Better Call Saul S2 E5-6: Chuck's story and Kim's punishment

Better Call Saul Season 2, episodes 5 and 6, left us upset on Kim Wexler's behalf and more suspicious of Chuck than ever. Better Call Saul (2015), starring Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks and Rhea Seehorn, is a first time through for us, and these two episodes gave us a lot to argue about.

Chuck's Flashback Dinner With Rebecca and Jimmy's Lawyer Jokes

We guessed right away that the opening was a flashback, because Chuck's house had far too many lights on for him. Before we knew who the woman was, we wondered whether she was his lover, and whether she had passed away and that was why he crashed out. She turns out to be his wife, Rebecca, a violinist Chuck calls a crazy talented one.

Chuck warns her that Jimmy is an acquired taste, and they agree on a signal, the old Carol Burnett ear pull, so Chuck can claim he has briefs to read and get rid of him. Our bet was that she was going to love him. It seemed like the first time she was meeting him, with Jimmy one week into the HHM mail room. We figured this was around when Chuck got him out of jail, which would explain why Jimmy missed the wedding.

Jimmy wins Rebecca over with a run of lawyer jokes while Chuck tugs at his ear. She liked it, and we could see she was vibing. Later, when Chuck tries one of the jokes on her himself, it falls flat, and it's just not working the same.

Kim Wexler Stuck in Document Review While Erin Hounds Jimmy

Over at Davis & Main, Jimmy is saddled with Erin, a second year associate who drops by his office late with notes on his brief: center the Roman numeral headings, and put two spaces after every period. Our reaction was simple: why don't you just fix it? Jimmy ducks out on her, and later we decided they really said, okay, where's the most obnoxious law associate? Let's just strap her to him.

Kim, meanwhile, is in document review at 20 to midnight and not answering his calls. When Jimmy turns up, he pitches suing HHM, and then quitting Davis & Main. We thought suing was a bad call and a great way to torpedo her career. When Kim tells him "You don't save me," our verdict was: ouch, but she's right.

Kim Lands Mesa Verde and Howard Sends Her Back Anyway

Kim spends her lunch breaks in the stairwell making calls, trying to dig herself out of this hole. We find it so crazy how quickly they take away her desk every single time. At this point we suspected she might end up suing them, or that she and Jimmy go out on their own.

The way these scenes are shot is beautiful, and every one of them is gorgeous. When Paige finally calls back and Kim celebrates in the parking garage, we thought she was adorable. She brings Mesa Verde to the meeting with Howard, then Howard puts Francis on staffing and sends her straight back to document review. "That's so cruel." On the phone with Chuck, Howard credits Kim with a quarter of a million in billings.

Chuck's Story About Their Father's Store in Cicero

Chuck then catches Kim early one morning and tells her about their father's corner store in Cicero. He says $14,000 went missing, that Jimmy pilfered it, that their dad had to sell, and that he was dead six months later. At the funeral, Chuck says, no one cried harder than Jimmy. We briefly disagreed on whether he said 14 or 15 grand, then checked: it was $14,000.

The story didn't land the way Chuck wanted with us. He admits his dad wasn't the greatest businessman, and Jimmy, not Chuck, grew up in that store. Our speculation, and it is only speculation, is that Jimmy might have seen his dad doing something sketchy. There might be more to that story than Chuck even knows, and we haven't heard Jimmy's side.

From now on, we're never going to trust anything Chuck says. We wonder if he's using this moment to win Kim over so she's less supportive of Jimmy, cutting him off from everyone who has advocated for him. If Rebecca is gone and she liked Jimmy, maybe Chuck wants to sour the woman Jimmy loves in return. Jimmy has been honest about who he is. His brother has not.

Mike Gets a $5,000 Offer From Tuco's Family

Mike's face is healing when Tuco's uncle sits down in the diner, apologizes on behalf of his family, and asks Mike to tell police the gun was his. The payoff is $5,000. Mike looked so mad, as if these idiots had got him involved, and we felt for him: that sucks so bad. Our guess is he'll have to take the deal or figure more out with Nacho. He went to so much effort to keep Tuco alive, and now the Salamanca cartel is coming down on him.

Kim's Punishment, Howard's Motives and Jimmy's Rule Bending

We think what the firm is doing to Kim is very wrong, and that they're only doing it because of Jimmy. He isn't by the book, and he was soliciting on that bus for sure, but he did it for the right reasons. The ad was amazing, not embarrassing. HHM were upset because it wasn't a team effort, and Jimmy doesn't know how to be a team. "He is a me, myself, and I."

We split on who is behind Kim's punishment. Howard and Chuck seem to take turns being the villain, both resenting yet respecting Jimmy. One theory was that Howard might have a crush on Kim and be jealous of Jimmy; the other view was that their relationship looks purely professional, with no indication of anything more. We also split on blowback: Chuck stuck his neck out for Jimmy, and Kim did vouch for him, but "Kim is not responsible for someone else's actions."

