"Fun and Games" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul and the fifty-ninth episode of the series altogether.
Summary[]
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The morning following Howard's murder, Jimmy oversees the installation of a sign above his office and meets with several clients while Kim argues a public defender case at the courthouse. As they go about their day, Mike and his men clean up Kim's apartment and remove any trace of the killing. Mike burns items used in the cleanup, including photos of Howard's body, in a barrel in the desert. Jimmy and Kim arrive home to see the apartment back in order but decide to spend the night at a hotel. There, Jimmy, repeating advice Mike gave to him after his ordeal in the desert, tells Kim that one day they will stop thinking about what happened and will then be able to move on. Kim doesn't respond.
Act I[]
At night, Gus drives to Don Eladio's hacienda in Mexico for a sit-down between himself, Eladio, Juan Bolsa, the Cousins, and Hector. At his pool, Eladio explains that Hector claims to have been in contact with Lalo, who survived the attack on his hacienda and told Hector that Gus was the traitor who is responsible for the attack. When Eladio asks for Gus' response, he states that it warrants no response. The Cousins admit they cannot corroborate Hector's story, having seen "Lalo's" body, while Bolsa confirms a dental record match through his contact with the Federales. Given the overwhelming evidence, Eladio dismisses the allegations over Hector's protests, insisting that Hector stay the night. Before retiring, however, Eladio tells Gus that he sees the "hate" in Gus' eyes, which he excuses on the condition he remembers "who's boss." Gus stares into Eladio's pool.
The following morning, Gus returns home and opens the window shutters of his residence, apparently at ease. In the basement, he learns from Mike that Jimmy and Kim made their statements about Howard's disappearance to the police, who have assumed that he died by accidental drowning. Gus asks that work on the excavation immediately resume, though Mike cautions that it will take time to find a new engineer and construction crew. Mike has misgivings about Gus' plan but keeps them to himself.
Act II[]
Gus visits a trendy restaurant, chats amicably with the barmaid, and orders a glass of expensive red wine. He is approached by the sommelier, David, with whom he is well-acquainted. The two men exchange anecdotes related to wine; David recalls a past experience visiting French wine country, while Gus recalls purchasing a vintage which David recommended. After David leaves to retrieve a wine bottle, Gus finishes his glass. A dark pall falls over his previously warm mood. He asks the barmaid to tell David that he has been called away and pays for his drink before leaving.
Act III[]
Upon arriving home, Mike retrieves a lockbox from a hidden compartment beneath his closet and puts his revolver, ammunition, and Manuel Varga's fake ID card inside. He tries to watch baseball on television but becomes restless and retrieves the ID card. He then drives to Manuel's upholstery shop and summons him outside. Mike informs Manuel that Nacho will never return, that his death was quick and painless, and that he had a "good heart" despite falling in with bad people. He further assures that Manuel will no longer need to be concerned with the Salamancas, stating that they will soon meet "justice." Manuel rebukes Mike, saying that what he is describing is "revenge" and part of a never-ending cycle of violence. Distraught over the loss of his son, Manuel tells Mike he is no different than any other gangster and walks back to his shop.
Act IV[]
Jimmy and Kim visit HHM, where a memorial service is being held for Howard. They learn from Rich that the firm is massively downsizing, moving to a smaller office, and changing its name. The couple approach Howard's widow, Cheryl, who is talking to Cliff. Cheryl confronts them about Howard's previous claims to her that Jimmy had harassed him, demanding that he repeat the story he told to the police about Howard's last purported sighting. Jimmy claims that Howard showed up at the apartment in a drug-addled state, but Cheryl angrily refuses to believe him. Kim makes up a story about seeing Howard snorting cocaine in his office a few years previously. With Cliff reluctant to take her side, Cheryl breaks down and excuses herself to a restroom. In the parking garage, Kim draws Jimmy in for a somber kiss and drives away.
Act V[]
Later, at a court hearing, the judge receives a last-minute motion from Kim to withdraw from the case she is arguing. He is surprised at this turn of events, since the hearing is being held at Kim's insistence and she refuses to state the reason for her withdrawal beyond "personal reasons." When the judge asks why they shouldn't proceed with the hearing, Kim informs him that she has already given notice to the state bar that she is no longer an attorney.
