Better Call Saul, ‘Five-O’ Plot Summary:
Mike Ehrmantraut’s (Jonathan Banks) past mistakes in Philadelphia come back to haunt him and there’s only one lawyer he could call for help.
Not since ‘Dos’ has Better Call Saul kept me on the edge of my seat. The creative team behind Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould have perfectly mapped out Jimmy’s transformation into Saul in this slow burn of a first season by creating an interesting and diverse supporting cast. The most notable of which is Mike Ehrmantraut, the only other major character from Breaking Bad that has returned for the prequel series.
Mike was always one of the most interesting characters ever introduced on Breaking Bad, and the one character that never received any sort of background. All we really know about Mike Ehrmantraut is that he fixes problems for Saul and that he’s a total badass. While the show is mainly focused on showing how James McGill went from a con artist to the famous “criminal” lawyer that would go on to eventually assist Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, it’s good to know that Gilligan and Gould are interested in exploring the origins of other characters in the Breaking Bad universe.
Luckily, this episode was completely dedicated to exploring Mike’s past and only featured Jimmy in two small scenes in the beginning. Mike requests that he be brought in for questioning even though he wasn’t charged with anything yet. He requests a lawyer and gives them Jimmy’s card. The only reason Mike wants Jimmy to represent him is so that Jimmy can distract one of the cops by spilling a cup of coffee on him that way Mike can see what evidence they have on him. The episode then proceeds to jump backwards and forwards through time to show Mike’s backstory.
Usually I don’t mind discussing spoilers in my reviews because I tend to read recaps online after I have already watched the episode to either see if I missed anything or to read someone else’s take, but this was too great of an episode to spoil. Learning about Mike’s troubled past is something that needs to be watched. Jonathan Banks absolutely crushes ever moment of ‘Five-O’ and the emotional final scene when was easily the most powerful moments of the series so far. Bank’s performance in the episode alone deserves an Emmy and I wouldn’t be surprised if this episode gets nominated come award season.
‘Five-O’ Rating: 10/10
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Al Mannarino is the managing editor for Pop-Break. He is also host of the News Over Brews Podcast, Loot Care Unboxed, Backstage Break, and the producer of Behind the Brews. He graduated Rowan University with a degree in Radio/TV/Film & History and is currently a Promotions Assistant for Clear Channel Media + Entertainment. When he isn’t writing he is either trying to build his own TARDIS or taking a nap. Follow him on Twitter: @almannarino
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