Howard: Couldn't Jimmy McGill do all that?
In a flash-forward, Jimmy browses a pawn shop for large, heavy objects. He purchases three bowling balls, packs them in a bag, and leaves the store.
In the present day, Jimmy and Kim struggle to wake up and get ready for work after a drunken night of sex. Whilst exiting Kim's apartment, they walk past the bottles they threw over the balcony the night before. We learn that Jimmy intends to take Howard up on his lunch offer finally, whilst Kim wants to spend the day "fixing" yesterday's problems with Everett Acker. Jimmy leaves, but before Kim leaves, she calls in to one of the associates at Schweikart and Cokely. She sweeps up the glass bottles on the tarmac, whilst devising a plan to solve the issue of Acker's house on Mesa Verde's land.
Jimmy visits the jail to talk to the two thugs whose crime spree got Krazy-8 arrested, advising them that their bail has been denied. He negotiates deals for them, including rehab and 5 months jail time with community service, none of which the pair are keen on. On the spot, Jimmy generates a total fee of $4000 for the pair, which apparently includes his 50% off deal. At this, Sticky and Ron consider a "free" government-appointed public defender instead. Jimmy feigns that he is a bigshot lawyer, "the real deal" who they are lucky to have access to. He gets up to leave, at which the men beg him and agree to his fee. Jimmy agrees to continue to act for them, if they pay him. Sticky agrees that he will contact his grandmother to wire the money over to Jimmy.
At lunch with Howard, Jimmy is visibly tense whilst Howard is seemingly calm. Howard questions him about his need for a new name to practice law. He replies that Saul protects "the little man" in a way that Jimmy McGill couldn't. Howard insists that the name-change has to do with the history of Jimmy and HHM, seemingly expressing regret at not hiring Jimmy in the past. Jimmy is uncomfortable when Howard offers him a position at HHM, claiming that the firm is growing again. He casts doubt about how Cliff Main would feel about it, and also about the tensions in the past. Howard insists that he has been thinking about the offer ever since Jimmy defended Kristy Esposito and mentioned she deserved another chance through a scholarship. He insists that Jimmy consider the offer, and answer him when he is ready. Outside the restaurant, Howard awkwardly pulls in for a hug before driving away, the camera panning to show his plate which reads "NAMAST3".
During a meeting regarding the Tucumcari call center, Kim suggests that they move the construction to another lot, so as to allow Mr. Acker to continue living in his house. Paige expresses doubts, which Kim rebuts with the research and PowerPoint she had organized ahead of the meeting, earlier through the phone. Although she argues the "reputational risk" to Mesa Verde of ousting Mr. Acker from his house, Kevin insists that if the land belongs to Mesa Verde, it is their right. Kim seems disillusioned with the verdict.
Mike visits Stacey as she is leaving for work, to look after Kaylee, as he usually does on Thursdays, but she has already organised Emily – a sitter. Mike suggests that he apologize for losing his temper at Kaylee, but Stacey says Kaylee has forgotten about that. Stacey is worried that "something is going on" with Mike, and does not trust him to go anywhere near Kaylee for the time-being. A frustrated Mike walks away.
Kim goes to court, where Jimmy is defending a suspect accused of robbing a convenience store and cross-examining the cashier who was witness to the incident. The witness claims to be certain that the man sitting in the defendant's chair stole money from his cash register. Jimmy shocks the whole court when he reveals that his actual client – the defendant – is sitting in way back in the observer's bench. The judge is disappointed at Jimmy's purposeful misconduct, but has no choice to grant a mistrial, to Jimmy's pleasure. Kim seems impressed with Jimmy, asking him if he could do her a favor on the Tucumcari case.
As Los Pollos Hermanos closes down for the night, a tense Gus waits by the phone in his office to hear whether the drops have gone to plan. Gus expresses dissatisfaction at the state of the fryer, which Lyle, his assistant manager, insists on cleaning twice, neither of which are to Gus' satisfaction. He forces Lyle to vigorously clean the fryer for the next few hours.
Meanwhile, a joint Albuquerque Police and DEA task force headed by Hank and Gomez lay in wait at the culvert dead drops. The previous two have led to successful arrests because of Krazy 8's information. They plan to give the drop man space to collect the money, and then arrest him. The drop man turns out to be Diego, one of Gus' henchmen who was part of his scheme to trick the Cousins into taking out the Espinozas. Diego collects the money, before attempting a getaway in his car. Hank drives through the culvert in an attempt to intercept the man. Hank's plan seems to have worked, but Diego suddenly abandons the car and money and flees on foot. The police fan out in hopes of finding him, to no avail. Diego makes it out of the area to a nearby road, where Victor picks him up in an Escalade and drives off.
