Written by John Edward BetancourtTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...Better Call Saul has accomplished plenty when it comes to how it tells a story over the past three seasons. It has solidified itself as the finest character study on television right now. It's thrilled fans of Breaking Bad with constant throwbacks and most importantly, it is a powerful modern American tragedy as we slowly watch a decent man with a good heart transform into something far darker. However, there is one thing that the show had yet to do when it comes to its incredible style of storytelling...truly leave us with a cliffhanger. Don't get me wrong, we tune in every single week ready to see what will happen next, but despite the fact this story is indeed a grand and sweeping tale, it's done in unique fashion wherein a particular episode can more or less stand on its own. But I use the word 'had' in discussing such matters because all of that changed last week. The more I had time to think about that penultimate moment between Chuck and Jimmy at the end of the last episode, the more I realized that I was dying to know what would happen next, which means the show had accomplished another wonder...it finally delivered a cliffhanger and a darn good one at that. Because that titular moment hung on my mind for the entire week forcing me to settle in, ready to watch 'Sunk Costs' fifteen minutes before its air time. In part to watch that brotherly showdown one more time, but more so to see exactly how well these two episodes would link together and well, this week's tale certainly did not disappoint, because this was a story that finally tipped Chuck's hand and now we know his vengeful end game. If anything, that was perhaps the thematic focus of the episode, revenge; especially when one considers that it also featured a wonderful moment between a pair of future allies because at long last, Mike and Gus met face to face, following up as well from another scene that left us hanging last week. In fact, let's take a moment and talk about that before we get too deep into the Chuck and Jimmy dynamic because it was quite the treat to once again see Mike and Gus stand face to face to discuss business if you will and this scene was lovely not only for the sake of Breaking Bad nostalgia but because of the respect these two men showed one another. They know just how smart the other guy is and there was no posturing and machismo to be found here...just an understanding that they both have an issue with Hector Salamanca for their own specific reasons and that uniting behind their common cause would be far more beneficial than fighting one another and the chance for Mike to stick it to the man who threatened his family was just too damn good to pass up. Which means we were once again privy to the wonder of Mike in motion as he worked to help undermine the Salamanca drug empire and man, did he do it in style. He managed to take down Hector's new drivers in the subtlest of fashion, but what mattered most about Mike's journey in this episode, is the sheer joy that revenge brought to him. There was a spring in his step we haven't seen for some time and while we all know deep down that harboring a vendetta isn't necessarily a good thing...for some men, it's the only catharsis they will ever know. That applies to Mike, and it also brings us back to the whole mess with Chuck and Jimmy. Now, what was racing through my mind at the end of last week's episode, and what stayed on my mind until last night...was that I was desperate to know how Jimmy was going to handle his pending arrest and to my surprise, he handled it well. Sure you could see on his face that his brother's ultimate betrayal was ripping at his heart and soul, but Jimmy owned this mess, with complete and utter confidence, even choosing to represent himself before a judge when the time comes for this to go to trial and well, it was a noble way to handle it all. He apologized to Kim, he told her why it was important for him to deal with this on his own, if anything it was the most mature thing we've ever see him do on the series. But the confidence, well that came from the fact he knew everyone in the District Attorney's office and there was a fair chance an old friend would be handling the case which meant Slippin' Jimmy could sneak out of the charges with little to no fuss. But that would simply be too easy, and it seems as though Chuck already knew the law would take precedence over familiarity, since the D.A. appointed someone special to look after the case and that's when we finally learned what Chuck was up to all of this time. Because during his interview with the Prosecutor, it seemed for a moment that the elder McGill was about to send a little mercy his brother's way, but that was all a ruse to put the final nail in Jimmy's proverbial coffin, because the prosecutor, at Chuck's request, offered Jimmy a simple deal, known as Pre-Prosecution Diversion. Wherein Jimmy would provide a written confession outlining his crimes and spend a year on automatic probation. However, there was a caveat...the letter would also go to the New Mexico Bar Association, a place filled to the brim with Chuck's friends, and it would likely mean the end of Jimmy's legal career for good. So there you have it, the disdain that Chuck showed a while back when it comes to the notion of Jimmy practicing law has finally come around full circle and this is quite the dastardly plan. Not only does it preserve the 'sanctity of the law' that Chuck firmly believes the world needs, it robs his brother of his dream and gives ol' Chucky boy a sick sense of satisfaction as his little need for revenge finally comes to fruition. If anything, it truly demonstrates that the McGill brothers aren't that different after all and whether Jimmy likes it or not, he's now in for an incredible fight to save his burgeoning career and now I cannot help but wonder...if Jimmy is unsuccessful in said fight to practice law, does that force his hand into perhaps starting a new firm under a new yet familiar name? Time will tell but when all is said and done, this was simply another phenomenal episode and for the first time in a long time, it truly feels as though we are barreling toward the end of Jimmy McGill and the birth of Saul Goodman. Until next time.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
|