On rules, we agreed you have to have wiggle room. The beanie baby for the court clerk? "It's a beanie baby." Greasing the wheels makes things happen a little faster: they got a court date for next month, when they could have done it that week. Erin is going to have a rude awakening, or end up in contract law, never in a courtroom. "In order to be a lawyer, you need to be able to wiggle."

Erin And The Pile On Against Jimmy

Erin sits so far on the other side of the spectrum from Jimmy that we think they assume she will at least pull him toward the middle. She is the kind of rule follower who can rubber stamp a denial with no wiggle room at all. She is the babysitter who sends you to bed at 8:00 on the dot instead of giving you two or three more minutes to brush your teeth. It is going to be frustrating if we have to keep dealing with her.

Jimmy is not trying to prove anything. He is trying to do what is right, the best way he knows how, and he still gets crucified every five seconds even when he does a good job. We get that the firm can get in trouble for certain things, but they need more patience with him. If the criticism came as a discussion, and nobody had such a hotheaded ego, we think Jimmy would be open to saying sorry and moving on. Jimmy has an ego with certain people, too.

His brother nails him on everything and has told him outright that he does not believe in him and does not think he deserves the job. So Jimmy figures nobody will approve of what he does, and he asks for forgiveness rather than permission. That is what got him in hot water over the ad. Kim loved it and, without meaning to, asked whether he had gotten it approved. Even when he deserves praise, everyone focuses on the negative. We feel he has done a lot more good than bad recently, and they are looking for something to tear him down with. Knowing his future bums us out.

Kim Stays Packed While Schweikart Makes His Pitch

Jimmy's commercial airs late at night, when the Sandpiper Crossing residents are already asleep, and he's furious. As we see it, he didn't do anything wrong because it worked. Any time he does something intelligent, people get mad they didn't think of it. Back at HHM, we loved that Kim never unpacked her office. How many times can you pack and unpack before you stop bothering?

At the hearing, Kim argues a position that is unwinnable, and opposing counsel Rich Schweikart takes her to lunch. He tells her about losing alone in Boston after his boss skipped a hearing for a tee time, then pitches her on Schweikart and Cokely, partner track, even covering her tuition debt. She did really well in there, and we think she is going to be a good lawyer. She also sees the ethical issue.

Mike's Welcome Mat And The 50,000 Dollar Standoff

Mike buys a welcome mat, and we figured he had something planned. It tells him someone is in his house. The fight is over almost instantly, and we love it. You have action movies like John Wick, where everything is clear, precise and protracted, and then you have this, where tension builds in a dead quiet house and it ends fast: he kicks the door, knocks one man out, hits the other in the face, and is barely winded. "Like that is a man who takes care of business." He is also smart not to kill them. Mike always tries to limit blowback, and two dead men would start a war with the cartel and bring police questions.

The Salamancas then threaten his granddaughter at the motel pool. Facing Tuco's uncle, Don Salamanca, Mike refuses the 5,000 and holds out for 50,000. We think the Don assumed Mike was frail and realized he wasn't. Maybe he figures something out, or maybe he brings Mike into the fold as an enforcer who, in our words, "speaks English and looks like a non-assuming old man."

Afterward, Mike hands Nacho 25,000 because he didn't hold up his end of the deal. That is loyalty and respect, and you could tell Nacho saw what kind of guy Mike is. We think that connection is probably going to be big for Mike. It ultimately leads him to Gus, good for a while, but eventually toward their demise. Michael Booth brought up that it makes sense Mike goes to Gus. Because the Salamancas threatened his grandbaby, they will forever be on his list, he will never forgive that, and Gus gives him the opportunity to stick it to them. It also explains why Mike knew there was trouble when the twins came looking for Walt.

How Better Call Saul Loops Back To Breaking Bad

We like the small crossovers, such as Jimmy in the desert with Tuco early on paralleling his later claim that he has been out in the desert with worse people. The show loops back without feeling like Jimmy forcing a cup into a cup holder that does not fit. It lines up very nicely, and we are enjoying the pace.

We also enjoy seeing a different side of Tuco's uncle, not just the frail man in a wheelchair ringing a bell. We think he suffered a stroke, though we don't remember if that was said out loud. Seeing him fully own the room, unbothered by Mike's gun, may make his later storyline land even harder.

We Split On Kim's Cons With Jimmy

We disagreed on Kim calling Jimmy to run a con on Dale, the engineer at the bar, as Giselle. One view loved her falling back on being con artists. The other did not like that she finally called him to do this after he had been trying to reach her. The bigger fear is that they con the wrong person, who then shows up at the firm, and she loses everything. It feels similar to Jesse and his girlfriend: in search of control, she may do it more often and get more reckless. It is close to home, too, in the restaurant where she had lunch with Schweikart.

Should Kim Take The Schweikart Job

We understand her loyalty, and her wanting a better offer. Leaving would take her off the case, a massive loss for HHM. But they are not using her properly: losing positions, document review, work during lunch. Howard is hazing her and seems mad at her personally. Surviving it might win back their favor, but that is not guaranteed. We would not be surprised if she left for a firm that will take care of her. Schweikart represents the company that is hurting old people, but we are sure HHM works for people who hurt others too. "That's the way the wheel turns."