Better Call Saul 2.07

Inflatable

1973. Young Jimmy McGill sees his father getting conned. He tries to convince his father that the man is a con artist. His father won't listen and gives the man money.

The present. Jimmy represents Mike when he goes to see the police. Jimmy tells the police that Mike has changed his testimony. The gun does not belong to Tuco Salamance. The attorneys representing the state try to find out what's really going on but Jimmy and Mike stick to the new story. They don't know where the gun came from but it is not Tuco's gun.

Jimmy wants to quit his job at Davis and Main but Omar points out the consequences of that course of action. It has been less than a year since he took the job. If he quits within the first year than he will have to repay the signing bonus they gave him.

Jimmy is frustrated but he comes up with a plan. He does everything he can to make himself a nuisance at the office. He starts wearing loud, colorful suits. He brings in a loud juicer for the breakroom. He splatters juice on some of his colleagues. He starts playing bagpipes in the office during working hours. This goes on until Cliff finally fires him. Cliff fired him for being annoying so Jimmy gets to keep his bonus.

Jimmy goes to see Kim and tries to convince her to open a law practice with him, instead of sticking with HHM or going to work for Schweikart & Cokely. She is flattered but declines his offer. He explains that he quit his job at Davis & Main.

Stacey shows Mike a house that she wants to buy. They talk about it. It seems like just what Stacey wants but it isn't inexpensive. Mike makes sure that she really wants it before he agrees to help her pay for it.

Jimmy moves back into his old office in the back of the nail salon. Omar helps him move the Coco Bolo desk, which he bought off of D&M, into his old office.

Kim has a meeting with the partners at S&C, the next day. It goes well but she starts to have second thoughts after the meeting. She goes to see Jimmy at his old/current office in the nail salon. She makes him a counteroffer. They can share a space but have their own practices.

Thoughts

Chuck, Howard, and Nacho are not in this episode.

There are a number of magazines and one comic book on display in the opening scene. All of them are from 1973. The ones that I noted and checked up are Superman 266 (Aug 1973, on sale date of May 3, 1973), Mad 160 (Jul 1973), Playboy (Aug 1973), and The New Yorker (Aug 27, 1973).

Watergate is mentioned on the cover of at least one magazine. I'm not sure if there is any significance to setting his scene at the time of Watergate. The issue of Playboy includes an interview with David Halberstam and a history of organized crime in America. The issue of Mad includes a parody of Cannon, starring William Conrad, who is also featured on the cover. The issue of Superman features a story in which Superman fights the Abominable Snowman and a World of Krypton backup story.

This felt like a Jimmy and Kim episode with a side of Mike. Jimmy and Kim might share an office soon but I don't think that it is going to last long. Actually it isn't clear at this point if they even will wind up sharing office space.

Kim gets asked about her past when she is meeting with the partners of S&C. She answers their questions but is somewhat evasive. What does she have to hide?

Where is Mike going to get the money to pay for the house? They show him staking out the restaurant where the Salamanca's have meetings. He can't be planning to rob them so what is he up to?

It was pretty clear to me what Jimmy was up to once I saw the colorful suits. I enjoyed the montage that they put together but it didn't really hold any surprises. His strategy and the forms it took brought a smile to my face more than they made me laugh.

This was a decent episode but not my favorite. It feels like the show is transitioning to something else, but what? When will Gus show up? When will Jimmy become Saul?