Breaking Down ‘Saul’: “Hit and Run” (Season 6, Episode 4)

“No one knows what we’re doin’ except for us.”

If you thought Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) were done with their plot against Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 4 (“Hit and Run”) may tickle and terrify you. The latest installment in their bid to take down the spray-tanned, jazz-loving lawyer involves utilizing the duplicate car keys we saw last week; Jimmy dons his very best Hamlin get-up (including a wig and painfully white teeth) and enlists the help of a sex worker pal to cause quite the scene. (If you don’t let out a giggle or two seeing Jimmy in his Howard costume, there may not be any hope for you). While Kim enjoys coffee street-side with Cliff Main (Ed Begley Jr.), Jimmy (as Howard) speeds by, throwing the hooker out of the car violently and screeching away, much to Cliff’s horror. The plan is in full effect, and Kim might even get some professional benefits out of it thanks to a successful meeting with Cliff. Their glee has a bit of a damper put on it when Kim suspects she’s being followed, however, even after Jimmy tells her not to sweat it.

While Kim continues meeting with clients and putting in the work, Jimmy suddenly finds himself getting the cold shoulder at the courthouse; security makes him jump through a couple extra hoops, his usual stuffed animal bribes to get the court dates he wants don’t work, and no one wants to sit with him at lunch. DA Bill (Peter Diseth) informs him that it’s because everyone knows he “scammed the court” in working with Lalo Salamanca, and pretty much confirms that his reputation is forever changed. On the bright side, word getting out about Lalo also causes his business to boom – so much so, in fact, that he’s no longer allowed to rent his office at the nail salon. This leads him to the dump that eventually becomes the office we know and love, signaling the closest we’ve gotten to Breaking Bad Saul yet.

Lalo, though not seen in “Hit and Run”, is a constant presence throughout the episode; Gustavo (Giancarlo Esposito) has a full-blown surveillance operation happening in his neighborhood, and he’s packing a gun on his ankle and wearing a bulletproof vest. He’s got guys everywhere, sure that Lalo is going to reappear at any time. Kim is correct in thinking she’s being followed, though when she confronts the dudes in the car, they basically ignore her and drive away. Shortly after, she’s surprised by Mike (Jonathan Banks), who tells her he’ll answer any questions he can about his guys that have been following her and whatever else. The news that Lalo is still alive hits Kim like a ton of bricks. She places Mike as the guy who was in the desert with Jimmy, but she also remembers him from the courthouse parking booth. It’s so strange, finally seeing them together, but there seems to be an understanding between the two of them. When she asks Mike why he’s telling her all this and not Jimmy, his response that he thinks she’s “made of sterner stuff” is enough to take your breath away. This little scene is a perfect example of what makes Better Call Saul so extraordinary; we’re 6 seasons in and these characters have never met, but their actions have impacted each other’s lives forever. There’s so much known and not said. Whew. It’s good stuff.

We’re getting so close to the days of Breaking Bad Saul Goodman that the Easter eggs are showing up less and less often, but let’s take a quick look…

What do we have? 

Jimmy meets a new client who goes by “Spooge”. (Not Mr. Spooge).

Seem familiar?

That’s the very same Spooge who had more than one run-in with Jesse and his crew on Breaking Bad, seen for the first time in Season 2, Episode 5, “Breakage“. (Yeah, he’s the guy who had that gnarly ATM-related death).

What do we have? 

Jimmy brings Kim to a vacant office after a long workday.

Seem familiar?

That’s the very place that will become Saul Goodman’s infamous office, first seen in Breaking Bad Season 2, Episode 8, “Better Call Saul“.

That’s it for “Hit and Run”. Until next week…

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.