S06.E04: Hit and Run

[peeayebee]

13 minutes ago, PeterPirate said:

The scene with Mike and Kim was the most interesting part of the episode.  Made me wonder if Kim is going to be in the background of BB. 

Then I found this review that made the same point.  

 

Very interesting. I'm not sure I would make the leap that the reviewer does, but it's not implausible. I also like seeing scenes from earlier in the series and from BB. Helps refresh my memory.

I'm not sure what the reviewer was getting at with Howard's estranged wife. I mean, yes, since Howard mentioned her, I could assume that the relationship will be significant later on, but I don't think that's a given.

BTW, I wonder if putting Tony Dalton's name in the credits was meant to make us wonder if he was going to appear in this ep. Then again, Michael Mando's name was there, too.

[Ellaria]

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.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Ellaria Sand

[Crashcourse]

Howard's reference to "Cheryl" was interesting, and I hope we get more backstory about his life. 

Saul/Jimmy has always thought people regarded him as some kind of loveable rascal, so I was delighted to see him being shunned by his colleagues.   He is a turd.

[Crashcourse]

39 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

Lalo’s absence may be more threatening than his presence.

Yes.  I would be scared shitless if I were Kim.

[Scout Finch]

Apparently my color detection is off because that house looked orange, not at all bright red.

[tennisgurl]

I absolutely loved Gus telling Mike that his guy on the inside "isn't up to Los Pollos Hermanos standards" its so in character. Just because his business is a front for his drug running cartel business which is all a part of a greater decade spanning revenge scheme doesn't mean that he doesn't care about the high quality of his food! Gus wants all things in both of his lives to be perfectly run after all. 

I already miss Nacho. 

This show might have started as Jimmy breaking bad and becoming Saul, but its looking like this is the story about how both he and Kim turn to the dark side. Kim seemed so shocked when Jimmy joked about how wicked they were, like its truly never occurred to her that they might not be the good guys in all of this, she has no clue how quickly she is slipping. She has been telling herself that her ruthless behavior and her messing with Howard has all been a greater good, she apparently hasn't really thought about the real consequences of her actions and why she is doing this. She can say that this is all to help the little guy, but its obvious that, like Walt, she may have started off doing what she is doing for understandable reasons, but she kept doing it because she likes the thrill and that she's got a knack for it. Both Kim and Jimmy seemingly haven't taken even a second to think about what they are actually doing, feeding off of each others worst impulses, and are both shocked when confronted by the morality of their actions. Be it Kim's shock at being called wicked or Jimmy not getting why he's suddenly a pariah at the courthouse. 

I had never really thought about Kim and Mike never having actually met, seeing them have a scene together was really cool. Mike's right after Kim being made of sterner stuff then Jimmy, its become increasingly clear how scary she can be, more so than Jimmy, who often seems like he is putting on a mask as Saul, while Kim seems to be unleashing something that has always been there.

Hi Wendy! It took me a second to even realize that Jimmy was trying to look like Howard, that wig was...something else.

Edited May 3, 2022 by tennisgurl

[Spartan Girl]

2 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

It took me a second to even realize that Jimmy was trying to look like Howard, that wig was...something else.

As was the spray tan/makeup.

[Cinnabon]

1 hour ago, nodorothyparker said:

The thing is that both Walt and Kim did start out exactly as they said. They were each trying to fix something that playing by all the usual societal rules wasn't going to fix anywhere close to the scale they needed. Walt did need to pay for his medical care and not leave his family destitute. Kim really does love her pro bono work. She said recently that a day doing just that was her best day ever and I believed her. But both did or have clung onto that original justification long after the small thing they were justifying morphed into something much much bigger and badder. They kept going because they liked it. Walt finally had to admit that. Kim was positively gleeful at Jimmy's latest Howard cosplay escapade until he recited the quote about the wicked and it stopped her in her tracks. She hadn't considered that. Combine that with the revelation that the Lalo problem is still probably very much around that rattled her and I'll be curious to see if it was just a flicker she brushes off or the start of a reconsidering where their current track is heading. Especially now that she knows that with the right framing, maybe she could guilt some of the big law players into kicking in to some kind of larger scale charitable legal project, if for no other reason than it would make them look and feel good.

