What are you watching? (television thread)

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Better Call Saul — Hell of an episode.

Of course, they’ve played their entire hand at this point. The fallout from this seems obvious. It’s over for Jimmy and Kim.

Do you mean them individually, as a pair, or the show itself? I felt ending, or diverting, this plot was a necessity if the show had anything more for us, in the ABQ or Omaha. Plus, talk about getting it done and not fucking around. This show could have used more of that.

And other than that, it’s all been very circular, ending roughly where it began with Lalo entering the picture. And while I can’t say that the Lalo story added too much to the whole mess behind Jimmy, Mike, and Fring, I’ll miss him nonetheless. Smart bad guys? That’s my thing!

I think he provided the show, especially recently, with its own little internal combustion engine separate from BB that was missing after Chuck departed. And he's also the trigger man, literally, for the two sides of the show, the lawyer show and criminal show, to irrecoverably mix and now percolate inside our favorite criminal, lawyer. It couldn't be the climax though because he's not the point and a forgone conclusion, so his story had to be about how he affected others. Speaking of which...

Felt bad for him throughout this episode. As soon as I saw that busted fan, I knew it was over for him. Poor guy had almost everything perfect.

Just shoot him, Lalo! He's not a house cat, he's a predator that hunts coati! I still don't even know what that is! The fun of Lalo as opposed to Gus was everything with him felt improvised and much of his resourcefulness came from his own nerve and personal charisma, whereas Gus is just over the top methodical with seemingly limitless resources. I did appreciate the parallel and retrospective foreshadowing though: Gus made the mistake of rushing out to take care of this himself, and it worked out despite Mike's admonishments. But later in his battle against Walter he does the same thing with Hector Salamanca and the rest is television history.
 

Walter

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Do you mean them individually, as a pair, or the show itself?
I mean that Jimmy forcing Kim to do the hit is going to be the breaking point for them as a couple. It was playing out on her face the moment he proposed the swap. How do you recover from that? He can't talk his way out of this one. He signed Kim up to do a murder.

Still, whether I'm right or wrong on this one, I want future Jimmy to find Kim. And she should slam the door in his face. And that's the credits.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I mean that Jimmy forcing Kim to do the hit is going to be the breaking point for them as a couple. It was playing out on her face the moment he proposed the swap. How do you recover from that? He can't talk his way out of this one. He signed Kim up to do a murder.

Still, whether I'm right or wrong on this one, I want future Jimmy to find Kim. And she should slam the door in his face. And that's the credits.

We totally read this the opposite way, because my interpretation is he was just getting her out of the house because whoever stayed behind was likely going to be killed (nice move making Lalo's suspicions not only setup Saul's Bad lines but explain why he didn't just pop him before leaving) and Kim was supposed to just escape, go to cops, whatever (she said as much to Gus, I think), but she actually went through it to try and save Jimmy (and she was clearly in shock, not thinking rationally, forgetting to wear shoes, etc). So, basically, Jimmy would die for Kim, she would kill for him. True love, brah!

But we actually agree it's basically untenably broken and the end of them, but I hope she lets him in at the end for some needed catharsis for both of them.
 
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Walter

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We totally read this the opposite way, because my interpretation is he was just getting her out of the house because whoever stayed behind was likely going to be killed (nice move making Lalo's suspicions not only setup Saul's Bad lines but explain why he didn't just pop him before leaving) and Kim was supposed to just escape, go to cops, whatever (she said as much to Gus, I think), but she actually went through it to try and save Jimmy (and she was clearly in shock, not thinking rationally, forgetting to wear shoes, etc). So, basically, Jimmy would die for Kim, she would kill for him. True love, brah!

But we actually agree it's basically untenably broken and the end of them, but I hope she lets him in at the end for some needed catharsis for both of them.
Complete opposites for sure then. :ganishka: That's a good rationalization for why Jimmy shoved Kim out the door. That works for me. Kind of reminds me of when Walt kidnapped his own baby. Jimmy did it to save her, even knowing how it looks and the potential ramifications.

