Better Call Saul (spoilers)

[Totenkindly]

Welp ... there it is:
‘Better Call Saul’ Renewed for 6th and Final Season at AMC – Variety

Season 5 airs in Feb, I think.
Season 6 will close things out.

There had been speculation on this because Breaking Bad technically ran "six" seasons -- its fifth season was split in two and extended. That series ended I think with 62 episodes.

Which could feasibly be the length of BCS, depending on how many episodes are made for Season 6.


EDIT:
‘Better Call Saul’ Ending on Season 6—Cast Teases Violent Final Season | IndieWire

It looks like BCS will run 63 episodes -- one more than BB.

I wonder if the final episode will really be a "combination" episode -- because we have that whole future plotline regarding Gene. It would make sense in terms of symmetry... give them both equal episode counts, then a finale to wrap the entire thing.

 

[Totenkindly]

Started rewatching Season 4 again, to recall what happened before Season 5 airs.

In the second episode, Rhea Seehorn is so great when she tells off Hamlin. She's really terse when Rebecca is in the room (which isn't like her), and as soon as she leaves, she erupts on Hamlin in a way that we have never really seen her do before because she's typically so level emotionally and rationally. But she's freaking furious, and she actually cows Hamlin over hurting/dumping on Jimmy so badly. it's maybe the most passionate and angry I remember her being in the series and it's scary and amazing all at once.

I also forgot about Arturo, but it's a great and chilling reminder of how terrifying Gus Fring can be. Like, do not mess with him.

And there is also the scene with Jimmy at the copy shop, and a clear example of how he now feels entitled to slap back at people he thinks are acting stupidly. He's usually not been this callous that I can recall, but here he's just mean and does what he does mainly out of spite / to feel powerful. It's uncalled for, though; and he initiates the whole sequence when he didn't have to, just in order to take a swipe at the guys.

(I don't know if anyone else has the same issue I do -- I don't get squeamish over extreme violence or sex in media whatsoever, but the times when I have to pause something typically involve a person doing something highly embarrassing / provoking shameful conflicts, and I had to pause this scene a few times because it made me horribly uncomfortable to watch straight through, knowing what Jimmy was going to do and how embarrassing it was.)

 

[Totenkindly]

Better Call Saul & Breaking Bad Timeline: Connections Between the Shows - Thrillist


Maybe something is off or they missed a detail, because he certainly doesn't seem that old in the flashbacks, it seems at most like ten years down the road -- not just Gene's appearance but it seems very much like a current mall / neighborhood setting rather than something more technologically upgraded.

2057? (BCS, Seasons 1-3)
Several black-and-white flashbacks illustrate that Saul’s best-case scenario has become a reality. More than one shot of a state seal bearing the date of Omaha’s incorporation (1857) and the city's celebration of its 200th anniversary indicate that nearly 50 years have passed since Saul was spirited away from Albuquerque to take on the identity of Cinnabon-employed Gene. (Before you point out that Jimmy McGill, born circa 1962, would be roughly 95 years of age in 2057, bear in mind that BCS/BB's creators seem far less concerned with linear exactitude than many of their scavenging viewers, and then consider the anachronisms and black-and-white nature of those flash-forwards.) Last we saw of Gene in Season 3's premiere, he was lying in a heap on that Cinnabon floor after allowing the slightest glimpse of his old persona to surface.

 

[Totenkindly]

For those with some spare cash:
Zafiro Anejo Tequila Stopper • Brevard • Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul - LEE BREVARD

no spoilers, but overall comments:
Better Call Saul Season 5 Review: Saul Goodman Steps into the Spotlight | Collider


Yeah, I feel like Walter White had blunter conflicts, was more black and white w/ the large archetypical characters, but BCS has more nuance and more of the "normal every day guy" slipping into vice and is about more complex taste. I think WW also reached some kind of anti-hero status culturally, whereas SG is more about the ruination of a generally "good-intentioned" person whose hard knocks in life slowly leave him victim to his own slipperiness. It feels like if Jimmy had only been loved better, maybe he could have avoided this; meanwhile for Walter, love had nothing to do with it, it was always about his ego and sense of personal legacy.

It was weird watching Season 4 on the heels of the final Bojack season, because now when I see Jimmy and Kim talking, it reminds me way too much of Bojack and Diane.... one person slowly circling the drain, and the other being dragged along but might need to liberate herself because she doesn't want to go down with the ship.

 

[Totenkindly]

Three episodes in, they're all pretty decent.

