Better Call Saul 410 – Winner
Bittersweet. There are a gamut of emotions that come to mind as Better Call Saul’s 4th season comes to a close but bittersweet stands out, at least at the start of Winner. Looking back on Jimmy’s first moments as a lawyer and the poignant lyrics he sings with Chuck during a drunken karaoke session reminds viewers of what could have been – professionally and personally. With The Winner Takes It All, the classic tune by the 70’s Swedish group Abba still freshly bouncing off the eardrum, the fact there are few if any long lasting winners in the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe only adds to the gravitas.
What could have been also rings true in the present as Mike scrambles to track down Werner who has gone AWOL from the superlab’s construction site. Mobilizing a team to track down the German grabs the attention of Lalo Salamanca who is conducting his own surveillance operation on all things Los Pollos Hermanos and by extension Gustavo Fring. And so begins a clever cat and mouse game between Mike and Lalo where the former cop digs deep into his vast bag of tricks to shake his tail. Not to be outdone, Lalo has some impressive tricks of his own and proves to be a worthy adversary.
The driving force behind what makes Jimmy tick is exposed in his speech to Ms. Esposito, a young woman applying for a scholarship at HHM. His advice to her is really him speaking to himself. Jimmy understands the game, how hard it is to be accepted for what you are and the challenges breaking through certain social circles, particularly if you’re from the wrong side of the tracks. The futility around trying to rebuild his reputation and being reinstated hits Jimmy hard and results in one of the few genuine displays of emotion the younger McGill has ever displayed.
One of the interesting aspects of Winner is the fact that the internal struggles of some characters are voiced by others. While Jimmy’s rant to the young scholarship hopeful is really about himself, Werner’s painful conversation with his wife really refers to Mike. Some jobs carry heavy burdens and the ugly side of Mike’s role with Gus cuts him deeply.
Bittersweet. That word comes full circle when Jimmy lays bare his soul in front of the reinstatement committee. Here we are witness to Jimmy’s true power. While not a scholar like Chuck or a hard worker like Kim, Jimmy’s true talent is the ability to connect with people – whether he’s genuine or not. His moment in the sun comes with a twist however and it sets in motion a progression that has been teased for the last few seasons.
The real revelation in Winner though isn’t Jimmy’s actions or what comes of them. It’s all about Kim. Her reaction to the events in the final few frames pretty much says it all and will no doubt force her to question everything moving forward. The joy on her face is soon washed away by a wave of confusion. A shared victory turned upon its ear.
Bittersweet. Bittersweet indeed.
