I think Chuck wrote the nice letter when Jimmy was a mail clerk, and a nasty one after Jimmy became a lawyer and starting messing with him. Howard, as executor with access to both letters, gave Kim the first one because he didn't want to upset Jimmy or tarnish Chuck's memory. Chuck probably asked Howard to destroy the first letter. But after reading them, Howard decided to keep both. I doubt Kim would fake a letter because she's always upfront with Jimmy.
3
My thoughts on the letter, and I feel somewhat qualified because my mother was a Chuck, Jimmy started improvising the letter from when their “mother had never been so happy” as when Jimmy was born. Chuck had hated Jimmy since his birth. Chuck would never, ever have been able to write such a letter to Jimmy. Impossible. Kim started to cry because she was so relieved it wasn’t mean. And Jimmy’s dark face at the end of that episode was because he was disappointed in Kim that she believed it.
3
So much was happening in this episode that it was like a jigsaw puzzle at times and I was trying to put all the elements together to get the whole picture. One of the elements that keeps coming back to me, is not the letter or the Hummel adventure or Kim’s possible suspicion about the Mesa Verde project. It was the short but I feel meaningful early scene when Chuck’s ex-wife made a quick exit, having apparently inherited the bulk of Chuck’s estate. Originally I felt she was portrayed as a sympathetic, caring character but when she left, knowing how little was being left to Jimmy I was surprised that she made no offer to share some of the estate with Jimmy, which often does happen within families that have experienced rifts among the relatives. This seemed completely out of character and an oversight on the part of the script writers. Small issue, but it stayed with me.
2
@Elena Marcusi "I was surprised that she made no offer to share some of the estate with Jimmy, which often does happen within families that have experienced rifts among the relatives."
Have you seen such healing attempts? I have definitely seen multiple instances of estates playing out exactly the way as illustrated in this TV show
2
@Elena Marcusi
I had the same thoughts concerning Rebecca. From what we saw last season, she really liked Jimmy. But maybe she felt differently because of the court case?
1
I did not think Kim re-wrote the letter. I think it was an old letter never updated.
I thought the Hummel caper was hilarious. The guy bought a vacuum as a gift for his wife & she apparently was not happy about it! Remember that guys....lol
I felt that Kim thought the bank wanting to add to so many states was overwhelming in her thinking of all the work she would have to be involved in. She had already been looking at her work life after her accident. She also may be suspicious as well as others have mentioned. (going to courthouse)
I was surprised Mike didn't want to help Jimmy but then it was not much money now that he's making the big bucks with his new gig.
I felt so sorry for Nacho. I just love him. He's a sweet guy and he was tormented! It will be interesting to see what happens in his future especially since no one really knows what happened to Nacho since he wasn't in BB.
8
oops-- Costabile
2
I think the whole "vacuum cleaner" harangue in the print shop is a reference to Saul/Jimmy's escape at the end of Breaking Bad.
1
Regarding Mesa Verde, Kim's expression changes when he mentions expanding to North Platte Nebraska. In an earlier season when the other law firm was wooing her at lunch she mentions that prior to moving to New Mexico and going to law School she had been a checker at a Hinky Dinky store in a town along the Nebraska/Kansas border. I think Kim has a dark past in Nebraska she would rather not be reminded of.
I do think the expansion to North Platte is an omen of something not on the up and up. If you expand to Nebraska you go to Omaha or Lincoln. What North Platte does have is a big Union Pacific rail yard. Its the only reason the town is there. It was built by the railroad. If you are going to be moving drugs around a rail yard wouldn't be a bad base.
8
@DaverinSTL
Interesting post. Thanks.
I'm worried about Kim. Her reaction to Mesa Verde's intense expansion plans seemed to me to be a barely controlled anxiety attack that felt like a continuation of the one that she suffered before her car accident at the end of the last season when she left HHM to start her own firm with Jimmy and she was helping Mesa Verde open one branch, now she's looking at at many more and at the same time. It could also be that she sees something sinister but I think she may have a depression and anxiety condition. I think Kim is a good person, I worry about what will become of her.
4
David Constible (50+ actor) did a BRILLIANT job of portraying a young man through his voice and movements.
7
They made a point to have her stare at the letter. So i don't think Jimmy made it up on the fly. they made a pt to also say it was undated. i think the letter was old and agree with a few below that it was an "in case of death" that wasn't updated once chuck became tired of jimmy's antics. I think Kim was crying because she saw her bright future with the new expansion (she starting dreaming big) .. she was realizing Jimmy wasn't going to be part of her bright future. She assumed the worst of chuck because Jimmy is a disappointment to her as well.
6
Now see..here's the thing...to MY way of thinking Kim read the actual letter...a letter that was written back when Jimmy was still in the mail room and posed no threat to Chuck..when old Chuckie could afford to be "generous" and say stuff like "I'm so glad you've taken the opportunity in the mail room and run with it...." If you really pay attention to what's in the letter, you can see it was one of those "in case of death" letters that was written in the past and never updated. I think the tears are both tears of relief..that Chuck didn't verbally stick it to Jimmy one more time...AND tears of sadness at how a once brilliant mind had so rapidly unraveled...and her small part in it.
