Last night's episode of Better Call Saul was in a nutshell...jaw dropping. I never thought I would see such a horrific and painful betrayal befall Jimmy McGill, and well...while we all knew this story was a tragedy to begin with, I don't think any of us saw this coming. But before we get into the details of the betrayal of the century in "Pimento" we need to take a moment and talk about Mike's new line of work.

Yes, last week Mike approached the scuzzy veterinarian that patched him up on his arrival in Albuquerque for some "side work" and this week the vet delivered and Mike once again displayed his badassery. While waiting to be picked up for the job, he was confronted by a loud mouth gun toting yahoo who expressed his disdain for Mike not bothering to carry a gun. The end result of his bravado ended with Mike disarming him and dropping him in two seconds flat before accompanying his client to a warehouse to help him sell drugs to Nacho.  All of this led to a wonderful speech about whether or not criminals are bad people in principle and man...it seems like every time Mike is on the screen he steals the stage. 

But not tonight, while his storyline was pretty awesome nothing beats the revelations that were to come as things continued to heat up with the Sandpiper case. The scumbag lawyers for this firm begin to bombard Jimmy and Chuck with mountains of paperwork, leading Chuck to convince Jimmy that it is high time for the two of them to take the case to HH&M and let the giant firm handle the mess. Surprisingly Jimmy relents, convinced that this will no doubt get him a gig and let him work with his brother at long last.  But before the case arrives there, Chuck, who appears to be healing nicely from his electromagnetic sensitivity, sneaks outside in the middle of the night to make a mysterious phone call on Jimmy's cell.  

Of course, Chuck's former firm is happy to see the legendary lawyer and well...Howard seems to be in love with the case and offers Jimmy an epic amount of money. It seems like Jimmy has finally made it, until Howard lets him know there is no way in hell Jimmy will work at the firm during this case. Dejected and angry, Jimmy basically keeps the case for himself. Kim of course does some pressing into the matter and what she discovers prompts her to tell Jimmy to take the deal Howard is offering. Angry at Kim for backing Howard he is left to his own devices in the silence of his office and while he charges his phone, which went dead at Chuck's house...an idea comes to him.

Then came the shocker of the night. Jimmy heads back to his brother's house, still upset about how things with the case have gone horribly wrong and tries to convince his brother to bring out the nuclear option to get Jimmy a job at the law firm, he needs Chuck to appear to quit. But this all turns out to be a gambit, because he has looked up his phone records and discovered that Chuck called Howard the night before the deal.  In a stunning moment, Chuck reveals that he is indeed the reason why Jimmy never moved out of the mailroom at HH&M, and why he didn't get a gig at the firm now.  Because he still sees Jimmy as a common crook, and flat out told him that he is "not a real lawyer."  Devastated and betrayed, Jimmy lets his brother know that he is done with him and storms out of the house.  

There we have it ladies and gentlemen. It turns out that this is undoubtedly the moment that Saul Goodman was born. All it took was the sheer betrayal of the one man he wanted to make proud in this world, and holy cow was this an ugly ending to an episode. I really felt for Jimmy on this one since we have literally seen him moving toward becoming an incredible lawyer and doing amazing things. This was simply a heartbreaker of an episode, no two ways about it, and it looks like next week's season finale will continue this tragic tale as the fallout from Chuck's betrayal begins.  

Perhaps what I enjoy most about watching Broadchurch, outside of its rich and deeply flawed characters, is the lovely way that they handle their surprises. Each week gives us something new and exciting to see, and quite frankly, shock us and this week in "Episode 4" the show managed to keep the surprises coming with some big time revelations.  

The biggest revelations came from the Sandbrook case as DI Hardy asked Miller to drive him back to the town in the hopes of getting an officer he trusts to re open the investigation that sent him to Broadchurch. But of course, nothing quite goes as planned when it comes to this case, and Hardy quickly discovers that Ricky Gillespie, the father of the girls in the case, was having an affair with Claire, information that is just now coming to light, armed with this knowledge, he heads off to meet his contact.