In Walt’s case, he was offered a solution to his need for pricey medical care when Elliott offered him work and full benefits. He had that solution very soon after his diagnosis. But instead he chose to put himself and his family in danger to make meth that would ruin people’s lives. Because he was good at it. Will Kim realize that she now has the opportunity to raise enough money to properly fund her pro bono practice without having to scam Howard to get the Sandpiper settlement? We’ll see. 

[riverheightsnancy]

8 hours ago, Scout Finch said:

Perhaps he did not complete the employee training course...

 

OMG. That is hilarious. I was a retail store manager, for a very large company, at one point in my life and we had training videos very similar to this. Even the music. The thing that killed me was the 10 WEEK length. These are usually one-offs, as short as possible. And the stand up straight thing. There were funny things about being watched and the cartoon of Gus' eyes. The point about being "respectable" to gain respect was certainly not lost on me. He acts respectable to gain respect the whole time running drugs. Loved it. 

[Cinnabon]

57 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

And Gus wears clip-on ties?!

If course. He could be choked with a real tie should trouble befall him. 😆

[Cinnabon]

10 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

As was the spray tan/makeup.

It made me aware of how ridiculous Howard’s spray tanned face really is. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Cinnabon

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, Ellaria Sand said:

And Gus wears clip-on ties?!

I would say that's part of his Chicken Man costume. I doubt he wears clip-ons in his real persona.

[monagatuna]

1 hour ago, Ellaria Sand said:

And Gus wears clip-on ties?!

I was shocked--shocked!!--and scandalized to learn that someone as meticulous as Gus would wear a clip-on tie. Buuuut, doesn't it kinda make sense? The man wears a bulletproof vest to work at a chicken fast-food joint! (I remember in BB wondering how a man so slim would look so barrel-chested, and I wonder if he was wearing them the whole time in BB? If so, how would that not become a plot point later in the series? Or maybe it did and I'm forgetting.) Wouldn't it follow that he would wear a tie that keeps up his neat appearance but can't catch in machinery or be used as a weapon? Why put a noose around your own neck when you're dealing with Salamanca types?

[PeterPirate]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

Saul/Jimmy has always thought people regarded him as some kind of loveable rascal, so I was delighted to see him being shunned by his colleagues.   He is a turd.

And so is Kim.  I had to pause the episode several times as I watched Kim and Jimmy carry out their plot against Howard.  It's just depressing see someone go that far down the Bad Choice Road.  And it is especially stinging for me because I avoided this show for the first two seasons and only picked it up on Netflix when I learned that Rhea Seehorn was in it.  

[Scout Finch]

45 minutes ago, riverheightsnancy said:

OMG. That is hilarious. I was a retail store manager, for a very large company, at one point in my life and we had training videos very similar to this. Even the music. The thing that killed me was the 10 WEEK length. These are usually one-offs, as short as possible. And the stand up straight thing. There were funny things about being watched and the cartoon of Gus' eyes. The point about being "respectable" to gain respect was certainly not lost on me. He acts respectable to gain respect the whole time running drugs. Loved it. 

I've already seen them a few times but just had to rewatch all again last night. It's so awesome that Giancarlo was happy to commit to those. Have you seen Mike's training videos? I just remembered those. All of these extras are brilliant and an awesome gift to fans. (There's also a Lalo teaches you how to make a taco video...and I just remembered the series of Kim's legal training videos!)

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Scout Finch

[Cinnabon]

Just now, PeterPirate said:

And so is Kim.  I had to pause the episode several times as I watched Kim and Jimmy carry out their plot against Howard.  It's just depressing see someone go that far down the Bad Choice Road.  And it is especially stinging for me because I avoided this show for the first two seasons and only picked it up on Netflix when I learned that Rhea Seehorn was in it.  

Compared to most others in the BB/BCS universe, what Kim and Jimmy are doing still seems pretty tame to me. 

