Better Recall Saul: "Rico"

Welcome to the new TV Recap series Better Recall Saul that chronicles the adventures of Better Call Saul and a young criminal lawyer as he cuts his teeth down in ABQ, and his Breaking Bad buddies might stop by to wish him luck. Feel free to join every Tuesday as the adventures unravel and the story behind one of the funniest and sleaziest lawyers in TV history begins to take form and remind us why he is such a great character in the first place. Is this spin-off meant for greatness, or is it the worst idea that AMC has ever done? You'll have to read on to find out the truth.

"Spoliation! That’s what it’s called! 
Tell ‘em I said that! Me! James 
McGill Esquire!”
- Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk)

Plot:

Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) reveals in flashback that he has become a lawyer, but at the expense of not becoming a reputable person at the firm. In the present, he is getting ready for a class action lawsuit involving a bunch of elderly people. There's a group of people who wish to stop him, even going so far as to shred up documented proof. Thanks to help from Chuck (Michael McKean), he is able to piece together the documents and have a strong case against them. He even gets Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) to help out by printing documents. When they confront the opposition, Chuck and Jimmy take them on with a request for $20 million or go to trial. Things get nasty as the episode ends. With Chuck wrapped up in the case, he runs out to get boxes from the car, not realizing that he has an electromagnetic illness. Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) visits family, who is afraid to spend money that he has given them.


Rating: 3 out of 5

Bob Odenkirk
MVP:
Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk)

We're continuing to understand what makes Jimmy an interesting lawyer. He is passionate and will do anything to get his way. He knows how to play tricks and with Chuck by his side, he goes all out this time for an interesting uncovering of problems that will either ruin his reputation or take down a big corporation wanting to sell out of state syringes to elderly people. He is smooth and works hard for what he wants. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the surrounding episode is all that interesting. In fact, his ambitions are fine, but the general conflict lacks any big draw beyond wanting to see this man succeed. Either that, or just see the man do something to make him a worthwhile protagonist. I don't feel like that has been achieved in the slightest yet in the series' brief existence.

Left to right: Michael McKean and Bob Odenkirk
Best Scene

For starters, it is interesting to see Chuck do more than mope around the house. He is a busy bee who is helping Jimmy solve the case. He pieces together old shredded files and moves the story along. However, the revelation of Chuck as a lawyer doesn't become prevalent until the third act when the two take on the opposition and Chuck is forced to use his energy. He is angry and provocative. It also begins to make for a muddy situation that may not be as easy as it could be to solve. Who knows where things will go. However, the fact that the supporting cast is starting to seem interesting is a sign that things will hopefully pick up in the episodes remaining this season.

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