However... Lalo entered their lives to begin with, creating the circumstances for this impossible-to-win scenario, because Jimmy voluntarily pursued cartel money. Kim wasn't on board for that. And this event was the culmination of that foreign element within their relationship, ending with her having to point a gun at at stranger. Now... I'm not a guru when it comes to women, but I just don't think it's a very favorable spot for Jimmy to be in.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Complete opposites for sure then. :ganishka: That's a good rationalization for why Jimmy shoved Kim out the door. That works for me. Kind of reminds me of when Walt kidnapped his own baby. He did it to save her, even knowing how it looks and the potential ramifications.

I see that one a little differently too actually, basically he genuinely kidnapped her for all the wrong reasons in the moment, as you do: possessiveness, retaliation, "I'll take what's mine and start over!" But of course he's a dead man walking so he returns her and does the call to give Skylar plausible deniability as a make-good (and even she didn't slam the door on him later! My wife won't even forgive me for tossing the recycling instead of turning in the cans =).

However... Lalo entered their lives to begin with, creating the circumstances for this impossible-to-win scenario, because Jimmy voluntarily pursued cartel money. Kim wasn't on board for that. And this event was the culmination of that foreign element within their relationship, ending with her having to point a gun at at stranger. Now... I'm not a guru when it comes to women, but I just don't think it's a very favorable spot for Jimmy to be in.

Agree totally. If anything, she's been far too forgiving or prone to overlooking these transgressions and red flags to this point, including lying to her, which he'd promised not to do (even if he was just trying to keep her out of the game; didn't work anyway). I think the last straw is that despite his reaction in the moment Jimmy is going to bounce back from Howard's death like nothing happened or he had anything to do with it, just like with Chuck, just like Walt with the kid, and Kim, like Jesse before her, is not.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
The Witcher - So, in my latest episode a knight gets cursed and turned into a were-hedgehog-- wait, what the fuck am I doing...!?

Better Call Saul - Well, I don't mind being right, though Kim was harder, to the point of necessary cruelty, than I expected, but that was the last straw and something had to give in the end. Landmark episode, and I wonder if after all that build up this is it and there's no going back. It somehow feels abrupt yet perfectly fitting, as these things go, and I can't wait to see what happens next. The Gus stuff alone was also pretty great for a couple of different reasons, you both empathize with him a bit, for his sadness and what might be viewed as a kindness or mercy, but what's also made clear is he's choosing this, every day.
 

Walter

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Better Call Saul - :shrug: + :isidro: It is fascinating that the whole series could have ended right there at the end of this episode—very tidily. And yet somehow we still have 4 more to go? The biggest problem I had with this episode was that Kim's cool demeanor felt very contrived to me. Robotic, even. But not an interesting robot. Speaking of which! The Gus stuff was great for it being a fly-on-the-wall of his internal workings. All his feelings were conveyed through his mannerisms and acting, not through his words. The same kind of thing has been happening with Mike for a while now. There's a lot of subtext without accent through dialogue with Mike's thoughts. Him conveying the bad news to Varga's dad, tying revenge to justice, is like him trying to absolve himself from working for the bad guys. Of course, this kind of rationalization doesn't lead anywhere, as we know the trajectory Mike is on.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Nacho's dad at first seems like the naive one, but he's actually completely on point.

Anyway, it's no Ozymandias in the same ways this show is no Bad, though it's similar in that everything sort of comes together at once and this is for all practical purposes the end of the story we've been watching. BUT, we may have some time in this period left, presumably have some concurrent events during the Breaking Bad timeline, and of course we need to see if Gene turns back into Saul and/or if Saul turns back into Jimmy and what else happens with Kim now or in the future. There's at least three timelines to wrap up, if the first isn't done already: the Jimmy era, the Saul era, and the Gene era.

Anyway, now Saul can find Kim in the future and let her know it WAS him that was bad for her, not mutual, but it was jarring how quickly they yada yada'd the end of their relationship after 6 seasons of delayed gratification.
This show cares more about process than anything, whether it's Mike's surveillance work or which way the coffee spins in the pot when brewed. I mean, instead of the Saul show they made six seasons of the process of becoming Saul. That's why it's funny when they yada yada some major turning point after hours of unnecessarily rigorous setup, like Lalo is the most interesting and capable man in the world, he outmaneuvered everybody singlehandedly and had Gus dead to rights, yada yada yada... he lost. They made Lalo such a compelling supervillain counterpart to Gus, who actually seemed overmatched for once, that I didn't quite buy him dying like that despite it being a foregone conclusion.

