Something momentous happens in this episode. It’s a turning point in the series. And it happens entirely in Rhea Seehorn’s instrument — her face, voice, posture, and movement. What a joy it is to watch her work. And to see Kim Wexler unleashed, as it were, popping the seams on the straitjacket of her commitment to hard work and faith in legal process.
But how devastating it is to see her embrace, fully aware of the consequences, the conclusion that the only way to get things done is outside of the boundaries. The law is now a means, not an end. Any garbage you can feed into that factory to get it to grind out the desired result is fair game.
And is Acker even worth it? I’m not sure even Kim thinks so. He fades into the background as she pursues her quest. Now she’s turning the stubbornness that has been her greatest asset into something different, something more akin to Kevin’s digging in his heels when he feels he’s being bullied. Now it’s obstinacy. It’s personal. She’s going to get what she wants not in the pursuit of justice, but in the pursuit of winning — and rubbing it in the faces of those who stand in her way.
We see the shift when Jimmy dangles the idea of one final play before they drop the Acker matter. Kim fairly lunges toward him, out of the doorway (literally a liminal space where she could go either way), and into his world of sketchy operatives sourced through “underground Craigslist.” She’s committed, no dainty holding her nose. And we see the wrenching consequences for her identity when she follows Rich into the hallway to loudly protest his insinuations. Now Kim is the would-be bully, for one thing. (She should know Rich better than to think she could embarrass him into backing down, but she’s new at this.) Worst of all, we see it when she goes back into her office and crumples. Here is the fact, staring her in the face, that she can’t have this delicious revenge cake and eat it, too. There’s not going to be any legal-superhero cosplay left for her. And when that’s been the source of her self-worth — her identity as the woman who worked her way to the top within the system and will out-work anybody else now that she’s there — Rich’s recognition of what she’s become is shattering.
The opposite dynamic plays out in Mike’s storyline. He’s across the border, at a compound Fring built and dedicated to Max. Initially he revolts against his detention, walking down the road as his stitches pop and his strength fails. But finding himself with nowhere to go, he finds ways to make himself useful — replacing a rotten windowsill, using his skill with tools and wood, doing a satisfying and quality job, and solving a problem that makes the life of the señora better.
He’s trying to hold himself apart from the Fring operation that he sees as a thin veneer over a typically ruthless drug operation. Yet throughout the compound he sees people doing their versions of sill-replacement: teaching, healing, cooking, maintenance, providing shelter. Is it possible that the drug business could actually be made less dangerous on the one hand, and the profits from it put to truly good use on the other? Mike is skeptical. But Gus tilts the lens to a different choice — one that’s about Mike, not about the drug trade. What good is Mike doing to anybody, drowning in drink and spoiling for street fights? Gus asserts that working for him won’t just perpetuate the cycle, and besides, like Gus, Mike has scores he needs to settle. They can help each other.
The Mike story this week is a good reminder of Better Call Saul’s approach to character portrayal. Ehrmentraut’s material in this show is uniquely powerful when it is wordless. Images are everything; Banks’ closed face opening slightly when the señora brings him food, hardening again when he sees Gus by the fountain and twists the clamp with unnecessary force. When he has to talk — to defy the doctor, to posture in opposition to Gus — this plotline starts to feel brittle and perfunctory. For all that Mike has meant to this show, he doesn’t completely fit in. Kim’s character is never asked to bear such an expository load; she talks extensively, but who she is arises from moments of resolve followed by decisive action. What she says serves, adorns, illustrates what she does. And then there’s Jimmy: all words all the time. There’s almost nothing going on in his head that he doesn’t verbalize, and he acts out the visions he conjures in speech like an improvisor taking suggestions from his cunning id.
As Mike gets back to work, his story is going to get stronger. Meanwhile Kim and Jimmy’s stories are clicking along, as we watch in dread and delight (respectively). Whither Nacho? Let’s all meet back here next week to find out.
Stray observations:
- Jimmy’s first appearance in this episode is a terrific instance of the show’s signature quirky camera placement being used for both a funny gag and a curtain-raising to one of the major storylines. We look up at the construction crew’s faces from the middle of their huddle, and then Saul suddenly pops into view to advise them to knock off early.
- Jimmy’s eviction delay tactics include: claiming the notice has the wrong house number, planting pottery shards that necessitate an archaeological survey, suing on behalf of the water district, claiming the contractor is an escaped felon, asserting a flaw in the original nineteenth-century grant of property, leaking radioactive dust out of his pants leg to prompt a contamination review, and spray-paining a miraculous apparition of Christ on the fence in order to bring in church-busloads of pilgrims.
- Once again, watching the labor-intensiveness of Jimmy’s schemes, I’m reminded of what the magician Teller says about fooling the audience: “Make the secret a lot more trouble than the trick seems worth.”
- Kim playing Kevin is the best impersonation on TV since Ann Perkins playing Chris Traeger.
- Steven Ogg’s reappearance as Sobchak, the security guy who mocks Mike for coming unarmed to pill-dealer Pryce’s parking-garage meetup in season 1’s “Pimento,” has the best smug bluster since — appropriately — Adrian Pimento. “The guy’s dull, like Saturday night in Salt Lake City dull.” “I may not be a nail salon lawyer, but I know legit when I see it.”
- Between the Odenkirk side nudity last week, and the Tarantino-esque angle on Howard’s bare feet this week, a more paranoid Donna would think that the directors are intentionally trying to skeeve her out.
- “Bottom line! More statues!”
220 Comments
I love Steven Ogg. Jimmy basically hired Trevor in lieu of Mike.“We get two guys who can handle themselves…”
“I may not be a nail salon lawyer, but…”…hilarious!
Acker’s not really worth it, but now he’s a symbol for Kim. She only took the high paying job because they promised her protected time to de her pro bono work. Then they yanked her away from that to fight against a little guy for the big client. She doesn’t trust them anymore and is more than happy to stick it to them because of it.She also has developed a taste for a good con.
She’s always had it, or at least, learned she had it in S02E01 when they made that douchebag, “business guy” Ken, the kind that likely caused the 2007-2008 meltdown, pay for a per-shot zafiro anejo bill + food, conning him when he thought he was conning them with his “diversification” BS. That’s one of the best episodes still. Ken Wins, not so much when we see him in this universe.
Donkey Balls
Yes, this. I’m surprised so many people are missing it. Kim’s with Jimmy because despite all her other “good” qualities, deep down she loves the thrill of the con too. It’s what binds them together.
My favorite moment in the episode is when Mike prepares to McGuyver a phone battery charger, has all the materials set up, and the nice lady goes and hands him one. Suggesting, of course, that there are times when all the elaborate plans one makes really aren’t necessary.
Right? I know Senora didn’t speak English, but all he had to do was show her the “dead battery” icon on the phone. Use your words, Mike. Or your pictures.
My buddy’s aunt makes $64/hr on the computer. She has been unemployed for eight months but last month her pay check was $12716 just working on the computer for a few hours. read the article ———————Lifestylesreview.com
I know y’all are scared to criticize the writing on this show, but it’s so lazy and cowardly that they’re setting up Kim as being responsible for whatever downfall it is that she experiences. She was the ultimate character for this show, and they’re turning her into an unethical grifter. That’s shit writing and character development
She’s always liked the “sport” of the hustle, how it made her feel excited and empowered, and she’s also always liked standing up for the the little guy. Her interest in this plan is just an extension of that.
This show can bring the comedy, just as well as it can bring the heartbreak and darkness.The scene in Saul’s and Kim’s kitchen while she impersonates Kevin and Mr. Goodman impersonates her, had me in stitches. Rhea Seehorn, showing off her comedic chops to go along with her dramatic ones we’ve seen so many times before.I’m filled with dread as to what’s ahead for Kim, but equally excited to see the origin of Mike becoming Gus Fring’s right-hand-man, and what that will mean for his war with the Salamanca clan.Excuse me… I have to make a call.
