One great scene in Better Call Saul s2 Ep.9 (Nailed)

Welcome back to One Great Scene where I will be looking at one scene in every episode of whatever show I'm watching and analyze it. Today we will be looking at Better Call Saul s2 ep.9 (Nailed) to be more specific we will be looking at another scene in the copy shop featuring Jimmy but mainly Chuck, Ernesto and Lance and as an extension we'll also be analyzing the scene directly before this one too. Of course spoilers ensue for this entire episode.

Let's begin by describing the scene. It starts with Jimmy and Kim in bed, they're both lying there and talking but clearly there is some tension between the two of them. Earlier in the episode Kim found out that Jimmy forged documents and stuck up for him and they haven't spoken of the matter since then. Jimmy senses the tension and brings it up in this scene and none of them outright mention it but Kim warns Jimmy that Chuck would make a powerful adversary which makes Jimmy nervous so he goes back to the copy shop. He sees Ernesto who works at HHM is speaking with Lance, the cashier and we dont know what they are saying but can assume they are speaking about Jimmy swapping the numbers. After Ernesto leaves, Jimmy walks in and pays Lance to withhold information when asked about it further by Chuck. Jimmy waits across the street when Chuck arrives and interrogates Lance. Lance was paid by Jimmy so he doesn't say anything and denies all the claims, protecting Jimmy's alibi. Chuck then gets angrier and angrier at Lance and his condition is also worsening with his exposure to electronics and he faints. Jimmy sees this and jumps back in shock but doesn't go over to help Chuck, instead muttering under his breath "call 911".

Why is this scene so important then? Let's start with Jimmy and Kim. This is an important episode for Jimmy and Kim's relationship, she made it very clear that she didn't want someone to save her and she didn't want Jimmy to involve her in his schemes. Jimmy's scheme broke both of these rules by getting her client back to her and it can be traced to her but when Chuck told her, she defended Jimmy, it would've been difficult to say whether she knew what she was getting into by defending him but with the scene of the two of them in bed, we know that she did know exactly what she was getting into. Jimmy risked his law career for her and in this scene by warning Jimmy of Chuck and defending him, knowing full well that Jimmy was in the wrong, she is risking her career for Jimmy. She did this knowing that they would make an enemy out of one the most, if not the most respected lawyer in the show and she knows that Chuck would not let this rest. I feel that this wasn't a general warning for the future but i think that it was subtly telling Jimmy to tie up any loose ends right now being that she mentioned it as Jimmy was about to sleep and she remained vague because she wanted to distance herself from the incident as much as possible. Jimmy is rattles by this and almost immediately without word goes off to the copy shop.

We can skip the part where Ernesto speaks with Lance and go straight to Jimmy bribing Lance. In this scene Jimmy expresses the difference in age between them constantly and expresses pride when Lance extorts more money from him. I think it could reflect an opening in an earlier episode where a conman inspired Jimmy to start stealing from his dad's cash register. Except now Jimmy is telling the young Lance to steal from the cash register, metaphorically speaking. Lance accepts the money and now he is also involved in the incident, it should've stayed between the brothers but both Jimmy and Chuck blew it out of proportion and now Kim and Lance, two innocent people are involved. Jimmy also doesn't order him to accept the bribe, it's more like he's teaching him a lesson on how to get money out of people. Then Chuck arrives and Jimmy hides in the shadows across the street. I haven't actually thought about this too much, if anyone wants to expand on the symbolism of him being shrouded in darkness then please do because its not only here but also when he's in bed with Kim, he chooses to turn his light off framing him in darkness. This could represent his mental state or his position. He continues to choose to go deeper into the darkness and continue to escalate the situation further, involving more people, it is his slow Descent into the world of crime and shady business practise. Continuing with this analogy, lets talk about his reactions to Chuck and Lance's conversation, he steps into the light and back into the shadows frequently throughout the exchange. It's his conflicting feelings fighting one another off for power, when he steps into the light, he wants to help Chuck but he steps back into darkness, ultimately deciding to remain hidden and not do anything despite him worrying about Chuck's health. Lets put a pin in this for now and speak about the actual interaction and how tension is built in this scene. Earlier in the episode, Chuck has a humiliating meeting where it is revealed that he got the address wrong on the documents, in this scene Chuck is exposed to electricity and it actually builds on the scene we are looking at right now. Near the end of the meeting, the framing places heavy emphasis on the lights in the room and we even get to hear a buzzing noise coming from it, this is excellent build up to the copy shop scene where Chuck is exposed once again to electricity. We also witness a physical manifestation of his condition when he collapses. The last time this happened, a doctor implied that it was all in Chuck's head and this incident actually supports that claim. Chuck only collapses at the very height of his anger with Lance. As his frustration builds, we get the build up to him collapsing, also notice how the light in the earlier scene is only emphasized after he humiliated himself. This copy shop scene implies that it is more of a mental condition than a physical one. Jimmy's reaction to this whole incident is just as important. Remember, we spoke about light and dark, bring that idea back into your thoughts for a moment. When Jimmy sees Chuck faint, he jumps back into the shadows because he's surprised. He jumps into the shadows because he didn't help Chuck and i think this also creates distance between the two of them both physically and figuratively. Jimmy was always there to help Chuck regardless of his feelings at the moment, even when he was angry at Chuck, he was by his side. This is the first time that Jimmy wasn't there and that's why the distance is increased between them. Afterwards Jimmy mutters under his breath "call 911". This is his worry for Chuck's health, it's obvious, nothing to explain about that.

TW: this scene features someone collapsing and you know the drill, paste it into chrome because idk how to link it. 

https://youtu.be/C2SIWY17KS4?si=s6mx6Pd_a0PRfzII

Thank you all for reading. I'd like to hear some of your thoughts and interpretations without spoiling but this is me just analyzing it as i watch for the first time so i dont have the luxury of foresight  so any spoiler free input would be appreciated.