5
I don't have any answers. I read these recaps (and comments) to get smarter.
14
I got the impression that Kim saw the Mesa expansion as her ticket to a big-time position and a huge financial payout, hence her immediate delegation to the paralegal to start handling the small stuff.
3
She looked very wary and skeptical to me.
8
Hi. A midweek check in by Your Faithful Recapper. I'm fascinated by reader comments about the "Chuck letter" and the question of whether it was a forgery, produced by Kim, as an act of mercy.
I do love the theory that Jimmy improvised the words in that letter, on the fly. Totally possible.
Keep in mind, though, that Kim was livid when Howard handed her that letter to give to Jimmy, in episode 2. She was certain -- at least then -- that it was a toxic put down. Was she wrong? I doubt it. But would she simply hand it over, unread, to Jimmy, given her suspicions? I double doubt it.
Could Jimmy have read the first line, caught the drift and then pretended to be reading the rest? I'm skeptical. His reading is awfully fluid.
Also, were Jimmy winging the letter, or if this were Chuck's actual words, why oh why is Kim crying at the end? I can't make sense of her very fraught response -- unless I imagine that she did a write through of that letter before handing it over. She got a look at the original and I'm guessing that part of her is recoiling at it.
Regardless, kudos to the writers for giving us all something to chew on. It is debates like this that separate this show from nearly every other on TV.
Oh, and the reader who wrote that I should refrain from calling the twins "sociopaths" -- you are quite right! Sociopaths have no or little empathy. These lads could have left Nacho to die. They don't. Not sure what the right word is these guys. But it aint sociopath!
4
@Dave the Recapper Hi Dave - I was reading your recap and thinking no wait, no way she forged the letter. And I see you addressed it. We thought that maybe Jimmy just made it up, but I think even he is too good to do that on the fly. I think it was written by Chuck, it was just part of his papers, just never revised to update Chuck's "feelings"
I think Kim's reaction was almost a stress release because she THOUGHT the letter was going to be awful.
Re Kim and Mesa Verde - I think it's shock that she's involved in something that could lead to huge career growth - predict she will be corp counsel of Mesa Verde and relocated to one of those branches. (facilitating Kim's exit from the show)
Love the recaps, read them every week!
6
@Dave the Recapper
Not only was Jimmy's reading too fluid for him to be making it up on the fly, but Kim was sitting right there next to him at the counter while he was reading the letter. She could see it.
(And yeah, those guys are sociopaths.)
9
@Dave the Recapper
This "theory" should NOT be stated as fact in a recap. It is a supposition.
7
Allow me to be "meta" for a moment. I think the show is showing the convergence of two worlds. The hyper-violent world of the drug dealers and the small time grifting of Jimmy. Down deep, Jimmy is as his brother described him. A small time con man with no sense of ethics. He sort of reminds me of Steve Buscemi's character in "Boardwalk Empire". All he ever wanted to be was a corrupt city official, but fate changed his path.
From the scenes of the drug cartel, we know that Jimmy is fated for a world far more dangerous than his corrupt little imagination can as yet envision. He is like a frog slowly brought to boil
8
@Dennis Gibbons
" All he ever wanted to be was a corrupt city official "
Me too, but we can't always get what we want.
2
I'm so grateful to read these reviews because, honestly, I can't keep all the story lines straight. Especially when a whole year goes by between seasons, let alone the many years since Breaking Bad. I don't know how you do it.
10
@Lisa Simeone
Ms. Simeone - it's the Internet. One can Goggle "Better Call Saul" and/or "Breaking Bad" and get episode summaries that are extremely thorough and detailed. I consider Google my Cliff Notes backup plan to most things I need confirmation or a refresher in. But reading the many detailed comments are as entertaining as they are useful and a great source of information.
7
@Lisa Simeone I have to keep the Wikipedia entries for Breaking Bad open just to keep track :-)
2
@Marge Keller
Good point. But I don't dare go down that rabbit hole or I'll never get anything done!
1
Does anyone know what happened to the settlement (millions) that Chuck was paid by his firm? Did Chuck's ex-wife get it? Did I miss something?
8
@Ron I think that's where the "generous scholarship" stuff comes in.
2
I think that Kim is aware that Mesa Verde's reported financial position would not allow it to expand so rapidly and that she will uncover that Mesa Verde is laundering money for Gus Fring.
24
@Rod That's an astute speculation.
2
I'd love to see Badger & Skinny Pete show up. Maybe they could start out as altar boys who just broke bad.
I wonder what might have contributed to their fall from grace. I think Vince Gilligan might come up with an idea.
