Better Call Saul Review: JMM (Season 5 Episode 7)
There’s a moment during Better Call Saul Season 5 Episode 7, “JMM,” where Jimmy looks around a corner at a grieving family. The shot mirrors half of his face on the marble wall, where the real one is expressive, and the other is near expressionless, despite it being a reflection. That’s the Jimmy/Saul divide, and the scene that follows gives the appearance one divide has defeated the other.
It’s the kind of brilliant filmmaking choices that make Better Call Saul a masterful descent into one man’s soul as he sells it to the highest bidder. That one effective shot is the show in a nutshell, and another defining turning point.
The way the marriage procedure between Jimmy and Kim is void of any emotion, and how both Jimmy and Kim are treating it clinically, makes the whole thing feel anticlimactic, in a sense. Anticlimactic on purpose, too, not in a bad way.
Jimmy’s explanation to Huell that it’s simply a business transaction, there to protect them both, robs any of the good that’s done, as are Kim’s assurances that they tell each other everything no matter the cost. It’s two lawyers closing a case, essentially, robbing the joy from what should be a happy moment for them both.
But there is progress, where the emotion starts to appear once they’re home from work, along with Jimmy reluctantly opening up about representing Lalo. They’re small steps, to be sure, but steps nonetheless. There’s a more relaxed sense after, that the boiling point of their relationship has successfully been disarmed and lessened.
Perhaps it’s only temporary, but at least there’s this moment of calm where they can enjoy their same-but-different lives.
We do get to find out that Saul tells the truth during Breaking Bad when he tells Walt he’s been married twice before; he hands over two disillusion papers when handing in the paperwork with Kim. It’s interesting that he only mentions those two marriages during that scene on season three, and nothing of another marriage (the one with Kim). It also shows that he may not be lying to Walt, a common theory.
It places a doomed feeling over this arrangement with Kim, where the emotion and love is slowly returning as the relationship remains mostly the same as before, but with a sense of foundation now. Is this arrangement something that he keeps private, or is it already long over by the time Walter White enters his life?
The newfound sense of composure helps Kim gain her confidence back, where she shows the lay of the land to Kevin about her advisement over Mesa Verde and passes the blame back onto him. It’s a rather striking moment, where stubbornness is met with stubbornness right back, in a way that Kevin can understand. And it works, because it’s the language he speaks.
Jimmy, however, is only digging himself a deeper hole in his own work. Representing Lalo, and continually glancing back at the victim’s family, is the last shred of decency stripping away. You can feel the reluctance and distractedness that’s eating away at him, especially so when he’s watching them in the hall.
But Howard’s sudden appearance and quick taps of aggression completely destroy that last shred of decency, sending Jimmy into a full meltdown. It’s a meltdown of Jimmy McGill and the true beginning of Saul Goodman, this loss of composure and morality to take down the target of his rage.
The exaggerations of almighty power may sound hollow to Howard as he hurries out, but knowing what Saul Goodman is capable of, they are words to fear. It’s fascinating how their back and forth mind games before the outburst are passive-aggressive until the mention of Chuck, and that’s the lighting of the fuse.
Chuck has always been that looming shadow for Jimmy, that reminder he will never be good enough, but it’s been a while since he’s been reminded of that.
This is that reminder, and this is his answer to it. It’s almost like this is everything Jimmy wants to say to Chuck, to show Chuck what he’s become. But in the end, he’s yelling at a man who likely wanted to help him, and is only going down a path of pain and cruelty.
One thing of note is that there’s more than just Gus, Mike, and Lydia on the Madrigal payroll that know about the methamphetamine business. This introduction of Peter, who is rather flappable, is a curious wrinkle. Is he still in charge in the future, or will he be a liability as the heat gets a little too hot for his liking?
Either way, Gus’ plan of giving Lalo everything he wants is a fascinating move. There’s the question of where Gus is taking this with his master plan, but he does let it slip that anything done to Lalo above the border would look like he’s involved. The likely scenario is to move Lalo back down, especially with a murder charge on his back, and maybe take care of him then. Maybe that village Gus finances will make a comeback in some way.
A special note on Lalo Salamanca, who handles the murder charge and ensuing events almost with amusement. Tony Dalton is fantastic here, confident he will be okay even in the face of mountains of problems.
The burning down of Los Pollos Hermanos is a great view into both Nacho and Gus, how they go about it. There’s a chaotic nature to Nacho’s destruction, but Gus is still calculated and methodical with his own destruction, taking his time to create havoc. Using a chicken as a timer, too, where it will slowly grease itself and slide into the grease, is mind-bending in its ingenuity.
It’s a time of happiness but also of reckoning for everyone as they find comfort in the little things but struggle to control the bigger things. Better Call Saul Season 5 Episode 7, “JMM,” is a brilliant episode that is like a ticking time bomb. The explosion of both Gus’ restaurant and Jimmy are fairly similar in their design, the escalation of something that can’t be stopped.
It’s a showcase episode for Bob Odenkirk, whose Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman transformation has been a little overshadowed by Rhea Seehorn’s performance as Kim Wexler this season. Jimmy’s way of showing how tempted he is by the sheer amount of cash being a cartel lawyer would bring, tied to how he’s pushing down the morality of doing such a thing, is fantastic. But it’s that final scene that is a force of nature.
Some further thoughts on the episode:
- Going around the table of Madrigal businesses is great, but there’s no comparison to Luftwaffle as the name of a company. That’s perfect.
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 Mondays at 9/8c on AMC.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.