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Nippy (Better Call Saul)

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"Nippy"
Better Call Saul episode
Poster for the episode featuring a Cinnabon cinnamon roll and ring.
Promotional poster
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 10
Directed byMichelle MacLaren
Written byAlison Tatlock
Produced by
Featured music
Cinematography byPaul Donachie
Editing by
Original air dateJuly 25, 2022 (2022-07-25)
Running time51 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Breaking Bad"
Better Call Saul (season 6)
List of episodes

"Nippy" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. It was directed by Michelle MacLaren and written by Alison Tatlock. The episode aired on AMC and AMC+ on July 25, 2022, before debuting online in certain territories on Netflix the following day. "Nippy" continues the story of Jimmy McGill, portrayed by Bob Odenkirk, after he changed his identity and relocated to Omaha. In the episode, Jimmy confronts the taxi driver who recognized him as Saul Goodman.

"Nippy" received generally positive reviews, particularly for Tatlock's screenplay, MacLaren's direction, and Odenkirk's performance. However, the casting and performance of Pat Healy drew mixed reviews, and some felt the episode had little purpose in the show's narrative. An estimated 1.20 million viewers saw the episode during its first broadcast on AMC.

Plot

In Omaha, Nebraska, in 2010,[1] the motorized chair of an elderly woman named Marion gets stuck in the snow. Jimmy McGill, under the guise of Gene Takavic, appears and offers his assistance. He stealthily snips the chair's power cables and offers to push her home. He befriends her with stories of Nippy, his supposedly missing dog. Marion is revealed to be the mother of Jeff, the cab driver who recognized Gene as Saul Goodman.[a] Jeff arrives home and questions Gene's motives. Gene offers Jeff a chance to enter "the game" by burgling a department store in the mall where Gene works in exchange for Jeff's silence about Gene's true identity. Gene returns home, puts on the pinky ring he inherited from Marco Pasternak,[b] and begins to prepare.

Over several days, Gene befriends mall security guard Frank by bringing him Cinnabon rolls and talking about Nebraska Cornhuskers football, tracking how long it takes for Frank to eat while sitting with his back to the security camera monitors. He then recreates the layout of the department store in a field and choreographs an efficient route and list of items for Jeff to maximize his takings. On the night of the burglary, he has Jeff's friend, Buddy, deliver a box to the department store's loading dock under the guise of a mistaken delivery. The box contains Jeff and space to hide the loot afterwards. During the burglary, with only a few items remaining to steal, Jeff falls on a slippery floor, disrupting the timing of the scheme. Gene feigns a depressive episode to divert Frank's attention. Jeff soon comes to, and the burglary succeeds. Jeff hides in the bathroom overnight, then leaves the store when it opens in the morning. As they revel in their success, Gene warns that if Jeff reveals Gene's true identity, Gene will report the burglary as a form of "mutual assured destruction", and makes Jeff promise never to cross paths with him again. When Gene returns to the mall, he finds a flamboyant shirt in the department store but leaves without purchasing it.

Production

"Nippy" is the third Better Call Saul episode to be directed by Michelle MacLaren, after the first season's "Mijo" and the fourth season's "Breathe".[3] It was written by executive producer Alison Tatlock.[1]

Writer Alison Tatlock stated that creating an episode set entirely during Gene Takavic's timeline "just felt pleasing" for the creative team, and that it was intended to be a "surprising" and "perhaps maddening" decision in order to satisfy the audience. Further elaborating her rationale for the decision, she had explained that while it did not allow for linear coherence in the storytelling, it had felt "organic" and that it had been the right choice to do so. Tatlock also added that the team had not made extensive long-term plans for the series while also citing that it would subvert expectations to abruptly change the direction of the overall series. In regards to Gene placating Jeff, Tatlock had explained that she knew Gene would "empower himself and channel the moxie of Saul Goodman", and felt the essence of Goodman's persona was that he was very resourceful and always exploited the entirety of the situation to his advantage. She had also noted that during his diversionary tactic of staging a depressive episode in the store raid, McGill had the ability to express particular emotions in order to achieve a goal during difficult moments while also expressing an underlying truth.[4] MacLaren had also reiterated Tatlock's sentiments that Gene's monologue had been articulating genuine emotions, while also stating that Goodman's self-esteem had been heavily eroded following his brother Chuck McGill's negative influence on his life and that his values had more closely aligned with self-sabotage.[5]

Harvey
Healy
A work conflict made Don Harvey unavailable to return to the role of Jeff, a character he played for two seasons. He was replaced by Pat Healy.

