Point and Shoot

This is the first Better Call Saul episode that I wish I could have watched without having first seen Breaking Bad. Knowing that Gus will survive dilutes the episode’s tension once it becomes clear that this is his final showdown with Lalo. That wouldn’t have been as much of an issue were it not for the long stretches of suspense-building and Lalo’s supervillain-esque display of hubris.

It’s delightfully grim that Howard’s purported cocaine addiction becomes his official cause of death, and Kim and Jimmy have to uphold the lie as karmic retribution for their scheme. Their sobered expressions as Mike lays out his version of the story stand in stark contrast to their celebration earlier that night. Kim and Jimmy are two kids finding out they didn’t get away with it after all.

Rhea Seehorn sells the sheer nightmare the situation has turned into: Kim’s tremors as Jimmy tries to convince Lalo to let her go instead of him; her tortured helplessness as she rolls down the window next to the police car; her face-contorting blink as she raises the gun in front of Gus’s door.

For Kim and Jimmy, this episode plays out in raw emotion and body languageTheir hug when Kim is delivered safely to the apartment is pure relief., but I’m most interested in seeing how the pair processes the fallout once it settles.

Curiously, the central plotlines in place at the beginning of the seasonNacho’s escape, Kim and Jimmy’s scheme, Lalo’s vengeance have now all been resolved. There are five episodes left, and Jimmy has yet to fully morph into Saul. Mike and Gus would appear to be out of Kim and Jimmy’s lives for the remainder, unless they are unable to follow Mike’s instructionsWhen Jimmy echoes Mike’s “I understand”, I believed he would keep quiet. When Kim says, “It never happened”, I had a flicker of doubt that she would be able to do the same..