Season 6, Episode 10: “Nippie”
When our favorite plaintiff’s lawyer becomes Jean Takavic, the manager of Omaha Mall’s Cinnabon, a mystery lurks in the timeline of the “Better Call Saul” post “Breaking Bad.” Each season of “Better Cole Sole” begins in minutes of Jean’s life and is filmed in black and white, giving a glimpse into her life full of frost, boredom and horror. Saul is an hourly drudge who lives alone and is constantly scanning in the aftermath of the infamous “Breaking Bad” for anyone who may have recognized him as a wanted person since his time.
Last season, his worst nightmare came true. A slightly menacing cabby named Jeff, who spent time in Albuquerque and saw Saul on TV and billboard ads, confronted Saul during his lunch break at the mall and pulled out his confession.
“I know who you are, you know who you are,” Jeff said eerily. “Let’s get over it.”
How Saul deals with this potential catastrophe was one of the questions approaching the final season. In this week’s episode, you’ll get the answer. Saul relies on his gift for his elaborate weaknesses. He persuaded Jeff and his conspirators to shoplift thousands of dollars worth of clothing from the mall store where Saul works. This is a robbery that Sole succeeds only in distracting the guards of the mall from the bank on the surveillance video screen. What else do you have? — Nightly cinnabon.
When a crime is committed, Saul explains to Jeff and his allies that they can both be prosecuted for federal crimes. So don’t talk to Jean / Sole again. Or visit the mall.
In other words, the blackmailer is blackmailed. Or checkmate if necessary. That’s it for Jeff.
Your loyal summarizer has discovered many of these complaints, but he had to overcome some confusion before he could reach that feeling. Jeff in this episode is not the same as the original Jeff. (Don Harvey is reported to have been unable to replay his role due to a contractual commitment to another show.) The issue of change is continuity in the most cosmetic sense. It is over. The new Jeff embodied by Pat Healy looks like another character — more adaptable and less intimidating.
Revival of “Better Call Sole”
The first part of “Breaking Bad” ends this year.
And it turned out to be the right way to play Jeff. The man’s Don Harvey version looked like a serious criminal, perhaps Hitman, or a cartel heavy guard. We first turned to Jeff at the beginning of Season 4. Very ominous eyes staring at the sole through the rear-view mirror. He was like an oncoming blunder.
Early in “Nippie,” Saul says: You want to get involved in the game, “he says, discussing a major felony, perhaps drug trading. After all, Jeff would have known Saul as a magnificent stimulant bust figure.
When Sole helps design a scam to steal Air Jordan and Armani suits, it becomes a jar. Crime seems too small-it’s boring. In fact, it’s perfect for the character and Jeff version of this episode’s page. He is a divorced man who lives with his mother with money problems (played straight and beautifully by Carol Burnett). It’s his speed to make thousands of dollars with his stolen clothes.
By the end of this episode, it’s clear that Jeff’s problem isn’t that big of a deal. It’s more unpleasant and inconvenient than a deadly threat. This is disappointing because viewers may be allowed to think of Jeff as a real obstacle, rather than a stupid thing that almost destroys a (relatively) modest robbery.
Now let’s talk about context and timing. Passing the entire episode to one caper puts a lot of pressure on that caper. This had the same flaws as part of the GetHoward scheme. After Kim’s departure and Howard’s murder, it felt a slightly wider, out-of-place tone with low stakes. In the remaining three episodes, it seems strange that the writer devised a story about Saul snooping on Mohr’s police officers in an oversized pastry. The show should be gaining momentum towards resolving intriguing conflicts. It’s a thread I can’t wait to see our viewers tied together. At this point, it’s unclear what will happen to these conflicts, as Laro is dead and Jeff is incapacitated.
That said, Your Faithful Recapper will bet that the best episode of the show is ahead of it. This ends with a visit to a department store with a slightly exhausted sole and a busy patterned shirt with a very flashy tie. It’s a moment of nostalgia and a chance to easily see his old outfit. He almost cheers up the fake smile he always uses when greeting new clients. But before he really grins, he returns to his senses and puts his clothes back in the rack.
Cinnabon up close
This week, we’re breaking away from the usual “odds and end” closing format and delivering an interview. In May, Your Faithful Recapper called Atlanta’s Cinnabon headquarters to discuss with Michael Alberici, the company’s marketing director, and learn more about his relationship with Better Call Saul. The show aired episodes of co-starring Cinnabon one after another, so it’s time to extract that discussion.
Towards the end of “Breaking Bad,” Saul says his best scenario is to be liquidated as a manager as Omaha’s Cinnabon. What did you think when you heard that line?
Our phone exploded. People were calling to say, “Did you see it?” Then our social media team took action and sent a tweet to Bob Odenkirk with a cheeky message like this: Here’s how to apply “, with a link to the career page.
How much do you want to attend the show?
The show is very secret about the script, but of course it’s okay. They just call us and ask us to set up a store. It’s actually in the Albuquerque mall. And it’s a former cinnabon that is currently closed. So every time, the oven, blender, hot plate, and everything else recreates the bakery in the storage facility, sending thousands of fresh rolls. Actors know how to interact with extras to train them as if they were real team members. Cashier actors know all manners, they know what to do.
Do you have any agreement with the producer or is there a guardrail on how the company is represented?
We need to trust that they have the brand’s greatest interests in mind. And if there’s a crazy storyline that blows up the store, we handle it. We monitor social media and the media daily, and there is now much talk about whether Cinnabon will reappear in “Better Callsole.” It puts our brand first for consumers around the world. I think it is strange to set rules on this occasion.
Saul Goodman seems to want to do something other than work in Cinnabon. What does the company do with the methods depicted in the show?
We definitely don’t consider it a brand accusation. That is, he may not like his job, but it does not affect the company. They always make the store look like a well-oiled machine. The bakery looks great. He’s miserable, but hey, the roll is hot.
