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"Breathe" is the second episode of the fourth season of Better Call Saul and the thirty-second episode of the series altogether.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

BCS 402 01

In a dark hospital room, Barry Goodman and Victor secretly examine Hector as Gus waits in the parking lot outside. When Barry is finished with his analysis, he reports to Gus that while Hector is no longer comatose, there is no telling when he will wake up or whether he will understand what's going on around him when he does. He further says that the hospital is doing the best it can, and that only an institution such as Johns Hopkins could give Hector better treatment. Barry asks whether a man like Hector doesn't deserve to be in this condition, but Gus insists that he alone gets to decide Hector's fate.

Act I[]

Kim is woken up early by the sound of Jimmy making orange juice in a juicer. He has scheduled a series of job interviews around Albuquerque all day and is eager to get started, despite having a meeting scheduled with Howard to discuss Chuck's will. Although Kim remarks that Jimmy doesn't have to start his job hunt so soon, he hurriedly leaves after fixing her breakfast. Kim is uneasy with Jimmy's behavior.

BCS 402 02

When Manuel opens his upholstery shop, he finds Nacho inside waiting for him. Nacho tells his father that Hector's harassment is over, but Manuel gives his son the cold shoulder. Manuel silently removes Hector's drug money from a lockbox. Nacho collects it and turns to leave, but Manuel asks his son when he will be able to get out of his life of crime. Nacho tells him that he's "working on it."

BCS 402 03
BCS 402 12

Jimmy goes to an interview for a sales position at Neff Copiers. In Mr. Neff's office, he notices a Hummel figurine that reminds him of Geraldine Strauss. Mr. Neff tells him that they belonged to his mother and that he keeps them for sentimental reasons. When Mr. Neff asks why he isn't a lawyer anymore, Jimmy deflects by telling a couple of lawyer jokes. The interview ends with Mr. Neff promising to contact Jimmy by the end of the week. However, Jimmy impulsively walks back into the office and makes a theatrical pitch about copiers. Impressed, Mr. Neff and his assistant, Henry, agree to hire him on the spot. Jimmy then expresses anger that they would be so naïve that they would hire him based on the pitch without properly vetting him. Jimmy turns down the job and leaves the store.

Act II[]

BCS 402 04

Mike is at the park with Kaylee when he gets a phone call summoning him to a meeting. He finds himself in a hotel conference room with Lydia, who questions him about his trip to the Madrigal warehouse in Las Cruces. She is worried that Mike's actions raise the risk of exposure, while Mike reasons that publicly performing his duties as Madrigal's security consultant reinforces his cover story. Mike further tells her that he plans to visit Madrigal's other seven terminals in the Southwest and do the same thing each time. Finding herself at an impasse with Mike, Lydia tells him that he still has Gus's respect and warns him not to lose it.

BCS 402 05

At the hospital, Dr. Diseth nervously examines Hector while the Cousins stand guard silently in the room. The visit is interrupted by the sudden arrival of the hospital director, accompanied by Dr. Maureen Bruckner, a specialist from Johns Hopkins who has flown to Albuquerque to treat Hector after a "generous grant" has been given to the hospital just today by one of its donors. Dr. Bruckner speaks Spanish to the Cousins and explains she is starting a new form of treatment which involves stimulating Hector's brain. After Nacho and Arturo arrive, Dr. Bruckner encourages the four men present to talk to Hector. The Cousins silently urge on the other two to do the talking. Arturo updates an unresponsive Hector on a turf dispute, while Nacho feigns support and tells him that he will "get past this and be stronger than ever."

Act III[]

BCS 402 06

Gus sweeps trash in the parking lot of Los Pollos Hermanos, waiting for Tyrus to come with an update. He receives a phone call on his burner from Lydia, who complains about Mike, but Gus curtly ends the call when Tyrus arrives. In Gus's office, Tyrus informs him about Hector's current treatment and prognosis, and hands him a manila envelope containing Hector's medical charts. Gus, apparently realizing something, tells Tyrus not to return to the hospital, but instead arrange a meeting with Victor.

BCS 402 07

Kim arrives at HHM, where Howard is finishing his meeting with Rebecca and Julie. Kim learns that Jimmy will be allowed to search the ruins of Chuck's house for keepsakes before the property is liquidated. Howard gives her an unopened personal letter from Chuck, a check for $5,000 (the minimum amount necessary to prevent Jimmy from contesting the will), and a seat on the board of a scholarship committee in Chuck's name. Kim is furious and, after Rebecca leaves, angrily lashes out at Howard for forcing Jimmy to suffer through these indignities. She further accuses him of being hurtful and self-serving in telling Jimmy about his theory that Chuck killed himself, pointing out that he never said the same thing to Rebecca. Kim tells Howard to stay away, leaving him alone in his office.

Act IV[]

BCS 402 10

Jimmy arrives home with Thai dinner, telling Kim that he has found a couple of promising job leads over the course of the day. Kim opts not to hand Jimmy the unopened letter from Chuck, while Jimmy doesn't go into detail about the job he rejected at Neff Copiers. After the two sit down to watch the film White Heat, they spontaneously make love on the couch. Later, Jimmy wakes up and browses through an online store, finding a Hummel figurine similar to Mr. Neff's that fetches for almost $9,000. Jimmy goes to the patio and phones Mike, leaving a voicemail telling him about a potential score.

