Better Call Saul's Bizarre Boxing Match Is Even Weirder After Nobody

Better Call Saul season 6's bizarre boxing match between Jimmy McGill and Howard Hamlin is made even weirder by Bob Odenkirk's Nobody movie.

Better Call Saul's Bizarre Boxing Match Is Even Weirder After Nobody

Nobody emerges from Better Call Saul season 6’s boxing match with their dignity intact, but Howard should count himself lucky Hutch Mansell didn’t step into the ring on Jimmy’s behalf. Better Call Saul is renowned for its suspenseful drama, exquisite characterization, and the occasional desert shootout. Better Call Saul is not renowned for its slick hand-to-hand combat sequences, and after Jimmy McGill and Howard Hamlin’s boxing match in season 6’s “Black & Blue” episode… the status quo remains unchanged.

After discovering Jimmy has been framing him for all sorts of unpleasant shenanigans, Howard challenges his fellow lawyer to a macho fight. The pair flap around the ring embarrassingly for several minutes, throwing comically wild punches between Rocky Balboa impressions. The action is supposed to be bad, of course, but even taking the limited skills of both men involved into account, Better Call Saul‘s boxing scene feels… bizarre. It’s a tonal departure, no question there, but also super-orchestrated in a TV series where fights usually erupt under more natural circumstances. Even Howard Hamlin himself (actor Patrick Fabian) concedes the sequence has a certain absurdity.

Better Call Saul‘s boxing match scene is weirdly out of place – but gets even weirder when considering Bob Odenkirk’s recent movie output. In 2021, Odenkirk starred in brutal action thriller Nobody, written by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad. Much like Keanu Reeves’ Wick, Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell is introduced as an ex-assassin capable of extreme violence. Nobody‘s bus sequence – where a lone Hutch absolutely destroys an obnoxious gang of thugs – counts among the most strikingly hard-hitting pieces of fight choreography in action cinema, and Bob Odenkirk’s extensive preparation played a major role in that. Ahead of Nobody, the Jimmy McGill actor underwent combat training, firearms training, knife training, a workout regime, and completely transformed from a New Mexico lawyer as intimidating as a bridal bouquet into an absolute badass who’d give John Wick a run for his blood money.

After watching Bob Odenkirk handle himself so proficiently against the criminals and lowlifes of Nobody, suspending disbelief for Better Call Saul‘s season 6 boxing match becomes an even bigger challenge. Adjusting to the sheer absurdity of this mid-episode match-up is a tricky enough task, but knowing the skills Odenkirk gained while filming Nobody – as well as his newfound action star status – Jimmy McGill fighting Howard Hamlin with all the poise and danger of a drunk kangaroo feels even more ridiculous. Actors are always learning new skills in order to better portray specific characters; far less common is an actor intentionally dumbing down personal skill sets to look less competent onscreen.

Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody training regime isn’t the sole reason Better Call Saul‘s McGill vs. Hamlin clash feels so jarring… but neither does it help. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s Breaking Bad prequel typically squeezes character and plot development from every single frame, but the “Black & Blue” boxing match is played for surreal laughs, at odds compared to the season so far. Does their confrontation lose anything important if Jimmy refuses Howard’s challenge and walks away from the ring? Arguably not.

Better Call Saul has by now earned the benefit of the doubt. Season 6’s boxing scene might seem superfluous and baffling right now, but maybe the bout somehow plays into future events. Could Jimmy’s black eye contribute to his and Kim’s ongoing scam? Might Jimmy bribe the referee to testify Howard committed a brutal assault? Or was it just a very weird boxing scene with no further meaning to the plot?