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Better Call Saul: Bali Ha'i (2016)
A setup episode of reversal circumstances for our main characters
At this point in the show, many of you are waiting for it to pick up the pace, but I think this show will take its time spinning its wheels before the race starts, and I have no problem with that. This episode we get more signs of Jimmy being uncomfortable with his new life, and ends up revisiting his old office to get some peace. We also see that Kim is out of doc review but Howard is not happy (I still don't know why, but I'm hoping its revealed soon). No Chuck this episode, but he had a huge character development last episode so he's taking a break.
The title of this episode is the title of a song that Jimmy apparently sings to Kim on voice-mail to keep in touch with her and gain her forgiveness; this foreshadows the possibility that they might get back together in this episode which does end up happening and I was happy to see that result, but not before they once again pull another fun scam on someone at the bar by reigniting their pseudo-personalities (or in Jimmy's case, his real personality).
The show is just giving the viewers a taste of both lifestyles(Jimmy being slipping Jimmy and Kim as Giselle) for Jimmy and Kim, and speaking of lifestyles, Kim's lifestyle is about to change after that surprising job offer from the opposing counsel in the Sandpiper case. This brings me to the ending, I feel the show has created a reversal of both Jimmy and Kim's past circumstances. Before, Jimmy was free from HHM and very happy, but he took the Davis and Main job for Kim and now hes not very happy. Kim is now in that similar situation but reversed; She was not happy at HHM but now she has a chance to be happy at Schweikart and Cokely, but shes hesitant because she feels that she forced Jimmy into taking the Davis and Main job and hes not happy so why should she be with this new job. But Jimmy also takes the high road to selflessness and assures Kim that he loves his job and she should also love her potential new job. Final scene with the car was Jimmy making amends to make Kim happy.
Mike's story moved forward a little in this episode, there was a brilliant scene with the dark apartment searching and the two wannabe thugs getting their ass beat by old Mike, but we also learned something important in that segment near the end when Mike was cleaning the blood; his hand was shaking. This could suggest that Mike is scared of whats to come or hes not fit for this life of defending himself against thugs. Mike ends up taking the deal because once again hes scared of putting Kayley and her mom in harm's way, but he ends up getting more money than before and this was because he offered half of it to Nacho for compensation of his unfinished business. This was very noble and fair by Mike, he never takes more than what he deserves (this was also seen in Season 1 when he didn't take the millions from the Kettleman business).
All in all, another slow but interesting episode that moved the plot and character development forward. For the many that are fed up with the slow pace, this show might not be your taste, but as long as I get a good finish to this slow race, I will be more than satisfied.
Better Call Saul: Rebecca (2016)
New characters and old characters BOTH shine in BCS's latest endeavor
This episode yet again imbues fantastic camera-work with most natural lighting for Chuck's parts which in turn also adds the character of color (or lack of) to the environment our characters are put in.
Since the episode is titled "Rebecca", we are introduced to the new addition right away, with her being Chuck's ex-wife. and we get to see their relationship interplay in the beginning scene and it felt very ordinary and mundane.
They were expecting a visitor which we knew right away who it would be because Chuck issued a warning sign to bail the guest out. But, to our surprise, Rebecca actually ends up liking jimmy a lot and this is mainly because she feels smothered with Chuck constantly praising her and being controlling about her job, so when she meets the loose, funny, and down-to-earth guy Jimmy, she gets the entertainment that has been missing from her life with Chuck. Chuck obviously resents Jimmy for being a people person and telling jokes when he himself cannot (he tried to tell a joke to Rebecca but his delivery was off and she ended up giving him a pity laugh).
This episode is shared mostly with Jimmy and Kim, but I was astonished with Kim's parts because the actress Rhea Seehorn is truly talented and shows her emotions with little effort (especially in the last scene of the montage where she yells excitedly in the garage after snagging a client); you feel all the emotions of the character and are rooting for her. Again, the camera-work in those scenes of the montage tells a story itself, Kim is constantly shown outside when conducting calls giving the viewer a sense of background (change of scenery from the depressing doc review) and standing by the glass window because of her interest in a window office as shown in season 1 when Jimmy suggests to buy her an office with a window. The change in weather(sunny day to rainy day) which could portray her progress being delayed since a rainy day is not a good day. My only bafflement was the reason why Howard is still keeping her in doc review after her amazing feat, but that could be soon answered in the following episodes.
This leads me to the fact that this episode is hammering on the point that Jimmy is wrong; Jimmy told Kim that Chuck is the reason she is being punished and not Howard, but this episode proves otherwise and that Jimmy might be wrong. Also, when Chuck and Kim talk which reveals to Kim that Chuck is not the bad guy here and he is legitimately trying to help out Kim, but in that talk, there can be two interpretations: First, Kim can interpret from that talk that Chuck was trying to do t he right thing with helping his father out in trying to find out what happened with the missing 14,000 and placing the blame on Jimmy but indirectly making Jimmy look bad, because he tries to spout in some pros about Jimmy having a good heart and he is not a bad person but he makes bad decisions. Second, the viewer knows what Chuck is doing, trying to make Jimmy look bad in front of Kim to break them apart but also it makes the viewer think that some of what Chuck is saying is painfully right, and Jimmy is not such a good guy. But, when he tries to indirectly imply that Jimmy was the reason behind their father's loss of business and death, the viewers know this is Chuck's jealousy and hatred talking.