I’m filled with dread as to what’s ahead for Kim
This episode got me thinking that what happens to her is she takes things too far with either this case or something else coming later and ultimately gets disbarred. Somehow Jimmy wiggles out of it but the thing that leads to it was his idea. Obviously this destroys her emotionally and the relationship blows up. I don’t think her life is endanger or anything. She’ll just pack up and leave to start a new life elsewhere (like a normal person, no “cleaner service” type deal)
That outcome also leaves open the possibility that Kim pops back up in the black and white flash forward.
It was his idea, but he gave her an out. He was ready to give up. Now it could be argued that he was just baiting her there in the scene in their apartment, but still, he gave her an out. She wanted to pursue it. Did Jimmy do that on purpose? We don’t know yet, and might never find out.
He absolutely baited her, and it pissed me off. She was ready to move on, but he knew he’d bite.
Totally disagree! Kim has a dark side. Jimmy dark side is mostly pragmatic, a means to an end to get what he wants. But Kim has some very deep-seated grudges inside her.
She does, but she was ready to set it aside. He pushed her when she was content, because he wants to keep the con going. And he’s not being honest about it, either, which is the worst part. He gave her the passive-aggressive, “Yeah, you’re probably right…I mean….nah, you don’t want to do THAT.”
At first Jimmy really had me fooled that he sincerely wanted to call it quits with the whole thing but then I realized that was just slippin’ Jimmy again. He sold it so well but it was just another con where he made Kim think it was her idea. Another testament to the levels of Odenkirk’s acting
I’m not sure why it is, but it seems like Kim’s Behavior is the most psychoanalyzed of anyone’s on the show. (remember the endless debate over whether she forged the letter from Chuck to Jimmy? My God, that went on forever!)
Well, we know a lot more about all the other main characters, except Nacho. We don’t even know whether Kim was telling the truth about her childhood in the previous episode. With Jimmy/Saul, if it might be a con, it’s a con. With Kim, we can’t be sure.
Kim has a dark side but she only really indulges it when Jimmy’s around and Jimmy’s happy to enable her. Their relationship is terrible and they’re terrible for each other. That’s the tragedy
Yep. This is the beginning of the end for Kim. She is starting to act like Jimmy and uses his more and more of his tactics, but she gets caught instead and in serious trouble, and loses Mesa Verde/her practice/disbarred, and walks out on him forever.
Yea, when Better Call Saul started, I think people felt like “Is Kim gonna die? Is that where this goes?” but BCS has guided us in a direction that feels like this isn’t that kind of show, and it wouldn’t fit. It’s much more plausible that Kim- somewhat defined by her career- loses everything in an irreconcilable way. A breakup seems too small a place to end this. I’m feeling like she’s gonna do something that sends her to prison for a long time.
I never believed she would die, and I still don’t. The rationale that he’s no longer in her life so she must be dead makes me worry about the exes of a lot of BB/BCS fans. But it is looking more and more like a devastating career implosion is in the cards.
Agreed. Kim dying or becoming a drug addict (another popular theory) feels like a Breaking Bad plot development, not a Better Call Saul one. I’m someone who’s still on Team Breaking Bad Was Better, but these are very different shows, and Kim going through some kind of devastating personal/professional challenge and, in turn, personally devastating Jimmy feels much more appropriate for Better Call Saul.
I agree on the tonal difference between shows. The reveal of Chuck preventing Jimmy’s hiring at the end of season one hit as hard as anything in Breaking Bad. The Gus/Cartel story still has life or death stakes, but Jimmy’s only does where it intersects with theirs.
I agree. If Kim dies, the Saul we see in BB would be a devastated SOB. I’m wondering if maybe Kim learns her lessons too well – and surpasses Jimmy by moving into a more involved “long con” style career.
I love this idea. That Saul corrupts Kim, but in a way where she becomes a better con artist than him – and possibly leaves *him* behind as her schemes get more advanced.
I’m still thinking Kim’s fate is ordering a vacuum. Whether it’s due to this or Saul’s link to the Salamanca’s down the road, I’m still leaning toward this fate and perhaps some link to Gene.
Who will sell Kim the vacuum though? Do you think Robert Forster (RIP) willed the business to someone?
A. The scene(s) could have been filmed before Forrester’s death(along with El Camino and opening scene to start season 5).B. It could still be implied, perhaps showing him far away with a similar looking actor but we will all know what’s going on. He couldn’t have “willed” it since his character is still alive in the future. This would be the likely scenario for the final season.
An optimistic suggestion: Kim crosses some more lines, puts her career in jeopardy… but wakes up, realises what she’s doing and that it’s all Jimmy’s fault, and dumps him.I mean, it would be nice to have ONE protagonist in the BCS universe whose story doesn’t end up tragic…
Another idea I’ve been mulling over is that Kim not only gets disbarred, but takes her newfound inability to lose a tad too far and ends up arrested. Maybe one of the PI’s gets traced back to her, maybe it’s something she does directly, but she’s caught. Jimmy does absolutely everything he can to help her out of it except take the fall, which he has an opportunity to do. But when it comes down to it, Jimmy won’t go down for anyone. Not even Kim. Because we know that’s not who he is. And now he’s going to spend the rest of his life haunted by it.
Yeah last week someone guessed that maybe Kim and Jimmy end up doing something that lands Kim in jail
yep. it’s comin’. i think maybe that’s why Saul is sticking around at the Cinnabon rather than just fleeing or killing himself; i think he’s probably waiting for Kim’s release.
Same here. I was dying throughout that whole exchange.
Mr. Goodman? What are you, a writer for the New York Times?
Regarding the dust out the pants leg, Jimmy, classic movie fan, totally got that from THE GREAT ESCAPE.
Or Shawshank Redemption.
What was the deal with the photographs of Vickers’ home? One of the shots showed a framed black and white photo of a cowboy and cactus. It resembled the Mesa Verde logo. Why did Kim smile at that? Was the logo ripped off from that photo?
Yes, she is going to (or at least planning to) leverage some sort of copyright/trademark infringement as the ultimate threat to have MV cave. They have so much invested in their logo that if Jimmy threatens to show it is infringing it is the nuclear option.
That seemed ridiculous to me at first glance, but apparently the three-year statute of limitations runs from the most recent violation. I guess one could argue that the ongoing use of the cowboy on a horse logo fits that description.I would have to believe that if any real court case were brought, Mesa Verde would prevail. They’d been using the logo for decades, and unless the logo they used during the past 3 years was a direct tracing of the silhouette of the cowboy and horse, they could well argue that the subject matter is too generic to count as a copyright violation. But that would take time and money.Here’s the real problem: how do Kim and Jimmy use that against Kevin and Mesa Verde in the case involving Acker? Unless Jimmy and Acker are willing to straightforwardly blackmail Kevin in a tit-for-tat, all it is is a separate headache for Mesa Verde.
Pretty sure it’s similar to what you’re saying but different – the trademark that MV has is invalid. It was known and used by others, and cannot be MV’s distinct designation of origin or source. So, I expect Acker to start a company with MV’s logo, and argue that MV has no valid trademark. This would make Kevin go absolutely insane. This mark came from his boyhood and matters lots to him.
Also, I get why Jimmy went wild on everyone. I get his arc. I’m not really sure I emotionally understand why Kim now hates MV and SC and everyone not named Jimmy so much. Is this all from the Chuck stuff?
Shades of the “Washington Redskins” episode on South Park!
Kim hates that Mesa Verde exposed her attempt to have it all professionally – being a high-powered corporate attorney *and* a pro bono public defender – as an indulgence from Kevin that can be revoked at any time. This is only tangentially about Acker at this point.
