Board 8 > So this Breaking Bad show, it's pretty good.

(+) Yeah! (+)

"I never did catch your name" "Saul...'s all good, man, get it?" How...how did I not see that before? I'm going to chalk that up to extreme differences in culture between Saul presenting himself as an attorney and wouldn't go for such street talk and Saul the small time criminal who would.

Speaking of small time crime, opening conned me hard, if Past Saul crime is gonna be a recurring thing, I'm down.

The Kettlemans are such adorable criminals. Pretty much the perfect opening act for this kind of show. I'm sure things will develop into something deeper and darker as BCS worldbuilds more, but for now this is a fun family for Saul to play off of. Can Saul take a bribe? Is he really the kind of lawyer guilty people hire? One day, we shall know the answer to these questions and more.

Love how completely unflappable Nacho is when confronted by Saul's speeching at him about how many mistakes were made that night.

Ah, so he CAN take bribe money, sorry, 'retainer fees'. "Upon this rock, I will build my church" Feels like this is the moment that Saul irrevocably transforms.

Lawl, so THAT was what the suit and look were for? Not money excess, but a little jab at this Hamlin guy? I'm with Kim on this one. What is his angle?

"Hamlindigo blue" lol

Saul really does seem to be trying here. He's not an idiot, so why is his brain so badly broken here?

At first I was shocked the guy fell from the sign, hanging by a strap. Then as Saul sprang into action it clicked. He didn't want the sign to keep the sign, it was a long con to make sure a great many eyes were on it. As a bonus, if HMM were to further pursue the takedown of the sign, it would be bad optics that Saul could use as leverage. It's basically win-win for Saul either way, and all it took was a little personal risk on his part.

Chuck-o-vision as Chuck dares to venture outside wrapped in his space blanket was a humorous touch. Saul was perhaps a bit too obvious in his skirting of the truth in their conversation. Alas, Chuck now knows Saul's up to some old habits. Pretty calm way to end the episode, but slow and steady wins the race.


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Cops disturb Chuck over a news journal. Door opens, their tasers out. Perhaps soon we shall see how deep in his head his condition runs.

And then this Ricky character has to deflate any pretense of drama this episode had by claiming he wants to succeed from the US. Had a feeling it was gonna be fake money when he offered a million. If there's one lesson to be learned from these shows, people often think way too highly of themselves.

Next dude has a chair. Mentions fisher-price and playsckool. Before the chair reveal, I kept thinking 'please don't be a sex thing, please don't be a sex thing, please don't be a sex thing'. Then it just barely managed to straddle the line. After sex toilet guy, I get the feeling that all of Saul's important meetings are gonna be these cranks.

Next one is a sweet old lady, I was kinda thinking 'cannibal' would be another easy target, but 'old people' is fine too. Yet against all odds, this one is a win of sorts? Bit small on the fee, but money is money.

Now back to Chuck, who is in a hospital where we learn that he and Saul are brothers and that his condition is definitely more on the 'all in his head' side of things and that Saul through helping him is mostly just enabling him.

Saul thinks he gonna break into elderly law after a few lucky strikes. Mike, meanwhile, gets a lot of camera focus for...no apparent reason.

I guess I have to take that back, as after the diner sitting and eating following his job of sitting and waiting, we see him sit and wait in his car watching someone before returning home where he can finally relax and sit and wait for the cops to arrive and presumably take him downtown for him to sit and wait for Saul to represent him.

Mike takes life at a measured pace, and I think that's part of his charm. Guy's like a rock. It was great seeing more than a few seconds of him too.


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On board for this

First quarter of this episode all about Mike and a peek into his past...it's pretty much what I expected it to be like.

Back in the show's present, we're still on Mike who summons Saul by chanting 'lawyer' three times in front of some cops. Never figured Mike for a magician, but he is a man of many talents and few words.

This is kinda like the first episode, there is a LOT to absorb here regarding Mike's background, and frankly I'm only barely keeping afloat with my general knowledge of who and what Mike is from BB.

I like how when we go back to the past, presumably to Philly, the universal sign of 'we're not in Albuquerque' is that there is snow on the ground. Happened in New Hampshire too. Man, it is so weird seeing Mike operate in anything other than peak condition. Except given what he did (with the aim he had) and some of the actions before the goons were on him, he must have been expertly acting drunk to guide their actions. Mike never fails to amaze.

