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Waterworks (Better Call Saul)

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"Waterworks"
Better Call Saul episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 12
Directed byVince Gilligan
Written byVince Gilligan
Featured music
Cinematography byPaul Donachie
Editing by
Original air dateAugust 8, 2022 (2022-08-08)
Running time58 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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Better Call Saul (season 6)
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"Waterworks" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. It was written and directed by Vince Gilligan. The episode aired on AMC and AMC+ on August 8, 2022, before debuting online in certain territories on Netflix the following day. "Waterworks" primarily takes place after the events of Breaking Bad, exploring Kim Wexler's new life in Florida while continuing the story of Gene Takovic in Omaha, Nebraska.

"Waterworks" was met with critical acclaim, particularly for Gilligan's direction and screenplay, the cinematography, and Rhea Seehorn's performance as Kim. An estimated 1.32 million viewers saw the episode during its first broadcast on AMC.

Plot

In 2004, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kim Wexler finalizes her divorce with Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman. Outside Saul's office, she has a conversation with Jesse Pinkman, a friend of Saul's latest client, Emilio Koyama.[a] Jesse notes Saul's shady advertising and asks whether he is a legitimate attorney; Kim replies that Saul was good when she knew him. In 2010, Kim leads a quiet suburban lifestyle in Titusville, Florida, where she has a desk job at Palm Coast Sprinklers. While at work, she receives a call from Jimmy (as Gene Takovic) checking in on her; Kim cautions him against calling her amid his fugitive status and tells him to turn himself in. Jimmy refuses and calls Kim a hypocrite.

Kim flies to Albuquerque and visits Cheryl, Howard Hamlin's wife, to whom she gives a written confession detailing hers and Jimmy's destruction of Howard's reputation, as well as the real circumstances surrounding his death. Kim says she submitted the affidavit to the district attorney but surmises that she will not face prosecution given the lack of physical evidence or witnesses to implicate her. That night, she has an emotional breakdown while riding the bus back to the airport.

In Omaha, Nebraska, Gene breaks into the home of Mr. Lingk, the latest target of his identity-theft scheme, and locates his financial records and account passwords while Lingk is unconscious. Gene lingers around the house and steals a watch from the foyer. Lingk suddenly awakens and sits on the steps of the foyer; a panicked Gene contemplates bludgeoning Lingk with an urn containing his dog's ashes, but Lingk passes out again. Outside, Jeff panics when a police car idles behind him and crashes his taxi into a parked vehicle; the distraction allows Gene to escape while Jeff is arrested for the robbery.

Gene receives a call from Jeff asking to be bailed out of custody. Gene calls Marion to ask her to accompany him, explaining that unlike in Albuquerque, Nebraska law does not require a bondsman to deliver bail, but that having a family member present would be more compelling to the authorities. Marion, suspicious of Gene's legal insight, uses Ask Jeeves to find Gene's true identity. Gene arrives and realizes she has discovered him to be Saul Goodman from his commercials online. Gene attempts to intimidate Marion into keeping quiet, but she uses her Life Alert button to call the authorities, forcing him to flee.

Production

"Waterworks" was written and directed by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan. This would be his only solo writing credit for the series, and the first television episode he wrote by himself since "Felina", the series finale for Breaking Bad.[1] Gilligan rejoined the Better Call Saul writers' room in the sixth season, having left early in the third season and ceding showrunning duties to series co-creator Peter Gould.[2][3]

Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn are the only actors listed in the starring credits. Seehorn had been absent from the series since "Fun and Games" three episodes prior. The episode answered the long-posed question from fans and critics alike of Kim Wexler's fate and whereabouts after the events of Breaking Bad.[4] Gilligan mentioned that several people had asked if Kim was deceased in this timeline, and while it was a possibility, the writing staff never considered killing off the character.[5] Scenes of Kim's house in Titusville, Florida, were filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with digital matte paintings used to give the illusion of a tropical environment.[1] Other scenes of Kim driving through Florida and Jimmy driving through Omaha were shot on a soundstage in non-moving vehicles.[5]

The scene with Kim crying was shot on an actual rental-car bus that circled Albuquerque International Sunport, in an unbroken take. Using four cameras to properly capture coverage on Seehorn, Gilligan only needed two takes to shoot the scene.[5] Gilligan's wife Holly Rice has a cameo as the busrider who sits next to Kim and puts her hand on her to comfort her during her emotional moment.[4]

Aaron Paul again reprised his Breaking Bad role of Jesse Pinkman after appearing in the previous episode. His scene, shot months before the episode to accommodate his schedule, was filmed in dark lighting to help conceal his age.[4][6] Gilligan stated the writers room expressed excitement to have Jesse share a scene with Kim and "have these two worlds collide," despite the scene not progressing the plot much farther.[7]

Reception

Critical response

Rhea Seehorn speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
Seehorn received critical acclaim for her performance in the episode.

