S05.E09: Bad Choice Road

[mixedmartialmom]

15 hours ago, Pike Ludwell said:

I'd love it if major characters thought ahead, realized they had danger, and had guns. I'd have loved it if Kim pulled a gun  out from under the couch, pointed it at Lala, ordered him out. If he resisted shoot him. If he started to leave, hell, shoot him too. Why do these people never have guns? Why are they always highly vulnerable sheep among the rams?

It's. FICTION.  And the writers have the end in mind when they start at the beginning, and that's not the end they had in mind.  And do you really think a straight-laced LAWYER is going to wontonly shoot a cartel thug in her own home? Come on.

[MrWhyt]

15 hours ago, Pike Ludwell said:

If you are going to be a friend of the cartel you have to protect yourself and your loved ones. You can't be wimpy.  The writers could have used this as an opportunity to show real toughness of Kim. She pulls out a gun from under the sofa cushion, shoots Lala, without blinking an eye. Then the issue would be how to dispose of the body. The writers can go any direction they want. This direction would have had people hailing the episode as one of the greatest of all time.

really? there's been no evidence in past episode of Kim being able to commit cold blooded murder, it wouldn't make sense.

[Ailianna]

4 hours ago, ByTor said:

I guess the cheese officially stand alone, I don't think Jonathan Banks looks a whole lot different than he did on BB.

 

4 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Except for the desert scene, I agree, he has one of those haggard faces that seem ageless to me. While I'm watching, it doesn't really occur to me to compare the actors with their younger versions. 

 

3 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

Jonathan Banks looks the same as he did on his appearance on DS9.  Which was either 27 years in the past or 400 years in the future.  

Now, I have only watched BB once, and that was when I was at home after knee surgery and binged the entire series when AMC did it in four days leading into the finale.  So the only episode I watched in real time was the finale, and it was all jammed in fast and furious.  I rarely have any idea what season or episode something happened in, but I still like the show, and would consider watching again, if I had time and no other shows to catch up.  On the other hand, I have often re-watched BCS episodes, and have been watching since the beginning.

With that said, I think Jonathan Banks looks exactly the same, and really feel like he has one of those timelessly ancient faces, which fits Mike's character too.  He's timeless.  (And I did just see his old DS9 episode too; I had it on in the background and turned around when I heard his voice!)

[DangerousMinds]

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

—which means the actors who appeared in BrBa are playing at least 15 years younger, and actually at least 20 years younger. Isn’t 10 years younger the rule of thumb maximum? I can agree with a choice to not use the de-aging software for aesthetic reasons (i.e., it can look distractingly cheesy and fake) but the disparity of the ages (even with facelifts, Botox, and hairpieces) of the BrBa alum actors’ ages and their BCS characters’ ages is getting even more distracting, IMO. Maybe they could just use the deaging software with it set for the minimum effect? 

Personally, the aging of the actors barely registers with me. I’m so focused on the story that I honestly don’t notice it.

[DangerousMinds]

4 hours ago, ByTor said:

That is exactly what I thought...Kim kills Lalo, Kim may as well tattoo a bullseye on herself for when the cartel uses her for target practice.

I guess the cheese officially stand alone, I don't think Jonathan Banks looks a whole lot different than he did on BB.

Agree, it’s just not relevant to me.

[PeterPirate]

My recollection is hazy, but isn't there a BB scene where we see a gun in Saul's desk?

We saw Walt and Jesse fumble around with guns before they were able to use them effectively.  Even if Kim were to "get smart" and decide to arm herself, there would still need to be several scenes of her obtaining a weapon and then getting trained to use it.  With any luck, we'll get to see that in Kim Wexler: Undercover DEA Agent.

Edited April 18, 2020 by PeterPirate

[Bryce Lynch]

4 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

My recollection is hazy, but isn't there a BB scene where we see a gun in Saul's desk?

We saw Walt and Jesse fumble around with guns before they were able to use them effectively.  Even if Kim were to "get smart" and decide to arm herself, there would still need to be several scenes of her obtaining a weapon and then getting trained to use it.  With any luck, we'll get to see that in Kim Wexler: Undercover DEA Agent.

Yes, in  Episode 511 "Confessions", Jesse, enraged when he figures out that Walt poisoned Brock and that Saul had Huell lift the ricin cigarette (and later his weed) from him, storms past Huell, into Saul's office and starts beating him.

Saul crawls to his desk, opens a drawer and tries to get a small pistol from it, but Jesse grabs it first and threatens Saul and Huell with it.

 

[SunnyBeBe]

On 4/15/2020 at 10:13 AM, Eulipian 5k said:

Exhibit 1: Chuck McGill. Was he under the control of his "illness" or was he using  it to control others? Or was he controlling it with his foil underwear, while controlling HMM? Or...?

