Jimmy sat dejectedly on the sofa in the lobby of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM). He had finally decided to hand over the class-action lawsuit he was handling to Howard—his way of apologizing for misunderstanding Howard all these years.
Come to think of it, Kim had chosen to let Jimmy misunderstand her as currying favor with the boss the previous night rather than reveal the truth. She did this solely to avoid harming the relationship between the McGill brothers. Jimmy felt he also needed to apologize to her in person. Additionally, Jimmy handed Howard a detailed list outlining Charles' daily needs and key precautions; from now on, the firm would need to send someone regularly to take care of Charles.
After settling these matters, Jimmy thought he could put his troubles behind him and focus on developing his own career. But he couldn't. While hosting another Bingo game, he lost his temper, with words like "brother" and "betrayal" replaying constantly in his mind. Charles had indeed helped him out of many troubles in the past, and those troubles were all of Jimmy's own making. Jimmy was truly grateful to Charles, which was why he had decided to move to Albuquerque with him. He had obtained his lawyer's license through self-study, all to make Charles happy and not let him down. Yet, he never imagined that in Charles' eyes, he was only fit to be a mail clerk—and Charles had even repeatedly hindered his career development. This feeling of betrayal lingered, and Jimmy began to think that moving to Albuquerque might have been a mistake in the first place. Before calming down, he wanted to return to Cicero, the city where he used to hang out. He hoped seeing old friends might help.
After a long journey, Jimmy stood once again in front of the familiar bar. Back in the day, he and his old partner Marco had pulled off countless brilliant scams here—their lives were decadent, yet filled with joy and excitement. Walking into the bar, he saw Marco's bulky figure lying on the bar counter, sound asleep. Old friends catching up inevitably involved reminiscing about the past, but what they missed most was pulling off a small scam together. They passed a counterfeit coin off as an error coin worth $800, letting the guy eavesdropping nearby learn a lesson for his greed. Holding the hundred-dollar bill in his hand and watching the man who thought he'd gotten a good deal walk away quickly, Jimmy felt a long-lost sense of excitement and accomplishment. This might have been his true nature.
Over the following week, Jimmy and Marco kept seeking out targets and using various scams, savoring the thrill of ill-gotten gains. But once his mood calmed down, emptiness set in. Days of indulgence lacked the company of a loved one, and he began to miss Kim. When he checked his voicemail, there were over a dozen messages—all from elderly people asking for help. Jimmy knew he needed to go back; Albuquerque was where his future lay.
Marco was deeply disappointed when he heard Jimmy's decision, but as an old friend, he wouldn't stand in the way of Jimmy's promising future. He only asked one thing of Jimmy: to pull off their classic fake Rolex scam one last time, as a farewell performance. In this scam, Jimmy would spot a target at the bar, gain their trust, and after the bar closed, suggest continuing the fun at another bar. On the way, they would pass through a quiet alley, where Marco—having put on a neat suit and a fake Rolex beforehand—would pretend to be drunk and collapse to the ground. Jimmy would "discover" the "gold watch" on the "drunk man's" wrist and pretend to want it for himself. Typically, the target would then pull out all the money they had to buy the "gold watch" and hurry away, fearing that the "slow-witted" Jimmy might change his mind. The Rolex scam had never failed—until this time, when an accident happened. Marco's overweight body couldn't handle the strain anymore; the week of excess had drained him completely. By the time Jimmy and the target reached the alley, Marco had already stopped breathing.
At Marco's funeral, Jimmy specifically wore a pinky ring. It was a gift from Marco's mother, and the only thing he had that was connected to Marco. Just then, Kim called. The Sandpiper Crossing case was too big, so Howard had decided to partner with another law firm. The other firm had heard of Jimmy and wanted a chance to meet with him to discuss a potential partnership. Though Kim didn't say it, Jimmy knew she must have put in a lot of effort to make this interview happen.
Howard would meet with the judge along with the newly joined legal team at 11 a.m. on Thursday—and that would be Jimmy's best chance. Before heading to the court, Jimmy stopped for a moment outside Charles' house. He saw Ernest, a young associate from the firm, in charge of Charles' daily meals. When he heard that Charles was living normally, showing no signs of illness and even able to handle some document work, Jimmy forced a bitter smile and drove away.
Upon arriving at the court, Jimmy drove past Mike Ehrmantraut's guard booth. But soon, he reversed his car back. He had a question to ask Mike: why had Mike not split Craig's $1.6 million with him back then, but instead turned it over to the district attorney's office? Mike didn't know Jimmy's motive; he only knew he had been hired by Jimmy to do a job, so he took his pay and stayed out of other matters. Jimmy knew clearly what had stopped him back then—it was that damn conscience and that stupid professional ethics. He stepped hard on the gas and sped out of the court parking lot. From now on, he didn't want to be held back anymore; he wanted to be his true self.