Another interesting thing about their prequel predicament... they dealt with all this in Bad already because everybody knew we were heading towards Walt's demise one way or another, and they had to fit everything possible in perfectly beforehand because they're crazy. To the point they rightfully cut the extraneous Jesse the drug slave material and the unnecessary details of his escape only to do a two hour make-good movie about it! I bet it kept Vince Gilligan up at night before that. *Texas drawl* "I mean, what the hell was he doing before and after all that!?" Same thing with how the secret underground super lab was constructed, a question absolutely no one needed answered except probably Vince Gilligan. =)

It's like the Lucas/Star Wars EU problem, where everything has to be explained as significant, everyone was either a secret Rebel or Imperial spy, but in this case it all actually more or less fits. But my point is, they actually have experience with this sort of writing INTO a corner, and ironically this prequel actually has more open-ended, or open ending, possibilities than the original because it also goes past the original story's timeframe. Saul can still live on the lam, go to prison, die, or have a happy ending... at the massage parlor or otherwise. =)
 
I've skipped the last 3 seasons of Stranger Things, but reading these comments, I feel like I've absolutely saved hours of my life from the fuckin grinder.
I have only watched the first season too... wait, there's 5 seasons already? It felt clear to me that starting season 2, things changed for the worst, and with uni and stuff I wasn't bothered...

I wrote something about Better Call Saul but hit the cancel button while editing... :rickert::judo:
 
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Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I wrote something about Better Call Saul but hit the cancel button while editing... :rickert::judo:

Do what I do when that happens, make the post even better longer the next time!

Better Call Me Saul - Even though it didn't have the fireworks of a Breaking Bad era reunion or ultimate Kim resolution, and I didn't completely love it in the moment, partly due to the series finally falling victim to recasting (besides, like, Mike's granddaughter or something), but, once I got past that, and even came to appreciate the difference, this episode was both a lot of fun and a different thematic and emotional coda to the previous one.

We finally made it to the black & white future... present... now past. And even though Don Harvey was a way scarier Jeff, that was also more appropriate for those, now flashbacks, as he was perceived by Gene as a major threat but here the tables were turned from the beginning on a guy that's living with his mom and is just a wannabe in the game (plus, it's not like it challenges my disbelief any more than the rest of the returning cast all looking a decade or more older than they initially did).

Anyway, I don't know how compelling Saul's offer really was as opposed to just blackmailing him or turning him in for potential reward, but other than that this episode was kind of a joy, fantastically directed, fun, and finally showed post-Saul Gene returning to form and having a little hutzpah.

Oh yeah, and Carol Burnett! That was cool to see her it chewing it up with Odenkirk, and him scamming an elderly woman had real Jimmy vibes, but my favorite of all his great cons in this episode had to be his fake dispatcher phone call with the department store manager. Specifically that moment when he was managed to have a two-way lying conversation at and didn't miss best before completely leading her to offering to keep the box overnight, and smiling... It was nice to see after the last few episodes.

The rest of caper was great fun too. I am sick of heists, but that's because most of them are ridiculously stupid at this point (see Rick & Morty's heist episode), but when you take a simple robbery and really break down all the angles like that it's different, and great to see. I love how he goes from Nick the security guard giving him the cold shoulder to them playing pretend football when Gene comes for his routine visit.

Anyway, I guess the big remaining takeaway or question from this episode, besides where, and when, Walt & Jesse, and Kim, will fit in respectively is if Gene was saying goodbye to Saul for good there at the end...
 
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Walter

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Better Call Me Saul - Nippy was okay. Nice to have one last heist (presumably). And unlike Walt almost every single time, Gene kept it clean and didn't overextend the purpose of the heist. Fuckin perfection.

That being said, the whole thing felt a bit highfalutin to me. And it did drag at times. I'm not sure I needed to see 10 minutes of what is essentially a Cinnabon commercial to establish that he was creating a reliable routine for the heist.

The purpose of all of it was, to me, for Gene to prove to himself that he could still wear the Saul persona when he needed to. And at the end of the show, he's tempted, but ultimately chooses not to embrace that side of himself again. That's character growth.
 