[PeterPirate]

3 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Compared to most others in the BB/BCS universe, what Kim and Jimmy are doing still seems pretty tame to me. 

There's still nine more episodes left.  Plus, the Kim-centric sequel.  

[Ellaria]

14 minutes ago, monagatuna said:

I was shocked--shocked!!--and scandalized to learn that someone as meticulous as Gus would wear a clip-on tie. Buuuut, doesn't it kinda make sense? The man wears a bulletproof vest to work at a chicken fast-food joint! (I remember in BB wondering how a man so slim would look so barrel-chested, and I wonder if he was wearing them the whole time in BB? If so, how would that not become a plot point later in the series? Or maybe it did and I'm forgetting.) Wouldn't it follow that he would wear a tie that keeps up his neat appearance but can't catch in machinery or be used as a weapon? Why put a noose around your own neck when you're dealing with Salamanca types?

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!

Edited May 3, 2022 by Ellaria Sand

[monagatuna]

2 minutes ago, PeterPirate said:

There's still nine more episodes left.  Plus, the Kim-centric sequel.  

Wait, what?!?!?! Please don't tease me!

[Pj3422]

13 hours ago, peeayebee said:

 

I swear, when Kim went to confront the guys in the car following her, I thought the passenger was NoHo Hank from Barry. 

 

Loved seeing all the yellow shirts in Gus's closet. 

Me too! A Better Call Saul/Barry crossover would be a lot of fun! 

Also… Gus Fring wears clip-on ties?!

[Bannon]

2 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

The thing is that both Walt and Kim did start out exactly as they said. They were each trying to fix something that playing by all the usual societal rules wasn't going to fix anywhere close to the scale they needed. Walt did need to pay for his medical care and not leave his family destitute. Kim really does love her pro bono work. She said recently that a day doing just that was her best day ever and I believed her. But both did or have clung onto that original justification long after the small thing they were justifying morphed into something much much bigger and badder. They kept going because they liked it. Walt finally had to admit that. Kim was positively gleeful at Jimmy's latest Howard cosplay escapade until he recited the quote about the wicked and it stopped her in her tracks. She hadn't considered that. Combine that with the revelation that the Lalo problem is still probably very much around that rattled her and I'll be curious to see if it was just a flicker she brushes off or the start of a reconsidering where their current track is heading. Especially now that she knows that with the right framing, maybe she could guilt some of the big law players into kicking in to some kind of larger scale charitable legal project, if for no other reason than it would make them look and feel good.

Walt had the chance to  pay for his medical care and provide something for his family, via completely legal/ethical means, and walked away from it. He didn't start cooking until after he turned down the offer from Gretchen and Elliott, about halfway through season 1, so his fundamental dishonesty, with himself and with others, was revealed very early on.

In contrast, we may be seeing Kim's dishonesty with herself and others being revealed quite late. The coffee meeting with Cliff was, of course, set up under false pretenses, but to her surprise, Cliff has an overwhelmingly positive response to her pitch of setting up some sort of institution that will do precisely what Kim  claims to be her major motivation. Just as importantly, Cliff has the political connections to perhaps make it happen. What if Cliff does make it happen, and offers Kim a position at the heart of an institution that will be doing exactly what Kim says is most important to her? Will she risk that to get her revenge on Howard, with the dopamine hits she gets from a successful con? Or will she turn back from that path, which Walt continued on?

Again, the writing in this universe has been great, for 16 years now!

 

 

[Bannon]

1 hour ago, Cinnabon said:

In Walt’s case, he was offered a solution to his need for pricey medical care when Elliott offered him work and full benefits. He had that solution very soon after his diagnosis. But instead he chose to put himself and his family in danger to make meth that would ruin people’s lives. Because he was good at it. Will Kim realize that she now has the opportunity to raise enough money to properly fund her pro bono practice without having to scam Howard to get the Sandpiper settlement? We’ll see. 

We're definitely on the same page!

