Breaking Down ‘Saul’, Season 4, Episode 8: “Coushatta”

“Let’s do it again.”

Better Call Saul has this marvelous way of pulling out the stops when you least expect it, and “Coushatta” is no exception. It turns out we don’t actually know Kim. Maybe we never really have. Just when we thought she was going to stay on the straight and narrow and leave Jimmy behind, she joined the game in a way most of us never saw coming. Following Kim’s art supply haul, Jimmy hops on a bus to Huell’s Louisiana hometown, Coushatta, and enlists the help of his fellow passengers to write thousands of letters in Huell’s support. They mail them to the judge responsible for handling the case, irritating him and sending the ADA into a spiral as she tries to hunt down the truth behind these insane letters. This is an extremely intricate scheme, one that involves drop phones, hilarious accents (I am genuinely going to be laughing about Bob Odenkirk’s bayou pastor for weeks), and the help of Jimmy’s student filmmaker friends. By some miracle, it all works out – and immediately after their victory, Kim pushes Jimmy up against a courthouse wall and plants a big one on him.

 

Are Jimmy and Kim back? As they snuggle in bed and Jimmy puts on his ridiculous Louisiana accent, there’s an ease and comfort between them we haven’t seen in a while. When they share a cigarette later, bringing to mind their parking garage rendezvous. Jimmy promises to Kim that he won’t get into these kinds of shenanigans again. But that’s not what Kim wants to hear. Kim wants to do it again. This is both fun and unsettling, leaving us with a thousand questions about what it means for Kim’s inevitable pre-Breaking Bad fate. I’m admittedly extremely hesitant to get excited about their partnership, because it can’t possibly bode well for her future. But I’m going to try my best to enjoy this new honeymoon phase while I can. (Side note: how NICE was it to see them finally get intimate? The general space between them on an episode-to-episode basis ensured that this big ol’ kiss and celebration sex packed so much more of a punch.)

Mike and Werner bond over beers and take the boys out for an evening of broads and booze, and Kai (predictably) gets kicked out of the club for being too handsy with one of the women. Mike pays off the bouncer and the woman in question for her trouble and heads back to Werner – only to find he’s opened his big, drunk mouth about his secret Albuquerque project to some strangers at the bar. The consequences aren’t as dire as one might expect from Gus and Mike, but Mike does retreat further into isolation, away from Werner, losing who appeared to be his only friend as of late. Gus, by the way, is not thrilled about the Superlab’s progress. Let’s hope they pick up the pace.

 

There’s an air of tragedy that lingers in “Coushatta”, and Nacho is at the heart of it, giving us seriously sad Jesse Pinkman vibes as he goes through the daily motions of living large on drug money. He collects money from his dealers, rips out earrings from the ears of disappointments, takes care of who appear to be a few junkies lounging on the couch in his high-tech hideaway. Nacho might have thought getting Hector out of the picture solved all his problems, but the arrival of a new Salamanca, Eduardo, makes it painfully clear that there’s no easy way out. “You’re gonna die!” Eduardo tells Nacho, asking him to try a dish he made. He might be smiling as he says it, but the unusually heavy-handed delivery hints at something more sinister.

Besides the obvious Zafiro Añejo tequila callback and Jimmy’s oft-worn American Samoa sweatshirt, “Coushatta” got up close and personal with some Breaking Bad territory a couple times – so let’s take a look what Gilligan & Gould left for us this week.

What do we have?

Jimmy checks out an office for his future law practice before Kim comes to talk to him.

Seem familiar?

We don’t know for sure, but it sure seems like this shithole could wind up being Saul Goodman’s Breaking Bad digs, first seen in Season 2, Episode 8, “Better Call Saul“.

What do we have? 

Nacho comes into the restaurant to do business as usual, only to find a stranger in his kitchen who tells him he’s going to be watching over things for a bit.

Seem familiar?

That’s the ever-anticipated Eduardo “Lalo” Salamanca, first mentioned by Saul in the aforementioned Breaking Bad Season 2, Episode 8, “Better Call Saul”.

We have a feeling next week is going to deliver some serious gut punches, so we’ll see you then, friends.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She is also a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Where to Stream Better Call Saul