History Recap / BetterCallSaulS5E5DedicadoAMax

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Though "evil" is probably too strong a term for Schweikert, his assessment of the Acker situation is reminiscent of this trope. He suggests that relocating the call center to another plot of land would be a "win" for Kevin, indicating that he believes Acker is seeking a huge payoff that would be denied to him if the call center simply relocated. It doesn't seem to occur to him that Acker is uninterested in a payoff and just wants to keep his house, and thus relocating the call center would give him exactly what he wants.

* DavidVersusGoliath: In one corner, Mesa Verde Bank And Trust, a financial institution nearly fifty years old with over a dozen branches, a whole team full of legal counsel, and the backing of holding the legal and ethical right in what they're doing. And in the other, Everett Acker, an elderly war veteran who refuses to move simply because he doesn't want to, supported by a single lawyer who just recently returned from suspension, with no big law firm (or any real resources at all) behind him. Despite the massive advantage in their position, Mesa Verde is repeatedly delayed from being permitted to evict Everett Acker and demolish his house, as Jimmy pulls out every trick in the book to stall them. [[spoiler: David would actually finish the job in triumph in [[Recap/BetterCallSaulS5E6WexlerVGoodman the following episode]], when not only does Jimmy manage to force Mesa Verde to let Acker remain in his house, but also pay him $75,000 just for the extended hassle of the dispute.]]

-> ''"It seems to me you are at a crossroads. You can continue as you are: drinking, estranged from your family, brawling with street hoods. We both know how that ends... you have '''another''' choice."''

->'''"Revenge…"'''

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* BlatantLies: When Jimmy tries to ask Mike to investigate Kevin, Mike explains the bad call quality as being because he's in a tunnel (and not because he's in a town south of the border).

* MilesGloriosus: So remember that cocky gun nut from "[[Recap/BetterCallSaulS1E9Pimento Pimento]]", who Mike handled so easily? Jimmy ends up hiring him to do work on Kevin (because Mike was unavailable) and it appears he did no job whatsoever, just claiming bunch of things, to the point where both Jimmy and Kim start to question if he even did any sort of research. Subverted, as Mr X. proves to be ''highly'' professional and gathers a lot of intel, but only pulled it out when called out on "lying", simply to prove that nope, Kevin really is squeeky clean and there was no point showing photos and informations he gathered, as there isn't anything interesting in them... that is - until Kim still finds something special within the collected data.

* AbsenteeActor: Nacho and Lalo don't appear.

After waking up at the rural compound in Mexico, Mike wanders into the kitchen and asks the cook, Senora Cortazar, where he is, learning that the phone can't make long-distance calls. Mike leaves the property and walks some distance down a dirt road. He finds and sits next to a road marker, where he notices that the battery of his phone is dead. Gus' doctor, Barry Goodman, drives up to Mike in a microcar and approaches him, stating that Gus has tasked Barry with keeping Mike alive. Mike begrudgingly allows Barry to takes him back to the compound.

At the compound, Mike has is about to finish repairing the window when he overhears Gus conversing with Senora Cortazar in Spanish in the next room. He walks outside to find Gus standing at the fountain in the public square. Gus tells Mike that he doesn't not want Senora Cortazar to know about their association, preferring to keep his criminal dealings as far away from the compound as possible. When Mike further queries what Gus wants with him, Gus replies that Mike faces a choice: that he either continue his self-destructive behavior or return to Gus' employ as a soldier in his war against the Salamancas. Mike balks at the idea of being Gus' "button man", but Gus finally tells him why he is so interested in Mike's wellbeing: because Mike understands Gus' need for revenge.

Meanwhile, at the compound, Mike's wound from his stabbing is being stitched by Dr. Goodman, who tells him that he is free to leave and take a bus back to the U.S. from a nearby town, but warns that he won't survive the journey unless he is fully recovered. Mike remains curious why Gus went through so much trouble to get him treated. Exploring the rustic compound, he encounters a crowd of schoolchildren running past a brand new fountain in a public square. On the fountain is a plaque dedicating the fountain to "Max".

That night, Kim and Jimmy laying in bed and discuss the Acker case. Despite Jimmy's assurances that she did the best she could do for Acker, Kim has resigned herself to his impending eviction. Despite telling Kim that the pragmatic thing to do is to take the loss and move on, Jimmy entices her with the idea that there is still "another play" to help Acker: "going after" Kevin and forcing him a compromise. Jimmy makes a phone call to Mike, who is still convalescing at the compound in Mexico, and offers him a paying job performing "oppo research"; Mike flatly refuses. After ending the call, Mike helps Senora Cortazar prevent water from leaking through a window during a rainstorm. The following morning, Mike performs repair work on the faulty windowsill.

