Better Call Saul

The Chuck stuff is interesting, but a bit of false drama. That’s the problem with a prequel show. We know he’s a lawyer in the future. He’s still in the same town, and in the future he’s running commercials on every station in the ABQ. So obviously he isn’t going to be arrested or disbarred. Maybe blackmail to force Kim to surrender Mesa Verde? I don’t know. At some point we’ll see him become a “criminal” lawyer. We’ll get to see him learn about the relocation specialist, money laundering, etc. That’s where things will get the most interesting, for me. At the moment we’ve seen 2 seasons of him trying to be legit and failing. Will season 3 be where he finally gives up trying to be Jimmy McGill?

It had to be Gus Fring - his situational awareness and criminal acumen were regularly emphasized and we know that he retains Mike as a core member of his crew at some point well before the events of Breaking Bad. The only other person it could be would be Nacho, who obviously was already aware of Mike’s campaign against Hector Salamanca, but it’s more likely if he’s involved that he was the one who informed Gus Fring.

Very disappointing finale. Knowing that they were renewed resulted in probably the worst Gilligan season finale in some time, which is particularly disappointing given how amazing his finales were for the season 4 of BB and last season of BCS when the fate of the series was uncertain. It just wrapped up nothing, other than finally making Chuck completely irredeemable by clearly exposing his motivations as petty jealousy for Jimmy - after providing evidence of that all season. Chuck is so unlikable now that despite the amazing performance behind him, and the fact that he’s such a novel “monster” villain, I would prefer the show focus less on him and move on to more Saul-ish activities.

Have to say, I never expected for this show to paint “Saul” in such a favorable light - he was always just an entertaining, self-interested, criminal huckster on Breaking Bad. The Saul we got is instead a Paladin - defender of old people, loyal friend and boyfriend, and exceptionally loyal and altruistic family member who patiently endures and tries to nurture an increasingly abusive brother - even the people Jimmy scams or screws around, at this point in his life, seem to be deserving targets. But Saul pulling capers would be more fun to watch than seeing Jimmy painfully betrayed and abused by his thankless brother, over and over again.

But it’s such a well written show that I’ll stick with it no matter where it goes. Gilligan has really hit his stride - I think the last couple of seasons of BB and this show have been written at such a consistently high quality level, even compared to his earlier work.

Yeah, really disappointing after last season’s tidy arc.

Really enjoyed the second season but seriously disliked the finale.

Very disappointing finale.

Absolutely. And I’m guessing that’s going to be the overall arc of the show. Jimmy going from Chaotic Good Paladin (not technically D&D legal, of course) to Lawful Neutral Thief. It’s just as Breaking Bad was supposed to be about Mr. Chips becoming Scarface. But I feel that Vince Gilligan is a much better writer now and Bob Odenkirk as an actor is much better suited to the part.

Great point about Chuck becoming a garden variety petty villain. I mean, I think we’re supposed to feel he’s somehow justified because Jimmy went to get sandwiches at the moment their mother died? But the reveal about Chuck was such an important and powerful part of the first season, I’m a little worried there won’t be any meaningful follow-up.

Anyway, Giancarlo Esposito cannot arrive soon enough!

-Tom

I liked it more than you guys did.

I thought the Chuck story was entertaining and interesting. Yes it’s a character direction that was already established, but him going to the lengths of conning the con man, and doing exactly what he despises from Jimmy (lying because he thinks the ends justify the means) is a fun twist. It does seem a bit too clear how it’s going to come out because of the prequel aspect (Jimmy doesn’t go to jail, but he does change his name which we know is important to Chuck), so it’s not a great cliffhanger, but I found it a satisfying conclusion to the season’s arc. I also liked it that Jimmy vowed at the end of season one that he wouldn’t do the right thing any more if it cost him to do so, but then he does it again at the end of season 2. Kim doesn’t really get a season ending wrapup, but I’m still really interested to see what happens next.

The Mike story had nice tension but I am a little hazy on what Mike is trying to achieve? Does he just want to take out Hector because he doesn’t like him threatening the kid, or is he trying to keep the truck driver from being killed? Once he is killed, was he still going to go through with it? And if they are going to bring back Gus, I wish that they had just brought him back in this episode. It seems so clear that he’s coming back that they will now lose the element of surprise. And I don’t really want Gus to be the infallible superhero that somehow knows what’s going on with Hector in the desert at this point in his career. In prior flashbacks, young Gus seemed a bit more vulnerable and nieve. I don’t want to see fully evolved Gus at this point.

I really liked the season overall, partly because Jimmy and Mike are so different from their Breaking Bad characters. I would hope that Gus is also different from the Gus that we know.

I think the point of the mom passing was more about how in her last moments, she didn’t care Chuck was there; she wanted Jimmy. I suspect that Chuck never really got over that one.

My guess is that a deal is made with Chuck where Jimmy stops practicing under McGill and the tape never surfaces.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

The first letter of each of the 10 episodes spell out: Fring’s back.

Dude! How could you do that to Jimmy? He’s your brother!

Excellent questions about Mike. I wondered the same things, but figured I was just too dense to know. That might still be the case. But that’s why I didn’t read much into the note about some mysterious yet-to-arrive party. I just figured I didn’t connect enough dots.

And I love your points about Gus. From your lips (fingertips?) to Vince Gilligan’s ears.

