AMC recently made a huge gaffe with Walking Dead. They miscalculated what the audience would have the patience for, and turned what could have been one of the greatest television scenes of all time into a cheap cliffhanger. When I saw this episode heading towards a cliffhanger ending, I found myself increasingly worried that this was another program AMC would screw up. But, the ending of this season turned out to be brilliant (if only slightly frustrating).
The episode's cold open is the weakest part for me. It was powerful emotionally, but it also felt WAY too convenient. I did like how it parallelled the story of modern day. After the opening credits, we cut right to where the last episode left off. The first half of the episode then focuses on Jimmy dealing with Chuck in hospital. At the end of this stretch, things surprisingly seem to return back to normal.
The episode then shifts focus to Mike. He chooses a sniper rifle, buys it, and stalks the Salamancas with it. There is a painstakingly long sequence of Mike aiming the rifle all around at various targets. While the bulk of it is a brilliant exercises in building tension, it becomes immensely frustrating once you realize that he is never actually going to fire. There is an old rule in film-making to never put a gun in a scene when you have no intention of using it. That's exaggerated. I can handle a scene with an unused gun. What we have here is a season with an unused gun. I'm not saying that I need more action in this show. If I want action, I'll watch a movie. I love this show's deeply complex and compelling characters. But you can't just tease action for an entire season like this season's Mike story did without giving us some. I would have been fine it simply coming to a head in a Gus cameo, too. They hinted at it in the titles (the first letters of the titles forms an anagram for FRING'S BACK). They hinted at it in the episode. That was an awesome moment, but we have no guarantee that it really is Fring. I do understand that they simply may not have been able to get back the actor yet (when I met Giancarlo Esposito, he was reluctant to reprise his role in Better Call Saul).
On a more positive note, the final sequence between Jimmy and Chuck is nothing short of astounding. The very first shot of the scene is both hilarious and unnerving at the same time. The scene had me feeling so bad for Chuck that I almost cried. Then, in the episode's final moments, there is an evil twist to it all. I should have seen it coming, but I was surprised. It makes me think that the thing that will ultimately force Jimmy to become Saul is being forced into the act of destroying his own brother. The idea of that as an arc as well as the possibility of Gus appearing make me excited for next season.
Ultimately, this was satisfying from one point of view, but totally frustrating from another. On the one hand, the arcs and development of the characters that have played out brilliantly this season came to to beautifully crafted ends this episode. But as far as the plot and action goes, this episode does almost nothing to conclude it, something that is admittedly frustrating after a season that has already been pretty slow in that regard.
The episode's cold open is the weakest part for me. It was powerful emotionally, but it also felt WAY too convenient. I did like how it parallelled the story of modern day. After the opening credits, we cut right to where the last episode left off. The first half of the episode then focuses on Jimmy dealing with Chuck in hospital. At the end of this stretch, things surprisingly seem to return back to normal.
The episode then shifts focus to Mike. He chooses a sniper rifle, buys it, and stalks the Salamancas with it. There is a painstakingly long sequence of Mike aiming the rifle all around at various targets. While the bulk of it is a brilliant exercises in building tension, it becomes immensely frustrating once you realize that he is never actually going to fire. There is an old rule in film-making to never put a gun in a scene when you have no intention of using it. That's exaggerated. I can handle a scene with an unused gun. What we have here is a season with an unused gun. I'm not saying that I need more action in this show. If I want action, I'll watch a movie. I love this show's deeply complex and compelling characters. But you can't just tease action for an entire season like this season's Mike story did without giving us some. I would have been fine it simply coming to a head in a Gus cameo, too. They hinted at it in the titles (the first letters of the titles forms an anagram for FRING'S BACK). They hinted at it in the episode. That was an awesome moment, but we have no guarantee that it really is Fring. I do understand that they simply may not have been able to get back the actor yet (when I met Giancarlo Esposito, he was reluctant to reprise his role in Better Call Saul).
On a more positive note, the final sequence between Jimmy and Chuck is nothing short of astounding. The very first shot of the scene is both hilarious and unnerving at the same time. The scene had me feeling so bad for Chuck that I almost cried. Then, in the episode's final moments, there is an evil twist to it all. I should have seen it coming, but I was surprised. It makes me think that the thing that will ultimately force Jimmy to become Saul is being forced into the act of destroying his own brother. The idea of that as an arc as well as the possibility of Gus appearing make me excited for next season.
Ultimately, this was satisfying from one point of view, but totally frustrating from another. On the one hand, the arcs and development of the characters that have played out brilliantly this season came to to beautifully crafted ends this episode. But as far as the plot and action goes, this episode does almost nothing to conclude it, something that is admittedly frustrating after a season that has already been pretty slow in that regard.
