"Bagman" | |
---|---|
Better Call Saul episode | |
Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 8 |
Directed by | Vince Gilligan |
Written by | Gordon Smith |
Featured music | "I Got The..." by Labi Siffre |
Cinematography by | Marshall Adams |
Editing by |
|
Original air date | April 6, 2020 |
Running time | 53 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
"Bagman" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American crime drama television series Better Call Saul , the spinoff series of Breaking Bad . Written by Gordon Smith and directed by Vince Gilligan, the episode aired on April 6, 2020, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered in several countries on Netflix.
In the episode, Jimmy McGill agrees to travel to the desert as a "bagman" to pick up the $7 million that will serve as bail money for Lalo Salamanca. While returning with the money, Jimmy finds himself in the middle of a shootout, where he is saved by Mike Ehrmantraut. Together, the pair begin their journey back to civilization, while Jimmy's wife, Kim Wexler, begins to get worried.
The episode's director, Gilligan, said that "Bagman" was one of the most challenging episodes he had to direct in his career. "Bagman" took 18 days to film, which was nine days more than average episodes, and was shot on location at the Tohajiilee Indian Reservation, with Marshall Adams serving as a cinematographer for the episode. Additionally, Daniel and Luis Moncada made guest appearances in the episode as the Cousins, Leonel and Marco Salamanca.
In its initial airing, "Bagman" was seen by 1.42 million viewers in the United States. The episode received universal acclaim from critics, who called it one of the best episodes of Better Call Saul. At the Primetime Emmy Awards, the episode received three nominations, for Outstanding Sound Editing, Outstanding Sound Mixing, and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
The Cousins arrive at a Mexican cartel site to pick up Lalo Salamanca's bail money. As they depart, an informant makes a telephone call to report their presence. Lalo gives Jimmy McGill directions to a remote desert pickup site. Jimmy reluctantly agrees to pick up the money in exchange for a $100,000 payment. Kim Wexler begs Jimmy not to go, saying he is an attorney, not a "bagman" for drug dealers, but he says he will do it because it will be easy and no one will suspect him of being the courier. The next morning, the Cousins deliver two duffel bags of cash to Jimmy at the pickup site.
Soon after Jimmy starts his return trip, several vehicles cut him off. Numerous gunmen exit, take the money, and prepare to kill him. The gunmen are suddenly attacked by an unknown shooter. All but one are killed, and their vehicles are disabled. The surviving gunman escapes in the only drivable vehicle. The unseen shooter was Mike Ehrmantraut, who was tracking Jimmy for Gus Fring. Mike finds his truck was also disabled in the shootout, so he places a still-shaken Jimmy and the money in Jimmy's car and begins driving back to Albuquerque. Jimmy's car soon breaks down. With no cell phone coverage and no vehicle, they push the car over the edge of the road and walk cross-country with the money in order to avoid the surviving gunman. As they camp overnight, Jimmy tells Mike that Kim knows of his work for Lalo; Mike warns Jimmy that if she knows details about the Salamancas, Kim is now "in the game." Jimmy and Mike resume their trek the following morning.
When Jimmy fails to return, Kim poses as Lalo's attorney to visit him in prison. She tells him she is Jimmy's wife and asks for Jimmy's location so she can search. Lalo refuses and tells her Jimmy will be fine because he is a survivor. A dehydrated and sunburned Jimmy reaches his limit and collapses. Mike spots the surviving gunman, but rather than hide as Mike directs, Jimmy regains his motivation and walks onto the road to attract the gunman's attention. When the gunman is close enough, Mike shoots and kills him. The gunman's vehicle flips and is destroyed. Jimmy and Mike resume walking, this time on the road.
