1x05 Alpine Shepherd Boy

The show wouldn't be nearly as deep, but I could totally watch an episode of nothing but Saul courting various oddball clients. The secession guy, the unintentionally erotic toilet guy, and even the hummel figurine woman were all great little comedic scenes that unspooled at just the right pace. There's a certain degree of dark humor in the follow up to Jimmy's seven voicemails and consultations being a series of nutjobs. The way that Bob Odenkirk does his best to play along with whoever he's trying to woo up until the point of ridiculousness is especially great. I always liked him in Breaking Bad (and Mr. Show for that matter) but I think even I may have underrated him as an actor given how subtly but hilariously he plays these scenes.

And then he switches just as effortlessly to drama. The scene in the hospital with his brother conveys so much about the two of them and their relationship without coming out and saying it. Jimmy obviously knows that being in an institution would not only alleviate the burden on him when it comes to Chuck, but that as painful as it would be for his brother, it's probably what's best for him. And yet, Jimmy can't bring himself to do it. He challenges the doctor, calls her distraction test a "dirty trick", and ignores her very reasonable arguments that if Jimmy loves his brother, putting him somewhere that he can be looked after, and maybe rehabilitated, is the safest thing for a man who may not be able to take care of himself.

But Jimmy just can't cross that bridge. It's clear that he owes a lot to his brother, that Chuck not only cleared him out of whatever trouble he was in during the flashback in "Nacho", but that he put Jimmy back on his feet. Regardless of what's best for him, Chuck doesn't want to be in an institution. He wants to be in his home, and as much as Jimmy cares about his brother's wellbeing, he cannot betray Chuck by taking him out of the place that he feels safe, no matter how much of a delusion that is.

And yet, when Hamlin shows up to affirm that Chuck is not insane, Jimmy declares that he will, in fact, have Chuck committed. And for a second, you believe him. For a second, it seems like JImmy's resentment for Hamlin and everything he stands for, not to mention the financial windfall Jimmy would receive if Chuck is declared incompetent and the firm is forced to cash him out, would be enough for Jimmy to overcome his concerns for keeping his brother in some state of happiness, however deluded that state may be. And then, of course, Kim, the oddly anodyne yet no less moral voice on the show tells him that even if it's the right thing to do, Jimmy shouldn't do it like this, and Jimmy reveals that it's just to make Hamlin sweat.

Once Jimmy gets his brother home, the show throws in a detail that makes the younger Mr. McGill's attempt to keep the newspaper from his brother seem a little more noble, and a little less selfish. It turns out that for all the soon-to-be Saul disclaims the idea that he's returned to his Slippin' Jimmy ways, it's not just a fib to avoid his brother's disapprobation; it's an act of kindness out of, at a minimum, the belief that Jimmy's misbehavior cause his brother's psychosomatic illness to worsen. It would not shock me if the show revealed that it was some event involving Jimmy's misbehavior that caused, or at least contributed to, Chuck's condition, or that some later act by Jimmy will send his brother over the edge in that regard.

Chuck's condition has been a little weird from the beginning. Electromagnetism sensitivity is not exactly the same as a peanut allergy. But there's clearly some impetus for it; and Jimmy feels some guilt or responsibility, and that not only deepens the relationship between the two brothers, but adds stakes to every bit of gamesmanship Jimmy employs while trying to get his law office off the ground. Every time he decides to bend the rules a bit, to be a touch underhanded or devious as he drums up business, he has his brother's welfare in the back of his mind, and that makes for an interesting conflict.

Then, just as quickly, the show switches back to comedy, in a marvelous scene were Jimmy works the room at a nursing home after taking Kim's advice that he should steer into the skid of his more frequent clients and go into elder law. The reveal of his face at the bottom of the jello cup was a big laugh, and Jimmy watching old episodes of Matlock to pick up tips on how to convey the image of respectability to an older crowd was an inspired and hilarious turn. Things are looking up for Jimmy, to where he's even friendly with his grumpy acquaintance at the parking gate.

The shift at the end of "The Alpine Shepherd Boy", where the simple exchange of a ticket sends the narrative to follow Mike Ehrmantraut, is admittedly something of an odd one. It feels far more like a lead in to the next episode when contrasted with the fairly self-contained story of Jimmy simultaneously getting his business off the ground and accommodating his brother.

And yet, Jonathan Banks is so good that it's hard to care too much for the bit of discordance. In a single, disgruntled look, he communicates his complete and utter disdain for McGill's offer to help him write a will in another major laugh-worthy moment in the episode. What's more, the brief looks exchanged between Mike and the woman I presume to be his daughter (we saw her briefly in Breaking Bad, right?), and the resigned expression he has after she storms off say a great deal with little-to-no dialogue as well. Banks has proven himself on BB, Community, and here as someone who can convey an incredible amount of gravitas with just his body language and withering looks, and it never ceases to impress.

"Alpine Shepherd Boy" is a tight story about Jimmy breaking into the elder law business and balancing it with his brother's welfare, with just enough of an Ehrmentraut chaser to whet the audience's appetite for what comes next. It was funny; it was a little poignant; and it was thoroughly entertaining. It was also the best episode the series has offered in its early going here.