Speaking of Jimmy, it was nice seeing him interact with a previous colleague from Season 1 and the change in feelings towards a well- paid job for present Jimmy compared to Jimmy in season 1, also adding another new character as Jimmy's associate/supervisor for comic relief. Lastly, Mike is seen being stuck in a hole he has dug with the gig he pulled last episode with Nacho after being mildly threatened by a younger Hector Salamanca from Breaking Bad. It will be interesting to see where his storyline progresses. Overall, another excellent episode with plenty to look forward to!
Better Call Saul: Gloves Off (2016)
Another solid episode with undeniably excellent storytelling!
Better Call Saul is quickly becoming one of the best shows ever written (in my opinion). This week we get the aftermath of Jimmy's hazardous actions regarding his homemade commercial. This episode gives the viewers a perspective of just how much Jimmy actually cares about Kim and keeping their relationship intact. He would go back to Chuck (the one person he cannot stand) in order to save Kim from being demoted, which lead to outstanding dialogue between the two brothers once again reaffirming that Chuck cannot bear to see Jimmy succeed doing immoral things. Jimmy fights for Kim's freedom while throwing himself under the bus and although to no avail, we know now how much Jimmy is willing to give up, and let's see how he carries on with his second chance at Davis and Main. While all that is happening, Nacho and Mike instigate a possibility of getting rid of Tuco (Nacho's Boss). During this segment of the episode, we again learn more about (or just reaffirm) Mike's character and the way he deals with his dirty business. Mike is trying to be a better guy especially after we learn about his past from Season 1, but in this episode we see those shades of him. He would rather concoct an elaborate plan to get the police involved rather than just point- blank shooting Tuco in the plan Nacho laid out. When Nacho asks him at the very end, "Why", this is left as a rhetorical question for a reason, because the fans of the show should already know the answer to that question if they understand Mike's character at all. This is why this show is so well written because the characters are fleshed out to the right degree so when they are put into certain situations, we as an audience would know how they would react and what their motivations are. Anyways, this show is doing everything right and we are slowly but surely seeing both Jimmy and Mike break bad.
Better Call Saul: Cobbler (2016)
Absolute perfection in creating plot points and foreshadowing
First of all, I'm gonna start by saying that I am so blessed to see golden TV is still around. Today's generation is too easily distracted and just watch stuff to pass time and not actually bother to think of what they watched. Better Call Saul is not the show for you if you fit that category because then the boards are filled with dumb questions that can be easily answered if one actually uses their head to think through why this scene happened and what was the point of it. I don't think there's a single scene in this show (including current episode) that doesn't have a point, it all holds value either to establish something right away or foreshadow for the future. There is a lot of "fill-in-the-blanks" situations in this show and particularly this episode involving the pie interrogation. It is downright smart writing and involves the viewers to actually think and fill in the blanks or imply, there is no exposition (nothing explained to you), which is why audiences that just want something to "chill and watch" will not like this. Anyways this episode suggests a lot of stuff for this season, Jimmy slowly seeing signs that he doesn't belong in his situation (at the new law firm) such as the car not meeting his needs, and Chuck watching his every move, which makes him uncomfortable because he doesn't like his brother anymore. So, when Mike gave him the opportunity to act as a dirty lawyer, Jimmy did not hesitate one bit. ALSO, the big reveal that Kim will not support Jimmy's dirty lawyer tricks as official business. To her, the restaurant gig was something fun, not work- related and thats all it is for her, but when she finds out that Jimmy actually likes doing this for work, she does not get behind that and this is mainly because her character is more straight and not crooked like Jimmy. So, it will be interesting to see Jimmy's descent into Saul Goodman while breaking Kim's heart and losing his brother Chuck. Cannot wait till the next episode and the next and the next!
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Being Frank (2016)
Best episode of season 11 HANDS DOWN
This was by far the best episode of sunny for a while. Still second best to Charlie Work, but the camera-work for the POV angle was mind blowing. This show does not seem low budget as it did when it first started due to the camera-work shown in this episode. The choice of letting one character carry a whole episode is tough but who better to do it than Frank. Lots of laughs and we finally got to see an introduction to nightcrawler, sadly the episode ended before we could actually know what that game is, but thats what makes it more hilarious. My only flaw of the episode was that how was Frank able to get into and start Dennis' car without having the keys on him to begin with. Other than that, this episode reminded me of why i still watch sunny, and I hope they keep making more original episodes like this.