"Better Call Saul" Recap: "Hero"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Sometimes in life you do everything you have to to finally get a taste of success, especially when it comes to Jimmy McGill. Yes, last night on Better Call Saul ambition was front and center as my new favorite television lawyer launched one of the funniest schemes I've seen in a long time, so let's get right down to recapping "Hero".

This was another episode where we learned more about Jimmy's past as the episode opened with an elaborate scam to swipe cash from drunks who thought they were getting their hands on a real Rolex watch. It worked like a charm and we also in a magical way learned the origin of the name Saul Goodman. While it may have seemed like a simple cold open, there was a method to this storytelling madness, because it sent home the point that when he puts his mind to it, Jimmy is a genius at pulling off an elaborate scam. 

Flash forward to picking up where we left off last week, with Saul standing before the Kettleman's as he tries to coerce them to return to civilization and put an end to this whole kidnapping mess. They agree, but they need to keep the money a secret, and of course offer up a chunk of their savings from the state to keep their guilt as quiet as possible. Saul instead tries to turn the money into a retainer fee to finally wrest the Kettleman's away from Howard Hamlin's firm, but they refuse, telling Saul that he is the kind of lawyer that only the guilty hire.  

Faced with this, Saul takes the cash, deciding to use it to build the foundation for his future, and stick it to Hamlin in amazing fashion. In essence, he replicates an advertisement for Hamlin's firm on a giant billboard with his own name, one that is quickly ordered to be taken down. It seems like the odds are against Jimmy once again as he tries to get someone to cover this, as he puts it "David and Goliath" story, but he can only get his hands on a student camera crew to tell his tale. But as luck would have it, the man pulling down the billboard nearly falls off the scaffolding and Jimmy is there to save him...just as planned. It gets him the attention he desires, and at last a few clients. It may tick off his older brother, but either way, Jimmy McGill may finally be in business. 

One has to wonder what kind of man Jimmy would have turned out to be if he used his powers for good, and not evil if you will. But let's be honest, what fun would that be? With this amazingly hair-brained, over the top scheme that ends up working, Jimmy is doing his best to find clients and well...good guy or not I have to say I'm pretty freaking impressed with how far the man will go to get his business rolling. And once again, we see that taste of the dark side coming with him taking the bribe from the Kettleman's. In fact it is now 100% clear to me that the only thing keeping Jimmy from completely becoming the Saul Goodman we know he will one day become is his brother. It's a beautiful thing to see his moral struggle from this, but it makes me wonder how long before something finally breaks Jimmy down to the point where he begins his journey down his darker path and looking at next week's preview, it may not be that far off. Until next time.  

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