"Better Call Saul" Recap: "Rebecca"

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

In the short year and a half that Better Call Saul has been on the air, I've been thoroughly impressed with how many emotionally thematic concepts the show has brought forth for all of us. We've seen Jimmy McGill battle his conscience, quest to be a better man and essentially do anything to prove to his elder brother that he can indeed be a quality lawyer. 

But there is one concept that the show has stayed away from, redemption, and it's an idea that I honestly thought we would never see addressed on the show because let's be honest, there isn't any coming for Jimmy. Next up is the change into Saul Goodman, complete with dirty deals for Walter White before he ends up managing that lovely Cinnabon in Nebraska. But, that doesn't mean some of the supporting cast can't have their day in the sun and last night's episode, "Rebecca" was all about Kim Wexler and her push to redeem herself at Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill.

After all, she's been in the doghouse ever since she failed to tell Howard about the video that Jimmy made and I'm honestly glad we got a Kim-centric episode because it's been long overdue and I'll say it now, it did not disappoint. For starters it was exhausting to watch Kim in action as she worked tirelessly in document review for hours on end, using only her breaks to make calls to try and land a large account to return to Howard's good graces and let's be honest...when's the last time we saw someone that dedicated to the company they work for in such a manner on television? Everything she did was to make HH&M look good and well, it was impressive to see her keep at it despite all the setbacks she encountered and it made the phone call she received from Mesa Verde all the more thrilling.

That was to be her shining moment, where she showed Howard how much this job mattered to her and well...I know I was stunned when he told her to get back downstairs into document review and the shot of her standing outside the firm, letting the horror of that sink in was absolutely devastating. But while her redemption may not have been complete or clear by the end of the episode, that final scene with Chuck in his office at dawn may have provided us with an important nugget about Jimmy McGill, and one has to wonder if the death of his father and Jimmy's attempt to push the envelope money wise is what formed the flawed man that we know today. My guess is that it does, since the death of Marco also managed to push him a little closer toward the dark side as well.

Either way, this was an absolutely beautiful episode through and through. Every single week the cast puts us through an acting clinic and I really enjoyed the fact we got so much screen time for characters we don't normally spend much time with, including Howard who had a nice little scene with Chuck after landing Mesa Verde. The only thing I'm left curious about at this point is the opening scene, the flashback to when Jimmy came over to enjoy dinner with Chuck and his wife Rebecca. All of those little flashbacks served a purpose in season one and I have no doubt they will tell an important story this season as well. We'll just have to wait and see where it's going, and quite frankly, to discover what happened to Chuck's wife Rebecca in addition to seeing where Mike's new little problem with Tuco's uncle is going to go. Until next time. 

---