S06.E07: Plan and Execution

[nodorothyparker]

Airdate 05.23.22

Quote

Jimmy and Kim deal with a last-minute snag in their plan.

FYI, this episode will be followed by an episode of Talking Saul.

[SimplexFish]

Kewl...thank you!

[nodorothyparker]

Social media promo

[Irlandesa]

I never paid attention to the title before.  Ugh, someone is going to die tonight, aren't they?  I don't think I can watch until the end.

[Crashcourse]

I'm so scared for Howard.

[SimplexFish]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I never paid attention to the title before.  Ugh, someone is going to die tonight, aren't they?  I don't think I can watch until the end.

If not tonight a cliffhanger and the death in 6 weeks! 

[Dianaofthehunt]

5 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I'm so scared for Howard.

I’m thinking it’s Lalo who’s going to snuff it. I sure hope so, anyway.

[Spartan Girl]

Oh SHIT.

Suddenly everything is clear: Kim and Jimmy have been playing Howard from the beginning!

[Constantinople]

Kim and Jimmy are awful people.

No more sympathy for either of them.

[Spartan Girl]

You know you’re past the point of no return when you’re literally getting off on watching your revenge plan come together.

[Suzysite]

Poor Howard

[CynicalGirl]

OH SHIT!!!

[TakomaSnark]

Poor Howard. 

I completely despise Kim Wexler.

[DudeLeaveMeAlone]

Audibly gasped. WOW. 

[SailorGirl]

HOLE. LEE. SHIT. BALLS!!! 

I just permanently traumatized one of my cats because I jumped, gasped, covered my eyes, and yelled the above...

This. Show. 
 

Edited May 24, 2022 by SailorGirl

[Dianaofthehunt]

NO !!

[Spartan Girl]

FUCK.

As soon as I saw Lalo come in from behind, I knew it was over.

RIP poor Howard. But I’m glad that like Nacho, he at least got the dignity of ripping his enemies a new one. Everything he said to Jimmy and Kim was 100 percent true.

Never ever underestimate Vince Gilligan and his slow burns.

This is going to a long two months…

[SailorGirl]

Don't forget -- they're doing an episode of Talking Saul with Odenkirk, Seehorn, Fabian, and Peter Gould . . . 

Edited May 24, 2022 by SailorGirl

[Crashcourse]

Well shit.  I figured Howard wasn't going to make it out alive, but I wasn't expecting Lalo to be the one to do it. 

Oh well, at least Howard got his chance to read those two fucknuggets for filth before he got killed.

[SunnyBeBe]

My orthopedist resembles Howard. Pretty yummy, imo. Lol

[Crashcourse]

I'm not watching Talking Saul. 

[Sharper2002]

Damn, RIP Howard. I know it’s going to be a long two months, but I wonder how they’re going to explain this because Howard was not “in the game”. 

Kim and Jimmy are past the point of redemption for this.

[Dev F]

The saddest part is that Lalo was probably there for the most banal possible reason: to give Saul the tape he made so he can give it to Don Eladio if he doesn't make it out of the laundry alive.

Edited to add: Well, banal for Lalo. I guess that would be a pretty dramatic reason for anyone who isn't an evil genius drug kingpin.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Dev F

[Armchair Critic]

Lalo is Pennywise! (peeking from the sewer)

Just watching it now because I wait for them to put it up on AMC.com after the first airing of it.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Armchair Critic

[sistermagpie]

Holy shit. It's great writing when something is a big enough shock for me to audibly gasp (Lalo appearing out of the shadows) and at the same time think, "Of course, that makes sense."

What a perfect ending for Howard for this show. There's no better symbol for Jimmy's life than him telling himself that his victim will survive his silly prank and then him not surviving it. Howard was awesome. 

[Chaos Theory]

Kim and Jimmy having sex to the announcement of the settlement.  Kinky.

I felt sorry for Howard.  He fell right into the trap.  There must be something in the soda that’s HHM puts in the conference room refrigerators.   But then Howard STILL thinks it’s all Jimmy when it is mostly Kim driving the revenge money grab and he just can’t see it.   Or didn’t see it at first.  The confrontation in Jimmy and Kim’s apartment was brilliant.  

“I thought you did it for the money.  But screw the money.  You did it for fun,  you get off on it.  You’re like Leopold and Leob.  Two sociopaths”

Howard’s description of Jimmy and Kim is right on the mark.

Damn it Lalo.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[Penman61]

If I'm known for anything on this board, it's for my desire to avoid spoilers, so let me thank the cast & crew and everyone who circulated these past weeks THAT SMILING SELFIE OF BOB O. AND THE ACTOR PLAYING HOWARD WITH BLOOD SPATTER ON THE SIDE OF HOWARD'S HEAD. Bang-up story security, everyone. F*ck.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Penman61

[SunnyBeBe]

4 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

If I'm known for anything on this board, it's for my desire to avoid spoilers, so let me thank the cast & crew and everyone who circulated these past weeks THAT SMILING SELFIE OF BOB O. AND THE ACTOR PLAYING HOWARD WITH BLOOD SPATTER ON THE SIDE OF HOWARD'S HEAD. Bang-up story security, everyone. F*ck.

