30 best TV episodes of 2018
By Erin Qualey
Better Call Saul – “Winner”
What Went Down: On the road to professional glory, Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Mike (Jonathan Banks) both surrendered a bit of their souls and took steps toward becoming men who would eventually become entangled with one Walter White. While Jimmy and Mike had traveled in entirely different narratives for the entirety of Better Call Saul Season 4, the end game for each man was oddly similar.
In a quiet but devastating storyline, Mike is compelled to take care of Gus’s errant lab construction manager, Werner. Even though we saw Mike build up a soild bond with the sensitive German over several episodes, when push comes to shove, he honors his business commitment to the Chicken Man over the low hum of his conscience, killing Werner in a crushing scene that irrevocably linked Mike to a life he never really wanted to lead.
Meanwhile, we finally (!) witnessed the true birth of Saul Goodman. After Kim (Rhea Seehorn) helps Jimmy win his appeal to practice law again, she goes to congratulate him on finally getting in touch with his emotions. Turns out it was all a big scam, and as Jimmy triumphantly bursts out of the courtroom, the genesis of Saul coincides with one of the most shattering moments of the entire series.
Why It’s One of 2018’s Best: Two words: Rhea Seehorn. The final beat of the season – the much-anticipated reveal of Saul Goodman – lands with such force only because of her impeccable performance. As Jimmy celebrates his slide into depravity, Kim’s horrified yet admirably restrained reaction links viewers to a future that could have been, but will sadly never be. In mere seconds on screen, Seehorn telegraphs the terrific pain of that loss, shattering disappointment conveyed in a slight purse of her lips, a nearly imperceptible slump of her shoulders and a glazed gaze. The final shot lingers on a defeated Kim, standing stock still in the hallway as she processes this new turn of events. Us too, Kim. Us too.
Oh, and sequences involving new baddie Lalo, the return of Chuck McGill, and an internship interview gone very wrong all add to the rich narrative of this episode, making it an instant classic worthy of re-watching over and over as we wait for Season 5.