monagatuna

Remember early on in the series when Jimmy went into the HHM conference room and shouted "YOU! WILL! ATONE!"? That was in my head throughout this entire episode. I highly doubt the writers had that in mind when they wrote that line, but it was a fun coincidence.

I'm pretty sure Saul was the one who coined the phrase "send him to Belize." I can't remember who, though. Jesse once, and then...Badger? But that doesn't sound right. It's been too long since I rewatched.

Well...I was pretty far off. Still thought the ending was very fitting.

I thought this finale went the only way it could go. I remember checking my watch when Gene was found, thinking, wow, a whole hour to go. This is going to come down to Jimmy's mouth. And didn't it always? I think it's unfair to compare this to BB or El Camino. Saul was never the guy MacGuyvering everyday household products into scientific genius to escape a situation. He always used his words to get whatever outcome he wished for. Why would the finale be any different? He was always kind of bumbling, then coming up with some beautiful argument at the eleventh hour. I am profoundly sad to see this universe come to an end. I'm sadder than I was when BB ended. I've been invested in this world since '08 when I stumbled upon it one Sunday evening when they were rerunning S1 of BB, and I watched the entire thing throughout the night (fun fact, I was in my second year of law school at the time and my Monday morning classes were brutal the next day). I scoffed at the idea of a spinoff with Saul, never expecting to actually enjoy the series more than its predecessor. But the story has been told, and at this point in time, most of the characters are dead, jailed, or disappeared, and it wouldn't make sense to follow up with them. I don't want to catch up with Jesse. I don't want to follow Jimmy's prison shenanigans, or see Kim get some relatively mild comeuppance. I like not knowing what they're up to. That last scene was a goodbye, to Jimmy and to all of us, and it was perfectly shot and wonderfully acted. Bravo and farewell to an excellent series.

What if there is a diapered neanderthal with bad hair making muscly poses in it?

I think you're right. Private homes with pools usually don't have writing on the cement by the pool, which likely says something like "2 ft" or "no diving." I've never seen a private pool with markings like that. Also, there are a LOT of chairs opposite her. I've never understood "sitting by the pool." It's hot, the sun is blinding, and you're literally just sitting there. At least a hammock under a shady tree is cool and comfortable. But I'm sure it's the best our Janelle can think up.

Not only do they know that, but they actually DO love her. More than him, by a lot.

This reminds me of an older episode of You're Wrong About--the one about the charlatan quack Dr. Oz. If you haven't listened to that episode, you should! These ingredients come up there too.

Death Valley National Park will be recovering from last week's monsoons for a very, very long time. Her Plexus menu makes my stomach turn. That pink nightmare looks like it would suck every drop of moisture out of your mouth and make your teeth hurt. Like Crystal Light on steroids. Not to mention what it does to the rest of your body, I'm sure.

These were all great, but I lost it at "Glaa."

Of coooourse they're Bitcoin Bros. And I got a good laugh at the question "Did they call the police?!" when John was shot. Um, they're anarchists, I don't think anyone's gonna be calling the cops anytime soon. I'm not laughing at John's death--stupid choices or not, that was sad--but the knee-jerk, pearl-clutching reaction of "call the police!" when an anarchist gets shot is just too, too rich. Lily was definitely methed up prior to John's death. Her skin healed like magic and she looks a million times better now.

Same--I'm not a criminal lawyer and I don't practice in NM or on the federal level, so it really depends on local laws or if they would escalate to federal, but I'm thinking accessory after the fact (murder of Howard), evidence tampering (Howard again), accessory to commit grand theft (Howard's car/keys), planting evidence (again, she didn't do it herself but was in on the plan), harassment, stalking...I'm sure there are more. Just because she didn't physically do these acts herself doesn't mean she can't be charged with those crimes. She pretty much masterminded the entire thing.

That preview was so cringe, until we got to the Babs part. I wasn't prepared for that. (Cue Whitney's "I wasn't ready for a baby this weekend" wail.) That emotion was genuine, for once.