"I broke my boy" Welp. Now I can say it is weird seeing him operate in less than peak condition. Here Mike is having emotions and stuff. :'(

Very little Saul this episode, he was more like a guest star. This one was all about Mike and now a lot of my confusion earlier in the episode is gone, I'm left walking away thinking I know Mike that much better. On that front, quite the excellent episode!

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The episode Five-O won three Emmys.

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SovietOmega posted...

"Hamlindigo blue" lol

love howard
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I see ol' Saul's trying to woo Kim to his side with his fancy office space and fancy corner office. Guess elder law really does pay the big bucks, or at least it will until he runs out of bribe money.

Meanwhile, she's still working with HHM on that Kettleman case and they're stubbornly still insisting they're innocent, as if just saying it enough will make it true. They could probably be modern politicians with that kind of mentality.

They really are adorkable though, who could want them to get a guilty verdict? Certainly not Saul, who takes forever to realize that if they were to take a deal involving the money, it would have to all be present, some of which having had been slid his way.

It also amuses me that the Kettlemans happen to have a house that's seemingly more window than wall so that we can see them react when discovering some money outside.

All worth it to get to watch Mike doing Mike things. Bit of a jazzy little tune playing all the while, which was a little distracting.

Which gets the Kettlemans to ultimately go back to Kim, saving her reputation and putting Saul back at square one.

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Oh if only I could read lips to hear Hamlin's conversation with Saul. Context makes it fairly clear, but still.

In his Elder Law antics, Saul might just have stumbled upon a real case. Elderly abuse is quite a real thing. But he's gonna have to be smart about this. Or let's be real...get Mike involved somehow because the back of a notepad and toilet paper ain't gonna cut it.

Climbing into an old folks home dumpster on the slim chance he might find something incriminating. Then two goons dump trash bags that spill out on him unknowingly. This is kinda painful to watch XD

Bwahaha...and it was in the recyclables. Now he just needs to reconstitute some documents from a massive pile of shredded paper. Easy, right? Oh, and they also have to be supportive of his case.

Huh, didn't expect Chuck helping out, much less becoming a partner on this case. Saul's probably got this in the bag with Chuck's knowledge on his side.

Seems to go ok, though Chuck has me a smidge worried. Saul was doing an awful lot of the talking in the meeting with the opposition, and went big with the settlement price. Maybe his reasoning is valid, but he also thinks electromagnetism has it out for him...which he seems to be able to 'beat' by being super focused on a case.

Dunno how this is all gonna shake down, but I'm rootin' for our pal Saul.


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I really love that scene of Schweikart vs. Jimmy and Chuck. It's great stuff.

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One detail that's been sinking in over the course of this season is the opening. As opposed to BB's intro which, while iconic, never changed...BCS's has a different backing every time. Some elements like the title are the same, as is the little ditty that plays, but it makes me wanna watch it every time. Probably also helps that it's like...5 seconds long.

So...Chuck seems to be 'cured'? With 2 episodes to go before the end of the season, including this one, that's...probably not a good sign. This show is not called 'Better Call Chuck' after all.

On the Mike side of things, he's packin' a pimento sandwich. Events unfold beautifully. Mike is the best <3

That's adorable...HHM is collecting phones and shutting down computers for Chuck's arrival. Clapping when Chuck enters even.

Damn...Saul's pulling a Walter White here. Gets offered free money for canc...erm, finder's fee + 20% of the end result, and he gives a big 'Fuck You' since Hamlin doesnt wanna hire him.

Naturally, Mike planned ahead and knew he didn't need a gun due to the situation Nacho was operating under. Nice seeing Nacho again too, for that matter.

Oof...drama bombshells dropping at the end of this episode like someone just declared war. Turns out Chuck was the reason Saul didn't get in because he's 'not a real lawyer' which, is not a completely inaccurate assessment, but it also reeks of classism. Saul acts pretty much as I'd expect he would given the circumstances. No external lashing out, just bottling it inside as he walks away.

In fairness, we all knew Saul wouldn't be getting the cushy career job, but the devil is in the details, and Chuck is apparently that devil.


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the twist that it's chuck who held jimmy back is brilliant, the finest part of at least the first two seasons imo.
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And so it goes, Saul hands the case over. Has a pretty gloom-and-doom game of bingo with a lot of B numbers popping up. "I did not know that his children were in the backseat" and now we know what really lead to Saul being in Albuquerque, but man those are some patient people in that room. The old people are understandable, but that attendant would realistically have spoken up by now. We the audience needed to hear this tale though, for better or worse.