"Waterworks" received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the episode received an approval rating of 100% based on five reviews, with an average rating of 10/10.[8] It received five out of five stars from Scott Tobias of Vulture, Nick Harley of Den of Geek, and Raul Velasquez of Game Rant.[9][10][11] The A.V. Club's Kimberly Potts and IndieWire's Steve Green graded the episode with an "A" and "A-", respectively.[12][13] Harley called the episode "masterful [and] full of emotionally walloping moments, black comedy, and satisfying reveals [and] among the very best Vince Gilligan-verse hours assembled."[10] Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence said the episode was a "masterclass in making the mundane seem both important and suspenseful."[14]

Seehorn's performance was singled out by many critics as the highlight of the episode.[10][13][15][16][17][18][19][20] Harley called the performance "transcendent", while Chase Hutchinson of Collider said that "though Seehorn says little in these scenes, her physical performance is nothing short of revelatory as we journey with her through the rubble of her past."[10][18] Several critics highlighted the scene where she breaks down crying on the bus.[13][16][18] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone labeled it as "the best scene Seehorn has ever played on this show."[16] Vanity Fair's Mike Hogan described it as "a sequence that brilliantly shows off the acting prowess of Rhea Seehorn, who has been spectacular throughout this series."[19] Critics also praised Gilligan's directing and writing,[9][15][16] the cinematography,[16][10] Odenkirk and Burnett's performances,[13][17] the scene between Kim and Cheryl,[10][13] and Kim's encounter with Jesse.[9][10][21]

Ratings

An estimated 1.32 million viewers watched "Waterworks" during its first broadcast on AMC on August 8, 2022.[22]

Notes

  1. ^ As seen in the pilot episode of Breaking Bad.

References

  1. ^ a b Fienberg, Daniel (August 8, 2022). "Better Call Saul: Vince Gilligan on Writing and Directing His Final Episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  2. ^ Schneider, Michael (April 21, 2020). "Better Call Saul Co-Creator Peter Gould on That Explosive Season Finale and How Kim May Be Breaking Bad". Variety. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Birnbaum, Debra (April 5, 2017). "'Better Call Saul's' 'Breaking' Point: How It's Gearing Up for Gus Fring". Variety. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Schneider, Michael (August 8, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Vince Gilligan on Kim's Brush With 'Breaking Bad' and Setting the Finale Stage". Variety. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Sepinwall, Alan (August 8, 2022). "'It's Time to Do Something New': 'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Vince Gilligan on His Final Episode as Writer-Director". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (August 8, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Recap: Better Call Kim". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  7. ^ Snierson, Dan (August 8, 2022). "Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan breaks down Kim's fate and Gene's chilling moves". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "Better Call Saul: Season 6, Episode 12". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Tobias, Scott (August 9, 2022). "Better Call Saul Recap: Getting Away With It". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Harley, Nick (August 9, 2022). "Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 12 Review: Waterworks". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Velasquez, Raul (August 9, 2022). "Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 12 Review". Game Rant. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Potts, Kimberly (August 9, 2022). "On Better Call Saul's penultimate episode, the past catches up". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e Greene, Steve (August 9, 2022). "Better Call Saul' Review: 'Waterworks' Is an Hour-Long Case Study in Knowing Where to Leave Off". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  14. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (August 9, 2022). "Better Call Saul Review: The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time". Consequence. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Segal, David (August 8, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Season 6, Episode 12 Recap: Hit the Road". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d e Sepinwall, Alan (August 8, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Recap: Better Call Kim". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Sharma, Aayush (August 8, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Episode 12 Review: AMC show gives masterclass in devastation with finest episode". MEAWW. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Hutchinson, Chase (August 9, 2022). "'Better Call Saul's Penultimate Episode Gives Kim Wexler the Swan Song She Deserved". Collider. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Hogan, Mike (August 8, 2022). "Better Call Saul, Season 6, Episode 12 Recap: Kim Comes Clean". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  20. ^ Moore, Samuel (August 9, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' season six episode 12 recap: Kim comes clean". NME. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  21. ^ Katz, Brandon (August 8, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Keeps Welcoming Back Familiar Faces Before Its Finale". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 9, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Monday 8.8.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
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