‘Better Call Saul’ recap: Dark side lures Jimmy, Kim to ‘come away’

Both Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) and his girlfriend, Kimberly Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), hear a siren’s call to “come away, come away” from their dead-end law jobs and step into the dark side on “Bali Ha’i,” Episode 206 of AMC’s “Better Call Saul.”

Even though Jimmy gained a generous income, corporate housing and luxury automobile by joining Davis & Main, he chafes under the micromanagement of junior associate Erin (Jessie Ennis). It’s Jimmy’s punishment for infuriating the law partners by airing a cheesy TV commercial without permission.

Nostalgic for his previous post as a public defender, Jimmy visits his old office, a tiny room inside a nail salon. The owner, Mrs. Nguyen (Eileen Fogarty), is unsympathetic.

“You don’t like your job? Boo hoo, poor baby,” she mocks Jimmy. “No one gives us free cars!”

At Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill, Kim lost respect and autonomy because she staked her reputation on Jimmy’s professionalism. So it’s not surprising that when Kim goes to court on a procedural matter, her vengeful boss Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) fails to provide backup.

The opposing counsel, Rick Schweikart (Dennis Boutsikaris), admires that Kim “went down swinging” against formidable odds. Then he invites her to apply for his firm.

“Just think what you could do with our resources and the freedom to really spread your wings,” Rick says. “And to be clear, I’m talking partner track.”

Unsure whether she wants to switch jobs or follow an entirely different path, Kim impulsively decides to con an adulterous engineer who tries to pick her up at a bar. She calls Jimmy, who eagerly serves as an accomplice.

“How fast can you get downtown?” Kim gleefully asks. “I’ve got a live one on the hook!”

Posing as brother and sister, Jimmy and Kim claim they’re launching a lucrative online business. When they leave the bar, they’re $10,000 richer after the gullible engineer thinks he made a surefire investment.

The next morning, Kim claims to be excited about her new job opportunity, even though she has mixed feelings. And she apologizes for steering Jimmy into Davis & Main.

“I keep thinking of you floating in that pool,” Kim says, recalling the time when Jimmy happily decided to “let the universe” guide his career moves. “You knew what you wanted, but I got in the way.”

“I’m good. I got what I wanted,” Jimmy maintains. But Kim knows he’s faking.

Meanwhile, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) refuses to tell authorities that an illegal gun found at a crime scene belongs to him, not murderous drug dealer Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz).

In Episode 204, Mike and Nacho Varga (Michael Mando) launched a scheme to put Tuco behind bars for up to a decade. The plan worked when Mike provoked an assault by Tuco just as police arrived.

However, Tuco’s Uncle Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) from the Juarez drug cartel insists that Mike mislead authorities by claiming he owns the gun. That way Tuco receives a lighter sentence.

“I say the word,” Hector threatens Mike, “my nephews go to a certain motel and pay a visit to your daughter-in-law and your little granddaughter. What do you think happens then? Consider your position carefully.”

But Mike doesn’t back down in demanding $50,000 for lying about the gun.

“I get my money or neither of us walk out of here,” Mike calmly says. Hector relents with a laugh.

Later that night, Mike gives Nacho half the cash.

“We made a deal. I didn’t hold up my end,” Mike says. “Your problem is coming back sooner than we expected.”

Meaning, of course, crazed Tuco will rejoin New Mexico’s drug trade far too quickly.

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