Better Call Saul: Ep.207 Inflatable
Inflatable men dancing aimlessly in the wind have more influence than you’d think. The helpless blowup figures usually associated with car dealerships and blowout sales were a series-changing symbol for many of the characters in Better Call Saul. Jimmy, Kim and Mike are all, to varying degrees, at the mercy of the wind dancing aimlessly through their lives. Unlike the airdancers, the trio struggle to unshackle themselves in a bid to soar to new heights on their own terms.
Jimmy’s never felt comfortable in a legitimate business environment, Kim has unresolved inferiority issues from her past and Mike is a slave to his son’s failure to provide for his young family. Self-determination and the desire to be more than they are elude them, but their quests are fraught with the promise of unrealized success. So far out of the three of them, Kim’s plight is the most intriguing on a human level. While Jimmy and Mike appear to be forging the futures they deserve, Kim wants more to life but not at any cost. Unlike the inflatable men, Kim seems to be comfortable flying high, but is wary of the perils of being Icarus.
Jimmy’s discussion with Kim regarding her offer from Schweikart and Cokely has him back in his office drafting a resignation letter. As with most things in life it’s the fine print that gets you and Jimmy decides to rescind his decision after a closer look at his Davis and Main contract. A fortuitous traffic stop beside the aforementioned airdancers brings Jimmy to the realization that if you can’t jump off a cliff then the next best thing is to be pushed.
Jimmy’s decision to recruit Kim and the question she poses to him finally gets him to face facts. A sheep no more, he fully embraces his inner and outer wolf. The scene in his father’s store offers an early glimpse of the beginning of the Jimmy McGill we’re getting to know and the Saul Goodman we’re quite familiar with. Kim is no fool either. She loves Jimmy but realizes he’s bad for business. Her business. Kim, as evidenced by her meeting with Schweikart and Cokely has always been looking for an escape. Her initial reluctance to join Jimmy wasn’t because she didn’t want to work with him, but because she didn’t want to be dragged down by him. Her decision to pass on the new offer with Schweikart and Cokely was for the similar reasons. Whatever precipitated her move to New Mexico would have made her an outsider, in her mind at least, at her new firm and that fact unnerved her.
As Inflatable comes to a close Jimmy, Kim and Mike are on the verge of decisions that could alter their futures. In their effort to reach new heights, the anchors of their various pasts may be just enough to keep them grounded.