14
I just have to mention that I love that there was a Tom Lehrer song featured in this episode. Full disclosure, Tom Lehrer is a treasured family friend for about 60 years or so. The guy is a certified genius and a great and modest human being and man as well. He is 90 years old and, as far as I know, still living in my hometown of Cambridge, Mass. God bless who ever was thoughtful, intelligent, and creative enough to put a song of his into this episode. When he found out that you did, I bet it gave him a smile and a laugh. Thank you whoever you are for doing so.
27
@Ken Hughes
Vince Gilligan and company just spoke very warmly on the Better Call Saul podcast (Episode 403) about Tom Lehrer; they also called him a genius. Gilligan mentioned he loved the Elements Song as a youngster and had it memorized. He said he originally wanted to use it way back in the second episode of Breaking Bad. (He envisioned Walt singing it as he cleaned up Emilio's remains.)
17
Ken, how lucky you are to have Tom Lehrer as a family friend! I've loved and admired his work since I was a kid. He taught for years in the math department of my college in California; sadly for me, it was after I'd graduated that he also began teaching a class on musical comedy.
Needless to say, I was also delighted that the reintroduction of Gale had him merrily singing the elements song along with Lehrer.
14
@Linda and @Robert McEvily
It's wonderful to hear that other people continue to enjoy Tom's work after so many years. (His last album came out in 1965.) That he taught math and musicals at UCSC is a testament to the wide-ranging nature of his talent.
1
As much as I loved BB, there was one thing that nagged me through the whole five seasons: There was not one sympathetic female character in the whole series, except for maybe Holly, and all that sweet baby ever said was, "Mama."
So now we have Kim, who, in every scene this season, has made me want to stand up and cheer. She's a real and complete character, and I'm loving the gradual discovery of the many layers of her humanity -- flaws, blind spots, and all. It will break my heart to see her go, however that happens, but maybe that's a good thing. Kim is too good for the world of BB. I'm glad there's no place for her there.
48
I think Jimmy replaced the real letter with one he read to Kim.
11
I thought Kim's reaction to all those Mesa Verde models was more about the realization of how much work lay ahead of her, and how she nearly killed herself taking on more than she could handle. Even with a paralegal, Kevin Wachtell's vision for Mesa Verde's future is an order of magnitude bigger than Kim can handle right now.
But maybe that strange look on her face was from musing about the possibility of launching her own mega-practice. Would she have the guts to start hiring and managing a whole crew of lawyers, paralegals, and support staff to handle the massive amount of work this project would entail? It took her months to hire just the right paralegal! As meticulous and cautious as she is in her approach to her work as a lawyer, she's also honest enough with herself to know that (1) she can't do it all herself, and (2) she'll never be able to keep up with Wachtell's steamroller approach to opening all those branches quickly.
She's extremely ambitious, but equally cautious. She has a lot of decisions to make and it's overwhelming, especially in light of the recent accident, her recovery, Chuck's death (which affected her, too), her guilt over the bar hearing, Jimmy's pre- and post-Chuck issues, how her relationship with Jimmy is changing, how Jimmy is changing...
17
@Cynthia
That was my interpretation as well. Kim may have begun to adjust her modus operandi already, since she reversed her earlier decision to allow the very eager paralegal to make a first draft of a contract. Perhaps she is already mentally adjusting from do-it-all-myself mode, where she can control everything (other than the need for sleep), to managerial mode.
All the same, I'm enjoying all the alternative explanations for her reaction to the panoply of Mesa Verde models. And it is a bit odd for Wachtell to have already commissioned all these models, when Kim is just now becoming aware of his plans.
4
@Cynthia Maybe...but I'm thinking that Kim may be realizing "Is this going to be my life???" Is she going to use her legal mind to facilitate the opening of one bank branch after another? Is that all there is??
8
@Lynda
My reaction to Kim's behavior in this episode is similar to yours. She has had to deal with a couple of major traumatic events (Chuck's death and her own accident) which might be causing her to re-evaluate her life choices in general.
1
I am sure the majority of BB fans recognised good ol' Gale when they heard him singing as Gus was entering the lab. What a brilliant way to reintroduce this amazing character! And what fun it is to see David Constabile personify two opposite characters in two TV shows: the spectacularly immoral "Wags" in "Billions" and the hopelessly naive Gale in BCS.
As for the episode, I am not sure that Kim swapped Chuck's letter with a new one. I think Chuck wrote it, long before his death. It had the usual condescending and moralizing tone that Chuck adopted with Jimmy.
As for Kim's future... I fear the worst. Her attitude with her paralegal and her clients made me feel as if she's suffering from some kind of PTSD related to her accident...
15
Very cool seeing David Costabile as idiosyncratic & ingratiating Gale. He was menacing & spooky on "Damages," and he's so entitled & boorish on "Billions." A true character actor.
23
@Robert McEvily
I agree with your comment Mr. McEvily. I simply loved him in "Damages". He was as scary in the Detective Rick Messer character as he is affable and innocent in his current Gale character. He is truly over the top in "Billions".