That contact it turns out, is his wife, who also just happened to be the former lead investigator on the case and she has little interest in seeing this case be re opened. But matters are only further complicated when Ricky shows up to confront Hardy at a family dinner, telling him to leave Sandbrook and never come back and to leave the case alone. Something that leaves Hardy extremely disturbed and asking himself the same question over and over again...why would a father who lost his daughters NOT want to see the case re opened?  

Plus, there was another treat delivered by the show when Miller lets Hardy know the night she and Claire went out drinking she pulled two numbers from Claire's phone, Hardy's...and a mystery number and when they call it, no one picks up, but we were shown who was on the other end of that line, and it just happened to be Ricky, sitting at his desk before a beautiful picture of a field of bluebells. 

But alas his, and our, questions must wait because of course, there is a trial to be dealt with. One that once again managed to shock and confound everyone as Sharon, the greasiest lawyer in the United Kingdom, decides to sensationalize the trial further when she realizes that Jocelyn's case is pretty damn rock solid. So of course she brings to the stand Susan Wright, who has returned to make peace with her son because she is dying.  But Nigel wants nothing to do with her, and well...she makes him pay for it by going back to the story she told the police before skipping town...that she saw Nigel placing Danny's body on the beach on the night that he died.  

So...it's looking more and more like Lee Ashworth could potentially be innocent and that he is trying super hard to start over in life once again with his ex wife in Broadchurch. But, his ex is clearly a couple of things. A great big liar, a woman who can't enough of any man that's near her and well...potentially involved with the Sandbrook case as well.  I'm fascinated with Ricky and his disdain for not seeing Hardy find justice for his little girls and his odd love of bluebells. Of course the trial is still frustrating because seriously, Sharon could give Saul Goodman a run for his money, but I think the trial is no longer the focus. She's losing and she knows it and it feels like everyone is going to see Joe go to jail, because clearly the juiciest part of this show is yet to come...we are closing in on the Sandbrook killer and I can't wait to find out who it turns out to be. 

I have to say that the last couple of episodes of Better Call Saul have thrown me for a loop, in a good way mind you. This was a series that started out as bleak in so many ways when you think about it, but between last week and this week, it is suddenly hopeful in nature and and while we all know the joyous tone cannot be maintained, last night's episode "RICO" was no exception to this newfound sunny disposition. 

In fact the only "dark" moment I can think of, came with the finest of intentions. Our B story last night revolved around Mike and his finally getting the chance to watch and care for his granddaughter. But in the process of helping his daughter in law Stacey, he comes to discover that financially she is in need of help, leading Mike back to the crooked vet that helped him with his gunshot wound so long ago in the hopes of finding some illegal side work, no doubt to get the cash to Stacey and Kaylee.

But the centerpiece story of the night was about the brothers McGill and we started off that tale with another glimpse back into the past where Jimmy, working as a mailroom boy at Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill gets the good news that he has passed the Bar Exam and after sharing the news with his brother in the hopes of joining him at the firm, Jimmy has his hopes crushed by Howard Hamlin, bringing us back to the present where Hamlin is of course beaming with pride over the Kettleman's settlement moments before Jimmy makes a powerful discovery about one of his elderly clients. 

It turns out that the retirement community she is living in, has been severely overcharging her and her fellow residents, exciting Jimmy at the chance of such a big case landing in his lap and putting him to the test as he goes above and beyond, including dumpster diving in one nasty scene, to prove the retirement community is up to something as since they were shredding documents before his very eyes. It turns out the shredded documents are indeed a part of something ugly, and the case has caught Chuck's attention and he seems to return to his former self as he quickly buries himself into what appears to be turning into a RICO case as he decides to team up with his little brother. In fact the case is so big, Chuck drops a bomb on the lawyers representing the retirement community, telling them it will take $20 million to make their clients whole again.  But as awesome as all of this is on screen, nothing was more important or more powerful than the closing moments of the show, when Chuck ventures outside and even interacts with electronic devices without a thought as he pours over documents.  

