Pike Ludwell

Just finished binge watching this whole series over a several-week period. I remember watching the very first episode when it aired in 2010, but for some reason I don't remember I stopped watching it. I don't know why because it is an amazingly good show. It sort of takes you into an interesting world filled with fascinating people. This series finale tied everything up nicely and was well written. I was glad to see Ava free at last. My only qualm is when I remember how she beat that whore mercilessly several times. There were probably some other truly bad things she did, but nothing too incredibly terrible. Robbing from thieves is something that doesn't bother me. Anyway, if any show could revive at some later point, this one seems set up now for a revival or spinoff, and I hope that happens.

Sure Chuck should have just leveled with Jimmy from the beginning. But Jimmy had been a problem for Chuck for years, and he may have been afraid how Jimmy would have taken it. Maybe he was just dealing with the Jimmy problem as best he could. Should he have put his reputation on the line and taken in the always teetering-on-the-brink Jimmy as a lawyer in the prestigious firm? Maybe. But Chuck is no saint. Not all people are so heavily into constant charity and monitoring and guiding other's behavior, especially if they have a bad history. Jimmy had been a serious problem for years and Chuck's negative attitude was justified.

If they had hired Jimmy he probably would have just been back out on the street within a few years anyway. A few setbacks and he'd be going the overly sleazy ethics route and the firm would have canned him. To answer your question: The kind of brother who doesn't want his brother to end up like we see Saul in the very opening scenes of episode 1. Though he could have his great moments -- lawyering was out of his league. However I do think he was above "mail boy". That said, I am enjoying the show, love the characters and am hooked!

Good to finally see some posters come along who aren't seeing it all Jimmy: Good / Chuck: Bad. Chuck's only "crime" was not telling Jimmy from the start that he didn't want him in HHM. But he probably didn't tell because he has his own issues, and also Jimmy's issues would have led Jimmy to react too irrationally to the truth. Instead he encouraged Jimmy to take the more realistic path and make it on his own. There is no evil there and no basis for wanting Chuck to die because of this. And Chuck was reasonable and realistic in not wanting Jimmy in the firm. Yes Chuck additionally also had emotional issues going that came out in the exchange at the end when Jimmy absolutely pushed him into being so blunt. But still, in addition to that, Chuck had overwhelming good, rational reasons for not wanting him in the firm.

A very good episode. Enjoyed it a lot.

I don't think Chuck will screw over Jimmy in any sort of mean way, but it could be a matter of him not bending over backwards to push an extremely liberal interpretation of the non-compete clause in his contract. And if Jimmy is screwed out of his money from the case by HHM, I would bet Chuck would just pay him some on his own. Maybe not, but I haven't seen evidence yet that Chuck would be unfair to Jimmy - just that he's sort of reluctant to go to the mat for him because of his past.

I was really impressed with the writers' obvious attention to the legal details. The NMSA and USC citations were on the money, as were the case law cites. They could have just made up the cites, but they were all legit and a realistic legal case.

Too soon? I didn't think so. It seemed fine to me at this point.

Corrigan was a dead ringer for Dexter's psycho serial killer brother, Rudy -- that's what distracted me.

I'd thought of that too, but the money was so well hidden and tricky to get to, I would not have thought they'd think the kid could have found it. But I'm sure that making them think it was the kids was Mike's plan. And what was their alternative to thinking the kid found it? That someone broke in and left a wad of money for them on the truck? So it was a well conceived idea.

Saul's woman friend Kim, to me looks a lot like Francesca - Saul's secretary in BB. Thinner and better looking, yes, but I see a strong resemblance in the face. I think if they ever introduce the Francesca character in BCS, they should have her be Kim's sister. Also, I am puzzled regarding something in the Mike-as-cat-burglar scene. After he'd sprayed the agent onto the wad of money so he could follow the trail, and placed the money on the toy truck ... Why were the Kettlemans so unworried about the wad of money suddenly appearing on the truck? Why wouldn't they have immediately realized something was amiss and taken cautionary steps. Obviously someone had been in there. Yes, it's nice to find a wad of money, but it should have been alarming too. I guess an explanation is that they are a couple with only a slight grasp of reality, to begin with.

I'd definitely immediately thought about him running over her with the van, but figured she could just run through the field the second she him approaching. I re-watched and now I see there was a very high fence with apparent barbed wire in front of the field. I hadn't noticed that before. Still it just seems to me that someone with that much space in front of the fence could still outmaneuver someone in an old van like that. Stand at the fence, and as he starts charging just quickly run out of the way at the last second, get behind him and just stay out of his way no matter what he does. Perhaps he'd have hit the fence with his initial charge, so she could then get through. It still all seems to me like they portrayed her as a little too weak. Same with regard to the hacker guy. He started out as a very sharp guy, always in control and on top of things - always outsmarting his opponent. All of a sudden he's making stupid mistakes, loses control and is outwitted by the brilliant Stamper!! (ROFL). I'd been hoping that hacker would be the one to bring down the house of cards. I'd also been hoping Rachel would outwit and destroy Stamper. The writers chose the opposite direction and I lose interest when the bad guys keep unrealistically winning a little too much.

