Better Call Saul season 4 episode 8 'Coushatta' review & recap: Kim Wexler breaks bad in best episode of the season so far

Well, well, well. Just when we thought Kim and Jimmy’s relationship was in its death throes, a bit of mail fraud chicanery has breathed new life into it. As with most pieces of seemingly positive news in Better Call Saul, this spells trouble.

Let’s break ‘Coushatta’ down, sub-plot by sub-plot:

Nacho Varga

Gus’s new cartel mole made a comeback this week, having apparently recovered from the injuries he sustained back in episode three. His brutal shooting in a staged attack clearly left more than just physical marks on him and, back at the restaurant, he had no time for a dealer turning in a light envelope, promptly ripping out the man’s earring and a large part of his earlobe with it. Back at Nacho’s house, we learned that he has fake ID cards for himself and his father ready – all part of a plan to flee to Manitoba, Canada which is currently on the back-burner. His insanely lavish home was a distraction, though, complete as it was with large artworks, floor-to-ceiling windows and a harem of scantily-clad women in wait. How much is the cartel paying this low-level hustler?!

Nacho’s plot strand ended with a new Salamanca family representative being brought in to watch over the business and make sure there are no more dealers falling short of expectations. This can only spell trouble for Nacho. Indeed, the final shot of Varga in silhouette made his own earring stand out, suggesting he might be next for some unwanted auriculectomy.

Mike Ehrmantraut and the German engineers

The crack team of architects, engineers and demolition experts quite literally hit the wall in their superlab construction project this week. Unwanted masses of rock and the accidental destruction of structural work have made securing the vast hole under the industrial cleaners’ a problem, and set the estimated completion date back by months.

The men were growing frustrated in the captivity of their little pre-fab village, so Mike let them out for a little “R and R”. Shipped off to a strip club, what they ended up getting was more T and T (tequila and titillation), which probably wasn’t a smart move. The recalcitrant Kai ended up getting thrown out by bouncers, and he was lucky they didn’t call the cops. The mere mention of authorities should be enough to end his employment on the secret superlab project, and I think we can assume he’s now been put on a plane to Germany (if not in a barrel bound for the Chihuahuan Desert).

Good riddance, I thought, in the case of the complete liability that is Kai, but I’m growing increasingly concerned for the well-being of friendly lead engineer, Werner. The older German bonded with Mike over a blonde beer meanwhile, discussing his father’s work on the Sydney Opera House and his own love for his wife. Rule one in Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul: don’t talk about your loving family unless you want them to get hurt. Ultimately, Mike forgave Werner for talking obliquely about the lab plans to other bar patrons after a few too many pints, and Gus seemed to accept Mike giving him a pass. Still, I worry for old Wern.

(AMC/Netflix)

Gustavo Fring

Like a problem child toying with a critter, Gus continues to work diligently on keeping Hector in mild suffering. He was disappointed to learn that the Salamanca elder appears to be recovering in hospital, and tried to divert medical resources away from him. Will halting Hector’s convalescence be enough? Or will Gus try to send him back a few steps in the recovery process by force? Truly sadistic stuff.

Kim Wexler and Jimmy McGill

We’ve seen a number of Saul Goodman-esque petty crime plots from Jimmy in Better Call Saul now, and this week’s was the most enjoyable yet. I’d been wondering why the show had recently been drawing attention to the satisfaction Kim gains from defending small-time crooks, and in ‘Coushatta’ it all made sense. When Huell Babineaux clobbered the plainclothes policeman he believed was a hoodlum accosting Jimmy, a district attorney came down on him hard. This provided an opportunity for Kim and Jimmy to team up, Kim handling business with the judge and DA down at the courthouse, while Jimmy worked on an elaborate plan to establish a “Free Huell” movement.

From the bus ride to Coushatta, Louisiana, in order to post falsified letters from Huell supporters in his hometown, to the network of fake phone lines set up to pre-empt the DA’s digging into the campaign, the sub-plot was a huge amount of fun (nice Louisiana accent, pastor Jimmy). The pair did a good job convincing the district attorney that Huell is important to his local church, but the show didn’t explain to the viewer why Huell was so important to Jimmy. Why go to such great lengths for a flunky who doesn’t seem especially close to Jimmy nor is particularly good at his job?

Anyhow, it wasn’t just the viewer that delighted in Jimmy’s devious tricks, but – to our surprise – Kim Wexler was also getting a kick out of it. That Kim not only didn’t disapprove of the scheme and feel guilty about it, but actively enjoyed it and wants to “do it again”, is a turning point for the show. I guess we shouldn’t be so stunned, given that the lawyer’s been on low-key Bonny and Clyde escapades with Jimmy before, but this one involved some pretty serious deceit that would certainly lead to her disbarring had it gone awry.

This all begs the question: if she is in fact down with Jimmy’s Saul Goodman tendencies and their relationship is back on track, why isn’t Kim in Breaking Bad? The way she childishly smoked a cigarette, looking off into the distance like a desperado (above), after the plot came good, said it all. Kim may be enjoying playing the slick criminal when it involves faking letters from church congregations, but once homicidal meth kingpins enter the mix, her morals might get the better of her. Keep your nose clean, Wexler, or you too might be for the desert vultures.

The penultimate episode of season 4 next week. It’s called “Wiedersehen” and is presumably taken from the part of the German goodbye phrase (”auf Wiedersehen”) that means “reunion” or “see you again”...

Better Call Saul airs Monday nights on AMC in the US and reaches Netflix the following morning in other territories