Kevin isn’t subtly talking about her gentle and very able hands in a dirty uncle way anymore. It’s getting real, ladies.
“would make Kevin go completely insane”…oh man I would love it, hahaha.
If she does that…I don’t know if Mesa Verde is a commercial bank only ( I think not, that’s from where Walt withdraws his entire pension at the beginning of it all…although it just said Mesa…I think we’re supposed to assume it’s the same…credit union? Walt said he had a credit union account never spoke of a bank account…(smart, and very Walt-esque).
But if it hurts a lot of regular people’s money, even if it gets frozen by the SEC or whatever for a while, Kim’s gonna be hating herself then…
I’m sure there’s a more famous and relevant incident. But it reminds me of this picture that was used for the logo for the Kentucky Horse park. And, contrary to the article, I think it became the standard for Kentucky license plates.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_Horse
Sobchak huh? I see the writers are all Big Lebowski fans.
You might like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/betterCallSaul/comments/anbacz/the_big_lebowski_references_in_better_call_saul_a/
You’d be right.
Now I have to make sure to rewatch The Big Lebowski before I start my eventual rewatch of BCS.
I didn’t know about any of this.It’s too bad John Milius was too old to play BCS’s Sobchak. Mike could have rolled his eyes while he rambled on about “Zen Fascism”
Everybody is. Except for Cassidy on “Preacher”!
Saul plots and schemes are always the most fun to watch even if usually the least important part of the story. Glad we got to see so many this episode.
Episodes like this are why the show – as good as the series is – isn’t and will never be as good as Breaking Bad. Mainly, the entire Mexican Vacation half of the episode was just really bad. It didn’t serve much for the plot and was clearly guided by “let’s make a meditative episode that’s a real character study!” Oof, this thinking is almost always a bad idea. Like flashbacks, it can work on occasion but it should be used sparingly.The worst aspect of it is that it’s continuing BCS’ habit of leaning too hard into the Gus-villain portrayals that have been nudging him toward more of a campy Bond Villain. Now Fring has a damn secret compound/village that he’s rendition’ed Mike to. Welcome to the Mexican planned community version of Cypress Creek.Except it’s even worse than that since BCS-Fring could use a little more Scorpio. On Breaking Bad Gus was more of a delusional fool who was increasingly played by and then killed by Heisenberg sniffing out his flaws. BCS seems to be… like… buying into Gus’ self-image a little too much. Gus is not a perfect badass. In the end, he was more of a fool than Walter White, and we already know this. Is it because Mike buys into Gus’ bullshit and they want us to see him through his eyes?
Hm. The Mexican compound read completely differently for me, not leaning into Gus’ villain side, but reminding us of the other facet to who he is. Not the business man or the boss, but just humbly putting money to good use. Children are running around, and unlike the philanthropic persona in public, no one here has any idea he’s the benefactor. Besides the fact this is a personal side he rarely shares, it’s just interesting that he’s not putting up a front.
And I gotta disagree hard that Gus is or was in any way, some sort of fool. Did we watch the same show? He was a worthy adversary to Walt because they think the same: He uses manipulation and leverage to get what he wants. If anything, the reason Gus was always a two steps ahead of Walt was because he’s more calculating, and not as impulsive. It took a lot of failed schemes and every ounce of desperate ingenuity for Walt to beat the guy.
Exactly. Gus was far from a fool, and he’s the exact opposite of a Bond villain. A Bond villain wouldn’t set up a compound for women and children to inhabit and take care of. Walt was just more reckless than Gus was, and went to further extremes. It’s not like Walt got away scot-free from everything the way Gus would’ve, either. The two went head-to-head for a long while until Walt finally got the jump on Gus (with the involvement of a hellbent and suicidal Hector, no less), and, well, boom.And good call on Gus’ philanthropic side. We saw his involvement in and around Albuquerque on Breaking Bad. It’s how he hid in plain sight from the DEA and everyone else the entire time.
Gus was a calculating and meticulous crime lord who made the mistake of doing things like leaving Tio Salamanca alive out of some twisted revenge – then later on he continually let Walt live until Walt’s own sociopathy ended up winning over. All of it tracks from his BCS prequel scenes up to his death, I think.
I liked the desert thing – Mike’s plotline this season is quite good and gives him more depth than some of the previous ones where it just felt like table setting for BB.
Yeah, I think that’s Gus’ main weakness – he doesn’t know when to just end things when they need to be ended. He must have a seriously fucked-up past.
I sure wish that they would ever just show us his past!
I’d watch another series of that.
In the immortal words of Tim Matheson in Van Wilder, “Sometimes you have to recognize a bad investment, and just cut your losses!”
Or just fucking kill people when you have the chance and probably should anyway. Gus is a psychopath. If all his weird, prolonged revenge fantasies don’t prove that, I don’t know what does.
Q. Who wins in a Game of Death?
Commentator Answer: The one who exposes his worst weaknesses to his opponent’s closest ally, gets himself murdered, and then his opponent takes over his empire and kills all of his employees. The complete opposite of a fool.
To dismiss Gus as a fool entirely is wrong. He got one-upped at that particular moment. He got got. All there is to it. If the tides had been different at that particular point in the game, maybe it would’ve been Walt who got got at that moment, but it wasn’t. Would you have expected the man you were going to see was going to blow himself up in his retirement home? Maybe, maybe not, but that was just one move in the game.I’ll restate what I said – Gus’ main flaw is that he waits too long to end the game, and waits to exact his ‘revenge’ for far too long. He should’ve offed Hector years before he did, and he should’ve done the same with Walt. Does that make him an out-and-out fool? No, it does not. Even the best chess players in the world get beat every once in a while.
What “tides?!?” This was a completely causal event of an otherwise careful man allowing himself to make incredibly foolish choices. Even Gus realizes it in his final moments.They clearly shot Gus in that scene – the realization that he just hoisted himself by his own petard – as a fool. You don’t want to see the obvious.
Because the battle between he and Walt was clearly only just one move. Got it.
Nah, lotsa moves. The difference is that you’re being like a sports/political/etc fanboi:All moves made by Gus (your team) are brilliant, cerebral, dynamic, careful. All moves made by Walt are dumb luck and bad officiating. Or “tides” to put it in your vernacular.Walt outplayed Gus. That’s how it was written, directed, and portrayed by the actors. Sorry you hate the show that you watched. Not my fault.
No, the real difference is you’re being kind of a prick about it. If you read up, I said that Gus got outplayed. We’re saying the same thing, but you’re too busy being a prick about it to realize or admit that. Clearly you’re just going to cherry pick what you want to hear from what I type to fit your own narrative on what you want this to be, so clearly this really isn’t worth my time because you’re not really here to have a conversation. You’re here to wave your fucking pennant around and hope you hit someone in the face with it. But sure, I’m being the fanboi. Whatever you say, sport-o.Enjoy the show.
It seems I touched a nerve.
I’m amused by people like nom who don’t seem to realize that if everyone you meet is an asshole, you’re the asshole.
Pat them on the head and send them on their way like the yappy little children that they are. They don’t deserve anything more.
So by your logic, the fact that Tom Brady got bounced from the playoffs in the first round of his final season as a Patriot means he was a failure. Got it.
Nothing but strawman fallacies again and again…
You’re judging a story solely based on it’s final outcome. That’s a fallacy alright, but not a strawman.
Not just on the ending but all the character decisions that resulted in the outcome.
Another strawman. Is that all you people have? If you’re going to make a poor argument defending a bad position, at least come up with something interesting.
I will concede that you are far better at making a poor argument defending a bad position *interesting* than I can ever hope to be.I’ll make the mistake of engaging with you: you say *all* the character decisions in Breaking Bad point to Gus being a fool. Are you stating that the years of building his criminal empire, using a fast food chain to cover trafficking, and cultivating a friendly relationship with law enforcement are the actions of a fool?
