“Or…or…or…”

Better Call Saul is an interesting show in that it follows Breaking Bad’s beat by beat consequential nature but also puts more emphasis on choice in a show that’s tasked with a wider scope of storylines. It would be easy to write the hellish conclusion for every character here solely with the Lalo storm cloud hanging above in mind so that the plot pieces fit nice and snug with Breaking Bad, but this particular show breathes. It’s less chugging along to the beat of one character’s drum like the story of Walter White and more about becoming fulfilled with independent brush strokes derived from the individuality of each character. Like the opening shot of Kim peering out the apartment peephole, we only have a fixed view within a fixed point in time to get an idea where they’re coming from. Every character is integral to the overall story of Jimmy McGill, but they don’t necessarily exist in service to it. That’s not to say Breaking Bad’s supporting characters weren’t their own, but that the story was more bombastic and the characters were positioned to take cover from the explosive choices of one character.  Better Call Saul is the more proactive ensemble in which they duck and weave from the choices made by the many.  This makes the concept of a prequel much more of a higher achievement as it pushes itself closer to the end because the story of Jimmy becoming Saul Goodman is still very much important.

“Something Unforgivable” starts off with Saul and Kim in the aftermath of being cornered by the dangerous Lalo. We are shown the cold, sterile hallway of the apartment complex as Kim peers out the peephole. Almost looks like the hallway to a cell block or at least emits the feeling of one. Lalo may have departed but the lack of freedom they feel in this moment unquestionably lingers.  After Saul finally fills Kim in on the deadly details from his trip to the border, they decide to hole themselves up in a hotel.  This is a sharp swerve off the bad choice road which Saul had already knew he was on.  It’s for the rest of the episode he’s tasked with how to move forward. It’s one thing that he’s been struggling with PTSD but Kim is most definitely now involved in the world that brought that on. Is he bad for Kim? Will he prevent himself from crossing the next line? Is Kim safe so long as they stay together? These are the questions that hang in the balance and are readily addressed throughout this season finale.

Is Saul bad for Kim? From the audience’s perspective, it wouldn’t be the most unreasonable conclusion to say yes. At this point in the show, mostly every rock of what makes Jimmy McGill tick has been lifted. We know this guy very well and we have the luxury to know where he ends up so the second question of whether he can keep himself from crossing the next line is no mystery. Chuck once compared Jimmy to an alcoholic who can’t help himself. The PTSD from the desert shootout and the Lalo standoff may very well serve as a bad hangover to make him say “never again”, but give it a week and his next bender is likely underway. What’s sad is part of Jimmy deep down wants to change but he has no idea how he’d live any differently.  It’s always been the tragedy to who he is in which he accepts. What goes on inside him is immovable but what’s most intriguing in this hour is the hard external decision he is willing to make based from genuine love.  It’s hard to accept as a fan of Kim and Jimmy’s relationship, but did you pick up on what Jimmy’s next move was after getting assurance from Mike that Lalo won’t be a problem anymore?

The dread is undeniable in that hotel room as Jimmy sheepishly leans towards the notion of going home without enthusiasm.  Earlier he used the perks of the hotel’s services as bait to keep Kim in place. Being no dummy, Kim caught on to this quick which she contests because it’s not in her DNA to live in fear. It’s likely the reason she inquires about more challenging PD overflow from a fellow cohort as soon as she gets back to work.  Taking on felony cases might be a way of honing her skills, assimilating herself in a world of real hard crime, and giving herself a chance to understand the possible future of Jimmy and the company he keeps. It wouldn’t be the first time she used her choice in case work as a therapeutic endeavor. It also would bring more law enforcement in her orbit as a security measure.  Ultimately, Kim is trying to put herself in a better position both mentally and physically to ensure her future with Jimmy is more endurable. Again, genuine love on display here.

When the going gets rough, Kim’s love for Jimmy drives her to move necessary pieces around in the efforts to stick by him. Upon reassurance that the threat of Lalo has absolved, she’s gunning for a dinner date, happy as a clam, and inviting Jimmy to enjoy every splendor their wild ride has landed them amidst the settled dust. However, Jimmy’s love in this instance pushes him to take accountability for what the rest of their road has in store even when the consequences of his recent choices have seemingly subsided. This is noteworthy because usually Jimmy shares the mindset that as long as everything worked out in the end, there’s nothing to worry about.  This is growth.  As devastating as it is, Jimmy wants to go home because it will be an easier setting to end the relationship. It’s never said, but you can feel it.  For him, fun is fun, but if he’s to carry on the way he does which he knows he will, there is no happy ending for Kim so long as they’re together. Jimmy may be stubborn to change within, but it’s impressive that he’s capable of making such a selfless, heartbreaking choice to protect someone he loves.  In a parallel universe, I believe Jimmy went through with this.  Kim could have easily been on the same page, understanding how close they came to chaos and agreed to go home leading to a split but as mentioned above, this is a show brimming with independent brush strokes.

