Expenses (''Better Call Saul'')

"Expenses"
Better Call Saul episode
Episode no. Season 3
Episode 7
Directed by Thomas Schnauz
Written by Thomas Schnauz
Original air date May 22, 2017 (2017-05-22)
Running time 52 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

"Expenses" is the seventh episode of the third season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on May 22, 2017 on AMC in the United States.

Plot

Jimmy does community service by picking up garbage under a highway bridge. At the same time, he uses his cell phone to conduct business for "Saul Goodman Productions". At the end of his four hour shift, his supervisor logs only thirty minutes, informing Jimmy that he violated the rules by using his phone.

Jimmy changes clothes and drives to a reclining chair store to shoot a commercial. When it's complete, the owner declines Jimmy's offer to shoot more. After Jimmy and Kim go through their expenses, Jimmy hands Kim the money for his share, which concerns her because she thinks he might be exhausting his savings. Nacho breaks into Daniel Wormald's (Pryce) house and offers him $20,000 if he can obtain capsules that look like Hector's nitroglycerin, to which Daniel reluctantly agrees.

Mike begins construction on the new playground for Stacey's church and reluctantly receives some help from the other members of her support group, including Anita. As Mike heads to the parking attendant's booth to start his shift, Daniel asks Mike to be his bodyguard when dealing with Nacho. Mike refuses to get involved and advises Daniel that he should do the same. At a meeting with Paige from Mesa Verde, Kim expresses regret for destroying Chuck's reputation during Jimmy's disciplinary hearing.

At the support group, Mike befriends Anita after she recounts how her husband, a former Navy officer, mysteriously disappeared on a hiking trip. The story compels Mike to contact Daniel and agree to be his bodyguard. While having dinner with Jimmy, Kim briefly plays along with a grifting "game", but quickly makes sure he knows they're not going to actually do it. When Kim wonders whether they did the right thing with Chuck, an exasperated Jimmy replies what happened to Chuck was his own fault and she should forget about him.

Mike and Daniel meet with Nacho, who tells Mike the full story - Hector wants to turn Nacho's father's upholstery shop into a front business for the Salamanca drug trade, so he intends to kill Hector by switching his nitro for a placebo. Mike agrees not to interfere, but advises Nacho that if Hector dies, he should replace the fake pills with the real ones so that the cause of Hector's death won't be obvious.

Because his law license is suspended, Jimmy tries to obtain a refund on his malpractice insurance policy. The agent is unable to comply because the insurance has to stay in effect so that he's covered if someone accuses him of past malpractice while his license is suspended. She also informs Jimmy that his premium will rise by 150% after he is reinstated. Jimmy appears shaken by the news and starts to cry, but then mentions Chuck's nervous breakdown at the bar hearing and his apparent mental illness as the reason for his supposed distress. Jimmy leaves the insurance agent's office knowing he's caused trouble for Chuck.

Reception

Ratings

Upon airing, the episode received 1.65 million American viewers, and an 18-49 rating of 0.7. [1] With Live+7 viewing factored in, the episode had an overall audience of 4.20 million viewers, and a 1.7 18-49 rating.[2]

Critical reception

The episode received critical acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a 91% rating with an average score of 8.71/10 based on 11 reviews. The site consensus reads, "An award-worthy lead performance among a torrent of quality drama and sharp dialogue add up to a winning showcase for Better Call Saul's continued evolution."[3] Due to his nomination, Bob Odenkirk submitted this episode for consideration for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.

References

  1. ↑ Welch, Alex (May 23, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' and 'Better Call Saul' tick up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ Porter, Rick (June 8, 2017). "'Better Call Saul' racks up more big gains in cable Live +7 ratings for May 22-28". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Expenses". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
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