As reports suggested, this season feels more like Breaking Bad -- not only due to a few familiar faces, but it's gotten darker after how last season ended + Saul is now getting slowly sucked into the dangerous drug cartel business.

The other element of this is Kim. It's easy to see some distance between her and Jimmy, although it fluctuates (she's accepting of him operating as Saul but doesn't know quite what it means right now), and she's also feeling odd about interacting with him because Jimmy is finally just being Saul and they have different ways of looking at the law. Also, she was trying to find a happy place between the white collar sleaze of financial law (leveraging the power of corporations against individuals) and representing clients pro bono as part of the bottom tier of the justice system, rubber meets road. She thought she could balance those two things, but now one is making more demands on her again, and she can't keep them from bleeding into each other. The fact she still empathizes with the little guy also is making her less effective in her representation of the big guy and/or at least puts her under a lot of stress and energy expenditure as she searches for solutions she can morally live with. There's a great clip of back story that sheds light on Kim, because we know very little about her past. It makes her goals make more sense.

I think I enjoy her and Ignatio the best on this show, they are "secondary" characters (with a lot of the spotlight) who are essentially good people in bad situations where their morality could be compromised. Nacho is pretty much mired in the cartel and probably can't escape except via a box / bullet-riddled trunk, but he is still trying to look out for his father and others. The way he tenderly diverts the one drugged-out girl living with him (when most guys in his position would have been abusive) says much of his character, but the moments he's been forced to be violent (like when he had to go after Crazy 8) have really scarred him. He is a survivor who at core thinks he is already lost but is trying to save everyone else he can and stay alive as long as possible.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I wish Odenkirk would stop pretending to be an actor and go do more sketch comedy with David Cross or Tim & Eric. Oh well.

 

[Totenkindly]

You know, watching Rhea Seehorn imitate character Kevin Wachtell impromptu is one of the reasons I watch this show. You never know what to expect, and the acting is impeccable and often hilarious even while heart-wrenching (in the most dramatic scenes).

Even Steven Ogg shows up in a cameo this episode, disguised behind a large bushy beard. That guy has made the rounds of the AMC shows in the past.

This past episode wasn't anything like what I expected, and it looks like maybe Kim's idealism coupled with Jimmy's cavalier attitude (even if he's even saying to rein stuff in now) might be what gets her in trouble, more than just Jimmy dragging her down. She had a number of chances to extract herself, so why is she making these choices? But they don't seem out of character for her either -- and an obvious sign is that she is still with Jimmy, there is something about him that draws her despite her own perfectionism and seriousness... like a butterfly (rather than moth) to the flame. She has been so controlled for so long, but now she seems a bit reckless... driven by her frustrations of dealing with white collar juggernauts and wanting to stand up against moral injustice. She might go all-in after staying within the bounds of the system in the past.

Which is so admirable, but I really worry for her now. She might be past the point of escaping completely unscathed, and it's just a matter of how bad it will be... and what will she gain out of it if she crashes and burns? Despite all his flaws, Jimmy sees the probable outcome clearly... he's under no pretense of how this will unfold.

Kim is as internally stubborn as Kevin is out loud.

 

[ceecee]

You know, watching Rhea Seehorn imitate character Kevin Wachtell impromptu is one of the reasons I watch this show. You never know what to expect, and the acting is impeccable and often hilarious even while heart-wrenching (in the most dramatic scenes).

Even Steven Ogg shows up in a cameo this episode, disguised behind a large bushy beard. That guy has made the rounds of the AMC shows in the past.

This past episode wasn't anything like what I expected, and it looks like maybe Kim's idealism coupled with Jimmy's cavalier attitude (even if he's even saying to rein stuff in now) might be what gets her in trouble, more than just Jimmy dragging her down. She had a number of chances to extract herself, so why is she making these choices? But they don't seem out of character for her either -- and an obvious sign is that she is still with Jimmy, there is something about him that draws her despite her own perfectionism and seriousness... like a butterfly (rather than moth) to the flame. She has been so controlled for so long, but now she seems a bit reckless... driven by her frustrations of dealing with white collar juggernauts and wanting to stand up against moral injustice. She might go all-in after staying within the bounds of the system in the past.

Which is so admirable, but I really worry for her now. She might be past the point of escaping completely unscathed, and it's just a matter of how bad it will be... and what will she gain out of it if she crashes and burns? Despite all his flaws, Jimmy sees the probable outcome clearly... he's under no pretense of how this will unfold.

