Nailed (Better Call Saul)
"Nailed" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the second season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on April 11, 2016 on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.[1]
| "Nailed" | |
|---|---|
| Better Call Saul episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Peter Gould |
| Written by | Peter Gould |
| Original air date | April 11, 2016 |
| Running time | 49 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Plot
Mike uses his spike strip to ambush one of Hector's trucks, and extracts $250,000 hidden in one of the tires while leaving the driver, Ximenez, tied up but alive. Mike meets with Nacho, who suspects that Mike is responsible for the heist, which Mike admits. He explains his intent to attract police attention to Hector's drug operation, but Nacho tells him that a passing motorist freed Ximenez. Ximenez then called Hector, who dispatched a crew to clean up traces of the attack, including killing the good Samaritan and burying him in the desert.
At a meeting of the New Mexico Banking Board, the panel members realize that the documents they're reviewing while considering approval of a new Mesa Verde branch are incorrect. Between corrections and waiting for the next scheduled meeting of the board, the bank will experience a six-week delay. Chuck is humiliated and immediately suspects that Jimmy was involved. Kevin decides to leave HHM and sign with Kim, who promises Mesa Verde will be her sole client and the focus of her attention. Jimmy and Kim arrive at Chuck's house to pick up the Mesa Verde files and Chuck accuses Jimmy of sabotaging his case. Kim sides with Jimmy and claims Chuck simply made a mistake, arguing that Chuck has no proof and that Chuck's belittling treatment of Jimmy has prevented him from becoming as successful as Chuck. Alone in the car with Jimmy, Kim reveals her awareness of his trick by angrily punching him.
Jimmy and his camera crew visit a local elementary school, wait for recess to end, then start to shoot video of Jimmy standing in front of the waving American flag for use in his TV ads. They're interrupted by the principal and another staff member, but Jimmy falsely claims he's filming a documentary on Rupert Holmes, who's supposedly a famous former student at the school. The skeptical principal leaves to call the school superintendent's office, giving Jimmy and his crew time to finish.
Later that night, Kim tells Jimmy she never wants to discuss how the incorrect documents came to be filed, but suggests Chuck is a formidable adversary and if Jimmy left any evidence behind, Chuck will find it. Jimmy realizes he can be caught if the clerk at the copy store where he altered the documents says he was there, so he goes to the store to buy the clerk's silence. He arrives while Ernesto is questioning the clerk; Chuck had him checking at each all night copy store in the city to see if anyone recognized Jimmy. Receiving a positive answer, Ernesto leaves to get Chuck and bring him back to question the clerk. Jimmy enters and pays off the clerk, afterwards hiding across the street to watch Chuck arrive. Ernesto and Chuck enter the store and Chuck begins to question the clerk, but his electromagnetic hypersensitivity symptoms overcome him and he faints, hitting his head on the counter as he falls. Jimmy is torn between his desire to aid Chuck and his reluctance to come out of hiding, because doing so would be an admission that he had been at the store previously to alter the documents.
Reception
Ratings
Upon airing, the episode received 2.06 million American viewers, and an 18–49 rating of 0.8.[2]
Critical reception
The episode received critical acclaim from critics. It holds a perfect 100% positive rating with an average score of 9.58 out of 10 on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' consensus reads: ""Nailed" is a standout episode that brings the action to a heartbreaking head leading into the season finale."[3]
Terri Schwartz of IGN gave the episode a 9.5 rating, writing "What is going to happen with Chuck?!"[4]
References
- "Nailed". AMC.
- Welch, Alex (April 12, 2016). "Monday cable ratings: 'Better Call Saul' and 'Teen Mom' hold steady". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- "Better Call Saul - Season 2, Episode 9 - Rotten Tomatoes".
- Schwartz, Terri (11 April 2016). "Better Call Saul: "Nailed" Review".