"Chicanery" is the fifth episode of the
third season of the
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
television series ''
Better Call Saul
''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'', the spinoff series of ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
''. The episode aired on May 8, 2017 on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in several countries.
Plot
Opening
In a flashback to 2001,
Jimmy McGill
James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad''. He appears as a major character ...
aids
Chuck McGill
Charles Lindbergh "Chuck" McGill Jr. is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off prequel of ''Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Michael McKean and was created by Vince Gilligan and ...
as he attempts to reconcile with
Rebecca Bois
''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...
during dinner at Chuck's house. Rebecca does not know Chuck believes he suffers from
EHS and answers a call on her cellular phone, which causes Chuck to panic and knock the phone out of her hands.
Main story
In 2003, Jimmy asks
Dr. Caldera
'' Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its ...
if he knows "someone with a light touch" who is willing to do a job. After a successful hearing before the banking board,
Kim Wexler
Kimberly Kim Wexler is a fictional Character (arts), character from the television series ''Better Call Saul'', a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Breaking Bad''. Kim is primarily portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, and was created by Vince Gilligan and P ...
informs
Paige Novick
''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...
and
Kevin Wachtell
'' Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...
of Chuck's allegations that Jimmy tampered with Mesa Verde documents, which they dismiss as Chuck's anger at making a mistake.
The bar association's attorney intends to use Jimmy's taped confession, and Kim knows Chuck will testify to its authenticity, allowing Kim and Jimmy to cross-examine Chuck and bring up his EHS. She suggests in her opening that the real story is not Jimmy's supposed crimes, but the feud between Jimmy and Chuck.
The hearing room is arranged to accommodate Chuck's EHS and
Howard Hamlin
Howard Hamlin is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off prequel of '' Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Patrick Fabian and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Hamlin i ...
testifies that Chuck did not want to hire Jimmy as an attorney at HHM, supposedly to avoid the appearance of nepotism. Kim points out that HHM hired Howard even though he was the founding partner's son. Jimmy's confession is played for the committee.
Chuck arrives to testify and bumps into
Huell Babineaux
'' Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its ...
. To Chuck's surprise, Jimmy arrives with Rebecca. She explains that Jimmy contacted her out of concern for Chuck's well-being, but Chuck tells her Jimmy called her as a psychological tactic to disrupt Chuck's testimony.
During cross-examination, Jimmy raises Chuck's EHS and asks him to identify the closest source of electricity. Chuck guesses Jimmy is attempting a trick and asks if Jimmy has something in his pocket. Jimmy reveals his cell phone and Chuck correctly guesses Jimmy has removed the battery. Jimmy then asks Chuck to reach into his own pocket and Chuck pulls out the phone battery. Jimmy reveals Huell planted the battery on Chuck when they bumped into each other. Though Chuck has carried it for nearly two hours, he has not been affected by his supposed EHS. When the bar association's attorney argues that Chuck's apparent mental illness is irrelevant in the context of the charges against Jimmy, Chuck becomes offended and rants angrily about Jimmy's dishonest behavior. He stops mid-sentence, realizing his tirade has shocked everyone into silence.
Production
The episode is directed by
Daniel Sackheim
Daniel Sackheim (born in 1962) is an American television and film director, producer, and photographer. Sackheim has produced and directed for ''The X-Files'', ''Law & Order'', ''House'' and ''NYPD Blue''. He also directed '' The Walking Dead,'' ...
, a first-time director on the show, and written by
Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to:
In politics
*Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church
* Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician
* Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...
, who previously wrote the season 2 episode "
Inflatable
An inflatable is an object that can be inflated with a gas, usually with air, but hydrogen, helium and nitrogen are also used. One of several advantages of an inflatable is that it can be stored in a small space when not inflated, since inflata ...
".
This episode is the first time
Jonathan Banks
Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Chillum Heights, Maryland, while attending Indiana University Bloomington Banks did theatre. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles where he be ...
, who had appeared in every episode in the series up to that point, did not make an appearance as
Mike
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
.
