Better Call Saul review: S1/E3 "Nacho"

Warning: spoiler alerts below

'Better Call Saul' is already one giant flashback, an explanation of how Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman, so why not have a flashback within a flashback?

That's how Episode 3 begins. It's no longer 2003. It's now 1992. Jimmy has more hair and he's handcuffed. His older brother Charles McGill is not only able to leave the house, but he's badass lawyer able to help out a brother he hasn't seen in five years. Jimmy is facing property damage and assault charges, plus he's at risk for being a sex offender. Charles reluctantly agrees to help, but only after telling Jimmy, "everything that you're involve with, it's over."

That's the backdrop that helps us understand Jimmy's dilemma in 2003. He knows that Nacho Varga wants to steal the money from the Kettleman's that the Kettleman's stole from Bernalillo County taxpayers. He knows that Nacho isn't averse to using violence to make it happen. Jimmy is no hero, as he told his once-upon-a-time or still-upon-a-time phone sex buddy Kim Wexler. Jimmy still has a conscious though. We're led to believe it all dates back to what he promised his big bro 11 years earlier.

Added bonus: this scene was shot down the
street from where I live

It's a fascinating opening 10 minutes and sets the stage for another enjoyable episode. Fifty minutes later, Jimmy discovers the Kettleman's are missing, Nacho was arrested as the lead suspect, Nacho maintains his innocent, Nacho thinks Jimmy set him up, Nacho is going to kill Jimmy if he doesn't get him out of jail, Jimmy thinks the Kettleman's staged their own appearance, Jimmy's crazy theory is shared by parking lot attendant Mike Ehrmantraut because it's more logical than the detectives, Mike's sage advice leads Jimmy in the right direction, and Jimmy finds the Kettleman's "hiding" in a tent not too far from their own backyard.

"Nobody wants to leave home," Mike tells Jimmy.

Yet it was Mike who was once on the force in Philadelphia, and left for reasons unknown to come out to Albuquerque. Why? We'll known when creator Vince Gilligan decides it's best for us to know.


Among all the "answers" that Better Call Saul will give us about Breaking Bad, the Mike-Saul/Jimmy relationship is the one that intrigues me most. Mike is the ultimate student of human behavior, and almost universally the smartest guy in the room. The understated way that Jonathan Banks plays Mike makes him an endearing character. Mike is always one step ahead of everybody, including Jimmy and the detectives. We've now learned how Mike and Jimmy met, how they didn't like each other, and how they first gained some mutual respect for one another. What's next is discovering why these two end up working together.

How long will the writers make us wait? That's part of the fun. The writers know they have this captivated audience that can't wait, but must wait, and will wait, because why tell us everything now when you can flashback 11 years and double down on all the answers you must provide on these crazy characters?

I'm imagining that scene from Back to the Future II, when Dr. Emmett Brown busts out a chalkboard to explain to Marty McFly why Biff is suddenly rich and powerful and married to Marty's mom, and the Doc has been committed. This is 1955. This is the present in 1985. That is the future in 2015. A straight line indicates what Brown and McFly and Einstein the Dog think is reality. But an event occurred that altered the future and created a 1985 universe that is reality for everybody else.

If such a chalkboard exists in the writers room of Saul, I'd love to see it. They might be on their second or third chalkboard with all the jagged lines and alternate universes that are the result of one bad decision, after one unlucky break, after another bad decision, and an even more unfortunate threat from a crazed lunatic.

It's all part of this brilliantly conceived narrative of how Jimmy McGill didn't really set out to become sleazeball lawyer Saul Goodman. He was forced to become that guy to save his life and "de-escalate" all events happening around him.

So far, Saul has delivered three straight episodes filled with just enough answers to satisfy the Bad diehards, plus new questions for the Saul newbies, utilizing the wit and humor and tense drama that make the show the best thing to happen to Monday's since Monday Night Football.

My rankings, to date, of my favorite episodes: Three, Two, One.

Additional reviews/recaps:

Indie Wire: 'Nacho' Shows Us the Money

Forbes: 'Better Call Saul' Episode 3 Review: Nacho

Mashable: 'Better Call Saul' Episode 3 recap: Nobody likes to leave home