"Mijo" is the second episode of the first season of Better Call Saul and the second episode of the series altogether.
Summary[]
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Tuco is cooking salsa in his grandmother's kitchen when she returns home, followed by the Lindholm twins, Cal and Lars. The twins, irate, begin to insist on getting money for the injury caused by the grandmother's "hit and run." They begin to argue loudly and insult the grandmother, which agitates Tuco. After sending her upstairs, Tuco beats both twins unconscious with a cane.
Act I[]
While Tuco cleans up bloodstains on his carpet, Jimmy knocks on the front door and is immediately taken hostage. Under interrogation, he reveals himself to be an attorney representing the twins, who called him after the hit and run, insisting that he did not intend to target Tuco's grandmother. Noticing bloodstains, Jimmy guesses that Tuco has only hurt the twins because he is a "reasonable" and "just" man. He attempts to barter with Tuco to save himself and the twins. Tuco agrees and brings Jimmy to the garage, where they are being held. Just as Tuco is about to free them, one of the twins outs Jimmy's role in the hit and run scam.
Act II[]
Tuco takes Jimmy and the twins, all bound and gagged, out to the desert. Under more questioning by Tuco, Jimmy divulges how he put the twins up to the scam as a way to get Craig and Betsy Kettleman to hire him as their lawyer. When Tuco threatens to sever a finger with a wire cutter, Jimmy desperately tries to claim that he is an FBI agent. While Tuco initially believes this, his right-hand man, Ignacio "Nacho" Varga, quickly sees through this façade and threatens Jimmy into telling the truth. Jimmy admits that he is a lawyer who just wanted to con the Kettlemans in order to get on their good side and represent them, revealing how Craig is being charged for embezzling $1.6 million. Nacho convinces Tuco to free Jimmy, stating that killing a lawyer would attract unwanted attention and remarking that Jimmy showed them respect. Agreeing, Tuco frees Jimmy.
Feeling that a message still has to be sent, Tuco moves to kill the twins in revenge for insulting his grandmother. Jimmy manages to convince him to spare their lives and talks him down to merely breaking one leg on each twin to make an exact example of them. After Tuco shakes hands with Jimmy and accepts his proposal, he gets Gonzo and No-Doze to restrain the twins. While Jimmy reluctantly watches, Tuco breaks one leg on each brother. Afterwards, Jimmy drives the twins to an emergency room, insisting (over their protests) that he is "the world's best lawyer" for talking their punishment down from "a death sentence to six months' probation."
Act III[]
That night, Jimmy goes to a bar with a woman named Nancy to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Traumatized by the day's events, he is distracted by waiters breaking breadsticks, which reminds him of the sound of the twins' legs breaking. Jimmy excuses himself and vomits in the bathroom. Afterwards, he goes to Chuck's house and thoughtlessly takes his cell phone inside, which causes Chuck to panic and throw the phone into the yard. When Jimmy wakes up, he discovers that his phone and keys are missing. Chuck confronts Jimmy after seeing the hospital bills for the twins, which have exhausted all of Jimmy's funds. Jimmy reassures Chuck that he isn't going back to being "Slippin' Jimmy" and conning people. Jimmy then returns to his life as a public defender.
Act IV[]
Jimmy becomes increasingly discouraged as he handles case after case, but eventually gets a confidence boost when he arranges for a client's acquittal. At his office, located in the back room of a beauty salon, Jimmy is about to take a nap when the owner, Mrs. Nguyen, tells him that a client has arrived. The client turns out to be Nacho, who remembered Jimmy mentioned the $1.6 million that Craig embezzled. Nacho wishes to know where the money is so that he can steal it, offering $100,000 to Jimmy as a finder's fee. Jimmy wants no part in Nacho's plan and states that he is a lawyer and not a criminal; he adds that as far he is concerned, Nacho is his client and therefore everything Nacho told him falls under attorney-client privilege and therefore cannot be legally divulged, but Nacho threatens Jimmy with death if he talks. Before he leaves, Nacho writes his phone number on one of Jimmy's matchbooks and tells him to call once he realizes he is in the criminal game.
Official Photos[]
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the first appearance of Nacho Varga, despite being credited for "Uno".
- This was the second part of the two-episode premiere, in which the first episode aired on February 8, 2015 and this episode on February 9, 2015.
- This episode is in reference to Tuco Salamanca, in which his grandmother calls him "mijo" which means "my son."