Snore.
*pat*
AND Walt getting the jump on Gus involved a strategy so insanely convoluted that no clear headed person like Gus would consider it: “I will use an obscure flower to frame Gus for framing me with poisoning a kid so I can rig an explosive to the chair of a near quadriplegic who will pretend to be ratting to the DEA just to draw a visit from Gus”
Exactly. Like I said above, Walt was far more reckless than Gus. He became an agent of chaos that not even Gus was able to track. Not sure if you’ll be familiar with this reference (it’s from Batman comics), but Walt even had his own Red Hood moment after losing all the money he had stashed under his house to Ted. In my opinion, that’s when he snapped for good. That’s when all logic went out the window, and all he knew how to do from there on in was absolutely whatever needed to be done. Even if it eventually meant his own demise.
Yeah, Gus has always been portrayed as two steps ahead and in control; I never got the vibe that he was a “delusion fool” in BB. His achilles heel was that he could never let go of his hatred for and need to humiliate Salamaca. Walter figured that out and used his one blind spot to get rid of him. If you are looking for a trope for Gus, it’s the exhaust port on the Death Star or Smaug’s one spot of missing armor.
Vader never intentionally gave away the location of the exhaust port to Han Solo’s gullible best friend, tho.and he had two a’ dem bitches!
Gus and Walt’s interactions were largely defined by Gus playing Walt’s emotions like a fiddle, and Gus not taking Walt out because he needed him. (And in season 5 we learn that Walt benefited from Gus too, but he didn’t even know it.) But when Walt found the *one* thing Gus would get irrational about (as contrasted with the half-dozen things Walt had been irrational about), he used it to kill him.
In other words, you’re buying into Gus’ delusion that he’s sort of a good guy sometimes. You know, it’s odd to me how I’ve noticed that with some BB fans, Walt can be criticized for poisoning (but not killing) Brock – despite entering into the enterprise to help his family – but a genuine child-killer / mass-murderer like Gus gets a pass because he does things like help a few other children with their education. Nevermind that the intent of this village is only to establish a cover story for his emergency hiding place.Jimmy would like to sell you shares of the Brooklyn Bridge if you’re interested in an investment. He’s good at sniffing out a sucker 😉 Did we watch the same show?Well, I suppose that depends. I watched the show where an ex-military officer, with a team of probably 30 professional killer operators working for him, multinational corporate support, and (likely) hundreds of millions of dollars went up against a chemistry teacher with a bomb he cooked up in his kitchen (and only the dumbest young man in ABQ working for him) and got taken like a bitch.Disagree as hard as you want, but facts are facts. Thanks for playin’ tho.
The great (or terrible) thing about chemistry is that it doesn’t matter what a badass ex-military ‘killer’ you are, or how much corporate support you have, a bomb cooked up in some idiot’s kitchen will still, as you put it, “take you like a bitch”*. [please consult some military officers about the time they’ve spent in Northern Ireland or Afghanistan if you’re unconvinced on that point…]
Many, many characters could have killed Fring – in a world of bombs and rifles, personal badassery is no protection. What keeps people like Fring alive is the knowledge that whoever kills them is almost certainly going to wind up dead themselves…*thanks for the unconcealed misogyny there, it really helps us know where we all stand…
You’re welcome. Right back at’cha for your barely concealed sense of machismo.
Taken like a bitch……nice. Self-serious, perfectionist, pious “do-gooders” like Gus Fring are the easiest of pickings. Because they “know” they have no flaws, eh?
Your argument is flawed because you’re stuck on this notion that Gus thinks he’s a good guy. No he doesn’t. Or that I do? (I don’t.) He knows exactly who he is. And so do we. So there’s no delusion anywhere. The way he operates is very pragmatic, but we’ve seen him sweat enough to know he’s not invincible. The key thing is what he’s capable of- which is why he’s so insulted when others underestimate him. This, I’d argue, gives me the impression he quite enjoys being evil, or at least he enjoys the power to instill fear in others. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have nuance. His character can be appreciated for being a cold bastard, but also a self-made entrepreneur who doesn’t forget where he came from, and who this was all for.
Same as why Walt can be the guy we root for, even as his methods shock us. He was fighting with far less resources, so the things he had to resort to made sense. But should it okay? That’s what the show was asking us. Btw, “poisoning (but not killing)” is very “it was a perfect call” so let’s not do that. The act was bad. The fact that it didn’t end in catastrophe doesn’t change that.
Your very reductive, superficial recap of the events of BB does suggest we watched two different shows, though, so I’ll give you that. I saw a game of chess. You saw Rock’em- Sock’em robots.
Gotcha.
Wow you’re tiresome
I’m not really a binary thinker, unlike most people these days, so I wasn’t characterizing you as thinking he was pure good or evil. I’m just suggesting that your measure of him isn’t completely founded. Nice strawman attempt, tho.In my experience way more people seem to think that Walt is a lot more evil than Gus/Jesse/Mike and give the former no passes and the latter all of the passes. He isn’t. Walt repeatedly (and selflessly and thanklessly) saved the life of the biggest dipshit in ABQ which is something that I don’t see Gus ever genuinely doing. Gus’ Mexican getaway is a hideout, and hideouts look hide’ier if they’re a functioning village.Btw, “poisoning (but not killing)” is very “it was a perfect call”Well, I don’t know if you’re referencing some specific “perfect call” but I do know that you’re making your second strawman fallacy in this comment, synthesizing it with a slippery slope fallacy as well. Not my opinion – stated or otherwise – but you will project all day.
Your greatest projection might be ending by summarizing that your actual reductive arguments proved that mine were, despite the fact that it was nothing but repeated fallacies.Physician, heal thyself.
I’m happy to see someone else call bullshit on the idea of Walt as a pure evil monster and Gus as a perfect angel.
True, the only reason that Walt survived as long as he did is that he was too valuable. He made meth far better than the competition, turning him into a cash cow and ensuring Gus would be in a stronger position after he got revenge against the cartel. He made a calculated risk, and it failed. Walt had too many contradictory quirks and it made him hard to predict; meticulous and thorough but impulsive. Cunning and resourceful, but short tempered and egotistical. Gus was outpaced by a brilliant and frantic enemy. I wanted to give Mike a high five when he cursed out Walt before he was murdered on how he ended the perfect operation because of his ego.
“A man provides,” he told Walt.
The Mexican Vacation half of the episode was, in fact, just really good.
I agree completely, NAMBLA.
Hah, good catch.
Hah, good catch.
That’s not what it means!!!
What does “NAMBLA” stand for, then. The acronym, not the politics.
Gladli! NAMBLER stands for North American Man/Boy Love Association, a “pedophilia and pederasty advocacy organization.”BoyManChildMan is ostensibli a play on Suede’s classic album Dog Man Star [Man], but is more broadli a reference to the arrested development and self-infantilization activeli encouraged by and engendered in Internet messageboards, particularli among overintellectual miserablist trainspotters, i.e., pouting puling neverpleased AV Club readers like yourself, and hopelessli maladroit Britrock-adherent AV Club readers like myself.
Finally: an interesting reply in this thread.An barely readable cause for concern (and still failing to avoid projection)… but interesting. Thank you, Sir.
You’re welcome.
I don’t think it got mentioned by name, but I’m pretty sure Jimmy & Kim’s movie night this week was The Great Escape.
Well, Jimmy is a fan of classic movies.
Absolutely. It makes me proud to be a TCM watcher.
I was half-expecting some of these “noobz” out here to cite Shawshank. man oh man, people, rite? Some people are for the birds.