[Scout Finch]

Yay! There's an AMC playlist for a lot of these webisodes and instructional videos! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1etYmmm3WJ1FNkhKdjuwgKu7B5icbeEu

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Scout Finch

[anoninrva]

5 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Walt had the chance to  pay for his medical care and provide something for his family, via completely legal/ethical means, and walked away from it. He didn't start cooking until after he turned down the offer from Gretchen and Elliott, about halfway through season 1, so his fundamental dishonesty, with himself and with others, was revealed very early on.

I just rewatched the BB premier last week.  While you're correct that he did have an out from Gretchen and Elliott in an episode later on that season, which of course his pride wouldn't let him accept, he had already cooked meth and murdered two people in the very first episode.  You could make the argument that he didn't need to *continue* down this path, but the show starts with very little space before he starts upon it.

[Cinnabon]

4 minutes ago, Bannon said:

We're definitely on the same page!

Great minds, you know. 😆

[Bannon]

1 minute ago, anoninrva said:

I just rewatched the BB premier last week.  While you're correct that he did have an out from Gretchen and Elliott in an episode later on that season, which of course his pride wouldn't let him accept, he had already cooked meth and murdered two people in the very first episode.  You could make the argument that he didn't need to *continue* down this path, but the show starts with very little space before he starts upon it.

I could be wrong, but I think that 1st episode in BB contained a flash forward, and the events you write about did not take place until after Walt turned down the job offer.

[Cinnabon]

Speaking of Walt killing 2 people early on, Crazy 8 may have become the new Nacho had he survived that encounter. Both sons of fathers who worked hard to build honest family businesses, but that wasn’t enough for them, sadly.

[Ellaria]

9 minutes ago, Bannon said:

What if Cliff does make it happen, and offers Kim a position at the heart of an institution that will be doing exactly what Kim says is most important to her? Will she risk that to get her revenge on Howard, with the dopamine hits she gets from a successful con? Or will she turn back from that path, which Walt continued on?

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.

[Bannon]

2 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

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.

Kim not taking Walt's path,  partnering with Cliff, and ending her relationship with Saul, or attempting to do so, is a story rich with opportunities. I could imagine Saul being enraged if Kim pulled the rug out under their plot, right on the brink of succeeding, even if he has previously expressed reservations. Especially if he finds out Kim knew from a conversation with Mike that Lalo isn't dead. What a well constructed story.

[PeterPirate]

38 minutes ago, monagatuna said:

Wait, what?!?!?! Please don't tease me!

I'm just speculating, of course.  In the end, the resolution of the Kim character has to fit into the BB universe, and most important explain how Jimmy McGill becomes Full Measure Saul Goodman.  

[anoninrva]

13 minutes ago, Bannon said:

I could be wrong, but I think that 1st episode in BB contained a flash forward, and the events you write about did not take place until after Walt turned down the job offer.

As could I.  However, I just watched it.  The rest of the series I'm not as sure about timelines, and there are frequent flashbacks.  I think these are all current time as of start of the series, though.  Maybe the offer was a flashback?  I haven't gotten that far (again).  From the wiki:

Emilio ties up Jesse, then joins Krazy-8 in watching Walt cook. As Walt prepares the ingredients, Emilio absent-mindedly throws a cigarette out the window, thereby starting a brush fire. Inside, Walt mixes chemicals that produce a deadly vapor before he dashes out of the RV. Krazy-8 and Emilio begin firing bullets through the door of the RV over Walt's head, but are eventually overcome by the fumes. Walt unties Jesse, puts a gas mask on him, and props him in the passenger seat before making his attempt to escape in the opening scene.

I'd thought that meth teeth were in the trailer, and they're not until the third episode.  It was a nice bit of continuity to see the same character in the past without meth teeth in this episode.

 

The offer is in episode 5 (which I haven't re-re-watched yet), which takes place after the oncologist, coming clean to Skylar, etc, so established to be after the pilot, where he learns he has lung cancer:

 

(again from the wiki)

Later, while reminiscing about old times, Elliott offers Walt a job at Gray Matter. When Walt declines, Elliott assures him the company has excellent health insurance. Walt is upset as he and Skyler leave the party, annoyed that she told Elliott about his cancer diagnosis and accusing her of putting him up to paying for his treatments.

