[Jimmy visits Acker on Kim's behalf after she fails to convince Acker to leave his house]
AAcker
Who the hell are you?
[puts foot near door as Acker tries to close it] Mr. Acker, my name is Saul Goodman. I am an attorney...
AAcker
I've had up to here with you Mesa Verde scumbags! Get bent!
No, I'm not representing Mesa Verde! In fact, I'd like to represent you, sir!
AAcker
I don't need a lawyer! I don't want a lawyer, and nothing you can say is gonna change my mind! Now move your damn foot!
[takes out photo from pocket] Sir, if you would just... Please, just take a look at my proposal! Okay? Because I think you'll find it pretty persuasive!
Just look at it, sir! Just look at it. Look, what do you see?
AAcker
[pause] A man... fucking a horse.
Sir, I hate Mesa Verde. I hate them! Looking down at us from their glass tower, they think they can shit on whoever they want! And we just have to smile and say, "Thank you?!" Picture me as the man, and Mesa Verde as the horse. I'm the guy who'll do whatever it takes to stick it to them! [beat; Acker stares at Jimmy]
[Jimmy leaves Acker's house]
[to Kim on the phone] Guess who's got a new client in Tucumcari?
That's right. Put some beers on ice. We'll celebrate when I get back from the hinterlands.
Yes! That's the best news I've heard all day! How the hell did you convince him?
Uh... Visual aids. You'd be surprised what you can find on that internet.
[Kim and Jimmy discuss the Acker situation after Kevin decides to keep contesting the land despite Jimmy's delaying tactics]
You gave it all you could.
Yeah! You went the distance for the old SOB, above and beyond. You should feel good about that.
You gave Acker more than he deserved... and uh, let's be real. Putting me on this? That was bad. I mean, if anyone found out...? You risked a lot for this guy. [sighs] Look, by this time next week, Acker will be living somewhere else. Is that really such a big deal? Plus, Mesa Verde... that's your bread and butter. You can only push 'em so far. [pause] There's always another play... but the rational thing to do here is close the deal, get the guy a few bucks, pop the champagne with the other winners and smile like you mean it. You wanna beer? I'm gonna get one.
[Jimmy gets up]
Or? [Jimmy turns back] Jimmy?
...There's no reason on God's green earth to take this any further. It's not worth it.
Or... we go after Kevin Wachtell. It gets nasty, it gets personal, it gets dangerous.
[Jimmy opens the beers in the kitchen. Kim comes up to him.]
[to Kim] I'm thinking you could take a break from Mesa Verde.
Actually, a pair of mineral rights beefs just came in. They practically have your name on them. You can split your time between that and your pro bono clients.
And they still will be. I'll just step in and take point, just on a temporary basis. And, of course, it goes without saying, this won't affect any of your compensation. And that includes your bonus.
You know, Mesa Verde is fully informed of any potential conflicts. Kevin signed it off himself.
Still, I think you're going to need to take a break. [gets up to leave]
I don't understand where this is coming from.
Don't you? [pause] Kim... Sometimes the less said the better.
Alright. First, I had to twist your arm to get you down to Tucumcari for the eviction. Then, you put the full court press on Kevin to change sites. That doesn't work, and–abra-cadabra–your boyfriend's opposing counsel.
I told you, I explained the situation to Kevin and Paige.
Yeah, I know you did. And I'm sorry to say... I'm just not buying it.
[Kim waits a moment before leaving her office to publicly confront Rich]
Rich! Rich, hold on! What are you saying exactly?
You are accusing me of something! Go ahead and say it! Are you talking about malfeasance? Working against my clients' interests? What?
Rich, tell me! You know I worked my ass off to get here. You know that!
So, tell me! Please tell me why I would risk everything for some squatter? Why?! I don't understand. Are you–Are you trying to protect the firm? From what?!
Kim, I am not trying to protect the firm. I am trying to protect you.
I don't need your protection. I need to represent my client!
[pause] If that's how you want it.
[Mike receives a visit from Gus at the ranch where he was kept for several days]
You look much better. I am glad.
