"Switch" is the first episode of the second season of Better Call Saul and the eleventh episode of the series altogether.
Summary[]
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In 2010, "Gene" heads to the mall dumpster to take out the trash. The door closes behind him, locking him in the room with the dumpster. An emergency exit is available to Gene, but a note indicates that police will be contacted immediately if it's opened. Instead of using that option, he waits 2 ½ hours until a member of the cleaning crew opens the door for him. While waiting for help, Gene carves a little message into the wall with a loose screw: "S.G. WAS HERE."
Act I[]
In 2002, as Jimmy is deliberating with himself in the courthouse parking lot, Kim and Howard are waiting to introduce him to his potential employers from Davis & Main. After a moment, Jimmy strides into the courthouse and greets Clifford Main, a senior partner from Davis & Main, and his two associates. Before the conversation can continue, he pulls Kim aside and asks if things would change between them if he takes the job. A surprised Kim responds the two things have absolutely nothing to do with each other, which he accepts. He returns to the group and tells them that he must remove himself from consideration by Davis & Main. He smiles and walks away, leaving everyone stunned.
Back in his Suzuki, Jimmy pulls up to Mike’s toll booth and asks him why he didn’t keep the $1.6 million they had stolen from the Kettlemans. Mike replies that he was hired to do a job and he did it. Jimmy considers this, then responds with conviction: “I know what stopped me, and you know what? It’s never stopping me again.” With that vow, Jimmy drives away.
Jimmy arrives at the nail salon and greets Mrs. Nguyen and her employees. He heads straight to a cucumber water dispenser reserved for “customers only.” After a familiar chiding from Mrs. Nguyen when he grabs a cup, he defiantly drinks straight from the spigot. He strides to his backroom office and tears the sign reading “James M. McGill Esq.” off the door.
Later, Mike waits in the parking garage when an outrageously painted Hummer H2 drives up. Pryce is in the driver’s seat, ready to take Mike to a meet with Nacho. Mike admonishes Pryce and offers to drive his car instead, but he refuses. Since Nacho has been coming alone, Pryce feels confident handling the job solo and that he no longer requires Mike’s services. His warnings falling on deaf ears, Mike walks away. At the abandoned power plant, Nacho hands Pryce an envelope and admires the Hummer. Flattered, Pryce invites Nacho to check out the interior while he counts the cash nearby. Once inside, Nacho secretly peeks at the vehicle registration in the glove compartment, noting Pryce’s real name (Daniel Wormald) and home address.
Act II[]
Jimmy relaxes in a posh hotel pool. His cell phone rings, but he informs the caller that he no longer practices law. A peeved Kim appears and demands to know why he walked away from the best job opportunity of his life. He explains that he’s simply decided to be himself. Not amused by Jimmy’s behavior, Kim tells him to meet her at the hotel bar. There, Jimmy tries to order shots of the extremely expensive Zafiro Añejo tequila, but Kim chooses to get a reasonably priced drink for herself. She urges Jimmy to give Davis & Main a chance, but Jimmy explains that he is going to follow his own instincts instead of living by Chuck’s rules. To illustrate his point, he asks an obnoxious “wealth manager” named Ken to help him settle a debate with his “sister” (played by Kim) about a recent inheritance.
Ken offers to consult the supposed siblings, “Viktor” and “Giselle”. Warming to the charade, Kim asks Ken if he’s ever tried Zafiro Añejo. He orders a round of shots. After several hours, with all three drinking the entire bottle of tequila and having ordered food, the “siblings” sign a contract allowing Ken to invest the fictitious inheritance. Jimmy tries to pay the bill, but Ken - playing right into Jimmy’s hands - insists that he cover it. Jimmy and Kim thank him and slip out, leaving Ken to discover the astonishing tab. Outside, the two giggle over their conquest. Jimmy balls up the contract and throws it the trash. They pause by the pool, reflecting on the fun and excitement of the scam. Adrenaline racing, Kim kisses Jimmy.
Act III[]
The next morning, Jimmy wakes up in Kim’s apartment. As she gets dressed for work, Jimmy remarks that it would be great if they could have such fun every night. Kim agrees, but maintains that it’s not a viable option. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, Jimmy follows her out.
Meanwhile, two cops pull up to Daniel's house, which has been burglarized the previous night. Daniel explains that the culprit stole his expensive collection of baseball cards. Noting his ostentatious vehicle, the cops inquire about Daniel's line of work. Frustrated, he tries to redirect the conversation back to the baseball cards. While he goes to print a manifest of his collection, the suspicious cops notice a clearing in the mess on the floor, push aside the couch, and discover a loose baseboard. One of the cops kneels down to move the panel aside, revealing a hidey-hole. He shines his flashlight in to investigate but it’s empty.
Act IV[]
Floating again in the hotel pool, Jimmy spots an easy mark too tempting to pass up. He leaves two voicemails for Kim, beckoning her to take another spin as his partner-in-crime. Left alone, he seems to lose some of his buoyancy. After a pensive beat, he makes another call to Davis & Main.
Some time later, Jimmy enters the lobby of Davis & Main, dressed for work. Cliff greets him enthusiastically and introduces him to his new co-workers. Jimmy’s new assistant, Omar, details the firm's many perks. Asked if there is any wall art or office supplies he could order to make him feel more at home, Jimmy tentatively puts in a request for a cocobolo desk - the kind he told Kim that he would put in his office one day. Once alone, he notices a switch on the wall with a label reading, “Do NOT turn OFF!” Jimmy peels back the tape and flips the switch to the “off” position. He braces himself, but nothing happens. He flips it back to its original position and reapplies the tape. Jimmy walks away, not yet ready to live by anyone’s rules but his own.
Official Photos[]
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the earliest chronological appearance of Ken and Officer Saxton, who first appeared in Breaking Bad.
- Officer Saxton, who responds to Daniel Wormald's burglary call, also appeared at Walt and Skyler's house in "I.F.T.".
- The brand of tequila that Jimmy and Kim trick Ken into purchasing for them is the same brand that Gustavo Fring uses to poison Don Eladio and his Cartel allies in "Salud".
- Daniel's new car is a Hummer H2.
- This is the only first episode of a season for Better Call Saul to not have been written by Peter Gould.
Production[]
Credits[]
Starring
- Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill
- Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut
- Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler
- Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin
- Michael Mando as Nacho Varga
- Michael McKean as Chuck McGill (credit only)
Guest Starring
Co-Starring
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Uncredited
- Rodger Larance as Pedestrian
- Edward Gelhaus as White Supremacist
- Michael E. Stogner as Lawyer in Hallway
Featured Music[]
- "Funny How Time Slips Away" by Billy Walker
- "Smoke On the Water" by Deep Purple
- "Buona Estate" by Daniele Benati, Fabio Di Bari & Enrico Prandi
- "Buena Vista" by The Shiffers
- "All That We Perceive" by Thievery Corporation (while Jimmy first spots Ken)
- "Transatlantic" by Quantic
- "Golddigger" by Supreme Beings of Leisure
- "Music & Wine (The Attaboy Vocal)" by Blue Six
- "Davis & Main" by Dave Porter
Memorable Quotes[]
- Kim: "So this is what a midlife crisis looks like?"
- Jimmy: "Not midlife crisis. Clarity. Midlife clarity."
- ―Kim and Jimmy about Jimmy spending his days in the hotel pool.