[8.3/10] I could write an entire review just trying to decode all the little images that “The Guy for This” deposits. One of the things that set Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul apart is their penchant for that type of symbolism, letting the visual convey as much of what the audience is supposed to take away as the dialogue. So when an episode opens with ants slowly but surely descending on Jimmy’s ice cream cone, and ends with the aftermath, you know it’s supposed to mean something.
The easiest interpretation is that it’s a visual metaphor for the slow degradation of what Jimmy has. You’re enjoying something sweet, something good, and then the unexpected happens to turn it all upside down. Then one scavenger shows up to take a cut, then they tell a few more, and a few more tell a lot more, until eventually, the whole hive is there. Finally, you return to find what you had melted, with nothing but insects wanting their taste crawling around.
You can stretch that to Jimmy’s plot here, where his connection to one little bit of crime with Tuco led him here. You can stretch it to his broader arc this season, where his new practice colors outside the lines, but is mostly on the up-and-up, until he gets involved with the cartels and suddenly finds himself surrounded by them. Or you can read it as his story across two shows, where ever since he earned his law degree, his inability to put Slippin’ Jimmy to rest opened the door for bloodsuckers to come to him and lead him into this swarm.
Or maybe it’s just a cool shot of melted ice cream.
Either way, whatever that sequence means, it's cool to see the plot mechanics spin into place. The thing that really drives Better Call Saul is its incredible character work, bolstered by outstanding performances, which connect to piercing themes and an aesthetic bent. But it also knows how to spin a twisty plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next. As much of a stupendous slow burn as this series usually is, when it starts tying things together, it makes you bite your nails waiting for the boom.
Here, that results in a series of scheme that tie all corners of the show together, and even ties into Breaking Bad. It starts with Nacho’s suggestion that Lalo bring Saul in to handle the situation with Krazy 8. Lalo actually has a pretty good plan, which involves getting Krazy 8 back on the street by ratting out to the police, but about Gus Fring’s operation rather than the Salamancas. It’s a clever way to solve two problems at once: keeping a low-level guy who’s never done jail time from cracking in the joint while also using the police to put pressure on a rival.
The only catch for the title character is that he doesn't want to be involved in this. What’s particularly interesting about this interlude is how Saul’s brought in because Nacho has seen his resourcefulness first hand. Lalo even comments on his “mouth” in the same way that Tuco did. And yet, while Saul can use his gift of gab to get out of plenty of situatiions, he can’t manage to avoid doing this job. Even when he tries to offer alternative solutions or price himself out of the proffered task, Lalo pushes past it.
So he gets in and works his old Slippin’ Jimmy charms. Not only does he coach up Krazy 8 about what to say to the police, but he helps grease the wheels of justice when his “client” actually has to face them. And those police turn out to be...Hank and Gomey!
It’s a nice way to integrate them into the world of Better Call Saul. I’ll admit, for a show that’s already gotten a little too cute with its connections to the world of Breaking Bad (see also: the origin of Hector’s bell), I don’t know that we really needed this pair back in action on the spin-off. But if they’re going to be included, this is a great way to do it. Not only does the show nicely reintroduce the pair of DEA agents, hinting at who’s arrived before their faces fill the frame, but it makes them formidable opponents for Jimmy’s efforts to make good on his, shall we say persuasive, clientele.
That’s because Hank sniffs out the ruse. Even when Jimmy does the whole “lawyer trying to prevent his client from giving away the game” routine, Hank doesn't buy it. The show nicely walks the line with Hank, making him still the crass bulldog of a man he was before we found him sympathetic, but showing some solid police instincts with him. His banter with Gomey is still on point, but he’s also smart enough to go toe-to-toe with Jimmy and extract some concessions in his usual hard-headed way.
The plot means that Jimmy needs to mainly come out on top here. He gets Krazy 8 out on the “contingency” of the cops finding something based on his information and making arrests. He secures safe passage for his client so that he doesn't get fingered as a rat by his criminal associates. And he even tries to protect Krazy 8’s well-being by limiting his police confidential informant status to these two cops and these two cops only, giving Better Call Saul a convenient excuse to keep our favorite DEA special agents in the fold.