Solid chunk of time spent on this kennedy coin con. Everything goes just according to keikaku*. *Translator's note: keikaku means plan. Fun times all around, sure hope that dude's not associated with any cops.

Probably safe as he seems to go on a con montage, plus he's definitely secretly Kevin Costner so should be able to buy off any legal trouble.

Reality check also kicks in, and there's a lot of old people who suddenly and desperately need Saul back in Albuquerque. Minor note, thanks to this show and BB and writing up my experiences, I'm now proficient in spelling Albuquerque.

Marco's quite the little devil whispering in Saul's ear. Just live in the past Jimmy, it will all work out Jimmy, you don't need your fancy lawyer job Jimmy. The allure of his sweet siren song is strong, and Saul is unable to resist.

Bit worried about that cough Marco's developed, feel like this run might end a little differently because of it because drama. Little detail that escaped me the first time around is that the wolf call absolutely served as a signal to Marco that Saul was about to turn into that alley.

Yuuup, had a feeling. "This was the greatest week of my life" And just like that, he's gone. Poor Saul can't catch a break.

...and like a minute later with a phone call from Kim, he catches a break. A firm in Santa Fe wants him and he can then work on his case. Sounds a bit too good to be true, so I'm wondering how Saul's gonna squeeze out of this one.

He does it by realizing that law as a means to money is basically nothing like what his life has been, so why let it start now? THIS is the capstone moment then, when he fully embraces what is to be his new identity, which is really the same as his old identity but merged with the veneer of lawyerism. From an outsider standpoint it does seem kinda dumb when he very clearly had gotten what he wanted, even as far as to impress Hamlin with how he took care of Chuck every day, which clearly influenced Hamlin in pushing for this other firm to take in Saul. Through hard work and perseverance, Saul's efforts were just about to pay off, but then he turned around and left.

And this is where we end the season. A bit of a meandering journey to get to a known destination, but I enjoyed the vast majority of it. It lingered in a few weird places, but nothing I'd knock it too hard for. I'm excited to see where the later seasons go since they've been plenty hyped up as helping this show catch up and even exceed BB.


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that cut in the bingo game kills me where he's like "If there's another B we're gonna have a serious problem"
*chik-chk*
*whirr*
"...I mean what is it with this place"

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S2 opening scene, Cinnabon Saul's feeling mighty trapped and rather than take the easy way out, chooses to wait for opportunity to strike. SG was here, but is SG still here? I feel like SG would have taken the easy solution when offered, consequences be damned. I'd love to complain about that door able to close like that being counter to any sane reality, but the whole scene's pretty metaphorical so I gotta give it a pass, unless I'm over-analyzing this and it really is just a shitty mall setup.

Seems like he did, in fact, enter the building, but ultimately altering nothing as he'd already made up his mind and just needed to reassure himself that Kim and him were separate from the decision.

So glad they're showing this nerd meeting with Nacho after breaking up with Mike. It works because we know at some point Nacho's gonna be involved with Saul given his outcry to Walter White at that kidnapping. Mostly, it just works because literally every viewer wants to see what happens to people who don't listen to Mike.

...yeah, fun part is that it's gonna be delayed. Dude's probably gonna get his house robbed or something. I can practically see the threads that will connect him to Nacho, then Saul, and reconnect by proxy, Mike.

As Kim takes notice of Marco's ring, I'm wondering...was this in Breaking Bad and I just didn't pay it any mind? Or is this something that will come and go in its own time.

Oh hey, it's the dude that had a car blown up by Walt. Little easter egg, or mayhaps he'll actually end up with Saul connections as I once thought might happen.

I like how Saul's plan is to be open to the universe, the exact thing that Jesse learned not to be in El Camino.

Ahaha, that's the tequila Gus brought Don Eladio! Ah, I see, this guy's just a Slippin' Jimmy target to try out that tequila without paying. Also a chance to show Kim that side of him.

The license of that yellow-red flame'd monstrosity is 'PLAYUH', what a tryhard this guy is. Cops are understandably suspicious. Meanwhile, dude's oblivious and rattling off about his baseball cards. I was never big on the trading aspect of trading card games like Magic or Pokemon, but I can relate a tiny bit to this guy, except for the stealing drugs from where he works bit.

