Better Call Saul season 5, episode 4 recap: Namaste

Better Call Saul goes shopping…for a bowling ball.

Better Call Saul has some interesting episode openers. Must go over our heads, like this week’s in which Saul is in a store looking for..bowling balls? Why does he need bowling balls? Well, to understand that, we need to talk about the episode first.

So, I had some thoughts about the opening scene of Better Call Saul this week. It was the morning after Saul and Kim drunkenly threw beer bottles off their porch. They’re waking up naked, after clearly having a night of drunken sex to go along with the vandalism. I really wanted it to feel romantic between them, and it didn’t at all.

They’ve never really shown that with Kim and Saul, and I’ve always wanted them to be intimate with one another in a kind and caring way. It always feels very business-like if that makes sense. It’s something we’ve yet to see, so I hope that this aspect of their relationship is something they will bring into the series.

Okay, moving on. A lot of this episode is Saul living up to his “50% off” promise. If you recall, a couple of his clients decided to commit a series of non-violent felonies since Saul was offering such a substantial discount. Let’s just say, and they don’t hold back and wreak havoc on the town.

What they didn’t take into account was the fact that Saul would still have fees they have to pay, and any money they stole could not be used for payment. They consider opting for a public defender since they are free, but Saul is quick to remind them that they would never get the deal that he could get for them–and he has a point.

Saul’s sleazy tactics (and to think they’re not as bad as they eventually will be) are exactly what these gentlemen need to get a minimal sentence. Realizing Saul is their best bet, they agree to have him as their lawyer, and will figure out how to pay him.

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The next stop for Saul is lunch with…Howard Hamlin. We haven’t seen him since last season, but he seems very eager to catch up with his old friend, Jimmy. I’m not sure what took him so long to figure out that Saul could be an asset, but he’s come to the realization and whats Jimmy to come back to Hamlin Hamlin McGill.

The old Saul would have jumped at an opportunity like this, and he would have been extremely flattered by it. But this version of Saul that Better Call Saul has brought us to could care less for the handouts he once desperately wanted. Clearly, Saul has underlying hatred for Howard, and this is where the bowling balls he purchased come in.

In the dark of the night, Saul goes to Howard’s house and throws bowling balls over the gate, destroying Howard’s car. I think we can assume that Saul won’t be going back to HHM, right?

Better Call Saul has been hinting at Kim’s gradual pull to the dark side. She resisted at first, but she’s starting to realize that it seems like the only way to get things done. Saul’s been benefiting from it, and now she’s eager to figure out how it’s done.

Enter, Saul’s case of the day. He fools the judge and prosecutors into thinking the man sitting at the defense table is his client. In reality, it’s just someone that looks like him, and the actual client is sitting in the back of the courtroom. This is all so Saul can prove that the person accusing his client could have mistakenly identified him. Oh, sneaky, sneaky Saul.

Kim is in the courtroom that day, hoping to learn from Saul so she can handle her Mesa Verde issues. I have a feeling this is all going to backfire, and it won’t be pretty. In fact, it may be why Kim is not a part of Saul’s life in Breaking Bad. But I think I’m getting ahead of myself.

Better Call Saul continues to keep Hank and Steve around to deal with the Krazy 8 situation, and inadvertently become pawns in Gus Fring’s plan. If only they knew the drama that was waiting for them in the future.

We end this week’s episode with Mike getting into an intense fight, and waking up to find himself on a farm. Is it just me or does this look like the Salamanca farm from Breaking Bad? Thoughts?

Did you enjoy this episode of Better Call Saul? Tell us in the comments below!