OVERVIEW It's starting to flow now. With the majority of the stage setting executed in the first episode, they could really get the ball rolling with this second episode. With Tuco greeting Jimmy down the barrel of gun, and the ginger brother tied up in the garage, it sets up for a great scene in the desert. It's also the start of Jimmy's involvement as a 'criminal lawyer', with the consequences of his actions bringing misery to others.
We're introduced to a new character also. Tuco's associate Nacho (Michael Mando), who seems to take a more careful and smart approach to the drug trade, opposing Tuco's brashness. With the three scam artists tied up in the desert, nacho talks Tuco down from killing the lawyer, as somebody would notice and come looking for him.
PERFORMANCES Characters are starting to get fleshed out more with a little bit more screen time, so I can now make a judgment on a few of them. Raymond Cruz put in a solid performance as the hot and cold lunatic Tuco. The introduction of Michael Mando as Nacho was also a highlight, with him taking a more subtle approach to Tuco's world of 'insanity'. Fans of Michael Mando will get that horrible joke. But in seriousness he was good in the final scene when he was seeking McGill's help in finding 1.5 million dollars from one of McGill's failed clients in the first episode who overheard him mentioning. It seems like he'll play a solid, prominent role in the series but only time will tell.
Again, Bob Odenkirk carrying a majority of scene time and carrying it well throughout. He had a lot more emotional depth to play with and he excelled in both the troubled and frightened scenes as well as his comedic counterpart, and sometimes in the case of the desert scene a mixture of both. Still the highlight in my opinion, however he can't really be opposed down to the level of dialogue he has.
NOTEWORTHY MOMENTS The scene in the desert is fantastic. It really summarises the vibe of the show, a mixture of serious drama and comedy. The whole scene revolves around Jimmy, now being set free by Tuco and Nacho now trying to somewhat barter for the ginger brother's lives, trying to tell Tuco that being just and fair has more of an impact. The back in forth between the two characters is hilarious, with Tuco taking some points McGill makes literally. One example is when he tries to explain that they don't see what the problem was in the first place, so Tuco goes to take their eyes out. He eventually manages to make an agreement on breaking one leg each on the brothers, to impact their skateboarding. With the almost light-hearted approach to the scene coming to an end, the brutality sets in as McGill watches to the out of camera view of these young men being horribly assaulted, and its all his fault. The whole scene was like a warped version of a case hearing in a courtroom, with the defence trying to come to an agreement with the judge for a more appropriate sentence. It was very well done and it seems like the best is still yet to come.
I also like the back and forth between Jimmy McGill and his brother Chuck when he throws his phone onto the front garden as he is scared of the radiation it omits. All the while, he is wearing a foil suit to combat it. There was also a nice sequence as Jimmy goes through the motions again trying to make an honest living by taking on bottom of the barrel defence cases knowing that he is still in dire straits. It highlights that there is definitely a problem financially and he desperately needs a solution.
FINAL VERDICT The bold, violent start of this episode is really what I wanted to see in this dark comedy. The mood is set and jimmy McGill is starting to question what is right, and what will pay. With Nacho coming into his place of work to inquire about one of the clients he failed to achieve in order to use Jimmy to steal the 1.5 million from them, it really sets the central premise of the series, and the beginning of Saul Goodman. It is now in motion, and as Walter White would say 'We're just getting started, no-one stops this train'.
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