[Bannon]

2 minutes ago, anoninrva said:

As could I.  However, I just watched it.  The rest of the series I'm not as sure about timelines, and there are frequent flashbacks.  I think these are all current time as of start of the series, though.  Maybe the offer was a flashback?  I haven't gotten that far (again).  From the wiki:

Emilio ties up Jesse, then joins Krazy-8 in watching Walt cook. As Walt prepares the ingredients, Emilio absent-mindedly throws a cigarette out the window, thereby starting a brush fire. Inside, Walt mixes chemicals that produce a deadly vapor before he dashes out of the RV. Krazy-8 and Emilio begin firing bullets through the door of the RV over Walt's head, but are eventually overcome by the fumes. Walt unties Jesse, puts a gas mask on him, and props him in the passenger seat before making his attempt to escape in the opening scene.

I'd thought that meth teeth were in the trailer, and they're not until the third episode.  It was a nice bit of continuity to see the same character in the past without meth teeth in this episode.

 

The offer is in episode 5 (which I haven't re-re-watched yet), which takes place after the oncologist, coming clean to Skylar, etc, so established to be after the pilot, where he learns he has lung cancer:

 

(again from the wiki)

Later, while reminiscing about old times, Elliott offers Walt a job at Gray Matter. When Walt declines, Elliott assures him the company has excellent health insurance. Walt is upset as he and Skyler leave the party, annoyed that she told Elliott about his cancer diagnosis and accusing her of putting him up to paying for his treatments.

My search of job offer turned down by Walt turned up episode 4 in season 1, and cooking with Jesse for the 1st time in episode 5. I know the 1st episode had Walt in his infamous tighty whities, holding a revolver, but that was clearly a flash forward to later in the season, when it was repeated.

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, PeterPirate said:

And so is Kim.  I had to pause the episode several times as I watched Kim and Jimmy carry out their plot against Howard.  It's just depressing see someone go that far down the Bad Choice Road.  And it is especially stinging for me because I avoided this show for the first two seasons and only picked it up on Netflix when I learned that Rhea Seehorn was in it.  

Yeah, I agree, so is Kim.

[gallimaufry]

A decent episode and definitely a needed breather after last week.  Great that Rhea Seehorn got her directorial debut.  Some terrific scenes, some great performances and lots of brilliant camera placements.  Only thing that did jar was I found she relied a lot on focusing on the foreground and letting the background go way out of focus an awful lot.  Not sure if there was a reason for this -- I wondered if in some cases, it was to disguise Covid restrictions?  Felt a bit conspicuous.

Interesting that Michael Mando is still in the credits.  If there were only a few episodes left I wouldn't bat an eyelid but with nine left, does this make more flashback appearances more likely or perhaps it's just contractual as they wanted to keep him in case they needed him.  

Great seeing Casa Gus.  I didn't recognise it from the teaser but I put 2 and 2 together a moment before Gus appeared.  I guess this finally confirms the family he talked about in BB were made up (I thought he might have one "for appearances") as he mentioned them seemingly in passing.  The cyclists was another great left-field tease.  These are my second favourite type of BCS teaser (my favourite are the flashback ones).

I really liked the hints at people's personal lives throughout this.  Reference to Howard's marriage for the first time and we learn about Cliff's family.  I kind of feel like it's very late in the show's life to be uncovering this stuff but I still like it.  That said, Howard is -- yet again -- very underwritten.  Patrick Fabian has done super work all these years (Season 3 especially) so I hope the pay-off is worth it.

The actual car con, although it was fun to see Wendy again, didn't really get me.  It felt a little too far into silliness without actually being funny, plus these sort of things give me anxiety.  I did like the cone crisis.  Did Howard notice anything or was he too preoccupied?  Hmm... 

