Ellaria

And wait until he finds out that Kim knew that Lalo was alive…

Wow…add me to group that gasped when Lalo pulled that trigger. I hope that Howard’s words are burned into the souls of Jimmy and Kim. Howard is smart. Even after the drug, the humiliation, the sense of loss, Howard knew exactly what happened to him. He understood them, probably better than they know themselves. That was a brilliant speech. RIP Howard - he didn’t deserve that!! Patrick Fabian was terrific. And Lalo’s time needs to end soon. I’m done with this sewer-crawling rat.

I think that he murdered Kathleen but I agree that the prosecution was not able to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. For one thing, the Ratliff case should never have been admitted. However, I do not believe that the defense did enough to discredit what the prosecution was presenting. While the prosecution played to the emotions of the jury, the defense seems to have ignored their emotions. I have seen the documentary so I will put the rest of my comments behind spoiler tags:

I’m not positive but I don’t believe that a conversation of that sort was shown. It’s impossible to respond to this appropriately without revealing things that have not yet been shown in the drama. Suffice to say that the non-linear aspect of the storytelling can be confusing.

And that question is the true heart of this story. There are so many questions that can never be answered.

Didn’t care for this episode for many reasons. I’ve watched enough prison drama; didn’t need more of it. I was annoyed by the scenes of the documentary team trying to complete their work. Then I read that the creators of the documentary are unhappy with how they are portrayed in this episode, particularly how it relates to Sophie’s editing and her relationship with Michael. I really don’t know what to think. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/05/the-staircase-documentary-hbo-max These events obviously took a toll on Michael’s children and it’s sad to watch. He is a destructive person.

Yes…she literally turns onto the wrong road. She turns away from an incredible opportunity to do the work that she (supposedly) loves while earning a respectable salary. I assume that this opportunity will not come again. She did not turn away because of a legitimate emergency such as a family health crisis. She turned away to create chaos and cause damage. Regardless of the outcome of their plan, she should not get another chance at this opportunity. Kim is smart; she made this choice with her eyes wide open. She will be the architect of her own downfall.

Excellent points! All reasons why I still love Jimmy. (Undoubtedly, Bob Odenkirk has something to do with it.) However, something makes him change and I think that “something” is coming soon.

I disagree. I don't think that Jimmy wants to destroy anything. He likes the con. He likes to get the win, however petty. I don't think that he is a destructive force right now. And frankly, that's part of the problem with keeping this plan so secretive. Why hasn't there been more discussion of what they are planning? Perhaps we don't need every detail spelled out but I would like to get Kim - and more importantly - Jimmy's thoughts on it. Has he considered all possibilities about what could occur and the associated consequences? BCS has been a character-driven show. Now there is a big plot point in the center of it and I feel like we are missing a lot of character motivation driving to the point.

Interesting! Kim’s choices aren’t rational right now. She is throwing away an amazing opportunity for something that is likely undefinable for her. Howard represents what she hates but she isn’t seeing past her petty revenge plan. She isn’t evaluating the alternatives. What happens if it backfires? Has she considered that option? As you say, there is no logic to it. I do not believe that the successful execution of this plan - whatever it is - will provide her with what she is seeking. It will not enable her to turn her life around. The opportunity for her to turn her life around was in Santa Fe and she literally turned away from it. I would like to understand her motivations a bit better. Rough childhood, OK, but that doesn’t completely explain her actions now. I would like to know more but I don’t think we will get…at least not in a way that will help me now.

Agree. Judging by that U-turn, her primary motivation is the "win." And it seems like she needs immediate gratification. She could have followed Jimmy's suggestion and "rescheduled" their plan AND still attended her meeting in Santa Fe. She chose a different path. I love Kim but I will make no excuses for her going forward.

You can watch the full trial here: https://www.courttv.com/trials/nc-v-peterson-2003/ . I have not watched it but perhaps that will help answer your questions - all good ones - about the blow poke. There are a lot of curious things about the prosecution's case. The blow poke is only one of them. While it may not have been "too smart" to include it, they did and they got their conviction. I'm amazed that the jury was not able to find reasonable doubt considering that the prosecution could not prove either a motive or murder weapon.

I don’t know. I’ll be a bit disappointed if the “vacuum shop” is used for Kim. That’s going to the same well too often. Rather, I think it means that Jimmy ends up with the vet’s black book. Agree. Kim is singularly focused on destroying Howard. It was evident in that U-turn away from Santa Fe and away from the opportunity to achieve her supposed dream. It supersedes all of her other motivations including affection for Jimmy and providing legal aid to the underserved. I didn’t love this episode either for the same reason. Kim’s commitment to this plan has gotten more intense and probably more reckless. That, IMO, is a recipe for disaster and not just for Howard. I’m getting a bit bored with scenes of Lalo creating havoc worldwide. Let’s get him back to NM and the likely face-off with Gus.

Yes - it certainly causes a chain of custody issue. And yes, there was no discussion of how long it was there or how long it would take for the cobwebs, etc to develop. However, none of those issues were raised at trial.