4
@Robert McEvily
David Costabile is fantastic. I loved him as "Doug", the husband of the one and only Flight of the Conchords fan, Mel!
5
@Marge Keller
It’s good to read your commentary. What’s your take on Kim’s response on hearing the letter?
My wife and I believe it was Kim belief of what could have been in stead of what happened?
Ira! Love seeing Ira show up.
3
I have loved the earlier seasons of "Saul" but so far I'm less enthusiastic about this one. The concurrent story lines aren't grabbing me as much, and sometimes they are confusing.
I'm more inclined to go with the theory that Kim was upset by Jimmy's attitude and that he may have made up some of the lines in the letter. The problem was, I didn't really care one way or another. The Hummel theft was a bit drawn out, as was the Nacho section.
I just don't think 'Saul' can succeed if the only attraction is little precursors to 'Breaking Bad.' It has to work on its own -- for viewers who haven't even seen Bad. This season hasn't quite done that yet.
9
I didn't see fear on Kim's face looking at the banks in all of those locations. I saw possibilities. She looked like each one was a doll house she peered into and imagined a new life in Idaho? Texas? Colorado? She's thinking about escaping the life with Jimmy. Wouldn't you?
She's just the best female character on TV ever. She's as smart and lively as she can be. And she loves Jimmy and protects him, as with the letter. But she deserves more. Jimmy's flaws are more than anyone would want to endure.
14
Another brilliant episode. The ordeal of Nacho was excruciating. Whatever good may have remained with him was likely erased by the torture he endured.
Jimmy’s interest in the statute heist was somewhat confusing. The theft was not worth enough to justify the risk and effort. I did enjoy the car alarm scene.
I am still trying to decide about Chuck’s letter. When I first watched, my thought was that Jimmy made up the ending to spare Kim (and himself). That still seems most plausible to me. Jimmy is trying very hard to show Kim that he does not care about Chuck at all, which we know is not really true. Kim is the one showing the anger that should belong to Jimmy, such as her response to Howard. Jimmy may be using indifference to cover for his hurt and his guilt over the insurance issue, which led to Chuck’s ouster from HHM and possibly to the carelessness that caused the fire, but to be fair, Chuck has been a disaster waiting to happen for a long time and Jimmy was the one who helped keep him going.
5
@Carol Jimmy is broke, four grand is a lot to him. He mentioned using the $5k from his inheritance to pay his credit card bill
6
This is my second post. I did re-watch the whole letter scene and no way did Kim switch the letter.
And no way was Jimmy reading anything other than what Chuck wrote. I think it was Chuck's true feelings at one time, but the last words that Chuck ever said to Jimmy...." you never mattered all that much to me" makes the letter irrelevant. And the mention of the name McGill in the letter I think is the reason that Jimmy changes his name to Saul Goodman when his law license is reinstated.
22
I may be alone in this but....
I am awaiting the Saul "return" in of Wendy, the meth-addicted prostitute in BB who worked at the Crossroads Motel. In BB, Wendy told Jesse Pinkman that she had a son.
In Saul, Wendy could appear as a healthy, middle-class housewife/client who is facing a drug-possession charge (marijuana, cocaine). Her husband could relay his concern that she may be developing a drug problem, which Wendy of course dismisses.
14
@Barbara
Such a great idea!
1
@Barbara
........ Everyone knows it's Wendy.
Great choice!
4
Kim was crying because the letter from Chuck was written when Jimmy still worked the mail room. The word “love” is nowhere in the letter. What upsets Kim is Chuck’s hatred of Jimmy, and how Jimmy has become inured to the hatred. I think Kim is seeing that she probably doesn’t have a future with Jimmy anymore, and she knows she’s the only person left in his life who ever loved him.
42
Didn’t mean to recommend my own letter. Just more thoughts on Chuck’s letter.
It starts with the “spirit intended” line of a critic. Then points out that Jimmy (not Chuck) was the mom’s favorite. Remember that Chuck hid from Jimmy her dying words were Jimmy’s name. This was the only real feeling Chuck had about Jimmy: Despite being the 1st born, good son, his Mom loved Jimmy more. Lifelong envy.
Then the congratulations about the mail room. This was probably immediately after Chuck had blocked Howard from hiring Jimmy as a lawyer, a fact Jimmy only sort of became aware.
$5000 is in a way worse than $0. It bespeaks of the dislike but filial duty Chuck felt. Kim knew well before Jimmy about Chuck’s disdain for him. But now she doesn’t know what to make of Jimmy having the final proof, that Chuck’s last cruel words to Jimmy were truly how he felt.
7
It's possible Howard wrote the letter, considering how guilt-ridden he is. He probably suspected Chuck wrote something crushing to Jimmy, and having his suspicious confirmed, he decided to make one small gesture of kindness towards his friend.
