Written by Ryan Demarco
Season 2 has officially begun and is off to a promising start as the premiere, titled “Switch,” picks things up shortly after Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) has a falling out with his brother Chuck and is ultimately offered a position at a legitimate law firm. All of this happens while he finally discovers that he really could, and maybe should, follow his unethical desires.
We begin this season much similar to the start of last, with our title character closing down a Cinnabon. Obviously this is not the rise of Saul Goodman’s tale, but rather, the fall. Post-Breaking Bad. The black and white really zones in on the effect that this character, although very much alive, “Gene,” as his name tag suggests, is left as a hollow shell of a once sucsessful man. When he’s accidentally locked in the trash room, he simply waits the indefinite amount of time until someone finds him. As he gets up to leave, we discover that a small but noticeable “SG” is left. He may no longer be referred to that name, but in his heart he will always be that persona.
“Switch” simply revolves around Jimmy turning down the position of the law firm, and his relationship with Kim (Rhea Seehorn). Believing that he can just walk away from this life and just roam the earth, Jimmy thinks he can reassess himself and pursue a life of doing whatever he wants. He demonstrates this to Kim after taking advantage of a smooth talking big shot at a bar. Of course, everything goes Jimmy’s way, getting the hot shot to eat from the palm of his hand after feeding him hours of nonsense. One thing leads to another with Jimmy and Kim getting out scott free resulting in a wild night in a hotel room. Their feelings for each other may be on the same page, but one thing is for certain, you can’t sustain a life like this forever. At least in Kim’s eyes. The thought hasn’t crossed Jimmy’s mind. Yet.
The other half of the episode catches us up with Pryce (Mark Proksch), a drug dealer who is clearly over his head, who is still working deals with Nacho (Michael Mando), and who up until this episode hired our good friend Mike (Jonathan Banks) as a bodyguard. After disobeying one of Mike’s rules, Pryce believes he doesn’t need his services and can work the dealings alone. In the end, Pryce’s stupidity puts him in a bad spot and on the radar of the police.
Within the last few moments of the episode, Jimmy comes to the realization and goes for the position at Davis and Main. As a result, he’s given all that one could ask for; corner office, company car, literally anything is just a command away. You couldn’t have it any better than that, but is that really what Jimmy wants? The moment with the light switch touches on this.
Season 2 is off to a solid start as we follow Jimmy on his path to the man who would eventually become Saul Goodman. It’s interesting to begin to see the pieces slowly come together after Jimmy really struggled last season to be a straight edge practicing attorney. Odenkirk once again proves that he is the life of this series making Jimmy/Gene/Goodman an amazing character that is watchable in any circumstance.
