Saturday, June 13, 2020

Better Call Saul 1.03

Nacho

The episode opens with a moment from 1992. Jimmy has been arrested. Chuck has come to see him, to help him out. Chuck almost leaves Jimmy there but Jimmy pleads with him. He agrees to change and to follow Chuck's lead. Chuck stays. The rest of the episode takes place in 2002, the present.

Jimmy calls Kim, one of the attorneys from his brother's law firm. He tries to get information from her about the Kettlemans. He suggests that they might be in danger. Jimmy goes to a pay phone after talking to Kim. He calls the Kettleman home a few times, until someone picks up. He warns them that they are in danger and then hangs up.

Jimmy tries calling Nacho from a pay phone the next day. He has to leave a message on Nacho's voice mail or answering machine. He gets a call back a few minutes later but no one is on the line. Jimmy sees some men approaching him. He runs. They catch him. They are police detectives. They have Nacho locked up on suspicion of kidnapping the Kettlemans.

The detectives take Jimmy to see Nacho who explains to Jimmy that he didn't do it. He had been staking out the Kettlemans' place but he didn't have anything to do with their disappearance. He insists that Jimmy has to get him out of there or else. Jimmy believes Nacho and tries to make the cops see the light but then don't accept that Nacho had nothing to do with it.

Kim gets involved as a representative of the Kettlemans' interests. Jimmy tells her about what he did but insists that Nacho had nothing to do with the Kettlemans disappearing act. She tends to believe him and wants to help but she can't. Jimmy has a run in with Mike, the parking attendant. The cops use it to try and press charges against him. They are ready to book him when Mike drops his complaint.

Mike and Jimmy chat on the way out of the building. Jimmy thinks that the Kettlemans weren't abducted but that they are on the run. Mike likes the theory and their conversation gives Jimmy an idea. He goes looking for them and finds the family camping out in the wilderness a couple miles from their home. He tells them to pack their stuff. He's taking them back. He tries grabbing one of their bags. Betsy grabs the other side of the bag. It tears and stacks of money go flying everywhere.

Thoughts

One of the police detectives was played by Dorian Missick who played Cockroach in Season Two of Luke Cage.

I was intrigued by this episode, starting with the flashback. Jimmy's loyalty to Chuck is more than just brotherly love or hunger for a payoff.

I suspected that the Kettlemans had run as soon as I saw the scene where Jimmy and Kim talk near the Kettlemans' home. Even though I was right I enjoyed seeing how the episode played out.

I am very interested to see what comes next. I've got a feeling that Jimmy is going to cut a deal with the Kettlemans. I'm very curious to see how Jimmy's relationship with Nacho, Mike, and Kim evolves from here.

This was a big improvement over the first couple episodes.

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