In the latest episode of "Better call saul" we see a departure from the Gus Fring storyline as Jimmy and Chuck battle it out in the courtroom. We also see another reintroduction of a "Breaking Bad" favourite: Huell, Saul Goodman's heavy-duty bodyguard — albeit slightly slimmer than we are used to seeing him.
Episode 5: Flashback to Chuck's illness.
This week starts in typical fashion with a flashback scene — which has been a hallmark of the show so far — involving Chuck cooking dinner for his ex-wife Rebecca Mcgill (Ann Cusack) in what appears to be an attempt by Jimmy to reconcile the pair.
We see the beginnings of Chuck's mysterious illness and the extent to which Chuck will go to hide it as he abruptly snatches Rebecca's phone whilst she is mid call and throws it across the floor.
Chuck is adamant that Jimmy shouldn't tell Rebecca the real reason for his actions and allows her to leave on bad terms. Jimmy puts it bluntly: "would you rather her think you a raging pr**k than tell her the truth?" — setting up the context for their future showdown.
In the only other scene that doesn't take place in the courtroom, Kim manages to pluck up the courage and tell Mesa Verde of Jimmy's impending court case. Her call seems to pay off, as Mesa Verde seem more concerned about the ill will of Chuck than any belief in the accusations against Jimmy.
Howard — as we have seen him do all throughout this season — makes another attempt to convince Chuck to drop his cynical case against Jimmy. However, Chuck stubbornness knows no bounds, as he masks his petty hatred of his brother by maintaining that the 'law is too important'.
Episode 5: Courtroom drama
The rest of the episode is solely Chuck Vs Jimmy, where John Getz ('Homeland', 'The Fly') makes a brief cameo as the court's chairman.
Almost as though we were watching an episode of "Law & Order" or "The Good Wife", we see both sides of the case come to head, but it is Jimmy, through his devious methods — and a little help from Huell — who comes out on top.
As the title of the episode suggests, the 'chicanery' we see here is definitely more Saul Goodman than Jimmy McGill.
Jimmy has Huell plant a battery on Chuck before he enters the de-electrified courtroom which has no effect on him throughout the case, thus finally proving his illness to be a mental condition rather than a physical one.
The key thing to come across is Jimmy's concern for his brother's welfare, while Chuck's longstanding hatred is confirmed. His attempts to look after Chuck's best interests are revealed with his attempt to reconcile him with his estranged wife — and the fact he looked after him while he was ill and ultimately revealed the truth about Mesa Verde for Chuck's benefit.
Vince Gillian's reputation for writing pioneering and engaging tv has so far been reaffirmed with this season. The isolation of Episode 5 — directed by Daniel Sackheim — as a courtroom drama shows that the makers of 'Better Call Saul' are not straying away from the creative and dramatic precedent set by "Breaking Bad".
