Breaking Bad Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Breaking Bad Wiki

"Nailed" is the ninth episode of the second season of Better Call Saul and the nineteenth episode of the series altogether.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

On a rural road, a blue sedan is parked behind a decaying billboard to hide it from passing motorists. Nearby, Mike, wearing a ski mask, is hammering metal stakes and hangs a pulley to run cable through it. Meanwhile, Ximenez Lecerda drives down the road in a Regalo Helado truck. Seconds before the truck passes the billboard, Mike yanks on the cable, dragging the garden hose he prepared earlier into the middle of the road. The truck's tires blow upon hitting the strip, causing it to swerve off of the road and drive into a ditch.

Ximenez grabs his gun from the glove compartment. He gets a glimpse of the car parked behind the billboard when Mike suddenly puts a gun to the back of his head. Mike disarms him, ties him up, and blindfolds and gags him with duct tape. He then breaks out an electric saw and begins slicing into the truck's tires. Eventually he finds $250,000 in cash stuffed in one of them. Mike loads the money plus his improvised trap into the trunk of his car and drives off.

Act I[]

Chuck gets dressed and heads downstairs, where Howard is waiting for him. They are scheduled, along with Kevin and Paige, to appear before the New Mexico State Banking Board to get final approval for Mesa Verde's new branch. Despite Howard's offer to attend the meeting alone, Chuck insists on coming along. From the park across the street, Jimmy watches the two drive off, then proceeds to run into Chuck's house with a stack of files.

BCS 209 04
BCS 209 05

At the courthouse, Chuck almost has an EMS attack while walking through the metal detector, but manages to keep his composure. Before the banking board, Kevin delivers an opening statement in support of Mesa Verde's application. His argument is cut off when an aide delivers a file to the board's commissioner. On request of the board, Chuck recites the address of the proposed branch as 1216 Rosella Drive—the fake address created by Jimmy. The board as well as Kevin and Paige insist that the address is wrong, but Chuck initially refuses to believe them. The discrepancy causes the hearing to be canceled, leading to a six-week postponement. Upon returning home, Chuck frantically sifts through the paperwork. As he finds that the files all contain the '1261' address, he realizes Jimmy's complicity.

That night, Mike sits in his car outside Hector's ice cream parlor. He observes Hector throwing a tantrum upon learning about the hit on his cash shipment. Later, Mike goes to a bar with his newly acquired money and—in a moment of jovialness—decides to order a round of drinks for the house.

Act II[]

BCS 209 06

As Jimmy and Kim work to set up their office space, she gets a call from Paige: Mesa Verde has dropped HHM and is back in Kim's hands, and Chuck is ready to hand over the files. Jimmy accompanies Kim to Chuck's house, but discovers that his key no longer fits in the locks. Ernesto opens the door and tells them that Chuck has had the locks changed.

BCS 209 07

Chuck is brooding in his study when Jimmy and Kim enter. He accuses Jimmy of sabotaging him, laying out an (unknowingly accurate) summation of how Jimmy forged the Mesa Verde documents to humiliate him at the hearing. As Jimmy feigns ignorance, Chuck gives Kim an ultimatum: she must make a full disclosure to Kevin and Paige or risk disbarment. Much to the brothers' surprise, Kim sides with Jimmy. She points out that Chuck has no evidence other than "knowing his brother for his entire life", which is merely anecdotal; it is more likely that Chuck—working for hours on end at a typewriter by lantern light—made a mistake and is now trying to blame Jimmy for it. Kim states that Jimmy behaves the way he does because Chuck has always judged him for his past and never wanted him to succeed.

After Jimmy helps Kim move the Mesa Verde files back to his car, she suddenly hits him several times on the shoulder; she is quite aware that Chuck's claims are true. She then angrily tells him to "just drive".

Act III[]

BCS 209 08
EbeupdxXkAEZRDF

Some days later, Jimmy and his camera crew visit a local elementary school, now accompanied by a makeup artist. Once recess is over, they set up on the playground to film Jimmy standing in front of an American Flag. The shoot is interrupted when the school administrators threaten to remove them for trespassing. Jimmy is able to charm them, claiming he's filming a documentary on the songwriter Rupert Holmes, who he claims attended this very school.

Meanwhile, Mike is having breakfast at Loyola's. His jovial mood changes when he gets a phone call from Nacho, who demands that Mike meet with him right away.

BCS 209 09

Nacho relays how Hector's mule got hit by a hijacker who took $250,000. Nacho states his suspicion that Mike is behind the hit: the driver was found hog-tied on the side of the road without a single mark on him. Nacho claims that he knows only one individual who would rip off drug money but leave a witness alive, only one criminal who is hesitant to kill: Mike. Nacho doesn't believe it possible for Mike to have figured out the truck and the location of the money all by himself, but Mike assures him that the driver had nothing to do with the hit and that he won't recognize him, since Mike wore a ski mask and didn't say a single word.

