Breathe (Better Call Saul)
"Breathe" | |
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Better Call Saul episode | |
Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 2 |
Directed by | Michelle MacLaren |
Written by | Thomas Schnauz |
Original air date | August 13, 2018 |
Running time | 46 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Breathe" is the second episode of the fourth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on August 13, 2018, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.
Plot
Gus learns that
Nacho and Arturo arrive at the Los Pollos Hermanos chicken farm to pick up their share of the next drug shipment. Arturo strongarms Gus's men for an extra kilo as he saw Nacho do on a previous occasion.[b] As they leave, Arturo brags about his success, but Gus ambushes them and suffocates Arturo with a plastic bag. He then tells Nacho that he knows Nacho switched Hector's medication but has not told the Salamancas, so Nacho is now under his control.
Production
The episode's centerpiece, Kim's confrontation with Howard over how he has treated Jimmy in the wake of Chuck's death, was written by the series' executive producer Thomas Schnauz. The writers considered how both Howard and Kim had been reacting to Jimmy, with Howard feeling guilt for ousting Chuck from HHM and believing it led to Chuck's suicide, and Kim aware that something was causing Jimmy to feel emotionally hurt, but neither aware of Jimmy's role in Chuck's ouster. This led the writers to consider the situation between the characters from Kim's point of view, rather than Jimmy's. When coupled with Howard's past treatment of Kim, they believed the interplay between Howard and Kim would result in a powerfully emotional scene.[1]
One scene in "Breathe" shows Mike watching his granddaughter Kaylee on a playground swing. This shot was added as an Easter egg, as it is similar to a scene in the Breaking Bad episode "Say My Name", which was Mike's final appearance.[2] In "Say My Name", Mike is watching Kaylee swing in a park when he learns that the DEA is about to arrest him, and he is forced to flee without saying goodbye. Both "Say My Name" and "Breathe" were written by Thomas Schnauz.
Reception
"Breathe" received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a 94% rating with an average score of 8.4/10 based on 17 reviews. The site consensus reads, "Better Call Saul's exceptional ensemble continues its excellent character work in 'Breathe'."[3] Matt Fowler of IGN gave "Breathe" a positive review, with an 8.8 out of 10 rating and wrote that the episode "was a sublime example of how an excellently-crafted, extended scene, featuring impeccable character beats, can easily outshine the grit and grime of TV's natural tendency to wow us with shocking violence."[4]
Ratings
"Breathe" was watched by 1.55 million viewers in the United States on its original air date.[5]
Notes
- ^ As seen in "Alpine Shepherd Boy".
- ^ As seen in "Off Brand".
References
- ^ McLevy, Alex (August 13, 2018). "Better Call Saul's co-creator sheds some light on tonight's explosive confrontation". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Better Call Saul Easter Egg: Season 4, Episode 2". AMC. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Breathe". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ Fowler, Matt (August 13, 2018). "Better Call Saul: "Breathe" Review". IGN. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ Welch, Alex (August 14, 2018). "Monday cable ratings: 'WWE Raw' ticks up, 'Better Call Saul' dips". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.