That night, Kim smokes on the balcony when Jimmy arrives home, stunned at the news. He desperately tries to persuade her to reconsider her decision and get her career back. However, upon entering the bedroom, he discovers half-packed boxes and luggage. An emotional Kim tells Jimmy that she has realized that the two of them have to separate, as they are bad for each other and the people around them. She further confesses that she knew Lalo was alive long before he appeared at the apartment. In tears, Kim admits that she didn't tell Jimmy the truth because it would have ended the scam against Howard, would have ended their relationship, and because she was having "too much fun" to stop. Jimmy is left in silence as she continues to pack.
An indeterminate amount of time later, Jimmy McGill—now Saul Goodman in earnest—wakes up in his ornate mansion on a rotating bed next to a prostitute. He carries out his morning routine, choosing which suits to wear and driving to work, while threatening litigants and complaining to Francesca through his earpiece all the way. He arrives at his strip mall office, which has since been redone in the gaudy fashion closer to his tastes, and walks through the packed waiting room. Once inside his office, Saul instructs Francesca through the intercom to bring in his first consultation of the day.
Trivia[]
Episode Poster
- The episode concluded with a memorial dedication of the episode to Julia Clark Downs. She served as a consultant for the series. At one point in her career, she worked for herself and the District Attorney's Office. She passed away in an accident on October 5, 2021.
- "Fun and Games" may refer to activities that are fleeting, inconsequential, and relatively worthless. It may also be derived from the ancient proverb, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye." This is likely a reference to the ramifications for Howard Hamlin's death and staged suicide in the previous episode.
- Feeling guilt over playing a part in Howard's murder, Kim breaks up with Jimmy. With Kim breaking up with him, Chuck's statement in "Lantern" about how Jimmy's actions will eventually hurt others around him finally comes true, as the scam to ruin Howard's reputation costs Jimmy Howard's life and his marriage to Kim.
- This is the final episode in the series that mainly takes place before the events of Breaking Bad.
- As such, the final appearances of numerous longstanding characters are featured in this episode: Gustavo Fring, Hector Salamanca, The Cousins, Juan Bolsa, Eladio Vuente, Manuel Varga, Cliff Main and Rich Schweikart.
- It is also the final time that Howard Hamlin is seen in any form, as he was depicted in this episode in photographs.
- Most of the images used during Howard's memorial were taken from Patrick Fabian's Instagram page. They were slightly edited to avoid anachronisms, such as changing a year on his shirt from 2007 tp 2002, and a photo of Fabian hiking had Tony Dalton (Lalo Salamanca) next to him, who was cropped out. Only one image was newly shot for the episode.
- This episode is also the last in Better Call Saul to feature the drug cartel storyline.
- This episode has numerous references to Breaking Bad:
- In the teaser, Jimmy is seen fitting a neck brace on one of his clients; he did this for another client in "Green Light".
- Gus is informed in this episode by Eladio that the whole north, except for the South Valley, is his territory, which is the same territory he controls in Breaking Bad.
- While getting dressed, Jimmy asks if there's "another public masturbator". a case he referenced with Badger in "Better Call Saul".
- He also mentions his "Xanax guy", which is an anti-anxiety drug that he offers Jesse Pinkman in "Más" claiming he has a "drawer full of them."
- Jimmy's iconic Cadillac and the "Better Call Saul" branding and marketing makes its first chronological appearance.
- The scene transition from Howard's blood to the sauce in Jimmy’s lunch resembles the transition between Victor's blood and the ketchup on a patron's plate in the diner from "Box Cutter".
- The painting above the bed in the hotel room Jimmy and Kim stay in is seen by Walter White during his hospital visit in "Bit by a Dead Bee", and once again in another hotel room during "Gliding Over All"; Walter even wonders out loud if they all come from "a giant warehouse."
- Kim's final words with Jimmy, "I didn't want that. Because I was having too much fun.", is reminiscent of Walter White's final exchange with Skyler White in "Felina", "I liked it. I was good at it. And, I was really... I was alive."
- In the flash-forward scene toward the end of the episode, Jimmy calls Francesca from his office and says "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall." This line was said by Chuck to Howard in "Chicanery", thinking he was about to help disbar his own brother.
- Jimmy's car has license plate tags and a handicap placard with an expiration date of November 2005, indicating that might be when the flash-forward is set.
- While the dates on the tag indicate November 2005, producer Thomas Schnauz claimed that the flash-forward was set closer to 2007.[1] However, when fans pointed out the inconsistency due to the tag saying 2005, Schnauz responded that he was unaware of those props and that it could indeed be 2005.[2] He then stated that it did not matter which year it was set in, only that it was before the events of Breaking Bad,[3] which began in 2008.