So I'm here... to see what a big heart you have. Is that the idea? You throw money at these people, they bow low.
As far as the people here are concerned, I am the doctor's friend, and nothing more.
They have no idea you financed the whole place?
The anonymous benefactor. Oh, that must make you feel pretty good. And is that supposed to balance the scales? Make up for everything else you do?
It makes up for nothing. I am what I am.
[beat] What is this place?
To what? [pause] I already told you what you can do with your money. You seem like a guy who can take a hint. So what are we doing?
It seems to me that you are at a crossroads. You can continue as you are... drinking, estranged from your family, brawling with street hoods. We both know how that ends.
Mmm... work for you as a button man.
I am in a war. I need a soldier.
So, I'm gonna work for one drug dealer killing other drug dealers. That's your idea of a choice?
You know better. You have met them. You know what they are.
Meaning the Salamancas? And you are so very different from them?
Because I believe that you understand.
[Nacho sees Mike during his meeting with Gus, but pretends to not recognize him]
You're Michael? The gringo Lalo had a bug up his ass about? If Hector or the Cousins ever find out about this...
They're not gonna find out.
Lalo's using his CI connection. He's having Domingo call the DEA to rat out your dealers - times they're slinging, locations. Your guys are gonna get swept up.
[to Victor] Promote low-level dealers, or find new ones. Let them get arrested. Protect our people.
He talks about a lot of things. Um... Hitting your supply trucks, going after your restaurants, getting your customers sick... Cutting off power, busting open pipes. He's gonna chip away at your business until the bosses down south don't think you're worth the trouble.
[pause; looks at Mike, who nods] From now on, you report to this man. He needs you, you do not hesitate. Act.
[Later, after Gus and Victor leave, Mike is about to get in his car before he notices Nacho walking up to him]
I'm guessing there's something you wanna get off your chest.
[pause] You know who you're working for, right? The shit that this guy does... They shot me. Left me bleeding out in the desert, all... part of some plan.
I don't know what to tell you. I warned you.
I warned you, when you started going after Hector Salamanca, there'd be others to worry about. You made a choice. You got in with both eyes open.
My father didn't. He's got a gun to my father's head. If I don't do what he says...
Look. First things first, we take care of Lalo. Then, we'll talk.
[As Howard is having lunch with Cliff Main, two prostitutes hired by Jimmy walk up to his table]
I hear S&C are following the playbook?
Erin and the gang already had to jump on redrafting the complaint, but then another box of receipts was suddenly "discovered". What are you hearing from Kylie?
[notices the hookers] ...Uh, can I help you?
H1Hooker #1
Howie. You know.
I, uh...No, I don't know.
H2Hooker #2
Oh, don't try to play us like that, Howie!
Uh, this is--[to Cliff] I don't know them. Ladies, I don't know you. This is some sort of mistake--
H1Hooker #1
Yeah, we made a mistake alright! Joe-Dog ain't happy. You owe us.
H2Hooker #2
You can't take a ride on the Carnival Cruise and only pay for a tugboat, you know what I'm saying?
I can leave if you need--
No, no. Look, I don't know any Joe-Dog or Tugboat, so we can end this right now--
H2Hooker #2
We ain't leaving without our cash money!
I don't know you, and owe no money to you. That's it.
H1Hooker #1
[gasps] Don't touch her!
[The other hooker screams. Cut to Jimmy outside watching the altercation from his car]
"No, Cliff, these are not my hookers, they're somebody else's." "Howard, are you sure they're not your hookers? They seem to be." "No, no, Cliff, my hookers were taller than these." [chuckles] Oh God, I'm good.
[Jimmy presents the commercials for class-action lawsuits against Mesa Verde to the disgust of Kim and her law partners]
EMElderly Man
[in the commercial] My bank took my home over a technicality! And I never missed a single payment! It's not right, it's un-American!
DWDon Wachtell
[in the commercial] Yup!
[in the commercial as Saul Goodman] Hi, I'm Saul Goodman. Have you or a family member been wrongfully evicted from your home by Mesa Verde? Then you may be entitled to a large cash settlement. Call 505-503-4455 today!