Also, while it advanced things for Cliff some, it fundamentally feels like we're in the same place with him that we were in episode 1 - him doubting Howard.  Yes, much further on now but the same flavour.

I was surprised that the timeframe is only two weeks.  This seems really short to me.  For one thing, it means that Cliff has had three different reasons to doubt Howard in a fortnight which seems the opposite of Kim's original plan to take things slowly.  Kim also has some deniability but not a lot -- yes, if Howard tracks it back to Jimmy then it could be claimed that Jimmy knew Kim was meeting Cliff and took the opportunity.  But the association is suspicious.

The scene where Cliff takes Kim's proposal up even when she doesn't expect him to is interesting.  It feels like a more subtle take on "Grey Matter" - Kim is potentially being given everything she says she wants but she's too busy with her scam to fully process it.  I did like the "wicked" conversation though. 

Jimmy finding out the pros and cons of being "Salamanca's guy" is interesting.  I love the payoffs on all the characters from previous years, even Hannah-banana, and Peter Diseth did a great job landing the weight of knowing what Saul's become.  Again, I wonder how long Kim can insulate herself from this by association.

Great seeing Kim and Mike.  Such a perfect and satisfying scene although, yet again, it feels very late on for the female lead and the number 2 lead to meet.  It's not so much that I regret the time they took earlier on because every moment has been fantastic but now it feels like there's very little time and so much still to explore.  That said, it really does feel like this episode brings the show back onto the track it veered off from five seasons ago.  I don't mean "veer" in a bad way - the journey has been wondrous - but I can also see another world where you could easily have done this transition in S1 with Jimmy getting clients through Nacho and Saul would have been looking through his office window before the end of S1.  It's great they waited.  I just hope everything doesn't end up feeling really rushed and abrupt as they race to a conclusion.

[Bannon]

3 minutes ago, gallimaufry said:

A decent episode and definitely a needed breather after last week.  Great that Rhea Seehorn got her directorial debut.  Some terrific scenes, some great performances and lots of brilliant camera placements.  Only thing that did jar was I found she relied a lot on focusing on the foreground and letting the background go way out of focus an awful lot.  Not sure if there was a reason for this -- I wondered if in some cases, it was to disguise Covid restrictions?  Felt a bit conspicuous.

Interesting that Michael Mando is still in the credits.  If there were only a few episodes left I wouldn't bat an eyelid but with nine left, does this make more flashback appearances more likely or perhaps it's just contractual as they wanted to keep him in case they needed him.  

Great seeing Casa Gus.  I didn't recognise it from the teaser but I put 2 and 2 together a moment before Gus appeared.  I guess this finally confirms the family he talked about in BB were made up (I thought he might have one "for appearances") as he mentioned them seemingly in passing.  The cyclists was another great left-field tease.  These are my second favourite type of BCS teaser (my favourite are the flashback ones).

I really liked the hints at people's personal lives throughout this.  Reference to Howard's marriage for the first time and we learn about Cliff's family.  I kind of feel like it's very late in the show's life to be uncovering this stuff but I still like it.  That said, Howard is -- yet again -- very underwritten.  Patrick Fabian has done super work all these years (Season 3 especially) so I hope the pay-off is worth it.

The actual car con, although it was fun to see Wendy again, didn't really get me.  It felt a little too far into silliness without actually being funny, plus these sort of things give me anxiety.  I did like the cone crisis.  Did Howard notice anything or was he too preoccupied?  Hmm... 

Also, while it advanced things for Cliff some, it fundamentally feels like we're in the same place with him that we were in episode 1 - him doubting Howard.  Yes, much further on now but the same flavour.

I was surprised that the timeframe is only two weeks.  This seems really short to me.  For one thing, it means that Cliff has had three different reasons to doubt Howard in a fortnight which seems the opposite of Kim's original plan to take things slowly.  Kim also has some deniability but not a lot -- yes, if Howard tracks it back to Jimmy then it could be claimed that Jimmy knew Kim was meeting Cliff and took the opportunity.  But the association is suspicious.

