Among the most fascinating qualities of Better Call Saul is how quiet it can be, even though it's based on one of Breaking Bad's loudest characters. Sure there's a lot of talking, shouting and quick joking—especially in this week's episode, "Pimento"—but all so often, show creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould take the time to have characters quietly reflect or have the crew illuminate in silent surroundings.
At the heart of this penultimate season one episode is family conflict. The relationship between Chuck (Michael McKean) and Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) McGill has an illuminating dynamic. Jimmy lives in his older brother's shadow yet, in light of his electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), Chuck depends on his younger brother to manage with the outside world he no longer can adjust to. This balance is expressed beautifully in the first scene of "Pimento." As it was revealed last week to both McGill brothers, Chuck's EHS is not as severe as once thought. Their case gives Chuck new life, and Jimmy takes advantage of this as they spend some time in green grass and deep blue sky. Chuck is assured about his protection, while Jimmy is made more confident about his legal capabilities.
With that, they continue to fight the good fight. Jimmy uses his good charisma and fast-talking to keep the case going in the court, while Chuck holds up with the paper work in his home. But as the legal details build up as much as the bundles of pages, Chuck knows their multi-million case is beyond their hands. They need help, and they need it from HHM—which Jimmy, of course, detests. While Jimmy begins to be persuaded, Chuck takes things into his own hands. He puts on an oven mit and his space blanket, grabs a pencil and sneaks outside late in the night to Jimmy's cell in the mail box. He then calls a certain person Jimmy desises: Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian).
Meanwhile, Jimmy agrees to go to HHM and Chuck tags along in a specialized suit jacket and go to the oldest McGill's former work grounds. He is welcomed with an applause from everyone, in an office temporarily cell-phone free and with electronics turned down. They all applauded the brothers for their "slam dunk" case, and agree to take it under their wing. Of course, they want this without Jimmy's hands attached. They do agree to give him a check for his work, which would be much less than he would get if Jimmy went along with the case on his own. As the episodes begins to close, this disgruntlement leads to the McGill brothers in a heated argument. Oh, and by the way, Better Call Saul's one alluded f-bomb per season—a tradition started from the last Gilligan AMC program—can be found in "Primento." Be on the lookout for that.
Meanwhile, as this all happens, Mike (Jonathan Banks)—now with a cute little dog in check from last week—gets a call from a potential client to help deliver some pills to a returning Nacho (Michael Mando). After he proves himself for do the mission, alone and without guns, they deliver the goods successful, while Mike gives the newfound criminal as he tells him the difference between bad people, bad criminals, good people and good criminals. Although "Primento" does a better job than most Better Call Saul episodes thus far in how it balances Mike and Jimmy's storylines, it's never clear what this adds, other than to showcase how the Mike we know and love from Breaking Bad became who he was.
Written and directed by Thomas Schnauz—who only directed an episode of Breaking Bad prior: "Say My Name," best known for the line it shares with its title—the writer/director has one of this season's best balances of visual flair with the characters still at its core. Whether it's through use of space and color texture, this is when the heart of Breaking Bad feels alive again. Keep in mind, Better Call Saul should not be an exact copy of Breaking Bad for its own good. It's great, however, to see that zest alive and well again under the same universe.
What makes "Primento" shine, often, is how Schnauz focuses on the heightened drama of the characters at hand. It pays off on timelines and conflicts which build up in the season thus far, and it finally addresses issues expressed but never explored. The most potent of these is the dichotomy of these two lawyer brothers. It's evident Jimmy has a great deal of respect for his brother, but it's never quite clear before this where Chuck stood. Even though he wants the best for his sibling, he still sees him as "Slipping Jimmy." He'll never earn the full respect of his brother. He'll never get looked at eye-to-eye, and this ultimately cuts deep.
As such, as next week's finale comes to pass, hopefully this is still explored. The line where Jimmy ends and Saul begins only grows shorter as time grows longer, and where he is at the end of "Primento" is not especially clear. A broken American Dream-esque tale lost in a sea of New Mexico backdrops and burning suns, Better Call Saul is meant as a more saddening tale than one would expect from such a lighthearted character. He comes into his own, we know, but the potential and drive he feels to be better than his urges always comes against him, even when he does the right thing. Even towards the end of Breaking Bad, audiences got the chance to see this in Saul. He keeps slipping into "Slipping Jimmy," and eventually that slide leads things to be Goodman. It doesn't make the heartache hurt any less, though.
Image courtesy of Devan/INFphoto.com
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