| "Winner" | |
|---|---|
| Better Call Saul episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 10 |
| Directed by | Adam Bernstein |
| Written by | Peter Gould Thomas Schnauz |
| Original air date | October 8, 2018 |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Winner" is the tenth and final episode of the fourth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on October 8, 2018, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.
In the episode, Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) attempts to convince an appeals panel of the New Mexico Bar Association that he should be reinstated as a lawyer, after the original hearing panel's chairman informed him he was "insincere" in expressing regret over sabotaging his brother Chuck's (Michael McKean) legal work. After Werner Ziegler (Rainer Bock) escapes from the high-security construction site owned by Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), Gus' fixer, Mike Ehrmantraut (Johnathan Banks), attempts to locate him and bring him back. Mike races against the simultaneous search of Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton), who wants to obtain information from Ziegler about the construction site.
In 1998, HHM's staff visits a karaoke club to celebrate Jimmy McGill attaining admission to the New Mexico bar.[a] Chuck and Jimmy return to Jimmy's apartment where they fall asleep in Jimmy's bed as they sing "The Winner Takes It All" by ABBA, the song they sang together at the bar.
In 2004, Mike Ehrmantraut tracks Werner Ziegler to a money wire agency and convinces the clerk to let him view security camera footage. Mike guesses Werner is going to meet his wife at a hot spring resort and begins calling hotels. He notices Lalo Salamanca's car following him and evades it.
Kim Wexler and Jimmy stage several events where Jimmy feigns remorse over Chuck's death to influence the appeals panel considering Jimmy's reinstatement.[b]
Lalo goes to the money wire agency, kills the clerk, and reviews security footage. Lalo calls hotels until he locates Werner. Pretending to work for Gus Fring, he extracts some details of Werner's work before Mike arrives at the hotel to end the call.
Jimmy sits on a panel reviewing candidates for scholarships in Chuck's name. Jimmy tries unsuccessfully to persuade Howard Hamlin and the other members to award a scholarship to Kristy,[1] whose background includes a shoplifting charge. Afterward, he encourages her not to stick to the upright path she is attempting to follow, but to do whatever is necessary to succeed because "the winner takes it all".
Gus decides Werner must die, for which Mike takes responsibility. He tells Werner and has him convince his wife to return to Germany. Mike promises to make Werner's death look accidental for his wife's sake before shooting him. Mike later reports to Gus as Gus and Gale Boetticher inspect the unfinished meth lab, created according to Gale's design.
At his appeal, Jimmy gives an impromptu speech promising to be "worthy of the name McGill", and wins reinstatement. He then stuns Kim by revealing his performance was insincere and states his intention not to practice under the name McGill before exclaiming "S'all good man!".
"Winner" was written by Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz.[1] It was directed by Adam Bernstein, who also directed the episodes "Five-O", "Gloves Off", and "Slip".[2][3]
This episode includes guest appearances from Michael McKean as Chuck McGill and Brandon K. Hampton as Ernesto, both of whom appear in the flashback.[1] The directors had written the cold open with the desire to utilize McKean's background as a singer. In Episode 1 of Season 1 ("Uno"), Jimmy displays post-meeting frustration with Howard by kicking a trash can located inside the doorway between the HHM office building and parking garage.[1] In "Winner", Jimmy passes the dented trash can, which is still visible inside the doorway.[1]
"Winner" received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a perfect 100% rating with an average score of 9.1/10 based on 19 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "An excellent ending to a bittersweet season, 'Winner' ties up loose threads while priming each of Better Call Saul's excellently drawn characters for the coming danger."[4]
The episode received four nominations at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Bob Odenkirk, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Jonathan Banks, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz, and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Michael McKean.
"Winner" was watched by 1.53 million viewers on its first broadcast, earning a 0.5 rating for viewers between 18 and 49.[5]
