BWW Recap: Marco's Back on the BETTER CALL SAUL Season Finale

At the end of last week's episode, Chuck and his backstabbing self left us questioning just about everything we've learned about Jimmy and the man he's become thus far. "People don't change. You're Slippin' Jimmy!" Chuck seems pretty darn convinced of this. His whole "people don't change" mentality is essentially the reason he denied his loving and devoted brother a potentially life-changing job at HHM. By the end of the episode, we - and by "we," I mean both us viewers and Jimmy himself - are left wondering whether or not Chuck is right.

Before we can figure out, though, if Jimmy has changed, we need to know what he was like in the past. The finale opens in a bar, nearly a decade earlier, and Jimmy has just gotten out of jail. He breaks the news to his partner in crime (literally), Marco, that he'll be leaving Chicago for New Mexico so that he can work for his brother's law firm. Needless to say, Marco's not thrilled about this, and he doesn't seem to have much respect for Chuck. Jimmy feels obliged to leave, however, since Chuck is the one that got him out of jail. Jimmy leaves Chicago, Marco, and his life as Slippin' Jimmy behind for bigger and brighter (and more legal) things in Albuquerque.

Point for the "Jimmy's a changed man" argument: the next scene opens with Jimmy at HHM, waiting to hand all of the Sandpiper documents over to Hamlin. The old Jimmy would've been the one stealing from the seniors, not the one investigating the multi-million dollar grift. After handing over all of his hard work and trading a hefty paycheck for Chuck's shopping list (he's your problem now, Hamlin!), Jimmy returns to the senior center and has a mini mental breakdown courtesy of the letter "B." You know, for "betrayal," and "brother." During his breakdown, Jimmy tells all of the very confused seniors about his glorious Chicago Sunroof stunt that got him arrested and lead to Chuck significantly reducing the charges against Jimmy. Wait, you don't remember what a Chicago Sunroof is? It's that thing where you find Chet (also known as the guy that owes you a whole lot of money and then sleeps with your wife) and his car outside of a Dairy Queen and, in a drunken stupor, "defecate," as Jimmy puts it, through the man's sunroof - all while his kids are quietly sitting in the back seat. (That last bit was the real cause for his arrest.) Motion to add "Guy wanted his soft serve, I gave him a soft serve" to the list of Incredible Jimmy McGill Quotes.

And so begins Jimmy's surprisingly existential search for the truth. Just like any good truth-seeking man in crisis, Jimmy goes on a little road trip, back to his hometown in Illinois. His first (and only) stop: the same bar where he met Marco after he got out of jail. He never left. Before long, Jimmy and Marco are at it again: they're scheming and grifting and fooling just about everyone they come into contact with - and they're making a ton of money off of it. Jimmy does this, while living in Marco's basement, for about a week, until he checks his messages and hears the voices of the 15 desperate seniors needing help back in New Mexico.

Another point for the "Jimmy's a changed man" argument: he knows he has to go back to being a lawyer, and he has the courage to break the news to his best friend. Marco's not happy, but he understands. He lets Jimmy leave - but not before one last con.

Now, I'm no medical doctor, but this whole time, Marco's been doing one heck of a lot of coughing. If BREAKING BAD taught me anything, it's that unexplained coughing is never a good sign, and you should probably get yourself to a doctor immediately. Unfortunately for Marco, he hasn't seen BREAKING BAD (wouldn't that be meta?!) and so has no idea as to the gravity of his situation.

Marco waits in the alley, and the Rolex grift (you remember, the con we saw earlier in the season, where Jimmy and a "friend" drunkenly take a turn down a back alley and find a passed out guy's wallet?) begins. This time, though, when Jimmy approaches Marco's passed out body, he realizes Marco isn't acting: he's actually not breathing. He breaks character and the other guy gets away with Marco's wallet. Jimmy calls 9-1-1 for help, and Marco wakes up. He looks at Jimmy and utters what are some of the most heartbreaking last words possible: "This was the greatest week of my life." Jimmy tries to revive him, but it's too late.

At Marco's funeral, Jimmy, who now dons one of Marco's rings, gets a call from Kim. Turns out the Sandpiper case is too big for HHM to handle alone, so they reached out to another firm, Davis & Main, for help. The partners at Davis & Main have heard of Jimmy and of his work, and they're interested in hiring Jimmy to work on the case and - here's the clincher - potentially taking him on as a partner. Jimmy is ecstatic - or at least, he should be. He claims that he is, but his voice indicates something different. He sounds happy, but he's still grappling with the loss of one of his best friends. He doesn't know what to think. To make Kim happy, he agrees to meet with the Davis & Main partners when he gets back to Albuquerque.

When Jimmy gets back to New Mexico, he stops by Chuck's house to make sure his brother is all right - but he keeps his distance. He parks his car across the street and observes. Chuck sees Jimmy sitting outside, but only begins to muster up the courage to leave the house and talk to him as Jimmy pulls away. Looks like you might be the one who's incapable of change there, Chuck.

Jimmy heads to court to meet with the Davis & Main guys after stopping by Chuck's. He walks toward the building confidently, rehearsing his greeting over and over again, but then he remembers it: Marco's ring. He stops, turns around, and leaves, telling Ehrmantraut that next time, he's not going to make the same mistake he did after they uncovered the money from the Kettlemans.

Turns out, Chuck may have been right after all.

All in all, this episode, as a season finale, fell a little flat. It didn't leave me totally unsatisfied, but I was expecting (or rather, hoping for) a little bit more action from a show that premiered by bringing back Tuco. It was a good episode, and all in all it was successful, but it just didn't feel like a finale.

I have faith in the showrunners, though, when it comes to the second season. There were a ton of plot lines left hanging (remember Nacho?), but the team in charge is so good at telling a story and telling it visually (this episode's opening credits with the "World's Greatest Lawyer" mug falling to the floor and shattering was gold) that I'm sure they'll tie up all the loose ends at some point. As long as they eventually (and I'm okay with this being many seasons down the road) get back to the Cinnabon-working, post-Walter White Saul we saw in the season premiere, I'll be happy.

What were your thoughts on the season finale? Did you want a little more action, or were you okay with such a character-driven episode? Let us know in the comments below or tell me on Twitter @CourtHenley!

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