TV Review: Better Call Saul 3×03 “Sunk Costs”

This week’s episode “Sunk Cost” is a fallout from last week’s explosive ending with Jimmy, Chuck and Kim all making their moves and choosing sides on the chess board that is Albuquerque.

We start off with Gus, who doesn’t want Hector to die. Mike does though because Hector threatened his family last season. After a back and forth between the two on a desert highway, it’s revealed that Gus may or may not want Mike to rob another truck because Hector’s his competition.

Whether it’s true or not that Gus wants Mike to continue his vendetta against Hector, it’s clear that Mike’s not giving up on Hector so easily. Part of his revenge plot is visiting a Hispanic doctor’s office, a mutual friend of Hector’s, to get him closer to his goal.

And part of that plan involves…shoes? Yes, the pair of red shoes we see hanging from the telephone wire in the beginning of the episode comes back in the big way. It turns out it’s Mike, who replaces them with a fresher pair stuffed with a bag of white substance.

When Hector’s truck is driving past, Mike is at the ready with his sniper gun. Mike’s not aiming for Hector though, he fires some shots in the air to make it seem like there’s hunters near by, fooling the two men to get back in the car and dive away. That’s when Mike shoots the shoes, causing a dusting of cocaine to cover the truck. Hector and his friend get busted by a drug sniffing dog at the Mexico border leading to their arrest.

1 for Mike, 0 for Hector.

Back at Chuck’s abode, Jimmy is sitting on the stoop smoking a cigarette with a pack of tissues in his other hand. Chuck wants him to wait inside for the police to come and haul him away for his admitted forgery crimes. Jimmy’s response is chilling and an indication that, in this moment, I think Slipping Jimmy is gone and we’ve just met Saul for the first time frankly stating that his brother is dead to him. That he is, in fact, betting on Chuck’s fear of technology offing him in a hospital room all alone.

After Jimmy’s booking, we finally get to see Kim, whose oblivious to everything that’s happened. In fact, she speeds through her morning routine taking a shower at the gym to find a freshly fired Ernie, who breaks the news to Kim that Jimmy’s in jail.

When Kim makes it to Jimmy’s court hearing she’s ready to step in as his lawyer and defend him, but Jimmy insists that he’s representing himself. Something that Kim an the judge both think is a bad idea, but Jimmy insists anyway much to Kim’s annoyance. Back at the office we see that Jimmy and Kim’s friendship/relationship is falling apart at the seams. He goes on a rant about how it’s his mess and how he won’t drag Kim, whose up to her neck in Mesa Verde, into his beef with his brother.

Her response is a very cold, “Okay”, conversation over.

We then catch up with Jimmy’s old buddy from the law office where we first meet him. He first shows up in the episode while Jimmy’s being processed in jail and Jimmy hopes that he’ll be in charge of his case, but it turns out that no one in Albuquerque can take the case since they all know Jimmy. While stuffing his face with two bags of chips and Jimmy’s too trans-fatty burger, he tells Jimmy that they hired a “tough but fair” lawyer to prosecute on Chuck’s behalf.

Interestingly enough, when Chuck meets with this lawyer in his home he admits to something I didn’t see coming: Guilt. He actually feels guilty because Jimmy, deep down in a good person, but he just can’t let his brother off the hook for what he’s done.

So, what does Chuck do? A PPD for Jimmy, and his confession has to be submitted to the New Mexico Bar association, which may end up leading to jail time for Jimmy anyway and the loss of his law license.

Jimmy and Kim aren’t going to go down without a fight though and, with a hand-holding truce, they’re going to “shove that PPD up Chuck’s ass”.

I’m excited to see Jimmy and Kim back on the same side again, especially if it’s to take down Chuck, who seems to be on a power trip after finally catching Slipping Jimmy in the act of sketchy law practice. I think Kim’s finally realizing that some of the blame has to be on her. She’s the reason Jimmy broke the law, so she could get Mesa Verde.

What worries me though, if Jimmy goes down will he end up taking Kim with him? It’s a looming prospect considering we don’t get even a glimpse of Kim in Breaking Bad.