Only a two more episodes remain this season and I’m
dismayed, as each hour seems hour of the storyline seems to surpass the last.
Jimmy and Kim have decided to take the plunge and go out on
their own. Mike stalks Hector Salamanca
as the cousins remain in town threatening his kin. The series excels in succinct storytelling
and cinematography. This episode
contains an opening sequence of approximately six minutes without dialogue
which on another show would seemed strange or forced but here adds tension and
interest. The series is getting
decidedly more colorful.
An ice cream truck painted with bright colors waits at the
Mexico/U.S. border checkpoint. The truck is targeted for a more through
inspection. Cartons of ice cream are
sent through the x-ray machine. The man
and his truck are finally cleared. He
removes an orange popsicle to enjoy on the way. After ten miles of deserted highway the man
pulls over. He walks a distance and
finds a rock, under which hides box containing a revolver. He takes the gun and places the Popsicle
stick in a collection of approximately two-dozen others in a little
“graveyard.” He’s obviously has made
this journey before.
Jimmy and Kim eat hot dogs outdoors under a giant neon
wiener. It’s a celebration of their new
partnership. Jimmy urges her to pen her
resignation letter that night and call Mesa Verde to bring them in as her first
clients. Kim pushes back, “I need to do
it right for me.” Kim is much more
cautiously optimistic about their new businesses.
The next day Kim requests to speak with Howard in the
privacy of his office. He surprises her
by starting, “Let’s just rip off the Band-Aid, I know why you’re here.” She
hands him her letter. Howard has assumed
she has accepted a job at Schweikart and Cokely. Kim corrects him, informing him she is “going
solo” and opening her own practice.
Howard has heard Jimmy quit Davis & Main and guesses that is not a
coincidence. Kim thanks him for giving
her a start to her career and paying for her education. Howard forgives the rest of her debt stating,
“You’ve earned it.” Howard seems to
respect her ambitions, recounting of how his father insisted he join the firm. He tells her he pushed her hard because she
was talented. Kim has been careful not
to burn any bridges like Jimmy did at Davis & Main. As Kim exits the office she hears Howard call
out to his secretary to call Mesa Verde immediately. This prompts Kim to sprint
to her office to reach her contact Paige at the bank to tell her the news
regarding her new independence.
Mike watches Salamanca’s ice cream shop. The Mexican truck pulls in and unloads his
cargo. Mike sips coffee from a thermos. The truck leaves and the lights go off inside
the shop. A bright classic American car
with “fins” pulls up to the shop. Hector and the goon who threatened Mike on
his doorstep come out and enter the dark store. Mike is able to write down the car’s license
plate number.
Kim meets with Kevin and Paige from Mesa Verde for a
business lunch. She is honest with the
couple, “I’m not the safe choice.” She
observes Kevin’s jacket is custom made and she compares her own services as
being “tailor made” to fit his company. Kevin is concerned she as a single
practice won’t be able to handle all their business using her analogy to
compare her to a single tailor tasked with making a thousand suits. Kim thanks them for their time; it’s unclear
whether he pitch worked.
From this meeting, Kim meets Jimmy at a prospective office
rental. They are both dressed in blue
shirts with black pants. Jimmy is excited
about the place, which used to house a dental practice. He notes the walls are soundproof and the
offices mirror each other with a shared lobby. They ask for privacy from the real estate
agent and Kim shuts the door. Jimmy is
concerned, “Mesa Verde said no?” Kim
smiles and kisses him, explaining she thinks she’s earned their business. Jimmy beams, “I knew you could!” He says he loves seeing her like this.
(Happy.) Kim agrees to rent the former
dentist offices wondering if they should keep the chairs. (Please don’t be a
reference to dental kink!)
Chuck hums over his typewriter in his dim office at home. He hears a knock and assumes its Ernesto, the
employee tasked with taking care of him. Howard calls at him and Chuck expresses
frustration regarding some documents he was waiting for Ernesto to
deliver. Howard is blunt; “We lost Mesa
Verde to Kim Wexler.” He tells her she
has left HHM to open a private practice pooling her resources with Jimmy. Chuck
calls Jimmy a “Svengali.” (Svengali is a
fictional character but has come to mean a person who manipulates a person with
evil or criminal intent.) Howard has an emergency plan to meet with them but
needs Chuck’s help. Chuck goes to look
at his suits and declares, “I’ll go to the meeting.” Howard tries to hide his concern Chuck’s
illness will scare them off. Chuck insists he’s been feeling better and says
he’ll meet with them under normal circumstances at the office.