Apparently, the next episode of the season is titled: "Breaking Bad". So HOLD ON TO YOUR HORSES PEOPLE!

Wow yeah I just noticed that on IMDb, given the description it's going to be a side story that we never got to see. I can't really think of any other way Walt and Jesse could be integrated into the story. Definitely looking forward to this.
The purpose of all of it was, to me, for Gene to prove to himself that he could still wear the Saul persona when he needed to. And at the end of the show, he chooses not to embrace that side of himself again. That's character growth.
I agree completely, I saw the final scene of him looking in the mirror with the suit as him basking in what he once was for a brief moment and then ultimately hanging the Saul persona up and walking away, but it could also be a hint at him embracing Saul yet again. i do think he still yearns for that life of Saul. My favourite scene is from the first episode of Gene watching the Saul Goodman commercials, it's completely black and white scene but the reflection in Saul's glasses is in colour, it's most likely a cool representation of his current circumstances but you can read into it as those moments being something he longs for but it's something he knows he can never get back. Jeff was actually a godsend for him in that sense this whole endeavour brought a bit of that Saul lifestyle back.

A great moment for me was also when he had a fake breakdown with the security guard to buy time, it was hilarious but it also had a grain of truth to it, he even mentioned his brother and when he did genuine emotion about Chuck was being conjured, amazing acting by Bob. Another little thing there is to avoid any suspicion he even covers his tracks further asking the security guard to not tell the other guy about his breakdown even though I doubt Jimmy cares at all, he's truly a master at all this.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Better Call Me Saul - Nippy was okay. Nice to have one last heist (presumably). And unlike Walt almost every single time, Gene kept it clean and didn't overextend the purpose of the heist. Fuckin perfection.

Yeah, it was nice to see him being the confident old pro, doing everything by the book, and then having to bust out the virtuoso improvisation to save it.

That being said, the whole thing felt a bit highfalutin to me. And it did drag at times. I'm not sure I needed to see 10 minutes of what is essentially a Cinnabon commercial to establish that he was creating a reliable routine for the heist.

Congratulations, you just described every episode of Better Call Saul in a nutshell, or, uh, sweet roll.

The purpose of all of it was, to me, for Gene to prove to himself that he could still wear the Saul persona when he needed to. And at the end of the show, he's tempted, but ultimately chooses not to embrace that side of himself again. That's character growth.

This interpretation would be nice segue to him revisiting Kim as a truly new man, but, I don't know, in that case maybe he just shouldn't do crime for a few years first. Technically, going by the college football events being described, he's only been Gene for about six months at this point and he already robbed the mall he works at. =)

Apparently, the next episode of the season is titled: "Breaking Bad". So HOLD ON TO YOUR HORSES PEOPLE!
Wow yeah I just noticed that on IMDb, given the description it's going to be a side story that we never got to see. I can't really think of any other way Walt and Jesse could be integrated into the story. Definitely looking forward to this.

What's funny is the title and plot description, "The partners escalate their enterprise to new levels" also works as a double feint for Gene and Jeff doing more crime. How much would that piss everybody off? :ganishka:

It could be both too, him remembering them while he gets into the game again, but nah, I'm also guessing straight lost Bad episode that's especially significant to Saul, obviously. And it's a perfectly fitting way to see Walt and Jesse for the last time, as the first episode of Bad that Saul appeared in was called... Better Call Saul!

My favourite scene is from the first episode of Gene watching the Saul Goodman commercials, it's completely black and white scene but the reflection in Saul's glasses is in colour, it's most likely a cool representation of his current circumstances but you can read into it as those moments being something he longs for but it's something he knows he can never get back.

It's been observed that the VHS openings this season have been degrading in quality until the latest episode when it seemingly broke and went to the blue TV screen.

A great moment for me was also when he had a fake breakdown with the security guard to buy time, it was hilarious but it also had a grain of truth to it, he even mentioned his brother and when he did genuine emotion about Chuck was being conjured, amazing acting by Bob. Another little thing there is to avoid any suspicion he even covers his tracks further asking the security guard to not tell the other guy about his breakdown even though I doubt Jimmy cares at all, he's truly a master at all this.