Aaand just like that Saul's double backed on not taking the job offer. Has his own fancy office area and a guy willing to accommodate him in any way, even saying that a cocobolo desk is no problem. I looked those things up, it is a rare wood and super expensive. Oh right, there's also a switch with explicit instructions to always leave it on. Perhaps a test of sorts, as it had no immediate impact. I'd imagine if it controlled anything especially important like a life support system or whatnot, that it would be encased in a metal or glass enclosure and be impossible to accidentally switch instead of just a little warning and people acting on good faith.

If this is what ousts Saul, I call foul. No human alive could possibly resist a switch that said not to use it.


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Just want to comment that this thread finally got me to pick up Breaking Bad. I had stopped watching it after Season 3 years ago because the pacing and style sort of lagged for me, but I'm glad that your excitement for the show got me back in the mood to give it another shot, because I'm enjoying Season 4 more than I ever did the earlier seasons.

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scarletspeed7 posted...

Just want to comment that this thread finally got me to pick up Breaking Bad. I had stopped watching it after Season 3 years ago because the pacing and style sort of lagged for me, but I'm glad that your excitement for the show got me back in the mood to give it another shot, because I'm enjoying Season 4 more than I ever did the earlier seasons.

Honestly, I was starting to get a little burnt out around that point too. But then everything the show set up from the beginning started to pay dividends and I couldn't stop. I still get some chills thinking of that box cutter scene XD

Glad I could be of some service!

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Okay, eff it, I gotta know what the damn switch does, don't disappoint me BCS!

Chuck plays the piano. You know who else practiced in the arts? Hitler, that's who. He couldn't seem to get it right either. Really, it's weird watching Chuck and Howard interact now that the show's done flipped the script on us.

Been waiting for Mike and this doofus to get together about the robbery. Since Mike's got ties to doofus, he decides it is in his best interests to help him locate his cards. Considering the timing of the robbery, he's almost certainly figured it all out.

Yup...tracks Nacho to his work and provides a carrot and stick. Classic Mike. All seems to flow relatively smoothly.

Ahahah, Count Dracula's coming into the office for a visit, his herald Kim making the rounds with the sacrificial electronics bucket. Curious that Saul just happens to be there too. Will Chuck see Saul in a new light, or will his presence intimidate and shut Saul down?

Doesn't seem to have much of an effect, at least not one Kim's confidence couldn't ease.

On the Mike side of the story....'Art'. Hah. "Squat Cobbler" Saul seems to have a fetish for rumps.

"There is, however, one tiny hanging chad" Very topical for the time period this is set in. "You're gonna have to make a video." Lawl.

And he does, as he tells the tale over a pie with Kim. Such disapproval from her.

And I looked the damn switch thing up from last episode, apparently, at least through the end of this season, there is no explanation. It was probably just the show being metaphorical and juxtaposing it with the emergency exit door in the beginning shot.


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squat cobbler so good

also i guess it seems clear how the writers intended jimmy to become saul at the end of S1 initially. def has changed since then though!
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I definithad a lull in BB S3 also first time watching. Second time though it was great. So many pivotal and subtle moments happen there that carry through the rest of the series.

Which reminds me, not only is BCS better than BB, watching BB a second time is better than BB the first time. Give it a few months or a year before you do it but man it's like a whole different show.

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Saul even going as far as Texas to meet with elderly on a bus. Makes me kind of homesick, even if the Texan elements consisted entirely of the song that was playing and the flag and state on the side of a building.

Chuck seems to wanna pick on Saul's excellent work, but Saul's got the charm to bat him away.

Mailer responses are down, but Saul's got an idea. Targeted advertising. Love his enthusiasm for this pitch, and knowing the kind of ads he'll run in the future, this might just be the groundwork for that. It's gotta be better than the snoozefest of a commercial the law firm previously used. "Teamwork makes the dream work"

Apparently newspapers can sound like gunshots heard a block or two away. It's cute but...I don't buy it. Does accomplish the goal of painting Mike's grandaughter's mother as overly jumpy at least.

Damn, that's a nice commercial he ran. Without a dolly, I love the fact that he improvised with the stair assist thing.

Show teases us a bit with the will it/won't it work drama, but the calls start rolling in.

Cliff seems pissed though, I get it but...surely when he sees the commercial it will all be made right? Or is he too old to change his ways and still things gramophones are the hippest things?