The one catch is that Jimmy tries to make this a one-time deal and can’t. He tries to beg off after laying out the terms of the deal to Lalo and Nacho, pleading that he has too busy of a schedule to keep up, but Lalo says he’ll make time. The ants have swarmed, the ice cream is melted, and he’s a part of this now, whether it was in the plan or not. That’s what Nacho tells him -- it doesn't matter what he wants -- when you’re in, you’re in.
It’s just one of many lines of dialogue in this episode said to one person and meant for another. Nacho is nominally talking to Saul about how he’s stuck with them now, but he’s really talking to himself. Whether Nacho wants to be in a life of crime or run away, he doesn't have a choice. He’s in too deep now, and there’s little, if anything, he can do to extricate himself.
That’s because he has to play all sides at this point. He tries to help fix things with Lalo, to continue ingratiating himself to his boss, by getting Saul to solve the Krazy 8 problem. But that just leads Lalo to trying to sic the DEA on Gus, which means Nacho needs to warn Gus about what’s coming, which mean he continues to be in the precarious position between two dangerous crime bosses who are trying to take one another out.
And yet, the most powerful scene in the episode comes when Nacho is confronted by his father. Mr Varga shows up to Nacho’s apartment to tell him about an offer he received to buy his store. But Nacho’s father is smart too, and like Lalo and Hank and even one recalcitrant would-be homesteader, he sees through the bullshit.
Mr. Varga knows that his son is fronting the money, trying to get his dad to leave town. But he refuses to leave. He refuses to take dirty money. He has a principle, and he won’t bend it for his son. You feel for Nacho, because he’s trying to protect his father through all of this. Whatever he wants or doesn't want, he doesn't have a choice at this point. The ants have swarmed him too, but he’s doing everything he can to keep his dad out of the muck. Mr. Varga is just too much a combination of stubborn and honorable to take the deal.
That puts Nacho and Kim in strangely similar positions. Her goal in this episode is to get an old man to move off his property, because it’s in the way of a major Mesa Verde development a la Up (or, Kelo v. New London if you’re legal-minded). She too tries to play nice with the old man standing on ceremony, offering him money, trying to make him see reason, only to be rebuffed due to the principle of the thing.
He’s only the second of three stubborn old men in “The Guy for This” though. The episode only briefly checks in on Mike, who’s drinking himself to death as he continues to mourn Werner. While the bartender tries to get him to leave, telling him he’s had enough, Mike won’t budge. He turns over his keys and orders another. He demands the bartender take down a postcard of the Sydney opera house, with the implication that it reminds him of Werner’s yarn about his father’s involvement in. He’s ready to inflict pain on random toughs, because he himself is raw. Mike is frustrated at what he’s had to do as part of his job, and it’s eating him up in that old familiar stoic-but-wounded Mike Ehrmantraut way.
That, again, oddly puts him in line with Kim. One of the big themes of “The Guy for This” is what people will do for money and how much of their soul and principle it costs them in the process. Kim is trying hard to maintain hers. She’s excited at the prospect of doing nothing but pro bono cases for a day. She is perturbed, to say the least, at her boss pulling her away from them to do less-meaningful but more lucrative work for her firm’s biggest client. And what sets her off, makes her play hardball with the homesteader, is when he accuses her of being all about money, despite what she tells herself. She hits back because it’s an accusation that clearly hit home with her and hurts.
It hurts especially because she’s been trying to distinguish herself from Jimmy here. Her retort to the homesteader is that he thinks he’s special, that he thinks the rules don’t apply to him, and that he’s wrong. Just because he doesn't like the outcome doesn't mean he can just set aside the law. Like Nacho’s words, those words are offered to one man but meant for someone else. She refuses to express these sentiments to Jimmy, sentiments she deeply believes, so she vents them to this man, safely in this situation, when her own mettle is tested.
(As an aside, my prediction for the series is that the breaking point -- if you’ll pardon the expression -- for Kim and Jimmy is going to come when Kim’s pro bono clients start leaving her for Saul Goodman because he can get them better results using nefarious means.)