Gomez counts $700,000 from the drop, but Hank is dissatisfied with the fact that the big shot dealers are still out there. Gomez reminds him that 3 suspects are still in custody, and Krazy-8 is back on the streets as an informer, which should lead to more arrests. Despite his frustration, Hank joyfully addresses the DEA and APD officers who helped with the stake-out, thanking them and inviting them to a bar to celebrate.
Meanwhile, Gus finally gets the phone call he has been expecting from Victor. The plan "went down like it was supposed to" and he finally lets Lyle go home.
Jimmy lets himself in to Acker's compound and uses crude "visual aids" to persuade him to let him act as his lawyer against Mesa Verde. As he leaves, He calls a thankful Kim to acknowledge the development.
Later that night, Jimmy drives his Suzuki Esteem to Howard's house, where he throws the three bowling balls he purchased, over Howard's gate. Two out of three of them successfully hit the car, denting the hood and smashing the back windshield. Jimmy rushes away before a shocked Howard emerges from his balcony.
Mike is walking home and sees the same gangbangers as a few nights before. As he walk by, they follow and attack him. Although he tries to put up a fight, he is stabbed in the abdomen, and blacks out. When he wakes up, he's wearing different clothes, in a new location. He emerges slowly from bed, clearly still in pain and very confused about his new surroundings. The camera gives us an overview of Mike's surroundings: a rural compound.
Tropes:
- The Alleged Car: Saul's old faithful Suzuki Esteem is played for comedy again, being driven up behind Howard's far more impressive car, with the Suzuki's distressed engine noise quite apparent.
- Anachronic Order: Looking closely at Jimmy's wardrobe, one can tell that the Cold Open of him buying the bowling balls to vandalize Howard's car actually happens at the end of the episode, in between him becoming Mr. Acker's attorney and the visit to Howard's neighborhood.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Howard unintentionally gives Jimmy two.
- After Jimmy describes who "Saul Goodman" is and what he stands for, Howard asks, "Couldn't Jimmy McGill do all that?".
- Jimmy's still not sure why Howard would invite him to work at HHM after the drama throughout the past years. Howard tries to reassure him by saying, "Oh, as far as I'm concerned, that's between you and Chuck."
- Badass Boast: "Do you twerps even know who I am? I am Saul Goodman!"
- Bait-and-Switch: When Jimmy begins marching up to a gated home with the bowling balls he was seen practicing throwing in the Cold Open. As this is the same night he just struck a deal with Mr. Acker, the viewer is led to believe this is somehow a part of the plan to get back at Mesa Verde. ...Nope. He just wanted to go up to Howard's home and toss bowling balls at his car.
- Bait the Dog:
- Inverted: Upon hearing that the two morons would rather use a free public defender than pay him $4,000, Jimmy proceeds to angrily inform them how lucky they are to get him, and they would risk ten years in prison for turning down his services, and proceeds to pack up and leave. Scared, they proceed to apologize and beg for his help... which is when it becomes clear this was a ploy on Jimmy's end, as (since his back is turned to them) he proceeds to smirk.
- Gus is being his usual terrifying self late at night in Los Pollos Hermanos, and the setup really makes it seem like something bad is going to happen to the poor innocent shift manager. In reality, the manager is able to go home safely and the only damage is done to a burner phone.
- Bestiality Is Depraved: Exploited. Saul manages to get Mr. Acker's attention by deliberately handing him a picture of a man having, ahem, carnal relations with a horse which shocks Mr. Acker enough to let Jimmy say what he wants.
- Call-Back:
- Jimmy makes a point of telling the two morons that they can't pay him with the money they had stolen. He also off-handedly mentions that he took $8,000 for just one job the previous day, while handily "forgetting" to mention that the $8,000 was actually an unsuccessful attempt to make his services too expensive for Lalo's tastes.
- Howard tells Jimmy he's been considering hiring him into HHM since he sat in on the scholarship committee and tried to make a case for Kristy Esposito. He even regrets not opposing Chuck's decision to keep Jimmy down after he not only passed the bar but also brought the Sandpiper case in. He also remembers when Jimmy verbally kicked his ass last year, and admits he needed that.
- Part of Howard's pitch to Jimmy is the idea of him reclaiming his lost legacy at HHM, since to Howard, Jimmy deserves having his name as part of the firm's brand. It contrasts with how HHM (though mostly Chuck) wanted to sue and argue against Jimmy practicing under the name of "McGill" since the beginning of the series, for fear of any association.
- Mike once again runs afoul of the gangsters that accosted him in the previous episode... except this time, he gets beaten up viciously, to the point of getting shanked.