It's also the perfect cover for not coming back after, and they'd have no reason to ever connect it to the robbery because... there was no robbery! Or at least no other evidence of one by the time they know a dozen pieces of merchandise are missing from inventory (and the first place they'd look would be within). Anyway, pretty perfect crime as described, though I don't know if that's actually how the tapes worked then, it's at least months now on digital storage, but it makes sense. That's actually one of the things I love about this show though, instead of ignoring the realities that make larger-than-life TV and movie heists impossibly stupid, they embrace and focus on that minutiae, sometimes a bit much, to do a realistically plausible and ironically rarer, more intricate, and interesting story about just ripping off some clothes and shoes.
 
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Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Better Call Saul - Well, now we know when Gene was seemingly saying aloha to Saul he didn't mean goodbye! And they DID do the title/plot description double feint!

Anyway, the most remarkable thing about the Bad flashbacks were how unremarkably Bryan Cranston basically slipped back in time to season 2 Walt again like nothing has changed; you could have told me his scenes were compiled and digitally inserted from outtakes, whereas Saul and obviously Jesse have been ravaged by time and distance from those portrayals (though Odenkirk did a pretty spot on vintage Saul last week).

The second most remarkable thing was seeing Gene appear in that grave for Saul, which, in addition to being quite a visual flourish, was appropriate because this episode filled me with dread for him by the end. Jimmy is off the wagon, binging, and now out of control with rage and compulsion, doing something even his amateur partners recognize is dangerously stupid. I worry he's going to end up getting himself caught, if that's not what he secretly wants deep down, and back in the ABQ being represented by his old prosecutor buddy that's taken over his territory, sadly hoping Kim will come see him now that he's facing the consequences (this show has been in large part about lawyering after all).

Or, because that'd actually be federal, however bad this current scenario goes, he'll just get out of it and get back in touch with Kim on his own terms after whatever happened on that phone call (maybe hearing that conversation is all the catharsis we'll need after these next, last, two episodes.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Better Call Saul - Well, now we know when Gene was seemingly saying aloha to Saul he didn't mean goodbye! And they DID do the title/plot description double feint!

Anyway, the most remarkable thing about the Bad flashbacks were how unremarkably Bryan Cranston basically slipped back in time to season 2 Walt again like nothing has changed; you could have told me his scenes were compiled and digitally inserted from outtakes, whereas Saul and obviously Jesse have been ravaged by time and distance from those portrayals (though Odenkirk did a pretty spot on vintage Saul last week).

The second most remarkable thing was seeing Gene appear in that grave for Saul, which, in addition to being quite a visual flourish, was appropriate because this episode filled me with dread for him by the end. Jimmy is off the wagon, binging, and now out of control with rage and compulsion, doing something even his amateur partners recognize is dangerously stupid. I worry he's going to end up getting himself caught, if that's not what he secretly wants deep down, and back in the ABQ being represented by his old prosecutor buddy that's taken over his territory, sadly hoping Kim will come see him now that he's facing the consequences (this show has been in large part about lawyering after all).

Or, because that'd actually be federal, however bad this current scenario goes, he'll just get out of it and get back in touch with Kim on his own terms after whatever happened on that phone call (maybe hearing that conversation is all the catharsis we'll need after these next, last, two episodes.
Oh! There are two more? Wow. I guess because of the title, I watched this one thinking that this was the last episode, and those final moments I felt like David Chase was at the wheel. :schnoz:

That was a thoroughly uncomfortable episode to watch. Though I’m thinking at this point that there must be a part of Gene that wants to get caught.
 
I feel like there's no escape on Better Call Saul now, it's probably going to be a grim ending, but these past two episodes have only made me feel a bit sad, only two episodes left... I suppose they are saving every major event for the finale and next week it's going to be another slow paced episode that will end on a huge, final cliffhanger.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Oh! There are two more? Wow. I guess because of the title, I watched this one thinking that this was the last episode, and those final moments I felt like David Chase was at the wheel. :schnoz:

tony-sirico-steve-schirripa-sesame-street.jpg

"Cut to black!"