Our episode seems like it is ending with a mystery client who asked specifically for Mike. It's Nacho. Needs a guy to go away. Should be fun times.

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I started watching this the other day and I'm up to almost the end of season 3 (just finished episode 11)

Haven't read anything in this thread yet, just want to know if there's unmarked spoilers or not before I even look at other posts

this entire thread is nonstop, chronological spoilers

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Ok cool. Guess I'll come back in a few days when I'm finished then

Mike got all beat up for Nacho's work. I wasn't expecting knowing future events to be a boon, but it lets me know with confidence that he bounces back.

Big blowback at David and Main regarding the commercial. Strikes one and two. Saul seemed ok from our limited perspective on this one case, but the bigwigs at the firm do make a valid point that there are other cases and potential damage to their reputation. I still say it's a bit overblown, but it works well for Saul's character.

"It's him or me" - Nacho, talking about killing a character we see alive years later yet curiously not also Nacho. Hopefully he just ends up leaving peacefully/is exiled rather than eating bullets, I like this guy. He's like Jesse if Jesse were cool.

Ah gun salesman, nice to see you here. Quite a different scene when the potential buyer knows what the heck he's doing. So much so that Mike knows the whole ordeal's a bad move.

Back at Dracula's Castle, Saul stays the night, worried about Chuck and also wants confirmation regarding Kim. They have a bit of a heated chat. Due to this, Saul will be unavoidably late, which definitely isn't gonna play well at David and Main.

Watching Mike play dumb in front of Tuco is amazing. I could watch Mike hide his true power level only to reveal he was secretly badass all day. So THIS is where he gets the injuries from the episode opening. Not by killing, but by staging an assault. Says a lot about Mike's character too.


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mike definitely still has qualms about killing here.
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For some reason I absolutely love the Mike/Lawson scene

There's so much professionalism
And some great subtext

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Amusingly Chuck's place with electricity looks astonishing like his place without electricity. Actual lighting would probably show something we the audience should not see. Or maybe Chuck is just super into mood lighting.

Given the time it takes to get a law degree and that Saul is just starting at HHM, we can sorta place this some years prior to the beginning of BCS. So still some years to go before Chuck develops complicated relations with electricity. Probably a lot of subtext going on here like Chuck and his wife preferring wine glasses, while Saul opts for a beer bottle. And that bed meeting where Chuck pitched a joke, perhaps he has some resentment at how personable his brother is to just about everyone?

"You don't save me, I save me" Kim's definitely not a fan of Saul's style, and if she were in reality I'd agree with her viewpoint, but alas, she is talking to a Main Character who can bend reality to his will with just enough discount plot armor to survive.

Erin's being quite the thorn in Saul's side, cramping his style with annoying things like 'rules' and 'procedures'.

Cute reunion with this Bill guy, who was always a thorn in Saul's side too, but now Saul entered the big leagues after training in 10x earth's gravity and can now beat this guy with one finger.

Got a Kim montage here, pretty standard stuff her trying to dig herself out of a hole that Saul helped put her in, but man, even the bathrooms get a lovely window view!

Even still, not enough for Howard, leading Kim and Chuck to collide in an impromptu coffee chat at work with Chuck talking about him and Saul's dad. Quite the tale of actions having unforeseen consequences.

Damn...this Hector? Damn. This show XD

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OG Hector is too cool for school

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how you liking BCS?
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Love that the Hector guy did the lip thing that gave his identity away instantly to anyone who had seen Breaking Bad first. Not that it was strictly necessary as he gave his relation away right after so even viewers of just this show would understand he's the uncle stepping in to try and resolve the issue.

I'd say I'm definitely liking the show a lot. It helps a lot that two of the characters I liked most from Breaking Bad were Saul and Mike who both take on leading roles in Better Call Saul. So even when things get a bit slow, I'm enjoying the opportunity to view them through various lenses while they're at work/home/illegal work. I know what they become, and I'm eager to see the transitional moments that lead them to develop along those lines. Like, I know it is only a matter of time before something happens with Saul's gig at David and Main. That it happened at all has already surprised me. So even with future knowledge, no, especially with future knowledge, the show is able to subvert expectations, and that's no small feat.

This second season is moving a little slowly, and it lacks the freshness that the first season had, but then Breaking Bad was not immune to this either. I've confidence things will pick up though, partly from comments here on how the show ramps up, and partly because that just seems to be how Vince Gilligan rolls....get a world firmly established, then fuck things up majestically.

