Better Call Saul | S02E07 "Inflatable"

Rating: 8.0/10



This is probably the quietest episode of the bunch for season 2, but it's not without it's foundational elements. 



We see, for example, the moment Jimmy begins sliding into Saul Goodman, and it's at a very early age, roundabout the time of Chuck's story about their dad. Suffice to say that the line "There are wolves and sheep in the world, kid" had an almost immediate impact on our anti-hero.



The rest of the episode is devoted to both Jimmy and Kim. Jimmy, trapped in the bureaucratic nightmare that is Davis and Main, still being babysat by Erin the literal Grammar Nazi, wants out because of course he does. He'd never admit it, but he took the job (as far as I'm concerned) to impress Kim. Sadly for Jimmy, Kim's not that kind of woman. 



She never was, because she's always been into Jimmy, even back when he was nothing more and nothing less than Charlie Hustle. 



The antics Jimmy gets up to so that he can be free of Davis and Main without any strings whatsoever is very much 'Jimmy'. I won't go into details, but just picture what a character like him would do and then dial it up about 1000%. The irony here is that Clifford Main would've very much let Jimmy go string-free had he just had a simple conversation. I'm certain of it. 



Kim Wexler's done with HHM, and it's about time. She's been on the fence for a long time, and for good reason: any employer that holds a grudge against someone for something that someone else did, and for so long, isn't really a good employer. As much as Howard isn't QUITE the bastard I thought he was in season 1, he showed that he'll never treat Kim fairly ever again.  



Again, I won't go into details as to how the meeting with Schweikart & Cokely went, but I will say this: Jimmy makes a grand counter offer, to which he gets a counter counter offer. 



We're picking up pace here. We've really seen the beginnings of Saul Goodman in this episode. Jimmy slid right into those brightly colored suits so easily, so readily it's like watching a caterpillar transform into a Striped Bark Scorpion. It's the transformation we've all been waiting for but I worry about Kim. 



She's fantastic. She's sweet and she's (mostly) honest and I can't help but worry about what happens once Saul comes fully to life.