A black car pulls up to HHM while Chuck paces with a thermal
blanket wrapped around him. He sheds his
protection and walks timidly down the office stairs. With each step Chuck looks increasingly
panicked. He meets the clients with
Howard in the conference room. Chuck’s
pitch begins with, “Kim is the right choice. She’s the future, we’re the past.” His speech is definitely one of reverse
psychology. He highlights the plethora
of new laws and restrictions and his vast experience with banking. He ends by noting if they get anything wrong
during their expansion it could land them in federal court for years. HHM, conveniently, has an ally in federal
court. Kevin ends by saying, “I take
your point, but I have faith in Kim.” Chuck
indicates their needs are too big and they should have a team of professionals,
like HHM.
After the meeting, Howard congratulates Chuck for an amazing
performance. Chuck doubles over in pain
and asks to be taken home immediately.
Jimmy, an old man in a wheelchair and the UM film students
meet with an Air Force Captain on an airstrip. He shows the old man “Fifi” a circa WWII
“super-fortress” aircraft. Jimmy tells a
tale about how the man was nicknamed “Fudge” because he used to share his care
packages of the sweet with his comrades.
The old man wears a flight vest and medals indicating a long and
decorated service. The old man mumbles
and then has a coughing attack. Concerned,
the Captain runs to find him some water. Once the officer has left, Jimmy’s true
purpose is revealed as he asks the students to film the man standing in front
of the aircraft. The old man is no war
hero, but a man Jimmy helped defend in a public masturbation case! The footage for the new commercial is cut
short when Jimmy gets a call from Ernesto who is worried Chuck is very sick
after a “big meeting.” He instructs the
young man to heat Chuck some tea and broth and not take him to the
hospital. Moments later, the Capitan and
other soldiers appear to have their photo taken with the “war hero.”
Kim waits for Jimmy in the parking lot of their new office. He arrives to find her dejected and smoking on
the curb. He asks, “What happened?” She relates Mesa Verde had another meeting
with HHM including Chuck and she lost their business. She asks, “Are you still
up for this?” Kim is concerned they may
not be able to afford the office. Jimmy
is adamant they are a team and he’s there for her and there will be other Mesa
Verde’s. Jimmy’s tight smile reveals his
contempt for his brother sabotaging his girlfriend’s future.
Mike follows Hector’s vintage car to a derelict looking
industrial area. Hector stands outside
and smokes while his goons go inside the warehouse. Mike looks through binoculars. The Mexican truck arrives and backs inside
the warehouse. The door closes and tools
can be heard, possibly dismantling the truck to get to the contraband inside.
Jimmy arrives at Chuck’s house. He allows Ernesto to leave and advises the man
he needs to ask Howard for a big raise.
Jimmy sees his brother shivering on the couch under several blankets and
assures him, “I’m here now.” Jimmy
notices boxes containing Mesa Verde documents are stacked high in the
room. Jimmy begins to shift through the
papers making notes on blue post-its. After
several hours, he checks on his brother to find him still sleeping. Jimmy leaves the house for an all night print
shop. He instructs the sleepy attendant
he needs “Hammermill paper, and X-Acto knife and glue sticks.”
Jimmy carefully cuts and pastes changing the address mentioned
on several pages. A bluesy song croons,
“Ain’t no harm having fun! Why don’t you do it?” The address has been altered from 1261 Rosella
Drive to 1216. The address is in
Scottsdale Arizona, a location the bank was looking to expand.
Jimmy returns from his errand to find Chuck stirring. Jimmy wishes him “Good afternoon.” Chuck is mad that Ernesto left him but Jimmy
assures him, “Don’t be mad, I watched you do you’re baked potato impression!” Jimmy lays into his brother for taking Mesa
Verde from Kim, a client she garnered for HHM in the first place. Chuck ignores
him and leaves to shower. He reluctantly
thanks Jimmy for staying and says he’d do the same if their positions were
reversed. This proclamation seems false,
Chuck undermines Jimmy at every turn but he’s the “honest one.”
Mike and Kaylee work on a project in the kitchen involving a
hose and a power drill. He helps her use the drill and she is thrilled with the
activity. Stacey arrives after her
workday and is surprised to see their activity. Mike says they are making a soaker hose for a
plant outside. Mike promises to watch
his granddaughter later in the week. Later
that night, Mike dons purple gloves to wash the hose in the sink. He watches an old movie on television and
places nails inside the hose. Is he
making a “spike strip” for Hector’s car?
He’s clearly plotting some “solution” to his Salamanca problem.
Next week’s preview gives us a glimpse of Jimmy wearing his
loudest suit yet and Chuck continues to be a thorn in Jimmy’s side. Mike is planning his revenge on Salamanca but
can one man take on Hector’s gang? This
hour highlighted the tension between Jimmy and his brother. Chuck feels he is the “honest one” but is
willing to scheme and be devious behind closed doors. Jimmy is clear about his fluid relationship
with the law and in some ways that’s a refreshing trait in a lawyer. Kim seems to be a hybrid between “good” and
devious. She appears to play by the
rules but will bend them to get ahead. How
will Kim and Jimmy navigate a future together?
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