I’m glad Rich called Kim out on her bullshit. An experienced lawyer would see through all that stuff without really even having to think about it all that much. This show has been really solid on the legal side of things since the beginning (even with all the various shenanigans) and last week seemed to be veering off a bit. They course corrected pretty well here, and Kim is really close to basically losing everything she has worked for which is what I am most worried about right now. As a lawyer who ditched private practice myself because I hated it beyond all belief and it was killing my soul, I want to reach through the TV and just grab Kim by the shoulders and shout “IT’S OKAY TO NOT REPRESENT RICH DOUCHE BAGS IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT. JUST QUIT AND BE A PUBLIC DEFENDER. IT’S WHAT YOU LIKE AND YOU WILL BE OKAY.”
I think the legal stuff has been ridiculous and unrealistic from pretty much the beginning, particularly Jimmy/Saul’s criminal law stuff
I think they get certain details right, like the doc review drudgery in big law and the attorney disciplinary process. Some of their legal plots aren’t very realistic, like it wouldn’t matter that the assisted living facility bought medical supplies across state lines. I don’t think any of Jimmy’s/Saul’s criminal law plots are supposed to be anything more than a cartoon.
Except for his bar hearing in relation to his PPD, where they thank a lawyer or “lawyering” pro to get the episode to be as realistic as possible in season 3, Chicanery, one of the top episodes so far. Jimmy acted the most “normal” we’ve seen him act in an actual court room. Remember what he wants the most is to actually never enter the courtroom and make deals outside of it.
Realistically, any law firm worth its salt would have yanked Kim off Mesa Verde (or Tucumcari at the very least) the instant they got wind of Jimmy representing Acker, because there’s clear potential for conflict of interest. And in fact it would be Kim’s duty to report that fact immediately upon learning of it, lest the state bar ethics board start sniffing around.I’m fine with them messing with it as a plot device (highly technical fields are never represented accurately in entertainment because that’s boring, and I say this as a software engineer who’s watched plenty of TV and movies with people doing impossible things with computers), but I also do appreciate it when they go to the effort of making technical stuff realistic.
Actually, she handled the potential conflict correctly. She disclosed it to Kevin and got a waiver.
That’s what Kim tried to do, but Kevin wouldn’t let her, and when the client has that kind of demand, what are you gonna do?
If Kim has someone file a (probably bullshit) copyright claim on Mesa Verde horsey logo, like I suspect, it’s going to have a nice symmetry with Jimmy’s billboard infringement stunt from the beginning of the series.
Her facial expression creep from normal Kim-deadpan to an evil (but still seemingly sweet) smile at the end the scene in Jimmy’s office where she’s been looking at the photos taken in Wachtell’s house was priceless. I had to back up and watch it several times.
Slippin’ Kimmy.
Well put.
That was one hell of a grin.
I still wasn’t sure what she saw, but I’m sure the show will spell it out soon
Definitely. She referenced the statue in her imitation and was looking at multiple pictures of the logo on her laptop in her office, with a super-close shot coming out of the ads. The creators want it front-of-mind right now.
So there’s no way ‘Max’ can be anyone except Maximo Arciniega, Gus’ former partner in Los Pollos Hermanos and possible lover that Hector Salamanca killed, right? I had a hunch while watching the show, but I just looked up his name, and, well, yeah. It also made sense for Gus to start discussing revenge with Mike while he was standing next to the water feature with the ‘Dedicado a Max’ plaque on it. Up until Gus gets blown up with Hector, that’s what all of this has been about, and this is where it starts. https://breakingbad.fandom.com/wiki/Max_ArciniegaWhat a great episode. Kim impersonating Kevin was hilarious, the ‘conference room’ chat in the nail salon was creepy as hell and still fascinating (Steven Ogg annoyed the shit out of me on The Walking Dead, but man, what an actor), and I’m sorry, I would watch Dr. Jonathan Banks fix a window for an hour every week and be perfectly happy. And how could I forget the truly Gilligan-esque moment of the SmartCar appearing out of nowhere and apropos of nothing at the compound while Mike sat on the rock for a bus that was clearly never coming. Amazing, amazing shit. Best show on television, bar none.And one more round of applause for our reviewer, please! Thank you, Donna.Oh, and I’m sorry, but my favorite impersonation of a male actor by a female actor is Anna Torv doing Leonard Nimoy on ‘Fringe’. A master class by one Olivia Dunham. Hello, Peter. It’s nice to see you again.
Are you serious? You mean you didn’t IMMEDIATELY know, just on the title of the episode, that it referred to Max, Gus’s former partner? Man, you’re slower than Mike walking down a dirt road with stitches!
I didn’t know his name at the time, so no.
Fun Fact: Max Arciniega is the name of the actor who plays “Crazy 8”.
Slower than Mike doing almost anything but brief bursts of violence. I never really realized this but Mike is basically if a badass turtle turned into a human..
I don’t think is pursuing this out of a desire to win. She’s come to hate her employers, and she won’t let them do something that goes against everything she believes in. It doesn’t matter that Acker is a crank; he’s still “the little guy” in this equation.I disagree with the grade. The hilarious scene where she imitates her boss and “Kim” ends up asking “Kevin” if they might shower together brings it up to an A-.
Indeed, I lol’d for real, something I rarely do as I get closer to 40 and soul-death. It was a great episode, also the Mike/Gus part was explanatory/revelatory re: question about Gus’ motives or what he thinks of himself, he says the same thing as Walt pretty much “I am who I am”, although Walt, always more honest than he’d like to be when alone with Junior, said “and there’s plenty that I would change about that…but here we are”. Gus is more like Walt than he wants to admit to Walt or himself, not in the careful part, but in the extreme ego they both have and that whatever judgement they make of somebody else, is practically forever and can’t be changed.He sees something in Mike. Likely knows he’s a Vietnam vet too on top of being an ex-cop, we finally see why Mike, the guy with a cop mentality who hates drugs and even having to take pain pills or even pills at all (judging by his look at the bottles Dr. Anonymous gives him of antibiotics first), ending up serving Gus as what seems like an equal relationship in Breaking Bad. A very good “bridge” of an episode peppered with the humor that’s been back, that was a big gone in season four, following the tragedy that is the end of season 3, that was understandable but I missed it. Not that there wasn’t any, but dialogue-wise, everybody when not dead serious were being hilarious, even the dude who brings 8 handguns to supervise a moderate size stolen Oxycontins deal, awesome all over in that law/nail salon.
I also enjoyed how much fun Acker was having playing out Jimmy’s schemes (evident during the fake mail scene) . I’m nearing 50; not sure if I’ve achieved soul death yet.
He was quite explicit about what he sees in Mike: that Mike understands the desire for revenge. He knows what Mike did and why. Also, as Gus told Walt, “a man provides.” Gus and Mike are both driven to be providers, even when they may not be willing or able to do anything else that’s good. Mike can help Gus get revenge, and Gus can help Mike provide for his family.
Indeed, I lol’d for real, something I rarely do as I get closer to 40 and soul-death. It was a great episode, also the Mike/Gus part was explanatory/revelatory re: question about Gus’ motives or what he thinks of himself, he says the same thing as Walt pretty much “I am who I am”, although Walt, always more honest than he’d like to be when alone with Junior, said “and there’s plenty that I would change about that…but here we are”. Gus is more like Walt than he wants to admit to Walt or himself, not in the careful part, but in the extreme ego they both have and that whatever judgement they make of somebody else, is practically forever and can’t be changed.He sees something in Mike. Likely knows he’s a Vietnam vet too on top of being an ex-cop, we finally see why Mike, the guy with a cop mentality who hates drugs and even having to take pain pills or even pills at all (judging by his look at the bottles Dr. Anonymous gives him of antibiotics first), ending up serving Gus as what seems like an equal relationship in Breaking Bad. A very good “bridge” of an episode peppered with the humor that’s been back, that was a big gone in season four, following the tragedy that is the end of season 3, that was understandable but I missed it. Not that there wasn’t any, but dialogue-wise, everybody when not dead serious were being hilarious, even the dude who brings 8 handguns to supervise a moderate size stolen Oxycontins deal, awesome all over in that law/nail salon.