That was a thoroughly uncomfortable episode to watch. Though I’m thinking at this point that there must be a part of Gene that wants to get caught.
I feel like there's no escape on Better Call Saul now, it's probably going to be a grim ending, but these past two episodes have only made me feel a bit sad
Exactly, does not seem like Saul can escape either jailtime or death, from this point on.

Yeah, self-loathing has always been a part of the Jimmy/Saul recipe, but after this less than stellar check-in with Francesca and whatever happened on that attempted Kim call, complete self-destruction seems to be the final destination now.

Also, seeing him indulge these compulsions now as Gene, without the make-good earnestness of Jimmy or the flash and sad clown aspect of Saul, is creepy and eye-opening. This guy is just a nasty criminal whatever circumstance or box you put him in! It's also a deconstruction of the show's deconstruction of the character because it turns out he's not paying penance as Saul out of hurt or guilt and is secretly a sweetheart underneath, it's the opposite: this is who he really is and the money and success only made him more himself. No need to call, he's ALWAYS been Saul! Seems like Kim agrees too.

Anyway, we'll see, there's been so many sides to this character it's hard to say where they'll land ultimately.

only two episodes left... I suppose they are saving every major event for the finale and next week it's going to be another slow paced episode that will end on a huge, final cliffhanger.

I think these episodes are the event, man. I don't think Saul is ultimately going to blow everything up like Walter White, that's just not his style. Not literally anyway, though there may not be anything left of him by the end. The whole "happy ending" thing seems pretty far afield from where we're currently at and there's not a lot of time left. I still feel like the only way Jimmy can redeem himself at this point, short of getting caught to save this dude from a barbiturate/cancer drug cocktail overdose, is turn himself in and finally face the consequences.

The Witcher - I'm a couple episodes into season 2 now, which is already better simply for being more focused and less confusing, and higher budgeted it seems, so a little less Xena and a little more Thrones-like.

Season 1 had a lot of unclear timeline shenanigans where we see the same characters, who don't age or change appearance, in different plotlines at vastly different points in time, like 10-30 years, side by side with no indication of the transition except a few moments where this becomes clear, "Oh, the A plot is taking place 30 years before the C plot and 10 years later than the B plot... Which means... Uhhh...?" :???: If that sentence seemed choppy and confusing, then I conveyed the feeling well. Let me put it this way, I am somewhat familiar with these characters, their histories and where they're headed from the games, and I still had no fucking clue what the hell was going with the timeline. I think they were going for a Westworld type thing, but that was relatively simple trick, while here it's a mess where I don't know where in time or space any of the characters or events are in relation to each other save for when it's finally revealed by contextual clues that come much too late, so they probably should have made it more linear or done a simple framing of the present before flashing back and working our way up to now again.

ANYWAY, that aside, it's an entertaining enough monster mash, and sometimes even gives me some fond Black Swordsman memories when Geralt is being attacked by ghouls in a dark forest or even a tree monster. :carcus: I don't know about the overall big picture plot yet, but we'll see if that actually rounds into something or if it's better to view as more a monster-of-the-week show. There's a twisted take on Beauty and the Beast episode that I even got my wife to watch and enjoy; so, her spinoff, The Bitcher, about someone watching someone watching The Witcher and bitching about out how stupid it is, is on temporary hiatus. =)
 
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Better call Saul I didn't even consider him getting caught for some reason, but yeah it's very possible, yeah it looks as if Saul has gone off the rails and it could partly be because of the conversation he had with Kim on the pay phone that we didn't get to hear (at least I think it was her). maybe he wants to be caught to lure out Kim. Maybe to even be his defense attorney when he gets caught but I'm pretty sure she is isn't a lawyer anymore, from the beginning of the call he connects to Florida and a company she works at, that doesn't sound like a lawyer firm. Maybe he just wants to see her, she could even be a witness in his case and it's possible the other lawyer William Oakley will be Jimmy's lawyer but I'm not sure because I'm pretty sure they didn't end their relationship on good terms I think he disliked Jimmy letting Lalo free on bail. But they've always had a little rivalry so maybe?. But I have a theory Jimmy could get caught but somehow worm his way out of it and pull off the ultimate con.

Also what was up with Aaron Paul's voice lol it sounded so strange as if he was trying to sound like old Jesse but it didn't really work, he actually sounded like the one with the lung cancer lol, but yeah I agree Walt fit into his character so seamlessly. also it was really convenient choosing this scene as they didn't have to use that terrible bald cap again from el Camino.