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Season 3 of Breaking Bad is the best on rewatches; it really embodies everything i love about the show. The whole series has endless replay value really

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What a dick move for David and Main to run an ad after chastising Saul for doing so. Adding insult to injury it is styled like their prior work. They clearly liked the idea of the ad and saw it worked, they just hated that it had production values apparently.

Mike metaphorically and physically rolls out the welcome mat.

Hey, Schweikart dude, never getting that name right, likes a Moscow Mule. Clear proof that he's not such a bad fellow despite being on the opposition.

You know, I bet some people look at Mike snooping around his own house as evidence of slow pacing, but I'd argue this speaks volumes about Mike modus operandi. Not that I'm unwise to Mike's deal, but it certainly fits the plot beats that have been tossed out. And as an added bonus, we get a scenic tour of Mike's house. Which, like Chucks house kinda looks like it is just a set piece because wowza there's some weirdly strong lighting going on for the viewer's benefit. I'm just saying, I don't normally see moonlight pouring in from nowhere when it's the dead of night and I'm slowly moving down a hallway.

Also, special shout out to Billy Mays who is still alive in this time period. Also, special shout out to Mike who takes the slap chop to heart as he slaps and chops these goons down like nothing. Could have probably offed them justifiably in self defense too, but that's unwanted attention and Mike's not quite there yet. This pressure keeps up, hard to say though.

Dudes just standing on that wall, waiting for Mike to notice them...pretty clear message, surely this will make him go John Wick on these people. You don't threaten someone's kid unless you are prepared to face consequences.

I see Kim's taken a shine to the Moscow Mule and lying about who they are.

Oh hello there Saul, good to see you. Almost forgot you were in this episode. Still dragging Erin around I see. And then Kim calls him looking for a con job. Naturally he'd take any excuse to cut away given how Orwellian Davis and Main have become. They couldn't be more anti-Saul if they tried.

I could chat about how Kim and Saul are buttering this guy up to a scam, but I'm more interested in Mike's meeting with Hector. The facial movements Hector is able to pull off here in the past is just blowing my mind, he's so expressive and it's like...the same guy. And this was shot in the future but this Hector looks younger. None of this makes any sense!

Episode ends with Saul finally 'fixing' that damn cupholder. It was funny the first time or two, but what sane person would keep trying it expecting it to one day magically work? You either buy a cup that fits, or install a different model. That said, the fact that it makes no sense signals to me that it is probably one of those metaphor things like how Saul is a 'bad fit' for the firm, but here we see him forcing himself to fit even if it means breaking the firm a bit to do it. Fuck, that has to be it. Vince does seem to love his visual metaphors.


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SovietOmega posted...

Dudes just standing on that wall

recognize em?

SovietOmega posted...

What a dick move for David and Main to run an ad after chastising Saul for doing so. Adding insult to injury it is styled like their prior work. They clearly liked the idea of the ad and saw it worked, they just hated that it had production values apparently.

i think you may be misunderstanding this. they were persuadable, but it's not that the ad had production value; it's that it made their firm look emotionally manipulative and cheap. they're obsessed with doing things very much by the book. they feel doing otherwise could compromise their reputation, and that is paramount for a firm like theirs.
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Well yeah, they really hammered in how cookie cutter the firm was in later episodes, though that wasn't quite so apparent to me then. The main fact that jumped out at me then was that Saul did it his way without consultation. He had even almost walked to the guy to get it signed off but backed down knowing there'd potentially be issue. Better to ask forgiveness then ask permission and all that.

So Saul tries to resign from Davis and Main until he realizes he'd have to pay back the bonus, then much backpedaling happens. So he can't quit, but...can he be fired then and be fine?

On the way to Albuquerque, Saul gets hypnotized by a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man. I'm not sure what it is supposed to represent exactly, but sometimes a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man is just a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man.

I see Saul is getting a bit vibrant with his suit choices, he seems to be thinking the same thing I'm thinking. Ah, ok. So the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man was to impress upon Saul the nontraditional color palettes. Gotcha.

Hot the montage is even allowed to happen at this firm for more than a day is beyond me. They'd take one look at Saul's antics and fully understand and build a case against him because they're all competent lawyer people.

But this is loony tunes land where Saul can bring in bagpipes to work Naturally, the second I say that, Cliff calls in Saul and says he wins and does the thing I just said would have more realistically have happened.

