Amarillo
Written by Scott Winant
Directed by Jonathan Glatzer
Air date: February 29th, 2016
Slippin' Jimmy rode into town one day to get himself some business...
"You and I both know you can do this job, but please, you just have to do it right."
— Kim Wexler
Tropes
- Call-Back:
- Jimmy shoots his Davis & Main commercial with the same camera crew he used for his billboard stunt.
- Jimmy explains to the crew that the alpine shepherd boy Hummel will go to his star's nephew.
- Call-Forward:
- Mike is shown assembling for Kaylee "Bacon the Pig
", which he will later use to distract Chris Mara while he's breaking into Duane Chow's house. - We see the source of Jimmy's holding company Ice Station Zebra Associates – Jimmy and Kim watch the movie Ice Station Zebra.
- Mike is shown assembling for Kaylee "Bacon the Pig
- Celebrity Paradox: When doing a preview run of his commercial to Kim, Jimmy sets up the scenario by saying they're watching Murder, She Wrote. That show has seen guest stars like Bryan Cranston (Walter White), Michael McKean (Chuck McGill), Patrick Fabian (Howard Hamlin), Raymond Cruz (Tuco Salamanca), Dennis Boutsikaris (Rick Schweikert), and Míriam Colón (Tuco's abuelita).
- Cliffhanger: Ends on one as Nacho summons Mike to meet in an abandoned warehouse and explains that he needs Mike to help him get rid of a "problem".
- Also, there's the matter of Jimmy having to see his bosses (who are not pleased with him airing the commercial).
- Hope Spot: Jimmy has his tape aired and the calls come in like planned. He's enjoying his success with Kim and then Cliff calls...
- Jerkass Has a Point: During the boardroom meeting, Chuck has a point in arguing that Jimmy's success might be construed by Schweikart & Cokely as solicitation, which could jeapordise the case. Though nobody knows how he did it, the fact that he bribed a bus driver so he could deliver a speech to a captive audience really doesn't help, in contrast to how mailers and TV commercials can be ignored and thus cannot be construed as solicitation. The "jerkass" part is that Chuck originally didn't have a problem helping provide injunctive relief so Jimmy could go back and ask for information on the residents, back when he thought Jimmy would not be a peer, and part of his motivation for making his point is his personal grievances with his brother.
- Just Train Wrong: Just like "Five-O", a New Mexico Rail Runner train can be seen in the reflection of Mike's booth, four years before the service actually began.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Up until this point Cliff has been portrayed as the nicest character on screen next to Howard and always very welcoming even to Jimmy. At the end of the episode he calls Jimmy practically fuming about his choice to air the commercial without permission, Cliff demands to see the tape with the partners the next day and hangs up on Jimmy mid sentence showing just how serious his mistake is.
- Plausible Deniability: Jimmy responds to Chuck's worry and implied accusation that he committed solicitation by claiming he had good-faith conference with a single client, attributing the sudden influx of clients to closely-knit communities spreading the word. After all, he's known to have made rounds with several assisted-living facilities even before the lawsuit, so it should stand to reason there'd inevitably be many residents who would want to talk to him and his associates on the grounds of his pre-existing popularity—presumably even more so if one considers the benefits of becoming involved with his case against Sandpiper. Cliff and Howard are satisfied with this explanation, and Chuck concedes to this point.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Cliff angrily states to Jimmy over the phone that he wants to see the commercial he illegally aired, Jimmy assures him that he will be pleased. However, Cliff is too angry and does not want to hear his praise, so he furiously hangs up the phone as Jimmy is talking.
- Spotting the Thread: Everyone at the boardroom meeting is delighted to hear Jimmy's success with nabbing clients against Sandpiper Crossing... except for Chuck, who points to a certain discrepancy in his numbers. Namely, he somehow got 24 clients from Amarillo despite only one of them actually responding to their mail campaign. He then fears it points to the act of solicitation, and the chance that Schweikart & Cokely could end up making this argument themselves.
- Stylistic Suck:
- Downplayed with Jimmy's commercial, which has hints of this. He forgets to tell his hired camera crew that he needs a dolly or steadicam, and the end result is that they have to use a stair-chair to improvise. Though it looks quite professional, it's also much flashier than what Davis & Main and their clientele are used to.
- However, it's certainly an improvement on Davis & Main's previous advertising, which plays this straight with a cheap, dishwater-dull plain-text-on-swirly-nebulous background with flat narration. Jimmy is told that the firm worked very hard on the swirly background and speed of the narration.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: No matter how successful and legitimate your tactics are (advertising is perfectly legal), going behind your boss's back to do them is not going to be good for your job prospects.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Played with. Jimmy recruits a bunch of clients by giving his pitch on a bus. Afterward, he immediately denies Chuck suggesting he got his clients through solicitation. When Kim presses him, he still denies it, but they both know what's going on.Kim: Really? You didn't do a little song-and-dance in the dayroom?Jimmy: No! [beat] Not in the dayroom!
- What the Hell, Hero?: Jimmy rightfully gets chewed out by Cliff for running his homemade commercial without authorization.
- Who Writes This Crap?!: Jimmy is not impressed with Davis & Main's standards for commercials.Jimmy: Cliff signed off on this?
Omar: The partners were very happy. What do you think?
Jimmy: I think... whatever happened to showmanship?