- Call-Forward: Similar to what happens in Saul's debut episode, Hank and Gomez are sent on a stakeout based off their latest perp's information, with Krazy-8 instead of Badger. Both attempts to hurt high-profile players are hindered due to the planning of Saul and his clients' bosses, and while the DEA seemingly got what they wanted out of a successful operation, Hank senses that something's off about how it all went down.
- Chekhov's Gun: The Cold Open of the episode sees Jimmy buy three bowling balls from a pawn shop. Towards the end of the episode, we see them get put to use... when Jimmy shows up outside of Howard's house at night to lob them over his gate. One manages to smash through his car's windshield.
- Continuity Nod: When Howard expresses interest in hiring Jimmy to work at HHM, Jimmy tells him he should ring up Clifford Main and ask his opinions on Jimmy's hireability, referring to his previous stint at Davis & Main and the colorful circumstances with which he left the firm.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Although Mike gets badly beat up this time around, he still right hooks one of the thugs, headbutts another and kicks the third one in the balls.
- Deal with the Devil: Effectively: when Kim's last ditch effort to make it so that Everett Acker doesn't have to vacate his property due to Mesa Verde fails, she actively seeks out Jimmy for help.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": Howard introduces Jimmy to a judge friend of his, but when he uses his real name Jimmy insists on being called Saul Goodman. Howard asks if he no longer goes by "Jimmy", to which he responds that only his friends are calling him Jimmy now.Jimmy: You can too.
- Evil Is Petty:
- Jimmy goes up to Howard's home in the middle of the night and tosses several bowling balls over the gate to wreck his car just because he felt offended when Howard tried to hire him into HHM after all the crap he's felt Howard has dealt him, and particularly spurned by his "NAMAST3" license plate.
- Gus takes his anger at being forced to give up $700,000 out on his assistant manager Lyle, repeatedly pressuring him into cleaning a deep fryer without telling him what he's doing wrong and not even thanking him once he finally lets the poor guy go.
- Failure Gambit: Gus willingly gives up $700,000 from his dead drops to play along with Lalo's plan to hurt his business, but he also makes sure Diego gets away and satisfies the DEA with arrests of lesser dealers. This both ensures Nacho stays a trusted Double Agent and keeps the DEA away from important figures, the latter of which Hank acknowledges.
- Innocently Insensitive: During their lunch meeting, Howard insists Jimmy accept a job offer as partner at HHM so he can live up to the name of McGill, reflecting on the times they constantly kept him away from his "legacy". This is after Jimmy deemed the name gone and buried, not wanting to be seen in his brother's shadow after all the turmoil between them. It worsens when he asks why "Jimmy McGill" can't just do everything "Saul Goodman" can, not recognizing the many reasons Jimmy wants to leave the name behind, but what really seems to get him is when Howard emphasizes that his trouble with HHM was with Chuck, and with him away, Jimmy now has such an opportunity. Jimmy expresses his frustrations by using Howard's house and car as a makeshift bowling alley.
- Insane Troll Logic: When the two idiot crooks refuse to pay Saul $4,000 for legal representation in favor of public defenders provided for free as they do not have any money of their own, Saul resorts to fearmongering by ranting on at the two felons that public defenders have no incentive to argue in favor of them in court because the two idiots won't be paying the public defenders ("Did you ever hear the phrase 'You get what you pay for', you nudnik?"). Let alone, he makes it out like the public defenders will side against them and lock them away for double their initial sentences. The government is the one footing the bill for public defenders thru taxpayers, plus public defenders just like any lawyer do have incentive to represent their clients well as per to establish a positive legal reputation and work their way up to high status legal firms or start their own. The two idiots gullibly buy up all of Saul's manipulative lies and offer to call their grandmother for money.
- The Internet Is for Porn: Of the... more morally dubious variety.Kim (when talking to Jimmy about Mr. Acker): How the hell did you convince him?Jimmy: Uh, visual aids. You'd be surprised what you can find on that internet.
- Irony:
- As a Bilingual Bonus, 'Namaste' means Hello, which makes it's use as a registration plate on the back of a car (i.e. when you've said goodbye and are driving off) a bit ironic.
- Ever since the beginning of the series, Jimmy wanted to start fresh as legitimate lawyer James McGill Esq., hoping to be employed by the illustrious firm his brother was known for, only to be pressured by it (through Chuck) into avoiding such a career, going so far as to prevent him from practicing under his own last name. Now that he's made the turn to Saul Goodman, Howard suddenly wants to make amends by finally promising him that very same position and letting him be recognized as a McGill, and unbeknownst to Howard, this is the last thing Jimmy wants now.