What blindsides me is that Saul then goes to Kim and pitches himself as an option as opposed to the place she was entertaining. Even goes so far as to admit he's gonna be colorful.

Poor Omar. Dude's aces at his job, real upstanding guy, then the dude comes in with bagpipes and now he's gotta witness that person's former law location in a hair salon and help move in a $7000 desk that doesn't even look as functional as the old freebie metal desk (which he also helps move and dispose of).

Meanwhile, Kim's gotta sort things out in her mind. Ultimately, the pitch thrown at Saul amounts to 'solo practitioners together' which is probably why Saul Goodman can later be his own thing without any mention of a Wexler.


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the getting fired montage is absolutely incredible
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Having the guy who plays Sitwell as the boss really made the getting fired montage really feel like I was watching something out of Arrested Development.
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i kept expecting his eyebrows to come off
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"You look surprised."

"Oh I'm sorry. Must have put it on too high."
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SeabassDebeste posted...

the getting fired montage is absolutely incredible

so good

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Fantastically shot opening showing the Mexico/New Mexico border station, a little slice of their work, and how pointless it all can be when you can stroll out from your truck and find a naturally occurring gun under a random rock.

Kim officially resigns and goes to scope out a dentist office with Saul...which somehow manages to look perfect for their needs. Kim even wins over the bank people.

Chuck is baffled by this, and determined to go to a meeting with the lights on to do lawyer things about it. Which he does scumtastically. Kim is absolutely the right choice, buuuuut does she have contacts with the fed and is she up to date on all the latest rules and regulations? A small error could be coooostly!

On the Saul side of the story, he's busy playing amateur filmmaker around 'Fifi' the last fortress bomber.

Even without Mesa Verde money, Saul still wants to do the lease on that fancy office space. Not as fancy as Davis and Main, mind, but still fancier than his eventual strip mall home. Which raises a considerable number of questions regarding him and Kim, but nothing the series won't likely get around to.

Saul gets busy going to a copier place and has fun with numbers. What his true aim here is probably beyond my non-lawyer comprehension. Seems like it will be faked documents to use for some legal point, but to what end who can say?

Mike has kind of confused my this episode, this all seems to be setup for something to come. Just what use is he gonna get out of a drilled hose with nails stuck in it? That can't end well for whoever is on the receiving end.


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SovietOmega posted...

Mike has kind of confused my this episode, this all seems to be setup for something to come. Just what use is he gonna get out of a drilled hose with nails stuck in it? That can't end well for whoever is on the receiving end.

hype
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SovietOmega posted...

Vince does seem to love his visual metaphors.

Did the popsicle stick scene come up yet? Love that shit

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foolm0r0n posted...

Did the popsicle stick scene come up yet? Love that shit

With the truck guy getting a gun? If so, yeah.

Shit...those were metaphorical? I DID think it was a bit odd he took so long to finish his popsicle. Then he goes and sticks them into the ground. They supposed to represent tombstones? Seemed to be the vibe I got.

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Oh. Well, they certainly didn't have me wait too long for Mike to do his thing. Out in the middle of nowhere pulling a cartoon antic to rob from the bad guys. Still a little fuzzy on motivation, other than needing to suddenly pay for a nicer house for his daughter-in-law, but it is sure nice to see Mike being a little more proactive. I wonder how long he can shake down Tuco's outside contracts before something nasty happens. Also, it never fails to amuse me how these places always have big enough windows for us audience folk to make out what's happening.

And Saul's plan blooms spectacularly. Love how Chuck in his arrogance, flat out tells the Mesa Verde they're wrong, even after being confronted with evidence to the contrary. He really takes issue to this minor error. I think even von Karma would tell him to chill out for a bit.

Oooh, Chuck's suspicions seem to run deep and he summons the relevant parties to his lair. Even changes the locks. This is starting to feel like it is gonna be a legal case without the courtroom. Who will win the fight for truth?

Lots of emotional bombshells going off. Chuck makes the right case, and Saul makes a reasonable defense, but Kim makes lots of emotional sense in that Chuck's demeanor towards Saul has helped Saul be how he is. Both have their share of the blame. Heck, she probably realizes Chuck is right on some level, but is still managing to side with Saul.

Such hoops just to get a shot of a flag behind him. It is as creative as it is bold.

