Better Call Saul Review: Piñata (Season 4 Episode 6)
We have to be close to seeing Jimmy go full Saul Goodman.
Better Call Saul has always been more than just a prequel series. Sometimes it’s a story of the rising drug trade in Albuquerque, and sometimes it’s a story about a once happy and positive man becoming a criminal that fans know by another name.
Better Call Saul Season 4 Episode 6, “Pinata,” may have been the most revealing episode yet in terms of the journey to becoming Saul Goodman, because it exposed the first fault line of Jimmy and Kim’s relationship.
Fans of Breaking Bad recognize Jimmy’s relationship with Kim Wexler as the largest remaining difference between Jimmy and Saul. It has become clear that something would happen, but until “Piñata,” it wasn’t clear what. Now, it’s clear.
Kim doesn’t want to enter into law practice with Jimmy again.
Can you blame her? He’s had his license suspended for a year, and she already knows about the time he manufactured evidence in the “Squat Cobbler” incident. What if he’s still Slippin’ Jimmy?
She instead goes to Schweikart and Cokely to run their (new) banking division. Mesa Verde is proving to be more than she can handle alone, and this will give her an opportunity to do more pro bono criminal cases. Seems like a smart move for Kim.
Jimmy, though, continues to spiral toward Saul Goodman. His two primary inspirations for pursuing a law career were Kim (now ditching him) and Chuck (dead). Without those two to keep him in check, it’s only a matter of time before his transformation is complete.
It is worth noting, though, that Jimmy’s heart still exists. He is devastated to hear that he lost one of his favorite clients. He grieves for her in a way that he never did for Chuck.
He even goes so far as to give Howard a (disguised) pep talk, which is something that only good-hearted James McGill would do. Of course, that pep talk easily applies to Jimmy, too. Really, Jimmy’s speech to Howard is a representation of his own inner turmoil.
“Piñata” simultaneously tells us that Jimmy is still there and that Saul is on the horizon. A horizon that we can all see, especially in the dark warehouse filled with piñatas.
Elsewhere on the episode, Mike Ehrmantraut shows his two sides. His stern, git-er-done, fixer persona, and his tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside, grandparent and father-in-law, both making for a thrilling watch.
Every Breaking Bad fan knew that Mike was in this for his granddaughter, but to add layers while showcasing both sides gives Mike’s character extra depth.
A few stray thoughts:
- We’ve really only seen Gus Fring as an extension of the business he’s doing with Mike (and Nacho) so far this year. The monologue at Hector’s bedside is chilling, exciting, and a cautionary tale about stubbornness and revenge.
- The ne’er-do-wells hanging upside down amongst the piñatas may be one of the best TV scenes of 2018.
- It was a great pleasure to see Chuck (Michael McKean) and Huell (Lavell Crawford) again.
- I am SO sure that Kai is going to end up on Mike’s list and meet some sort of gruesome end…and I am here for it.
What did you think of this episode of Better Call Saul? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Better Call Saul airs Monday at 9/8c on AMC.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.