This week's review is late because we were on vacation last week in a house that, tragically, did not have cable. The good thing is, I don't have to wait long for the next installment and to see if we're going to stay in the Gene Takovic era, bounce back to the Jimmy era, take a different perspective of the Saul era, or what.
"Nippy," breaking from the rest of the season's "Noun and Noun" episode titles, signals a break after the intensity of Howard's death, Lalo's death, and Kim's leaving. Directed by noted Breaking Bad director Michelle MacLaren, this was a ton of fun, with snow gorgeously clinging to the trees in high-contrast black and white. It's one more scheme in split screen, with Gene drawing on his old skills as Jimmy to score some designer clothing from a department store. I loved the meticulousness of the practice run in the snowy field, accounting for every variation and potential snag, showing Gene really did learn a lot from his time with Walt.
As fun as that caper was, there is a bit of a shadow on it. Gene isn't doing this for the thrill but to blackmail the cab driver Jeff into keeping the secret that he's Saul Goodman on the run. As part of the con, he tricks Jeff's mom, Marion, finely drawn by Carol Burnett (!), into befriending him. Carol seems like a friendly older woman, but there's definitely some steel to her. She curtly refuses help to get something off a high shelf in the supermarket, and initially refuses the help of Gene when her scooter gets stuck. She's also sharp enough to know when the deli is giving her a quarter of a pound too much of lunchmeat, so I think she'll be sharp enough to see through Gene's deception.
Part of that deception depends on Gene plying the security guards with Cinnabon and distracting them from the monitors, so the guard doesn't notice Jeff shoplifting the designer suits. (Dammit, Jerry! You had one job!) It was a nice fake-out with the streak on the floor—I thought the maintenance guy would catch Jeff but the clean, slippery floor did him in. I think they're going to catch onto the deception. The store manager had some specificity to her character and you don't do that for a minor character unless it's going to pay off later.
I loved how Gene played it when the scheme was going bad and started crying about his misfortune and loneliness. He drew on real pain, lamenting his dead brother and end of his marriage. The guard, of course, can't relate to a sad sack life because he's happily married to Christie Brinkley.
This week offered no insight or developments on what happened to Kim, but I don't think the show is done with her yet. I know Jimmy isn't done with her—he's conspicuously carrying around the Kansas City Royals bag, a souvenir of the team Kim loved.
So who knows if tonight we'll stay in black-and-white Omaha or if we'll get those Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul cameos. The episode ended with Gene checking out a patterned necktie against a paisley shirt, dreaming of dressing flashily again and going back to being a schemer. If that's how his story ends chronologically, it's not a bad conclusion.
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