So Kim tries to prove herself to this stubborn man, who refuses to leave his property despite a contract that says he has to. She tries showing him homes he could move into. She offers to help him move. She tries to explain how she’s more like him than she thinks, someone from a poor background who never owned anything and understands the value of having something that’s yours. She tries to prove that she’s not the type of person he thinks she is, only to be rebuked with his pronouncement that she’s someone who’ll say whatever it takes to get what she wants -- someone like Jimmy.
The ants are not the only bit of visual symbolism in the episode. Early on, Jimmy comes home to see Kim drinking on their balcony. He meets her there with two fresh ones, resting her empty on the railing. Kim gazes at the bottle as it sits there precariously, representing a certain recklessness in Jimmy that she’s tired of. She doesn't say anything, because she can’t. But when she goes inside, disgusted after hearing Jimmy talk about how this is the most profitable day Saul Goodman’s ever had, she grabs it, representing her rejection of that ethos.
And yet when she comes home after the verbal skirmish with the homesteader, the tables are turned. She joins Jimmy on the balcony. She shares a smoke with him, a continuing symbol of their bad kid camaraderie. Jimmy doubles down on his prior bottle-based recklessness, playing loose-and-catch with an empty of his own.
But Kim doubles down. She stops pussyfooting around and just throws her drink into the parking lot. Jimmy follows suit with his current beverage. And from there, they just take turns yeeting their full beers for the hell of it, until some unwanted attention sends them back indoors.
That image carries some potency too. Kim tries. She doesn't want to be swarmed like the others have. But no matter what she does, no matter how well she means, the world seems to treat her like Jimmy anyway. So if that’s the outcome no matter what she chooses, if she’s in this whether she wants to be or not, she might as well enjoy it. Pour one out for Ms. Wexler, and then toss it over the side. Let it mean whatever you want it to.
City Of is a magnificent pilot. It re-introduces Angel to the viewer and is the beginning of Angel's re-integration into society. The episode is tasked with something imposing, which is to convince viewers within its 45 minute runtime that ANGEL as a show is worthy of being watched (if BUFFY is not enough of a reason) since its lead character was never one of the high points on BUFFY.
There is a fine mix of dark brooding drama and lighthearted humour, the magnificent Cordelia Chase championing the latter. It's a tightly paced episode with some fantastic drama and almost immediately makes Angel a more engaging character. The victim Tina is one of the most tragic and memorable ancillary characters throughout the show's run and the relationship that Angel forms with her is both touching and inspiring, since it affirms Doyle's beliefs that Angel needs to form a connection with the world. It's also a little heartbreaking that such an apparent connection is so easily disrupted when we consider it from Angel's point of view. I absolutely adore the line, "I came to LA to be a famous movie star, but they weren't hiring".
Besides the frankly hideous vampire makeup, City Of is near perfect as far as pilot episodes go. It's emotionally engaging, exciting, charming and given enough patience and investment, ANGEL will prove to be as good as its parent show when at it's best.
Watching order
Because there are some issues with watching this, here is the order.
Copying from the site in case it ever goes down, but this info came from here: http://thunderpeel2001.blogspot.com/2010/02/battlestar-galactica-viewing-order.html
It's probably more confusing here on trakt, so go to the above linked site for a better layout.
The Miniseries
Night 1
Night 2
Season 1
1.01 33
1.02 Water
1.03 Bastille Day
1.04 Act of Contrition
1.05 You Can't Go Home Again
1.06 Litmus
1.07 Six Degrees of Separation
1.08 Flesh and Bone
1.09 Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
1.10 The Hand of God
1.11 Colonial Day
1.12 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
1.13 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
Season 2
2.01 Scattered
2.02 Valley of Darkness
2.03 Fragged
2.04 Resistance
2.05 The Farm
2.06 Home, Part I
2.07 Home, Part II
2.08 Final Cut
2.09 Flight of the Phoenix
2.10 Pegasus (56 minute extended version)
2.11 Resurrection Ship, Part I
2.12 Resurrection Ship, Part II
2.13 Epiphanies
2.14 Black Market
2.15 Scar
2.16 Sacrifice
2.17 The Captain's Hand
Razor (101 minute extended version - not the 81 minute broadcast version)
Important note: This was originally broadcast just before Season 4, but chronologically it fits here, telling more of the Pegasus's story. Some people argue it's better to watch after Season 3, as originally broadcast, but it makes most sense to watch it here.