None of that is true! It's defamation!
That's my father you're making a fool of!
Jimmy, turn it off! You know you can't do this!
[as another commercial starts] Shh, this is a good one.
DGDrama Girl
[in the commercial] I went into my bank to withdraw cash for groceries, and I came out with a rash. I–I can't stop itchin', it's everywhere!
DDon
[in the commercial] Yup!
[in the commercial as Saul Goodman] Hi, I'm Saul Goodman. Did you or a family member visit a Mesa Verde branch and come into contact with black mold? Then you may be entitled to a large cash settlement.
There's no way in hell you can legally run these!
Hmm, maybe. But, you know, we'll fight it out after they run in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Texas...
No. No, we will stop it before it ever gets that far.
Some might call that prior restraint. You know what? You could stop us. Some news outlet will pick it up, they'll run for free.
EWElderly Woman
[in the commercial] ...went into my bank to open my safety deposit box, and Mr. [bleep] was standing there with his pants down! Bare genitals!
DDon
[in the commercial] Yup!
My dad never ever did anything like that!
None of this is true. This is all fantasy!
It doesn't matter. This trash airs, our reputation is in the toilet!
Stop! Stop it! That's enough of this horseshit! Jesus!
There's lots more. You know, I can leave you this one because I got plenty of copies.
What do you hope to gain with all of this?! We agreed to Acker's ridiculous demands, and you... don't run this garbage?!
It's illegal to do that. No lawyer can play one case off another. [to Jimmy] It is unethical and it is blackmail!
She's right. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. [turns lights on] Which leads me to my next topic. [opens photo book] This is...Olivia Bitsui. She is a photographer; in fact, she took this self-portrait. It's really lovely. [turns page to show a man on a horse] Here's another picture she took fifty-four years ago.
Kevin, I am strongly advising you...
...my dad bought it fair and square! I have a copy of it hanging in my office at home!
I think we all just heard Mr. Wachtell admit that he owns a copy of Olivia Bitsui's photo. A photo that looks remarkably like the official Mesa Verde logo!
You own a copy of the photo, you don't own the rights to it! That's copyright infringement!
You'll never be able to prove that!
Well, you know what? [walks back to the projection on the wall and holds the photo up to a still of the Mesa Verde logo] Wow. Looks like a mirror image there. So, I think I can convince a judge and probably a jury that Mesa Verde misappropriated Ms. Bitsui's intellectual property. [to Kevin] It's not your fault, sins of the father. But... we filed an injunction, so you're gonna have to take down all your horsey logos or throw a big tarp over them til we can get this thing settled. Shouldn't take more than... I don't know, a couple of years? We'll be seeing a lot of each other. Til next time.
[Jimmy whistles as he walks out of the conference room]
Hey, how'd it go? [pause] It was pretty perfect, right?
[Kim says nothing as she takes off her jacket]
[beat] Kim. Kim, look, apologies. Alright? I–I'm sorry... for sandbagging you with the old switcheroo. I... I should've warned you. But you know what? You being angry at me–that worked. You were concerned that Rich was suspicious. Did he say anything?
Great! See? That anger–real anger–it worked like a protective immunity shield, you know? I mean... Hey, emotion like that, you can't fake it.
Yeah, right? So, what did Kevin say?
Uh... He said he was tired of lawyers...
Wait, do the voice. You gotta do the voice.
[pause] Kevin is sick of lawyers, wants to be down with all of it. We explained that your agreement is non-binding, but he doesn't care. He's sticking with the handshake.
Boom! There you go! That's a plan cooked and served to juicy perfection. We should celebrate. Really! [Kim walks past Jimmy] We'll go to a steakhouse, get a couple bottles of red wine, some tiramisu. The whole nine yards! [pause] Okay, Kim. Look, I said I was sorry. And again, it worked! No way that Rich or Paige could believe that we were in cahoots, 'cause guess what? We worked! Acker gets to keep his home plus a nice chunk of change, Olivia Bitsui gets reparations for being cheated, and Kevin still gets his call center. Everybody wins!
