In Better Call Saul season 6 episode 6, Jimmy and Kim put the finishing touches on their plan to ruin Howard Hamlin but an emergency at the last moment makes them reconsider.
Recap
The episode opens with a young Kim being reprimanded by her mother for getting caught shoplifting.
After the kind store owner gets ready to let the matter go in exchange for a promise from Kim, Kim and her mother walk out of the store and immediately, Kim’s mother drops her act of the disappointed mother.
She then heads on to give her the pair of earrings which Kim was caught shoplifting and it’s pretty obvious that Kim’s mother didn’t pay for it either.
Back to the present day, Howard Hamlin is getting ready for a hard day at work. His wife makes an appearance too and he informs her of the recent situation with Jimmy that’s been developing. However, it’s clear that Howard and his wife do not share a lot of warmth in their relationship.
At work, Howard is briefed by his detective about Jimmy’s recent outings. The only thing that catches Howard’s eye is when Jimmy made a pit stop to withdraw some cash that would amount to around 20 grand.
Jimmy and Kim are then seen paying a visit to Dr. Caldera to take some kind of drug that dilutes Jimmy’s eyes and doesn’t show up in a blood test. Caldera also informs the couple that he will be leaving town soon as he’s done with the double life.
Afterwards, Kim works some of her magical lawyer abilities for a guy at the court. Cliff Maine approaches Kim to talk to her about the Jackson Mercer Foundation and give her a brilliant work opportunity.
Later, Kim tells Jimmy about getting a spot in the meeting with people from the Jackson Mercer Foundation. But the meeting is on the D-day, the day the plan against Howard comes to fruition. Jimmy gets delighted at the opportunity Kim is getting.
In Germany, Lalo has tracked down Kai, the demolition engineer, to find out more about Gus’ plans.
Jimmy takes Francesca’s help to get access to the mediation meeting in the Sandpiper case. Jimmy and Kim have laid the groundwork to get Howard once and for all. It’s just a matter of time now.
The D-Day arrives and Kim leaves for her meeting while Jimmy promises to record the whole “show” for them to watch together.
Jimmy plans to get a bottle of fine wine to celebrate the win later. As he stands in the line, he sees Judge Casimiro, who’s handling the Sandpiper case, standing there with a cast in his hand.
Jimmy realises that their plan could have failed if he didn’t see Casimiro. He calls Kim to inform her of the situation and calls off the plan.
But, Kim, who’s on her way to the meeting, tells Jimmy that the plan will go ahead and takes a U-turn, deciding to ditch the meeting Cliff Maine arranged in order to take down Howard Hamlin.
Review
- A glimpse into Kim’s early life is a refreshing change. It helps contextualise Kim Wexler as a character and the constant struggle she faces.
- The final U-turn that Kim takes reminds us of what Jimmy did at the end of season 1. It begs the question of whether Kim Wexler has been fully converted and has decided to take the dreaded path that Jimmy McGill once chose for himself.
- The situation with Lalo is taking too long to materialise and there have been some sacrifices made there to accommodate Kim and Jimmy’s storyline.
- It’s a really slow grind. Not a lot has happened since Nacho’s death and it seems like the makers are really taking the slower road by providing each character ample time. For better or worse, the final season is going to be a long one.
Rating: 3.5/5
Also Read: Better Call Saul season 6 episode 5 recap & review: Black and Blue