The final hour of Season 2 has arrived. The stories of Mike, Jimmy and Chuck dominate
the episode. The conflict between Jimmy
and his older brother reaches a crescendo as Chuck lays a trap for Jimmy. Mike flirts with dramatic action, but can he
take it? Even to save his
daughter-in-law and Kaylee? Will we
learn how Hector Salamanca ends up in a wheelchair?
This final hour begins with a flashback of Chuck waiting at
a hospital for his younger brother. Chuck
informs Jimmy their mother has just passed away. Jimmy is distraught and asks Chuck if his
mother regained consciousness and said any last words. Chuck replies “No.”
The action moves to the moment after Chuck’s collapse in the
print shop. Jimmy makes a critical
decision to run inside to take charge of the situation. He yells at Lance to call 911 and orders Ernie
to leave. Jimmy runs around the shop
unplugging the printers and turning off the lights. Chuck opens his eyes to look at his brother,
but says nothing.
Chuck is rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The paramedics report that Chuck was
unconscious for about one minute. The
lights and electricity hum around Chuck whose head is bleeding. The doctors and nurses set about their
assessment of his injures, but Chuck begs them to turn out the lights and
refuses to have an EKG siting his “hypersensitivity to electricity.” The more Chuck resists the more the medical
team pushes him. He is placed in wrist
restraints and the doctor wants to perform a CAT scan to assess his head
injury. Chuck screams at them, “You’re
killing me!”
Later, a female doctor comes to speak to Jimmy about Chuck’s
condition. She is frustrated because
they can’t “clear” his head injury or check his heart because he refused the
tests. Jimmy asks if they can just check
him “the old-fashioned way.” Jimmy
doesn’t want to admit his brother to a psychiatric facility, but agrees to
obtain a “temporary guardianship” which will allow the hospital to perform the
tests. Jimmy wants to take his brother
home once he’s medically cleared. He
asks the doctor if he can be the one to explain the situation to Chuck.
Jimmy enters his brother’s dark hospital room. At first, Chuck refuses to speak to him and
repeatedly calls out for Ernie. Ernie
appears and Chuck asks him how long he was unconscious. The timid assistant reports, “About one
minute.” Chuck theorizes Jimmy was there
so quickly because he had bribed the print shop worker and was there to spy on
them. Ernie tells his boss Jimmy
appeared because he had called him earlier, worried about Chuck’s agitation. Chuck is disappointed in both of them and
orders them out of his room. Ernie
leaves and once they are alone, Jimmy tells his brother, “There’s something I
have to do.” Chuck guesses correctly;
Jimmy is seeking a temporary guardianship. He scoffs, “You finally got me where you want
me!” Jimmy exits.
In the hallway, Jimmy asks Ernie why he “covered” for him by
stating he called. Ernie explains Chuck has been obsessing about how to seek
revenge on Jimmy. Ernie adds, “You’re my friend.” Ernie walks down the hospital hallway and
mutters to himself, “I miss the mailroom.” (Kim, Ernie and Jimmy have worked in the HHM mailroom.)
The Mexican truck driver has been hog-tied with duct tape
again, but this time by Salamanca and his goons. The man attempts to scream as Nacho and the
ponytailed man drive the Chevy van into a remote place in the desert. They stop to unlock a padlocked fence; Mike
watches from a sand colored station wagon in the distance.
Chuck antagonizes the doctor at the hospital about her duty
as a physician to follow the Hippocratic oath. She is unphazed by his rant and assures him
the test will be done before he knows it. Chuck is wheeled into the MRI machine and
balks at the noise and electricity. (The
show mentioned he was to have a CAT scan but he is clearly in an MRI, which
actually emits less radiation but takes longer and makes more noise. Sorry, as a former ICU nurse, I hate to see
medical facts distorted in television.)
Jimmy sits in a waiting area, “Diagnosis, Murder” plays on a
television. Kim arrives to offer her
support. Jimmy complains the test has
run long and urges her to work so he can take his mind off “hospital stuff.” Jimmy’s commercial airs; it is a montage of
seniors from the first woman with the figurine collection to the masturbating
faux veteran. The final image shows
Jimmy in front of the giant flag from the schoolyard advertising his services. Kim congratulates his efforts. The doctor arrives to tell Jimmy his brother
is physically okay and she believes his fainting episode was a form of panic
attack. She warns him there was a
“complication” from the tests.
Jimmy runs into his brother’s room to find him unresponsive.
The doctor theorizes Chuck is in a
self-induced catatonic state. Jimmy
accuses her of “frying his brain.” The doctor believes Chuck will emerge from
this state and be fine. Jimmy states
he’ll stay by his brother’s side.
Mike meets with his gun dealer outside in a remote area. The man shows him several options of
long-range weapons. Mike hits a distant
target and the men discuss ammunition options. Mike selects a weapon and bullets. The man wipes off his fingerprints before handing
the weapon over to Mike who places it in the sand colored station wagon.
