'Better Call Saul' Recap: 'Talk'

WRITTEN BY JOHN EDWARD BETANCOURT

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

I’ve always found it fascinating how grief and loss are portrayed in television and film because often times those two mediums tend to get it all wrong. Losing a loved one in any capacity is a life changing experience to say the least, the kind that opens your eyes as to how precious and fleeting life really is and for some, well it can devastate the soul in ways one never thought was possible, to the point where the pain never quite goes away. But often times, when a character loses someone close to them on a movie or a show, well it’s honestly no big deal.
 
If anything, it’s treated like the common cold, wherein the characters in question just need to get some rest, drink plenty of fluids to replenish the tears they’ve lost, and they’ll be fine by the next episode. Which is why I think I’m coming to truly appreciate the fourth season of Better Call Saul, because it’s not pulling any punches when it comes to grief or loss, it’s showing us every single nuance of the grieving process and last night’s episode of the show, ‘Talk’, took the time to explore how other grief-stricken characters are dealing with the loss of Charles McGill and oddly enough, others that have passed on, as was the case with Mike.
 
Because Mike, went to some supremely dark places emotionally on the show, something that was motivated by the fact that his daughter was open at group therapy, about how she had a moment of progress in moving on from her husband’s death and the thought of his son’s memory becoming fleeting in the slightest was more than he could bear, and we saw the rage, and the guilt over his son’s death on full display in Mike since he shook with it. And rather than talk to Stacey about what he’s feeling or how what she just said hurt him, he lashed out at a man who has been lying about his pain and his grief to the others in order to get a high and it was incredible to see how people sometimes lash out from the ache they carry in their hearts portrayed on the small screen. 

---

​But this journey through grief didn’t end there, since this episode took the time to properly catch up with Kim and let us see how she’s dealing with this whole situation. After all, Chuck was an important part of her life as well, and she’s in essence tied to ground zero through Jimmy and seeing what Howard has become as a lawyer, and going through this horrible loss with Jimmy has in essence, drained any passion she currently has for the law, to the point where she’s now sitting in a public courtroom to see if she can re-ignite that passion and well, it’s fascinating that the judge in this episode called her to the carpet when it comes to what she’s trying to do and once again, this is something that some people do when the pain of loss and grief have hit them, they do their best to find some level of meaning in life when they realize how little time we have on tiny planet we call home.
 
Yet, while those two storylines made for some compelling television to say the least, this is still Jimmy McGill’s story and he is the one everyone is concerned about the most and really, in this episode he revealed that he is doing everything and anything he can to not deal with or face the fact that his brother is gone. Because he was simply manic in this episode, which granted, isn’t a change from what we’ve seen prior to this, but to see the concern on his face over having downtime at his new gig as a Supervisor in a cell phone store, says volumes about needing to keep his mind active, but it is nice to see him trying to get back out into the world and make Kim proud. But let’s be honest, I think we all know it’s only a matter of time before something rattles him at this new gig and those painful emotions return to the forefront of his mind, forcing him to unleash his dark side once again…
 
Of course, Nacho’s downward spiral into Gus Fring’s universe was also harrowing to watch in this tale and scary in its own right. But the examination of loss and grief in this story grossly overshadowed his plight and it really is looking more and more like pain is what drives Jimmy, and Mike for that matter as well, to become the men we met in Breaking Bad because they’re embracing the anger and the fury that comes with their respective pain and I’m starting to wonder now if that’s what season four is going to give us; a character study that shows us what happens when good men don’t deal with the most devastating moment in their lives and if that’s what we are exploring this year, we are in for some powerful television indeed, the kind that compels us to watch, despite the fact that it will break our hearts, every step of the way. Until next time.  

---