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Descending into a life of crime is not always inexorable, nor is it always easy. The return of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) to television depicts seemingly momentous decisions that fail to have true impact, and continues a fascinating portrayal of middle-aged frustration, indecision, and regret.

 

The second season premiere of ‘Better Call Saul’ begins with a flash-forward to Jimmy (later Saul Goodman)’s dreary post-Breaking Bad life. Following this, the show repeats the conclusion of last season’s finale, where a defiant Jimmy, betrayed by his brother, decides to abandon his efforts to build a career in the law and turns down a lucrative job offer. He also decides to abandon his attachment to his brother’s morality- committing to only looking out for himself. However, where Walter White found almost immediate success in building a criminal career as ‘Heisenberg’, Jimmy is not yet the silver-tongued Saul. The creators have shown considerable restraint up to now in stretching out the road to the inevitable payoff, and this episode is no different.

 

Viewers who were hoping that the second season would quickly see the emergence of the fully-formed crooked lawyer may be disappointed, but the show is all the better for it. Much of Jimmy’s world may have been shattered, but his favoured criminal methods remain rooted in the low-level con artistry of his youth, and his relationship with Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) remains an important chain keeping him attached to his old life. The show portrays the uncertainty of a man wondering whether it is better to move forwards or backwards. It is more faithful to Jimmy’s character that we see him struggle to abandon what until now he has seen as his way forward. Simultaneously, the secondary plot, in which amateur drug-dealer Pryce (Mark Proksch) makes a series of extremely careless decisions, reminds us of how risky the world Jimmy flirts with actually is.

 

The episode concludes with Jimmy finding a light switch with a label indicating that it should always be left on. He removes the sticker and flicks the switch off, before several seconds later switching it back on again. In this conclusion to an ultimately excellent episode we see the character face his indecision over risk and rebellion- whether to return to a good life that has been tainted for him, or to lash out and take a dangerous path.