The reason that the placement of Razor is a hotly contested issue among BSG fans is because of a bit of dialogue at the very end (in the last 10 minutes) which sets the tone for Season 4 (barely even a spoiler). Everything else in this TV movie is not a spoiler.
So why place it here, and not where it was originally broadcast, if there's any sort of issue? Because, chronologically, the story is set here, and by the time you reach the end of Season 3, the story of Pegasus will feel like ancient history. Indeed, that was the complaint echoed around the internet from fans after Razor originally aired -- it had nothing to do with what was going on in the story at that time.
As a result of this, most fans agree it's better to watch Razor here. In doing so, you'll appreciate the story more and it will have greater emotionally resonance. In short: I highly recommend that you follow my advice and watch it here.
There is one small caveat, however: In order to deal with the above dialogue issue, and so not to unintentionally alter the tone of Season 3, I have two, very specific instructions that I recommend that you follow for your absolute optimum enjoyment.
I will try not to spoil anything with these instructions, so pay attention. You need to press MUTE on your TV (and/or turn off any subtitles) in the following two moments. Both of these moments occur in the last 10 minutes of the story, so you can relax and enjoy the first 90 mins before you need to worry.
Press MUTE when:
and shortly afterwards:
That's it! That's all you have to worry about. Two very small moments, and even if you don't unmute it, it's not a huge spoiler, it just unintentionally alters the tone of Season 3 if you don't, so do try your best to follow my instructions.
2.18 Downloaded
2.19 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
2.20 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
The Resistance
A 10 episode web-based series bridging seasons 2 and 3. (25 mins.)
Season 3
3.01 Occupation
3.02 Precipice
3.03 Exodus, Part I
3.04 Exodus, Part II
3.05 Collaborators
3.06 Torn
3.07 A Measure of Salvation
3.08 Hero
3.09 Unfinished Business (70 minute extended version - Note: Not included on Region 2 DVDs, but is included on ALL Bluray releases.)
3.10 The Passage
3.11 The Eye of Jupiter
3.12 Rapture
3.13 Taking a Break From All Your Worries
3.14 The Woman King
3.15 A Day in the Life
3.16 Dirty Hands
3.17 Maelstrom
3.18 The Son Also Rises
3.19 Crossroads, Part I
3.20 Crossroads, Part II
Razor: Yes, this again. (Well this is where Razor was originally broadcast, after all.) Remember the last 10 minutes where I told you to MUTE two small moments? Well, guess what, now is when you get to go back and hear what was said. Watch the last 10 minutes of Razor here.
Season 4
4.01 He That Believeth In Me
4.02 Six of One
4.03 The Ties That Bind
4.04 Escape Velocity
4.05 The Road Less Traveled
4.06 Faith
4.07 Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
4.08 Sine Qua Non
4.09 The Hub
4.10 Revelations
Season 4 Continued (aka "Season 4.5" or "The Final Season")
4.11 Sometimes a Great Notion
The Face of the Enemy
A 10 episode web-based series (although it plays together like an intense mini-episode). (36 mins.)
4.12 A Disquiet Follows My Soul (53 minute extended version - only on Bluray releases)
4.13 The Oath
4.14 Blood on the Scales
4.15 No Exit
The Plan (DVD/Bluray movie)
A stand-alone movie that shows (approximately) the first two seasons from the Cylons' perspective. (You finally get to see "The Plan", mentioned all those times in the opening sequence!) Although The Plan was originally released after the show had finished, it is generally agreed that it should be watched here, so that everything is all tied up when you do reach the end.
4.16 Deadlock
4.17 Someone to Watch Over Me
4.18 Islanded In a Stream of Stars (62 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)
4.19 Daybreak (150 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)
The Plan : This is where this DVD/Bluray movie was originally released (after the show had finished). It seems universally agreed that it's preferable to watch this after No Exit, instead of after you've finished the entire series, but there's no harm in waiting until now.
Then Caprica the series: http://trakt.tv/show/caprica