Jimmy is at Chuck’s side when he opens his eyes and asks for
water. Jimmy happily helps his brother
and reports he was asleep for twenty hours. Chuck states the last thing he remembers was
entering the machine. Chuck theorizes
Jimmy has probably arranged to place him “In an insane asylum in Las Cruces.” Jimmy tells his brother he can go home.
Chuck wraps himself in a thermal blanket as Jimmy hovers,
offering to make him tea. Chuck asserts he’s fine and wants to be left alone. Jimmy protests, stating he still needs someone
to deliver food and look after him. He
reminds Chuck that he has changed his locks and failed to give him a key. Jimmy needs to know his brother is okay so
Chuck agrees to have Ernie come back. In
the foreground, old family pictures are displayed. Jimmy finally leaves his brother.
Chuck waits a few minutes, and then peers outside to check
that his little brother has left. Wrapped
in a thermal blanket and carrying a propane lantern like a crazed coal miner,
Chuck makes his way outside and opens up the garage door. (There was no way to
enter from the inside of the house?) In
the dim interior small appliances and other electrical items are stored. Chuck searches the boxes for something.
In the desert, Mike removes his new weapon from the trunk of
his car. Mike has dressed in beige to blend in with his surroundings. He arrives at some rocks and sets up his
weapon. In the valley below, the pony-tailed man digs a hole. There is a small shed like structure. The Chevy van and another car are parked
nearby. Mike loads his weapon. The
Mexican man is dragged near the freshly dug hole and can be heard pleading for
his life. Hector and Nacho emerge from
the shed, Nacho stands in front of the old man, blocking Mike’s shot. The cousins shoot the Mexican man and he falls
into the hole. The ponytailed man
shovels dirt over the body as the cousins go inside the shed with Nacho and
Hector. Mike uses his scope to zoom in
on the structure. Suddenly, the insects
stop chirping. In the distance, he hears
a car horn blaring. Mike grabs his
long-range weapon and takes out a revolver to go investigate the source of the
noise. He finds a stick has been wedged
to sound his station wagon’s horn. On
the dashboard is a note, which reads, “DON’T.” Mike looks around but doesn’t see anybody.
Jimmy’s new office is filled with seniors who wait patiently
while helping themselves to hard candies. Jimmy walks out with an elderly man, taking
time to compliment his “blue blocker” sunglasses. Kim delivers Jimmy an urgent message from
Howard regarding Chuck. Reluctantly,
Jimmy leaves his clients, promising them Kim will make them fresh coffee and a
round of donuts. Alone in his new
office, Jimmy calls his former boss. Howard
asks, “Are you behind this?”
Jimmy rushes over to his brother’s house and knocks
frantically while calling out, “Chuck, I know you’re in there!” Chuck responds he’s busy, but Jimmy
persists. Finally, Jimmy is let inside. Chuck is busy, covering all the home’s
surfaces with thermal foil lining. Jimmy
asks cautiously, “What’s up, see you’ve got a little project going on here.” Chuck explains he’s trying to insulate the
home against the electrical pollution. Jimmy
urges him to take a break so they can talk.
“Howard tells me you quit HHM.” Chuck explains he has retired not only from
the firm but also from the practice of law. Jimmy is aghast, “How are you going to retire
before you get me disbarred?” Jimmy
theorizes Chuck is mad because he lost the Mesa Verde account, but states he
can’t retire over it. Chuck complains he
can’t do the job any more; he’s utterly humiliated at his rookie mistake
regarding the address. Chuck notes he
blamed Jimmy for the error, but it was really because of the electricity. He realizes it is “time to end it”, meaning
his law career.
Jimmy can’t let his brother shoulder the blame for his shenanigans
and begins, “What if I told you, you didn’t make a mistake. I did it!
I changed 1261 to 1216. It went
down exactly like you said. You got
every detail right. Relax, your brain is
fine!”
Chuck is shocked, “You would go to such lengths to humiliate
me?” Jimmy counters he did it all for
Kim, he didn’t think it would hurt Chuck so deeply. Jimmy implores his brother to call Howard and
tell him he’s not quitting, adding, “Take that shit off the walls!” Chuck beams wickedly, “You just confessed to a
felony!” Jimmy scoffs at these words,
noting it’s his words against his obviously mentally ill brother. Jimmy leaves confidently. Chuck uncovers a tape recorder and presses
“Stop.” He has evidence to put his
brother in prison.
It seems an abrupt way to end the season. The viewer is left to ponder who put the note
on Mike’s car and when will Jimmy realize he’s in big trouble. Chuck exploited his younger brother’s biggest
weakness, his love and respect for Chuck. Jimmy has struggled his whole life to win his
brother’s approval and affection. Jimmy
is like his father in the way he wants to please people. Chuck exploited Jimmy’s desire for approval to
trick him into a full confession. This may be the real reason Jimmy finally
changes his name and identity to become Saul Goodman. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until next
year to find out.
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