Hit and Run

This episode beautifully builds up an ambient sense of dread by cutting between Jimmy’s ostracization at the courthouse and Kim’s investigation into who’s following her. Nothing goes wrong just yet: Jimmy turns his dishonorable defense of Lalo into a professional opportunity, and Mike assures Kim that Gus’s men don’t pose a threat to her. But we’re made painfully aware of how uneasy the peace is. We haven’t caught a glimpse of Lalo for three full episodes, and still his presence looms heavy over “Hit and Run”.

Kim’s hesitant “You think we’re wicked?” is a reminder that she’s convinced herself that the ends justify the means, that maybe Howard even deserves what’s they have in store for him. Despite Jimmy’s pitch to Huell last week“We’re doing the Lord’s work here!”, his glib reassurance to Kim lets on that it doesn’t particularly matter to him whether what they’re doing is right or wrong. It absolutely does for her. I’m afraid that it’ll be too late when Kim realizes she may not be the good guy, or that when confronted with her actions, she’ll double down.

There are some things I’ll never get tired of: Kim and Jimmy celebrating after a successful con; watching Kim’s emotions play out wordlessly as full-body reactionsthis time, her heave of relief after Mike leaves the restaurant.

The gag with the “Patients Only” sign is executed brilliantly: the shot with the tossed-aside cone in the foreground as Jimmy pulls in; the satisfying plunk as Jimmy digs the signpost into the ground in one forceful motion; Jimmy dashing across the screen, cone in hand, as Howard ambles in from the background; the sign falling over just as Howard’s car disappears from view.

The thrill of Mike’s first interaction with Kim emphasizes how much more effective the show is when its storylines converge. Here’s a frightening thought: what if Kim, in the course of dealing with Mike and Lalo, is the one who gets tangled up with Gus?

Kim is exciting to watch because she’s unpredictablebut always in a way that makes sense for her character. In her decisions, we see a war between her strong sense of morals, her thrill-seeking nature, her supportiveness of Jimmy, and her evolving understanding of what brings meaning to her life.. With her processing of Jimmy’s newfound notoriety and her visible anxiety over Lalo’s possible return, I was bracing for a dire conversation outside Saul’s office-to-be. Instead, Kim eases the episode-long tension with a joke about the toilet and a call for “Taco Cabeza”. Still, one last look over her shoulder makes clear what’s consuming her, and it leaves me wondering how long she’ll try to carry this burden herself, with Saul poised to become more conspicuous than ever.