Better Call Saul season 5 episode 5 review: Kim and Mike get closer to the dark side

Kim and Mike continue inching closer to the dark side as Jimmy makes trouble for Mesa Verde in Better Call Saul season 5 episode 5, “Dedicado a Max.”

The tantalizing thing about Better Call Saul is that all of its characters are so well crafted that, when one doesn’t appear in an episode, their presence is sorely missed — as is the case with this week’s entry, “Dedicado a Max.” While it was certainly a strong episode for Kim, Mike, and Gus, we couldn’t help but miss Nacho, Lalo, and the cartel-centric side of the show.

“Dedicado a Max” puts Kim at the center more than any other episode this season, and yet again, we get the setup of how Jimmy’s illicit activities will no doubt get her in trouble in the long run. After having enlisted his help last week to deal with Mesa Verde and the Acker problem, Kim has to handle the above-board repercussions of Jimmy’s meddling, which ends with an explosive confrontation with her boss.

Over the course of the entire series, Kim has often enjoyed dipping her toe into the antics of Saul Goodman, whether she wants to admit it or not. It’s clear that her little trysts with crime (and Jimmy, which seem to go hand in hand these days) give her a thrill that she doesn’t find in her work, even though she’s still hesitant and aware that what she’s doing is wrong.

Kim likes to break the rules every once in a while, but as long as she’s still playing by her own set of guidelines, as evidenced by her hesitance towards the PI, who suggests kidnapping Kevin Wachtell. But as the show progresses, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that she can’t go on like this forever. She gets immediately defensive when Rich Schweikart attempts to take her off the case.

It brings us no joy to speculate about where Kim will end up at the show’s end (we get nauseous even thinking about the fact that she’s never even mentioned in Breaking Bad), but “Dedicado a Max” is the closest Kim has come to true crime, and we’ve got a feeling it’ll only escalate from here.

Yet again, Rhea Seehorn knocks it out of the park. You can feel Kim’s emotions through the screen, and the thrill she gets from her antics with Jimmy are visible in the smallest of movements. The roleplaying scene in their kitchen was a charming one and one of the episode’s highlights.

A little further south is the episode’s other plotline, Mike’s mysterious (and unplanned) trip to Mexico. Mike is still reeling from his falling out with Kaylee and Stacey in last week’s episode, something that Gus points out in the episode’s final (and best) scene.

Although he’s initially eager to get back, we get a glimpse of Mike actually falling into his element — he seems to be enjoying his newfound simple, quiet life — being a handyman and not having to worry about looking over his shoulder every other moment. Jonathan Banks is great at showing the menacing, silent side of Mike, but “Dedicado a Max” reminds us that Mike is still human, and it’s the quiet, tender moments that left the biggest impact on us.

However, that possible life is quickly dispensed with by Gus’ appearance, and we get another great example of why Giancarlo Esposito owns every scene he’s in. Gus makes his second official pitch to Mike — this time pulling no punches, and peeling back a few layers of his own hidden backstory.

He claims that he and the Salamancas are fundamentally different, and admits to being the silent benefactor of the town where Mike’s staying, which is his version of a memorial to his ex-partner Max, who was murdered by Hector years ago. Although he says that he’s different than the Salamancas, Gus makes it very clear that he is in the business for one reason and one reason only: revenge.

“Dedicado a Max” serves as season 5’s midpoint (we know, we can’t believe we’re here already either), and while all of our favorite characters may not have made appearances, it sets up two major confrontations heading into next week’s episode, both of which will surely result in fireworks.

Who’s your favorite Better Call Saul character? How do you think Kim’s plot will end? Sound off in the comments below.