As Nacho prepares to leave, Mike asks him why wasn't the robbery in the papers. Nacho realizes that Mike wanted the police to find the truck and launch an investigation into it, hopefully linking it back to Hector. Nacho is furious, since he would get caught up in the investigation. He comes close to pulling his gun on Mike, but Mike tells him that he's done dealing with Hector. Nacho explains that a good Samaritan came upon the truck driver and cut him loose. He immediately called Hector, who came out with his men and cleaned up the whole scene, shot the Samaritan in the face and buried him in the desert. Mike is unsettled about this information, coming to the realization that his need to one-up Hector got an innocent bystander murdered.

Meanwhile, Jimmy, spending the night at Kim's place, prepares to go to sleep. Kim indirectly tells Jimmy to make sure he's covered his tracks well enough for Chuck to find no evidence about his involvement. Jimmy gets back up and leaves.

Act IV[]

Jimmy arrives at the late night copy shop and see Ernesto ask Lance before get into his car and driving away. As it is only a matter of time before Ernesto will return with Chuck, Jimmy enters the shop and approaches Lance, and explains what's going on and how Chuck will soon be coming in to investigate. As he elaborates, Jimmy produces money from his wallet, offering a bribe. Lance is reluctant at first but happily agrees to lie after Jimmy assures him that he won't get in trouble with the police. For another $200, Lance furthermore agrees to erase the security footage from the surveillance cameras.

The bribe complete, Jimmy waits in the shadows across the street for Chuck's arrival. Minutes later, he and Ernesto arrive. Chuck, who leaves his space blanket in the car as he enters the shop, approaches Lance and inquires about Jimmy. Lance pretends not to know about him and Chuck promptly calls him out for lying, since Lance already told Ernesto the exact opposite. Chuck becomes increasingly agitated as he is exposed to the lights and copy equipment. When he snaps at another customer seeking help, Lance tells Ernesto to remove Chuck from the store since he's causing a disturbance. Eventually the electromagnetic fields prove too much for Chuck to take: he collapses, hits his head on the counter and falls to the floor. Across the street, a horrified Jimmy silently watches Ernesto and Lance gather around Chuck, pleading that someone call 911.

Official Photos[]

Trivia[]

  • The bar Mike is shown throwing money away at is the same one where he later beats up Walter White in "Thirty-Eight Snub".
  • Jimmy sings the song Escape to convince the school administrators that Rupert Holmes attended the school. That song would later be heard in the episode "Waterworks".
  • Jimmy mentions Carnac the Magnificent to Lance, a role played by Johnny Carson of a psychic who could come up with the answer to a question in an envelope that hadn't been seen.
  • The interior shot of the Regalo Helado truck robbery shows orange sunlight on the door, suggesting early evening. However, the scene and the rest of the shots are set in midday.

Production[]

Credits[]

Co-Starring

  • Camelia Raybon as First Staffer
  • Barney Fuller as Second Staffer
  • Giuseppe Quinn as Loyola's Customer
  • Philip Shortell as Bartender
  • Allie Sundstrom as Copy Shop Customer #1
  • Erika Erica as Copy Shop Customer #2

Uncredited

  • Justin D. Moore as Longshoreman in bar
  • Michael E. Stogner as Bar Patron

Featured Music[]

  • "Mi Cucu" by La Sonora Dinamita (plays on the radio while Ximenez Lecerda is driving into Mike's trap)
  • "Good Mind to Quit You" by Chuck Hall Band
  • "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes (sung by Jimmy to the school's administrators)
  • "Sweet Baby On My Mind" by June Stearns
  • "Reciprocating Saw" by Dave Porter

Memorable Quotes[]

Chuck: "I checked! I double-checked!"
Howard: "Chuck, it happened. Now we take our licks, and we move on. This doesn't just reflect you - an office full of associates and paralegals let this get by. I did, too, for that matter."
Chuck: "It was 1216, I promise you."
Howard: "Everyone makes mistakes."
Chuck: "[Breathing deeply as realization dawns] This was no mistake."
―Chuck and Howard arguing over the Mesa Verde incident.

"I know he's not perfect. And I know he cuts corners. But you're the one who made him this way. He idolizes you, he accepts you, he takes care of you. And all he ever wanted was your love and support. But all you've ever done is judge him. You never believed in him, you never wanted him to succeed. [beat] And you know what? I feel sorry for him. [beat] And I feel sorry for you."
―Kim to Chuck.

Jimmy: "Right. So I'm on there now? How hard would it be to erase?"
Lance: "Mm. I dunno. Could be tricky and expensive."
Jimmy: "Like 100 bucks expensive?"
Lance: "Like 200 bucks expensive."
Jimmy: "You will go far, my young friend."
―Jimmy and Lance haggling over a bribe.
Advertisement