Better Call Saul Episode 2.01 Switch

Season 2 opens on a familiar black and white Cinnabon store in Omaha, Nebraska. It's closing time, and the mustachioed manager Gene helps pack up the store for the night.

The other employees take their leave while Gene hauls two large trash bags through the deserted mall. He nods to a passing janitor as he makes his way to the dumpster room, chocking the door open with a small wedge. As he hefts his bags into a nearby bin, the wedge slips and the door slams shut. Gene rushes over and yanks on the handle to no avail: he's locked inside.

There is one other way out. At the other end of the room, there's an emergency door with a large sign that reads, "Emergency exit only! If you exit this door you will activate the alarm and the police will be notified." The fugitive formerly known as Saul Goodman considers the sign. Is he willing to risk it? Defeated, Gene slumps onto a plastic crate to wait it out.

Hours later, the janitor opens the door to the dumpster room. Gene hastily exits. As the janitor begins unloading his trash cart, we zoom in on the wall of graffiti behind him. In tiny letters, someone has carved: "SG WAS HERE."

Back in color, we return to the final moments of Season 1: Jimmy stands in the courthouse parking lot, playing with Marco's pinky ring. Inside, Kim Wexler and Howard Hamlin are waiting to introduce Jimmy to his potential new boss from the Santa Fe law firm, Davis & Main. After a moment, he strides into the courthouse and joins them. Jimmy confidently greets senior partner Clifford Main and his two associates -- but before the conversation can continue, he pulls Kim aside. Jimmy asks her if things would change between them if he takes a job at the upscale firm, and surprised Kim responds that one thing has absolutely nothing to do with the other. Jimmy accepts this. He returns to the group and announces that he must remove himself from consideration for the position at Davis & Main. He smiles and walks away, leaving everyone stunned.

Back in his Esteem, Jimmy pulls up to Mike's parking booth and, as he did at the end of Season 1, asks Mike why he didn't keep the $1.6 million they had stolen from the Kettlemans. Mike coolly replies that he was hired to do a job and he did it. "It's as simple as that." Jimmy considers this, then responds with conviction: "I know what stopped me, and you know what? It's never stopping me again." With that vow, Jimmy drives away triumphantly.

Glowing with his new lease on life, Jimmy arrives at the nail salon and greets Mrs. Nguyen and the other employees. He heads straight to the cucumber water dispenser reserved for "customers only." After a familiar chiding from Mrs. Nguyen when he grabs a cup, Jimmy defiantly drinks straight from the spigot.

He strides to his back-room office and rips the "James M. McGill Esq." sign off his door. It's loud and clear: Jimmy McGill is done being a lawyer.

At a familiar parking structure, Mike awaits his next assignment. A conspicuous yellow Hummer H2 with red flames drives up. Pryce is in the driver's seat, ready to take Mike to a meet with Nacho. "This business requires restraint," Mike admonishes. He offers to drive his car instead, but Pryce refuses. It's his way or the highway. Since Nacho has been coming alone, Pryce feels confident handling the job solo. Mike's services are no longer required. His warnings falling on deaf ears, Mike walks away.

At the deserted meet spot, Nacho hands Pryce an envelope full of money and admires his new Hummer. Flattered, Pryce invites Nacho to check out the interior while he counts the cash nearby. Once inside, Nacho secretly peeks at the vehicle registration in the glove compartment, noting Pryce's real name and address.

Back in downtown Albuquerque, Jimmy lounges and relaxes in a posh hotel pool. His cell phone rings, but he informs the caller that he no longer practices the law. A peeved Kim appears and demands to know why he walked away from the best job opportunity of his life. Jimmy explains that he's simply decided to be himself... right as a poolside waiter offers him another drink, calling him "Mr. Cumpston." Not amused by Jimmy's scam, Kim tells him to meet her at the hotel bar.

Inside, Jimmy tries to order shots of the extremely expensive Zafiro Anejo tequila, but Kim intervenes in favor of some more reasonably-priced spirits. She grills Jimmy about his decision to leave the law, and urges him to give Davis & Main a chance. Jimmy explains that he's been trying to live his life under Chuck's auspices and it hasn't gotten him anywhere, so going forward he's going to trust his own instincts. To illustrate his point, he heads over to the bar...

...where "wealth manager" Ken Wins (last seen in the Breaking Bad episode "Cancer Man," prompting Walt to blow up his BMW after callously snatching up a parking spot and carrying-on via Bluetooth in line at a bank) obnoxiously brags into his Bluetooth. With Kim following behind him, Slippin' Jimmy emerges to ask Ken to settle a debate with his "sister" about their recent substantial inheritance.

Like a moth to Jimmy's flame, Ken offers a financial consultation to the supposed siblings. Using the pseudonyms "Viktor" and "Giselle," Jimmy and Kim move to a more private table with Ken. Warming to the charade, Kim asks Ken if he's ever tried Zafiro Anejo. Not one to look bourgeois, Ken orders a round of shots.

Several rounds later, the bartender sends the exquisite copper top of the Zafiro bottle to the table, indicating that the group has finished off the bottle. The "siblings" sign a contract allowing Ken to invest the fictitious inheritance. Jimmy tries to pay the bill, but eager Ken -- playing right into Jimmy's hands -- insists that he cover the drinks. Jimmy and Kim thank him emphatically and slip out, leaving Ken to discover the astonishing tab.

Outside, Jimmy and Kim giggle over their conquest. Jimmy balls up the contract and swishes it right into the trash. The pair pauses by the pool, reflecting on the fun and excitement of the scam. Adrenaline racing, Kim kisses Jimmy.

The next morning, Jimmy wakes up in Kim's apartment. As Kim gets dressed for work, Jimmy remarks that it would be great if they could have such fun every night. Kim agrees that it would, but maintains that it's not a viable option. It's time to return to reality. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, Jimmy follows Kim out.

Meanwhile, two police officers approach a modest house with a familiar flashy Hummer parked in the driveway. Struggling to stay composed, Pryce opens the front door and invites them inside. The house is a mess -- it's been ransacked and burglarized. Pryce explains that whoever broke in stole his expensive collection of baseball cards. Noting Pryce's ostentatious vehicle, the officers inquire about his line of work. Frustrated, Pryce tries to redirect the conversation back to the baseball cards. While he scurries into another room to print a manifest of his collection, the suspicious officers discover a loose baseboard behind the couch. One of the officers kneels down to move the wood aside, revealing a hidey-hole. He shines his flashlight in to investigate...but it's empty.

Floating again in the hotel pool, Jimmy spots an easy mark too tempting to pass up. He leaves a voicemail for Kim, beckoning her to take another spin as his partner-in-crime. Left alone, devil-may-care Jimmy seems to lose some of his buoyancy. After a pensive beat, he makes another call: this time, to Davis & Main.

Days later, Jimmy enters the Davis & Main lobby dressed for work. Cliff Main greets him enthusiastically and introduces Jimmy to his new co-workers. Smiles and handshakes abound. Jimmy's new assistant Omar details the firm's many perqs. He inquires about whether there's any wall art or office supplies he could order to make Jimmy feel more at home. Jimmy considers, then tentatively puts in a request for a cocobolo desk -- the kind he told Kim that he would put in his office one day.

Once alone, Jimmy notices a switch on the wall. "Do NOT turn OFF!" warns a piece of labeled tape across the switch. Jimmy peels back the tape and flips the switch to the "off" position. He braces himself...but nothing happens. He flips it back to its original position and reapplies the tape. Jimmy walks away, not yet ready to live by anyone's rules but his own.