Five-O (Better Call Saul)

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Five-O is the sixth episode of Better Call Saul’s first season. It aired on March 9, 2015, on AMC. The episode follows Mike Ehrmantraut in three moments: a cold open in Albuquerque where he meets his daughter-in-law Stacey and granddaughter Kaylee; a present-day 2002 sequence in which Philadelphia detectives interview him about the 2001 killings of his son Matt and two other officers; and a 2001 flashback in Philadelphia where Mike, pretending to be drunk, confronts and kills Officers Jack Fensky and Troy Hoffman before leaving for Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, Mike explains to Stacey that Matt’s death involved police corruption and that Matt had warned him. Stacey had found money Matt had hidden, and investigating its source could reveal who killed him.

Jimmy McGill helps Mike during the questioning, and Mike uses a distraction to steal a notebook from Detective Abbasi, learning more about the money. The episode was directed by Adam Bernstein and written by Gordon Smith (his first TV script). It drew about 2.57 million U.S. viewers and received widespread praise, especially for Jonathan Banks’s performance. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 100% based on 25 reviews (average 8.8/10); IGN rated it 9.7/10; TV.com called it Emmy-worthy. Five-O earned three Primetime Emmy nominations: Banks for Supporting Actor, Smith for Writing, and Kelley Dixon for Editing.