Marco (Better Call Saul)

"Marco" is the tenth and final episode of the first season of the American television drama series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. Written and directed by series co-creator Peter Gould, "Marco" aired on AMC in the United States on April 6, 2015. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.

"Marco"
Better Call Saul episode
Marco suffers a heart attack while running a con with his best friend, Jimmy.
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 10
Directed byPeter Gould
Written byPeter Gould
Featured music
Original air dateApril 6, 2015 (2015-04-06)
Running time49 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

Plot

Opening

In a flashback to 1992, Jimmy has been released from jail with Chuck's help. He goes to a favorite bar in his hometown of Cicero, Illinois to say goodbye to Marco, his friend and partner in crime. Jimmy has agreed to Chuck's demand that he move to Albuquerque to live an honest life and give up his cons, which disappoints Marco.

Main story

Jimmy gives the Sandpiper Crossing case to HHM and reveals he figured out Chuck was sabotaging his career. Howard apologizes for his involvement and gives Jimmy his $20,000 of counsel fee. Jimmy requests that Howard take over caring for Chuck, and Howard is impressed with the amount of time and effort Jimmy has devoted to Chuck's well-being.

Jimmy calls bingo at the local senior center. After an improbable string of numbers beginning with "B" he fixates on words beginning with that letter which remind him of Chuck. Jimmy rants about taking revenge in Illinois against Chet, who "may have" owed him money or cheated with his wife, by defecating through the sunroof of Chet's car (the "Chicago Sunroof") without realizing Chet's children were in the back seat. Facing the possibility of registering as a sex offender if convicted, Jimmy asked Chuck for help. Chuck got the charges dropped, but Jimmy attributes his current situation to that event.

Jimmy returns to Cicero and reunites with Marco. They run a scam on an unsuspecting businessman, then spend several days running more cons. At the end of the week, Jimmy explains he is an attorney and must return to Albuquerque to see to his clients. Marco convinces Jimmy to stay for one last con, to which Jimmy reluctantly agrees. While running the scam, Marco suffers a heart attack but before dying he thanks Jimmy for providing the greatest week of his life. Jimmy inherits Marco's pinky ring, which he begins to wear even though it is too big.

Kim calls Jimmy to report that the Sandpiper case has grown too big for HHM to handle, requiring them to partner with Davis & Main. Because of Jimmy's rapport with the clients, D&M is interested in hiring him. Jimmy arranges to meet the D&M partners at the courthouse but changes his mind and drives away. On his way out he stops to ask Mike why they did not keep the money they took from the Kettlemans.[lower-alpha 1] Mike recalls Jimmy did not take it because he wanted to do the "right thing" and says he did not because Jimmy hired him to do a job and he did it. Jimmy assures Mike he will not make the same mistake again and drives off while humming "Smoke on the Water", the same song Marco was humming just before he died.

Production

This episode was written and directed by series co-creator Peter Gould, who also wrote "Uno" and "Mijo" earlier this season.

According to Gould, all the scams depicted in the episode are based on real-life cases.[1]

The fictitious Equatorial Uqbar Orbis that Jimmy mentions during a scam is a reference to the Jorge Luis Borges story Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.

During the montage of scams, Marco speaks the line, "Hey, kid, help me get my wife's car out of this bad neighborhood."

In the episode, a woman who slept with Jimmy after he tricked her into thinking he was Kevin Costner, realizes he is not. This is a reference to the Breaking Bad episode "Abiquiu", where Saul (Jimmy) tells Walter White, "I once told a woman I was Kevin Costner, and it worked because I believed it."[2]

Reception

Ratings

Upon airing, the episode received 2.53 million American viewers, and an 18-49 rating of 1.2;[3] including Live+7 ratings, the finale was watched by 5.76 million viewers, and had a 2.8 18-49 rating overall.[4]

Critical reception

The episode received a highly positive reception from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, based on 27 reviews, it received an 89% approval rating with an average score of 8.55 out of 10. The site's consensus reads, "The investment into Better Call Saul's first season pays off with a finale that is at once comic and tragic, as Jimmy's conversion to Saul nears completion."[5]

Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a 9.0 rating, concluding, "Better Call Saul gave us an exemplary first season of television. The finale brought us to the moment where Jimmy made the decision to abandon his attempt to walk a righteous path and, instead, give over to his baser drives and desires. A more open-ended conclusion may have felt more emotionally impactful. On the whole, though, this was a gorgeously designed and executed episode; one that leaves enough room for – what we hope will be – an equally extraordinary second season."[6] The Telegraph rated the episode 4 out of 5 stars.[7]

Notes
  1. During "Bingo".

References
  1. Couch, Aaron (April 7, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' Boss on Jimmy's Next Move, Future 'Breaking Bad' Tie-ins". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  2. "Breaking Down 'Saul': "Pimento" & "Marco"". Decider. April 7, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  3. Kondolojy, Amanda (April 7, 2015). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Monday Night Raw' Tops Night + 'Love & Hip Hop', 'Better Call Saul', 'Black Ink Crew' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  4. Bibel, Sara (April 27, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' Leads Adults 18-49 & Viewership Gains, 'Salem' Tops Percentage Increases in Live +7 Cable Ratings for Week 29 Ending April 12". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  5. "Marco". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. Cornet, Roth (April 6, 2015). "Better Call Saul: "Marco" Review". IGN. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  7. Power, Ed (April 7, 2015). "Better Call Saul: Marco, episode 10, review: 'a dark conclusion'". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
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