Exhibit 2: Jimmy McGill controlling Saul Goodman (Slippin Jimmy).

It deems that was just a delay tactic, since he wasn't going to remove the VIN numbers stamped on the engine/car frame. Anybody can call in a License Plate quickly vs jumping into the ditch to read the VIN on the windshield. I agree with Kim that there are lots of shot up wrecks in the NM desert. (Never been there, just a guess).

Also: Doesn't Pro Bono refer to the cases an otherwise employed lawyer takes as charity? That is, you can't live off pro bono because there is no pay.

In some states, you can represent indigent clients and still get paid, if you register as a Court Appointed attorney.  Some counties have a Public Defender's office for this, but, they also have a court appointed list, where indigent defendants are appointed lawyers, who the Public Defender's office cannot represent, like if there is a conflict or some other reason.  Other counties use court appointed attorneys exclusively for indigent defendants and the state pays the attorneys for their time. (Defendant's may have to reimburse a percentage of the attorney fee if they are found guilty.)  Maybe, Kim isn't into that. She could pursue a job with Legal Aid.  They help people in civil matters who can't afford attorneys like in foreclosures, evictions, etc. and they are paid a salary, though, usually modest, but, with benefits. 

Why did Kim feel the need to disclose the detail that she knew to Lalo about his true identity when she saw him in jail? Why not just keep it very basic? No matter how afraid she was for Jimmy, going there was just beyond risky.  To me, she's too smart for that.  As smart as she is, she had to know that there is NO WAY she was going to get any info and in fact, it would make the matter worse. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[shapeshifter]

9 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

In some states, you can represent indigent clients and still get paid, if you register as a Court Appointed attorney.  Some counties have a Public Defender's office for this, but, they also have a court appointed list, where indigent defendants are appointed lawyers, who the Public Defender's office cannot represent, like if there is a conflict or some other reason.  Other counties use court appointed attorneys exclusively for indigent defendants and the state pays the attorneys for their time. (Defendant's may have to reimburse a percentage of the attorney fee if they are found guilty.)

All of this discussion about whether Kim might be able to make a living doing only Pro Bono cases keeps giving me flashbacks to The Good Wife when Alicia met Lucca when they were both taking pro bono cases appointed by the judge (in Chicago), but I can't recall the mechanics or details of the finances.

Edited April 20, 2020 by shapeshifter

[SunnyBeBe]

4 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

All of this discussion about whether Kim might be able to make a living doing only Pro Bono cases keeps giving me flashbacks to The Good Wife when Alicia met Lucca when they were both taking pro bono cases appointed by the judge (in Chicago), but I can't recall the mechanics or details of the finances.

Oh, I didn't watch that show much, though, hear it was good.  I don't know about Chicago, but, in the south, in a large city, it's difficult. It would be no where near what Kim was making in her private practice. But, with Jimmy's income it could supplement them.  The way that Kim and Jimmy are so careless  and loose with the law and protocol.....it's difficult to think of any place they would fit into that well.  An eventual crash and burn for sure. lol

[JudyObscure]

50 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

 

Why did Kim feel the need to disclose the detail that she knew to Lalo about his true identity when she saw him in jail? Why not just keep it very basic? No matter how afraid she was for Jimmy, going there was just beyond risky.  To me, she's too smart for that.  As smart as she is, she had to know that there is NO WAY she was going to get any info and in fact, it would make the matter worse. 

True, and  why did Kim think that Lalo would be willing to tell her the pick-up spot in exchange for her going out to look for Saul plus his 7 million? Wouldn't  Lalo would already have someone he trusted more than Kim out looking for his 7 million plus Saul?

[SunnyBeBe]

35 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

True, and  why did Kim think that Lalo would be willing to tell her the pick-up spot in exchange for her going out to look for Saul plus his 7 million? Wouldn't  Lalo would already have someone he trusted more than Kim out looking for his 7 million plus Saul?

Yeah.  And, not all wives are fans of their spouse.  This might have been a great opportunity to get rid of a spouse (disappeared and declared dead eventually)  and pick up a load of dough.  (She claim she never saw any bags or DH or anything else.) lol 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

On 4/15/2020 at 6:56 AM, gallimaufry said:

However I do think water imagery is very significant to the show.  Very roughly, it seems to me that snow or pure water is linked to respectability and decency or at least the appearance of it 

Not to mention the magical and restorative powers of Mrs. Nguyen's cucumber water, of which our intrepid hero is forbade.

On 4/18/2020 at 4:10 PM, MrWhyt said:

really? there's been no evidence in past episode of Kim being able to commit cold blooded murder, it wouldn't make sense.

This would be the point of choosing this path.  Kim has spent the last several seasons into an inevitable bad road choice.  She has seemingly done enough to avoid being utterly stuck on that road.  