I agree--they don't write throwaway scenes in BCS. Anything casual-seeming is steeped in subtext, and the subtle yet clear acting from Esposito is brilliant in this scene. Is that the first genuine smile we've seen from Gus this whole time? I also have no problem with the time jump between the last shreds of Jimmy and full-on Saul. Kim is his one touchstone, the only thing he cares about now that his brother is gone and his charming elder clients have gone to other lawyers. When you break her (which, to be clear, would be Jimmy's perspective, not mine--Kim broke bad herself long ago), there's nothing left but to break yourself. Accumulate things, lose your soul. I also have no objection to Cheryl's sudden concern about Howard. No matter her seeming indifference in the one other scene we've seen her in, they have built a marriage and a palatial household and even if her affection is gone, there is now a mystery filling the Howard-shaped hole in her life. Not only is he dead, officially, he's presumed dead. She doesn't even have anything to bury. Estranged or not, she'll never get closure, and whether she loves him now, she did at some point, and that's a hard pill to swallow. My college boyfriend died well after we split up, some 10 years ago now, and I still find the circumstances around his death hard to believe. If his body had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, even if he had exhibited behaviors suggesting drug use, it'd be even harder.

I suspect this is not the last we've seen of Kim, but this show has never failed to surprise me, so I'm taking my suspicions with a healthy dose of salt. Her departure hit me harder than Howard's, honestly, despite the fact that she went on her own and presumably goes on to continue living. The last time they had this conversation, they ended up married. I get that it had to be this way, or else they would continue to leave destruction in their wake (but who's to say they wouldn't do that separately), but I still feel gutted. Four more episodes to go. I can't even begin to speculate what is going to happen. I have literally no idea. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Okay THAT I would watch.

I can't speak for AZ, but driving through the CA desert I had no signal but my buddy was fine on T-Mobile. They have towers intermittently throughout the desert.

You are SO spot on. I'd rather see Creepy Todd resurface than Kaylee and Anxious Lip-Chewing Mom again. At least he can act.

Where do they even FIND those cold shoulder monstrosities?

I could see that. I know a number of people that live in vans and RVs, but the difference is that they spend most of their waking hours outdoors: skydiving, hiking, climbing, BASE, etc. Janelle likes "the outdoors" in that she likes to sit in her camp chair, but I feel the bulk of her time is spent staring at those four tiny walls, which after a while can start to feel like they're closing in on you.

I agree with you. The stories of Saul, Walt, and ultimately Jesse ended with the vacuum man. (Not spoilering because El Camino was two years ago.) All the other major players found their end on the business end of a gun or explosive device. I like to think that, at the functional end of the BB-verse, the writers will be more creative and not just default to the vacuum cleaner man. I really hope that business card we focused on a few eps ago is a red herring. I think Kim deserves better, and so do the viewers. Though I will say, even if we do have to see another vacuum-related disappearance, I'm optimistic that getting there will be interesting, at least. I rewatched El Camino last night and the way they handled Jesse's pursuit of that option was pretty creative.

My friend, wife and I had a whole conversation about the ties. Previously we saw, very pointedly, Gus wearing clip-on ties, possibly to avoid being strangled on his own clothing. Here, we see him wearing a regular tie, which he very pointedly removes before going to where he thinks Lalo is, possibly for the same reason? Was it because he was among his own people, at home and presumably safe, that he felt comfortable wearing a standard tie? Why have both? (My assumption is that his meticulous nature demands a standard tie, but the clip-ons are a necessary evil when he's in public.)

This is the only word you should ever speak, should you find yourself in that situation. My favorite is "you say potato, I say spoliation!" which I use regularly, even though I almost never encounter actual spoliation.

I completely forgot Tuco's in prison at this point. You raise a point that makes me wonder: why not the cousins? They're so stoic and grave. I wonder if either/both of them would be better choices to run a drug business than Tuco or even Lalo (who, while cunning, is still a bit of a loose cannon).

By Season 2 of Breaking Bad, it's done. For all we know, we're in S1 of the BB universe. Saul doesn't even meet Walter until the latter half of S2. I have a feeling we're going to meet Walt before the end of this series, which would plant us firmly in S1 of BB, barring some time hopping. Perhaps Howard's disappearance is being overshadowed by the mysterious explosion at Tuco's meth den by a shard of mercury fulminate. ;)