'Better Call Saul' Recap: 'Breathe'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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I’ve come to realize over the years, that a vast majority of television shows, like to make what their characters are all about as black and white as possible. If they’re a good person or a hero for that matter, then they are in many ways infallible. Sure, they will be tested and face strife, but that moral center never waivers and they return to it as often as possible and really the same can be said of the villains as well. They’re bad people, they do bad things and good luck when it comes to possibly seeing them do something noble or worthwhile and really, this compartmentalization of characters is something that’s quite unfortunate to see when it comes to television.
 
Because when a show goes down this road, the writing can slide into cookie cutter territory, making for an enjoyable experience, but not one that truly satisfies and that’s why I think myself and plenty of other people gravitate to toward shows that dare to dig deeper into their characters and their flaws, like Better Call Saul, for instance. Because Jimmy McGill’s incredible story has never once given us anything cliché or topical, it puts everything complex and confusing about mankind on display and it is never afraid to shy away from the grey area that people truly operate within and for proof, look no further than last night’s episode, ‘Breathe’, wherein just about every single character in this series found themselves on both sides of the proverbial coin of good and evil. 
 
The most obvious part of that when it comes to this story, came by way of Mike and Nacho’s storylines since both of these men continued to walk the fine line they’ve always walked in life as Mike tried his damndest in this tale to find the balance between taking a paycheck for free, from a company that he knows is shady as can be, all while making the most out of the experience to justify in his mind what he’s doing and Nacho, well…he tried desperately to start his transition away from a life of crime, only to discover there’s a certain thrill that he cannot replicate in life without being a part of something sinister and it would also seem that escape is going to be impossible for him regardless, considering the fact that Gus is onto what he did to Hector and will use that as leverage in the days and weeks to come. 

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​But as for how the series worked in the grey areas that people tend to gravitate toward, well that all came about by way of Jimmy’s storyline in this tale, wherein it seemed that Jimmy was going to be okay after all since he was already getting a head start on finding a new job to pay the bills while he waited for his restrictions from practicing law to end and well, it’s clear that Kim was right and that Jimmy needed to take a little more time before venturing out into the world like this because he’s a man who is rattled and confused. On one hand, he’s desperate to find his place in the world, and he’s hungry for someone’s approval, but he’s also filled with fury and rage over what’s happened, to the point where he flat out torpedoed a job opportunity that he initially was desperate to take on. 
 
Yet, while at first that doesn’t seem like a grey area to operate within, since in reality such an act appears to be a man working through his grief, one cannot forget that Jimmy goes to some dark places when he hurts, and he prefers to lash out at others and hurt them in order to heal his pain and the tirade he went off on at Neff Copiers was just the bare beginning of his ‘healing fury’ because Jimmy couldn’t help but notice a rare collectible at that office, one that could net him a decent payday, and one that could net him a sense of wholeness if he can get his hands on it and well, it’s chilling to watch Slippin’ Jimmy return to the forefront of this story and it should be interesting to watch how Mister McGill balances the darkness surging through his veins with the good things left in his life, and the decision to put together a heist at the end of this tale, only lends greater power to the tragedy brewing before us.
 
Because there is at least one person left in Jimmy’s corner, and that’s Kim, and if anything this episode gave us great insight into just how much she loves this man since she was willing to unload her own brand of fury (something we’ve never seen her do) upon Howard for his weak and spineless gestures in this episode and the last and that just breaks my heart, since it’s obvious that Kim is nowhere to be found when Saul Goodman arrives and in many ways, it would seem that Saul will eventually exist so that Jimmy can always operate in the grey area and find peace by being part of both the light and the dark and that’s why I love this show, because it’s giving us every little nuance and quirk when it comes to Jimmy’s future and while this is going to shatter all of us emotionally, I know I’m not alone in wanting to see the exact moment when Jimmy finds that perfect balance in his mind by making Saul Goodman a reality. Until next time.   

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