Switch (Better Call Saul)

In a flash-forward, "Gene" manages a Cinnabon store in Omaha, Nebraska. When closing for the night, he accidentally locks himself in the mall's dumpster room. He contemplates using an emergency exit but does not because the alarm on the door would notify the police. A janitor opens the door nearly two and a half hours later, and Gene leaves after having carved "SG WAS HERE" into the wall with a screw while he waited.

Jimmy McGill declines Davis & Main's employment offer{{efn|As seen in "Marco".}} and goes on vacation at a luxury hotel under an assumed name. Kim Wexler confronts him but Jimmy is content since his reason for becoming a lawyer was to impress Chuck McGill, who is not supportive. Jimmy convinces Kim to help him con Ken, an obnoxious businessman, into paying their expensive tab at a tequila bar. Thrilled by the experience, Kim keeps the elaborate bottle stopper as a souvenir and spends the night with Jimmy, but says she does not want to participate in this behavior all the time. Jimmy takes the job with Davis & Main and finds that benefits include an expensive company car as well as the cocobolo desk he always wanted. Jimmy notices a wall switch in his new office which has a note posted on it indicating that it should never be turned off. He turns it off and waits a moment to see what happens. When nothing does, he turns it back on.

Mike Ehrmantraut refuses another job with "Pryce", who has spent some of his money{{efn|As seen in "Pimento".}} on a flashy and expensive new Hummer that Mike believes will draw too much attention. Pryce fires Mike because he believes he no longer needs a bodyguard, ignoring Mike's warnings that it is not wise to deal with Nacho alone. Nacho takes advantage of Mike's absence to obtain Pryce's address and real name (Daniel Wormald) from the vehicle registration papers in the glove compartment.

Daniel's house is ransacked and he calls the police, upset that his valuable baseball card collection has been stolen. The responding officers are suspicious about the nature of the burglary because valuable items including Daniel's computer and TV were left untouched. They are also suspicious of his Hummer. When they search inside his house, the officers find a hidden wall compartment behind his couch, apparently located and emptied by the burglar.

This episode was written and directed by executive producer Thomas Schnauz,{{cite web |url=http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/season-premiere-review-better-call-saul-switch-ken-wins-loses-again |title=Season premiere review: 'Better Call Saul' - 'Switch': Ken Wins loses again |work=HitFix |first=Alan |last=Sepinwall |date=February 15, 2016 |accessdate=February 18, 2016}} who also wrote the episodes "Nacho" and "Pimento" of the previous season. Just like "Switch", "Pimento" was also directed by Schnauz. Despite being credited, Michael McKean as Chuck McGill does not appear. Kyle Bornheimer, who plays Ken, reprises his guest role from the first-season Breaking Bad episode "Cancer Man".{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fien-print/better-call-saul-season-two-864735|title='Better Call Saul' Writer-Director on Surprise 'Breaking Bad' Return and What's Next |work=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Daniel |last=Fienberg |date=February 15, 2016 |accessdate=February 19, 2016}}

Upon airing, the episode received 2.57 million American viewers, and an 18-49 rating of 1.1.{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/17/monday-cable-ratings-wwe-raw-stays-steady-better-call-saul-premieres-low/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219030619/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/17/monday-cable-ratings-wwe-raw-stays-steady-better-call-saul-premieres-low/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 19, 2016|title=Monday cable ratings: 'WWE Raw' stays steady, 'Better Call Saul' premieres low|work=TV by the Numbers|last=Welch|first=Alex|date=February 17, 2016|accessdate=February 17, 2016}}

Including Live+3 viewership, the premiere was watched by 4.708 million viewers and attained an 18-49 rating of 2.1.{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/28/cable-live-3-ratings-feb-15-21-2016/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229101115/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/28/cable-live-3-ratings-feb-15-21-2016/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 29, 2016|title=Cable Live +3 ratings, Feb. 15-21: 'Better Call Saul' premiere moves up the charts|work=TV by the Numbers|last=Porter|first=Rick|date=February 28, 2016|accessdate=February 28, 2016}}

The episode received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has a 93% rating with an average score of 8.4 out of 10 based on 14 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, {{"'}}Switch' succeeds in taking its sweet time while laying nuanced groundwork for the anticipated transition from Jimmy into Saul."{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/better-call-saul/s02/e01/ |title=Switch |website=Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=August 28, 2021}}

Terri Schwartz of IGN gave the episode an 8.5 rating, concluding, {{"'}}Switch' marks a solid return for Better Call Saul as we begin to see the 'how' of Jimmy's transition into Saul Goodman be explored."{{cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Terri|title=Better Call Saul: "Switch" Review|url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/02/16/better-call-saul-switch-review|website=IGN|date=February 15, 2016|accessdate=February 16, 2016}} The Telegraph note how "it was obviously a hoot to resume acquaintances with Jimmy, Kim and Mike".{{cite news|last=Power|first=Ed|title=Better Call Saul, season 2, episode 1: Switch was a 'hoot' and 6 other things we learned|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/02/15/better-call-saul-season-2-episode-1-switch-was-a-hoot-and-6-othe/|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=February 15, 2016|accessdate=February 16, 2016}} The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+.{{cite web |last=Bowman |first=Donna |date=February 15, 2016 |title=Jimmy reads, disobeys the signs in the Better Call Saul premiere |url=https://www.avclub.com/jimmy-reads-disobeys-the-signs-in-the-better-call-saul-1798186587 |accessdate=February 16, 2016 |website=The A.V. Club}}

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• [http://www.amc.com/shows/better-call-saul/season-2/episode-01-switch "Switch"] at AMC
• {{IMDb episode|3824148|Switch}}

{{Better Call Saul}}

Category:Better Call Saul season 2 episodes

Category:2016 American television episodes

Category:Television episodes set in Nebraska