At the nail salon, Jimmy and Kim meet with Sobchak (the man Mike had an altercation with late in season 1), who has done a thorough search of Kevin's background. In Jimmy's back office, Sobchak admits that he surreptitiously broke into and searched Kevin's house, but states that he could not find anything damaging about him. Jimmy is wary of Kim hearing about Sobchak's illegal activities, but Kim insists on hearing the full details. Sobchak hands them several photographs he took of the interior of Kevin's home office. When Sobchak suggests that Kevin be abducted and taken out to the desert to be threatened, Jimmy ends the meeting and dismisses him. Jimmy apologizes for Sobchak's outburst, but Kim, having noticed something in the photographs from Kevin's house, gives him a knowing smile as she comes up with a new plan.

* SpottingTheThread: Schweikart figures out that Kim is causing problems with the Tucumcari call center, noting that it's a bit suspicious that Acker would pick up Saul as his lawyer so soon after Kim tried to float building on the alternate site.

After waking up at the rural compound in Mexico, Mike wanders into the kitchen and asks the cook, Senora Cortazar, where he is, learning that the phone can't make long-distance calls. Mike leaves the property and walks some distance down a dirt road. He finds and sits next to a road marker, where he notices that the battery of his phone is dead. Gus's doctor, Barry Goodman, drives up to Mike in a microcar and approaches him, stating that Gus has tasked Barry with keeping Mike alive. Mike begrudgingly allows Barry to takes him back to the compound.

At the compound, Mike has is about to finish repairing the window when he overhears Gus conversing with Senora Cortazar in Spanish in the next room. He walks outside to find Gus standing at the fountain in the public square. Gus tells Mike that he doesn't not want Senora Cortazar to know about their association, preferring to keep his criminal dealings as far away from the compound as possible. When Mike further queries what Gus wants with him, Gus replies that Mike faces a choice: that he either continue his self-destructive behavior or return to Gus's employ as a soldier in his war against the Salamancas. Mike balks at the idea of being Gus's "button man", but Gus finally tells him why he is so interested in Mike's wellbeing: because Mike understands Gus's need for revenge.

** Mike asks Gus what kind of place the housing units are meant to be, and Gus answers that it's a sort of memorial. A plaque reading "Dedicado a Max"[[note]]"Dedicated to Max"[[/note]] is seen on the fountain in the center square, indicating it's a memorial for Gus's former partner Max Arciniega.

* RealityEnsues: While it's dubious how much Kevin and Paige suspect Kim as being the saboteur behind the escalating problem with Everett Acker, Rich Schweikert as a smart and experienced lawyer sees right through her and Jimmy's play. Thus, he gracefully tries to reassign her away from Mesa Verde temporarily, both hoping to avoid a more direct confrontation and also trying to protect both Kim and the firm from potential embarrassment.

** Jimmy uses his Senator Tankerbell voice briefly when goading Kim into doing an impression of Kevin.

** Mr. X was previously hired by Daniel Wormald as a bodyguard in "[[Recap/BetterCallSaulS1E9Pimento Pimento]]", whom ribbed Mike about his lack of a gun before Mike put him in check. Just like before, he gets hired via a call put out to Dr. Caldera.

*** Shortly after showing "Dedicado a Max" inscribed on the fountain, the scene cuts to water turning red (due to Jimmy making tea), which is eerily similar to when Max's blood was spilling into and mixing with Don Eladio's pool water upon being murdered by Hector in front of Gus, as seen in the ''Series/BreakingBad'' episode "[[Recap/BreakingBadS4E8Hermanos Hermanos]]".

Mike takes an impromptu trip out of town; as Kim and Jimmy grow closer over their campaign to help Mr. Acker, Kim makes a surprising call.

* {{Revenge}}: Gus saved Mike and had him patched up at his remote village hospital (one so well-equipped it has an MRI scanner) because he believes Mike shared his desire for revenge - specifically against the Salamancas. Something they would both get to indulge in a few years down the line.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Kevin Wachtell believes he is up against a stubborn old man who has hired a shyster lawyer to run interference against his plans. The stubborn old man has indeed hired a lawyer, but only with the prompting of Kim.

*** Shortly after showing "Dedicado a Max" inscribed on the fountain, the scene cuts to water turning red (due to Jimmy making tea), which is eerily similar to when Max's blood was spilling into and mixing with Don Eladio's pool water upon being murdered by Hector in front of Gus, as seen in "Hermanos".

* RightForTheWrongReasons:
** Kevin is right to smell a rat with the Mr. Acker fiasco, he's just looking at the con from the wrong angle.
* RunningGag: That Sheriff sure has to make a lot of calls, what with all the various things going wrong with the site.

* TheReveal: It was Gus who arranged for Mike to spirited away after he got stabbed by the street gang.