The scene where Cliff takes Kim's proposal up even when she doesn't expect him to is interesting.  It feels like a more subtle take on "Grey Matter" - Kim is potentially being given everything she says she wants but she's too busy with her scam to fully process it.  I did like the "wicked" conversation though. 

Jimmy finding out the pros and cons of being "Salamanca's guy" is interesting.  I love the payoffs on all the characters from previous years, even Hannah-banana, and Peter Diseth did a great job landing the weight of knowing what Saul's become.  Again, I wonder how long Kim can insulate herself from this by association.

Great seeing Kim and Mike.  Such a perfect and satisfying scene although, yet again, it feels very late on for the female lead and the number 2 lead to meet.  It's not so much that I regret the time they took earlier on because every moment has been fantastic but now it feels like there's very little time and so much still to explore.  That said, it really does feel like this episode brings the show back onto the track it veered off from five seasons ago.  I don't mean "veer" in a bad way - the journey has been wondrous - but I can also see another world where you could easily have done this transition in S1 with Jimmy getting clients through Nacho and Saul would have been looking through his office window before the end of S1.  It's great they waited.  I just hope everything doesn't end up feeling really rushed and abrupt as they race to a conclusion.

Howard talking to his therapist, about his wife's refusal to talk about anything of importance, is intriguing to me. 

[chick binewski]

I thought the use of "sterner" was odd and of course a redditor pointed out the word is used by Mark Antony in the Friends, Romans, yadda yadda speech and it applies specifically to ambition. Basically Mike is Antony, Saul is Caesar, and Kim = Brutus.

I don't know much Shakespear bc I spend too much time watching TV but I was happy someone else thought the word usage was pointed. 

[gallimaufry]

15 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Howard talking to his therapist, about his wife's refusal to talk about anything of importance, is intriguing to me. 

Ohhh, that's a nice nuance - and yes, appropriate as this is Kim all over, especially right now.  I do love the odd symmetries with Howard and Jimmy.

[Eulipian 5k]

16 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Spooch! 

Skank! skank! skank!  

Umm, Lady Skank is unavailable today, she will join you at the Captain Crunch Dispensary.

[Dev F]

3 hours ago, Ellaria Sand said:

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.

What I found interesting is that she didn't immediately tell Jimmy about it. I wonder if that will end up playing some part in an eventual rift between the two.

I always assumed we'd eventually find out that Jimmy's relationship with Kim is at the emotional center of Saul's comment in Breaking Bad that supposedly explains his sleazy cynicism: "I caught my second wife screwing my stepdad. OK? It's a cruel world, Walt. Grow up." I didn't literally think that Kim was going to have sex with one of Jimmy's relatives, but I figured she'd somehow betray him to an older authority figure -- first I thought it would be Chuck, then maybe Howard. Now I'm wondering if maybe it'll be Mike -- the two of them keeping secrets to supposedly protect Jimmy from himself.

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, PeterPirate said:

And it is especially stinging for me because I avoided this show for the first two seasons and only picked it up on Netflix when I learned that Rhea Seehorn was in it.  

What else have you seen Seehorn in?

 

1 hour ago, Bannon said:

Again, the writing in this universe has been great, for 16 years now!

16 years!?! Wow. Time flying and all that.

 

35 minutes ago, gallimaufry said:

The actual car con, although it was fun to see Wendy again, didn't really get me.  It felt a little too far into silliness without actually being funny, plus these sort of things give me anxiety.  I did like the cone crisis.  Did Howard notice anything or was he too preoccupied?  Hmm... 

Yeah, the car con seems like a lot of work for a small payoff. I understand that having Cliff see Howard throw a hooker out of his car is just one part of the take-down-Howard scheme, but sheesh, first they had to have Huell pick the valet's pocket, then they had to hurry to have the key fob duped, then they had to return the original. After that Saul had to get all made up as Howard -- To what end? Cliff couldn't see him. -- then steal the car, pick up Wendy, stage the incident, and return the car before Howard was done with his appointment. Yes, it was entertaining for us, but those are a lot of steps. However, we do know that Jimmy enjoys the con -- not just carrying it out, but coming up with it -- so maybe the more Rube Goldbergian it is, the better.

