The Germans must be very well paid to put up with those conditions. What would happen if one were to be seriously injured and needed prompt medical care? I have a feeling that he wouldn't get it. I think that Kai might not make it back to Germany.
3
I'm wondering if Kim decided to go to the nearest store, happening to be a business supply store, to provide an alibi for when Jimmy springs his bodyguard; then she gets a brainstorm about how to really spring him...
1
Better Call Saul is the crowning achievement of American dramatic series television. The amount and variety of talent involved in every aspect of this show, both on- and off-screen, beautifully demonstrates the potential of the medium. With only three episodes remaining in what is likely the show's penultimate season, I'm so glad that Season 5 has already been green-lit so we won't have to wait more than a year to see it!
6
To me all those colorful markers and stuff Kim was buying looked like school supplies. Made me think that children would be involved in Kim's scheme. I imagined the court being deluged with notes from children saying what a nice man (school guard, crossing guard, teaching assistant) Huell is/was.
2
Here's my guess regarding what all the posters/markers etc. that Kim bought are for: When she was trying to convince the prosecuting attorney to lower charges, she brought up several cases where defendants had engaged in even more serious assaults on cops but received little or no jail time. She suggested that to continue to press for felony charges for Huell was discriminatory. My guess is that she's going to enlist a group of largely African-American protesters to make posters and march around the courthouse ("Free Huell") in an effort to create a public relations nightmare for the D.A.'s office... leading them to lighten up on Huell. This is a plan that can work... and it's both legal and ethical, thus (hopefully) heading off whatever shady scheme Jimmy was cooking up.
p.s. Absolutely loved, loved, loved the opening montage. So much was said without a word of dialogue.
7
I don't recall ever watching a show or movie that made me wonder so much about each character's backstory, motivations, and life choices. That's the brilliance of this show. It's not about the plot. It's not about being action-packed or slow burning. We knew from the beginning what the plot's trajectory would be. This series is about seeing what led each person from Point A to Point Z. It's about each person's internal life and how it impacts everyone around them, how it shapes their respective futures. And it's done so well that it's hard to think of them as mere characters in a fictitious story. They can seem as real as the people we sit next to on the train every day, or stand behind at the checkout line at the supermarket, or ride the elevator with every day, people that I often find myself wondering about, too. How many strangers on this plane are living lives that would terrify me? Which of these people in my office building will go to their graves never knowing how they changed someone else's life for the better?
It's a testament to the strength and nearly magical powers of the writers and actors who have created this world for us, as real and as fascinating (sometimes more so) as the flesh-and-blood world we inhabit on the most ordinary of days, if we're curious enough to wonder.
Bring on the slow burn.
18
The opening was stupendous- 'Something stupid' made you sad to watch as their relationship obviously falling apart- and one person maybe being in love while the other is looking for a way out. The montage also shows us ..finally.. Saul Goodman in print for Jimmy with his phone card business cards. As to Kim's shopping spree, the was a a mystery- at first I thought she was going shopping for anything, then planning to walk out, get herself arrested, possibly on the same cop's (who arrested Huel) beat, for shoplifting as a way to demonstrate unequal police treatment- when she'd talk her way out of it, buy at end it seemed she was paying so that idea went out the window. Great episode.
6
Somethin' Stupid is a love song, hence "I love you" repeated over and over. It's a duet, but let's take the woman as the one who is much admired.
She hears the same old lines from other men, and he knows he stands in line with the others who admire her, but for him, it's not just a line, it's true.
So he's trying to play it cool with this woman, but he can't help himself, and he goes and spoils it all by saying somethin' stupid like "I love you."
And maybe that wasn't so stupid, maybe he won her over with his sincerity. It's a duet, after all, both a man and a woman are singing the same lyrics.
It's a love song.
If you listen to the actors and the showrunners, they have repeatedly said there's a deep love between Kim and Jimmy, that only deepens this season.
It's not that they don't love each other, it's that they are keeping things from each other, and again, listen to the actors, they say they are doing it out of love.
But it's causing problems, and that's what I believe they are going for here.
7
Something strange happened in this episode - maybe it it an accidental side effect or maybe it is planned and needed for what is going to happen, But I stopped caring for both Jimmy and Kim. Not a big fan of montages to begin with, the long split screen separation and hardening of the souls of these two was depressing and left me cold for either.
2
@CitizenTM If you measure the worth to you of a work of fiction by how much you "like" the characters, you will miss all the best works----Roskolnikov (Crime and Punishment), Othello, King Lear I could go on and on----
I love the complexity and the superb acting. The scene where Gus looks at the video of Salamanca--and Gus sees that flicker in Salamanca's eyes when he flicks the glass--he then responds with a subtle movement of his face that tells you all you need to know about his depravity.
