I’m really looking forward to this season, but I thought the premiere was a poor start - it was interminably slow, and the Chuck sorrow was overwrought (not just from Jimmy) given the nature of his character. It seemed more feasible that Howard would feel sorry, but also a bit relieved.
AV Club is generally pretty decent.
Ah, I’m glad it’s not just me! That was quite the slog, especially compared to some of last season’s riveting episodes. Did the show runner change or something? Or are we just off to a slow start?
Frankly, I was hoping the season would have jumped further ahead in time.
For some reason, I always forget how goddamn beautiful Rhea Seehorn is until I’m actually watching her on the show. She has a formidable no-nonsense resolve and beauty, even (especially?) when she’s as battered as she was in this episode. I’m guessing the next big story arc will be what happens to Kim?
-Tom
If only their new site design weren’t so terrible.
Just a slow start. It honestly feels like the show’s team felt that they needed to pay proper homage to Michael Mckean’s stellar work and so they pidgeon-holed in an episode dedicated to that purpose, but it wasn’t very enjoyable to watch.
I don’t find Rhea Seehorn beautiful but she’s just wonderful on the show, in part because she doesn’t seem guarded, or always determined to look good even in distress - she’s occasionally goofy, never artificially posed for a situation - and just incredible real. She honestly feels like one of the only “real” lawyers, or girlfriends, that I’ve ever seen on a show.
Maybe it’s been too long since the last season, but I also didn’t clearly remember where Mike’s situation was left with Madrigal, etc., except recalling that he had sabotaged Hector’s distribution system, forcing the cartel to turn to Gustavo’s distribution (which caused Hector to try to take over Nacho’s father’s business for that purpose, which caused Nacho to sabotage Hector’s pills).
But I love the cartel stuff and how it’s becoming more integrated with the show, even though the Mike show and the Jimmy/Kim/Howard/Chuck show have been largely segregated. I loved seeing Don Bolsa again! Do cartels really use the mafia’s “Don” nomenclature?
It’s not originally an organized crime title and Italian and Spanish share it, I believe.
Jimmy’s torpor through most of the episode was what made it feel so slow, but what I found (and maybe this was the writers’ intent) was that whenever he was on camera I was trying to figure out what he was thinking and feeling. How remorseful, how justified, how uncertain, how resolved? When you have that going on internally, those scenes were more interesting.
What WAS the deal with Madrigal? What I remembered was that it was just a way to pay off Mike, or put him on the payroll for shady stuff on the side. So when he went and actually security-consulted, was that completely unexpected? Seems like that’s the point of the scene where he can’t stop thinking about the paycheck.
Yes, definitely unexpected and not within his expected mandate.
I also don’t remember his exact arrangement with Madrigal, I think it was mostly using them to launder Mike’s money, but it seemed like his “consulting” in this episode was all just in service of trying to get him back into touch with Lydia (since it ends with him telling the manager he’s talking to to contact her). Probably something’s not sitting right with him about the laundering and that was his best way to get her attention.
Mike being Mike it isn’t in his nature to just take the money without “earning” it. Plus actually working at his “job” goes a long way to avoiding suspicion.
Here’s another clue for you all: in BB, when Saul and Hank first share a scene it’s implied that there’s some sort of history there. Now Gus is concerned that any cartel mishegas will attract the attention of the DEA.
My money is on a Hank sighting, probably close to the end of the season, most likely the finale.
Yeah, it’s basically used along with the first name (not the last) by younger people when addressing older ones, and by subordinates when addressing superiors with whom they have some familiarity. Much to my dismay the (younger) people at my neighborhood taquería refer to me as “Don José”. Makes me feel like I’m 80 or something.
Again, I might have the details wrong, but this is the money Mike got from working with Gus last year. Madrigal isn’t paying Mike for services legitimate or otherwise, they’re laundering his money.
I don’t think he’s trying to justify anything about his fake job title, I think he’s got some larger concern and he’s trying to get back in touch with Lydia. The episode didn’t make it clear why, but it seemed clear to me that was the goal.
Seems like Mike is bored and he figures he may as well keep himself busy by effectively building his cover at Madrigal instead of suspiciously taking a paycheck for doing nothing
Yeah, that’s the way it seemed to me. And maybe he thought he’d try to figure out more about these guys out of curiosity. But his end goal was probably to get in touch with Lydia.
Yeah, I second this. The montage of Mike tooling around the factory was incredibly dull.
Blame these guys.
Eh, I thought it was awesome. Showing just what you can get away with with a purloined ID and an authoritative manner. But I’m one of the pisatchios guys. I don’t really understand watching this show for three seasons and complaining about an episode being slow. Slow is what the show does, masterfully.
EXACTLY. :D
I absolutely love watching Mike be the most meticulous and patient man in history!