Lavell Crawford
Lavell Crawford (born November 11, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Huell Babineaux in ''Breaking Bad'' (2011–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2017–2022). He also played the role of ...
reprises his role as Huell Babineaux from ''Breaking Bad'' after last appearing in the
season 5
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
episode "
To'hajiilee
"To'hajiilee" is the 13th episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series '' Breaking Bad'', and the 59th episode overall. Written by George Mastras and directed by Michelle MacLaren, it aired on AMC in the United States and C ...
".
Reception
Ratings
Upon airing, the episode received 1.76 million American viewers, and an 18–49 rating of 0.7. With Live+7 viewing factored in, the episode had an overall audience of 4.16 million viewers, and a 1.6 18–49 rating.
Critical reception
![MichaelMcKeanApr09cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/MichaelMcKeanApr09cropped.jpg)
The episode received universal acclaim from critics, with many considering it to be one of the best of the series. Terri Schwartz of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
awarded the episode 10 out of 10, describing it as "the best episode of ''Better Call Saul'' to date".
It holds a 100% on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
with an average of 9.5/10 based on 14 reviews. The site consensus reads: "The war between Jimmy and Chuck comes to an unprecedented climax in the heartbreaking, sober, and defining 'Chicanery', an episode that clearly cements ''Better Call Saul'' as essential television."
TVLine
''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs.
History
In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...
named
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...
the "Performer of the Week" for his performance in this episode, writing it was the "finest showcase yet for his fascinatingly layered performance as Jimmy's brother Chuck McGill." Donna Bowman of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', who gave the episode an "A" rating, praised the courtroom scene, saying "it isn't just to give us the satisfaction of a courtroom drama, the neat ending where the truth comes out. The brilliance of this structure is to give us a slow-motion view of the heavens falling, an outcome methodically pursued by Kim and Jimmy, which nevertheless seems to give them no satisfaction."
At the
69th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2016 until May 31, 2017, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the Mi ...
,
Skip Macdonald
Skip Macdonald is an American film and television editor known for his work on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), its spin-off series ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022), and the 2019 sequel film '' El Camino''. He also edited several episodes for ...
was nominated for
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, and
Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to:
In politics
*Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church
* Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician
* Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...
was nominated for
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for this episode, his second for the series. Smith was awarded the
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949.
Eligibility
Th ...
for
Episodic Drama. Many critics were disappointed when McKean, who was said to have given "one of the best performances by anyone in TV all year", failed to secure an Emmy nomination while his co-star Jonathan Banks did.
Analysis
The episode's final scene is an
homage
Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to:
History
*Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance
*Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts
*Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
to the climactic courtroom scene in ''
The Caine Mutiny
''The Caine Mutiny'' is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the moral ...
'', in which a suspicious, authoritarian, by-the-book Navy captain cracks under cross-examination.
Uproxx
''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...
noted that even the facial expressions of "Chicanery's" three committee members mirror those of three judges in ''Caine''.
(The film—which
Vince Gilligan
George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of AMC's ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2 ...
counts among his favorites—is also referenced in the ''Breaking Bad'' episode "
Madrigal
A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number o ...
", in which Mike can be seen watching it.)
[
]
In popular culture
Chuck's monologue at the end has been subject to many Internet memes
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
.
On March 24, 2020, a Subreddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
named r/okbuddychicanery (itself a parody of the popular r/okbuddyretard subreddit) was created. It features satirical and ironic memes
A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
and shitposts
In Internet culture, shitposting, trashposting, or funposting is the act of using an online forum or social media page to post content that is satirical and of "aggressively, ironically, and trollishly poor quality", an online analog of trash t ...
around ''Better Call Saul
''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'' and ''Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'', many of which are parodies of Chuck's monologue. As of October 2022 it has over 200,000 members.
References
External links
"Chicanery"
at AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
*
{{WritersGuildofAmericaEpisodicDramaScreenplay
Better Call Saul (season 3) episodes
Television episodes directed by Daniel Sackheim
Internet memes introduced in 2017