It could be a sign that Chuck is at last getting better when it comes to his condition and apparently burying himself in a case was just the trick to do it. But seriously, what an amazing episode to see Jimmy once again working toward helping others and setting things right in the world and what a blast it was to see the two brothers finally working side by side and well, it made me sad. Because despite all the feel good episodes we are getting as of late, we know that Saul Goodman is hiding in the shadows, waiting to be born and it seems more and more, it won't be Chuck being committed or some catastrophic life event to turn him to the dark side if you will. It will be men like Howard and maybe this case. After all, Chuck is still part of HH&M and once they get wind of this case, I wouldn't be shocked to see them try and swoop in and steal it, and that kind of injustice may finally be the straw that breaks Jimmy's back. Time will tell... 

I'm starting to discover that Broadchurch is becoming a fiercely frustrating show to watch. I say that not because the show is terrible, it is quite the opposite of that. I say it is frustrating for a couple of reasons, the closure we should be receiving from last season, is simply not there, nor it would seem is the justice the Latimer family deserves and all of these issues have left me shouting at my television on a regular basis when the show is on and last night's "Episode 3" only made it worse.  

We picked up mere moments after the end of last week's episode. With Lee and Claire gone from our sight thanks to Beth and her epic temper tantrum that sent her into labor. This was the only touching moment of the episode as she gave birth to her new child, a young girl named Lizzie, because once we got past the cuddliness and wonder of the new baby in the Latimer family, it was back to the usual level of ugly we have come to expect. 

It turns out, Claire was okay, Lee simply took her back to the safe house Hardy set up for her. Of course when Hardy returns there to look for her, Lee is waiting, forcing a quick confrontation between the two men before Lee takes his leave and Hardy has a moment with Claire to understand why she didn't reach out to him and we quickly learn there is a damn good chance she knows more than she is leading on. 

But the first big frustrating moment of the night comes from the attempt by Ellie to learn exactly what she knows. Despite a night of drinking and one night stands for both women, Claire keeps her mouth shut, claiming that her husband drugged her and she knew nothing. It was an interesting statement from Claire, seeing as to how Ellie was passed out courtesy of a sleeping pill when Joe killed Danny which led to frustrating moment number two of the night...the trial.  Ellie was at last put on the stand to speak to what she knows and well, Jocelyn's understudy, Sharon, made matters worse by being the skeezy lawyer she is.

She had the audacity to accuse Miller and Hardy of an affair because of that moment where Ellie sought out Hardy to try and wrap her head around what on earth motivated Joe to kill Danny Latimer and well, it's nuts. She truly is the epitome of a scumbag lawyer and I honestly question whether she is trying to win this case for the sake of Joe and his well being, or to stick it to Jocelyn and quite frankly, the judge is equally as incompetent.  In fact this would be where I was shouting at my TV set the most because seriously, this judge is letting Sharon do whatever the hell she wants. It's clear that the defense team, so hell bent on "sticking to the facts" does the complete opposite, putting wild concepts before anything else while the judge just sits there all lah ti dah. It's infuriating.

But on the plus side, it's clear we are inching toward some answers at last on the Sandbrook case, it's merely a question as to whether or not Lee or Claire will crack. In fact it was quite shocking to see Lee have the balls to visit Hardy after filing a formal complaint on the DI to try and clear his name with the case with the results of his own investigation.  Frustrating or not however, this show has me hooked once again and I'll be on my couch next week hoping that Hardy, Miller and the Latimers finally get a break from the stupidity surrounding them. Until then.

If anything, last night's episode of Better Call Saul to me, fundamentally changed any theories or guesses I had about Jimmy McGill and how he becomes the scumbag lawyer we know and love all because of his surprising actions in this week's tale "Bingo".

