It might be Labor Day (here in the States), but Slippin’ Jimmy does not rest. As we begin our story, our valiant hero and his paralegal Francesca shred papers and in general destroy his Breaking Bad-era Saul Goodman offices. He hands Francesca a business card, and tells her to refer to Jimmy.
Back in the past, and behind the windows painted with “Is the man listening?,” Jimmy finally starts selling burner phones. He lies and cheats his way to a sale, and probably runs up the price to make a little extra on the side.
Speaking of burner phones, a man dressed in black arrives at ABQ and immediately goes to a car in the parking lot. He picks up a burner from the glovebox and a voice welcomes him to the U.S.A. He drives to the middle of nowhere and puts a hood over his own head. Mike Ehrmantraut drives up in a van and puts him in the back. Mike takes the stranger to a Madrigal warehouse. He assures Mike that he can dig a tunnel behind the wall in the Madrigal warehouse. Mike drives him back to the airport.
Kim is working pro bono as a defense lawyer. She talks a client down from an 18-month sentence to 4 months probation. She goes home to Jimmy who wants to watch the classic story of brotherly opportunity, Dr. Zhivago, and starts in on her work for Mesa Verde. Jimmy stops the film to steal from his cash register at work, but he walks off with a load of phones, too. Pretty soon, Jimmy’s hawking cell phones to the tune of old timey pop tunes at the Doghouse – just like Pinkman in season one. However, unlike Pinkman, Jimmy gets mugged.
Kim helps Jimmy lick his wounds. While suspicious, Kim buys Jimmy’s story that he had insomnia and tells him that he’s moved on from life as a two-bit criminal. Meanwhile, Kim’s pro bono work starts interfering with his work at Mesa Verde.
Mike brings in another man – this one speaks German – to Madrigal to scout the warehouse for the tunnel. The German makes a thorough analysis, unlike the last guy, which impresses Mike and causes Fring to emerge from the shadows and introduce himself.
Jimmy runs into Howard at the courthouse when he has to attend a probationary hearing. Howard really does have insomnia. For Howard, insomnia manifests as dressing in a classic black suit and white shirt instead his usual blue and pink. When Jimmy finds out that Howard is seeing a therapist, he flushes the number Kim gave him. At his meeting, Jimmy rants out his plans to open a new office with Kim and become a great lawyer.
Jimmy really struggles in this episode. He sees the highs and thrills of illegal activity, but becomes acutely aware of his relative weakness in the Albuquerque underworld. Meanwhile, Kim takes a long hard look at the legal profession to see whether it can stand up to her moral code. Mike, Fring, and Howard don’t have a long going this week, but their plotlines are gearing up and are certain to circle back soon.
Photo by Matthias Clamer/AMC/Sony Picture Television. Photo source: AMC.com