Uh... yeah. But, I mean... Well, we win. Us.
What didn't you get that you wanted?
You played me! You made me the sucker! Again!
Again? What... Wait, how could you be the sucker? It was your plan.
Oh, fuck you, Jimmy! God! I...I–You know what? I can't do this anymore.
No! You turned you and me versus the bank into you versus me! And it is not just this. It's the same thing over and over again!
No, I kept things from you to protect you! Look, if I got caught, and... God forbid you're questioned under oath, you have plausible deniability!
Jesus, Jimmy! You can excuse stabbing me in the back by making it about protecting me?! Is that... Is that really supposed to justify everything?!
Okay, Kim. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, alright? It–It'll never happen again.
I swear. I swear, it won't!
Look me in the eye, and tell me it'll never happen again. [pause] You can't. I don't believe you. You don't believe yourself. It is a lie! You lie! I lie! This... has to end! I–I cannot keep living like this!
Jimmy! You know this has to change! If you don't see it, I don't know what to say because we are at a breaking point!
Either we end this now, or...
Either we end this now, and enjoy the time we had, and go our separate ways, or...
Or we're... We're... I mean... Or maybe... [beat] Maybe we get married?
"Justice Matters Most." [Lalo chuckles] Okay, brass tacks, how solid is this "de Guzman" thing? Because if they find out you're not who they think you are, that could be a little...
It's not gonna be a problem.
Great. Um... First up, we're gonna get this murder wrap down to manslaughter. Now, I think that the DA is primed to cut a deal. So I say make them come to us, power move.
Here's the thing about going to trial.
No, no, no. No trial, no deal.
Okay, sure. It's just... What did you have in mind?
You're gonna get me out on bail.
Bail? That's... Well, the thing there–I mean, I don't know how things work south of the border, but here, under these circumstances, it's uh... Well, that's a long shot.
¿Quieres ser amigo de cartel?
[pause] You wanna be a friend of the cartel? Time to get yourself a new motto: "Just Make Money."
[to Kim] I have a new client. He's connected. He's a cartel guy from Mexico. Pretty high up. Anyway, he's in for murder, and he wants bail, which... That's impossible. I mean... no way in hell this dude is ever seeing sunshine. But if I could, you know, somehow find a way, uh... He said I'd be a friend of the cartel.
[pause] You know what that means. It means money. "Ranch in Montana" kind of money. Like, private jet kind of money. Press conferences, TV news, the works.
But... do you want to be a friend of the cartel?
No. No, absolutely not. Anyway, it's a moot point, 'cause the guy's the definition of a flight risk, so... I'm gonna put up a fight, alright? Just for show. There's no judge on Earth that's gonna grant him bail. I just... didn't want to tell you, so... I thought I should tell you.
I'm not telling you shit until we talk about my dad!
What you tell me and when you say it is not up to you.
Listen. You said when Lalo's out of the picture, we'll talk about my father, right? Well, he's out of the picture!
And you want me to square it with Fring?
Fring's not all of it. It's the cartel. I disappear, they're gonna go after my father. He's gotta come with me. But no matter what I say with him, it's the cops or nothing.
The cops won't solve this.
Hm. What are you holding out?
Lalo called me from inside. He put me back in charge.
And... he wants me to burn down Los Pollos Hermanos.
[pause] Then, he's not out of the picture, is he?
PPeter
Well... I don't feel well. Maybe things will improve now that you're here. Lydia tells me Salamanca is in jail. This means you can continue construction?
[pause] Eduardo Salamanca has been arrested for murder. However, even from jail, he creates... issues.
PPeter
What kind of issues?
He ordered his men to burn down one of my restaurants.
You're kidding. He's in jail, and he can still do that?
I know it's not exactly my area of expertise, but don't people get killed in prison all the time? I mean, shanked... and shived, and whatnot.
If anything happens to Salamanca on this side of the border, the cartel will assume that it was my doing. It would mean war. A war, for which we are unprepared.
PPeter
My God. This nightmare never ends!
[to Gus] He's concerned about the money.