Kim is as internally stubborn as Kevin is out loud.

Ok, I did not see this coming. Because there is no trace of Kim in BB, why would I? But I worry about her too and it goes to show just how skewed a moral compass can become simply being around a more compromised person. Justification is much easier.

I admit I LOVED the $4 million settlement plus $250,000 for the artist that got screwed. And when Jimmy presents it, it sounds entirely sane and fair.

The scene with her drunk mom - perhaps that will explain things with Jimmy a bit more.

Mike is really good. Really. Good. Who else could so flawlessly pose as a fake cop, a PI simply wanting closure for a family and a lecturing old timer to police mail room kid?

 

[The Cat]

For those with some spare cash:
Zafiro Anejo Tequila Stopper • Brevard • Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul - LEE BREVARD

no spoilers, but overall comments:
Better Call Saul Season 5 Review: Saul Goodman Steps into the Spotlight | Collider


Yeah, I feel like Walter White had blunter conflicts, was more black and white w/ the large archetypical characters, but BCS has more nuance and more of the "normal every day guy" slipping into vice and is about more complex taste. I think WW also reached some kind of anti-hero status culturally, whereas SG is more about the ruination of a generally "good-intentioned" person whose hard knocks in life slowly leave him victim to his own slipperiness. It feels like if Jimmy had only been loved better, maybe he could have avoided this; meanwhile for Walter, love had nothing to do with it, it was always about his ego and sense of personal legacy.

It was weird watching Season 4 on the heels of the final Bojack season, because now when I see Jimmy and Kim talking, it reminds me way too much of Bojack and Diane.... one person slowly circling the drain, and the other being dragged along but might need to liberate herself because she doesn't want to go down with the ship.

Jimmy is more of a dark hero imo, where as WW is an antihero.

Where I left off in BCS Apart from his past which he legit seems to be trying to atone for,he's assy brother has been proven to be an anchor around his neck the shifty hypocrite. Jimmy is just a guy who does what he has to to survive. Walter, was always kinda just an ass who happened to have cancer.

- - - Updated - - -

Ok, I did not see this coming. Because there is no trace of Kim in BB, why would I? But I worry about her too and it goes to show just how skewed a moral compass can become simply being around a more compromised person. Justification is much easier.

I admit I LOVED the $4 million settlement plus $250,000 for the artist that got screwed. And when Jimmy presents it, it sounds entirely sane and fair.

The scene with her drunk mom - perhaps that will explain things with Jimmy a bit more.

Mike is really good. Really. Good. Who else could so flawlessly pose as a fake cop, a PI simply wanting closure for a family and a lecturing old timer to police mail room kid?

Mike is the best. He's a legitimately likeable character to me.

 

[cascadeco]

I'll be caught up with you guys on season 5, oh, sometime next year. Season four was only recently released on Netflix; this show is the best. This sort of show is what makes TV worth watching.

 

[Totenkindly]

Jimmy is more of a dark hero imo, where as WW is an antihero.

Where I left off in BCS Apart from his past which he legit seems to be trying to atone for,he's assy brother has been proven to be an anchor around his neck the shifty hypocrite. Jimmy is just a guy who does what he has to to survive. Walter, was always kinda just an ass who happened to have cancer.

Yeah, Walter is basically an ass [well, maybe I should be more explicit -- he's egotistical, controlling, judgmental, tyrannical on the level of a child's Freudian ID] who was hamstrung and/or self-smothered at a young age and shoved down his wildly raging ego without ever actually confronting himself and experiencing any kind of change -- it was simply caged, not tamed and altered in any way. So once he gets cancer, he decides he has nothing to lose and dismantles the cage... oh hey, look at what has been there all his life but now is REALLY seething...

I still think Jimmy is a good guy at heart, merely flawed. A lot of what threw off his constraint is as you said just how his brother kept kicking him in the teeth -- a brother who Jimmy dearly loved, desperately wanted love in return from, and never consistently got it... and it tied into his beliefs about family solidarity, fair play, giving people chances, etc. It all got seared in the endgame with Chuck, and that particular ending kind of left him without any kind of anchor. Despite how much he loves "making the sale" however and his life of pulling one over, in the end I think he's been through so much misery that he wants something more enduring. He lost a lot by the end of Breaking Bad and as Gene he seems to reflect that he's not happy with where his decisions led him.

Mike is the best. He's a legitimately likeable character to me.

