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"Pimento" is the ninth episode of the first season of Better Call Saul and the ninth episode of the series altogether.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

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Shortly after Chuck surprised both Jimmy and himself by leaving his house unattended, the brothers sit quietly on a nearby park bench. Chuck tries to relax and enjoy the sunshine, but keeps glancing nervously at an electrical transformer overhead. Jimmy redirects Chuck's attention to the grass, successfully encouraging him to take off his shoes. Finally reaching his limit, Chuck tells Jimmy that he's ready to go inside and get back to work building their case against Sandpiper Crossing. He rises and walks gingerly back toward his house, a buoyant Jimmy at his side.

Act I[]

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In Stacey's backyard, she and Mike watch Kaylee play with the adopted dog that Mike wishes to give to Kaylee. Stacey struggles with the idea of taking on a pet, but Mike assures her that the dog is healthy and worthwhile. Stacey agrees to let Kaylee keep the dog. Their conversation is interrupted when Mike receives a phone call. He steps away to answer it and quietly accepts a job opportunity. Stacey doesn't ask any questions.

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Schweikart seeks a restraining order against Jimmy on the grounds that his "loud and flamboyant" behavior disturbs the routine of the Sandpiper residents. The judge doesn't buy it and rules in Jimmy's favor. Jimmy rides high on his victory all the way to Chuck's house, but finds that Schweikart has sent over boxes and boxes of documents, trying to drown the McGill brothers in paperwork and legal "softballs". Chuck tells Jimmy that the Sandpiper case is becoming too big for them to handle alone, and insists they partner with HHM. Jimmy argues vehemently against it, but Chuck eventually convinces him that it's the only way to win the case.

That night, Jimmy crashes on Chuck's couch. Chuck sneaks past his sleeping brother to retrieve a pencil and an oven mitt. Wrapped in his space blanket, he goes outside and takes Jimmy's cell phone from the mailbox. Grimacing, he turns it on and uses the eraser end of the pencil to dial and call someone.

Act II[]

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Mike waits in a parking garage with two thugs: a large man and another named Sobchak. The three men have each been hired by Caldera to provide protection for a new client who is in his first drug deal. As they wait for their employer, Sobchak gives Mike a once-over and asks what type of gun he's "packing". Mike casually nods to a paper bag sitting on the nearby curb: he packed a pimento sandwich. Sobchak thinks Mike's kidding and presses him, but Mike stands firm. He didn't bring a gun.

The employer drives up in a wood-paneled minivan. An unassuming man steps out and introduces himself as Pryce. Sobchak tells him that Mike is dead weight because he didn't bring a weapon. Mike responds that if he needs one, he'll take one of Sobchak's. Sobchak dares Mike to take it from him and tauntingly holds out a pistol. When Sobchak points it at his head after Mike asks him to "make it not so easy", he is swiftly and effortlessly disarmed. An enraged Sobchak lunges forward, but Mike incapacitates him with a single hit to the throat, then finds and disposes of all of Sobchak's weapons. He holds up a particularly ostentatious one and offers it to the large man, who flees in terror. Mike dumps the weapons into a nearby trashcan, picks up his sandwich and heads for the minivan. Pryce agrees to pay him the full fee for three men, and the two drive off to the meet.

Meanwhile, Jimmy and Chuck prepare for their meeting at HHM. Chuck is apprehensive, but Jimmy reassures him. He helps Chuck to the car and retrieves his electronics from the mailbox, confused to find that his phone is dead. At HHM, Howard arranges for everything electric to be deactivated in preparation for Chuck's arrival. The firm's employees gather in the lobby and shower Chuck with applause when he enters with Jimmy. A cheerful Howard embraces Chuck and guides him upstairs, leaving Jimmy behind to balance a tall stack of files.

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In the conference room, Jimmy and Chuck bring Howard and his associates up to speed on the Sandpiper case. Howard guarantees Jimmy twenty percent of the common fund share of the final settlement, as well as an immediate "of counsel" fee (as high as $20,000) for the referral. Everything is going well until Jimmy implies that he'll be joining HHM as an attorney. Clearing the room, Howard tries to break the news gently to Jimmy: HHM wants the case, but "the partners" aren't interested in hiring Jimmy. Shocked and hurt, Jimmy lashes out at Howard and quashes the deal.

Act III[]

Kim visits Howard in his office, demanding to know why he refused to hire Jimmy. Howard coldly reminds her that she's speaking out of turn and that this was a decision made by the partners. Shaken, she turns and begins to head out. Howard reconsiders and stops her. Not wanting the rest of the firm to hear what he's about to tell her, he instructs her to close the door.

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At an abandoned power plant, a nervous Pryce debates the best way to conduct the drug deal. As Mike offers some advice, the buyer, Nacho Varga, arrives along with two henchmen. The deal goes smoothly until it turns out that Nacho's payment is $20 short. Mike demands that Pryce receive payment in full, or the deal is off. Nacho is offended by the idea that he stiffed Pryce on purpose and can't believe that Mike would blow up the deal over such a small amount of money. Mike replies that he is quite happy to believe it was an honest mistake, but insists that Nacho honor the deal. Nacho begrudgingly holds up a $20 bill and drops it to make Pryce catch it in a breeze.

