Mijo

"Mijo"
Better Call Saul episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 2
Directed by Michelle MacLaren
Written by Peter Gould
Original air date February 9, 2015 (2015-02-09)
Running time 46 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

"Mijo" is the second episode of the first season of Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on February 9, 2015 on AMC in the United States, one day after the series premiere. The episode was written by series creator Peter Gould, and was directed by Michelle MacLaren. The title refers to the Spanish term of endearment mijo [ˈmi.xo], a contraction of mi hijo ("my son").

Plot

Tuco Salamanca is preparing salsa in his kitchen when his grandmother returns after the run in with Cal and Lars. Tough they've accidentally targeted the wrong driver, Cal and Lars false claim serious injuries from their staged hit and run accident. They loudly demand money from Tuco's grandmother and follow her into her house. Tuco sends his grandmother upstairs to her bedroom and then uses her cane to beat Cal and Lars unconscious. He arranges for Ignacio "Nacho" Varga, No-Doze and Gonzo to come with a van to pick up Cal and Lars. Jimmy McGill arrives searching for Cal and Lars, and Tuco answers the front door and drags him inside.

Tuco questions Jimmy, who insists that the Cal and Lars did not intentionally target Tuco's grandmother. Tuco allows Jimmy to see Cal and Lars, who are tied up in the basement, but when Jimmy removes the gag from one of them, he immediately implicates Jimmy in the phony hit and run scam. Tuco and his men take Jimmy, Cal and Lars to the desert and continue questioning Jimmy. Thinking quickly, Jimmy tells Tuco he's a lawyer, but when Tuco doesn't believe him and threatens to cut off a finger, Jimmy falsely he's an FBI agent. Nacho is suspicious and threatens Jimmy again, so Jimmy goes back to admitting the truth - he is a lawyer who intended to scam the Kettlemans. Nacho convinces Tuco this is the truth and that killing a lawyer would attract unwanted attention. Tuco frees Jimmy, but moves to kill Cal and Lars. Jimmy convinces Tuco to spare their lives and talks him into breaking one leg each as punishment.

After bringing Cal and Lars to a hospital, Jimmy meets a woman for a date at a bar. A customer's snapping breadsticks reminds Jimmy of the broken legs Cal and Lars suffered so he excuses himself and vomits in the bathroom. An intoxicated Jimmy later arrives at Chuck's house and forgets to leave his cellular phone in the mailbox before collapsing on the couch. Chuck claims to suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity and throws Jimmy's cell phone into the yard. The following morning, Chuck sees the brothers' hospital bill and confronts Jimmy. Jimmy reassures Chuck that he isn't going back to the "Slippin' Jimmy" cons he used to run.

After several days in court, Jimmy returns to his office and sees that he has no messages. One of the beauty salon employees tells him a client has arrived - Nacho Varga. Nacho tells Jimmy he wants to take the $1.6 million stolen by the Kettlemans, for which he will pay Jimmy a finder's fee. Jimmy insists he is a lawyer, not a criminal. Nacho writes his number on one of Jimmy's matchbooks and tells Jimmy to let him know when Jimmy is ready to get "in the game". Before leaving he reminds Jimmy that if Jimmy tells anyone about their conversation, he will be killed.

Production

The episode was written by series co-creator and executive producer Peter Gould, who originally wrote the episode that introduced Saul Goodman in the second season of Breaking Bad. It was directed by Michelle MacLaren, the most prolific director for Breaking Bad, directing 11 episodes and also served as an executive producer.[1][2]

Reception

Upon moving to its regular Monday slot, the episode received 3.4 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49.[3] This equated to a 50 percent drop in viewers, along with a 52 percent decline in the demographic.[4]

The episode received positive reviews from critics. Erik Kain of Forbes said that despite hating the long and drawn-out restaurant scene, the overall episode was good. Despite this he felt that he wasn't "sitting nearly as close to the edge of my seat [as in Breaking Bad]—but it’s entertaining and funny and still beautifully shot, acted, and written."[5] David Segal of The New York Times, in a positive review, noted that his favourite part of the episode "is the elaborate, jaunty montage of Jimmy at court, which pays tribute to the elaborate, jaunty montage in Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, complete with the same Vivaldi concerto and “It’s showtime!” catchphrase.[6]

Catherine Gee of The Telegraph gave the episode 4 out of 5 stars, saying:

Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a 9 out of 10, saying "Better Call Saul hit the ground running with its second episode; setting the stage for a series that is part morality play, part Greek tragedy (replete with a foregone and less than savory conclusion) and part love letter to great performers – whatever walk of life they happen to be on."[8] Richard Vine of The Guardian was also positive in his view. In particular he felt that "The best thing to come out of the desert is our introduction to Nacho Varga. Tuco’s far more reasonable associate has sized up the situation and tracked Jimmy down to his “office”".[9] The Atlantic named "Mijo" one of the best television episodes of 2015.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Mohamed, Stefan (February 11, 2015). "Better Call Saul episode 2 review: Mijo". Den of Geek. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ Couch, Aaron (February 10, 2015). "'Better Call Saul's' Michelle MacLaren on Shooting at Iconic 'Bad' Location". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  3. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 10, 2015). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Better Call Saul' Tops Night + 'Love & Hip-Hop', 'Monday Night RAW', 'Black Ink Crew' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ Hibberd, James (February 10, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' ratings drop from record premiere". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  5. ↑ Kain, Erik (February 10, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' Season 1, Episode 2 Review: Dios Mijo". Forbes. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ Segal, David (February 10, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' Recap: Jimmy's Step Toward the Netherworld". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ Gee, Catherine (February 10, 2015). "Better Call Saul: Mijo, episode two, review: 'grimace-inducing violence'". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  8. ↑ Cornet, Roth (February 9, 2015). "Better Call Saul: "Mijo" Review". IGN. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ Vine, Richard (February 10, 2015). "Better Call Saul recap: season one episode two". The Guardian. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  10. ↑ "The Best Television Episodes of 2015". The Atlantic.
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