But before I came to that earth shattering moment, it was a nice touch for this episode to resolve last week's earth shattering episode with Mike as we see the grizzled former cop and his Philadelphia P.D. pal have a moment friend to friend, where the truth about Mike was quietly understood between the two of them, and left alone. 

But the shocker of the night came courtesy of the Kettleman's and their epic stupidity. It turns out that while Kim has done her damndest to find a way to win this messy case, she is faced with a no win scenario. The District Attorney wants blood, and offers a generous plea deal to get Craig Kettleman to plead guilty and serve a little time behind bars. This of course makes the Kettleman's decision crystal clear, fire Kim and hire Jimmy as their lawyer, making a point to rub in his face the fact they "paid" him a "retainer fee" when he found them on their "camping trip."

Jimmy begrudgingly takes the case, only to discover the same result as Kim, forcing him to get a little creative. He sends Mike to retrieve the money from the Kettleman's home, which he does in impressive fashion so that Jimmy can put what little money he has left from his bribe back in the pile to send it to the D.A.'s office before confronting the Kettleman's where he demands they head back to Kim and Hamlin and McGill and take the deal.  Craig and Betsy try to work their way out of it and turn it on Jimmy, with no success. He has set them up in fail proof fashion, because he truly has nothing to lose, and they finally do as they are told. 

Which brings us to the big question. What is it exactly that turns Jimmy into a scumbag? Sure we have seen him do some questionable things already. We know he has a past of unsavory choices, yet to do what he did last night shows off one incredible man. He saved Kim's career, sacrificing a potential future in a fancy and respectable office to simply do the right thing. I know we will find out in time, but it suddenly makes me worry that this isn't a simple story about a bad guy who was always bad finding his "true path", but a grand tragedy about a man who could have been something great, gets lost through the cracks. I'm sure we will start to find out what brought Jimmy McGill to become Saul Goodman...soon enough.

It's an interesting contrast when it comes to Series 2 of Broadchurch. I remember the good vibes the show had when Series 1 ended. It felt like Danny's death had united people and made them better in some incredible way. Turns out that was a filthy, filthy lie. Danny Latimer's death was simply a catalyst for the town's darkest hour and the consequences for everyone's actions in Series 1 went on full display in last night's "Episode 2". 

The first "sin" to come back and haunt the folks in Broadchurch applied to DI Hardy and DS Miller with the unpleasantness that went down in the police station shortly after Miller learned of her husband's confession, specifically when she kicked the crap out of him, snapping his ribs and leaving him bruised, and the fact that Hardy basically let all this happen on his watch.  It was an issue that left Jocelyn worried that it could endanger the confession when the trial came and well, her worries were right. 

Because the trial that no one wanted finally came to pass and well, it was a complete and utter disaster. The Latimers were next to face their past as the one time that Mark hit Danny, and the fact he was having an affair with Becca Fisher the night that Danny was murdered, were revealed to all in the courtroom. But the ugliness didn't end there. As I mentioned before, Jocelyn's fears came to fruition as the abuse that Joe suffered at the hands of his wife left the judge concerned that perhaps the confession Joe put to paper was forced out of him and it was excluded from the evidence. 

It was a huge turning point for the trial, and one that could not be dwelled upon by Miller or Hardy because the Sandbrook case still had to be dealt with in between all of this mess. It turns out Hardy decided it was time for Claire and Lee to meet again, and hopefully Claire could pull a confession out of her ex husband or lead Hardy to a clue at last. So they made use of Miller's old home to set up cameras and audio gear with that purpose in mind and control the conversation. But at the last minute, Beth Latimer showed up to berate Miller and well...Lee and Claire disappeared from the house, and Beth went into labor. 