"Bagman" was directed by series co-creator Vince Gilligan, who considered the episode one of the most challenging episodes he had to direct in his career. [1] Gilligan had made arrangements to direct one episode in the fifth season after completing post-production of El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie . Both co-showrunner Peter Gould and writer Gordon Smith, knowing this would be Gilligan's episode, planned for his directorial skills and continually teased Gilligan that the episode was well-suited for him in the weeks prior to filming. [2] They had compared the episode to Lawrence of Arabia in terms of how they wanted it to look, and even had considered renting out the lens used to film that movie, but were worried about the liability if they had damaged it. [1]
The episode took over 18 days to shoot, compared to the average of nine days for most other episodes. Most of the filming location was located on the To'hajiilee Indian Reservation, about two hours outside of Albuquerque by car, though the pickup location where Jimmy meets the Cousins was only about 15 minutes away from the Albuquerque studios. [1] [2] Gilligan credited his production team for making sure the cast and crew were protected from heat and had plenty of water to assure the shoot went on without any issues. [2] Gilligan wanted Bob Odenkirk to employ method acting techniques, and did supply him with a pair of heavy tote bags to carry. [1] Gilligan praised the script from Smith, which he felt established the bond between Mike and Jimmy that was seen in Breaking Bad but otherwise absent in Better Call Saul previously. [1] Gilligan's associate producer Jenn Carroll and assistant Melissa Ng helped to identify elements to add to Smith's script to further connect the relationship between Mike and Jimmy to what was seen in Breaking Bad. [2]
The shootout scene between Mike and the gunmen was a challenge for Gilligan, and he considered it "the most complicated single scene I've ever directed". [1] He wanted to have Odenkirk visible in all shots, even while the stuntmen and practical effects were going off around him, as to show the shootout from Jimmy's point of view as much as possible. The overall sequence took about four to five days to complete. [1] To film the scene with the flipping truck while Jimmy was in-shot, a temporary green screen was placed on site. Odenkirk's reaction in front of the screen was filmed first, followed by the truck flip without changing the camera's location after Odenkirk and the screen were removed. [3] The Suzuki Esteem that had been shot up and pushed into a gully was a duplicate of the one they normally used in filming; the original was still kept at the local studios, allowing them to reuse it for any later flashback scenes as needed. [4]
In its initial broadcast, "Bagman" was watched by 1.42 million viewers in the United States, ranking 29th amongst other American original cable telecasts that aired the same day, and gained a 0.32 rating from the Nielsen Media Research firm. [5]
"For a long time, the prequel series lacked an 'Ozymandias' – the Rian Johnson-directed, action-packed 60th episode of Breaking Bad ... 'Ozymandias' has been rightly heralded as a near-perfect mini-movie. And now, after five seasons, Better Call Saul has delivered an episode to rival Breaking Bad's best. What's more, Saul accomplished this remarkable feat without having to imitate its former series."
—Bradley Russell [6]
"Bagman" received acclaim from critics, with many calling it one of the best episodes of the series. [7] On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 100% rating with an average 9.83 out of 10 score based on 13 reviews. The critical consensus is, "Jimmy undergoes a trial by gunfire in 'Bagman,' an unpredictable installment that is given blockbuster suspense by Vince Gilligan's direction." [8] The episode, with numerous long takes with Jimmy and Mike in desert scenes, has been visually and thematically compared to Gilligan's previous works in both El Camino and the Breaking Bad episode "4 Days Out", as well as to the 2007 film No Country for Old Men . [9] [10] [11]
Writing for Rolling Stone , Alan Sepinwall lauded the episode for its premise, cinematography, visuals, and acting, stating that "[Better Call Saul] can get hemmed in by the demands of being a prequel, particularly on the drug side of things, but its individual moments can feel even deeper and more artfully crafted." [11] Steve Greene from IndieWire and Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly both gave the episode a grade rating of an "A", with the pair praising the unpredictability of the episode as well as its visual style, and Franich calling it "a marvel to look at, scenes staged with sweaty-exquisite perfection". [9] [12] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode 5 out of 5 stars, who considered it to be one of the best of the series, especially praising Gilligan's direction. [13] Kenny Herzog of Vulture also gave the episode 5 out of 5 stars, noting that Kim's decision to ask Lalo about Jimmy's whereabouts was a consequential decision that would cause her to be "in the game." [14]
Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" rating, praising the character developments of Saul and Kim, as well as the main desert sequences. [15] David Segal, from The New York Times , lauded the episode's ending, stating that "It takes nerve and skill to tell a story as grueling as the one told in "Bagman". There is no end. At least there is no end to the suffering." [10] On April 11, TVLine named Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks the "Performers of the Week" for their performances in this episode. [16]
James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a fictional 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 in Breaking Bad (2009–2013) and as the titular protagonist of its spin-off Better Call Saul (2015–2022).
Better Call Saul is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the Breaking Bad franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), to which it serves primarily as a prequel, with some scenes taking place during and after the events of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and ended on August 15, 2022, after six seasons consisting of 63 episodes.
Gustavo Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the Breaking Bad franchise, serving as the main antagonist in the crime drama series Breaking Bad and a major character in its prequel Better Call Saul. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwestern United States who uses several legitimate businesses, including a chain of successful fast food restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos and an industrial laundry facility called Lavandería Brillante, as fronts used to launder money for a vast drug operation.
"Uno" is the series premiere of the television series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode was written by series creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, and directed by Gilligan. In the United States, the episode aired on February 8, 2015 and lasted 50 minutes and 55 seconds, on AMC. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.
