Season Three, Episode Four — “Sabrosito”
© Copyright 2017, AMC. All Rights Reserved.
By Brandy Dykhuizen. Worlds collided this week as Hector nosed around Los Pollos Hermanos, Mike found himself repairing a door inside Chuck McGill’s home, and Kim enthusiastically engaged in a little trickery on Jimmy’s behalf.
In “Sabrosito”, Mike’s and Jimmy’s stories intertwined more cohesively, and as for just how Kim might disappear from the picture, well… it appears the seeds were sown. We don’t know what Gus has in store for Hector quite yet, but you can bet it’s heinous enough to leave Salamanca wishing he could click those ruby-shoed heels of his together and find himself back in Michoacán.
Loyalty is a powerful motivator and, if left unchecked, can quickly send those under its control over to the dark side. Gus knows this all too well, and has sussed out a similar weakness in Mike. Who knows how deep into the drug game Gus would have delved had Hector not murdered his partner in front of him, but we do know that Hector’s act of cold blood lit a slow burning fire in Gus that will result in Hector’s demise.
Gus is meticulous and patient in a business where most players are hot headed and quick to act, happy to wait to strike when it will hurt the most. He can sense a similar allegiance in Mike, a loyalty to an ideal that has yet to be corrupted. Gus is smart enough to appeal to this side of Mike, telling him “a bullet in the head would be far too humane” for Hector.
This gets Mike thinking – if there are wrongs out there to right, maybe working for Gus wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. After all, he’s got that granddaughter to think of.
Gus, of course, isn’t the only one who knows how to work a room in Better Call Saul. Jimmy piles it on pretty thick for DDA Hay, and his apology to Chuck during mediation seemed to surprise even himself. Chuck’s only recourse was to deflect the situation by squabbling over $0.98, signaling to Kim that they might actually have the upper hand for a bit. We don’t know what Kim’s “Bingo” moment was, exactly, but we’ve watched her loyalty to Jimmy push her into grey enough waters to worry about her ethical handling of this case.
As that final, fantastic shot showed us, she is sticking to that decision to stay right by his side, striding out into the unknown on a parallel collision course.
BEST LINE(s):
“My friends, I promise you that together, we will prosper.” – Gus, to employees, politician style.
Kim: “Are you absolutely sure you have the right guy for this?” Jimmy: “The crème de la crème.”
“At some point we should probably discuss the rule of thirds… you, my friend, are the Ansel Adams of covert photography.” – Jimmy, to Mike.
“Nice to fix something for once.” – Mike. Aww, sad panda.
BEST MOMENT: Shared screen time between Jonathan Banks and Michael McKean is bound to be spectacular, and Mike posing as a handyman sent to fix Chuck’s door did not disappoint. Mike’s simplicity somehow overpowered Chuck’s craziness, sending Chuck scampering upstairs to hide from the power tools. The way Mike held the electric drill, firing blanks into the air, was a fantastic touch. Mike’s and Chuck’s personalities are so powerfully dissonant they almost can’t exist in the same space.
EPISODE’S MVP: Gus, all day long. Watching Giancarlo Esposito get into the multiple dimensions of Gus (affable entrepreneur, sinister cartel boss, and the kind of guy who shoots trash hoops when no one is looking), you really feel like you’re witnessing a man who loves his job. Esposito seems to really relish the role, and brings a bit of magic to the part. I had goosebumps throughout much of the first half of “Sabrosito”, and they weren’t caused by Hector’s malevolent intimidation tactics – they popped up because Esposito has the gift to make a placid and perfectly postured man in pressed primary colors feel like the devil himself.
© Copyright 2017, AMC. All Rights Reserved.
SAD MUSTACHES:
– “Los Culos Hermanos.” Lolz, Hector made a 14-year-old-boy joke.
– My money is on dumb little Lyle ending up a casualty of the Gus/Hector feud. That kid can’t read a social cue to save his life.
– As bullheadedly straight-forward as Mike can be, he is capable of turning on a certain salt-of-the-earth charm when necessary. Hell, he even convinced Chuck to let him use power tools in his presence.
– The shot of Mike reading Handyman magazine as Gus drives up to the parking lot was so dismal. He just wants to fix things!
– Dios Mio, the cajones on Hector! Waltzing into Los Pollos Hermanos and ordering Gus to be his mule.
8.5 out of 10
Next: “Chicanery”, in one week.
Before: “Sunk Costs”, here.