Mike reminds me of a ronin (just more low-key). He knows he broke faith, and it cost him his son (as well as a friend), and he still hasn't gotten over it (it boils up with his grand-daughter, leading him momentarily into self-destructive tendencies as ways to punish himself for his crimes)... and now he just seems resigned even to Nacho who he essentially says, "You bought into this, now you gotta pay for it / live with it." But there's still empathy on some level there, he'll help him once they get the job down with Lalo.... for the sake of Nacho's dad. Mike knows what it feels like to have people he loves hurting because of Mike's choices in life.

So I've seen some commentators wondering why Mike is sticking with Gus. It seems generally pretty simple to me? He's lost faith in himself, is self-punishing, and sees no real escape from his past actions. IOW, he feels he is one of the walking damned, can never escape, and so he just embraces what amounts to his punishment -- living with knowledge of his mistakes and doing penance that can never be complete, trying to keep his granddaughter from harm, and maybe one day being allowed to die and find peace.

Anyway, he definitely strikes a more tragic figure... competent, generally amicable, professional with his work, paying for his past choices and unable to escape, so he buys into it with a level of dour fatalism.

 

[Totenkindly]

Ok, I did not see this coming. Because there is no trace of Kim in BB, why would I? But I worry about her too and it goes to show just how skewed a moral compass can become simply being around a more compromised person. Justification is much easier.

I admit I LOVED the $4 million settlement plus $250,000 for the artist that got screwed. And when Jimmy presents it, it sounds entirely sane and fair.

The scene with her drunk mom - perhaps that will explain things with Jimmy a bit more.

Mike is really good. Really. Good. Who else could so flawlessly pose as a fake cop, a PI simply wanting closure for a family and a lecturing old timer to police mail room kid?

I love Kim so much, it just seems to grow as the series continues, I feel like I would with a solid introvert -- it's like I learn a little bit about her every episode now, after periods of not learning much at all.

My dad was a chronic alcoholic and it hurt to watch that opening sequence, I totally was there except I had much longer to walk than three miles and so I never made the decision she did... but constantly was quietly evaluating in my head how I would handle a car accident or some other boneheaded move by my drunk father that put me at risk. All the crappy feelings... but I know how it is with feeling severely disappointed, frustrated with the inability to change the parent and that warring with the desire for love and approval. Kim is so independent and wanting to be in charge of her own life and career, keeping most other people at arm's length, yet at the same time she seems to have these bits of welcoming the chaos of Jimmy whether it is because of what she knows from her past and maybe offers a chance to reconcile with it or otherwise maybe because she's been clamped down and so single-minded over the years that she needs the respite he brings to her life with just free-wheeling it / being a bit reckless?

Mike's scenes there made me laugh out at loud.... mostly. He was giving a Jimmy worthy performance, except for Jimmy it's about the spectacle and with Mike it's about it not being recognized as a performance because his ego is stroked by getting a job done cleanly and professionally, not winning kudos. I enjoy seeing Mike do things that don't involve shooting or violence. I was a little uneasy as well, though -- like, he kind of used the librarian's desire to "do good" against her, to use her as a channel to feed information to the cops (although the information was not incorrect), and slapped down that poor kid who didn't actually make a mistake but played off his desire to please. Like, it really targeted "good things" in those people and manipulated them. No one will cry when Lalo goes away and he deserves what he gets, but it's a bit of a tarnish.

Yeah, the thing with the Mesa Verde deal, as I thought through what was gained... it was all actually great stuff outcome-wise, and it resolved inequities in the system / stepped in for the "little guy". I think the main problem is that it felt so slimy getting there.... and especially because on the personal level Jimmy blindsided Kim and did exactly what she claimed he had done, he violated her trust. She was afraid of it after getting suckered at his hearing last season, and now it's come to pass... Jimmy specifically directed his powers against her, in his mind to "save her" from reprisal, but the truth still is that he really broke her trust, she cannot trust him anymore, and I think she's raging at herself for believing she could avoid it and buying into him, as much as she is raging at him.

I was experiencing the same kind of outrage as Kim was showing when Jimmy ran the meeting off the rails. It was really the feeling of "I decided to trust someone against my better instincts, because I can't keep everyone locked out / want to trust someone, and this is what happens." I think part of it definitely ties back to the lack of trust developed with the alcoholic parent. I had spent a large part of my life not allowing myself to depend on people or letting my life / appearance hinge on other people because I was always afraid of people failing me, and it seems to be some of what Kim is experiencing too.... she hitched herself or her reputation to Jimmy and he just really screwed her over. BUt what was she supposed to do? Live completely divorced from anyone and never trusting anyone? Because that's a sucky life too.