Whereas Jimmy met with Mike privately under the desperate motive to weigh what the plot’s impact (being Lalo) has on Kim’s safety, Howard met with Kim privately to weigh what Jimmy’s influence as a character has on her.  If the encounter with Lalo didn’t scare her off, Howard’s tales of bowling balls and prostitutes are laughably trivial in comparison. Despite Howard’s best intentions for Kim, she simply does not like him and they have shaky history.  Howard may be right that Jimmy is unhinged, in pain, and in a whirlwind of impending trouble, but like Chuck’s reservations, it’s how he goes about presenting these truths.  The white-knighted, politically correct delivery of his concerns that Jimmy may be responsible for her resigning from S&C and dropping Mesa Verde are one thing but the notion that Kim isn’t an adult capable of making her own decisions is what’s most insulting to her. It’s probably more irritating coming from the guy who told her off back in season 1’s “Pimento”:

“You want to know what I believe? I believe that you’re way out of your depth in this matter. So the next time you want to come in here and tell me what I’m doing wrong, you are welcome to keep it to yourself. Because I don’t care.”

– Howard

Under Chuck’s influence, Howard has always been infected with a pre-determined outlook on who Jimmy is. That’s not to say he didn’t have his own opinion of Jimmy being the go-getting Charlie Hustle who had potential to be better than what his brother made him out to be, but he was nonetheless infected.  Howard was in a tough spot with Chuck, so part of me doesn’t blame him, but how can Kim trust him? Howard will always carry that stink of judgement on Jimmy which was casted by Chuck.  It’s too late for Howard to make up for his involvement in the messy McGill wars, but as a boss to Kim, there was mental abuse at times and that’s something which could have been avoided.  It may have been few and far between but when Howard snubs Kim throughout an entire walk from the office to the boardroom or keeps her in document review as over-extended punishment or talks down to her like a little girl who’s in way over her head, that’s not something to be forgotten regardless of what he feels she may or may not deserve.  He has always rubbed her the wrong way and it’s that bias which unfortunately contributes to his concerns of Jimmy falling on deaf ears.

But maybe it’s not Jimmy we should be worried about. Jimmy has been swimming in self-reflection this hour and was arguably on the brink of breaking up with Kim for her own good. However, Kim makes her own choice born from who she is, being someone who does not need to be saved. She reels Jimmy back in, despite his struggle, and inflates him with ideas on how to continue sabotaging Howard. The more petty pranks she brainstorms, the more Jimmy perks up out of his funk. How can Jimmy leave such an unique partner who empathizes and understands him so profoundly? They are inseparable and although Jimmy was unable to bring himself to cut things off, it’s nothing to be sneezed at in that he’s gaining foresight from his own behavior.

“You know who really knew Jimmy? Chuck…”

Howard’s last sentiment to Kim lands hard as an awfully thought-provoking point in how knowing someone well or claiming to doesn’t mean you have an extensive view of all possible avenues. But for Kim, that’s life and Howard playing the Chuck card to suggest she doesn’t know what she’s talking about only drudges up memories of Howard holding the keys to the McGill castle and punishing her for ever getting involved since the beginning. What could have been a fair heeded warning, becomes a declaration of her own war with Howard, pushing her to devise a more diabolical plan against him. When Kim suggests to Jimmy that they can get Howard disbarred for misconduct by framing him to misappropriate funds or witness bribery from the Sandpiper case, it’s Jimmy who dons the moral compass thinking it’s going too far. Doing so however would grant them astronomical rewards as Jimmy would receive 20% of the common fund equating to $2 million. The Sandpiper Crossing clients would get paid a hefty sum which they can begin spending now before it’s too late. Kim argues every angle that’s it’s all in trade for one career setback for one lawyer who they don’t even like.

This plan, if followed through with, will be the worst thing Kim has ever done. It feels like we’re missing a piece of who she is in this moment which is what seems to worry Saul the most. It’s appropriate that she’s wearing her Kansas City Royals shirt in the final scene.  This shirt has always served as a curious reminder that we don’t know her full story.  There’s a mystery that surrounds her past to explain the enigma for why she’s so heavily drawn to the misbehavior of Saul. It makes you wonder who the real chimp with a machine gun actually is between the two. She seems to be an entirely different animal who’s better at masking this side to herself. Some might interpret that Kim has become fully corrupted in this episode but who’s to say she’s been suppressing her true self all along the same way Jimmy has attempted to suppress Slippin’ Jimmy. Who is the bad influence on who? Kim’s sleek whip-around slinging imaginary handguns mirrors season 4’s final scene when Jimmy’s turn to become Saul completely sideswipes her. The action here however isn’t just a mere two finger point, but she’s firing shots and blowing each barrel. Does this symbolize her being the more reckless influence in contribution to Jimmy’s transformation going forward? Perhaps she’s not so much collateral damage to Saul’s actions than he is to hers.