The visit with Lalo was easily jarring enough to cause her to become a friend of the gun as she and her husband becomes friends of the cartel.  

I fully agree this would be inconsistent with the vacillating Kim.  Such a stark and irrevocable move as shooting Lalo would be tectonic.  I'm fine that G/G did not go that way.  I would have been fine if they had, and I would have experienced another all-time TV stunner.  No worries.   

[nuraman00]

Did we see how Jimmy got paid?

I assume the duffel bags only contained the bail money.  The bail clerk did say there was some extra, but I'm not sure about $100K extra.

So who paid Jimmy, and how/when?

[MrWhyt]

13 minutes ago, nuraman00 said:

Did we see how Jimmy got paid?

I assume the duffel bags only contained the bail money.  The bail clerk did say there was some extra, but I'm not sure about $100K extra.

So who paid Jimmy, and how/when?

the extra cash in the bag was his pay, I suspect he didn't get the full 100k seeing as he lost some of the money along the way and had to make it up to total $7M

[ShadowFacts]

23 minutes ago, nuraman00 said:

Did we see how Jimmy got paid?

I assume the duffel bags only contained the bail money.  The bail clerk did say there was some extra, but I'm not sure about $100K extra.

So who paid Jimmy, and how/when?

In the confrontation at the apartment, Lalo said words to the effect of "I paid you, I can hear the story as many times as I want."  Jimmy says something like "You want the money back, it's in the other room."  So we didn't actually see the transaction, but it was done.  Kim looked at the cash in the bag, there were several stacks of $10,000. 

[Pike Ludwell]

So when Lalo walked out of the apt., Saul had no idea what he was thinking or where he was going. I predict Lalo dies in the next episode - maybe Nacho or Nacho's father kills him. As someone else mentioned, in BB Saul has a gun in his desk drawer. So I'm thinking Saul or Kim gets a gun, after what happened last week, and that will enter the plot in some way. Jimmy won't be the one to kill Lalo though because he believed Lalo was alive in that BB episode.

Maybe Lalo returns and is threatening Kim, away from Saul, and Nacho kills Lalo because he can't bear to see Kim killed.  Or Kim kills him in strict self defense. Then Kim doesn't tell Jimmy because she doesn't want to upset him. But she leaves him and returns to the HHM law firm with Howard because it has gotten too dangerous around him. He agrees and agrees not to see her again.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Pike Ludwell

[ItCouldBeWorse]

6 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

the extra cash in the bag was his pay, I suspect he didn't get the full 100k seeing as he lost some of the money along the way and had to make it up to total $7M

The clerk actually handed him back 10 stacks marked $10,000 each.

[nuraman00]

On 4/20/2020 at 7:25 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

The clerk actually handed him back 10 stacks marked $10,000 each.

Thanks.

[Ed-]

On 4/21/2020 at 2:51 AM, Pike Ludwell said:

So when Lalo walked out of the apt., Saul had no idea what he was thinking or where he was going. I predict Lalo dies in the next episode - maybe Nacho or Nacho's father kills him. As someone else mentioned, in BB Saul has a gun in his desk drawer. So I'm thinking Saul or Kim gets a gun, after what happened last week, and that will enter the plot in some way. Jimmy won't be the one to kill Lalo though because he believed Lalo was alive in that BB episode.

Since

Spoiler

Saul does not know whether Lalo is dead or alive in BB during the famous "It was Ignacio" scene, and appears not to worry about this matter beforehand,

I am starting to suspect there might be a time jump to the BB timeline already by the end of BCS season 6 episode 1. They could show a timelapse with the Sandpiper settlement, the new offices, and then move straight to the BB scene. I think it mostly depends on what the writers have in store for Kim. I do want to see some more Kim action, but I do not want to see the show stretched out because of the need to overengineer the explanation for her absence in BB.

[kelslamu]

I think it would have had bad repercussions for all of them if Mike had shot Lalo, even though I was wishing hard that he would.  It would have reflected on Fring, making him no longer unimpeachable, in his words.  I think it worked for continuity purposes with breaking bad.  However, I was surprised he took that from Kim.  I do think she will pay for it eventually.

[kelslamu]

Maybe Kim stays with Saul because even though he lies like her mother did, he does love her and shows it, unlike her mother.  It's kind of familiar, but better?  Armchair psychiatry here. Lol

[Cinnabon]

51 minutes ago, kelslamu said:

Maybe Kim stays with Saul because even though he lies like her mother did, he does love her and shows it, unlike her mother.  It's kind of familiar, but better?  Armchair psychiatry here. Lol

The multimillion dollar businesses she was working for before also lied, too. And harmed many more in the long run than Saul ever will.🤷‍♀️

[Anela]

Saul went through a lot, but I'd be feeling damned glad I had Mike to talk to. The man saved his life, and continues to look out for him, and others.