 

[cascadeco]

Yeah, Walter is basically an ass [well, maybe I should be more explicit -- he's egotistical, controlling, judgmental, tyrannical on the level of a child's Freudian ID] who was hamstrung and/or self-smothered at a young age and shoved down his wildly raging ego without ever actually confronting himself and experiencing any kind of change -- it was simply caged, not tamed and altered in any way. So once he gets cancer, he decides he has nothing to lose and dismantles the cage... oh hey, look at what has been there all his life but now is REALLY seething...

I still think Jimmy is a good guy at heart, merely flawed. A lot of what threw off his constraint is as you said just how his brother kept kicking him in the teeth -- a brother who Jimmy dearly loved, desperately wanted love in return from, and never consistently got it... and it tied into his beliefs about family solidarity, fair play, giving people chances, etc. It all got seared in the endgame with Chuck, and that particular ending kind of left him without any kind of anchor. Despite how much he loves "making the sale" however and his life of pulling one over, in the end I think he's been through so much misery that he wants something more enduring. He lost a lot by the end of Breaking Bad and as Gene he seems to reflect that he's not happy with where his decisions led him.




Mike reminds me of a ronin (just more low-key). He knows he broke faith, and it cost him his son (as well as a friend), and he still hasn't gotten over it (it boils up with his grand-daughter, leading him momentarily into self-destructive tendencies as ways to punish himself for his crimes)... and now he just seems resigned even to Nacho who he essentially says, "You bought into this, now you gotta pay for it / live with it." But there's still empathy on some level there, he'll help him once they get the job down with Lalo.... for the sake of Nacho's dad. Mike knows what it feels like to have people he loves hurting because of Mike's choices in life.

So I've seen some commentators wondering why Mike is sticking with Gus. It seems generally pretty simple to me? He's lost faith in himself, is self-punishing, and sees no real escape from his past actions. IOW, he feels he is one of the walking damned, can never escape, and so he just embraces what amounts to his punishment -- living with knowledge of his mistakes and doing penance that can never be complete, trying to keep his granddaughter from harm, and maybe one day being allowed to die and find peace.

Anyway, he definitely strikes a more tragic figure... competent, generally amicable, professional with his work, paying for his past choices and unable to escape, so he buys into it with a level of dour fatalism.

Keeping in mind I have only watched up through season 4...

I agree, Jimmy seems at heart a good guy. He tries over and over again, throughout the seasons, to do the 'right thing', to overcome some of his leanings, play it straight, etc, but ultimately just hangs his hat and goes the 'screw all of you' route and just settles into a life of questionable morality.

I love the dynamic between he and Rhea (gah - blanking on her character name all of a sudden).

Gah - must segue into mbti, because THIS show is a great example of why I think mbti can be interesting, and why I dislike how it plays out in theory and in intellectual discourse such as on this forum. This show has perfect examples of many contrasting temperaments and how they interplay, and yet none of these characters - of widely varying temperament - seem 'deficient' to me. None seem intellectually stunted, 'ooh I wouldn't want to be THAT type' (well, maybe with Jimmy...lol haha j/k ... kind of haha), they are all enviable to some degree, all highly competent and brilliant in their own niche and way of seeing and interacting with the world. You see the brilliance and enviability of many sensors; you see the far-sightedness but also tendency towards grandioseness and callousness and tendency to neuroses or sheer stupidity/naivety of several N's in the face of real-world things that happen at the blink of an eye and need to be acted upon literally instantaneously.

Nacho is a wonderful ISTP imo; very good deep down but aware of his position and as you have said, just at this point trying to make the best of things and ease the situation from any innocents or anyone he could keep away from it. Smart. Thinking.

Mike also, I assume ISTP (else what would it be, ISTJ? I suppose, but skillset/ natural ability wise SP seems more fitting). I too feel Mike sticking things out with Gus makes sense. To me Mike is probably the most honorable man in the entire show --- he follows through with everything he gets himself into --- even if he realizes he's 'screwed', similar to Nacho. I think his personal code is such that he feels he needs to accept the responsibility of his choices -- and live through the consequences. Perhaps a type of self punishment, ie, thinking he deserves it, perhaps.

Rhea, TJ, to Jimmy's obvious ENTP. Contrast Jimmy with Chuck (clear NJ) imo , and Hamlin (epitomizes FJ imo, probably NFJ), and Jimmy's self is going to be prone to puppeteering by Chuck - which he does. Gus, INFJ I think.