7
I didn't suspect that Kim switched the letter. It seemed to me that the loving (yet patronizing) letter and Jimmy's consent to the will that cut Jimmy out almost completely were a pair of documents that perfectly summarized Chuck's complicated relationship with Jimmy. Together, they show a gesture of emotional support coupled with indications of an underlying sentiment that Jimmy is somehow unworthy to step into Chuck's shoes.
Also, I thought the fact that the letter was undated, and that it only makes reference to Jimmy's time in the law firm mailroom, were also indicators that the letter (and probably the will) were drafted long before the time depicted in the series. Chuck's quick and catastrophic demise would suggest that he probably didn't spend his final hours re-drafting his will and writing Jimmy a letter. These documents reflect Chuck's deep and well-established ambivalence about Jimmy.
36
@E Davis. I agree. If Kim knew what was in the letter, why would she be moved to tears? Jimmy may have also improvised while reading the letter. Perhaps it was not all brotherly love.
5
Every time I watch an episode of BCS, I keep thinking if Walter White had not been introduced, so many other scenarios would still be in play. At the risk of not wanting to ruin any BB newcomer viewers with spoilers, all I will say is I really wish Gus Fring had allowed Gale to develop a purer meth when Gale offered in last night's episode. I really love that character almost as much as I love the Mike character.
Incredible story telling, especially when a series like BCS is backed into the storyline. Brilliant writing and creative imaginations! Thanks for brightening up my Monday evenings!
9
@Marge Keller Gus is setting up Gale to do exactly just that. He is using little reverse razzle dazzle to appeal to Gale's competitive (scientific wise) streak. You don't think he knew those samples Gale tested would be a joke, a bunch of biker crank? He wants (needs) Gale to be fully 100% into it, his idea, his desire.
10
@sjgmoney
Good point! Too bad Walter White eventually ruins everyone and everything.
I think Jimmy made up the end of the letter (in between spoonfuls of cereal).
At the beginning of the letter, Chuck said something like "I hope you take what follows in the spirit in which it's offered" -- strongly suggesting that he's about to say something critical and unpleasant -- and yet what JImmy "reads" is anything but, suggesting that Jimmy's improvising when he gets to the unpleasant parts for Kim's benefit.
31
@Marc Maybe your take is the best one and Kim's tears are because she knows he is making it up to spare HER feelings. Either way, its refreshingly rare to be kept guessing by so many twists in one episode.
12
Gale!!!!!!! That was pretty much my reaction when I saw him on the screen. Such a cool scene. I don't know how anyone can memorize that periodic table of the elements song.
It hadn't occurred to me that Kim may have switched the letter. I thought her reaction had more to do with the fact that Jimmy didn't seem to care about what he was reading (or about something else entirely). Is it possible that Chuck, as he knew the end of his life was near, had a sudden clarity with regard to his relationship with Jimmy? Possibly. But that letter certainly didn't sound too much like Chuck. Kim had been distracted since the Mesa Verde meeting -- something about the models set her off, suddenly compelling her to stop at the courthouse. And then the sudden decision to present Jimmy with the letter (which, it was pointed out, was undated) and the agreement to not contest the will and accept his $5,000 inheritance. And then her breakdown, and closing the door on Jimmy. I'm not certain what to make of it all just yet, but I'm excited that the show is finally focusing more on Kim this season.
12
I am clueless as to why Kim was so upset and just plain weird during the entire show. The way she was mesmerized by that giant metal cowboy in the Mesa Verde lobby and those numerous bank models, the tears at the end while listening to Jimmy read that letter, even her conversations with her new paralegal were choppy and inconsistent. What I know for certain is that I was left on the seat of my sofa, wondering what was going on with her and what will unfold next week. I love these "soft" cliffhangers. Thank you for keeping me wondering and ensuring I will most certainly tune in next Monday.
Since the passing of Chuck, we're seeing more and more of the return of the old "slipping" Jimmy. I loved the fact that Mike tried to impress upon Jimmy that stealing an $8000 Hummel because it was "easy cash" was no justification for the theft, especially since the copy guys had no beef nor did anything bad, mean, or unprofessional to Jimmy. Once again, Mike has his own code of honor which I can't help but admire. Love that guy!
41
I think Kim’s trip to the courthouse has to do with her suspicions about Mesa Verde rather than anything to do with Jimmy and Chuck. All the expansion plans happened while Kim was recovering from her accident. She may be searching for any Mesa Verde filings done by someone else in her absence.
When Kim goes to her file she removes two things—the document giving Jimmy his $5000 inheritance as well as the letter. The letter does not sound like Chuck. Either she replaced it or less likely Jimmy made it up as he pretended to read it. Perhaps a future episode will clarify it.
11
Regarding the letter, I thought either Kim switched the letter or Jimmy made up what was written..What I thought was more telling is the emotion expressed by both of them upon its reading..to Jimmy, the letter meant nothing (no doubt Jimmy turning into Saul more by the day)..OTOH, Kim was reduced the tears. I did like the directorial metaphor at the end of this..Kim goes in the other room and almost closes the door symbolizing the relationship between these two is starting to close...
