This Better Call Saul review contains spoilers.
Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 4
In the world of Better Call Saul, you can never be exactly sure about the people you call your neighbors. The county treasurer with the idyllic family? He’s embezzling millions. The owner of the local chicken chain? He’s a drug kingpin. The sickly high school chemistry teacher? He’s cooking meth. Even the parking attendant that takes your ticket may secretly be a one-man wrecking crew for a local criminal outfit. No one is who they appear to be.
Except for Jimmy, or should we say, Saul Goodman. With his loud suits, garish commercials, and schmoozy demeanor, Saul advertises to the world exactly who he is and to which audience he is catering. I mean, it’s right there in the name. Thus far, he’s been able to be honest about the services that he offers and his target clientele without alienating the people that he interacts with on a daily basis. However, perhaps some discretion would have been helpful. Word has gotten out that Jimmy has provided legal services to Lalo Salamanca, and while that’s good for an uptick in business, it has made him persona non grata at the courthouse. By hustling out in the open, Jimmy has alienated himself from “respectable” society, but at least Kim’s still by his side.
Kim is also better at hiding in plain sight than Jimmy. Notice it in the way she’s able to shield her true intentions when conning Cliff Main, but it’s also there in her interactions with Jimmy. After believing she’s being tailed by the police and confronting those watching her (was that Anthony Carrigan?! If so, we’re pretending this is a Barry crossover), Kim finally comes face to face with Mike. Mike explains that she and Jimmy are being watched because Lalo is still out there and there’s a “chance” that he could get in touch.
It’s unsettling information and Mike delivers it to Kim because she’s “made of sterner stuff,” than Jimmy. The encounter clearly shakes Kim; she’s already uneasy about Jimmy’s connection to Lalo, but she’s able to push the creeping anxiety aside to tell Jimmy what he wants to hear about a potential office space, then go grab some tacos. Now with seemingly everyone else in Albuquerque, Kim’s got a secret.
After last week’s explosive, instant classic-episode, “Hit and Run” seems like an installment designed for us to catch our breath. Like Gus and Mike, we’re mostly just waiting on Lalo to rear his head. Jimmy continues his effort to soil Howard Hamlin’s reputation, this time taking Howard’s car while he attends a therapy session, then using it to pick up the prostitute Wendy so he can stage a dramatic scene in front of where Kim and Cliff are having coffee.
I like that the episode gives us time to see a piece of Howard’s session, showing us that his sunny demeanor is hiding issues at home. It once again reminds us that though Howard may be an annoying guy and a superficial buffoon, he’s not entirely deserving of the treatment he’s receiving. Kim refuses to acknowledge that he’s behaving wickedly, but it’s more apparent to the viewer.
Meanwhile, even though Nacho has cleared his name, Gus is still waiting for Lalo to return and enact revenge. He’s gone above and beyond to remain vigilant, wearing a bullet proof vest under his clothes and having Mike spread out all their men to keep a watch on every corner of the ABQ. Even more insane is that Gus has a body double staying in his home and he’s created an elaborate secret tunnel to his neighbor’s house, which he’s using as a surveillance center all while his yuppy neighbors go about their normal day to day lives. If we’re talking about hiding in plain sight and keeping up appearances, no one does it better than Gus.
“Hit and Run” is the first episode directed by the fantastic Rhea Seehorn, and while she gets to have some fun behind the camera tracking Gus’ journey from his own home into his neighbor’s and focusing on Kim’s tight, yet spiraling ponytail, it’s a shame she wasn’t given a script with some more meat on its bones. Nonetheless, seeing Jimmy in full makeup as Howard and struggling with the patient parking sign was a delight, and we’re also given some backstory on Clifford Main to explain why he would be particularly interested if Howard was engaging in destructive activity. Even in a slight episode, there’s always things to enjoy with this show.