That’s too bad.  I never saw that.  I don’t mind spoilers at all.  I’ve only seen the last 5 minutes of tonight’s episode.  I’ll watch it all over at 11:00 p.m. or maybe tomorrow.  

[MrWhyt]

well for an episode that wasn't written as a mid season cliffhanger this sure worked well as one.

11 minutes ago, Sharper2002 said:

but I wonder how they’re going to explain this because Howard was not “in the game”. 

Howard is just gonna disappear. I bet when Lalo leaves Kim and Jimmy get ahold of Mike and Howard winds up underneath the superlab.

[Chaos Theory]

What I liked was that all the way up to Lalo stepping into the apartment the entire scene was Howard figuring out how badly he had gotten conned but that yes he was going to be ok.  His reputation might never recover but he was going be fine regardless.  It was a hopeful moment.   That kinda got twisted when the candle flickered and Lalo stepped into the room.

[Penman61]

22 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

RIP poor Howard. But I’m glad that like Nacho, he at least got the dignity of ripping his enemies a new one. Everything he said to Jimmy and Kim was 100 percent true.

Yeah, Nacho's death and Howard's death make interesting parallels:  Nacho knew he was as good as dead for at least days (weeks?), whereas Howard had only seconds. But you're right, both got to tell the truth to their enemies, unvarnished. That was satisfying. (Leopold & Loeb, lol) 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Penman61

[SailorGirl]

4 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

What I liked was that all the way up to Lalo stepping into the apartment the entire scene was Howard figuring out how badly he had gotten conned but that yes he was going to be ok.  His reputation might never recover but he was going be fine regardless.  It was a hopeful moment.   That kinda got twisted when the candle flickered and Lalo stepped into the room.

Man, that was THE moment. Even before we knew for sure it was Lalo, the sense of dread created by that flickering candle and "who is it going to be" (other than Saul for the obvious reasons), is what these writers/producers do like no other. Even once Lalo was in the room, I wondered if it was going to Kim. Literally until Lalo pulled the trigger, we couldn't be sure . . . . 

Edited May 24, 2022 by SailorGirl

[Penman61]

6 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

Howard is just gonna disappear. I bet when Lalo leaves Kim and Jimmy get ahold of Mike and Howard winds up underneath the superlab.

I love how the superlab is turning into the Pine Barrens lol

[WritinMan]

What a fantastic episode! The tension was so well done.

I did not think that's where Lalo was going--very much a surprise.

Good-bye, Howard.

I love this show.

[GreekGeek]

15 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

If I'm known for anything on this board, it's for my desire to avoid spoilers, so let me thank the cast & crew and everyone who circulated these past weeks THAT SMILING SELFIE OF BOB O. AND THE ACTOR PLAYING HOWARD WITH BLOOD SPATTER ON THE SIDE OF HOWARD'S HEAD. Bang-up story security, everyone. F*ck.

I saw the photo and some discussion of it, and the consensus was that it did not look like a bullet wound--more like a head bump. Even if the cast and crew did telegraph Howard's death, I don't know anyone who expected it to be at Lalo's hands. Everybody was speculating that he would commit suicide.

[Penman61]

Not the most pressing issue, but what happens when all named partners in a law firm are dead? I know we have a few lawyers on retainer who post here.

[Ellaria]

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.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Ellaria Sand

[Penman61]

17 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I saw the photo and some discussion of it, and the consensus was that it did not look like a bullet wound--more like a head bump. Even if the cast and crew did telegraph Howard's death, I don't know anyone who expected it to be at Lalo's hands. Everybody was speculating that he would commit suicide.

Judge for yourself...

Murder or suicide, still not cool. 

Speaking of death, anyone else clutching their heart in sympathy at heart patient Bob Odenkirk in a flat-out sprint delivering the photos?...

Edited May 24, 2022 by Penman61

[Constantinople]

Howard's death might the most brutal since Andrea's, which technically hasn't happened yet. With Jane a close third.

[chick binewski]

For me the final scene very much echoed Hank's death. A lot of clarity from the doomed but not enough to save themselves.

But I've also always drawn a parallel between Meth Damon's uncle and Lalo - two guys that people fear but really are nothing but a force of evil.

[SnarkAttack]

I thought the knock on the door was Lalo.

[Penman61]

Just remembered that Jimmy thought Lalo was dead. What a way to find out he was wrong…PTSD REDUX!

[Ellaria]

27 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

Just remembered that Jimmy thought Lalo was dead. What a way to find out he was wrong…PTSD REDUX!