Speaking of bold, Mike goes for another meeting with Nacho with Nacho pretty convinced Mike was the one who did Hector some financial harm. This whole 'not pulling the trigger' thing is forcing me to draw some parallels between Mike and Jesse. Perhaps they had more in common than I care to admit.

Nacho lays out Mike's motivation...to strike back at Hector as well as get cops on him. Nacho also informs him that a random innocent person got killed as part of the cleanup. Even when you try and play nice, innocents can suffer so why not take out the baddies to begin with. Heck, I'm thinking I heard him say something to that effect to Jesse in some conversation.

More importantly, Saul's got 'the best 60 seconds of television ever' made and is poised to show it off the next day. But first he's gotta cover his tracks more at the printing place because his brother is very intelligent, as vampires are known to be.

Oof...that was a very chunky sound as Chuck smacked into the counter. Bad idea going into a place that's 95% electricity. The kicker of it all is that Saul had to watch too to make sure it all went to his wishes, and if he rushes in to help his brother he's then basically admitting guilt. Where will his loyalties lie?


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Is there any way I don't follow up on this immediately?

Lawl, show's really trying to justify Chuck's attitude towards Saul with him and Saul's mother's last words before dying being "Jimmy". As Chuck lies to Saul about any words spoken, BCS unleashes its nefarious plot to blind me with that hospital lighting through the glass panes reflecting and magnifying until the room is brighter than the sun itself. Thankfully, the show quickly switches to the title jingle.

He chooses to side with family. The show continues to try and blind me. Also, gotta say, this whole medical sequence is some of the most painful I've had to watch on either show, and I've watched a guy get box cut and then dissolved. I feel for Chuck here, be his condition real or imagined, be he right or wrong in his worldly views. Even being adversarial to the main character, he still scores some pity here, even knowing that the doctors are ultimately just doing their jobs.

Surprisingly, Ernesto goes to bat for Saul. With the darkest of humors, Chuck is once again right about his brother, and every step he takes to prove his case he gets more injured but the world continues to conspire against him.

Damn fine commercial, but good heavens the circumstances we get to see it under....

As Mike decides to become a sniper it kind of hits me that he and Saul haven't crossed paths for some time now. He's just been off in his little world playing with the criminals while Saul has been busy playing jumprope with the line between good and evil.

In the end, Nacho is too much in front of Hector, but it is nice seeing those two cousins in action again. Somehow someone leaves a message for Mike not to do it though. The horn sound cut through the ambient nature sounds, which quickly resume once the stick is removed.

So Chuck quits over the one little mistake he didn't make. Turns his house into a space station. Forces Saul to feel conflicted hearing about all this. Who then does the worst thing imaginable and admits guilt. Chuck probably had a vintage recorder hidden behind the aluminum.

...knew it.

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Time for the yearly checkup with Future Saul. He helps the mall cops find a petty shoplifter. What a lame Saul this is doing the right thing and being an upstanding citizen and all around nice guy. Old habits die hard though, and he does manage to shout out some legal advice to the kid. Then he gets splattered in the face with icing as he faints.

Chuck shows Howard the tape. Just as I was thinking about it might play out in court as a secret recording, Howard voices some legitimate concerns regarding the tape both in and out of court. Chuck can think of one use though, and it probably will make Saul's life miserable.

Mike breaking his car to pieces to look for a bug was a joy to watch, all for nothing until he just happens to spy a thing in the shop that ends up being just the ticket. Who did this and why?

Quite the improbable way for Ernesto to find out about Saul on that tape. He's gotta 1. get involved with the batteries which 2. need to be drained and in need of changing and 3. have the thing automatically start once the batteries are in/flub the change up enough to press play and finally 4. have the tape at a meaningful spot for Ernesto to hear.

Such an overblown reaction by Chuck, if Ernesto wasn't suspicious, he's certainly going to be now.

Seems like Mike just successfully pulled off a reverse bug planting. As the perp picked up the planted piece, Mike peep'd the perp and pursued.

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I didn't much like the methodical Mike stuff in this episode the first time through, but it got so much better on rewatches for some reason.

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Season 3 hype! I think this is when the show really starts getting into high gear

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XIII_rocks posted...

I didn't much like the methodical Mike stuff in this episode the first time through, but it got so much better on rewatches for some reason.

agreed
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first time through i was too stupid to put together what mike was doing but on rewatches its a great little montage

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