The cab driver Jeff, previously portrayed by Don Harvey, was recast to Pat Healy due to a work conflict by Harvey.[6] Healy originally auditioned for the role of Jeff during the production of the fourth season in March 2018, but was not hired. He was notified of Harvey's departure after he finished shooting his scenes for Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. Healy emphasized that the recast was not due to scheduling changes after Odenkirk's heart attack during Point and Shoot, as he was cast before this incident.[7]: 11:07–14:34  Harvey later expressed disappointment in not being able to reprise the role due to scheduling conflicts, but praised Healy for making the character his own.[8] AMC released several teasers to inform viewers of Jeff's recast weeks prior to the episode's airing. The promotional material featured clips of Healy in the role along with lines of Jeff's character from previous seasons that Healy had re-recorded in a sound booth in Los Angeles.[7]: 4:46–5:01 

Carol Burnett guest starred as Jeff's mother Marion.[6] Burnett was a fan of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, while the Better Call Saul staff were fans of hers; the actress was mentioned by Chuck McGill during the second season episode "Rebecca".[6][9] Series creator Vince Gilligan later stated that Burnett's arrival on the set raised the morale of the cast and crew, who had all grown exhausted from the season's extended production.[10]

Though the story takes place in Omaha, Nebraska, the mall scenes were shot at the Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The department store where the heist takes place was an empty space in the mall. The production designer and art department built the interior and every item in the store was created, purchased, or brought in.[6] The first scene that Healy filmed for the episode was Jeff's nervous exit from the store bathroom. MacLaren directed Healy in that scene to "walk like you've got hemorrhoids". Healy said filming the heist scene, which sometimes meant he had to run for ten hours in a day, was exhausting. MacLaren described the work as both complicated and joyous,[7]: 15:34–19:20  praising Burnett for striking a balance between comedy and drama in her performance. She said of the heist scene, "when we were shooting it, I turned to everybody as I was practically falling out of my chair because I was laughing so hard".[3] Actor Jim O'Heir had begun rehearsing his scenes of Frank eating the Cinnabon rolls prior to filming, while being directed by MacLaren to "live every bite". O'Heir estimated that the production team had brought approximately 100 rolls to set per day. A medic was also on-set to check his blood pressure, while O'Heir also had access to a spit bucket that he could use in between takes in case he had difficulty eating the rolls. Gene's wristwatch timer was also not always present on-set, and that it was usually inserted during post-production.[11]

"Nippy" marks a number of firsts for Better Call Saul. It is the first episode set entirely after Breaking Bad and the first to take place entirely in Gene's black-and-white timeline,[1] an idea co-creator Peter Gould mentioned in February 2020.[12] Gould had also discussed his love of black-and-white films with the directors, particularly focusing on how lighting had affected the emotions. Subsequently, cinematographer Paul Donachie had deliberately created more shadows during Odenkirk's scenes as Saul Goodman and less while he was portraying Gene Takavic to reflect the differences of the personas.[5] It is also the first of the sixth season to not follow the "X and Y" naming scheme,[13] and marked a change in the title credits. Traditionally, the title credits of each season's tenth episode featured Saul Goodman's "World's Greatest Lawyer" mug falling off his desk and shattering on the floor. However, in this episode, the title image prematurely stops and is replaced by a blue screen, recreating the effects of a home video recording on a VCR. The music piece "Jim on the Move" by Lalo Schifrin, from the 1966 television series Mission: Impossible, is included in the episode's score.[14] Editing was completed by Chris McCaleb and Joey Liew.[7]: 19:20–20:14 

Reception

Critical response

Bob Odenkirk at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
Bob Odenkirk is the only Better Call Saul regular to appear in "Nippy".[1]

The episode received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of ten reviews are positive with an average rating of 9.5/10.[15] Critics praised Tatlock's writing MacLaren's direction, while highlighting Odenkirk's performance during the scene in which he feigns a breakdown.[14][16]

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone described the episode as an unpredictable epilogue to Better Call Saul that "brings emotional color, thrills, and fun" and felt that it was narratively isolated from the core story of the series.[14] Ashley Bissette Sumerel of Tell-Tale TV said she enjoyed the humor and watching the heist play out on screen, calling the tone "more somber" and giving it 4.5 stars out of 5.[17] Scott Tobias of Vulture called it a "brilliant and wholly unexpected stand-alone episode" and gave it a 5 out of 5 star rating, enjoying the "homage" to All That Jazz (1979) and praising Burnett and Healy's performances.[18] Vanity Fair's Mike Hogan labeled it a bottle episode that he believed would set the stage for the rest of the season.[19] Steve Greene of IndieWire thought "Nippy" served as a "bitter hello to the future and the past" simultaneously, explaining that the episode revolved around Jimmy's existential crisis. He thought his conversation with Frank best exemplified this, as though it involved deceiving Frank, Jimmy was speaking based on his genuine personal experiences, and thus provided the episode with an A- rating.[16]