You made an insulting remark about Bob Odenkirk’s not-nude scene last week and a remark about how Patrick Fabian’s bare feet made you feel this week…is it the skin of all men that cause you to feel such disgust, or only the bare skin of men over the age of 40? Because guess what? We all have skin and it sometimes isn’t hidden from view. You should probably resign yourself to that fact and try to refrain from such derogatory commentary going forward. It isn’t as cute or endearing as you think it is.
It’s a joke, man. Try not to take this stuff so seriously.
Where’s the joke, though? And what point is she trying to make? I honestly don’t know what is actually making her sick—is it nudity in general? Male nudity? Nudity involving older men? Nude people who don’t have the body of a top fitness model?Whatever it is, there’s no need to resort to such making insulting and degrading remarks about it. If it’s not her thing, then fine, she can avert her eyes or something. But why be so obnoxious about it—repeatedly? I wonder how she would feel about someone saying that the sight of her bare skin made that person feel sick?
I don’t know or care about ANY of those imminently pressing questions, but what I do know is that this is a place to discuss a television show, not one to endlessly ruminate on the state of your ridiculously fragile little feelings that have clearly been shattered to pieces by some dumb joke in a television review. We’re all sorry you’re old, fat and ugly, but again, this isn’t the place to talk about it.Go see a shrink. Start a blog. Get off the internet. Go for a nice long walk through a crowded place and touch everything you see. I don’t care what you do. No one does. You know what we do care about? Discussing this television show. That’s it. As is the case with many things in this world, it’s not about you.
You’re right, in some respects. It should be about the show. The writer should have stuck to that topic instead of repeatedly expressing her personal revulsion. But she did, and I responded to it. You don’t get to dictate what items merit a response and what doesn’t.
Also, you’re such a prick. I never brought up anything about myself in my comments. I simply questioned what seemed to be unnecessary personal opinions of the writer which had no bearing on the show itself. But, like the typical entitled asshole you are, you respond to my reply with uninspired personal insults and pointless concern trolling. I didn’t make it about me, but you’re attempting to do just that. Go fuck yourself.
Funny— deny, deflect, diminish, dismiss. Someone points out something you clearly ”don’t know or care about ANY of those imminently pressing questions,..” but then you spend time and energy to denigrate them. You didn’t actually contribute for or against to the argument the dude was making…..which is relevant. She does make disparaging remarks that are sexist and ageist. That is plain in the face of it. And people can call her out on it as they see fit, just as much as a white- straight- middle-age critic taking about his opinion of some character’s tits.
Gosh, I feel terrible. Can we get back to talking about the show now? Great.
Oh please commenting about stupid stuff the recapper set is completely par for the course in the comments of any TV episode recap/review. If you think these weird comments by Donna are defensible then defend them but don’t act like it’s some crime against humanity to bring them up at all or somehow outside the scope of things that are valid to talk about
They are only to a selfish, entitled American. People spend all bitching about some bullshit is exactly why we can’t get shit done when it needs to be. This is proofed by the fact The Wendy Williams Show exists.The world has bigger issues every day of every year. Yet, everyone getting their panties in a bunch, about their feelings and childhood trauma and whatever.I was hoping the whole uproar was going to be a cool long con joke. Silly me.
ok boomer
Sheep are hilarious. Time for some new material.
We can’t all be as original as you
True. It’s a blessing and a curse not to be as obtuse as you are. Thinking for yourself can be difficult sometimes.
Your comment was such boilerplate conservative bullshit it could’ve easily been generated by a bot. Not only have you provided no evidence of thinking for yourself I’m not sure you could pass a Turing Test
Last.
man is that weak. Think twice next time you reply if that’s the best you got
commenting about stupid stuff the recapper set (sic)The avclub
I’m sorry, I must have missed something, who put you in charge of what can be discussed on this site?? Asshole.
Hey, hey, give the guy a break! #MeTooForMen!
Yeah, white dudes over 40. Will they ever get a break?
“#Me!”
FTFY
What’s the joke exactly?
That Donna herself doesn’t really get too much pleasure from seeing Bob Oedenkirk naked or Patrick Fabian’s feet? Alright, maybe it’s not a joke, but it’s her observation. Her opinion. Either way, it’s still not anything anyone should take too seriously. Did Donna say ‘Ew, all men’s bellies and feet are gross, and all of you absolutely must feel the same way or else you’re wrong!’? Did she claim to be speaking for all women or all bloggers or whoever else? No, she was expressing how she feels about it. It was a few wry comments. No one was being obnoxious. This whole thing is equally as ridiculous as when people (or bloggers, for that matter) get pissy in the comments (and articles) about seeing women’s feet in Tarantino movies. It’s just some feet. Who cares? I probably look a little bit like Jimmy lying naked on his side. Did I get up in arms about that and insist on how terrible Donna was for stating her opinion? Did I make it into something it clearly wasn’t involving ‘the skin of all men’ or ‘men over the age of 40′? I have no idea how many people read this article, but did anyone else? No, I did not, and they did not. Why? Because that’s clearly not what it is or was. It’s her observation, her opinion, and regardless of whether or not I agree with it, it’s still just that – her feelings on the matter. To be totally honest, I got a giggle out of it, mainly because that’s really all it was worth.Do we really need to start demanding the censorship of other people’s offhanded opinions about such silly things as naked bellies or feet just because those opinions might’ve hit a little too close to home? Do we then need to consistently blow it completely out of proportion and make it about things that it’s not? I realize that might be the language of the internet nowadays, and I am certainly not of the stupid right-wing ‘You can’t say anything anymore!’ mentality, but if so, when exactly does the silly nitpicking for our own self-interest stop?
“You know what we do care about? Discussing this television show. That’s it.”What does Donna’s squeamish feelings about seeing the nude body of an older man have to do with the show? It wasn’t a pivotal plot point in the episode—she could have kept her insults to herself and her review wouldn’t have been lacking. So, according to your logic, she was making it “all about her” by bringing up the fact that she didn’t like it.I find it ironic that you think I shouldn’t comment about something that was written that I didn’t agree with, yet you have absolutely no hesitation about going way over the top and insulting me on a personal level for writing something that you don’t agree with. At least my criticism was civil (and, unlike yours, not hypocritical).
And what’s up with the “hits too close to home” crap and derogatory assumptions about my appearance? You don’t know anything about me, so you can spare me the concern-trolling. Fine, you hold a different opinion than mine (which, I guess means that you like it when someone’s physical appearance is mocked?). Can’t you support your position without resorting to such sophomoric tactics?
This is approaching “I’m not mad I’m actually laughing” territory here. At this point you’ve left multiple lengthy overheated comments proclaiming loudly how cool and chill you are with what Donna said and how it’s not really worth thinking about and how everyone else is getting too worked up about it and you’re perfectly relaxed. She went out of her way to triple underline her weird issue with feet or with Bob Odenkirk’s perfectly average body etc. in a way that made it a natural topic of discussion. It’s natural that people would notice it. Relax
Nah, I’m perfectly fine thinking, saying and posting whatever I like. But thanks for the concern.
As is StudioTodd.
^^ hey look, a dickhead.
I’m a dickhead because I don’t think some writer should be repeatedly making rude and unnecessary remarks about how seeing men’s bare bodies makes her sick?OK. I’ll be a dickhead then.
Apparently you don’t have to try that hard.
Obviously you don’t either!
Second nature, baby!
Why you being mean to yummshey?
Now imagine having the entire world tell you that 1,000 times a day, and you’ll know what being a woman is like!
Yeah I’ve found Donna’s weird prudishness or whatever about this stuff to be annoying and not just some cute quirk like she seems to think it is.
