Vince Gilligan is a genius! How he is able to come up with these plot points and excellent line of dialogue is either the work of a madman....or a genius. The fourth episode of the first season, "Hero" is yet another work from this Albert Einstein of television. One wouldn't think that this prequel would ever come close to the adventures of Walter White....well I think it has. This particular episode does play down the drama and ups the comedy, but we are in for a treat. In addition to Bob Odenkirk, Michael McKean as Chuck stands out this episode. He provides many of the comedic lines, but also delivers a very tense running sequence wrapped in a space blanket. Finally, the episode shows you how clever Jimmy McGill really is, pulling off some complicated cons.
The episode's opening starts off with one of those cons Jimmy used to do against people in an alleyway. Very clever, I gotta admit. Then, we roar right back to present day (episode-wise). The Kettlemans have to deal with the aftermath of their kidnapping and they compare the situation to human slavery (LOL). Nacho is released from prison and is very hesitant to believe Jimmy. Jimmy has a thing against Chuck's law partner, Howard Hamlin. He drives Hamlin to the brink, especially when he puts up a giant billboard. He has an injunction filed against him which forces Jimmy to take down the billboard, but he apparently saves someone in the process...which may lead him to more clients as Jimmy's answering machine gets busy.
The episode takes more of a comedy route and I'm all down for that. I laughed often and hard. I took great pleasure in watching Jimmy pull of his cons and embarrassing the weasel that is Howard. I am also intrigued by Jimmy's taste in cinema. He quotes Spartacus the wrong way here. Kim, however, has a great taste. The Thing is an 80's classic. The cliffhanger is great! Maybe Jimmy will be yet again a disappointment to his brother. Only time will tell.
My Grade: A
