Did anyone else stop breathing during the final moments of the latest Better Call Saul? This entire series has been hinged around Jimmy's relationship with Chuck, and finally -- finally, FINALLY -- that house of cards came crumbling down, with Jimmy getting the one-up on his hateable older brother.

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Better Call Saul: "Chicanery" Photos 13 IMAGES

If there's one thing that "Chicanery" provided, it was catharsis. Catharsis for Jimmy in finally getting to hear the truth that Chuck has been hiding behind his composed veneer, but also catharsis for the audience who has been so frustrated by the way Chuck has treated Jimmy for two and a half seasons. This is arguably the most pivotal episode of Better Call Saul to date. Maybe there's a world in which Chuck can somehow come back from the way he cracked at the end of the episode, but I don't imagine that's the case.Chuck's breakdown feels like a true turning point for Better Call Saul. We never see Jimmy-as-Saul dealing with sibling issues in Breaking Bad, so presumably at some point in the time between now and when Saul meets Walter White, Jimmy and Chuck cut ties. Honestly, maybe this is that moment, that time when they move past one another. This trial seems like it's the breaking point for the McGill brothers, and there's no going back from here.Because of that, Better Call Saul was as good as it's ever been in "Chicanery." It was a smart move to focus entirely on Jimmy's storyline and leave Mike and Gus absent. Better Call Saul has long been operating as two different shows running in parallel with one another, and the stakes of Mike's storyline frequently overshadow the human drama of Jimmy's. But in "Chicanery," Jimmy and Chuck's fraught relationship could be front and center, to its benefit. We could hone in entirely on, as Kim put it, the relationship between these two brothers and how it's central to everything.While Bob Odenkirk remains the rock that keeps Better Call Saul grounded, it's Michael McKean who stole the show in this standout episode. Part of what makes Chuck such an engaging villain is the nuanced way McKean performs him; even as we believe that much of Chuck's illness is in his head, you question whether it actually is real because he is so committed. Seeing the raw truth about his mental illness revealed here is a brutal, heartbreaking moment; the sadness and pity in Kim, Jimmy, Howard and Rebecca's faces is reflected in our own. That haunting shot at the end with the exit sign framed in front of Chuck is the most perfect way to conclude this episode as it symbolizes not only what Chuck thought tormented him but how this is the end of the road for him in a lot of ways.In terms of how this is a turning point from the show, my hope is that Better Call Saul uses this opportunity to move Jimmy away from the Chuck storyline. As much as McKean's Chuck has been integral to this series so far, the introduction of Gus and the cartel arc is evolving Better Call Saul into something else entirely. While Jimmy's relationship with Chuck and the chip he has on his shoulder about his treatment and the lack of his brother's love is a key part of his character, the show can't rely on their battle forever, and it's already been the core throughline of two and a half seasons.In that way, choosing to have this significant episode be halfway through Season 3 is one of the smartest things Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan can do. Again, unless I am completely off base and this courtroom battle continues, this seems to be a period at the end of this storyline. It allows the next half of this season to be about how Jimmy moves on, and sets up what is to come. It allows for a transition and falling action for the show as Mike's (and Gus's) storyline weaves back in.This episode would not have been as excellent if not for the absence of Mike and Gus, and the focus in on Jimmy helps remind audiences why Odenkirk's portrayal of this character is worth his own spinoff show. That the episode was almost entirely set in the courtroom helps too; Jimmy is a lawyer, after all, and as interesting as the criminal arc is with Mike, it's nice to get back to basics. The simple setting amplified the high stakes of the proceedings. The whole time you're wondering what ace Jimmy has up his sleeve, and I was genuinely on the edge of my seat as Chuck had his breakdown at the end. Just a truly great hour of television, and a standout for what is already an excellent show.Also, I just gushed for almost 800 words and didn't mention that Huell's back. That cameo is the most excellent, and it's no wonder Jimmy hired him full time farther down the road considering the excellent, effective work he did here.