Kim is so straight-laced, even when she cons with Jimmy, she’s takes it seriously. So this was a rare moment of true leivity from her. Jimmy goading Kim into impersonating her boss was just such a delight to watch unfold. She wouldn’t really- would she? She did! And she’s still going! They’re having fun! This is cute! I’ll admit that sometimes I question what Kim sees in Jimmy (let’s be real- she could do better) and then this happens, and it all makes sense. How they are with each other really feels like they’ve got something special.
This is an amazing episode. I was worried BCS was at sea, but everything paid off (even that kinda not great Mike storyline). Kim Wexler is breaking bad and I’m here for it.
Trevor proved he was’t superficial, but still, I wouldn’t want to get on the guy’s bad side. He’s a nutcase afterall.
I’m having trouble accepting that Mesa Verde suspected nothing. Even if they trust Kim completely, not accepting her recusal — hell, not beating her to the punch on one — was a bit silly. And it grew even more so the further Saul’s antics went. They wouldn’t necessarily have to suspect collusion, just Jimmy having a bit too easy access to information.
On another note, where’s the Hamlin subplot going, do you think?
I think, ironically, Jimmy ends up going back to HHM right as things fall apart with Kim and the bar.
Yeah it’s ridiculous, just like 99 percent of the legal stuff on the show
I say they wind up ‘shipping Howard and Kim.
Hamlin: I wonder if they’re teeing Howard up to ultimately be the lynchpin of Kim being disbarred, somehow. Could wind up just becoming a character subplot, but if they could tie it in to Jimmy’s Kim’uppeance, I would be thrilled.Also: I agree that they’re – Kevin at least – is way too non-suspicious about Kim after she tried to pull for the call center location being changed.That being said, Kevin probably had thousands of meetings about various business matters in between so I could see it getting lost in the blur, on top of him being extremely impressed by Kim’s professionalism.Also: This is still from the same universe where a DEA special agent didn’t (or will not) realize that his own BiL is a kingpin until he takes a very momentous shit.
Agree
I apologize in advance for going out on this limb, but was there absolute confirmation of Mike’s death in BB, or did he simply sit by the river and fade into the background? Was there a “we found a body…” line at some point?
Yes, the next episode shows Walt bringing Mike’s body back to the shop to dispose of with the help of Todd (with a tense scene of Jesse rolling up while they have the trunk open). The implication was they dissolved his body with acid in a barrel.
Thanks, I had forgotten about that sequence.
I haven’t seen the episode since it aired (which means I haven’t seen it in years), but it would not be a popular decision to rewrite the deaths of any BB characters on BCS. I strongly doubt the writers are going to go that route.
He was in Walt’s trunk to dissolve into nothingness in a barrel and he didn’t feel good about it, even telling Todd he didn’t want to talk about it, because he’s Walt, Todd sure as shit hasn’t got anything interesting to say anyways.Also, we see him falling off the rock before the black screen.
1. What was the curry for? It related to the earthenware in the dirt, but how?
2. I loved the episode, especially everything related to Kim. That said, I’m losing sight of Kim’s arc. (Maybe that’s good?) She used to be the steadfast champion of what was right. Now, she seems to have a McGillian view of things – it’s worth causing chaos just because.
3. How much does Rich really know? He’s sharp. I suspect it’s a LOT.
4. Nacho was libre all episode, huh?
5. Mike’s developing rep as an amateur engineer really nicely shades in his contempt for Walter White (who probably thought Mike was incapable of such things).
I’m guessing a point of the curry was to give the pottery a “patina”, to make it look old. Tea bags can often do the same thing as well.As far as far as Kim’s character Arc goes, it really looks like she’s Breaking Bad in her own right.
On point 2, she’s not just causing chaos – she’s stopping Mesa Verde from bulldozing Acker. Jimmy’s causing chaos as a means to that end, but even he’s not doing it for the hell of it. (Lobbing bowling balls at Howard’s car, though? That’s chaos for the hell of it.)
No, it was Jimmy’s way of telling Howard “eff off”, but Howard is too kumbaya zen to realize the bowling balls were his doing.
Poor Howard.
That change in her happened late in season 4, when trying to save Huell from prison and when she just found Jimmy’s “esteem” in the parking lot of the office “contender”. Paige played a big role by being a torn in her side and how it looks like she might not have succeeded in helping out Denise, the girl living in a prison-like house who didn’t want to go to real prison for being caught with less than 2oz of weed. We never saw what happened there. But Kim no more will tolerate being second guessed by Paige and the sudden change in her being fully with Jimmy, couple-wise, they don’t even need to talk much to understand each other, which is a great thing to have in a couple, I’ll tell you that.And now Rich is telling her by not telling her that he knows she caused all of the delays with her boyfriend, Chuck’s loser-brother that Rich knows quite a bit…he didn’t let it blind him of her potential via work, as he actively wanted her to join in. But remember when he said Hamlin not showing up at that Sandpiper court meeting…that he did so on purpose to humiliate her even, “you want them to have your back” Rich said. Well, he kind of had Kim’s, but in a bit underhanded way, you could see his annoyance at all this with his silence, he realizes Kevin’s not the sharpest tool, but that they got a reputation to uphold at S&C too.
That change in her happened late in season 4, when trying to save Huell from prison and when she just found Jimmy’s “esteem” in the parking lot of the office “contender”. Paige played a big role by being a torn in her side and how it looks like she might not have succeeded in helping out Denise, the girl living in a prison-like house who didn’t want to go to real prison for being caught with less than 2oz of weed. We never saw what happened there. But Kim no more will tolerate being second guessed by Paige and the sudden change in her being fully with Jimmy, couple-wise, they don’t even need to talk much to understand each other, which is a great thing to have in a couple, I’ll tell you that.And now Rich is telling her by not telling her that he knows she caused all of the delays with her boyfriend, Chuck’s loser-brother that Rich knows quite a bit…he didn’t let it blind him of her potential via work, as he actively wanted her to join in. But remember when he said Hamlin not showing up at that Sandpiper court meeting…that he did so on purpose to humiliate her even, “you want them to have your back” Rich said. Well, he kind of had Kim’s, but in a bit underhanded way, you could see his annoyance at all this with his silence, he realizes Kevin’s not the sharpest tool, but that they got a reputation to uphold at S&C too.
I didn’t mean to post this twice, sorry about that, if a mod can clean it up, I’d appreciate it, this has happened last week also, but never did before…spooky.
Mike didn’t have contempt for Walt right away, in fact, we didn’t even see Mike at the lab at first, where he picked up, we did when he had to spy on Skyler on Saul’s orders (and likely to catch a problem before Gus did). Mike and Walt are pretty similar as in they can get pretty bitter for the slightest reason, and Walt blew a fuse (rightfully, privacy is gold) at Mike when he realized that, to hilarious results. Walt developed some respect for Mike, only for it to take a side when the Jesse-Grooming started.
-Well, I’m a “cord cutter” so I stream what I watch. However, I must note that we got the Spectrum streaming and also AMC’s app. I can watch BCS episodes for free but, with ads/promos it takes 2 hours give or take to watch. For $2 I can order it w/o ads or promos and it’s only a 50 minute show. It’s worth spending the 2 bucks for me.Anyway, it almost seems like Kim will be even worse than Saul when all is said and done. Hopefully she they won’t kill her. My bet right now is on her ordering a vacuum cleaner. Maybe she will redeem herself in some way before it gets to that point and move on, away form the cesspool Jimmy/Saul is getting deeper into.
