spoilers Better Call Saul

[SeanF]

10 hours ago, Le Cygne said:

I find Betsy Kettleman to be terrifying. It was fun watching them go at it, I was rooting for Kim but not sure which one would win. I wonder if we've seen the last of them.

Nacho seems a little like Jesse, he doesn't want to kill anyone, but he's done bad things. I wonder if he got away? It seems like he did, watching it again.

Kim is becoming Walter.  I’m on tenterhooks about her ultimate fate.

[RumHam]

I just wanna make sure I'm interpreting the ending of episode two right. When Jimmy mutters "wolves and sheep" it's a callback to the con-man who ripped off Jimmy's dad when he was a kid. After the elder McGill goes into the back room the guy tells jimmy you can be a wolf or a sheep. Then Jimmy steals money and decides to be a wolf.

So did we just see him realizing that unlike Kim he is a sheep?

[dbunting]

Kim has gone full Walter White now, in her own way. How did she figure out so quickly what the scam was at the tax return place? Hannibal Lector could take lessons from her powers of observation.

I think the end game for Howard is just to screw his name over enough for him to be discredited and have a stink on him? Can't see Saul going farther than that, Kim, this Kim, yeah she may want to push it too far and that could be what breaks them apart.

Nice to have this show back.

[Ran]

1 hour ago, dbunting said:

How did she figure out so quickly what the scam was at the tax return place?

Pretty sure she bet on the theory that once crooks, always crooks.

[DMC]

So I almost got through catching up on last season last night, just had one comment on the season so far I felt I'd share.  Did anyone else find they were pretty lazy on Jimmy's scheming in Season 5? 

First, there was the Mesa Verde thing where he produced a slanderous commercial to try to get millions of dollars more in a settlement.  Granted, there was also the copyright infringement, but are we really to believe threatening to air that commercial would scare any room full of lawyers?  Second, there was the courtroom trick where he brought in a lookalike of his defendant to demonstrate a witness' ID was questionable.  One would think he'd receive disciplinary action for that stunt, especially considering he just got his license back.

While I'm enjoying the season in general, just seems like they've gotten a little cartoonish with what he can get away with.

[Heartofice]

Yeah there were a few moments in the last season where I tried not to question things too hard, because it did get a little silly. I think that is generally ok when it's a Saul storyline. If it was a Mike one I think I'd put a bit more scrutiny into it. 

[RumHam]

The biggest problem with Mike's storyline, logic wise, is that Nacho points out that if the cousins ever found out the guy who got Tuco locked up and pulled a gun on Hector was Gus's man they'd kill him and his entire family and Mike is just like "they won't find out." Lalo easily could have mentioned him, was was obsessed with him for a while. Plus now Mike wanted to lead a team to save Nacho from the cousins.

Speaking of the cousins they probably the best evidence that these shows were always a little cartoonish.

[Le Cygne]

On 4/19/2022 at 10:25 PM, SeanF said:

Mike has balls of steel, to face down Gus and Victor, over Nacho’s father.

I think this is the first time I’ve seen Gus show fear, other than his final encounter with Hector.

Gus breaking the glass was a nice touch. (Oh and I have to say, the way he fluffed the glass off with his handkerchief, that was such a Gus thing to do.)

Mike is going to go the mat to protect Nacho's papa, I think. It goes back to what matters to him, which is what happened with his son. This hits home.

(Removed the video.)

[Le Cygne]

On 4/20/2022 at 3:11 PM, RumHam said:

I just wanna make sure I'm interpreting the ending of episode two right. When Jimmy mutters "wolves and sheep" it's a callback to the con-man who ripped off Jimmy's dad when he was a kid. After the elder McGill goes into the back room the guy tells jimmy you can be a wolf or a sheep. Then Jimmy steals money and decides to be a wolf.

So did we just see him realizing that unlike Kim he is a sheep?

That was my impression, too. He's off his game, still shaken up by what happened in the desert, and he's reminding himself not to be a sheep. We know he's going to go more in the wolf direction, so I think that's kind of a remembrance of a choice he made as a kid, too.

Now, I don't think any of this is as black and white as wolf or sheep, that there's no middle ground. Kim was fighting for the old people the Kettlemans were ripping off. And Jimmy has always had a soft spot for them. The gray area can be drawn on if there's to be redemption.

