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Better Call Saul


SeanF

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Good episode. Showed just how far Gene is willing to go because I really feel like he was going to hurt her, maybe not kill though.

Kim's life seemed just like she would want it to be, mundane and boring. No spark to enjoy, just he boredom to punish herself. I like that they left it open as to whether the DA would prosecute. Leaves her living with it hanging over her head still even though she confessed.

I think Gene has plenty of time to get out of town or hold up someplace. She said Saul Goodman has her and she doesn't even know the name he is living under there or where he lives.  I could see him grabbing his money and diamonds and fleeing, maybe one of the last scenes we get is him at those crossroads while fleeing. Maybe he heads back and we get a repeat of Kim from this episode, except we know they will prosecute him. Last scene being him in jail with that other lawyer visiting him as his defense and Slipping Jimmy smiling at home in his element.

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3 minutes ago, dbunting said:

. Last scene being him in jail with that other lawyer visiting him as his defense and Slipping Jimmy smiling at home in his element.

I like that idea a lot. In fact, you could see that happening in this episode -- he seemed positively giddy about counseling Jeff and promising him the best legal defense, and it seemed clear he planned to not just handpick a lawyer but probably coach them.

I think there was an interview where the writers talked about Odenkirk doing a scene in the finale that's sort of joyous, where the's a transformation from Gene to something else... and him getting to be Saul Goodman again (whereas he's been masquerading as Slippin' Jimmy this last couple of episodes) would really fit that.

We'll see.

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34 minutes ago, dbunting said:

Good episode. Showed just how far Gene is willing to go because I really feel like he was going to hurt her, maybe not kill though.

Kim's life seemed just like she would want it to be, mundane and boring. No spark to enjoy, just he boredom to punish herself. I like that they left it open as to whether the DA would prosecute. Leaves her living with it hanging over her head still even though she confessed.

I think Gene has plenty of time to get out of town or hold up someplace. She said Saul Goodman has her and she doesn't even know the name he is living under there or where he lives.  I could see him grabbing his money and diamonds and fleeing, maybe one of the last scenes we get is him at those crossroads while fleeing. Maybe he heads back and we get a repeat of Kim from this episode, except we know they will prosecute him. Last scene being him in jail with that other lawyer visiting him as his defense and Slipping Jimmy smiling at home in his element.

Kim is basically living the life of Waynetta Slob, stuck with a moron.  She could do something more constructive with her life than that.

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45 minutes ago, SeanF said:

Kim is basically living the life of Waynetta Slob, stuck with a moron.  She could do something more constructive with her life than that.

Like starting a legal practice for the indigent?  Oh wait, that didn't work out so well.

 

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I enjoyed the Jesse cameo if only because I was like "that's EXACTLY how those two would run in to each other!"  Maybe it's just cuz I'm a smoker too.  I also liked the Emilio cameo which kind of explains how/why Jesse suggested Saul to Walt.  Pretty good "worldbuilding," such as it is, IMO.

3 hours ago, Ran said:

I think there was an interview where the writers talked about Odenkirk doing a scene in the finale that's sort of joyous, where the's a transformation from Gene to something else... and him getting to be Saul Goodman again (whereas he's been masquerading as Slippin' Jimmy this last couple of episodes) would really fit that.

Once again, I can't help but harken back to the Justified finale where Boyd is doing his preacher schtick again and Raylan is like "you know you're repeating yourself, right?"

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"Looking back on it", says Gilligan, "we had a lot of people rooting for Walter White throughout the course of Breaking Bad. But oddly enough, I was not one of them. He's really an egotistical prick. So when he became more Scarface than Mr Chips, it seemed inevitable but not tragic. I find Better Call Saul more of a tragedy because I root for Jimmy McGill, I want to see him be a better person."

(Note: Peter Gould was the showrunner of BCS since season 3, not Vince Gilligan.)

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6 minutes ago, Le Cygne said:

"Looking back on it", says Gilligan, "we had a lot of people rooting for Walter White throughout the course of Breaking Bad. But oddly enough, I was not one of them. He's really an egotistical prick. So when he became more Scarface than Mr Chips, it seemed inevitable but not tragic. I find Better Call Saul more of a tragedy because I root for Jimmy McGill, I want to see him be a better person."

I think this distinction comes across very well to the viewer (or, well, at least me) -- and perfectly informs the prior discussion about whether or not or for how long Jimmy really intended to strangle Carol Burnett.

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9 hours ago, SeanF said:

Kim is basically living the life of Waynetta Slob, stuck with a moron.  She could do something more constructive with her life than that.

It seemed to me that Kim was trying to get as far away from the dark side of her character as possible, by literally living like the most boring person she can imagine. Maybe being there stops her being tempted fall back into old ways.

Is it also an act of self punishment? Her breaking down on the bus is pretty much the only real show of emotion I’ve seen from her, she must be holding in a ton of guilt, and subconsciously she might be trying to repent.

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2 hours ago, Le Cygne said:

I think somehow the most important thing is, how does Jimmy grow as a character? I think they are saying they will go there.