- It's All About Me: Howard thinks that Jimmy's choosing to return to law under the name of Saul Goodman is his reaction to his treatment by himself (and Chuck), and thus wanting to distance himself from HHM. In fairness, Howard has no way of knowing that one of Jimmy's primary reasons was his having spent most of a year selling burner phones under the name of "Saul Goodman" and thus needing to stay recognizable to his past clients, but it's clear that his words rankle Jimmy, leading to him lobbing a few bowling balls over Howard's fence.
- Mistaken Identity: One of Jimmy's clients in this episode was being accused of robbing a cashier. In order to discredit the cashier's eyewitness testimony, Jimmy has a bartender that resembles him pretend to be his client, while the actual client sits in the back of the courtroom.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg: Jimmy says that his friends are allowed to call him Jimmy instead of Saul. Howard can too.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Gustavo Fring is so worked up about over $700,000 being turned over to the police no matter what he can do to salvage the situation that he actively begins belittling and tormenting Lyle, forcing him to clean a chicken fryer over and over. Given how respectful Gustavo acts towards his Los Pollos Hermanos employees, seeing him act downright abusive to one of them emphasizes just how bothered he is about the current situation.
- Precision F-Strike: This season's F-bomb comes courtesy from Mr. Acker. Jimmy shows up at his house, claiming to want to represent him concerning Mesa Verde trying to force him off his land, and hands him a proposal for him to look at. In reality, it's a picture. Of what?Mr. Acker: [disturbed] A man... ...f-fuckin' a horse...
- Refuge in Audacity: Jimmy knows that Mr. Acker isn't going to be interested in his offer to represent him against Mesa Verde due to stubbornness. So instead of trying to make an actual pitch that Mr. Acker probably won't even listen to, Jimmy presents him with a 'proposal' consisting of an image of a man having sex with a horse. Jimmy tells him to think of him (Jimmy) as the man and Mesa Verde as the horse, but it's clear the actual effect of the picture is to shock Mr. Acker so much he'll actually hear Jimmy out. It works, and Mr. Acker quickly hires Jimmy to represent him.
- Rejected Apology: Howard is trying to bury the hatchet with Jimmy, as he has been for a while now, but Jimmy simply can't stomach him.
- Seinfeldian Conversation: Hank and Gomez discuss the origins of the word "culvert" while waiting for Saul's messenger to get to the dead drop.note
- Spotting the Thread: Gomez and the DEA are delighted to see dealers arrested and $700,000 in drug money busted, eager to see Krazy-8 back on the street to take more out. Hank instead feels as though the situation was planned, meant to keep them focused away from figures with higher profiles, seeing as they only caught a few dealers and couldn't catch up to Diego.Hank: Yeah, I wanted to go upstream, Gomey, not downstream...
- Stealth Insult: When asked whether he goes by Saul now, Jimmy tells Howard, "Friends still call me Jimmy...You can too."
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- The two morons find out the hard way that when you go on a crime spree lasting several days, the legal fees for all those crimes quickly add up, even with a discount. When Jimmy informs them that they would need to pay him $4,000 for his services, the two are taken aback, with one reminding Jimmy of his 50% off deal. Jimmy counters that the price he gave is 50% off; normally, they would need $4,000 each.
- Mike's display of badassery in the previous episode does not change the fact he's still an unarmed man aged around 60 years old walking past a group of gangsters. Now that the shock of the incident has worn off, they are pissed off and Mike soon finds himself in need of medical attention.
- That Man Is Dead: Saul really doesn't want to be reminded of his Jimmy McGill days. He stresses how he is now Saul Goodman when meeting Howard, tries to talk Howard out of offering him a job at HHM, and then puts down $75 on three bowling balls just so he can launch them into Howard's front yard to smash his car.
- Title Drop: As Howard drives away in his fancy car, Jimmy takes note of his license plate which reads "NAMAST3".
- Unconventional Courtroom Tactics: Saul discredits a witness's testimony by bringing a similar-looking man to pose as his client, which fools the witness enough to cast doubt on his testimony and trigger a mistrial — the actual client's innocence is never made explicit, but given that Saul is representing him, assumptions can be made.
- Villainous Breakdown: Gus undergoes a subdued one due to Lalo's machinations costing him thousands of dollars, and the only thing he can really do is to make sure the situation happens on his own terms. He at least remains dignified enough to (barely) conceal his instability.
- What You Are in the Dark: Upon seeing the shattered bottles from the previous night in the parking lot, Jimmy assures Kim that the building manager will take care of it. But once he leaves, we cut to Kim using a broom and bucket to clean it up herself.
- Worf Had the Flu: The second bout with the gangsters goes much more poorly for Mike compared to the first time, culminating in him getting a knife to the gut. Although this is more a case that the gangsters ignored Conservation of Ninjutsu and actually all attacked him at once instead of a single person going in. Even then Mike put up a pretty decent fight considering his age.