Also regarding people saying Jimmy should die is wrong and it's almost a cliché at this point to have the hero die at the end, they will not give him the same ending as Walter, one big reason being he doesn't deserve to die.
 
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Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Better call Saul I didn't even consider him getting caught for some reason, but yeah it's very possible, yeah it looks as if Saul has gone off the rails

That's what it feels like to me as opposed to last week, when I never really thought it wouldn't work. Last week Jimmy was using his abilities to protect himself from a threat, he did what he did for the right reasons, whereas now he's just completely regressed into a criminal predator. I could see him doing anything from saving the guy's life to killing him. :ganishka:

it could partly be because of the conversation he had with Kim on the pay phone that we didn't get to hear (at least I think it was her). maybe he wants to be caught to lure out Kim.

Of course he's responding to the call, and subconsciously, yes, sticking it to them somehow, even if only karmically, is probably the root motive. He's acting out and regressing into his worst Saul self, but not getting the attention that would usually garner, and obviously they'd be the intended audience if it were. The only way to generate that attention and put it on them would be to get caught, basically, "Look what you made me do!"

Maybe to even be his defense attorney when he gets caught but I'm pretty sure she is isn't a lawyer anymore, from the beginning of the call he connects to Florida and a company she works at, that doesn't sound like a lawyer firm. Maybe he just wants to see her, she could even be a witness in his case

Would she testify for the defense or prosecution? =) Relevent question: were they ever legally divorced (probably, given their profession, but it's possible they never dealt with it)? Otherwise, yeah, I still don't think she's a lawyer, and who knows, she could be married with a kid by now or something. I doubt it, but she did make wholesale changes to her life, and obviously told Jimmy what he didn't want to hear.

it's possible the other lawyer William Oakley will be Jimmy's lawyer but I'm not sure because I'm pretty sure they didn't end their relationship on good terms I think he disliked Jimmy letting Lalo free on bail. But they've always had a little rivalry so maybe?

It only occurred to me because not only did they do the visual gag where he basically marked over Saul's territory, but they went out of their way to have Francesca mention him too and that he's now a defense attorney in Albuquerque. Exposition alert!

But I have a theory Jimmy could get caught but somehow worm his way out of it and pull off the ultimate con.

I'd say that's a bit on the nose, but "watch him get out of it" IS sort of the show, so it'd be like denying Walt will ultimately use science to prevail or Guts the sword. Maybe he will only to get turned in by Carol Burnett; who was a tough old bird he really had to con at first but now he's not even respecting enough to bother fooling at this point. She knows her son is no good and that they're mixed up in something, could be all she needs to discover what they're hiding and/or call the cops.

Also what was up with Aaron Paul's voice lol it sounded so strange as if he was trying to sound like old Jesse but it didn't really work, he actually sounded like the one with the lung cancer lol

Yeah, it was really weird, forget Jesse, he didn't even look/sound like Aaron Paul to me. His voice dropped again like three octives!

but yeah I agree Walt fit into his character so seamlessly. also it was really convenient choosing this scene as they didn't have to use that terrible bald cap again from el Camino.

That was a nice touch and yeah, I'm glad they didn't need to use fucking CGI to achieve the effect this time like a fucking Star Wars property.

Also regarding people saying Jimmy should die is wrong and it's almost a cliché at this point to have the hero die at the end, they will not give him the same ending as Walter, one big reason being he doesn't deserve to die.

Well... he's no hero, and doesn't exactly deserve to live freely either. I don't think I'd be satisfied if he just gets away with everything at this point (depending on what happens in that house). He's basically been set up for a reckoning and there's not a lot of time left to come back from it unless that's the point.
 
