Bali Ha'i (Better Call Saul)

"Bali Ha'i" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television drama series ''Better Call Saul'', the spinoff series of ''Breaking Bad''. Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by ''Breaking Bad'' cinematographer Michael Slovis, "Bali Ha'i" aired on AMC in the United States on March 21, 2016. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.

Plot

Jimmy McGill finds it difficult to adjust to his new job at D&M. Unable to sleep in his apartment, he returns to his old boiler room office, where he has no trouble falling asleep. The next morning, Jimmy leaves Kim Wexler a voicemail in which he happily sings "Bali Ha'i" from ''South Pacific''. With Chuck McGill's help, Kim is transferred out of HHM's document review room, but is treated coldly by Howard Hamlin, who gives her humiliating and menial assignments, including arguing unwinnable motions in court.

Kim is approached by Rich Schweikart of Schweikart & Cokely, who tells her he was impressed with her performance while arguing a motion she was sure to lose. He offers her a position at S&C that will include better pay and benefits and the promise of meaningful work. Unsure of what to do, Kim relieves her stress by running another con with Jimmy. They fool an investor into giving them $10,000, though the next morning Kim tells Jimmy they will not cash the check, but keep it as a "souvenir". She confides her doubts about whether to move to S&C and expresses jealousy that Jimmy always seems to know what he wants. Though he is increasingly frustrated at D&M, Jimmy lies to Kim and says working at D&M is everything he has always wanted.

Mike Ehrmantraut refuses Hector Salamanca's offer of $5,000 to say the gun found when Tuco Salamanca assaulted him is Mike's, so Hector has his henchmen, including Leonel and Marco Salamanca ( the Cousins), wage a harassment campaign. Stacey and Kaylee Ehrmantraut receive implied and explicit threats, so Mike agrees to take responsibility for the gun, but only if he is paid $50,000. Hector agrees, and Mike later gives $25,000 to Nacho Varga to reimburse him for the money Nacho paid Mike to get Tuco arrested. When Nacho questions the payment, Mike argues that he owes Nacho since Tuco's reduced sentence means Mike did not live up to the terms of their agreement.

Reception

Ratings

Upon airing, the episode received 2.11 million American viewers, and an 18–49 rating of 0.9.

Critical reception

The episode received very positive reviews from critics. It holds a perfect 100% positive rating with an average score of 8.38 out of 10 on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' consensus reads: "Bali Ha'i," with a calm-before-the-storm approach, subtly shows nuanced character performance work while brilliantly eliminating trusted tropes and providing a desired focus on Kim and Mike.

Terri Schwartz of IGN gave the episode an 8.3 rating, writing "The Cousins are back as Hector Salamanca makes things personal for Mike."

For this episode, Jonathan Banks was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.

References

External links

"Bali Ha'i"
at AMC
*

{{Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul (season 2) episodes
Television episodes written by Gennifer Hutchison