Even the seedy uncle or whomever who shows up to try to attend to the cartel's business - fast-moving ESTP, smart, really quick on his toes, reads the situation well and pounces. The 2 hitmen-twins = creepy. haha.

I even enjoyed the whole side story in season 4 with all of the germans; I felt for the german leader and the bind he ended up being in.

Anyway I don't expect everyone to agree with all of these typings of mine, but the point is, it's a great show to watch the psychological interplay between people of very different temperaments and abilities/perceptions, all with clear strengths/areas of brilliance, all with shortcomings.

Anyway, love the show. And love the depth of characters.

 

[ceecee]

I love Kim so much, it just seems to grow as the series continues, I feel like I would with a solid introvert -- it's like I learn a little bit about her every episode now, after periods of not learning much at all.

My dad was a chronic alcoholic and it hurt to watch that opening sequence, I totally was there except I had much longer to walk than three miles and so I never made the decision she did... but constantly was quietly evaluating in my head how I would handle a car accident or some other boneheaded move by my drunk father that put me at risk. All the crappy feelings... but I know how it is with feeling severely disappointed, frustrated with the inability to change the parent and that warring with the desire for love and approval. Kim is so independent and wanting to be in charge of her own life and career, keeping most other people at arm's length, yet at the same time she seems to have these bits of welcoming the chaos of Jimmy whether it is because of what she knows from her past and maybe offers a chance to reconcile with it or otherwise maybe because she's been clamped down and so single-minded over the years that she needs the respite he brings to her life with just free-wheeling it / being a bit reckless?

Mike's scenes there made me laugh out at loud.... mostly. He was giving a Jimmy worthy performance, except for Jimmy it's about the spectacle and with Mike it's about it not being recognized as a performance because his ego is stroked by getting a job done cleanly and professionally, not winning kudos. I enjoy seeing Mike do things that don't involve shooting or violence. I was a little uneasy as well, though -- like, he kind of used the librarian's desire to "do good" against her, to use her as a channel to feed information to the cops (although the information was not incorrect), and slapped down that poor kid who didn't actually make a mistake but played off his desire to please. Like, it really targeted "good things" in those people and manipulated them. No one will cry when Lalo goes away and he deserves what he gets, but it's a bit of a tarnish.

Yeah, the thing with the Mesa Verde deal, as I thought through what was gained... it was all actually great stuff outcome-wise, and it resolved inequities in the system / stepped in for the "little guy". I think the main problem is that it felt so slimy getting there.... and especially because on the personal level Jimmy blindsided Kim and did exactly what she claimed he had done, he violated her trust. She was afraid of it after getting suckered at his hearing last season, and now it's come to pass... Jimmy specifically directed his powers against her, in his mind to "save her" from reprisal, but the truth still is that he really broke her trust, she cannot trust him anymore, and I think she's raging at herself for believing she could avoid it and buying into him, as much as she is raging at him.

I was experiencing the same kind of outrage as Kim was showing when Jimmy ran the meeting off the rails. It was really the feeling of "I decided to trust someone against my better instincts, because I can't keep everyone locked out / want to trust someone, and this is what happens." I think part of it definitely ties back to the lack of trust developed with the alcoholic parent. I had spent a large part of my life not allowing myself to depend on people or letting my life / appearance hinge on other people because I was always afraid of people failing me, and it seems to be some of what Kim is experiencing too.... she hitched herself or her reputation to Jimmy and he just really screwed her over. BUt what was she supposed to do? Live completely divorced from anyone and never trusting anyone? Because that's a sucky life too.

I totally forgot to mention - I also love the ongoing Operation Fuck Howard. From the bowling balls to the hookers - it's all wonderful and so very deserved.

 

[Totenkindly]

I love the dynamic between he and Rhea (gah - blanking on her character name all of a sudden).

Kim.

Gah - must segue into mbti, because THIS show is a great example of why I think mbti can be interesting, and why I dislike how it plays out in theory and in intellectual discourse such as on this forum. This show has perfect examples of many contrasting temperaments and how they interplay, and yet none of these characters - of widely varying temperament - seem 'deficient' to me. None seem intellectually stunted, 'ooh I wouldn't want to be THAT type' (well, maybe with Jimmy...lol haha j/k ... kind of haha), they are all enviable to some degree, all highly competent and brilliant in their own niche and way of seeing and interacting with the world. You see the brilliance and enviability of many sensors; you see the far-sightedness but also tendency towards grandioseness and callousness and tendency to neuroses or sheer stupidity/naivety of several N's in the face of real-world things that happen at the blink of an eye and need to be acted upon literally instantaneously.... Anyway I don't expect everyone to agree with all of these typings of mine, but the point is, it's a great show to watch the psychological interplay between people of very different temperaments and abilities/perceptions, all with clear strengths/areas of brilliance, all with shortcomings.

