Better Call Saul Episode 2.03 Amarillo

Cowboy-clad Jimmy leans against the wall of a run-down building in Amarillo, Texas as a bus full of Sandpiper Crossing residents slows to a stop in front of him. The driver hops out, apologizing to his passengers for the "hiccup". Jimmy approaches, secretly slipping the driver some cash in exchange for a few minutes alone with the elderly folks inside the bus.

Jimmy steps aboard, searching for a Mrs. Alma May Urbano. She shyly raises her hand, and Jimmy asks if she received a Davis & Main mailer concerning incidents of overcharging by Sandpiper. Other passengers overhear their not-so-private conversation and pepper Jimmy with questions. Jimmy explains that Sandpiper may have overcharged them, too, and offers to help get their money back.

Shortly thereafter, the seniors file off the bus at their restaurant destination, handing a pleased Jimmy their signed letters of engagement.

Back in Albuquerque, the Sandpiper co-counsel meets at HHM, with Chuck again in attendance. Turning to the topic of client outreach, Cliff offers to save Jimmy from having to brag about recently gaining more than 200 new clients in the past few weeks. Suspicious of Jimmy's success rate in Amarillo from only a single response to their mailer, Chuck poses the concern that solicitation -- an illegal practice -- was involved. Jimmy insists the residents came to him, not the other way around. As the meeting moves on, Jimmy tries to play footsie again with Kim, but this time she pulls away. Realizing that she is also skeptical of his methods, Jimmy assures the group that, in order to avoid any impression of impropriety, he will find another way to proceed.

After the meeting, Jimmy chases Kim down and admits to soliciting. Frustrated, Kim reminds him that she went out on a limb to get him this job and his actions reflect back on her.

At Stacey's house, Mike shows Kaylee how to play with her new toy pig. Satisfied that his granddaughter is entertained, he heads to the kitchen to deliver Stacey the latest envelope of money to help with her expenses. Mike notes that Stacey appears to be on edge. When he presses, she reveals that she's been hearing late-night gunshots in their neighborhood. Mike insists on staying over to keep watch, but Stacey firmly turns his offer down.

At Davis & Main, Jimmy and Omar review response rates for their class action mailers. Out of the 283 mailers sent to the Sandpiper facility in Colorado Springs, Jimmy is irked to discover that they received zero responses.

In the Davis & Main lobby, Jimmy catches Cliff as he heads out for a business trip. Jimmy takes the opportunity to quickly update him on the case, speculating that the Sandpiper staff members in Colorado Springs are intentionally throwing their mailers away before residents can see them. He pitches an alternative way to reach clients: a highly-targeted television commercial. Cliff acknowledges that the firm produced a commercial for a previous class action lawsuit, so he'd be open to discussing the idea.

Back in his office, Jimmy appraises Davis & Main's previous foray into the world of legal advertising. Their lackluster commercial leaves him underwhelmed. "Whatever happened to showmanship?" Jimmy sighs.

Jimmy arrives at his elderly client Mrs. Strauss's house and meets with the two-man UNM camera crew that previously filmed his billboard stunt. Jimmy gives the jaded film students a pep talk, describing his vision for the commercial. They're interrupted by Mrs. Strauss, who descends from the second floor via her stair-chair, dolled up and ready for her close-up.

Mike parks across the street from Stacey's house and keeps vigil overnight. Hours later, he tenses as a car slowly creeps toward him, but it turns out to be someone innocuously delivering newspapers.

The next morning, sleepless Mike settles into his parking booth, exhausted. He's alarmed when Stacey calls him in a panic.

Mike pulls into Stacey's driveway. She beckons him over to the side of the house and points to a nick in the stucco. Stacey informs him that she heard gunshots again last night, and one of the bullets struck a little too close to home. Mike knows firsthand that this is impossible. He gently suggests that it might have been a dream, but Stacey is adamant. Mike vows to move her and Kaylee out of the house and into a safer neighborhood.

At his apartment, Jimmy screens his Sandpiper commercial for Kim. They watch as a somber Mrs. Strauss tearfully admits that her life savings disappeared when she moved to an assisted living facility. Kim is impressed by the commercial, but surprised that conventional Cliff was on board with it. "Why wouldn't he be?" Jimmy asks, avoiding a direct response.

At Davis & Main, Jimmy broods over whether to show his commercial to Cliff. He strides toward his boss's office with the VHS tape in hand, but stops short. What if Cliff doesn't go for it? Jimmy hastily returns to his office and calls the Ad Sales department at a television station in Colorado Springs.

Mike visits his well-connected veterinarian to inquire about more work. Dr. Caldera offers him a low-paying bodyguard job, but Mike requires more money. "You want next-level pay? You've got to do next-level work," Caldera responds, mentioning that he knows a loan shark in need of an enforcer. Mike refuses to do any work requiring him to break legs, and settles for the bodyguard job instead.

Jimmy paces anxiously in his office as his commercial is about to hit the airwaves. He confirms with Omar that all calls will be correctly routed and answered. Reassured but still nervous, Jimmy retreats back into his office. Superstitious Jimmy tries his old "Magic Fingers" ritual to summon calls. Nothing. Just as he's about ready to admit defeat, the phones begin to ring. Jimmy heads out into the bullpen, where all of the assistants are taking calls. Jimmy takes in the bustling bullpen with pride.

Stacey and her daughter sleep soundly in Kaylee's tiny bed. Having finally convinced Stacey to let him stay over, Mike lies awake on her couch. His phone vibrates -- it's the vet. Dr. Caldera offers him a "next-level" job from a guy specifically requesting Mike.

Jimmy and Kim watch Ice Station Zebra over wine and takeout. Their cozy night is interrupted by a call to Jimmy's cell phone. He steps away to talk: it's Cliff, and he is furious at Jimmy for airing a commercial without consulting with the firm's partners. Jimmy quietly acknowledges there was a miscommunication and tries to smooth over the situation by boasting about the high volume of client traffic the commercial has already yielded. Cliff will hear none of it. He demands that Jimmy show the commercial to him and the partners first thing the next morning, then hangs up.

For Kim's benefit, Jimmy pretends that Cliff called to congratulate him on the ad. He rejoins her on the couch, doing his best to hide his concern about the storm he'll be facing tomorrow.

Mike drives up to a desolate meet spot. He approaches his new employer, the guy that asked for Mike specifically. It's Nacho Varga. Nacho tells Mike, "There's a guy. And I need him to go away".