Neat. It’s easier to be a cord cutter here up north, we got a ton of small ISP’s that only offer internet and phone services, some have IPTV, but you gotta live in the centre of the universe (according to those who live there), in southern Ontario, the cement and smog sprawl to get it with most of them. I pay a couple bucks to watch my Habs (NHL) from the french version of TSN and with my desktop plugged to 3 screens (2 DVI, 2 HDMI, 1 displayport on that video card of mine). Never a hiccup too, thanks to that 350/350 fibre to the home. I can watch BCS on AMC since it’s available in Canada too (AMC), so I got a short-list of IPTV channels I can access with my RoKu just fine, which is pretty cool too. At least close to a hundred bucks less for my “internet” bill.
I buy the season on Amazon Video. $25 (US) for 10 episodes = $2.50 per episode, no ads, instant streaming, watch anywhere, and I know that my money is going directly to people who provide value (Amazon for the distribution platform, AMC and the show itself for production). I don’t know if that’s an option where you are but it’s been how I’ve watched BCS for years. (And a bunch of other shows.)
My bad, bold prediction for the season – Kim ends up before the ethics board. Only she and Jimmy can’t save her. She loses her license and heads off into the unknown.
Big shout out to Wendell the chicken! He’ll get his share of feed while Mike’s around.
I believe I WOULD like to shower with you.
“ I’m in a tunnel”
That made me laugh. Imagine if Jimmy had told Rich “I’m in a garbage bin” back in s1. Can’t wait for Mike to be JimmySaul’s P.I. finally so we get more of them together, it was even funny to hilarious in BrBa so…the potential…I hope it’s not just in season 6 that this will happen. I thought that was it but he refused. Gus will likely tell him to find employment somewhere he knows isn’t dangerous while he heals. He will eventually have to get his P.I. licenses and all of that stuff to work for “Saul Goodman and Associates” as a side-gig for when things are smooth Gus-wise, and they seem to be from then on until Walt shows up…so…crossed fingers.
“I have to make a call.” Fucking priceless. Comedy from simple repetition of a serious line.
That’s a very acute observation that Saul is all talk, Mike is no talk, and Kim is in between them. That really does say a lot about their respective characters. Very sharp!
This was an A episode for for the Kim and Jimmy impersonation scene alone! Kim has been pretty serious for ages and the playfulness of this episode was great. Well, the US side. Mike in Mexico seemed a bit slow to me. Maybe cos we know that he will end up working for Gus, but it dragged a bit imo when I wanted to see more of Kim and Jimmy. I’m also constantly worried something bad is going to happen to Kim. The Cinnabon Gene doesn’t seem like a happy person so even if Kim was around like Norm’s wife but never seen in the Breaking Bad years (unlikely) I am not looking forward to the inevitable demise of that relationship. And if they kill her off, that will be the end of my love for the show!For me, Jimmy was definitely leading Kim into taking things further when he was saying she should drop the Everett case…or……. (walking away). Kim does not admit defeat easily and he knows that. A great episode in dark times!
I agree with almost all of what you said. But yeah, the dark times are artificial for me in Canada, sure I get to stay home 2 weeks with full pay, but the number of ill people with that particular virus in this country (just a bit over 500) doesn’t warrant shutting (almost) everything down damnit. I wish they would show the number of deaths from the regular flu next to that “novel” disease. Novel indeed, I’m a pharmacologist and I don’t buy that this wasn’t made in a lab. Fort Bragg closes, they have those strange military “Olympics” in China, where the US participates? in mid november and the first case in China shows up on Dec 1st.Theorizing aside, I’m not saying this was a conspiracy, there’s so many things that can go wrong when treaties are not respected and the big countries produce the deadliest diseases known to man and make them even worse…just because, for decades. It’s bound that some bad mistake is made one day, that will hurt densely populated areas like urban China. Anyways, funny how the “I got a lot of guns on me” dude who’s a P.I. now also, says something akin to “be careful with those, they got parasites.” (pointing at the pink fishies that I can’t identify). Strange that this would show up this week of all weeks.
I agree with almost all of what you said. But yeah, the dark times are artificial for me in Canada, sure I get to stay home 2 weeks with full pay, but the number of ill people with that particular virus in this country (just a bit over 500) doesn’t warrant shutting (almost) everything down damnit. I wish they would show the number of deaths from the regular flu next to that “novel” disease. Novel indeed, I’m a pharmacologist and I don’t buy that this wasn’t made in a lab. Fort Bragg closes, they have those strange military “Olympics” in China, where the US participates? in mid november and the first case in China shows up on Dec 1st.Theorizing aside, I’m not saying this was a conspiracy, there’s so many things that can go wrong when treaties are not respected and the big countries produce the deadliest diseases known to man and make them even worse…just because, for decades. It’s bound that some bad mistake is made one day, that will hurt densely populated areas like urban China. Anyways, funny how the “I got a lot of guns on me” dude who’s a P.I. now also, says something akin to “be careful with those, they got parasites.” (pointing at the pink fishies that I can’t identify). Strange that this would show up this week of all weeks.
Saul’s anti-eviction tactics were amusing but reflect a weakness in BCS’s otherwise stellar writing. Not a big flaw but more noticable every season. Too many sequences and plot points rely on repetition. Whether it’s a montage, like Saul at the antiques store searching for the perfectly chuckable object, or larger segments showing Saul, Kim or Mike outsmarting foes. Those scenes are amusing but can be distractingly contrived. You can imagine the writers tossing zany but interchangeable ideas at the wall. Repetition can be effective but starts to feel like filler if overused.
I want to watch this episode again, because my brain kept waiting for the Construction Foreman to tell Saul to “Bite my shiny metal ass!”I may have let myself be distracted for the whole episode.
For the first time ever, I was not on Jimmy’s side, and I found the obstructionism annoying more than something to root for, and it’s all because of my irrational hatred for Barry Corbin. Goddammit, why couldn’t they cast any other shit kicker?
So, is Saturday night in Salt Lake City really as dull as Sobchak makes it out to be?
Having often lived in SLC, not really. There are fewer bars and definitely a dearth of dance clubs (not my thing anyway) than most big cities but there are some good bars to hang out at and plenty of partiers in the city. Maybe I’m just dull tho! Can’t imagine it being much more dull than Albuquerque on a Saturday night.
Not at all. A Saturday night in Provo, maybe, but SLC has a solid food, music, and arts scene. If you’re looking to club it to oblivion, probably not the place for you, but it does pretty well for itself in terms of cultural amenities and activities of interest.
Besides, I don’t think there’s another large metro in the US that has such immediate access to mountain activities.
The scene where Kim impersonates Kevin (and Jimmy impersonates Kim) is one of the funniest but more importantly cutest and well-observed I’ve seen on television in quite some time.
I liked the shout out to The Great Escape with the dirt from the pants thing.
Just want to point out that the head of the construction crew was played by John DiMaggio aka Bender Bending Rodriguez.
Gus finally started talking in a language Mike understands—revenge. Whether Gus and Max’s relationship was filial or romantic doesn’t really matter, it’s simple enough that Gus loved him and will go to extreme lengths to avenge his death. The monumental fountain in the Mexican village is more than symbolic, it is Gus’ touchstone, the place where his resolve is the strongest. He didn’t have Mike brought there just so the good doctor could treat him, he could have just as easily taken him to any number of places south of the border for that. He brought Mike there to offer him a glimpse into what motivates him. It’s not money. Money is simply a means to achieve his ultimate goal—vengeance.
Jimmy’s plan is a pretty brilliant, low-budget affair. At no point does he file a suit. He simply uses existing laws and the established bureaucracy to his advantage to put speed bump after speed bump in Mesa Verde’s way. Each antic forces Mesa Verde to have their attorneys work overtime (no doubt in the neighborhood of $400+ an hour) to combat. It’s an asymmetric war of attrition that, if not for Kevin’s stubbornness, would eventually work.
Useless fact , thats John DiMaggio AKA Bender from Futurama in a rarish live action role as the construction foreman..
Bender and Jake the Dog, yay!