Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 Review: Games and entertainment, The Ballad Of Jimmy And Kim
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn
Director: Vince Gilligan
Streaming Platform: AMC and Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4.5/5 (four and half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Better Call Saul Season 6 is back on Netflix, but sadly not to stay. The Breaking Bad spin-off born from the mind of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould has shown over the seasons that it has no fear of confrontation with the parent series and that it has a lot to say about some of the most beloved but also more secondary characters of the show focused. on the fall of Walter White. Three episodes from the end we are faced with an episode that further outlines its protagonists following the devastating events that led to Howard’s departure in the final midseason and Lalo Salamanca (for the complete picture we refer you to Better Call Saul 6 Episode 8 review). And the result is another hour of television full of substance, flawless in almost all respects. Further confirmation of the fact that we are experiencing live one of the most successful dramas of recent years.
Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 Review: The Story
This week’s episode articulates three different storylines alternating them; as always, the initial teaser mentions this mechanism by perfectly managing the cleaning phases of Saul’s apartment by Mike and the daily life of Jimmy and Kim who have to leave behind the traumas of the previous evening. And it’s worth starting with the character played by Jonathan Banks, because Mike’s need to do justice to Nacho’s death by meeting his father, contains not only the relationship that Ehrmantraut had with the boy but also the will to redeem his figure and assure the parent that nothing will be forgotten and that justice will be done. An ingenuity on Mike’s part must clash with the reality that what he is pursuing is mere revenge that does not make him a better man than the gangsters who killed Nacho. A moment in which Mike’s soul hardens further, gangrenous those shreds of humanity that we have had the opportunity to experience in previous seasons.
Even more significant is the space dedicated to Gus Fring, who must deal with the consequences of Lalo’s murder without giving in to Hector’s accusations before Don Eladio. And it is precisely the confrontation with the latter and with his figure reflected in the pool where Herman Max lost to seek comfort in a high-profile restaurant, at the counter of which the dialogue with the maître makes us sense mutual respect and admiration that perhaps could go further, but which Gus decides to abandon with an excuse, mindful of the fact that the affections around him risk having a bad end and that his plans for the future could certainly make matters worse. An opportunity to structure Giancarlo Esposito’s character even better and enrich it with lights and shadows that perhaps were missing during the show.
Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 Review and Analysis
But let’s get to the focal point of this episode. We refer to the relationship between Jimmy and Kim, their relationship, and how she will not be able to topically continue leaving behind what happened in front of their eyes a few hours before, despite Saul’s intentions. In the previous episodes, everything pointed to Kim’s departure, perhaps violent, given her perseverance in pursuing her ubris and always and in any case departing from those paths that would have ensured a brighter future. But Better Call Saul manages to surprise even in this case and it does so with a simple two-way dialogue that explodes the entire development arc of Jimmy’s wife masterfully played by Rhea Seaborn, putting the pieces in order, from the flashbacks about her childhood with a cheating mother to her relationship with Saul.
Love for Kim is not enough to ensure her a fulfilled life, and her confession as to why she did not warn Saul of Lalo’s return places us in front of the complexity of a character who has seen the fun of scams turn into ‘ horror of death, taking to the extreme consequences a hazard that made her feel somehow alive, a glue for her marriage to Jimmy, who cannot help but try to uselessly put together the pieces of a love that has crashed into her wager. And all this, in addition to the wonderful interpretations of Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seaborn who deeply breathe their roles, can only make us applaud the drama of two people destroyed by the game they helped to set in motion. The last minutes of the episode, then, further upset the game and project us directly into a time phase that we know well, but in which we can’t wait to meet new and old friends and, who knows, maybe even Kim.
Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 Review: The Last Words
Games and entertainment are yet another successful episode in a season that has suffered a few moments of tiredness, but which manages to give enormous satisfaction. That Better Call Saul is one of the best shows on the square is undisputed and once again it is through the characters that this belief is confirmed, further multifaceted their protagonists considering the consequences unleashed by the shocking events of the previous episodes, thanks to writing that sharpens the blade of dialogue and brings the roles to life on the screen through splendid interpretations.