Unless he had a gun, I am amazed that Doug would have been able to overpower Rachel, when she was untied and knew he was coming. She had plenty of notice he was coming. She was young, fit and healthy. He was partly crippled. She should have just run through the field and there's no way he could have gotten her, unless he had a gun. Even if he walked close to her, she should have been able to overpower him the instant he acted suspicious, with a quick jab to his throat or elsewhere, followed up instantly by repeated quick punches till his head was a bloody pulp.

Vomiting scenes annoy me greatly and I view it as a slap in the face to the audience. I mean, who wants to see that other than maybe teenage boys of the Beavis and Butthead variety? Seriously. It's a trend that has been growing over the past decade.

You've got to admit, it's a strange mix of policies. The whole "nobody's entitled to anything" and anti-social security thing is very libertarian concept. But then he says everyone should be guaranteed a job. And he will subsidize companies to hire people. That would be something totally inconsistent with his anti-entitlement idea, and it is further left than even the most liberal democrat would go. But of course it is just a TV show and they don't have to be too realistic on things like this. They're trying to make him equally idiotically far right and far left so as not to have him favoring one side over another and alienating viewers. With this way they are doing it people on both sides can just laugh at the absurdity of it, just not take it too seriously, and not get too caught up in liking or disliking because of political ideology.

I thought it was elegant at the end of season 2 when Rachel, the victim, fought back and killed the villain. This took it several notches above the typical formulaic cheap thriller show. But then we find out in season 3 they are using one of the oldest, most tiresome and annoying cheap thriller devices: the victim does not quite finish off the villain, and he comes back and kills her. And I don't like this show going the torture porn route. I thought it was above that. My view from the beginning was the only valid reason to bring back Stamper was so that he suffers constantly, tries to kill Rachel again, and she kills him conclusively this time. I am reluctant to watch any further seasons. It insulted my intelligence this season in that and several other ways. And what's the deal with the writers thinking Stamper is some sort of sex symbol. He has one beautiful woman after another jumping into bed with him, with him showing minimal personality of any good sort. His looks are that great? ROFL And why show the actor in a nude scene. He's supposed to be hot? I think I hear Twilight Zone music playing in the background.

I hadn't seen Lars before, but kept thinking he looks familiar. Turns out he's the brother of Mads Mikkelson, who played the villain in Casino Royale. Definitely a resemblance there.

It's like Frank has adopted caricatures of each party's views, emphasizing the most idiotic aspects. Crack down on "entitlements" like social security, etc. because they are destroying the economy (totally false), on the one hand, and on the other hand, the idiotic idea of paying employers (what was it? 45k per year?) to guarantee everyone a job. Ridiculous. Not even the most extreme Democrat is for anything like that. And, hopefully the right wing is not believing that what Underwood is doing insofar as executive orders is anything like the mild stuff Obama has been doing. But I'm sure they are believing that. I think the right has grounds to believe the show is on their side.

Great ending to this episode. The church ending, obviously invoking the "Two Cathedrals" episode of West Wing - but with a much darker direction. Hilarious line: "Well, I've got God's ear now." Good episode. I'm liking this season more than last, so far.

I'm happy to have Stamper back too - as long as he fails at every sadistic thing he attempts and is constantly suffering. I hope Rachel had the sense to get a gun and learn how to use it. I hate seeing someone like her constantly victimized, not fighting back effectively, over and over. Just not something I want to spend my time watching. Really, the only way to have Stamper's return worthwhile, is so that he tries to intimidate her again, and she kills him.

I'm disappointed Stamper is back. I thought he was gone at the end of last season, and I was elated about that. I was hoping he was eliminating himself near the end of this episode when he was doing all that odd stuff at the sink, but, unfortunately, no. Maybe in episode 2? One can only hope.

In terms of the clouds, clearly the filming was at several different times, maybe even different days. In some scenes the clouds and formations looked quite different from others. Lots of storm clouds were brewing in some scenes - maybe symbolism for what lies ahead.

Maybe Mr. Pinkman goes into Krazy 8's dad's furniture store to make a purchase, and converses with K8 at the checkout. Probably not, but I can't help but think that when they first bring in K8 it will be in that furniture store. Pinkman's appearance would it seems to me have to be just some sort of random encounter like that - I can't imagine any sort of basis for him associating with any of these people.

I'm hoping Saul gets money soon, gets that office in the strip mall, and hires Huell, Francesca, and Kuby. They were great characters and their interactions could liven up the show. It would almost be criminal not to have them in the series.

It's a little distracting to see these guys all looking so much older in this stuff happening years earlier. But that's inherent in prequels using the same actors. I'd rather have it than not, and I'll get used to the appearances. Good episode, but not what I expected. After the beginning b&w I'd have gone with a faster pace, more color, and more interesting interactions - just a whole different route. Seemed a little depressing. Maybe it will pick up.