9
I'm not so sure about the letter switch by Kim. That's pure speculation (but probably correct), though it would support what we already know -- that she's the kindest and most selfless person on the show -- and her absence in BB and the implication of her demise, likely as a result of something Jimmy does, is heartbreaking.
What was the purpose of Gus' guys tossing small pieces of colored glass (if that's what they were) onto the highway as part of the whole let's-shoot-Nacho diversion? Obviously, it was to confuse the twins, but how?
And wouldn't any reasonable burglar case the joint a little more, wonder why there's a car in the parking lot and, maybe, walk around the building where he might see the bathroom light on from the outside and hear someone in the office? They teach that in Burglary 101, I think.
12
@sergio If the car had been ambushed while it was still moving, the taillights would have been shot out and the pieces scattered over some distance, so they were careful to re-create that efect. It's a shame that these guys are so detailed and meticulous about the drug business; anyone willing to go to that level of detail (not to mention Nacho--what boss wouldn't love to have an employee willing to get shot ?) could be a success in a legitimate business.
7
@sergio They wanted it to look like Arturo was shot at while driving and was alive while driving.
4
@Sandy Beach There's more money in drugs than legitimate businesses.
I wondered if Kim had switched the letter, but we also wondered if she hadn't, and she broke down in response to whatever she did after having been dropped at the courthouse.
It seems like the biggest gamble of the Ignacio coverup would be that the twins would just put a bullet in his brain on the spot and walk away. I can't really think of why that wouldn't happen, except maybe his value as a witness. But they already pried that (fake) info out of him before taking him to the med-vet.
2
Gus needs Nacho as a turncoat/insider. They couldn’t kill him unless Gus ordered it.
1
So great to see Keiko Agena as Kim's new paralegal. Loved her on Gilmore Girls. Hope she has a meaty role - she's too good to waste.
This episode was very clunky: The letter from Chuck was ridiculous, whether he wrote it or not. The bank models - who cares about Mesa Verde? The rescue of the Hummel thief was kind of "huh?" As deeply nerdy and slow moving as this show is, if you don't pay close attention, it seems you can miss a lot.
6
Why did Kim go to the court house? Was the document Jimmy signed a release or a document contesting the will? He did not seem to read it carefully. Was Kim upset because the kind letter was genuine? Did the bank models bring out Giselle?
2
I think she was upset because Jimmy's reaction was so cold and flippant, despite the fact that the letter defied expectations by being so kind and genuine. She can see the guy who she loves changing before her.
10
I didn't get the impression that she had tampered with the letter. The letter was clearly written long before the recent feud with Jimmy, and she was upset because he was reading it in such a cold, flippant, nonchalant manner.
28
I love the possibility that Mesa Verde equals future Fring money laundering vessel, and Kim discovers this - but NOT that she is "eliminated", though it makes sense. If Gilligan and Gould are not completely weary of the BB story line when this show is done, how about backtracking Chuck's early career, marriage (and breakup), and the genesis of Kim and Jimmy's relationship? Michael McKean was so Emmy-worthy in his role, and a show centered on him and the Mail Room Early years could be great (with a Gus sub-plot). Don't you wonder how a super-intelligent, seemingly moral Kim could be turned by Jimmy?
9
@Teresa Strayer
I like and agree with your comment. However, I feel compelled to note one important "lost" fact about Kim. She is not all that moral because in Season 2 Jimmy convinces Kim to help him con an obnoxious businessman, Ken, into paying their expensive tequila bar tab by posing as a pair of inexperienced investors. I think the bar tab was something like $10,000. Just something to mull over.
14
@Marge Keller
It's true that we don't know for certain that Kim was EVER morally upright; we assume as much because of her nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic in Season One and seeming road to partnership. Could be that Kim has a similar "Slippin' Jimmy" history that she suppresses, only to have it rear its head later thanks to Jimmy's influence. Again, a third Gilligan/Gould show featuring Chuck's backstory could tease this out.
@Teresa Strayer Please , no more Chuck. RIP.
2
I wondered if she switched the letter, believing she did. I also picked up suspicion and concern from her about all the proposed banks. She did not seem as sharp as she did in the last season when speaking with her paralegal. I wonder if she has sustained a head injury or will develop a brain tumor or something.
Fascinating show with such rich and nuanced characters. I could watch it every day!
8
@Realist Nah. There's nothing wrong with Kim's brain. Although I will say that, even based on the NYT review, this show and these writers make people question everything. Almost paranoid.
5
Regarding switching out the letter: I went back to the previous week and noticed the long sentence written on the envelope. When she came back to the office/home she filed it in the crate. The envelope seemed in the same place, same writing on it this week. Plus, I carefully watched Kim’s face while Jimmy read the letter which was in her line of sight as well. I know, I know... there are ways to open up a letter and reseal it, but it doesn’t look tampered with. If anything.. Jimmy could haven opened it and switched it out!
