Chuck’s pragmatism doesn’t mesh well with Jimmy’s idealistic dreams of working together, righting wrongs and chasing down criminals. (Note the disdain in his voice when he explains to Jimmy the shortcuts the movie Erin Brockovich made.) Those small touches to the performance, which tilt Chuck from noble to disloyal, show just how quietly potent Michael McKean has been all season.
Meanwhile, Odenkirk’s work in that last scene deserves special Emmy consideration. Like a switch – on the line “If working with me is want you really want…” – he loses his bubbly demeanour. We see the confidence and charisma drain from Odenkirk’s face. He has to wallow in his own perspiration as Chuck rips into him for the “shortcuts” Jimmy took and his inability to change. He doesn’t have much of a rebuttal against Chuck’s claims except to lay on the guilt.
The shot of Jimmy leaving Chuck’s den this week was in a long shot, emphasizing the dank emptiness of this home that was once shared by the two brothers. Better Call Saul remains a drama of immense spatial metaphor, whether it is the distance between Kim and Howard in his oversized office to the overwhelming anxiety expressed through a long establishing shot of the man who goes by “Pryce” as he waits with Mike to pursue his first criminal act. The series is very insistent on who holds the power by how the shots are framed and how far the characters sit or stand from each other.
Speaking of holding power, this is another fantastic episode for Mike Erhmantraut, who proves that the strong and silent type can succeed through, well, strength and silence. His back-and-forth with a boastful hitman (Steven Ogg) delights, as Mike lets his modesty and gravitas shield the badass physical stamina underneath. The only thing he packed is that titular cheese – the “caviar of the South.” Why bring a weapon if he can dismantle a gun-toting foe with ease? (The comic grace note of this deeply satisfying scene is a giant thug scurrying away in fear of Mike after his tough guy demonstration.)
He is warm at home as he watches over Kaylee and her dog, but cold as ice on the job – back to the confident, resourceful helper Breaking Bad audiences craved. He knows the terrain and has done the homework to ensure his client is safe. Mike may be a criminal, but he has no interest in being a “bad guy,” as he describes in his speech to the milquetoast he assists. The disparity between the taciturn Mike and the talkative Jimmy will hopefully create great tension and humor in future episodes of Better Call Saul. Both men have damaged pasts with their families and are now trying to find ways to move forward.
“Pimento” was another winning hour of the series, which is looking more like a serious Emmy contender with each passing week. Its searing final scene, undoing the work and the brotherly love Jimmy had provided with such warmth, stands as the season’s pivotal climactic moment. With exceptional acting, masterful pacing and ever-deepening connection to the man who will become Saul Goodman, this hour was much closer to caviar than to cheese.