Watch the faces---Jimmy is the master of the flicker of emotion on his face that communicates paragraphs.
BCS and BB are at their core morality plays. The writers are masters at revealing slowly slowly the corruption of many of the characters. Now path is straight down, but bobs and weaves just as in real life. But you can see the evolution
10
Was it mentioned how Jimmy decided on the name "Saul Goodman"? Maybe I missed that. I thought I remembered reading somewhere (? here) that the alias was Jimmy's twisted adaptation of "It's All Good, Man", or perhaps I'm just imagining that.
4
@sergio Nope, that's exactly where he got it. There was a flashback in an episode from Season 1, I think, in which Jimmy told one of his fellow con artists in Chicago a joke with the name, then explains it: "You know: "'s all good, man." That's the best I can recall it.
7
Saul Goodman was Jimmy’s pseudonym back in Chicago when he was ripping people off with his buddy Marco.
1
It seems to me that like many things in life, the ability to enjoy this show is a matter of managing expectations. Commenters who continue to hope or expect a fast-paced (or even moderately paced) plot may find happiness by accepting "what is". What is is that this show is focused not upon the plot (we mostly know what happens), but rather exquisite character study. If one watches and
concentrates upon the truly complex development of these individuals you can relax and enjoy the wonderfulness of this program.
Frankly, if one thinks back to "the greatest show ever", "The Sopranos" you will recall there were whole chunks of time when practically nothing happened, but the characters were magnificent.
However, let's get back to my favorite, next week....Nacho!
15
This is just THE best slow burn storytelling ever. Everyone also needs to realize we are waiting week-to-week to see each episode. Very different from binging the entire season. Just let it unfold before your eyes and enjoy.
28
Nacho must still be at his dad's house, recovering from his real/faux gunshot wounds.
Sort of fear that by agreeing to help with Huell's no jail time scenario, Kim might do something that ends up harming her career/reputation. That might send her off of the deep end.
3
One more nitpick here. It is highly unlikely that a top medical specialist would be doing post-stroke therapy (or even progress tests) for her patient. That would be done by a therapist or, perhaps, a medical assistant. Of course, it’s really unlikely that she would put aside her high-profile practice (surely she has other patients she would have had to drop) to help one old man, even for the price of a new addition to her clinic. But I can almost swallow that one. The part about her testing Hector herself is a step too far for credibility.
One thing BCS fails on is giving the viewer enough reason to care about the characters. I feel no empathy for nasty Hector, and I no longer care what happens to slimeball Jimmy. I do care about Kim, but I keep seeing her making too many stupid choices. I’m still interested enough in the story to keep watching, so far. But I am starting to feel as disengaged as Kim feels toward Jimmy.
Nacho turns up next episode, according to the preview.
3
@Passion for Peaches I still care very much about Jimmy. Why? Because of his (& Bob Odenkirk's) charm, sense of humor, & impish circumventing social convention or the law. It's been a long time since I saw BB, but he was a comic character there; it's hard not to like comic characters. Jimmy is not a killer, or a drug dealer, or a politician--he's a guy working the system to make a buck in a way that amuses him.
And this series has shown us a more fleshed-out character. Jimmy loved his older brother & tried to earn his respect and affection, but Chuck would never give him that. Kim has seen that & must feel sorry for him, & is also impressed with his Charlie Hustle way of becoming a hustling lawyer. (Admittedly, this year we saw in flashback that maybe it was due more to trying to keep up with Kim who is truly smart and hardworking in the law & will leave the mailroom & him behind.)
Finally, Jimmy did do the right thing on many occasions, even if his motives were sometimes mixed (elder law). He will help small-time criminals in his law practice that's a front for his shadier & more lucrative dealings in BB. In other words, he will take over Kim's apparently heartfelt mission that appeared this season, maybe as a result of her car accident & waking up to the soullessness of being the lawyer for Mesa Verde.
So, yes, I still care about Jimmy, looking forward to him becoming full-on Saul, &...I feel sorry for him in his black-&-white future as the manager of a mall Cinnabon.
10
The top medical specialist is getting a new facility in lieu of personally taking care of a stroke victim.
1
The opening sequence was the story of a dying relationship, exquisitely edited down to a handful of (wordless) minutes. The pacing, the music choice, the fade out to black of Kim’s side of the bed — all perfection!
I loved the symbolism of Kim having her cast cut off.
Contrary to the recap, the song “Something” Stupid” is not about someone with trust issues, but someone who loves a person who he or she knows does not feel the same way. The singer is hanging on to a relationship that is over.
Fact quibble: Kim’s cast is plaster, but fiberglass casts have been around since the 1990s. I broke some bones about half a dozen years ago, and my casts were fiberglass. They were “old hat” at that time. Maybe they were still low to come to the hinterlands (Albuquerque)?
