Wednesday, March 18, 2020

What I’m Watching: Better Call Saul


Better Call Saul: Season 5, Episode 3 “The Guy for This” (B+)

I was talking to my brother earlier this week about how astounding and meaningful all of the opening sequences on “Breaking Bad” were, only revealed for their connections to episodic events towards the end of each episode. This opener felt very much like that, with the ice cream cone Jimmy was forced to drop on the floor when Nacho came to pick him up seen being covered by bugs, spotted later by him when he got dropped off again. This was actually a pretty formidable hour for our main character, who found incredible success in his new business when he tried to get out of having to do explicitly criminal work by naming a very high price and having it honored immediately. He really is the man for this, so skilled at putting on an act and distracting those in his sights at exactly the right moment. Bringing back Dean Norris’ Hank Schrader was certainly an act of fan service, but it’s a welcome one that may involve him again, especially as Gus determines what to plant for them to find so that Nacho can remain safe and working subtly against Lalo. Mike isn’t doing great, and he showed those who wanted to jump him that he’s not to be messed with despite appearing to be old and vulnerable. I’m sure that, come Emmy time, Rhea Seehorn will once again not be nominated, but this is another truly extraordinary display of her work, particularly when she went back to talk to Barry Corbin’s furious tenant and expressed a genuine desire to help him move that he took as a very Jimmy-like con job.

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