PPeter
Concerned?! 4,800,000 euros! It's a miracle I haven't been caught! Last year, the auditors came this close. One of them–a woman–I think she knew.
PPeter
At first, it was a year. Then, it was two. Then, three. And now you are telling me how long?! I can't! I can't! They will catch me, and then it is over!
PPeter
Gustavo, please! I can't.
Listen to me! [pause] Do you remember Santiago? The two of us, our backs to the wall? I will never forget what you did. You are still the same man. You will do what is necessary. Stay strong, my friend. We've come so far. We are so very close.
Have you thought anymore about the job?
The job? Yeah, um... I'm still giving it some thought.
[pause] You know what? Don't bother. It seems I've upset you, so... offer's off the table.
You upset me? How did you upset me?
[pause; chuckles] This is getting weird, Howard.
You want to know what's weird? It's weird to offer a job to a man, and in return have bowling balls thrown at your car, and prostitutes sent to your business lunch. That's weird.
Are you listening to yourself? I–I don't know what you're into these days, Howard, but... prostitutes and... bowling balls? You sound unhinged.
[pause] Jimmy, I'm sorry you're in pain.
[scoffs] Sorry. You're sorry? You kill my brother, and you say you're sorry? Let me tell you something. The job offer, it didn't upset me. It amused me. Ooh... big job at the illustrious HHM. A chance to play at the palace! With little old me?
You have no idea what's going on! You're a teensy-tiny man in a teensy-weensy little bubble!
Oh, don't you fucking, "Oh, Jimmy," me! You look down on me, you pity me! [Howard starts walking away from Jimmy] Walk away. That's right, Howard! You know why I didn't take the job? 'Cause it's too small! I don't care about it! It's nothing to me! It's a bacterium! I travel in worlds you can't even imagine! You can't conceive of what I'm capable of! I'm so far beyond you! I'm like a god in human clothing! LIGHTNING BOLTS SHOOT FROM MY FINGERTIPS!
[During Jimmy’s visit, Lalo laughs at a newspaper headline about the fire that destroyed Los Pollos Hermanos]
Okay, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna take 25 south to Las Cruces, then you're gonna pick up 10 west from there. Hey, write this down, man! Es complicado!
Alright, 10 west at Las Cruces.
Little past Deming, there’s a state road—it’s 146. Uh... Follow the signs to Antelope Wells until mile marker 223. Turn off at the dirt road, and take thirty miles south.
Thirty miles down a dirt road?
Fewer eyes out in the desert, you know? Actually it’s 31.6. So, make sure that you use the little, uh, trip meter thing on the odometer or whatever. Anyway, once you get there, you’re gonna see a well. It’s really old, broken down.
What does this well look like?
It looks like a well. It’s the only one out there.
C—Can you see it from the road?
You’ll see it, don’t worry about it! My cousins are gonna meet you there with the money. 9 A.M. You’ll like them, they’re good boys!
[sighs] I’ll bet. Um… Hey, I have an idea. Why not have these cousins of yours bring the money all the way here? Cut out the middle man.
Yeah, see the thing is… This whole thing has to be very low profile. There are people, let’s say competitors of mine—people who want to keep me in here—and so, my cousins come into town. Those people will notice.
What about Nacho Varga? Would your competitors notice him? He seems like he’s got a pretty good head on his shoulders.
Ignacio? Yeah, sure. I mean… He’s good for a lot of things. But with seven million? A guy like that could get real dumb real fast, you know? Hey, you’re the right guy for this. You’re nobody! I mean, no offense, but nobody’s gonna look twice at you!
Hey, look. Maybe this isn’t your thing, you know? I mean, that’s okay, I get it. Y—You did good in court. We’ll leave it at that.
Oh, thanks. I appreciate that.
Don’t worry about it. I’ll find somebody else.
Yeah, so… I guess we’re done here?
Alright. Uh… I’m gonna shred these. And if there’s anything else you need, any legal services…
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got your number.
[Jimmy stops himself as he walks to the door]
To bring back seven mil? And I’m the best guy to do it? That’s actually less than two percent commission. I think it’s right.
So, 100K for a little drive through the desert, huh?
