After the last couple of episodes which were a little underwhelming, but still really good, mainly being set up, it was worth the wait! The episode begins with Lalo hilariously coming out of a sewer finally back in the US. He takes a shower and goes back to the sewer with the cockroaches (where he belongs!) to spy on Gus's laundromat with the super lab after getting the information from poor Casper. That was already an exciting cold open as we've all been waiting for Lalo to finally come back into the main story, and it went worse than we could've imagined!
We smoothly get back to Jimmy and Kimmy's scheme, no need for explanations because we can now easily piece it together thanks to all the set up of the previous episodes. I love not only the intensity of the characters trying to fix the pictures before it's too late, but also the excitement as we live vicariously through them even if we know they're doing something bad. It's all beautifully captured in a long take of them setting up the pictures of the Judge Casimiro look a-like. The music in the background and excellent direction from Thomas Schnauz make this the most enjoyable and intense episode in a long time, even more so that the moment with Nacho for me.
We get a lot of time with Howard this episode, which hurts so much. Howard has been a character I've always liked, especially played by Patrick Fabian who I can't help but love, which makes this so tragic. The parallels to Chuck make this all more poetic and sad as he almost gets the same fate as him but without it actually being his own fault. Him being dosed by the drug and handling Irene so nicely brought more intensity. There's a lot of red herrings that keep you guessing and make the episode consistently so anxiety inducing. My stomach was in knots even during the ads!
It's also sad to see Clifford struggle to trust Howard because from the outside it truly seems like Howard is lying, which just makes for such great dramatic irony. When Howard finally goes off as we expected he gets his own Chicanery moment as Jimmy goes as far as to switching the pictures, and Fabian was glorious! Him putting their plan together and us knowing he can't prove it further makes this so hard to watch but great writing. Howard's life unraveling while Kim and Jimmy make out in the background is just hilarious and fitting, but in retrospect even more painful...
Lalo... when we finally saw Lalo back I was so excited as I was worried we wouldn't get more of him this episode. I just wanted to add that the cinematography in this episode was also excellent, as they had so many great shots of Lalo simply in the sewer. Lalo recording himself was hilarious, but when he accidentally incriminates himself to Gus by calling Hector that was no laughing matter. While Lalo is obviously a horrible human, his character is just so fascinating and enjoyable to watch because of how it ties to the plot and because of Tony Dalton's performance. So when Lalo tricks Gus with his own trick it was even more intense and exhilarating! We're left in the dark to what exactly is happening and it made more suspenseful.
So Howard... When Howard came to Jimmy's home to confront him I thought that was honestly it. It was a brilliant scene and arguably Fabian's best in an episode where he kept one upping himself. Howard just tragically describing Jimmy accurately knowing what he becomes, but giving even more insight into Kim. It was already an amazing moment, talking about his own issues, and then calling them soulless... Then that candle flickers and you know something is going wrong... I thought Lalo was really going to Gus, so when I saw him I was initially excited because I've been waiting for him to meet Jimmy one last time, but then the terror set in knowing what was coming with Howard... Poor Howard, in the wrong place at the wrong time. It made for the best scene in the season when we already had another amazing death scene with Nacho. I love the parallel to Bad Choice Road, the previous most intense scene in the series till now. While this wasn't a planned mid season finale or a planned cliff hanger it totally delivered and I couldn't be happier with this episode when I was a little underwhelmed by the last. To think Howard will probably be remembered for being on drugs in his last moment and maybe even killed by drug dealers, Wow... Thank you Better Call Saul. I know the 2 month break for the last 6 episodes will be worth it.
We smoothly get back to Jimmy and Kimmy's scheme, no need for explanations because we can now easily piece it together thanks to all the set up of the previous episodes. I love not only the intensity of the characters trying to fix the pictures before it's too late, but also the excitement as we live vicariously through them even if we know they're doing something bad. It's all beautifully captured in a long take of them setting up the pictures of the Judge Casimiro look a-like. The music in the background and excellent direction from Thomas Schnauz make this the most enjoyable and intense episode in a long time, even more so that the moment with Nacho for me.
We get a lot of time with Howard this episode, which hurts so much. Howard has been a character I've always liked, especially played by Patrick Fabian who I can't help but love, which makes this so tragic. The parallels to Chuck make this all more poetic and sad as he almost gets the same fate as him but without it actually being his own fault. Him being dosed by the drug and handling Irene so nicely brought more intensity. There's a lot of red herrings that keep you guessing and make the episode consistently so anxiety inducing. My stomach was in knots even during the ads!
It's also sad to see Clifford struggle to trust Howard because from the outside it truly seems like Howard is lying, which just makes for such great dramatic irony. When Howard finally goes off as we expected he gets his own Chicanery moment as Jimmy goes as far as to switching the pictures, and Fabian was glorious! Him putting their plan together and us knowing he can't prove it further makes this so hard to watch but great writing. Howard's life unraveling while Kim and Jimmy make out in the background is just hilarious and fitting, but in retrospect even more painful...
Lalo... when we finally saw Lalo back I was so excited as I was worried we wouldn't get more of him this episode. I just wanted to add that the cinematography in this episode was also excellent, as they had so many great shots of Lalo simply in the sewer. Lalo recording himself was hilarious, but when he accidentally incriminates himself to Gus by calling Hector that was no laughing matter. While Lalo is obviously a horrible human, his character is just so fascinating and enjoyable to watch because of how it ties to the plot and because of Tony Dalton's performance. So when Lalo tricks Gus with his own trick it was even more intense and exhilarating! We're left in the dark to what exactly is happening and it made more suspenseful.
So Howard... When Howard came to Jimmy's home to confront him I thought that was honestly it. It was a brilliant scene and arguably Fabian's best in an episode where he kept one upping himself. Howard just tragically describing Jimmy accurately knowing what he becomes, but giving even more insight into Kim. It was already an amazing moment, talking about his own issues, and then calling them soulless... Then that candle flickers and you know something is going wrong... I thought Lalo was really going to Gus, so when I saw him I was initially excited because I've been waiting for him to meet Jimmy one last time, but then the terror set in knowing what was coming with Howard... Poor Howard, in the wrong place at the wrong time. It made for the best scene in the season when we already had another amazing death scene with Nacho. I love the parallel to Bad Choice Road, the previous most intense scene in the series till now. While this wasn't a planned mid season finale or a planned cliff hanger it totally delivered and I couldn't be happier with this episode when I was a little underwhelmed by the last. To think Howard will probably be remembered for being on drugs in his last moment and maybe even killed by drug dealers, Wow... Thank you Better Call Saul. I know the 2 month break for the last 6 episodes will be worth it.