Dedicado a Max

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"Dedicado a Max"
Better Call Saul episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 5
Directed byJim McKay
Written byHeather Marion
Original air dateMarch 16, 2020 (2020-03-16)
Running time50 minutes
Guest appearances
  • Dr. Barry Goodman
  • Rich Schweikart
  • Kevin Wachtell
  • Paige Novick
  • Everett Acker
  • Viola Goto
  • Sobchak
  • John DiMaggio as The Construction Foreman
  • Alejandra Flores as Mrs. Cortazar
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Namaste" 		Next →
"Wexler v. Goodman"
Better Call Saul season 5
List of episodes

"Dedicado a Max" (

streaming service Netflix
.

In the episode, Mike awakes in Mexico at one of Gus' ranches after the beatdown in the previous episode. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Kim draw themselves closer in the Acker vs. Mesa Verde case.

Plot

Dr. Barry Goodman, who cautions him to stay and heal in the care of Señora Cortazar, the housekeeper and cook. Mike calls Gus to learn his intent, but Gus hangs up. Days later, Gus arrives and asks for Mike's help. Mike refuses to become a "button man
" and engage in killing simply to further Gus's war against the Salamancas, but Gus says he wants Mike with him because Mike understands Gus's need for revenge.

Rich Schweikart
encourages Kevin to follow Kim's plan to locate Mesa Verde's call center at an alternate site, but Kevin adamantly demands Acker's eviction.

Kim resigns herself to Acker's eviction. Jimmy suggests they could find "dirt" on Kevin and blackmail him into compromising but also counsels against doing it. Kim decides to proceed against Kevin, and Jimmy agrees. After Mike refuses the job, Jimmy hires

Sobchak
, who surveils Kevin and surreptitiously searches his house. Sobchak tells Jimmy and Kim that his search of Kevin's home revealed nothing damaging. Jimmy dismisses Sobchak from their meeting at his office in the nail salon after Sobchak suggests kidnapping Kevin to get more information. Kim's knowing smile as she looks through Sobchak's photos indicates she has found something she can use against Kevin. Rich suggests to Kim that she temporarily disengage from all Mesa Verde business, correctly deducing that Jimmy's hiring as Acker's lawyer is no coincidence. She angrily refuses and confronts him in front of their associates.

Production

On the Better Call Saul Insider podcast, showrunner Peter Gould said Mike's scenes in this episode were partially inspired by the television show The Prisoner. Gould said that while Mike was not trapped on Gus' villa as with The Prisoner, the idea of being stuck in one place and using that as a form of self-reflection helped move Mike's character from what was established within Better Call Saul toward what audiences had come to know within Breaking Bad, through Gus showing Mike a more personal side while standing next to the fountain that reminds Gus of Max.[1] Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Gus, described in an interview with Variety that the idea of the villa setting was for Gus to share with Mike the idea of the utopia that Gus wanted, one where there may be need for enforcement via the armed guards, but otherwise everyone was free to enjoy life. Esposito said the scene was to try to show Mike how this setting contrasted with what was happening with events in Albuquerque with Lalo disrupting Gus' operations, and why Gus needed to recruit Mike to help.[2]

Sobchak instead.[3]

Reception

"Dedicado a Max" was well received by critics. At Rotten Tomatoes, it received a perfect 100% approval from 14 reviews with an average 7.93/10 review rating, with a summary "It's all coming together in "Dedicado a Max," a callback-heavy installment that thrillingly expands on the characters of Mike and Kim, with Rhea Seehorn's performance a highlight."[5]

Ratings

"Dedicado a Max" was watched by 1.45 million viewers on its first broadcast,[6] which was an increase from the previous week of 1.22 million.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b As seen in "Namaste".
  2. ^ As seen in "The Guy for This".

References

  1. ^ Topel, Fred (March 19, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Creator Peter Gould Explains Why Gus Fring Sent Mike to Mexico". Cheat Sheet. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Schneider, Michael (July 8, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Star Giancarlo Esposito Reflects on Gus Recruiting Mike in Season 5". Variety. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (August 1, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Writer on Finally Entering the World of 'Breaking Bad'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  4. ^ Mullen, Amanda (September 27, 2021). "'Better Call Saul': Why Bill Burr Didn't Return for the 'Breaking Bad' Prequel". Showbiz Cheatsheet. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "Dedicado a Max". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 17, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.16.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  7. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.

External links

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