The Guy for This
| "The Guy for This" | |
|---|---|
| Better Call Saulepisode | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Episodeno. | Season 5 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Michael Morris |
| Written by | Ann Cherkis |
| Original air date | March 2, 2020 |
| Running time | 54 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Guy for This"is the third episode of thefifth seasonof theAMCtelevision seriesBetter Call Saul,aspin-offseries ofBreaking Bad.The episode aired on March 2, 2020, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on thestreaming serviceNetflixin several countries.
The episode centers onJimmy McGill(Bob Odenkirk) being forced to use his fast-talking "Saul Goodman" legal personality to arrange for the release of Domingo Molina (Max Arciniega) from prison at the request ofLalo Salamanca(Tony Dalton), whileKim Wexler(Rhea Seehorn) is pulled off herpro bonopublic defense work to deal with a stubborn client for the Mesa Verde bank. The episode features the guest appearance ofBreaking BadstarDean Norrisreprising his role as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agentHank Schrader,along withSteven Michael Quezadaas Hank's partner Steven Gomez. ShowrunnerPeter Gouldbrought the character of Hank back to help drive the transformation of Jimmy into Saul.
Plot
[edit]Nacho VargatakesJimmy McGilltoLalo Salamanca,who knows of Jimmy's reputation from his cousin,Tuco Salamanca.[a]Lalo wants Jimmy to feedDomingo Molinaa specific story to follow while serving as his lawyer. Jimmy quotes Lalo an exorbitant fee and is surprised when Lalo readily pays cash in advance.
Mike Ehrmantrautgets drunk at the bar he once visited withWerner Ziegler.[b]On his way home, a gang of thugs attempt to rob him but he breaks the leader's arm and calmly walks off. Nacho's fatherManuel Vargareveals that someone has offered to buy his upholstery shop for more than it is worth. Manuel accuses Nacho of arranging the deal, refuses to accept, and says he will not flee. He tells Nacho that if Nacho is in trouble, then Nacho should decide for himself whether to run or turn himself in to the police.
Jimmy meets with Domingo in jail and explains Lalo's plan. WhenDrug Enforcement Administration(DEA) agentsHank SchraderandSteven Gomezarrive, Jimmy steps in as Domingo's lawyer "Saul Goodman" and arranges for Domingo to be released as an informant in exchange for providing the DEA with details ofGus Fring'sdead drops.Jimmy reports to Lalo, who is pleased, while Nacho warns Jimmy that once he begins working for drug dealers there is no turning back. Nacho reports Domingo's release to Gus and explains Lalo's plan for the dead drops. Gus decides to maintain the drops, because doing otherwise would reveal to Lalo that someone is providing inside information about the Salamancas.
Kim Wexlerhas a full day ofpro bonocases, butRich Schweikartdemands she take care of pressing Mesa Verde business. ATucumcarihomeowner,Everett Acker,is refusing to leave property leased from the bank so that the bank can construct a newcall center.Acker refuses a compromise and Kim angrily tells him he has no choice.Paige Novickis happy with Kim's tough approach, but Kim is troubled. On her way home, she turns around and returns to Tucumcari. She approaches Acker sympathetically, tries to convince him to move, and offers to help him herself, finally going into detail about her own unstable housing situation in her childhood. Acker rejects all of her attempts and tells her she will say whatever is necessary to get what she wants. Kim vents her frustrations by throwing beer bottles from her balcony with Jimmy.
Production
[edit]
This episode features the appearance ofDean Norrisreprising his starring role onBreaking Badas DEA agentHank Schrader,along withSteven Michael Quezadareprising Hank's partner Steven Gomez; Norris is the first of the leading cast credited through the entirety ofBreaking Bad's run to appear onBetter Call Saul.[c][1]WhenBetter Call Saulwas first in development, Norris had been unavailable due to starring inUnder the Domebut expressed interest in returning.[2]Norris said that he and showrunnerPeter Gouldhad spoken many times before bringing Hank back forBetter Call Saul,though Norris said to Gould, "Just don't let it be a gratuitous return, just to say he's in it."[3]Norris said that Gould wanted to have Hank come back to have some part in the transformation of Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman so that Hank's appearance was not gratuitous.[3]Gould himself spoke of the need to have "some very smart law enforcement people who are worthy opponents" for Jimmy that would push him into using the Saul Goodman persona even deeper without necessarily recognizing the full consequences of those actions, and thus where it made sense to bring in Norris to play Hank.[4]Norris found it easy to fall back into character, particularly as the version of Hank prior to hispost-traumatic stress disorderfrom killing Tuco in "Grilled",as well as acting alongside Quezada, whom he has remained friends with since theirBreaking Baddays.[3]
The show opens and closes on scenes involving a mass of ants swarming over an ice cream cone that Jimmy dropped when he was picked up by Nacho in "50% Off".The shots were made with about two thousand livered harvester ants,collected from and returned to the wild by animal trainerJules Sylvester.They used an ice cream-like substance that would not be toxic to the ants but still draw them to swarm across it as to get the shots they wanted.[5]
Reception
[edit]"The Guy for This" received critical acclaim. OnRotten Tomatoes,it garnered a perfect 100% rating with an average score of 8.3/10 based on 14 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Better CallSaul gifts viewers with a welcome hunk of Hank Schrader in an otherwise ominous chapter that illustrates how the forces of darkness are enclosing around Jimmy and Kim like ants on an ice cream. "[6]
For his work on this episode,Thomas Golubićwas nominated forOutstanding Music Supervisionat the72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Ratings
[edit]"The Guy for This" was watched by 1.18 million viewers on its first broadcast,[7]which was a slight increase from the previous week of 1.06 million.[8]
Notes
[edit]- ^As shown in the episode "Mijo"
- ^As shown in the episode "Coushatta"
- ^WhileBob Odenkirk,Giancarlo EspositoandJonathan Bankswere all main cast inBreaking Bad,they were not credited as such until the third season.
References
[edit]- ^Keveney, Bill (March 2, 2020)."Exclusive: Dean Norris on revisiting his 'Breaking Bad' character on 'Better Call Saul'".USA Today.Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
- ^Dekel, Jonathan (July 3, 2014)."Dean Norris says appearance on Better Call Saul unlikely: CBS, exec Les Moonves 'won't let me do it'".The National Post.Archived fromthe originalon July 7, 2014.RetrievedJuly 3,2014.
- ^abcSnierson, Dan (March 3, 2020)."Breaking Bad vet Dean Norris breaks down Hank's return on Better Call Saul".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
- ^Baysinger, Tim (March 2, 2020)."'Better Call Saul' Showrunner Breaks Down Why 'Breaking Bad' Prequel Needed Hank Schrader ".The Wrap.Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
- ^Ehrlich, Brenna (March 9, 2020)."'Better Call Saul': Show's Ant Wrangler Breaks Down Ice Cream Scene ".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on March 10, 2020.RetrievedMarch 10,2020.
- ^"The Guy for This".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on April 14, 2022.RetrievedJune 24,2020.
- ^Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2020)."Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.2.2020".Showbuzz Daily.Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
- ^Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020)."Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.24.2020".Showbuzz Daily.Archived fromthe originalon February 25, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 25,2020.
External links
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