In an episode full of character choice exploration, the Nacho subplot complements Kim and Jimmy’s by being a story about having no choice. Nacho has been pulled in every direction this season as a pawn between Gus and Lalo. Under the threat of death for him and his father, Nacho has been forced to commit acts he otherwise would never fathom committing.  Saving the cocaine stash from a building crawling with DEA agents, burning down Fring’s restaurant, and now being ponied up to Don Eladio as the leader of the Salamanca territory north of the border, he’s fallen farther and farther down the hole he’s desperate to escape from.

When being interviewed by Eladio, Nacho takes Lalo’s advice and is honest when asked what he wants. Respect and the ability to make his own decisions without having to look over his shoulder. Can Nacho ever achieve this when his fate is so tightly sealed? Don Eladio points out that if he wants to have any of that, he’s in the wrong business.  On top of that, he’s already been guilted by his father to take responsibility for his actions. Running is cowardice. He can’t escape the business and he can’t get what he wants from the business. Regardless of where he ends up by the end of Better Call Saul, the best we can hope for is Nacho gaining the ability to make a choice greater than himself, unfazed by the criminal underworld’s storm cloud. Obviously his father is the most important factor to him here, but if Nacho is to go down, it would be cathartic if it was on his own terms. Less flight and more fight.

Nacho is appointed as the man on the inside of Lalo’s Chihuahua compound for Gus’ assassination mission. When Gus’ hired squad of assassins contact him, Nacho tries to argue for the safety of the innocent folks who reside within the compound, but he’s ignored which raises the severity of his actions by allowing them inside. Again, he’s forced to make a bold, morally-compromising choice but it’s the only way to be rid of Lalo for good. Nacho is a tool, not a person in this damning scenario. What’s interesting is when pushed into a corner, Nacho is capable of taking on incredibly daring action like starting a grease fire in the kitchen to distract Lalo. We know he’s capable of taking control of his life if ever given the chance, whether he deserves to at this point or not.

After some intense difficulty, Nacho has definitively betrayed Lalo upon opening the gate for the hitmen.  There’s no turning back from this as he disappears into the night. Gus has informed Mike that these hitmen are the best in their business.  Mike informs Jimmy that Lalo will be dead come tomorrow. Jimmy tells Kim the Lalo ordeal is over. What Gus underestimates about Lalo is that he is a ferocious wild card. It’s insane what unfolds in the compound from here and what it means for the entire Better Call Saul universe. A secret bathtub escape hatch?  This is an hour of television that stresses the idea of limited perspective both for character and plot. Even a man like Gus who has eyes on everything cannot foresee every hurdle. This bathtub is the plot equivalent of Kim’s finger guns. Something that just shockingly reveals itself. Is this hinting at our own limited perspective of the Breaking Bad universe? Is it possible for characters like Kim, Howard, Nacho or even Lalo to exist behind the scenes of Walt’s story? No…right? Nah… Maybe?

Because after Lalo subdues every assassin and forces the last survivor to call and tell Gus “mission successful”, Lalo not only holds all the cards for all of these characters’ fates (Gus being completely none-the-wiser), but he’s furious, especially after having seen his people, including Yolanda the cook, slaughtered. With Nacho nowhere to be seen, Lalo knows he’s been betrayed.  The first thing Lalo is going to do is track Nacho down and once he gets a hold of him, he’ll likely make Nacho reveal every detail that lead up to this massacre through torture.  That includes the true story of Saul Goodman’s involvement which Kim had previously vouched for at the end of “Bad Choice Road”. If it wasn’t for Kim, Lalo wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on trusting Nacho and setting up a meeting with Don Eladio to cement that trust.  This is so deeply personal now and nobody is safe. Not even Howard who will be the focus in Kim and Saul’s world before it comes crashing down.  As if blowback from the attempt on Howard’s career isn’t scary enough, the unpredictable force of nature that is Lalo Salamanca is coming.

“No it wasn’t me, it was Ignacio! He’s the one!”

One more thing to note:

Jimmy makes an effort to not have mint chocolate chip ice cream towards the end of the episode echoing the one he dropped earlier in the season which got covered in ants. That ice cream represents the point of no return brought on by his choices and the contamination of Jimmy McGill’s soul.  Perhaps choosing a different flavor can be seen as a fresh start or simply a way of putting his bad choices (past, present, and future) out of his mind.

What did you guys think?