‘Better Call Saul’: 5 Key Moments From ‘Namaste’ (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 5, Episode 4 of Better Call Saul, “Namaste.”]
The latest episode of AMC’s Better Call Saul was filled with edge-of-your-seat action as well as some gratifying moments for its core characters. Whether it was a DEA mission with returning characters Hank (Dean Norris) and Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada) or courtroom antics with Saul (Bob Odenkirk), “Namaste” was anything but tame.
Below, we’re breaking down the episode’s key moments, but beware of major spoilers ahead.
Namaste Mad
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
At the beginning of the episode, we see Jimmy (Odenkirk) looking for something in an antiques store, and it’s clear whatever the item is, he has to be able to throw it. Eventually he settles on bowling balls, but these aren’t brought back until the episode’s end. Instead, at some point he follows through with his promise and finally meets Howard (Patrick Fabian) for lunch. They discuss his name-change of Saul, and Jimmy says that the persona is the “last line of defense of the little guy.”
Howard makes a point when he asks, “Couldn’t Jimmy do the same?” but his remark is turned down as Jimmy tells him that Saul is what Jimmy couldn’t be. It’s then that Howard mentions hiring Jimmy — he says that he should have done it long ago, but Jimmy’s clearly hesitant and within good reason after being shut-out after so many years.
When they part ways, we see Howard get into his fancy car at the valet where his license plate reads “namaste.” As the episode progresses, we see Jimmy approach a large gated house with his bowling balls. As he chucks one over the fence, we see it smash part of a car, but when he manages a direct hit with the second one, the “namaste” plate is shown. If that’s not a clear message about Howard’s offer, than we don’t know what is.
Kim’s Effort
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
When Jimmy and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) wake up from their wild night of beer drinking and bottle throwing, they walk to the parking lot together and she feels bad about the glass littering the pavement. While he shrugs it off and says it will be cleaned, our do-gooder Kim can’t help herself and she’s seen sweeping up the mess herself before heading into work. Chatting with Mesa Verde, Kim attempts one last-ditch effort to help the old man Acker (Barry Corbin) with keeping his home.
Presenting facts and figures, Kim’s plan to use a different lot for their call center is sound, but her colleagues aren’t buying it and she has to come up with a new plan. Procuring the help of her criminal lawyer boyfriend, Kim seeks him out in court. He agrees to help with her plan which we later learn includes him basically conning Acker into signing on as a customer, keeping Kim’s hands out of the mess for career reasons and bringing business to him.
Courtroom Antics
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
As Saul, Jimmy continues to push the envelope, and when he meets with the two men who ran around town committing crimes because of his “50% off” deal, they aren’t as keen for his representation when they learn how much that discounted price is. It doesn’t take long for Jimmy to convey that Saul’s representation will prevent their prison time and they agree to his terms. Meanwhile, covering a different case, Saul switches the defendant he’s representing with a man who looks similar to see how good a witness is at identifying the criminal in question. Despite the unconventional standards, we can’t help but admire Saul’s boldness which viewers saw continue on into Breaking Bad.
Mike’s Sticky Situation
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
Continuing his dark path, Mike’s (Jonathan Banks) struggle to stay out of trouble crashes when Stacey (Kerry Condon) tells him that she knows something’s up with him. Until he decides to fix whatever that may be, she refuses to let him babysit but offers up a dinner invite. Eventually we see him cross paths with the neighborhood thugs he threatened earlier this season. Unafraid this time, they circle around him and he begins to fight back. But Mike’s no match for a knife, which one of the men stabs him with. The episode concludes with Mike awaking in an adobe farmhouse setting. From the looks of it, Mike appears to be in Mexico, but there’s little else to reveal the reasoning behind his mysterious location other than that he’s been treated medically for his stab wound.
Mission (Almost) Accomplished
(Credit: Warrick Page/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
As hinted in last week’s episode, Hank and Gomez returned to follow-up on the dead drops Krazy-8 (Max Arciniega) told them about. In a stake-out setting, it’s fun to watch the DEA agents banter about different topics, like the good old days of Bad. Meanwhile, Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) is monitoring the situation from afar as it’s his payload that’s being picked up by the law enforcers. Stationed in the final drop-spot, Hank and Gomez chase after the middleman who shows up, but he escapes after one hell of a car chase and foot race.
The DEA are able to retrieve the goods without the criminal, which means a partial win for Hank and Gomez. But Hank’s not entirely pleased — he feels as though they were cheated. Meanwhile, Gus, who was still at Los Pollos Hermanos, appeared to be creating an alibi when he wouldn’t let his worker, Lyle (Harrison Thomas), leave until the grease fryer was spotless. In the end there’s really no winners in this storyline, but considering Hank’s persistence, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him return to work the case in some capacity before Saul is through.
Better Call Saul, Mondays, 9/8c, AMC
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services