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| Photo: Nicole Wilder/AMC |
The brilliant split screen montage opening the episode makes it plain just how separate Jimmy and Kim lives have become. Kim, who is now cast free, spends her days spliting time between her partner duties at Schweihart and Cokely and helping less fortunate clients through her pro bono public defender work. Jimmy on the other hand, spends his days as Saul Goodman, the seller of drop phones to members of Albquerque's black market economy. The visuals, set to Lola Marsh's "Something Stupid," are highly entertaining. But the idea these two people are drifting apart really hits home when the music stops and Jimmy finds himself in bed, staring out the window, alone.
Nonetheless, Jimmy plays the dutiful boyfriend, accompanying Kim to an office party and chatting up her co-workers with ease. However, things start to go left when he takes a look around Kim's office. Alongside statues I assume are gifts celebrating Mesa Verde's new locations is a picture and note from one of Kim's thankful public defense clients. Kim has found a way to snag herself a partnership and maintain a successful relationship with a demanding client, while also carving out space for more personally gratifying work. As Jimmy said last week, she's having her cake and eating it too. And, unintentionally or not, Jimmy sticks his fingers in said metaphorical cake, becoming increasingly loud and obnoxious as he needles Richard Schweikart to think big and elevate the firm's standard company retreat to a ballerific blowout in Telluride or Aspen. "Well that was something," a mortified Kim says on the awkward drive home. Indeed it was.
The opening montage also gives the show a way to artfully perform a time leap. Jimmy's now less than a month away from having his license reinstated, so in the meantime he's still selling drop phones to stack up enough coin to rent office space. Unfortunately, his reputation as Saul is beginning to precede him, leading to a run-in with a plainclothes officer who popped a drug dealer carrying one of his cards. Not surprisingly, Jimmy doesn't go quietly when asked to take his hustle elsewhere, leading to verbal altercation an oblivious, headphone-wearing Huell makes physical by hitting the cop with a bag full of sandwiches. Lo and behold Huell's hauled off in the squad car, facing a sentence of two and a half years in jail. His reponse? "I got places I can go."
Jimmy goes to Kim, and after glossing over the fact he's been selling drop phones, suggests they use the cop's history of alcoholism to discredit him. He lays this plan out without an ounce of shame, and Kim's face contorts into an expression that screams "who are you?" Certainly she knows Jimmy's not afraid to bend the rules. But the casual way he suggests destroying a cop's life in order spare Huell appears to genuinely shock her. Another shock comes when the district attorney is understandably unmoved by her defense for Huell.
"On one side I have a decorated officer doing his job, and on the other you have a professional thief who threw him to the ground. And their only witness is a scumbag lawyer who peddles drop phones to criminals." Checkmate. Up until now, Kim may have been able to ignore the stench of her boyfriend's moral decay. But the blunt description of Jimmy's activities has made the truth unavoidable. It's evident in the way she questions his blasé response to her plan to keep Huell from jumping bail, and the reason why she calls him and says "Jimmy, whatever you're doing, don't...I know a better way." Oh girl no.
It's a terrible decision one that could lead to all sorts of unintended consequences. That said, I doubt this is the beginning of Kim's descent into conwomanhood. More likely, she views this as Jimmy's latest stunt--albeit one with higher stakes--and wants to do what she can to keep him out of the fire and push him back on the right path. It's a fool errand, but it makes sense Kim would give it a try.
Other Thoughts:
- Gus is pleased to hear Hector has made some strides in therapy. However Mr. Fring will hear no talk of Hector regaining his ability to walk and talk thank you very much. "Let's temper our expectations," he replies to the flabbergasted specialist he hired to rehabilitate Hector. It's kind of maddening to see how Gus had such ample time and opportunity to take out Hector or simply let him die, but chose not to because he wanted to do it his way. But what are you gonna do? Villains are gonna be villains.
- The building of the super lab is taking longer than expected, with an accident further delaying the already eight-month long project. On the upside, Mike has established a nice rapport with Werner, and even learned a little German. On the downside, Kai's still a pain in the ass, but Werner refuses to send him home due to his superior demolition skills. Die Geduld Mike.
- Kim may have more help with Mesa Verde, but servicing the company is still enough of headache that she has squeeze a stress ball under the table during meetings.
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