16x05 Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab

[7.6/10] I am not a fair judge of this episode. I love Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, so simply having Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul play a major role in the episode, one that plays on their T.V. personas and line of celebrity liquor, is going to be a delight for me regardless.

But I think that’s what this episode is banking on. In truth, it probably needed an extra five minutes or so to wrap things up and tie them together. I kept expecting some payoff with both Dee and Charlie barfing given their respective poor consumption choices, and The Gang to come out with their goldschlager/jagermeister blend with some far less momentous celebrity endorsement. But I can't complain too loudly when the whole thing climaxes with a fun back-and-forth between Cranston and Paul, replete with Cranston doing a Vince Gilligan-inspired monologue.

Does it make a lot of sense? No. Is it still extremely enjoyable? Absolutely.

But the humor and comic chaos here is all solid. I love the running gag that The Gang has no idea about Breaking Bad, only recognizes Cranston for Malcolm in the Middle, and thinks that Paul is a grown up Freddy Muniz. The fact that they refer to Paul as “Mr. Malcolm” and make gags about him not being “in the middle” but rather “on top” now is a hoot.

I also love the dynamic between Crnaston and Paul. Playing against type with their dynamic from Breaking Bad, to where now Paul is the controlling mastermind and Cranston is the lovable dope is a lot of fun. The parallels to the relationship between Dennis and Mac helps heighten things in an amusing way. An even when it ends in a “just kidding”, Cranston’s “I was feigning deference to you this whole time while secretly setting you up” is great in both how serious it’s played in the moment, while also being inherently ridiculous since it’s founded on the celebrity booze racket. Cranston is particularly good here, as his dopey routines about “The Great White Way” and not losing touch with the working man are amusingly earnest and adorable.

The other ancillary parts of the episode are great too. Everyone having something to pitch, from ill-fitting suits to a $35M plane is a laugh. Mac trying to emulate 90s Michael Jordan and mistaking random dudes for Jalen Hurts got a chuckle out of me. The Gang finally having an interaction with Gritty was well-done and appropriately looney. And I got a big kick out of Charlie’s scheme to create “nickel-schlager -- the working man’s spirit” until it leaves him unable to make it through a metal detector and puking in the alley. Honestly, this is the best The Gang’s dynamic has been all season, with their barroom conversation about the perfect “blend” seeming particularly on point. That’s the benefit of having Day, McElhenny, and Howerton as the writers again.

Overall, this is a bout of celebrity cameoing that is no less crass or transparent than the jokes about celebrity booze, but damn if it didn’t work on me anyway.