TV Review: Better Call Saul – Season Two – Episode 5

This recap/review of Better Call Saul is written with the expectation that everyone who reads this and comments below will have seen the episode already. Thus, if you've yet to see the episode in question, DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER. SPOILERS!

EPISODE: Season 2, Episode 5: Rebecca

PLOT: Kim (Rhea Seehorn) tries to dig herself out of the hole Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) dug for her at HHM. Meanwhile, Jimmy finds himself on a much shorter leash at his own office, with junior associate at the firm, Erin (Jesse Ennis) following his every move.

REVIEW: Having screened early at the PaleyFest over the weekend, this week’s episode of Better Call Saul is riding a wave of anticipation as it didn’t take long for word to leak out that a former Breaking Bad baddie had a juicy cameo. While indeed, a famed former Walter White nemesis does make his BCS debut this week, for most of the episode the spotlight is deservedly shone on Rhea Seehorn’s Kim.

A fan favorite since her first appearance right at the start of season one, her evolving relationship with Jimmy has become one of the show’s major strengths, with great chemistry between the two. When we last saw Kim, Chuck (Michael McKean) and Howard (Patrick Fabian) had banned her to “doc review” in the HHM basement for not warning them about Jimmy’s Sandpiper ad. Jimmy tried to fix things with his brother, and when we pick up on his this week he’s still trying to square himself with her, even suggesting she sue Chuck and Howard. One of the best things about Kim is how she’s able to see right through Jimmy’s bullshit, with it clear to her he’s running some kind of endgame with Davis & Main and that she’s caught in the crossfire. On her own she tries to fix things by landing the firm a huge client, only to be coldly told by Howard that her time in the firm’s gulag is far from over.

Seehorn acting, as always, is top-shelf. Its nice to see her really get an episode (almost) to herself and the extra screen-time really helps flush the character out and put a ticking clock on her relationship with Jimmy (although I worry about her smoking so much). This is especially true after a heart-to-heart with Chuck, who assures her he wasn’t behind her demotion and sympathizes with the fact that she got caught-up in Jimmy’s scam. He tells her a story about how Jimmy scammed their own father of 14K, something which may or may not be true, and it’s a story that puts him in a whole new light – if indeed he’s not lying. This is ambiguous, with this week’s lengthy teaser showing him and his former wife (Ann Cusack) having Jimmy over for dinner shortly after relocating to New Mexico, where Jimmy is able to charm Mrs. McGill, to Chuck’s dismay. It’s clear Chuck despises his brother, but is this why?

One thing we also learn is that Howard really has it in for Kim now, as he feels betrayed by her for getting him to stick his neck out for Jimmy and making him look bad, a sleight he can’t forgive. As for Jimmy, he spends the week behind shadowed by Erin, who’s tasked with getting him in-line with the rest of the Davis & Main staff, only to see that Jimmy couldn’t care less by this point, with him ducking her early on, and then belittling her when she disapproves of him trying to bride a court officer. Jimmy’s really bombing the new job, and his self-destruction is a sight to behold. I’d imagine by next week he’ll either be out on his ass or well on his way. Like Walter White though, you can’t help but root for the guy even as he does wrong.

Breaking Bad Crossover: And here’s where we come to the big climax. While many assumed (or hoped) it would be Gus Fring making his Better Call Saul debut, it wound up being Mark Margolis’s Hector Salamanca, in his pre-stroke days. Margolis is great as he negotiates with Mike (Jonathan Banks) to take some of the blame for Tuco’s assault, with Mike well-aware that he’s trapped between a rock and a hard place, with a place on the hit list a sure thing if he doesn’t tow the line. This will likely have big repercussions on Nacho (who I’m not sure is going to survive the season) but Gus fans – rejoice – as it also seems like a sure way to bring that character back into the fray. I just don’t think Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan would introduce him before the season finale.