‘Better Call Saul’ Recap: ‘Magic Man’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

If there is one particular phrase within our vernacular, that tends to ring true, it would have to be ‘be careful what you wish for.’ Because time and time again, this particular phrase has proven its worth when we wait eagerly for something big to happen, only to have it blow up in our faces in unexpected fashion and oddly enough it is a phrase that also applies to television shows as well. For we sometimes desperately want something to happen on a series and get exactly what we want, only to have that particular moment or plot point evolve into something we never quite expected and it most certainly applies to Better Call Saul.

After all, for the past four years we all waited and hoped with baited breath to see exactly what would prompt an everyday guy like Jimmy McGill to abandon his moral code, and embrace the power of the scumbag in order to transform into Saul Goodman, and well, we got our wish in the most devastating way imaginable. For it turns out that Saul was forged from great pain, since Jimmy has never once dealt with his sketchy and somewhat traumatic past, his shattered relationship with his older brother, or the pain in his heart that came from the unresolved grief of losing Chuck McGill to a horrific suicide. But none the less, this journey has brought us to an incredible point in Jimmy’s life. Because Saul Goodman has been born, and we finally were able to see what the early days of his reign in Albuquerque looked like, courtesy of last night’s season five premiere.

Which made ‘Magic Man’ quite the harrowing and tragic tale, since it featured an unrestrained Jimmy McGill. One who was finally free of the trappings that came with his last name and that would in turn allow for him to practice and interpret the law as he saw fit, and it didn’t take long for everyone to realize, that such freedom was a terrible idea. Because Jimmy embraced the wonder of said freedom with glee and quickly went to work in establishing his brand all over town in aggressive and sleazy fashion, and to add to the tragedy, Jimmy made it clear that this was going to be a wonderful way to build for his future. Because he firmly believed that his new clientele were going to be magnificent suckers, the kind that would continue to commit crimes and keep him in court and fighting the system for ages on end, and it was just heartbreaking to see him view the law and his future in this depressingly perpetual manner.

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But the darkest moment in this tale, came about from the fact that he no longer took the law and his oath seriously anymore. For he truly saw this as a great big game, one where manipulation and tactics mattered above all else and he is clearly working to spread that view to others. Because he took the time to work alongside his beloved Kim to manipulate a client into taking a deal by way of lies and deceit, something that goes against what every lawyer stands for. And his plan worked to a tee since Kim went along with his machinations and got exactly what she wanted for her client. An act that quite frankly left her in a tough place shortly after she played the game and it was simply devastating to watch her realize that she’s enabled and encouraged the worst parts of Jimmy by letting Saul come to fruition.
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Yet while all of this was genuinely unsettling, not every part of this tale was filled with bleak moments. After all there was a sense of nobility present in Gus Fring’s storyline. After all, he did take the time to send Werner’s former crew back home without any harm and full payment, and he even brokered peace with Lalo by assembling quite the lie to keep the heat off of his plans to build the greatest meth lab the world has ever seen. Plus, Mike even showed remorse for his role in harming Werner, to the point where he refused any further payment from Gus in order to not be reminded of his role in the hunt for Ziegler last year and it was nice to see him still show a little heart, and oddly enough it seemed as though there was even a little glimmer of hope for Jimmy as well in this tale.

Because the segment with ‘Gene’, finally saw Jimmy prepare to stand up for himself rather than run again, leaving one to wonder if there’s a potential happy ending for him after all. But let’s be honest, that’s simply this reviewer trying his best to find something positive in a story that really didn’t offer all that much hope in the end. For we are now in the thick of it, and in order to get to that iconic moment where Walter White and Jesse sit with Saul in his office, Jimmy is going to have to go nuclear on his life and burn down anything and everything that matters to him. Which means this season is going to be ugly as that process gets underway and that makes this premiere powerful for certain. For it establishes the future in simple but effective fashion by making it clear that Saul Goodman, and everything bad that comes with him, has indeed arrived and is here to stay. Until next time.

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