I really agree, i love the diversity of the characters that treats them as competent people regardless of personality and approach, it doesn't shoehorn anyone as smart, dumb, good, or bad just based on their personality style. Their choices define them more. It's another reason I liked BB so much, it treated its characters with respect, even the ones that were sometimes played to comic effect (like Beaver and Skinny Pete, or even Marie at times); they all felt real to me, and trying to do their reasonable best based on their worldviews and personality traits, even if sometimes they would get off track.

 

[Totenkindly]

I totally forgot to mention - I also love the ongoing Operation Fuck Howard. From the bowling balls to the hookers - it's all wonderful and so very deserved.

I love that scene in part because it was totally not what I expected... although I knew Jimmy was up to something with the hookers. I thought Howard would mention that Jimmy was considering an opening at HHM and of course cliff would have a lot to say about that... but it never came up!

I don't know how I feel, although I am laughing at much of it. I think the issue is that (1) Howard is actually trying to improve as a person, and (2) wasn't totally the mysterious nemesis in the shadows harassing Jimmy we thought, that ended up being Chuck, but (3) he can still be pretty presumptuous and (4) kind of a flake in not really grasping other people's perspectives. He just (5) is living the high life that was set up for him by his father in many ways without really grasping how the little guys like Jimmy have had to scrap and scramble to get anything and still often fail, and he thinks it's because of something he did. So on the personal level I can see him try to stretch, I can feel empathy; but at the same time Jimmy's just torching him as a symbol of all the jerkoffs in their fancy suits, after ALSO having the gall to try to bring Jimmy on board. Like, I still have trouble wondering what Howard is thinking in how that would play out, but I am sure Cliff would set him straight. Like, just get a clue, Howard. Patrick Fabian plays this role so well, with a kind of benevolent cluelessness and the "reserved cheer" veneer. Has he ever found himself? Does he even like being a lawyer? I have no idea. But boy does it rake in respect and perks. He's a guy waiting for an end-life crisis, maybe, if he continues to try to expand; or he'll just drop back into his shallow comforts.

 

[Totenkindly]

Great recap/review of Episode 7.

‘Better Call Saul’ Recap: Just Make Money

 

[ceecee]

Great recap/review of Episode 7.

‘Better Call Saul’ Recap: Just Make Money

I didn't think that Jimmy would go through with the wedding. He looked like he was in pain. Jimmy didn't want this for Kim, Saul otoh...

I loved when Huell was trying to help.

B&B? Nah
Rings? Nah
Is she gonna be Goodman or McGill? Wexler. It's not like that.

But who are Jimmy's two ex wives? I know it was mentioned in BB but nothing more than that. So Kim is wife #3.

Kim and Rich going to see Kevin. I was SO glad when Kim said - you blew off every bit of advice we gave you. I hope you listen to your next lawers ya stubborn bitch! Page liked it too.

I did not really remember much about Peter Schuler from BB (other than the chicken nugget dips scene) but he's obviously freaking the fuck out about the lab. Gus's impassioned plea to trust the process and their past, was the most emotional Gus has been in BCS.

Staying with Gus, I loved the very neatly placed and covered with plastic wrap, the chicken that became the delayed bomb makes Nacho look great.

Mike. He's just resigning himself to whatever happens. At least he made things right with Kaylee and Stacey.

I read in the piece that Detective Tim Roberts was a friend of Hank, which I didn't remember.

Speaking of friends, when Kim asked Jimmy if he wants to be a friend of the cartel, I think that's the last little bit of Jimmy that still lives in Saul. When he was screaming at Howard, none of that was Jimmy. But it's hard to let Jimmy go, even for writers and directors.

 

[Totenkindly]

Yeah, it might be the pivotal episode -- I was TOTALLY reminded of Walt at the end of it.