[RumHam]

5 minutes ago, Le Cygne said:

That was my impression, too. He's off his game, still shaken up by what happened in the desert, and he's reminding himself not to be a sheep. We know he's going to go more in the wolf direction, so I think that's kind of a remembrance of a choice he made as a kid, too.

Now, I don't think any of this is as black and white as wolf or sheep, that there's no middle ground. Kim was fighting for the old people the Kettlemans were ripping off. And Jimmy has always had a soft spot for them. The gray area can be drawn on if there's to be redemption.

Ah, thanks this makes more sense than him realizing he's not a wolf.

[DMC]

Just looking at the upcoming schedule, thought it was interesting that Rhea Seehorn will be directing episode 4 and Giancarlo Esposito will be directing episode 6.

[SeanF]

3 hours ago, Le Cygne said:

Gus breaking the glass was a nice touch. (Oh and I have to say, the way he fluffed the glass off with his handkerchief, that was such a Gus thing to do.)

Mike is going to go the mat to protect Nacho's papa, I think. It goes back to what matters to him, which is what happened with his son. This hits home.

FYI if anyone is interested the Insider's Podcast is up:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-call-saul-insider-podcast/id966297954

Given that Mike lives, I guess he succeeded, and it probably enhanced Gus’ respect for him, ultimately.

[SeanF]

On 4/22/2022 at 7:01 PM, RumHam said:

The biggest problem with Mike's storyline, logic wise, is that Nacho points out that if the cousins ever found out the guy who got Tuco locked up and pulled a gun on Hector was Gus's man they'd kill him and his entire family and Mike is just like "they won't find out." Lalo easily could have mentioned him, was was obsessed with him for a while. Plus now Mike wanted to lead a team to save Nacho from the cousins.

Speaking of the cousins they probably the best evidence that these shows were always a little cartoonish.

The only thing worse than the cousins wanting you dead is their wanting you alive.

[Nictarion]

I loved the scene at the country club where Saul made Kevin look like an anti-Semite. “Money grubbing? You’re saying the quiet part out loud!” 

Classic Saul. 

[Iskaral Pust]

I’m watching S5 now that it’s finally available on Netflix, so not able to really participate here.  It’s not worth getting Hulu or whatever just to keep in real time.

The Fring/Mike/Nacho storyline is still much better than the Jimmy/Kim storyline.  It feels like we’ve been marking time with Jimmy from the outset until he’s ready to really to fully embrace his role as a money launderer and narco fixer.

[RumHam]

2 hours ago, Iskaral Pust said:

I’m watching S5 now that it’s finally available on Netflix, so not able to really participate here.  It’s not worth getting Hulu or whatever just to keep in real time.

Just FYI its not on hulu in the US. I've been watching on AMC's website, but you have to login with a cable provider.

[Iskaral Pust]

1 hour ago, RumHam said:

Just FYI its not on hulu in the US. I've been watching on AMC's website, but you have to login with a cable provider.

Thanks.  I was thinking of Hulu Live if I wanted to watch S6 live, which is basically a streaming version of full cable.  But I hate Hulu Live.  I’ve paid for it before for the NFL season and I hate it.  I’m not paying for cable for one show that will show up on Metflix in a couple of years.  I’ll just be patient.  It’s probably a fitting metaphor anyway for how slowly the plot advances.

[DMC]

It annoyed me last week when trying to watch season 5 and the first two eps of season 6 that I had to go to Netflix to watch season 5 because it wasn't available on demand on my cable (verizon).  The on demand made you pay for anything before the first two episodes this season (6).  Didn't check hulu for sure, but I don't think season 5 was on there either for me - use my sister's account and I guess it's different than hulu live.

[RumHam]

Episode 3:
 

Spoiler

I hope we get to see Tuco's reaction when told his friend said all that. 

Also it almost feels like they're making Kim too evil, without really explaining why well enough?

I need to go back and freeze frame their hidden sticky note plan re: Howard.

 

[Ran]

Spoiler

RIP, Nacho. Amazing to think his whole character and story was developed from a random throwaway line in Breaking Bad. Michael Mando knocked it out of the park.

The show's so visually compelling, too. Most shows are pretty boring visually these days, so it really stands out. That, and Euphoria, are the best-shot shows on TV right now, IMO.