Friday, August 31, 2018

What I’m Watching: Better Call Saul


Better Call Saul: Season 4, Episode 3 “Something Beautiful” (B+)

I haven’t always liked it in the past when this series references the one that spawned it, but I’ll admit that I was so happy to see a familiar face who definitely doesn’t survive future events. I’ve been accustomed to seeing actor David Costabile as the depraved Wags on “Billions,” and it was wonderful to see a brief glimpse of Gale Boetticher singing the Elements song by Tom Lehrer. I’m not sure if I was happier to hear him singing it or to learn that Gus also knew it. That’s certainly a gentler side of the man who made sure that Nacho got beaten to within an inch of his life so that his survival could look real without indicating his newly changed allegiances. This is hardly the right time for Jimmy’s con, and Mike smartly turned it down without much consideration at all. The lack of emotion Jimmy displayed while reading Chuck’s surprisingly kind farewell letter demonstrated how detached he is, as opposed to Kim, who is focused on taking care of him and taking care of business at the same time. Her visit to Mesa Verde and her interaction with Kevin showed that maybe this isn’t the right place for her to be, though the way in which she responds to a work environment that doesn’t exactly gel with her is totally different from how Jimmy does, and the way in which he self-sabotages at every turn. Something tells me we’re getting very close to Jimmy having a direct involvement in Gus’ business, and I’m eager to get to that point.

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