TV Review: Better Call Saul (2×10) “Klick”

This is it folks: the end of Better Call Saul season two. Did it end on a high note while also putting the pieces in place for a great season three? Yes and yes (no surprise there). Keep reading to found out how it pulled this off. Spoilers ahead!

Despite this episode not centering around him — as past ones have — Mike had a whole lot to take care of in “Klick.” At first we see him scoping out the typical route that Hector Salamanca takes to tie up loose ends; the place that he and the Cousins shoot people in the head and bury them. Last week we learned that during Mike’s crusade to rob Salamanca of a quarter-million dollars, he inadvertently caused a death: A witness saw the tied-up henchmen that Mike left and freed him, which resulted in their murder because they’d seen too much.

In the season finale, Mike is out for vengeance against Hector. He meets with his honorable gun-guru, who, as he mentioned several episodes ago, makes his money from repeat business. Mike is now a loyal customer. He buys a sniper rifle and sets up on a desert rock a a few thousand feet from Salamanca’s work. Now we enter the “American Sniper” part of the episode, and it was tense.

Seriously, the way that these show runners create conflict and tension is so precise and effective; Mike’s plan goes awry when he can’t get a shot on Hector because a Cousin stands just a bit in the way. One inch to the right or left and it’d be “bye-bye, Hector,” but Better Call Saul is going to make us wait a bit more until we watch the accident that put Hector in his wheelchair.

Mike’s plan is further sabotaged by a mysterious third party. Much to Mike’s frustration, his car alarm goes off, threatening to blow his cover. When he inspects the car, he finds a stick lodged onto the car horn and a note that simply reads, “Don’t.” My guess is: Gustavo “Gus” Fring left this. You all remember him. I think that the rising drug lord wants to hold off on killing Hector — his rival — until just the right time. Gus always was the meticulous planner. Hopefully season three will see Mike meet Gus and take steps towards his future job as “head of corporate security” at Los Pollos Hermanos. 

Before we catch up with the McGill brothers in present day, we take a brief stroll down memory lane. In this flashback, we witness the death of the boys’ mother. Jimmy leaves her bedside just the wrong moment, (to go get sandwiches, no less) leaving Chuck to attend to their mother alone. She wakes up for only a moment, crying out “Jimmy!” several times before flatlining. My reaction? Poor. Chuck. Seriously, this show just will not make it easy to choose a side, will it? Yes, Chuck’s actions have shown a brother wholly committed to sabotaging his brother’s career, but it’s clearly because of moments like this. Both mother and father McGill loved Jimmy more than Chuck — probably because of his inherent charm — even though Jimmy actively stole money from their father.

I loved when Jimmy returned to the hospital sandwiches and all, and asked Chuck, “Did she wake up? Did she say anything?” Chuck lies, solemnly answering, “No.” Great characterizations.

Catching up to present day, we visit another hospital. This time, Chuck is injured from the head trauma he suffered at the end of last week’s “Nailed.” We experience Chuck’s feeling of confinement through an upside down POV shot from the end of his hospital stretcher; each passing LED light disorients him further, and when they suggest a CAT scan, he protests and ends up thrashing around to escape.

In fact, those scans are so traumatizing to his so-called “radio sensitivity” that it sends Chuck into a supposed “self-induced catatonic state.” This is where Chuck’s deception likely begins, and it is the reason this episode sets up so well for season three. Chuck knows the sour agreement Jimmy made to have him return home over temporary guardianship (for mentally ill patients), and he also knows that Jimmy sabotaged Mesa Verde. He knows he was right all along.

Later, Jimmy receives an angry phone call from Howard Hamlin, asking him what he did to cause Chuck to quit HHM. Not wanting his brother to quit, Jimmy rushes to Chuck’s house to find the house completely insulated by aluminum foil. Chuck says that it’s for more protection, and that he is quitting the law because of his mistake on Mesa Verde. Cutting through his own web of deceit, Jimmy ensures Chuck that it was actually his fault; he fesses up to doctoring the documents, bribing the store clerk to cover it up, etc. Jimmy leaves, but not before directly confessing to committing a felony.

One he’s gone, Chuck reaches over the table and turns off a tape recorder. I think this means that from the second Chuck went into his little coma, it was an elaborate plan to convince Jimmy that he was traumatized beyond repair, so that he’d confess and he could get it on tape. The tin foil house was part of the act. The twist ending explains the random scene where Chuck explores his garage by lantern light, trying to find something, which is really the tape recorder. Chuck can con, act and pretend just like his little brother! He’s not as charming, but he’s a genius.

Wow, what a cool cliffhanger! It’s not that I dislike vulnerable and sad main characters, but I will say that I much prefer this Chuck to docile Chuck. At the end of “Klick,” we see that Chuck is not about to lay down and let Jimmy trample over him. He’s going to get his little brother arrested and feel little shame in doing so. This act, after all, is the title of the episode, which refers to the “click” sound that the tape recorder makes when he stops it.

Now, to continue with the mindless speculation. To see more of that, check me out on TheYoungFolks’ official Star Wars podcast here!

I predict that Chuck’s attempt to get Jimmy disbarred or arrested will be what ultimately propels him to create the identity of Saul Goodman. After all, if he can’t use the McGill name, I’m sure Jimmy would seek a less-than-legal alternative to continue working in the law. What a shame too, because his “Gimme Jimmy” commercial that finally airs in this episode is so great! It looks like Jimmy is about to become very successful in his shared office with Kim, but that season three will see Chuck successfully tear down Jimmy’s career.

So, this was a great episode, finishing off a terrific sophomore season of Better Call Saul. If you’re anything like me, then you can’t wait for season three and all the chaos to come! For all things movies, TV and Better Call Saul in the future, keep it locked right here to TYF.

Rating: 9/10

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