The first season of the American television drama series Better Call Saul premiered on February 8, 2015, and concluded on April 6, 2015. The ten-episode season was broadcast on Monday nights in the United States on AMC, excluding the first episode which aired on a Sunday. A spin-off of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, both of whom also worked on Breaking Bad.
Kimberly "Kim" Wexler is a fictional character in the television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off of Breaking Bad. Kim is primarily portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. An intelligent and proficient lawyer, she is the confidant and love interest of Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman, whom she later marries. Kim's characterization and Seehorn's performance have received critical acclaim, earning her two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nominations.
The fourth season of the American television drama series Better Call Saul premiered on August 6, 2018, and concluded on October 8, 2018. The fourth season consists of 10 episodes and aired on Mondays at 9:00 pm (Eastern) in the United States on AMC. A spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, both of whom also worked on Breaking Bad.
"Coushatta" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on September 24, 2018, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on the streaming service Netflix in several countries.
Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off prequel and sequel to Breaking Bad. He is portrayed by Tony Dalton, with the character being created by Peter Gould and screenwriter Gordon Smith respectively. Lalo is introduced in the show's fourth season but was originally mentioned in dialogue from the Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul" that introduces Saul Goodman, though Lalo does not appear in the series.
The fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul premiered on February 23, 2020, in the United States, and concluded on April 20, 2020. The ten-episode season was broadcast on Mondays at 9:00 pm (Eastern) in the United States, except for the premiere which aired on a Sunday. Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, and Giancarlo Esposito reprise their roles from previous seasons and are joined by Tony Dalton, promoted to the main cast from his recurring role in the previous season. Better Call Saul is a spin-off prequel to Breaking Bad and was also created by Vince Gilligan; co-creator Peter Gould also worked on the series.
"Wine and Roses" is the first episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. Michael Morris directed the episode written by Peter Gould. It aired back-to-back with "Carrot and Stick" on April 18, 2022, on AMC and AMC+. In several countries outside the United States and Canada, it premiered on Netflix the following day.
The sixth and final season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul premiered on April 18, 2022, in the United States, and concluded on August 15, 2022. The thirteen-episode season was broadcast on Mondays at 9:00 pm (Eastern) in the United States on AMC and its streaming service AMC+. Each episode was released on Netflix the day after in certain international markets. The season was split into two parts; the first consisting of the first seven episodes concluded on May 23, before resuming with the second half consisting of the final six episodes on July 11. Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Tony Dalton, and Giancarlo Esposito reprise their roles from previous seasons. Better Call Saul is a spin-off, prequel and sequel of Breaking Bad created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.
"Something Unforgivable" is the tenth and final episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on April 20, 2020, on AMC in the United States and Canada. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.
"Carrot and Stick" is the second episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. Vince Gilligan directed the episode written by Thomas Schnauz and Ariel Levine. The episode aired back-to-back with "Wine and Roses" on April 18, 2022, on AMC and AMC+. In several countries outside the United States and Canada, the episode premiered on Netflix the following day.
"Hit and Run" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. Actress Rhea Seehorn directed the episode written by Ann Cherkis. The episode aired on May 2, 2022, on AMC and AMC+. In several countries outside the United States and Canada, the episode premiered on Netflix the following day.
"Black and Blue" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. Melissa Bernstein directed the episode written by Alison Tatlock. The episode aired on May 9, 2022, on AMC and AMC+. In several countries outside the United States and Canada, the episode premiered on Netflix the following day.
"Axe and Grind" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. Actor Giancarlo Esposito directed the episode written by Ariel Levine. The episode aired on May 16, 2022, on AMC and AMC+. In several countries outside the United States and Canada, the episode premiered on Netflix the following day.
"Point and Shoot" is the eighth episode and mid-season premiere of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. It was written by Gordon Smith and directed by series co-creator Vince Gilligan. It screened at the Tribeca Festival in New York on June 18, 2022, and aired on AMC and AMC+ in the United States and Canada on July 11, 2022, before debuting online in certain territories on Netflix the following day. In the episode, Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler react to the death of their colleague Howard Hamlin at the hands of Lalo Salamanca, who orders them to help him carry out his plan in proving Gus Fring's disloyalty to the cartel.
Breaking Bad is an American neo-Western crime media franchise created by Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the two television series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and Better Call Saul (2015–2022), and the film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). The fictional universe is sometimes informally referred to as the "Gilliverse".
"Saul Gone" is the series finale of the American legal crime drama television series Better Call Saul, which is a spin-off of Breaking Bad. The episode is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season and the series' 63rd episode overall. Written and directed by Peter Gould, who co-created the series with Vince Gilligan, the episode first aired on AMC and AMC+ on August 15, 2022, before debuting online in certain territories on Netflix the following day.