- Miriam Colon, who plays Tuco's grandmother, is also known for her portrayal of the mother of Tony and Gina Montana in the 80's crime drama Scarface.
- She shares this connection to Scarface with Steven Bauer and Mark Margolis, who respectively portrayed Don Eladio and Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad.
- In the opening teaser, Tuco is seen cooking dinner. This is a reference to how Tuco cooked burritos for his uncle Hector Salamanca, Walt and Jesse in "Grilled".
- This is the only episode where Kim Wexler appears but does not have a speaking role.
- This episode marks the earliest chronological appearance of Gonzo and No-Doze, who first appeared in Breaking Bad.
- When No-Doze spoke out of turn, Tuco gets angry at him and tells him to "stop helping." This foreshadows when No-Doze will speak out of turn during a meeting with Walter White, leading Tuco to beat him to death in "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal".
- Vince Gilligan has confirmed that the desert, in which Jimmy negotiates with Tuco, is the same spot where Walter White gives his "Say My Name" speech to Declan and his gang in "Say My Name".
- There is an extended cut of the scene with Jimmy's date, which includes a conversation about their childhoods and does not have background music. It was included in the home video release.
- Tuco's knife which he threatens the twins with appears to be a Cold Steel Espada Large.
- Repeatedly before court, Jimmy makes jazz hands and says "It's showtime!". At one point, a bailiff looks at him quizzically, and Jimmy defends himself by saying he is referencing something "from a movie". The film in question is "All That Jazz" from 1979. Alternatively, it could be a reference to "Beetlejuice" from 1989, but it should be noted that this film was also referencing "All That Jazz".
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
- Michael McKean as Chuck McGill
Guest Starring
Co-Starring
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Uncredited
- Eddie J. Fernandez as Robert Williams
- William Fogle as Courthouse Lawyer
- Andrea Good as Women Defendant
- Fred Padilla as Inmate
- Ryan Baloy Rivera as Bartender
- Michael E. Stogner as Bar Patron
Filming Locations[]
- The hospital Jimmy takes the skateboarders to is "Duke City Urgent Care" located at 610 Broadway Blvd NE, Albuquerque NM, 87102. (2017 - The location now houses Albuquerque Urology Associates).
- The parking toll booth where Saul pays Ehrmantraut daily at the courthouse is located at 1st and Marquette.
- The nail salon used for Jimmy's office is the "Day Spa & Nail" located on 160 Juan Tabo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123. The 160 address number is visible above the door in the scene.
Featured Music[]
- "One Leg Each" by Dave Porter
- "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Juan Garcia Esquivel
- "Chuck's Theme" by Dave Porter
- "Concerto in G for Strings 'Alla Rustica' 1. Presto" by Vivaldi (version created for Better Call Saul)
- "Quando Sei Vicino a Te" by Stephane Huguenin, Yves Sanna & Christian Padovan
- "Everybody Ciao" by Daniele Benati & Fernando Paterlini
References to other media[]
Jimmy makes many references to other media during the series. In this episode, he makes references to:
- All That Jazz (1979)
Memorable Quotes[]
- "You called her "biznatch"?"
- ―Tuco, in anger at Cal and Lars's insulting of his grandmother.
- "Chào các cô, ladies, Chào các cô"
- ―Jimmy saying "Hello Ladies! Hello", in Vietnamese.
- "Are you punking my Abuelita?"
- ―- Tuco asking Jimmy.
- "Wow. You got a mouth on you."
- ―Tuco, to Jimmy after hearing his explaination.
- Skateboarder: "You – you are – you are the worst lawyer – the worst lawyer ever!"
- Jimmy: "Hey, I just talked you down from a death sentence to six months probation. I'm the best lawyer ever."
- ―Jimmy driving the two brothers to the hospital.
- "Like a troll under a bridge, you must have the stickers or you won't pass. Troll alert here. Don't feed it."
- ―Jimmy mocking Mike at the parking lot toll booth.
- "It's showtime, folks!"
- ―Jimmy's pep talk to himself after returning to PD.
- "Doesn't matter. Judge has got to see your mother. Well, do you know anybody who looks like her? No, an uncle won't do it!"
- ―Jimmy discussing strategy with a client on the phone.
- Jimmy: "Welcome, welcome. My office is being painted. Excuse the temporary - uh, quarters."
- Nacho: "Wow. Cozy."
- ―Jimmy and Nacho when the latter looks him up to seek out the Kettlemans.