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I’m not convinced Kim replaced Chuck’s letter. We saw her retrieve it from the file where she first hid it and saw her struggle with the decision to give it up.
I must say it did occur to me that Jimmy may have just “made up” the letter contents on the spot to calm Kim’s clear anxiety.
I’m happy the writers went to so much trouble to keep Nacho alive. His is a wonderfully compelling character.
I guess I misread Kim’s reaction to the bank models. I practice law in a small firm myself and saw her reaction as fear that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with all that work and might then lose the client to a big firm.
39
wise comment.
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@Ben
I think you nailed every aspect of last night's show brilliantly and concisely. I could not agree more with your assessment. Well done Ben.
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@Ben Agreed. Kim know she does not have resources or personnel to handle the bank expansion. they will need an entire legal team from a full service firm.
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My guesses for the next Breaking Bad cameos: Gomie, ASAC Merkert, Tortuga and Skinny Pete. Long shots include Hank, Marie, Todd, Jack and Blue Sky crystal meth at the end of the season.
Also at some point, Tuco will need to reemerge as will a wheelchair with a bell.
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I feel bad for the good people of Mesa Verde bank - about to open a bunch of new branches in the mid 2000s.
I did not recognize the burglar as one of our old (and future?) friends from late-period BB. Interesting connection, as it's ultimately Walter and Jesse's connection to the Vamonos Pest crew - a gang of neo-Nazi burglars, killers and meth cooks - that catalyzes the plot of the final season. Had Saul never introduced Walter to Vamonos, he would not have had the ability to cook as much as he did, to be sure, but they never robbed the methalymine train (where Todd murdered a child), Jesse would not be enslaved as Todd's pet/meth cook and Hank and Gomie (RIP) would still be alive. All because Jimmy wanted to steal a stupid figurine.
David I object to your mean characterization of the Twins (or cousins? I forget)! They are rude dudes, no doubt, but not entirely evil. They made an honest effort to rescue Nacho! If they were so bad they would have just left him to die or executed him. They assisted in his surgery and even gave blood! By the end of the season they'll be volunteering at the soup kitchen!
Interesting theory about Kim possibly switching the note. I read it as it could just be more classic Chuck condescension, especially because we know that Chuck was never on Jimmy's side and Howard actually had his back. If it was genuine (only we know how condescending it is) Kim's reaction could be one of guilt for blowing up at Howard last week.
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@Nick
To correct my post - the Vamonos Pest crew is not the same as the neo nazi gang. The connection is through Todd, an employee/burglar for Vamonos. His uncle Jack is the leader of the neo nazi gang. The through-line is still there, but is one step more convoluted than I let on.
1
Todd = The Bavarian Boy??
Wow, I didn't catch that Kim switched the letter. I'll have to watch again. No, she did not do the right thing to switch it. I really was shocked that Jimmy wanted to read it. But watching him read it and his lack of feeling, just confirms Jimmy is gone forever. It also never occurred to me that Mesa Verde was doing something illegal. But if so, has to be laundering.
Hank for sure has to show up this season. I would love to see Walt. Actually, I wish that Bryan Cranston was sitting next to me right now!
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@Neelie She didn't, this reviewer just assumes she did.
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Remember one thing when you think about what might happen: Kim does not exist in Breaking Bad. So she's either gotta die or leave Jimmy's life in some other way. (What happens to Kim could tip Jimmy over into Saul.) The writers had the same situation with Chuck -- and he died.
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@k8tompkins I highly doubt that Kim will die. The writers are not going to execute somebody as likable and honest as Kim. Usually, when they "do" somebody, there is something, somewhere, that shows they had it coming.
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@Charles E
That's not always true. Recall that Walter killed Mike simply because he was angry. And Andrea was killed by Todd simply for knowing Jesse.
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@k8tompkins, I have been thinking the same thing for a while now...I'm afraid that Kim is going to be an innocent victim of one of Jimmy's dealings, and that her death will seal Jimmy's fate to fully transform into Saul for good. Ugh, but I don't want that to be the case...
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I did not think of the letter switch as a possibility at the time though I will entertain it now.
Rather, I saw Kim's tears as a reaction to finding out not only that Chuck left a genuinely touching letter for his little brother and that she had underestimated him, but moreover she had viciously attacked Howard for what she assumed would be something other than what it was.
This is my thinking after last week, when I was shocked that Kim's reaction from the week before that, when she looked almost horrified by Jimmy's reactions to Howards revelations about Chuck's death and his possible role in pushing Chuck out, had turned into venom towards Howard rather than being the beginning of her realization that Jimmy is not the good person to the core that she has always thought him to be. Now I feel that her tearing up this week could be the dawning of that realization, seeing how callously Jimmy read the note, munching on his cereal, showing no emotion in light of Chuck's touching words.