Afterward, Mike tells Pryce that he wasn't worried about the deal, because he'd done a fair amount of research before showing up for the job. He knew exactly who Nacho was and, most importantly, he knew that Nacho was doing this deal without Tuco's knowledge, so he was incentivized to make sure the deal went as smoothly as possible. "If you're gonna be a criminal, do your homework," Mike says. Pryce laments that he's not a bad guy and Mike clarifies: being a criminal doesn't mean you're a bad guy. No matter which side of the law you're on, if you make a deal, you need to keep your word.

Act IV[]

That night, Kim visits Jimmy at the nail salon and urges him to take Howard's deal. Livid, he accuses her of being bought off by Howard. Near tears, she reiterates that taking the deal is the best thing for Jimmy but leaves without going into more detail. Bothered by their exchange, Jimmy retreats to his office and finally plugs his dead cell phone into the wall. As it begins to recharge, Jimmy ruminates - something about the phone's dead battery has gotten under his skin.

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The next morning, Jimmy visits Chuck and tells him he's going to give the Sandpiper case to HHM. Chuck agrees that this is for the best and offers to put a good word in with Howard. Jimmy points out that Chuck could threaten to leave the firm; with the way the staff applauded his arrival, there's no way the partners would risk his return. When Chuck hesitates, Jimmy reveals that he already knows that Chuck is not remotely interested in bringing Jimmy into HHM. Since he always turns off his phone when he puts it in Chuck's mailbox, he became suspicious when he found the battery dead. A call to the phone company revealed a deleted call to Howard two nights prior, while Jimmy was asleep on the couch. Only Chuck could have made that call.

Jimmy accuses Chuck of telling Howard not to let him work on the case, and to not hire him after he passed the bar years prior. He demands to know why Chuck has been working against him. Chuck angrily replies that Jimmy is not a real lawyer, having taken shortcuts like online courses and diploma mills to start his legal career, while Chuck himself has worked hard his whole life. He believes that his brother hasn't changed from his "Slippin' Jimmy" ways, and that Jimmy poses a danger if he practices law. Realizing what his brother really thinks of him, Jimmy explains that he's brought over enough supplies to last Chuck a few days - after that, Chuck will have to fend for himself. Heartbroken, Jimmy walks out of the house without turning back.

Official Photos[]

Trivia[]

Production[]

Credits[]

Featured Music[]

  • "Groton Farewell" by Cast

References to other media[]

  • Sobchak refers to Mike Ehrmantraut as "Uncle Fester", a character from the television and film series The Addams Family

Memorable Quotes[]

"Confidence is good. Facts on your side, better. Know what you're walking into."
―Chuck to Jimmy.

Howard: "It's easy money, Jimmy. No reason not to take it."
Jimmy: "Go to hell, Howard! I'm not giving you my case. And I'm gonna tell every one of those clients what a lying miserable pig fucker you are. I will burn the whole thing to the ground before I give it to you!"
―Howard and Jimmy arguing.

"Well, duly noted. Want to know what I believe? I believe that you're way out of your depth in this matter. So the next time that you want to come in here and tell me what I'm doing wrong, you are welcome to keep it to yourself. Because I don't care."
―Howard to Kim about the decision not to hire Jimmy on the case.

Mike: "The lesson is, if you're gonna be a criminal, do your homework."
Pryce: "Wait. I'm not a bad guy."
Mike: "I didn't say you were a bad guy. I said you're a criminal."
Pryce: "What's the difference?"
Mike: "I've known good criminals and bad cops. Bad priests. Honorable thieves. You can be on one side of the law or the other. But if you make a deal with somebody, you keep your word. You can go home today with your money and never do this again. But you took something that wasn't yours. And you sold it for a profit. You're now a criminal. Good one, bad one? That's up to you."
―Mike and Pryce on the difference between criminals and villains.

Jimmy: "I'm your brother. We're supposed to look out for each other. Why were you working against me, Chuck?"
Chuck: "You're not a real lawyer."
Jimmy: "I'm what?"
Chuck: "You're not a real lawyer. University of American Samoa, for Christ's sake? An online course? What a joke. I worked my ass off to get where I am. And you take these shortcuts and you think suddenly you're my peer? You do what I do because you're funny and you can make people laugh? I committed my life to this! You don't slide into it like a cheap pair of slippers and reap all the rewards."
Jimmy: "I thought you were proud of me."
Chuck: "I was. When you straightened out and got a job in the mailroom, I was very proud."
Jimmy: "So that's it then, right? Keep old Jimmy down in the mailroom. He's not good enough to be a lawyer."
Chuck: "I know you. I know what you were, what you are. People don't change. You're Slippin' Jimmy. And Slippin' Jimmy I can handle just fine. But Slippin' Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun. The law is sacred! If you abuse that power, people get hurt. This is not a game. You have to know on some level, I know you know I'm right. You know I'm right."
―Jimmy brutally discovering what Chuck actually thinks of him as a lawyer.

Notes[]

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