Loved the use of “Big Rock Candy Mountain.”
What the “boys” need is not a “team of strippers,” but a ten of prostitutes, or that is what is being implied. Do not equate the two, David Segal!
The Mesa Verde momentos Kim lines up on her shelf are glass, not plastic. Such things are never made of “plastic” (which would be poured resin or acrylic, in any case, if they were not glass).
8
Apologies for the typos. Should read “slow to come” and “a team of.” I’m a poor typist, I’m afraid.
@Passion for Peaches, it can be fun to quibble about facts. Here's mine: The Mesa Verde mementos appear to be laser-cut acrylic sheet, judging by their edges. Acrylic is commonly accepted as a plastic - the generic term for what is, in technical terms, a polymer.
1
I've only watched the first 5 minutes and 27 seconds, and had to pause to drop a comment here.
Hands down the BEST opening sequence of any television show ever. EVER.
Even better than the incredible tracking shot at the border a couple seasons ago. And up until then, I considered that to be the best opening sequence.
Wow.
26
Do you remember which episode that was?
@CitizenTM Season 2, Episode 8 "Fifi"
To me, the most intriguing plot line of this year is the divergence of Kim and Jimmy on a moral plane. As Jimmy morphs into Saul, Kim's discomfort is evident yet she still clings to Jimmy despite evidence of Saul. She is generous to a fault, overlooking Jimmy's dreadful behavior with her work colleagues. Jimmy's pacing in her office and obsession with "size" as a career marker shows a depth of envy that will sabotage their relationship. Her decision to help Jimmy with Ewell, and knowing he has an unethical solution, shows the hold that Jimmy still has on her. Romantic love doesn't just cloud the brain, it obliterates it. Let's hope that Kim's solution with all those magic markers doesn't drag her into Jimmy's ethical swamp. Time to dump Saul.
3
@nancy hicks
What Kim likes about Jimmy is always what she dislikes about Jimmy. I think part of Kim found Jimmy's antics (Telluride...Aspen) at the party to be amusing, but she knew it was in bad taste and bad of r her own reputation. Before that bit, Jimmy was proving to be a social asset ('he takes two because he skipped lunch."). Jimmy is smoother socially than most people (Kim knows), but he's also a train with no brakes. Jimmy has contempt for everyone he charms (expect Kim). As soon s people are the party accept him and seem to like him, he starts to act destructively. I think Jimmy is a guy who assumes people hate him (Chuck) and then starts to dislike people when he realizes they don't dislike him but are just like him. He dosn't want to belong to a club that would have him as a member. Jimmy's world seems populated with enemies, stooges, and killers.
15
I think he is measuring the office cause he still wants to find them an office for Wexler & McGill and give her a corner office.
6
Thus Sprach Mike.
4
@IMPROV Well Played!
3
Kim's approach was to find precedent of discrimination (by the judge). Jimmy's impulse was to go extra-legal by getting the officer drunk before the trial.
3
That was the best part of the episode: Jimmy’s plan to frame the police officer. I laughed so hard! Yet one more sign Jimmy is still « Slippin’ Jimmy » and is about to turn into Saul.
4
The superb pairing of music and montage to mark the passage of many months in mere minutes continues from "Breaking Bad," the ultimate example being the perfect "Crystal Blue Persuasion" lab-to-empire transition, when Walt magically amasses his $80 million in a ballet without one word spoken. We know where "BCS" is headed, but resolving Kim, Nacho, and so many others, and introducing more BB favorites, is worth the wait. AMC may be milking "The Walking Dead" and "Fear" for every last jump-the-shark zombie minute of advertising time, but the road from Jimmy to Saul is still interesting and unpredictable.
16
Well, we now know that we are in January, 2004 - 4 years before Breaking Bad assuming that was intended to be contemporaneous with its airing. And we have officially seen Saul Goodman, business card and all. With Saul appearing formally, Jimmy is leaving, and the gap between Kim and him seems to have now become too great to repair. All their interactions push them farther away, and the DA's attack on Jimmy may have brought Kim to the realization that it's over between them, but not before she gets Ewell off (I can't fathom what she's up to). For the record, the case against Ewell is not the strongest - a plainclothes cop in an unmarked car confronting Jimmy in what appeared to be menacing fashion, and Ewell hitting him with sandwiches. Jimmy having been previously attacked and robbed, and having Ewell there for security. And their credibility issues not so bad - Ewell's prior for pickpocketing and not anything violent, and Jimmy with no history of violence either. In many urban jurisdictions the testimony of a sole, white cop is not going to hold sway. And let's not forget that Jimmy is a salesman, so will probably be a great, likeable witness. If the DA doesn't give a better deal that's a case that can be won by the defense at trial.