Well, they’re an anagram for it. But, yes, I think that was pointed out upthread. Gilligan did that sort of thing with at least one season of Breaking Bad. But what a terrible way to announce you’re bringing the character back: not only by not mentioning it in the context of the story, but by not even bringing him back! Sheesh.

-Tom

Aw, crap. I think my DVR screwed me on this one. What happened in the beginning of that scene? I thought the show started with Jimmy racing up the hall with a bag of something (Tom says sandwiches) and Chuck was just like “She didn’t say anything.” Cut to commercial. Sounds like I may have missed a few minutes at the very start.

Jimmy and Chuck were sitting beside the bed of their dying mother, and had been there for several days. Jimmy suggests that they should eat something, which Chuck balked at, so eventually Jimmy said he’d go and get them both a sandwich and be back in a few minutes because their Mom’s situation hadn’t changed in days. As soon as Jimmy leaves, Chuck broke down and cried, looking at his mother. His mother briefly resuscitated and moaned out “jimmy?” . Chuck corrected her and said that it was “Me, Chuck”. His mother didn’t acknowledge that statement and then called out “Jimmy?” again, more desperately, and again Chuck tried to correct her. Then she died, without ever acknowledging Chuck.

Nurse came in and said there was a DNR order for the mom, so they had to let her pass. She asked where Jimmy was, and said they could use the hospital PA system to call for him, but Chuck said that wasn’t necessary, and there was nobody to notify. Then Jimmy returned and Chuck was sitting on a bench in the hallway, which is where you came in, and he lied to Jimmy and didn’t inform him of his mother’s final words and brief revival.

Man, that’s just a gut wrenching scene. I was feeling bad for Chuck when he was stuck in the hospital, with that long, crazy upside down shot of him as they poked him and put the O2 tubes in his nose. Had I watched that scene with mom, I think I might have had less empathy for him.

Hey, thanks so much for passing that on Desslock. Much appreciated.

I’m currently expecting that when Chuck confronts Jimmy with the evidence in front of a legal third party, Jimmy will simply claim it to be a lie he thought up out of worry for Chuck’s mental health. Considering the state Chuck is in he won’t have a hard time selling that to anyone and the breach between the two will be final.

With regards to the note; my current suspicion is that Lawson tipped off Gus.

I thought the opening scene was the most interesting and/or telling scene of the season. Or more appropriately, not telling. Because there are at least a couple of ways it could be. Except, knowing what we know about both Chuck and Jimmy, we can guess which was true in their case.

To wit: There’s a case to be made for compassion; that Chuck spares Jimmy the thought that while he stepped out their mother spoke and called out for her son just before passing on. That as crushed as Chuck might have been that she called for Jimmy and not him, he spares Jimmy the extra guilt of learning that his mother woke however briefly while he had stepped out. Or that she spoke his name even.

But as we know Chuck we also know that probably isn’t the reason he said nothing to Jimmy. It’s really quite a great, telling-without-telling moment I thought.

Great post! I think the season has been amazing but you’re right in your analysis and I’m disappointed by the cliffhanger.

I loved that long upside down take with Chuck on the gurney in the hospital. Really jarring the way it was filmed and acted.

I liked the episode on its own. Once again many good moments and set pieces. The intro hit close to home for me as I had been sitting next to my dad as his heart stopped beating in a hospital bed. The part where Jimmy left and Chuck dropped the stoic composure and let it all out. I thought it perfectly nailed the character dynamic of the brothers and the family. Jimmy being the flaky guy who screws up while Chuck is (or feels forced to be) the stable bedrock. I also like the above notion that not telling Jimmy about their mother’s last words is both a sulky and a kind act. And yeah, the gurney scene later on was very effective in conveying how terrible the experience is for Chuck.

That said, it made for a weak finale. I thought the threads were left dangling open and didn’t reach a satisfying point that constitutes a break worth taking. We didn’t get any new information or change of character relationships as we did at the end of season 1 when we learned how Chuck was disapproving of Jimmy’s lawyer status, thinking he hadn’t really earned it. We had already known that Chuck felt utterly humiliated by what went down with Mesa Verde and that he’d be willing to end Jimmy’s career as a consequence of that; it’s what made Kim side with Jimmy despite her knowing that Chuck was right about what had gone own.

Same for Mike’s storyline. We know there probably is a new player in the show; the note certainly couldn’t have been from Nacho given that he was with Hector. So, presumably Fring.

I liked, but didn’t love the finale. The hospital scene was terrific as was the tape recording. Did Saul know he was being recorded and did it out of love, or did he finally just not give a damn anymore? As for the ending, it was a traditional cliff-hanger. I realize the popular choice is Gus, (more than 1/2 the caller in the talking Saul show voted for him.) I’m going with a real dark horse the gun dealer realized he forgets to wipe the fingerprints off the stock and stops him. (Ya slim chance.)

I loved Desslock analysis, Saul going from Chaotic Good to Lawful Neutral is an accurate description of what will happen. I don’t think it is much of exaggeration to describe the fall of Walter White as Shakespearian in scope. My parents retired to Southern Oregon so I often went to the one of the best Shakespear festivals in Ashland Oregon. I struggled like most teenagers to read Shakespeare, but seeing the plays performed on stage really is a treat. Better Call Saul, is reminding me of one of the Bard’s comedy, like Two Gentleman from Verona, many light moments, an intricate plot, but ultimately still a tragedy at their core. This is really the golden age for serious TV and I think we may look back on it fondly in the future.

Reported

And who the hell would like Howard…

Replying to deleted spammer…