These final three episodes of Better Call Saul‘s second season feel like they leave the series at a fascinating crossroads. In spite of the bold proclamation that ended the first season, Jimmy McGill’s evolution into Saul Goodman isn’t anywhere near that clear-cut. This season has seen him start to become Saul – one choice at a time – but for now he’s still mostly Jimmy.
“Fifi” saw Jimmy move forward with Kim’s proposal that they share an office but not a practice. The move back to the small-time is an important one for the show to make and the episode did a great job of capturing the back and forth between the pair and HHM as they fight over Mesa Verde.
Watching the complex relationship between Jimmy and Chuck get fleshed out has been one of the season’s unsung triumphs and seeing just how far Chuck is willing to go to force Jimmy out of his profession played a big part of this.
The episode closed out with Jimmy returning the favor, sabotaging Chuck’s files, and the payoff to this act in “Nailed” did not disappoint. It was both hilarious and terrifying to watch Chuck spin-out and implode over a small typo.
On the other side of things, the growing tensions between Mike and the Salamanca family continues to be a slow-paced but rewarding affair that hit a crescendo in the season finale.
“Klick” closed out the second season of Better Call Saul in stunning fashion. The scene where Mike attempts to gun down the Salamancas was an intense highlight here – with the intriguing message left on the windshield of his car able to be read as either stage notes from AMC or – more likely – foreshadowing that Gus Fring is about to arrive on the scene.
It’s telling that the Chuck describes everything Jimmy does to help him struggle with his hypersensitivity to electricity as a ‘duty’. The only parts of Jimmy that Chuck can see are the parts of him that will eventually manifest as Saul Goodman.
In any case, the final reveal – that Chuck recorded his confrontation with Jimmy -is sure to have explosive consequences on both sides when the series returns. Jimmy has selflessly thrown himself into a massively vulnerable position professionally and, for all his pride and principles, Chuck looks like he’s ready to throw him under the bus regardless.
Review Score for “Fifi”: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Review Score for “Nailed”: FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Review Score for “Klick”: FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Better Call Saul is available exclusively in Australia on Stan.
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