going to do whatever it takes to keep his family safe, though it seems his paranoia could be putting them in more danger than his previous actions. Truthfully it’s all just talking in circles until we reach our finale. Until then, let us all stew together in suspense for one last week.