Peter Gould:

Contrasting the two series, Peter Gould told me that “Better Call Saul” is “about a guy who, in a lot of ways, really wants to be loved and feels rejection tremendously, more than he wants to show. Walter White maybe finds out that what he really wants is power, and he’s very happy to have people fear him, but Jimmy wants love, and even when he’s trying to intimidate people, there’s an undercurrent of wanting approval and acceptance. And it’s something he never quite gets.”

Vince Gilligan:

"Looking back on it", says Gilligan, "we had a lot of people rooting for Walter White throughout the course of Breaking Bad. But oddly enough, I was not one of them. He's really an egotistical prick. So when he became more Scarface than Mr Chips, it seemed inevitable but not tragic. I find Better Call Saul more of a tragedy because I root for Jimmy McGill, I want to see him be a better person."

Gould said this about the ending:

"My hope and my dream is that the ending we have is surprising, but then once you think about it, feels inevitable."

Surprising but inevitable comes from Aristotle:

According to Aristotle in his Poetics, the best endings are both "surprising, yet inevitable": We shouldn't see the events of the ending coming, but once it unfolds, it's the only way it could have ever happened.

My hope is, as Vince put his hope, he becomes a better person. That's what I want to see.

I never thought there was any real moral change in Walter.  He did it all (as he finally admitted to Skyler) because he enjoyed it.  He loved being Heisenberg, and the one who comes knocking.  

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6 minutes ago, Heartofice said:

It seemed to me that Kim was trying to get as far away from the dark side of her character as possible, by literally living like the most boring person she can imagine. Maybe being there stops her being tempted fall back into old ways.

Is it also an act of self punishment? Her breaking down on the bus is pretty much the only real show of emotion I’ve seen from her, she must be holding in a ton of guilt, and subconsciously she might be trying to repent.

I see that.  It’s just that beating oneself up, by living the most dismal life one can, achieves nothing.

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2 hours ago, DMC said:

I think this distinction comes across very well to the viewer (or, well, at least me) -- and perfectly informs the prior discussion about whether or not or for how long Jimmy really intended to strangle Carol Burnett.

Walter would have had no qualms.  But, Walter would  have foreseen the possibility of his being exposed, and done something like putting ricin in her tea.

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1 minute ago, SeanF said:

Walter would have had no qualms.  But, Walter would  have foreseen the possibility of his being exposed, and done something like putting ricin in her tea.

Walt never would have broken into Stuart from Big Bang's house to begin with. Let alone stole some watches when the whole point of the scheme was the marks didn't know anyone was in their home.

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BTW, why would Saul be widely perceived as a conman online? I don't think any Slippin Jimmy early cons were made public, nor was Howard con, until Kim's confession at least. He was just a shady lawyer, but not exactly a conman, and then a crime lord lawyer and accomplice. Am I missing something here? (Very well may be, my memories of BB are vague to say the least).

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2 hours ago, 3CityApache said:

BTW, why would Saul be widely perceived as a conman online? I don't think any Slippin Jimmy early cons were made public, nor was Howard con, until Kim's confession at least. He was just a shady lawyer, but not exactly a conman, and then a crime lord lawyer and accomplice. Am I missing something here? (Very well may be, my memories of BB are vague to say the least).

well we hear in that Florida call conversation between Kim and Gene that the policemen have seized most of Saul's properties related to Walt & the cartel. So, now it's probably public knowledge that Saul is a criminal.

(my memories of BB are blured too, in fact I can't even remember Saul going to the vacuum guy :D )

the moment when Jeff's mom calls Saul Goodman a 'dangerous criminal' is highly symbolic as well. Because Jimmy used to be so friendly and useful to the elder in his lawyer days.

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3 hours ago, 3CityApache said:

BTW, why would Saul be widely perceived as a conman online? I don't think any Slippin Jimmy early cons were made public, nor was Howard con, until Kim's confession at least. He was just a shady lawyer, but not exactly a conman, and then a crime lord lawyer and accomplice. Am I missing something here? (Very well may be, my memories of BB are vague to say the least).

Saul's involvement with Walter White/the Cartel is pretty well known now to law enforcement, and presumably, has been shared with the media.

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17 minutes ago, Ser Glendon Fireball said:

So, now it's probably public knowledge that Saul is a criminal.

I know, but it's not the same as being a conman, is it? And she specifically said she typed "conman" and "Albuquerque" and he was the first result.

Or perhaps I'm wrong and being a criminal's lawyer may be called being a conman?

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18 hours ago, SpaceChampion said:

I thought initially he was faking a drunk driving accident in order to distract the cops from looking at the house, allowing Slipping Jimmy to slip out.

isn't that what happened?

I thought Jeff intended to escape the cops after a little accident that wouldn't cost him very much. After all, he isn't drunk, and the cab isn't stolen.

But the troubles come from the fact that Jimmy has stole things in the house... which Jeff didn't expect.

I am probably wrong, but it might just be a Gene deception. Because I'm not sure if Gene cares about Jeff being jailed. Jeff can't denounce Gene because they are accomplice so they fall together.

In fact, if it wasn't for the cops arriving after Gene saw Jeff waiting outside, I would 100% say that Gene texted Jeff like "do something to distract the cops", in order to get rid of him, knowing that Jeff will get all the trouble.

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