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OH MY GOD- BCS ended on a last mild cliffhanger. I must say, since Nippy, the episodes have just got so dark, this one ended up being the last nail in the coffin, how they "killed" Kim's life is so infurating. but it was 100% deserved, I guess I will always be grateful for having a normal life, with no surprises... Marion, oh! I'm glad they used her for something more relevant in the end, but the ask jeeves--- lol
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I don't think Kim will be able to get over this like Jimmy can (she's not la cucaracha =). I think she might crack and sacrifice herself somehow out of guilt. The fact Mike used their own story to literally and figuratively bury Howard... Not great for her, and now she is tasked with keeping it up even though it insults his memory. Shades of Jesse Pinkman even though she's tougher, but also more forthright. I don't know that she'll compromise Saul or any of them really, but she could essentially take the fall for it.
What's funny is the title and plot description, "The partners escalate their enterprise to new levels" also works as a double feint for Gene and Jeff doing more crime. How much would that piss everybody off? :ganishka:

It could be both too, him remembering them while he gets into the game again
I'd say that's a bit on the nose, but "watch him get out of it" IS sort of the show, so it'd be like denying Walt will ultimately use science to prevail or Guts the sword. Maybe he will only to get turned in by Carol Burnett; who was a tough old bird he really had to con at first but now he's not even respecting enough to bother fooling at this point. She knows her son is no good and that they're mixed up in something, could be all she needs to discover what they're hiding and/or call the cops.

I'm like the Aazealh of this show.:shrug:

Anyway, the Kim stuff was compelling, she's both gone completely straight and yet is clearly punishing herself. It was maybe most shocking to see a Bad/Saul character just do the right thing and confess, yet she might not even get tried... unless it all comes back around in a very consequential way for her and Jimmy now that he's likely to be in custody shortly. Anyway, can't wait, and man was Saul cocky yet dark in this one, he should have just gotten Buddy to pay the bail, and instead of basically threatening to strangle(!) Carol Burnett he should have just pointed out her son isn't in any real trouble unless you tie them together, but it likely wouldn't have worked anyway even if he'd gone there in the moment. I loved the color reflections in his glasses like before, only to his horror this time; this show is fantastic and absurd.
 
Really liked the episode. One thing that really stood out to me was the Kim flashback scene when they are signing the papers, I was honestly waiting for a look on Saul's face of maybe sadness and regret as Kim walks out the door, but no, at this point he's completely Saul Goodman not a shred of Jimmy is in there, and Kim knows he's no longer the man she knew. For some reason during the episode i was expecting an accidental death of one of the characters I guess that's a bit cliché, like Marion slipping and breaking her neck. But Gene is really unhinged at this point, he was about to hurt that guy with the dog's ashes and he had murderous intent with Marion, really interesting, I think he's having an identity crisis too, he's definitely not an evil person to me, I knew he wouldn't directly murder someone maybe indirectly but he'd never strangle someone to death for example. Also did everyone notice how monotonous and basic Kim's life became, even how she gave basic answers to everything, I think she bottled up everything that happened to her and tried to be a normal working woman even dying her hair, but after Jimmy calls her it all rises to the surface again resulting in her breakdown on the bus. Now after her confession nothing is really weighing her down anymore so I'm interested to see if we'll see her again or if her story is concluded. I have a suspicion she will meet with Saul again in person I think just talking on the phone isn't the end of it.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
It was maybe most shocking to see a Bad/Saul character just do the right thing and confess
Doing the right thing was Kim's way of "breaking bad."

Kind of bummed that due to how much screen time they gave Gene fumbling around, we're left with just one episode to wrap absolutely everything up.

I think what I'm still missing, now that we're absolutely in the home stretch, is what actually happened to Jimmy internally after he and Kim broke up. The heartlessness we ultimately see him embrace once he's splurged his Sandpiper money on his shitty McMansion is not where we last saw that character—when Kim says she and he aren't good for each other. So that when we get to that divorce papers scene, they've edited around what should have been the downward spiral of a broken man. Instead, we got the jump-cut version where it's just "Broken Man, enter stage right."

I can rationalize it myself, (without Kim, and without Chuck, there's nothing holding his bad instincts back), but it's not satisfying.

I recognize that if this were Berserk, it's where Griff-Aazealh would tell me to re-read the series, because all the components are probably there, scattered around. And I suppose the problem I have with that is that I don't intend to re-watch this series. I've really found it all pretty boring, a few highlights aside. Some great acting, a few fun characters (Lalo is memorable, to me). But right now I'm more interested in if it's just me that feels they fudged the math a bit on how Jimmy truly adds up to Saul.
 
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