Better Call Saul “Bagman”

Oh Jimmy, you are so dead.

Sure, not literally.  But Kim is finally seeing what being with you is like.

Granted, Jimmy himself only half-fell into being a cartel friend.  His scam in the pilot brought him to the attention of the wrong people, and that kept falling out until he found himself as Lalo Salamanca’s personal lawyer, and Lalo wants Jimmy to go fetch the cash for his bail in Mexico.  Jimmy is a nondescript-looking guy.  Lalo’s associates draw too much attention.  Just go pick up the seven million in cash, bring it back to the States, and Jimmy can earn a cool 100 grand.

Jimmy could have walked away.  He almost did.  And he has to convince Kim he’s going to be OK.

Kim doesn’t buy it.

Granted, I’m not sure Jimmy did either.

Now, if Jimmy went to Mexico and had a nice, quiet trip where nothing went wrong, then there’s no episode.  I mean, the minute I saw Jimmy using some of his water to clean his shoe told me he was going to regret that even before things went wrong.  Naturally, he’s ambushed and almost killed.  Also naturally, he’s saved by Mike with a sniper rifle.  Mike doesn’t work for Lalo, but Jimmy doesn’t know that.

And from there, its whether or not Jimmy can walk back to the States with Mike while carrying two very heavy duffel bags full of cash.  Jimmy isn’t cut out for this.  He has ideas, but Mike shoots them all down because, well, they aren’t good ideas and Mike knows it.  They can’t use the road because one of the killers got away.  They have to carry the cash, but Mike has his own things, and he’s the only one who brought any sort of survival gear.  Jimmy’s car is wrecked, and he even got a bullet hole through his favorite coffee mug.  Mike took the handful of things that could connect the car to Jimmy, and off they went across country.  Until Mike can get the one killer who got away, they need to keep a low profile.

But the thing is, Jimmy is many things, but he isn’t stupid.  Well, he’s stupid in that he told Kim, and she’s actually pretty (and uncharacteristically) stupid in that she goes to Lalo to try to get some information to find Jimmy on her own (Lalo laughs her off), but it does mean Kim is “in the game” whether she wants to be or not.  See, there’s the law.  Kim knows the law.  Jimmy also mostly knows the law.  But the game doesn’t work the same way.  It has different rules.

But as I said, Jimmy’s not stupid, and it’s by doing the exact opposite of what Mike told him that he’s able to flush the last killer out for Mike to hit with the sniper rifle, allowing the pair to have an easier way back to the States.

I mean, I assume.  The episode ends with the two still in Mexico.  And maybe, just maybe, Mike doesn’t hate Jimmy.