About Paige

This is one of those great "secondary" characters that doesn't get a lot of attention but helps to make the show feel real. She has been around since the first season? Or was it season 2? I don't remember, but she always comes off as fair minded and a straight shooter while in some way being Kevin's keeper... and she has always been rooting for Kim. You can tell she adores her, and I think there was only one time when she chewed Kim out (last season? When Kim kind of blew her off because she was going nuts with her pro bono work? So Paige set her straight over who her boss was?)

And it's all those little inflections and facial expressions. You can see that little bit of a smile at the end after Kim finishes her piece -- like basically Paige has always had faith in Kim to take the right stands and stick her neck out at the right moments, and this was another example where Kim proved that Paige's faith was always well-placed, even though we know that Kim was kind of skirting at the muck edge on this one, kind of undermining her effort for Mesa Verde.

Those little details just make the show come alive.

About Kim

Yeah, Jimmy is unsure about the marriage -- or maybe even kind of against it but he doesn't want to let Kim down... and yet he's afraid of letting Kim down and doesn't think he can rein himself in.

Kim is actually happy. Rhea just lets little things slip...a facial expression, a look in her eyes, it's so great to watch her and gauge where each character is. And yet there's the moment later where they start getting intimate, and then Jimmy actually does something big for him and tells Kim the truth about what he did that day. And you can see Kim kind of taken aback. Like, she thought she knew Jimmy's boundaries and this is a bit beyond... and she just holds herself fixed and appeals to the Jimmy she wants, and he gives her that but you can tell he's not exactly sure that's true either. And Kim kind of owns it because she told him she wanted the honesty... and now the honesty isn't something she's happy with, but she takes it anyway. But she doesn't want to dig deeper at the moment. She is poker-facing a bit because Jimmy gave her what she asked for, now she's not quite sure what to do with it but wants to believe the Jimmy she knows will do the right thing.

I love that she goes back in the office to confront Kevin. This is Kim at her best, lawyer wise. She knows if she does nothing, it will probably kill their relationship with Mesa Verde, so she's fearless (at least on the surface -- not a surprise, ACoA kids usually are great at this) and goes right back in and lays it out for Kevin that he owns part of this mess and what she needs from HIM if she was to continue as his legal counsel. In other words, she rightfully risks losing a mediocre/slipping thing that would always be at risk, on the chance she might resecure his trust and get the situation anchored again. Kevin is perturbed, taken aback, and kind of impressed I think, deep down. That's the kind of lawyer he wants. Kim saves the day. I'm not sure anyone else could have pulled that off. It took a lot of panache and cool logic to realize the strategic implications of doing nothing versus putting it all out there.

About Howard:

Whatever his faults, I about cheered when he called Jimmy out by telling him he knew it was him -- not for any other reason but that it showed Howard isn't STUPID. He might be a lot of things but he's a lawyer and so he IS a smart person, otherwise he'd suck at his job. It would be too easy to make Howard a joke, but the show treats him better than that.

I *guess* he was asking Jimmy onboard to kind of make up for his past mistakes? Although you wonder if there was something shady he thought he might need from Jimmy? Because he obviously isn't fooled as to who Jimmy is / what he can do. Anyway.

Yeah, that was the Holy Shit Walt moment. I also love that split face where it never QUITE fleshes out completely so it just looks wrong. It also reinforces how people's faces are not perfectly symmetrical -- when we reflect a half of our face it never quite looks right. Something is off.

Jimmy torn about the family of the murdered clerk, too. I think the old Jimmy would have stuck up for that family, to find them justice. Saul doesn't want to spend the effort. Of course, Howard interrupts him.

 

[Totenkindly]

Episode 8, "Bagman", is easily worth a rewatch. It's all pretty harrowing and also forces two lead characters into the same space for quite a bit of the run time (resulting in some interesting discussions), bring underlying motivations and issues to the foreground. There's a "death" of a familiar sight, of sorts

There's another "Walt" moment early on , where Jimmy makes a decision he doesn't have to (when he was already given a way out) that appeals to his negative underlying drives, much as Walt was offered the money by rich friends to pay for his treatments no questions asked but couldn't bear to accept out of pride and anger. It's a decision that sends the rest of the episode careening out of control.

Kim is only in one short scene but it choked me up out of fear for her. Any doubts as to how much Jimmy and Kim love each other? It's clarified from both sides in this episode -- and we are starting to see the beginning of the tail end of Kim's plot line, potentially.

The acting and direction here was great, because so much of it walks a knife edge. there are scenes in this episode that left me laughing out loud but without ever breaking the seriousness of what was going on. Jimmy is also now getting a taste of the kind of life he might have chosen, without any way to truly extricate himself at this point.