- Just like the episode "Plan and Execution", the original airing of this episode features a black and white teaser after the credits. It shows a static camera shot of what appears to be a dark shopping center. The lights turn on in the background, as Jimmy is heard speaking through what sounds to be a megaphone. He says, "And ready, set, action! Move, move, move! Go, go, go! One, Armani suit and one! Two, Air Jordan shoes for you! Three, linen shirts for free! Four, Cashmere sweaters out the door! Let's go, let's go, let's go!". This teaser foreshadows events which take place in the following episode, "Nippy", and is revealed (alongside the rest of the episode) to take place during the Gene timeline..
- By the parking garage elevator at HHM, Jimmy glances at the new metal trash can and comments about it having been replaced. This is a callback to when Jimmy repeatedly kicked the can out of anger and dented it in the first episode of the series. Jimmy and Kim also kiss for the last time in the same parking garage in which they shared a cigarette in their first scene together.("Uno")
- In the flash-forward scene, while Saul is in his closet changing clothes, hanging above the doorway is a large golden coin with Saul's head on it. Saul's head on the coin faces west. This is a callback to one of Jimmy's cons he did with Marco in the season finale of Season 1, where he tells a fake story about how a disgruntled worker at The Mint changed John F. Kennedy's head on the half dollar from facing east to facing west, and passes it off as a valuable coin to a eavesdropping bar goer.
- In the flash-forward scene, Saul's mug reads "World's Greatest Lawyer" since in Jimmy's mind, the previous holder of that title, quit the law.
- Gus' final scene has some similarities to the ending of the Breaking Bad episode "Granite State". Both Gus and Walt are shown having a drink in an establishment before suddenly leaving when they realize they have unfinished business to take care of. One minor difference is that Gus finishes his wine, unlike Walt, who doesn't finish his whiskey.
- This episode is the third collaboration of director Michael Morris and writer Ann Cherkis on Better Call Saul. They previously worked together on the season 4 episode "Quite a Ride" and season 5 episode "The Guy For This".
- Eladio's quote to Gus, "As long as you never forget who's boss", is similar to No-Doze's line to Walt and Jesse, "Just remember who you're working for" in "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal".
Production[]
Credits[]
Starring
- Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill
- Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut
- Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler
- Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin (credit only)
- Michael Mando as Nacho Varga (credit only)
- Tony Dalton as Lalo Salamanca (credit only)
- Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo "Gus" Fring
Guest Starring
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Co-Starring
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Uncredited
- TBA
Featured Music[]
- "Perfect Day" by Dresage and Slow Shiver (Teaser)
- "Any Way You Want It" by Journey (As Saul's alarm in his mansion)
Memorable Quotes[]
- "These are Don Hector's words. Dictated to Leonel and Marco, letter by letter. The assault on my nephew's hacienda failed. Lalo fought the assassins and won. The day after the attack, Lalo called me. I heard the truth from his own lips. It was Fring who sent the mercenaries, not the Peruvians. We kept Lalo's survival a secret. My nephew was about to take his revenge on the traitor, face-to-face. Instead, he disappeared. It is the Chicken Man's doing. Don Eladio, look into Fring's eyes. There you will see the truth. The Chicken Man hates you. He is our enemy. He plots against us. I demand blood for blood."
- ―Hector's accusations against Gus as read out by Juan Bolsa.
- "Gustavo... When I looked into your eyes... Hate. A little bit's okay. As long as you never forget who's boss."
- ―Eladio's warning to Gustavo.
- "Your son made some mistakes. He fell in with bad people. But he was never like them..not really. He had a good heart."
- ―Mike to Manuel Varga, talking about his son, Nacho
- "I knew. (...) I knew he was alive. (...) I thought it was a one in a million chance that he'd come for us. I thought he would be caught if he did. And I told myself I was protecting you. But that's not the truth. The... the real reason I didn't tell you was because I knew what you'd do. (...) You'd... you'd blame yourself. You'd fear for me, you'd want us to run and hide until you were sure I was safe, you would pull the plug on the scam, and then... and then, uh... we'd break up. And I didn't want that... because I was having too much fun."
- ―Kim's last words to Jimmy before leaving him, explaining her decision not to tell him that Lalo was alive.
- "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall."
- ―Saul to Francesca
Videos[]
TBA