It didn't appear to me that Howard noticed the sign, but I suppose that was the point. If there WASN'T a sign in front of his car, he might have noticed it being gone. 

[Ellaria]

45 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Yeah, the car con seems like a lot of work for a small payoff.

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.

59 minutes ago, Dev F said:

What I found interesting is that she didn't immediately tell Jimmy about it. I wonder if that will end up playing some part in an eventual rift between the two.

I always assumed we'd eventually find out that Jimmy's relationship with Kim is at the emotional center of Saul's comment in Breaking Bad that supposedly explains his sleazy cynicism: "I caught my second wife screwing my stepdad. OK? It's a cruel world, Walt. Grow up." I didn't literally think that Kim was going to have sex with one of Jimmy's relatives, but I figured she'd somehow betray him to an older authority figure -- first I thought it would be Chuck, then maybe Howard. Now I'm wondering if maybe it'll be Mike -- the two of them keeping secrets to supposedly protect Jimmy from himself.

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. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Ellaria Sand

[Constantinople]

13 hours ago, Dessert said:

It reminded me of the opening of the series Get Smart. (I’m very old!)

Now I can't think of that scene of Gus walking through the tunnel to his other house without playing the Get Smart music in my head. I hope someone puts together a video of that on YouTube.

[Gobi]

57 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Howard talking to his therapist, about his wife's refusal to talk about anything of importance, is intriguing to me. 

Also intriguing is that this is, I believe, the first time that there has been any indication that Howard is married. And this in the sixth season.

Could this be a hint that Kim was around during BB, but never mentioned?

[Scout Finch]

55 minutes ago, gallimaufry said:

Great seeing Casa Gus.  I didn't recognise it from the teaser but I put 2 and 2 together a moment before Gus appeared.  I guess this finally confirms the family he talked about in BB were made up (I thought he might have one "for appearances") as he mentioned them seemingly in passing.

When Walt goes over to have dinner at Gus's, as he's walking through to the kitchen he glances into a room--pretty sure it was the dining room--and sees a couple of kids' toys in the corner. As we know, Gus also mentions his children not liking what he's making. Was the motive of the manipulation to get Walt thinking, hey, he's a family man (and supporting his family the same way!) so he totally understands why I'm doing this? Therefore, Gus might be less threatening than I think?

[Scout Finch]

54 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

Umm, Lady Skank is unavailable today, she will join you at the Captain Crunch Dispensary.

And then we're going to case out some ATMs.

[Eulipian 5k]

When Kim & Jimmy got married the clerk asked for proof re dissolution of 2 previous marriages, IIRC, so one may have been the incest-in law one Saul spoke about in BB. Wonder if there was another Giselle before Kim? Or is Kim his first Slippin Spouse?

[PeterPirate]

13 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

When Kim & Jimmy got married the clerk asked for proof re dissolution of 2 previous marriages, IIRC, so one may have been the incest-in law one Saul spoke about in BB. Wonder if there was another Giselle before Kim? Or is Kim his first Slippin Spouse?

This is just my own speculation, but I think Wife #2 posed for some nude exotic photos for a skin magazine.  

Edited May 3, 2022 by PeterPirate

[peeayebee]

I think Kim didn't tell Jimmy about Lalo being alive because she is protecting him. I'm sure she agrees with Mike that she's made of sterner stuff than Jimmy. She probably figures why burden and worry him with the knowledge about Lalo. Right now Jimmy is happy. 

[Scout Finch]

Speaking of Spooge...

Spoiler

No matter how many times I watch "Peekaboo," it's still heartbreaking and on my list of outstanding episodes. The little boy is like a ghost. This is the one that began the shift in my perception of Jesse into a more positive light.

Yep, the toys were in Gus's dining room:

Edited May 3, 2022 by Scout Finch

[PeterPirate]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

What else have you seen Seehorn in?

I first noticed her in I'm With Her.  She had (has) an interesting face that caught my attention.