‘Better Call Saul’ Season 2, Episode 6: ‘Bali Ha’i’

While this episode felt fast paced, there was a lot going on. Jimmy’s old ways are catching up with him yet again, Mike is finding his situation with Hector Salamanca becoming more and more dangerous, and Kim has a big opportunity and a possible new future.

The episode opens with a restless Jimmy, unable to sleep and sees the new ad by Davis & Main — an ad that suffers from their previous work and is aired late at night, not during the time when potential clients would be watching. There are many scenes in this that show Jimmy is only truly comfortable in the dirt; he does not fit in this structured, corporate world. Especially when it shows he beats his bout with insomnia by sleeping in his old, crummy office at the nail salon.

Kim is still on the outs with Howard. She is back at her old office, but isn’t unpacking just yet. And when she and Howard are heading to a meeting with the new account she just scored, Howard won’t look her in the eye and gives her the cold shoulder. He even sends her alone for a court date, where she fights like hell to keep the privacy of the Sandpiper clients out of the opponents’ hands.

But it is with her opposition, Schweikart, who offers her a better future in her career. Over lunch, he tells her a story about when he was starting out, and his firm sent him alone into a losing battle (much like what Kim just went through). While others at the firm said it was an initiation (he might still be paying off credit card debt from purchasing a flashy new suit for the court date), he tells Kim is never sat right with him. And he sees potential in Kim, a fighter. And he offers her an opportunity at his firm, a partner-track situation, something that is not on the horizon at HH&M.

Mike is finding his situation is getting dicey. Hector wants his nephew out, and wants Mike to cop to owning the firearm found on Tuco after Mike’s beating. Mike arrives home to find a goon sitting on his porch, wanting an answer to the proposal. Mike declines, but he knows this isn’t the end.

And it isn’t. Later on, Mike arrives home to find his place has two of Hector’s henchmen lurking around. Mike is not a fool, and brutally pistol whips the both of them, who claim they were only there to scare him. From what we know of Mike from this show — and especially “Breaking Bad” — he is not one to be easily frightened.

But he does get frightened for his family. While playing with his granddaughter, Mike looks up and sees “The Cousins” — the twin brothers (Leonel and Marco Salamanca) who try to hunt down Walter in “Breaking Bad” — lurking on a rooftop near the hotel his daughter-in-law and grandchild are staying. Mike gets the message.

So he shows up to talk to Hector (who now lost the black hair we saw last episode). Hector and Mike are really great rivals, and this scene is dynamite. These two square off, Mike demanding $50,000 and he will say the gun was his. Hector tries to take any money off the table, but once Mike pulls his gun and says if there isn’t any money, neither one of them are leaving the place alive, Hector sees Mike is not a punk he can screw with.

And Nacho offers to deliver Mike’s money. Obviously, he knows his days are numbered since Tuco will be out sooner than expected. Mike gives him $25,000 of the loot for failing to live up to his end of the bargain. For a criminal, Mike sure does have some morals I guess.

After Kim gets her offer, Howard is still putting her through hell. He tries to force her to work through her lunch hour (they can get her something from the new salad place from the petty cash). Kim just ups and leaves, heads to a bar, and over some Moscow Mules, contemplates the job offer. She also sees a mark, and wants to scam him with Jimmy — something that she really seems to relish in.

So she calls Jimmy, who is continuing his hell with Erin hovering over him at all times. He agrees, and the two of them con some poor schmuck at a hotel bar. But this time, it wasn’t as enjoyable for Kim. Kim has some big choices to make. Jimmy encourages her to leave HH&M. Will she take it?

THOUGHTS:

• The scene with Jimmy and the lady from the nail salon was great. He keeps saying “boundaries” and she tells him “don’t like your job? Boo hoo, poor baby,” after he says something about how he isn’t liking it at Davis & Main.
• Mike’s hand shaking after he pistol whips those two goons, and washes the blood off his hands and gun, show that he may be good at this, but it isn’t something he revels in.
• The Billy Mays commercial on the TV Mike turns on to trick to two intruders brought me back to the fact this show takes place in the early 2000s.
• When Jimmy calls Kim toward the start of the episode singing into her answering machine was a nice little scene showing both Jimmy and Kim care about one another.
• Loved the shot of The Cousins’ skull-toed boots. Those really stood out when I first saw them in “Breaking Bad.”
• Jimmy breaking the cup holder in the company car so the cup Kim gave him would fit was great and once again plays on the theme that fitting in this world is forced and not natural for Jimmy.