I must say, I'm quite impressed with this whole theme that I am now seeing take front and center for this season of the show of the past coming back to haunt well...everyone. It's rare we get to see the consequences of any character's actions in this type of story and man, those consequences are costing everyone dearly. In fact I'm still in shock that Joe's confession was thrown out and I'm not sure how this can get much worse, but judging from next week's preview, it sure looks like it can. Until next time...

Last night's episode of Better Call Saul took us on a decidedly different journey, keeping Jimmy McGill in the background as we focused on the mysterious and always cheerful Mike Ehrmantraut, and we learned much about this parking attendant/badass in one somber and compelling episode, "Five-O".

So what is Mike's story? Well much of it last night was revealed in flashback fashion, but every single moment was powerful and important. We were witness to Mike's arrival in Albuquerque a few months after his son, Matt, died so that he could spend time with his daughter-in-law and granddaughter and we also learned that he arrived in this town nursing an ugly gunshot wound. Where that happened to come from...we would learn later. 

In the meantime, we picked up where last week left off with Mike at the police station, asking for a lawyer while his former coworkers from the Philadelphia Police hoped to get a little more information regarding the death of Matt and any information Mike may have regarding the mysterious death of his son's former partner and sergeant. His wish is granted and there is only one man to call, Jimmy McGill. Once his counsel arrives, Mike initiates a plan. He'll talk with Jimmy present, but only if Jimmy spills a cup of joe on one of the detectives so he can get his hands on the notepad one detective will have handy. Jimmy takes the high ground this go round at first, until the wasted interrogation ends and he spills that coffee after all.  

It gives Mike valuable information, especially the fact that he finds out his daughter-in-law called the Philly cops. It leads to a confrontation at her house and the truth. It turns out that Mike was a dirty cop, who took money when he felt like it and told his Matt, a straight arrow, to do the same to save his skin. But the cops in question didn't trust Matt regardless and killed him. Of course, Matt's widow wanted to know who took out the cops who betrayed her husband. Turns out it was Mike all along. He lured those dirty cops into a trap and dealt with them accordingly, taking a bullet in the process.  

It was a heavy episode to say the least and I'll be damned if I wasn't fascinated the whole way. Mike legitimately wanted justice for his son, justice he knew he would never be able to get without causing more harm for more people. Doesn't mean what he did was right, after all, the same question he asked Matt's widow applies to him, "can you live with it?" But wow, what a fantastic episode through and through. One that was a stark contrast to how the series has presented itself so far, and one that leaves you in silence when it fades to black. Bravo. Until next time. 

I've made the admission before that Broadchurch is a series that I missed when it initially came out on television a while back, and it's one of those viewing decisions I regret. But, I did enjoy the Americanized version of it in Gracepoint and that led me to seek out the original show on Netflix and enjoy it at last. Needless to say, when it comes to both versions of the story, I was dying to know where the story would go next and while I may not ever see a continuation of the American tale and its twist on the original's ending, at least the story goes on in Broadchurch. So without further ado, let's talk about "Episode 1" of Series 2! 

When we last left Broadchurch, Ellie's husband Joe had confessed to the murder to Daniel Latimer and it seemed that the community was moving toward healing at last.  But as the show opens, there is tension still, for today is Joe's sentencing and it has dredged up plenty of bad memories for everyone as all reunite at the courthouse to hear Joe finally speak the words "Guilty" and be sent off to jail. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Joe, in a surprise moment that infuriates his ex wife, stuns DI Hardy and sends the Latimers into an emotional tailspin, declares himself to be not guilty.

Joe tells his Barrister, Abby, that he has changed his mind and wants the case to go to trial, putting Abby's boss, Sharon on the case to defend him in court, and she and Abby believe that there may be enough inconsistencies in the case to overturn the charges against him. It forces the Latimers to seek out Jocelyn Knight, a retired Barrister who initially isn't interested in helping them out but once she sees Sharon, who turns out to be a former pupil of hers, has taken the case she decides to return from retirement and prosecute Joe for the Latimers, knowing full well Sharon will play ugly...more on that in a moment. 