Unless she switched things around, as you say. I want to see Kim run away from Jimmy, not get killed as a result of him.
I must add, that during the figurine heist, my anxiety needle when Jimmy was forced to break into the car began to twitch near Breaking Bad Zone. I think we can all sense things coming together.
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@Dan I felt the same way about Kim - she seemed absolutely crushed by the way Jimmy reacted to that letter. We saw her shock when Jimmy was so callous toward Howard in the last episode, and now this...we've seen little instances like this, her realizing that Jimmy is not the person she thought he was, and I think that letter crossed a line for her. The fact that she literally shut him out of the room by closing the door on him is very telling. Kim is always Jimmy's biggest defender, and I hate Jimmy for taking her for granted and essentially making a fool of her - she doesn't even know about his visit to the insurance agent last season, or about the Hummel heist the night before (she comments on him sleeping late, and he outright lies and says he couldn't sleep), or about so many other things. I just want her to get away from him once and for all.
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@Kim
I was also wondering if perhaps she had noticed him gone during the night when she remarked on him sleeping late, perhaps giving him a chance to say where he'd gone, and was emotional because he had not taken the offer?
Knowing what's coming, from having watched BrBa, I'm always looking on the dark side in BCS no matter how light hearted things may seem. Hoping Kim gets away OK.
1
I don't think Kim switched out the letter, or that those were tears of relief. Why would Jimmy need to comfort her if she knew that's what was coming? More likely: He made something up on the fly but she had already read the letter. Or: That's what Chuck actually wrote, and Kim knows it isn't.
I, too, look forward to seeing what Mesa Verde is up to!
15
A comment on the alleged letter switch. I happened to read a couple other recaps from other sites (AV CLUB, Rolling Stone) before I read this one and both treat this as simply a possibility, not a given fact. There's no actual footage of her doing so. It seems obvious enough, given the general theme of the episode, but, in these times when "truth isn't truth" anymore, I'd like to believe it still is at the NYT and not see the reviewers put their conjectures out as fact.
And in any case, we can continue to conjecture as to both Kim's tears and her fears related to the bank models.
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@Dianna Amen. Prove the letter switch before elevating it from conjecture to fact. I think the reading of it and response to it were genuine.
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Kudos to all of you who remember all these details from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
I should start keeping a tv diary.
I totally missed that Kim wrote the letter. I was distracted thinking about how I like Gale so much more than Wags.
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@Michelle
I agree about the Gale vs. Wags comment. I was captivated at how fast and articulated he was in singing Tom Lehrer's tune about the various rhyming elements. David Costabile is a joy to watch, regardless of the role he plays.
3
Did you see him on Flight of the Conchords?
2
I thought it was a nice detail that the veterinarian introduced Saul to his burglar connection - Ira from Vamanos Pest. Years later, Saul would introduce Walter, Jesse, and Mike to Ira’s pest control/b&e crew.
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This season has been light years ahead of the prior seasons in terms of enjoyable viewing. The “ Chuck “scenes really made the show drag. Now that Chuck is gone (RIP) It is Breaking Bad, the Early Years. It seems like each episode a new “ old” character is introduced ( reintroduced?). In regard to tonight’s episode, I didn’t see the letter switch by Kim. Good call! Finally, by show of hands, how many are watching even a minute of Lodge 49?
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@Howard
The hubs and I are. It's an odd little show, slow moving but quirky. Draggy, but funny. Some of it makes sense, some not so much. But I find myself liking it.
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@Howard
I'm watching Lodge 49, every minute. I find it a refreshingly different kind of show for a change, not at all the "Big Lebowski TV Show" that so many have been trying to describe it as but rather an entertaining, quirky, medium dark comedy about the realities of trying to make a living and make sense out of life in America in the information economy if you're one of the 99%.
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@Dan thank you for that description; calling it Big Lebowski TV has my wife introducing a ban of it on the DVR, your description is more useful.
I'm thinking Mesa Verde is the money laundering operation or investment banker for Fring. Somewhere down the line Kim discovers the connection and her knowledge ends up getting her "merged" out of existence by the bad guys.
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She switched letters? How did I totally miss that? True you don't see if it's long hand or typed - though he does say it's just "signed Chuck."
Tears of relief...mine and Kim's.
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@Louise Phillips You missed it because there's no scene or even suggestion to support the possibility. NYT's critic is peddling unproven alternative facts here.
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@Nancy bonus points when you read other articles analyzing this and they mention the letter switcharoo tale peddled here, those must read the NYTs as a guide for their own recaps. That's much more obvious to me than the idea she switched the letters.
@Nancy Not to mention that it would be completely out of character for Kim to do anything so duplicitous. If she really wanted to protect Jimmy, why not just destroy the letter? And her reaction is clearly spontaneous to hearing Chuck’s words for the first time.
Not mentioned in the recap or comments, Kim was in tears because of Jimmy’s callous reaction. She senses that he has already started to lose his humanity.
1