David Segal of The New York Times did not like the episode. He experienced some confusion over the recasting of Jeff and said it "felt low-stakes and a bit broad".[20] Erik Kain of Forbes found the casting jarring, and noted that it had been over two years since the character Jeff had first appeared. Kain called it "the first genuinely bad episode of Better Call Saul" and said that the episode "tries to achieve some sort of triumph for Saul but fails to stick the landing, losing all momentum in the process."[21] Meanwhile, Nick Harley's four out of five star rating and review for Den of Geek focused on the portrayal of Jimmy's internal conflict and how he struggles to inhibit his "Slippin' Jimmy" personality, citing Jimmy's commitment to performing the heist and his fascination to a colorful shirt during the heist, which he interpreted as being his innate desire to become Saul Goodman. He felt it was "a tribute to what Better Call Saul was at its best: a modestly scaled, yet rollicking look at a huckster in his element, fighting through feelings" but also opined that others could view the episode as being "polarizing".[22] In an A rating, The A.V. Club's Kimbery Potts enjoyed MacLaren's direction of the heist, saying she "creates a cheeky caper vibe complete with split screens and Lalo Schifrin’s “Jim On The Move” music from Mission: Impossible." She felt the pacing was deliberately abrupt, in order to allow viewers to digest the violence prior and felt that Jeff had irrevocably "sparked the unleashing of the Saul Goodman-ness".[23] Decider included "Nippy" in its list of "The Best TV Episodes of 2022".[24]

Ratings

An estimated 1.20 million viewers watched "Nippy" during its first broadcast on AMC on July 25, 2022.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ As seen in "Smoke" and "Magic Man".[2]
  2. ^ As seen in Better Call Saul's "Marco" and throughout Breaking Bad.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Davids, Brian (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul Writer-EP Alison Tatlock Discusses Going Back to the Post-Breaking Bad Future". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  2. ^ Kurp, Josh (July 26, 2022). "Every Better Call Saul Fan Is Craving Cinnabon After The Latest Episode". Uproxx. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Fienberg, Daniel (July 26, 2022). "Better Call Saul Director Michelle MacLaren on 'Icon' Carol Burnett and Visiting Gene From Omaha". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  4. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (July 25, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Writer on the 'Maddening' Pivot to Gene's World". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Prusakowski, Steven (June 17, 2023). "Interview: 'Better Call Saul' Director Michelle MacLaren On 'Nippy' Visual Storytelling and Carol Burnett". Awards Radar. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Snierson, Dan (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul producer breaks down Gene's 'dangerous' move in 'Nippy'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d McCaleb, Chris; Dixon, Kelley; Gould, Peter; Healy, Pat; MacLaren, Michelle; Tatlock, Alison; Palmer, Phillip W. (July 26, 2022). "610 Better Call Saul Insider" (Podcast). AMC. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Harvey, Don [@TheDonHarvey] (August 9, 2022). "Thanks for all the comments on my Jeff in BCS-4&5. Disappointed I couldn't return for season 6 due to scheduling conflicts. The bright spot is the wonderfully talented Pat Healy put his own stamp on the role. Great job Pat. #BetterCallSaul #JeffTheCabDriver #DonHarvey #PatHealy" (Tweet). Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Frank, Jason P. (June 27, 2022). "Carol Burnett to Guest Star on Better Call Saul". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (August 8, 2022). "Better Call Saul: Vince Gilligan on Writing and Directing His Final Episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Starr, Michael (July 27, 2022). "Jim O'Heir talks 'Better Call Saul' role, Carol Burnett and Cinnabons". The New York Post. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  12. ^ Topel, Fred (February 19, 2020). "Better Call Saul Showrunner Peter Gould on Season 5 Flashforwards, Breaking Bad Cameos, and the Looming Ending [Interview]". /Film. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Elvy, Craig (July 27, 2022). "Why Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 10 Breaks Its Title Pattern". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Sepinwall, Alan (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul Recap: Gene Takovic and the Great Cinnabon Heist". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  15. ^ "Nippy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Greene, Steve (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul Review: 'Nippy' Says a Bitter Hello to the Future and the Past at the Same Time". IndieWire. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  17. ^ Sumerel, Ashley Bissette (July 26, 2022). "Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 10 Review: Nippy". Tell-Tale TV. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  18. ^ Tobias, Scott (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul Recap: Breaking Gene". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  19. ^ Hogan, Mike (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 10 Recap: Gene Takes Out the Trash". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  20. ^ Segal, David (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 10 Recap: Sweet Revenge". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  21. ^ Kain, Erik (August 1, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Finally Gave Us A Genuinely Bad Episode". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  22. ^ Harley, Nick (July 25, 2022). "Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 10 Review: Nippy". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  23. ^ Potts, Kimberly (July 26, 2022). "Better Call Saul goes back to the future". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  24. ^ Sorokach, Josh (December 9, 2022). "The Best TV Episodes of 2022". Decider. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  25. ^ Salem, Mitch (July 26, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Monday 7.25.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
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