Better Call Saul Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Expenses
Ron Gilmer
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Things aren't looking too rosy for Kim and Jimmy, and it's only going to get worse.
On Better Call Saul Season 3 Episode 7, the pressure is mounting on both sides.
For Jimmy, it's financial: however, Kim's pressure is purely emotional, and that's a huge problem.
Kim can see what Jimmy's going through, but he refuses help from her.
We know they probably don't end up together, given the fact we never saw or heard about her in Breaking Bad. The how and why is what we want to know.
Kim: Wow, Mr. Moneybags, huh? So, this commercial thing is turning a profit?
Jimmy: It's TV, how could there not be a profit?
Kim: You didn't drain your bank account, did you?
Jimmy puts up a good front, using all his con man skills to make everyone think he's OK, but the two women in his life, Kim and Drama Girl, can see right through it.
The pity on the face of Drama Girl as she tries to give him some money back is very sad indeed.
As the TV commercial business flounders, Jimmy resorts to giving away a commercial, hoping the free ad might bring in more business, but it smacks of flop sweat and desperation.
Bob Odenkirk again is masterful, going from his Saul bluster to looks of anger, exasperation, and outright depression in the space of a few seconds.
That doesn't mean there weren't a few comic moments, they just were more few and far between.
His quick change from community service garbage man to TV Director was very funny, wet wipes and all.
I've worked as a TV Director for a LONG time, so I found the constant stream of nonsensical TV jargon he jumbled together for his clients to be quite funny.
I realize it was probably funnier to me than someone not in the business, but it tickled me anyway.
This exchange between Jimmy and his crew was hilarious to me as well:
Jimmy: You see that? Fender Stratocaster signed by Ritchie Blackmore. You know who that is, right?
Camera Guy: Someone nobody's ever heard of?
Jimmy: That's real good. I hope your parents enjoy supporting you for the rest of their lives. C'mon, Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple.
Sound Guy: Oh, Another Brick in the Wall.
Jimmy: I weep for the future.
Anyway, getting back to the Kim/Jimmy thing.
Kim snapping at the Mesa Verde client was so unlike her, but it shows how deeply what they did to Chuck bothers her, even though he had it coming.
As far as I'm concerned, all we did was tear down a sick man.
Kim
Granted, the client did take a pretty cavalier attitude regarding how they destroyed Chuck, but that's how lawyers are, right?
Kim lashed out at her more from her own guilt I expect, but it really wasn't her place to pile on Chuck, either.
I was wondering what would be the wedge that would ultimately drive them apart, and this might be it.
Kim: I keep thinking, was there another way?
Jimmy: Another way? Chuck? Is that what you're talking about? Kim, he had us in a a corner, OK? We did what we had to do.
Kim: But Rebecca?
Jimmy: Everything that happened was his own fault. Everything. You put him in the rear view mirror. He is not worth thinking about. Done.
The only thing about that is, Kim's attitude changed right after the exchange, and she started talking about running scams on the bar patrons again.
Was that just to make Jimmy feel better? Or is she starting to come around to Jimmy's way of thinking?
She knows he's in dire straits financially, so maybe she's willing to do a few scams to get Jimmy back on his feet.
That's a slippery slope for both of them. We know Jimmy isn't going to recover from this, but f Kim goes down that road, will it damage her forever?
Is that what brings an end to their relationship?
I could very easily see them caught up in a con gone sideways, and Kim could get pinched, hurt, or worse.
That would be very hard to take.
We got to see more of Mike in this one, and his story was two-fold.
I don't know what to make of his encounter with Anita, the lady from the church where he was helping out his daughter in law.
Her story of losing her husband on a hiking trip struck a chord with Mike, and it seems like he wants to help her gain closure somehow.
Maybe he will investigate the disappearance, or is it that he's simply attracted to her?
I never thought about Mike having a romance, but maybe that's where this is headed.
If anyone ever needed a little lovin', it would definitely be Mike.
He's had a hard life. Maybe I'm reading it totally wrong, but it seemed like them getting closer is a possibility.
It would be interesting, but the fact that Mike is involved with unsavory people probably means I'm barking up the wrong tree.
He's much too careful to bring a possible romantic interest into that life. Oh well, it was tantalizing to think about.
Nacho taking one of Hector's pills did lead down a predictable path.
I like them bringing back Daniel, everyone's favorite pie squatter. I hope they eventually show us the legendary "Hoboken Squat Cobbler" videos as some DVD bonus stuff someday.
As disturbing as it would be to witness, the comedic value would more than offset inevitable nausea.
Daniel: I mean, what's the point?
Nacho: I need them.
Daniel: OK. And if I don't get them, then what? Are you going to threaten me? Break my legs?
Nacho: You get me those pills, and I'm going to pay you 20 thousand dollars. Get them.
I get how Nacho feels about all this. His dad's safety is at stake. I like how Vince Gilligan can manipulate a character, making good guys unsympathetic, and vice versa.
That, of course, was the whole point of Breaking Bad, turning a lovable chemistry teacher with cancer into a vile human being. He's running the same game here with Jimmy.
He's also showing, in Nacho's case, that all bad guys aren't bad by choice.
Flipping the script on these characters takes masterful writing, and Gilligan's crew has that in spades.
Nacho: I've got no choice. Hector wants to use my dad's business. My dad is a straight arrow. He won't stand for it, which means he goes to the police, which means he's a dead man. And that's not happening.
Mike: You get caught it could get worse.
The theory that Nacho substituting the empty pills for the nitro ones will be the cause of Hector's stroke is still a good bet, but it's not set in stone.
The writers like sending you in one direction, only to do a swerve at the last minute.
This one wasn't up to par with the last couple for me. It would be very hard to measure up to the last two episodes, so I'm not surprised this one faltered a little.
The takeaway here is the rift that might be growing between Kim and Jimmy.
Jimmy's routine of crocodile tears at the insurance office was cold and calculated. The anger mixed with triumph on his face as he left was actually pretty scary.
He had the same expression at the bar with Kim. The pressure is mounting, and this is the darkest we've seen Jimmy yet.
If Jimmy's act gets Chuck in trouble, which it undoubtedly will, then it's on like Donkey Kong again between them.
All hell could be breaking loose very soon on all fronts, so the back end of the season should be VERY interesting.
That's my take: tell me yours in the comments section.
And, as always, you can watch Better Call Saul online anytime, right here on TV Fanatic!