Meanwhile, Nacho and Arturo arrive at the Los Pollos Hermanos chicken farm to collect their next pickup of drugs. Arturo resolves to pick up six bundles, reasoning that it's what Hector normally gets. However, when they go inside, Victor and Tyrus have only laid out five bricks on the table, instead of six. Arturo insists on taking six, to which Victor counters that the boss he represents is on life support, so they can either take the five or walk away with nothing. A standoff ensues. Nacho brandishes his gun, at which point, Victor relents and give them the sixth bundle.

As Nacho and Arturo walk back to their car outside, Arturo boasts about making Victor and Tyrus "piss in their pants." No sooner does he say this that Nacho sees shadows, realizing that they're not alone. Before he can react, Gus appears and slips a plastic bag over Arturo's head, wrestles him to the ground, and hogties his hands and feet with assistance from Victor. Several more of Gus's men draw their guns on Nacho and force him to watch his partner suffocate to death. As Arturo takes his last breaths, Gus turns to Nacho and tells him he knows what he did to Hector, but the Salamancas are not yet aware. He coldly asserts, "From now on, you are MINE." He then walks away, leaving Nacho to contemplate his dilemma.

Official Photos[]

Trivia[]

  • When Lydia calls Gus about Mike, she wears the same red-soled Christian Louboutin she wears in "Buried" in Breaking Bad.
  • When Tyrus is giving Gus an update on Hector's health, Gus is looking down at his right hand, and his index finger then twitches twice in a way that is suggestive of Hector later ringing his bell.
  • When Kim visits Howard at the office, the HHM flag is seen flying at half-mast due to Chuck's passing.
  • Jimmy and Kim put on the movie White Heat, which Jimmy mentions is playing on one of the classic channels. This is the same movie that Jimmy (as Saul) references to Walter White in the Breaking Bad episode "Phoenix" when suggesting that he tell Skyler White about his illicit money.
  • The scene where Mike watches his granddaughter Kaylee on a playground swing is similar to a scene in the Breaking Bad episode "Say My Name", with both scenes opening with a slow-motion shot of Kaylee swinging. This Easter egg was later confirmed by AMC.

Production[]

Credits[]

Featured Music[]

  • "White Heat Theme" by Max Steiner (when Kim and Jimmy kiss on the couch)

Memorable Quotes[]

Barry Goodman: "Isn't this what he deserves?"
Gus: "I decide what he deserves. No one else."
―Barry and Gus about Hector.

Jimmy: "Are you out of your mind? You don't know me. I just came in off the street. You guys are like a couple of cats. I come in, wave a shiny object around, you're like "I want that." No due diligence, no background check. No, just "hire the guy that says them fancy words". I could be a serial killer! I could be a guy who pees in your coffee pot! I could be both!"
Henry: "So you're not taking the job?"
Jimmy: "No, I'm not taking the job. Suckers. I feel sorry for you."
―Jimmy refusing the hiring proposal from Neff copiers.

Lydia: "So, I'm just supposed to let him keep stealing my employees' badges? I don't know where he's gonna turn up next, what disruption he is going to cause, what mess I'll have to clean up. This isn't something I want spending my time worrying about."
Gus: "Then I suggest you give the man a badge."
―Gus and Lydia about Mike.

Kim: "What were you thinking when you came to Jimmy on the day of his brother's funeral and laid that shit on him? That Chuck killed himself? What's wrong with you?"
Howard: "I thought... I thought I owed it to Jimmy, to tell him."
Kim: "Owed it to him? Did you owe it to Rebecca? You tell her your theory? That Chuck intentionally set himself on fire? I guess not. I guess you just saved that one for Jimmy."
Howard: "Kim, I didn't do it to hurt Jimmy--"
Kim: "No you did it to make yourself feel better. To make yourself feel better by unloading your guilt. Who cares what it does to Jimmy, right? As long as Howard Hamlin is okay."
Howard: "Kim, I don't think that's fair--"
Kim: "Fair? Let's talk about fair. "Hey let's let Jimmy dig around the fire-damaged wreck where his brother died screaming. And then let's let him pick up a keepsake or two." That is so, so fair. And did I hear you right? You want him to serve on the board of a scholarship committee? A scholarship that Chuck never in a million years would've given to Jimmy. Never! It is just, I mean... Oh what's this too, Howard? What's in this? One last "screw you, little brother" from beyond the grave? Am I really supposed to do this to him?"
Howard: "All right, Kim. What can I do to make it better?"
Kim: "Nothing. There is nothing you can do. Just stay away."
―Kim and Howard arguing about Howard's revelation to Jimmy about Chuck's death.

Gus: "I know what you've done. The Salamancas... they do not. Do you understand what I am saying?"
Nacho: "(Nacho nods)"
Gus: "Look at me. From now on, you - are - mine."
―Nacho get checkmated by Gus.

Videos[]

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