10
@Rich
Why did Jimmy put Huell in that situation? Why hire an ex-con to be a body guard? I feel like Jimmy can brilliantly plan cons and schemes, but he can't see the fallout of his actions. If Jimmy started a food truck and hired Huell to wash dishes, that would be fine, but he'd putting Huell in potentially illegal situations. Huell is probably on parole. Jimmy uses people.
1
Kim: well.. that was something.
Jimmy: Jah..
It is over! ... Or is it?
No I think Kim will give it one last try... and sadly it will lead to doom for her.
And Jimmy.. well Jimmy will not be Jimmy after that! Going to become Saul full time and stay there until the vacuum cleaner guy call!
3
Besides the writing and acting in BCS, I always thought the choice of music in each epiosde is spot on and fabulous. "Something Stupid" could not have been a more perfect nor fitting selection.
Whoever decides on which tunes to weave throughout the storyline - my compliments. Each episode gives the viewers something else to ponder over and enjoy at the same time.
20
@Marge Keller
Great to hear your take on the music, how about the split
screen? Showing each of them getting farther apart
11
@Marge Keller
It's Dave Porter, I believe. I knew him in college. He dressed like he was in The Cure. Super nice guy.
4
@The Chief from Cali
I loved the split screen but never saw it as symbolic of Kim and Jimmy drifting further apart. Your observation was as spot on and excellent as it was subtle! Great catch!!
My first thought was that the opening montage was too long, but now I understand that it was intended to show time elapsing between episodes.
It is typical of the Breaking Bad alumni to make a whole show revolve around the title. Every major character manages to do "something stupid". Except Gus, and Mike.
I was surprised that there was no mention made of Nacho. I wonder how they are going to have that make sense, leaving him essentially on the edge of a cliff, having a time jump, and completely ignoring him.
2
@Charles E
I think he's just recovering from his gun shot wounds at his dad's.
5
Unfortunately (and surprisingly) it's reached the point where I don't look forward to the next episode.
7
@R. Vasquez
milking a slow plot line is one thing but tugging on a dry teat is another ! what happened to story development ?
3
@crogre
The same thing that happens to all these AMC serials...greed to keep the money flowing as long as possible despite a story being more dead than alive. Even Breaking Bad went on about a season too long...and, it looks like they want to meet that run with Saul. It's not all bad, but too far from being mostly good.
I just hope Kim doesn't end up dead.
I don't know what you folks are talking about. Saul is a work of art. Best show on TV.
8
Opening montage of the deterioration of Jimmy & Kim just made me feel sad, not surprised, very sad.
Kim hates when things are unfair & she is a dynamite lawyer. My guess is that she is going to enlist a team of lawyers (giving them highlighters & markers) to scrutinize cases that recommended harsh sentences based on race by that prosecutor. Then bring it to judge's attention and charges are dismissed against Huell. I can't wait to find out what she does.
Wow, Gus is the reason that Hector never progressed in stroke recovery. He arranged care long enough to be sure that Hector would be mentally aware of his suffering. Beyond evil. No one can play it better than Giancarlo Esposito.
37
@Neelie
I think Gus wanted to show effort so he could seem blameless. I assume Gus didn't think Hector would improve.
@Neelie, law firms have all those office supplies on hand, Neelie. So if she is planning to “enlist a team of lawyers,” they aren’t her associates or law clerks.
@richguy Neelie is right, Gus wants Hector well enough that he is aware he is trapped in his body. He wants him to suffer every minute.
2
So little happens in this show that anyone caught watching it while behind the wheel could never be convicted of distracted driving.
5
@Leigh Au contraire. Lots of seeds were planted. The name "Saul Goodman" finally appears. Hector's finger taps will eventually cause Gus' death. The sad opening montage shows the distance growing between Kim and Jimmy, including a black line down the center of the screen, even when they're in the same bed. Somehow Huell must go free because he continues to be Saul's security guy. I'm curious to see how Kim walks that fine line to free him while maintaining her own high integrity, and not impact her Mesa Verde job. Trouble is brewing with the German crew that will have farther reaching implications for Mike and Gus. (My own vote goes to Mike dropping Kai in the floor when the concrete is poured.) And we only have 3 episodes left to tie all these threads together.
23
@Leigh
This season has actually had the most development towards the eventual Breaking Bad status quo than all previous seasons.
10
@Leigh
This is the first time Jimmy uses Saul. A play on words here, Jimmy cops Saul to the cop.
Best "footnote" of the episode: Jimmy adding a "foot" to his office and then subtracting one from Kim's as he walks it off during the party. Fancy foot work writers!
19
@Louise Phillips Ah! Great catch there. Love the subtleties of this show.
4
And speaking of feet: let's not forget where Kim's foot went in the opening montage!