I’ve watched the documentary and I’m still confused and skeptical about aspects of this case. The prosecution backed off on their claim that the blowpoke was the definitive murder weapon. They claimed that “it could have been.” FWIW, I think that he killed her, likely in a way presented in this episode. However, I do not believe that the prosecution presented their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Agree. I don’t think that we will see anything further of Margarethe and Little Bear. Lalo found something that was of use to him and he is gone. There is a lot of story left to tell and not that much time in which to tell it. And - as an aside - I am usually wrong.

The blowpoke that Clayton found in the garage was dirty with cobwebs and bugs. In other words, it had been sitting there for quite some time. I believe that testing was then done for evidence of bloodstains, etc and none were present. During the trial, the prosecution focused on it as the murder weapon and claimed that it was “missing.” Once the defense finds it in the garage, the so-called murder weapon is no longer missing.

All entirely possible. We will never know for certain what they argued about. Suffice to say that whatever the argument was about, it angered him enough to attack her violently. I wonder how he has processed the events of that night. Assuming that he did kill her, does he tell himself that, because it wasn't premeditated/planned, that it was unintentional ("I didn't mean to kill her") and therefore "accidental?" FYI - I understand that what we saw in this reenactment was no accident; it was murder. I'm trying to make sense of what he tells himself.

I thought that scene was effectively done and, IMO, seems to be what likely happened. They were drinking. They argued. (Not convinced that it was about the gay porn/escorts. It could have been about finances, Clayton's issues or it could have been all of it. What they argued about may not matter.) He goes into a rage and kills her with his bare hands. I will be interested to learn more about Sophie the editor (Juliette Binoche) since I am familiar with her role in this story.

Sadly, I’m starting to dislike Kim as well. Her hatred of Howard still doesn’t make complete sense to me, either in its intensity or timing. I also have issues with the secrets that she is keeping from Jimmy: that Lalo is alive, that she met Mike and that Mike having them followed. Sure - it’s easy to say that she wants to keep Jimmy safe by not sharing those secrets but it’s likely more complicated and self serving than that. Sigh… I’m not particularly entertained watching Gus’ paranoia. Yes, he is afraid of Lalo. Everyone is and with good reason. Obviously, all of these moments, like scrubbing grout with a toothbrush, are leading up to something much bigger. I’m just getting impatient. I assume that Lalo has super powers. Once again, Tony Dalton proves that he could be utterly charming and terrifying in the span of a few minutes. While I completely forgot that Werner encountered Lalo, I understood immediately why he was maneuvering himself into a conversation with Werner’s lovely wife. At least she and her cute doggy escaped unharmed. Agree. The boxing match was silly, IMO, but it certainly speaks to how Howard is approaching his “problem.” Howard doesn’t understand the level of Kim’s hatred for him. I don’t know where this going but I don’t like how it feels.

Agree. In this universe, it’s hard to designate someone as “our hero” until the end of the story. There are still many paths that she can choose. 100%. A desire to do good and actually doing good are not necessarily the same thing. The article makes another statement that I don’t agree with: “Her noble desire to be the hero in other people’s lives.” I’ve never thought that Kim wanted to be a hero. In fact, I’m still not entirely clear on her motivations. I think that Kim is much more complex.

Agree. I loved the comedic aspect of Jimmy dressed up like Howard. When he needed to move the sign - Hilarious! However, it seemed like a long run for a short slide. I wondered why she withheld the information about Lalo, too. She certainly still seemed upset about it while in the car. I think that Kim will ultimately act out of self-interest. At some point, she will move beyond protecting Jimmy or encouraging him in another crazy scheme.

Last week, I thought that Kim was headed down the same self-destructive path as Walt (“I did it for me”). Now I’m not so sure that she will. Cliff’s offer plus her reaction to knowing that Lalo is alive makes me wonder if Kim chooses the safe path. Yes, that’s not typical of characters in this universe. Regardless, there is a lot of story left to be told, particularly as it relates to Kim and her motivations.

It makes complete sense why he would wear a clip-on tie. However, I had the same reaction as you did: didn’t think it was Gus’ style. He is always so precisely dressed. Love that he takes such good care of those clip-ones. And the bolded sentence is just brilliant!

Jimmy dressed up to look like Howard was well-done, right down to the spray tan. The more I learn about Gus, the less interesting he becomes. The set-up of the two houses and their security speaks to extreme paranoia…all of it warranted. The bicycling couple with their bright track suits and their nonchalance about this security was hilarious. And Gus wears clip-on ties?! Kim looked unnerved after finding out that Lalo is alive. Last week, I thought that she felt a certain sense of confidence about the “cartel lawyer” possibilities. I’m not sure about that any longer. Kim is still a huge question mark for me. As we know, this office is not temporary despite what Jimmy said. That is still his office years into the future in BB. What happened in the intervening years to make him abandon that plan? Money isn’t an issue. Perhaps time and desire. Lalo’s absence may be more threatening than his presence. We know that he will reappear but when and how are a mystery.