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| Nicole Wilder/AMC/Sony Pictures Television |
Like last week's "Breathe," the title of this week's episode, "Something Beautiful," is practically dripping with irony, as Nacho and Jimmy are either the victims or prepetrators of behavior that is anything but beautiful. Nacho definitely falls under the latter, enduring an excruiating wait in the desert for Leonel and Marco, suffering through a bumpy ride in a van, then being tended to by Dr. Caldera in a dank warehouse in the back of a Jiffy Lube. Fortunately, one of the twins matches Nacho's blood type, but Dr. Caldera advises him to go to an actual hospital for treatement or risk a fatal infection, before not-so-kindly telling him to leave him out of this cartel shit permanently.
The whole ordeal is the latest in a hellacious series of L's for Nacho. He set up Hector, hoping it would save him and his father. But while his father is now safe, Nacho has had to watch Arturo suffocate to death, and now finds himself nothing more than a pawn in Gus' Fring's quest to divide and conquer the underworld. That quest is going smoothly at the moment, as a spooked Bolsa calls Gus and tells him about the "hit" on the Salamancas by what he thinks is a rival gang. Bolsa tells Gus to cut a deal with a local supplier while they sort out who's behind the cross-border attack, and true to form, Gus already has one up and ready to go. It's here we're reintroduced to Gale, the gifted--is gifted the right word when it comes to cooking up drugs? Let's go with it-- meth cook who was poised to take Walter White's spot before Jesse killed him. Gale, ever the consummate chemist, poo-poos the samples Gus has provided, and offers to whip up a more potent batch. Gus declines, for now at least, but we know eventually Gale will enter his world, with fatal results.
While not as murderously efficient as Gus, Jimmy is mighty mercenary in "Something Beautiful," moving forward with his plan to steal Hummels from the copier company he interviewed with last week. Mike is not gung ho, dryly telling Jimmy the job is not for either for him after question why Jimmy even wants to steal from theses guys. In a crossover of worlds, Jimmy heads to Dr. Caldera's office and makes a hard sell to Ira, another hustler, when the not-so-good doctor waffles. "Do you shit gold?" he asks. "Because unless you currently have a large gold nuggest traversing your colon, this is the easiest money you're ever gonna make." And it's on! The heist appears to be an easy grab and go at first, but is held up by Mr. Neff, who's sleeping at the office after a fight at home. Trapped, Ira calls Jimmy, who creates a diversion by setting off Mr. Neff's alarm, and they make off with the knick knacks. Tragic as it is, Jimmy appears happiest when walking off into the night with Ira than at any other point in the episode. He even has trouble falling asleep afterwards, as he relays to Kim the next afternoon.
Speaking of Kim, she's officially back at the office and continuing her work for Mesa Verde, who are looking to aggressively expand their company. As Kevin leads her to a room full of models set to become future branches, Kim tunes him out, focusing on the tiny buildings. The reason why is not clear. Was she thinking about she and Jimmy's role in humiliating Chuck and ruining his reputation with Mesa Verde? Perhaps the answer lies in her reaction to the personal letter from Chuck Jimmy reads at the end of episode.
There is some speculation about whether the words Jimmy read were actually Chuck's, or were a forgery by Kim to soften the blow of what actually was, as she put to it Howard, a final "screw you little brother" from beyond the grave. In my opinion, those words are Chuck's. However protective she is of Jimmy, it just feels out of character for Kim. Keeping the letter from him would be one thing; actively deceiving Jimmy in the name of sparing his feelings is quite another. It's also possible Jimmy was riffing when he read the letter, making up the lovely sentiments. But that hardly seems likely, given his new, no-fucks-given attitude toward his brother.
What's most likely true is those were Chuck's actual words and feelings, written at a time when Jimmy was in his proper place, down in the mailroom, and Chuck was the successful attorney, a dynamic perfectly suited to the elder McGill's ego, before Jimmy became a lawyer and threatened the status quo of their relationship. A relationship that deteriorated with Chuck's steadfast denial of his mental condition, Jimmy backslides into illegal activity and their rounds of backstabbing one-upsmanship. Whatever the case, Jimmy reads the letter in a cold, detached tone, giving limp praise to the way Chuck can turn a phrase before setting it down. Kim breaks down in tears, brushing off Jimmy as he asks what's wrong. Again, her reaction could be coming from any number of things; guilt over the part she feels she may have played in Chuck's downward spiral, regret over her scorched earth reading of Howard, or sadness that the man she's investing so much in emotionally doesn't appear to feeling much at all anymore.
It could be a combination of all those things. Unlike Jimmy, who is well on the road to becoming Saul, she's not so good at compartmentalizing.
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