The other highlight of the night was DI Hardy's past coming back to haunt him. Turns out he took the gig in Broadchurch to help out the woman whose life he has all but ruined thanks to the former case in Sandbrook that shattered his career. He has the woman, Claire, held up in a cottage in Broadchurch to keep her safe from her ex husband Lee Ashworth, whom Claire named as the murderer in the case. But while she has been safe and secure for seven months, that may all change soon, since Lee has returned to the country, his motives are unknown but he takes the time to break into Hardy's place and swipe some mail and important info.  But before Hardy can deal with that, the dirty move from Joe's legal team comes to a head as they order Danny's body to be exhumed for a new autopsy, leading all of those tied to the case to reunite again, this time under horrible circumstances to watch Danny's body be pulled from the grave as Lee watches in the distance. 

So wow, did not expect the show to go in this incredibly ugly direction when I sat down to watch it, especially since Series 2 was advertised as a healing for the town that saw its heart ripped out with this ugly murder and it was a phenomenal opener to say the least, and one that sets up all the important questions for the rest of the season. For one, why the hell did Joe change his mind about his plea after confessing? Is Lee here for revenge and also, did he actually commit the murders in Sandbrook? Not to mention one little plot piece I didn't cover initially, why is Mike Latimer hanging out and playing video games with Tom Miller in Susan Wright's old trailer?  I'm sure these are questions that will be answered throughout the season of course, but right now, I'm hooked and ready for more. Until next time. 

I think one of the things that I love about Better Call Saul is the fact that the show is so dynamic. One minute it's a rip roaring comedy, the next minute it's a hardcore drama, then it quickly becomes something entirely different. There's little to leave the audience bored and last night's episode "Alpine Shepherd Boy" pulled off all those things. 

From a hilarity standpoint, Jimmy's scheme to drum up business with the billboard incident gets him a few client meetings that are nothing short of a disaster. He is asked to represent a man ready to secede from the United States of America, and he is offering one hell of a handsome price to have Jimmy help him, a cool million, with half of it up front right now.  Unfortunately for Jimmy, the money is minted in his "client's" home, for his future sovereign nation. 

His second client has invented a toilet that helps promote toilet training with a voice chip. Unfortunately for the client, since he is oblivious to it, his device works like a charm minus the fact it basically spouts out "positive reinforcement" that sounds extremely sexual in nature. It leads Jimmy to finally settle into the possibility of working in Elder Law since he manages to make a little cash from putting together wills and trusts.  In fact, the second funniest scene of the night, because nothing beats the sex toilet, is Jimmy working the floor of a retirement home in his brand new Matlock inspired suit.  

But as I said before, the laughs were not the entire focus of the episode. There was plenty of drama as well as Jimmy's brother Chuck finally ran into trouble with his illness, finding himself arrested and placed in the hospital over swiping his neighbor's newspaper. It leads to some brilliantly acted scenes in the hospital that show how much the poor man is suffering from his mental illness and how much of a struggle it is for those who care for him. But the twist of the night was the mysterious Mike (mysterious to me anyways, still working on watching Breaking Bad) and getting a taste of his day and the seeming loneliness and isolation in his life. Heck, he even showed up at a lady's house, I'm guessing an estranged family member, to simply see her. I have a feeling I'm missing the connection there, but that's okay.

Either way, this was simply a fantastic episode of the show, one that definitely left me laughing hard before forcing me to settle back in and realize these are some deeply flawed characters facing some tough troubles in life. At this point Chuck's mental health is the biggest concern of all, especially since the show has done a fine job of skirting the line between whether or not he is actually sick until the simple pressing of a power button last night showed off just how mentally ill he really is. But now that we are over this mini crisis with Chuck, it looks like Mike will be the central focus next week as we learn exactly why a couple of cops have made a long trip to see him. Until then...