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

Edited May 24, 2022 by Ellaria Sand

[peeayebee]

OK, shit. 

Howard was no dummy. When he was handed the faked photos, he immediately noticed the substance on them and then, after the drug took effect, he immediately knew what caused his pupil dilation. He figured everything out right away. Of course no one believed him because they thought he was a crazed drug addict.

And then in Jimmy and Kim's apartment, he had their number down pat. It was awesome listening to him get every damn thing right. 

The first candle flicker... I thought, no, it couldn't be Lalo. Then the second. Shit. I couldn't imagine Lalo letting Howard leave, but still, when he shot him in the head.... NO!

The way Howard's head hit the table and then the floor reminded me of when Chuck fell and hit his head in the copy store.

Obviously Lalo knew the line was tapped when he called Hector (because of the weird noises), so he said what he did to draw most of Gus's men away from the laundry to guard Gus. I wonder if he knew that Mike was watching Kim & Jimmy, too. I don't see how he'd know. Anyway, what did he say that caused Hector to go bananas with the bell? "I'm going back to Plan A. He get's a surprise tonight. Uncle… No, Eladio won't be happy. but this is the way." So, before, when he spoke to Hector after the attack on his compound, did he talk about a Plan A? Was Hector upset simply because he didn't want Lalo to get killed, which he figured he would going up against all of Gus's men?

[SailorGirl]

Okay, for those of you not watching Talking Saul, they just did a commercial for the second half starting in July. It was a clothing rack that panned suits on hangers equally spaced out  . . . clearly Jimmy into Saul's suit transitions.

The last outfit hanging was Gene's Cinnabon shirt and visor, and then . . . an empty hanger. So we got the hint that Gene is going to be left behind, and now we have the question of . . . what clothing will ultimately end up on that empty hanger. . . a final Saul Goodman suit? A vaccuum repairman shirt (maybe Jimmy becomes the disappearer?)  . . . we shall see!! 

Edited May 24, 2022 by SailorGirl

[Blakeston]

I don't buy Kim's devolution. I just don't.

She's always enjoyed a good con, and over the years she's taken bigger and bigger risks. But she always had a pretty strong sense of right and wrong.

Or at least she did, until she dealt with that repulsive old man last season (the one who wanted to keep his house). We're supposed to believe that when he pointed out that she was representing the rich and powerful, a flip switched inside of her. And suddenly she threw away her moral compass, and decided that any crazy scam could be justified if she convinced herself that she was taking down the powerful.

No, I don't buy it. I might have believed her doing all of this, if Howard was using some horribly sleazy tactic that was really screwing over the Sandpiper residents. Under those circumstances, I could see Kim convincing herself that destroying his reputation would be justified.

But this turn to the dark side is just too far. In a short period of time, she's become unrecognizable as the character she used to be.

[PeterPirate]

Poor Howard.  But it is Jimmy's destiny to destroy his family.  

At least the Sandpiper clients get their money now.  

I suppose Lalo knew from the clicks while waiting to get transferred to Hector's room that he was going to be recorded.  Now he has Gus and Mike expecting a hit at Gus's house that night.  But instead he goes to see Saul and Kim.  I wonder what comes next. 

And if I'm known for anything on this board it is my spectacularly inaccurate predictions.     

Edited May 24, 2022 by PeterPirate

[sistermagpie]

7 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Obviously Lalo knew the line was tapped when he called Hector (because of the weird noises), so he said what he did to draw most of Gus's men away from the laundry to guard Gus. I wonder if he knew that Mike was watching Kim & Jimmy, too. I don't see how he'd know. Anyway, what did he say that caused Hector to go bananas with the bell? "I'm going back to Plan A. He get's a surprise tonight. Uncle… No, Eladio won't be happy. but this is the way." So, before, when he spoke to Hector after the attack on his compound, did he talk about a Plan A? Was Hector upset simply because he didn't want Lalo to get killed, which he figured he would going up against all of Gus's men?

I assumed Hector went bananas because Lalo was lying about what he was going to do and Lalo wanted Hector to have a real reaction (we know Hector's not very good about faking emotions even post-stroke). So whatever Plan A was, and Hector knew it was, he knew Hector wouldn't be happy about it, which just convinced Mike more.

[Starchild]

Well that was horrific. Here I was hoping that the people Saul sent Francesca to when he was going to disappear was HHM. That maybe he saved Howard from the consequences of this scheme at the last minute and Howard owed him one. Maybe instead it's Davis and Main?

This has been very disappointing. And traumatizing.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Starchild

[Scout Finch]

Not the first time and it won't be the last that I've cursed, "Damn you, Vince Gilligan!" as an episode abruptly ends with a shocking cliffhanger. Although it was a bit contrived that Howard and Lalo would just happen to show up within a few minutes of each other. I would have loved to see a red balloon float into view behind Lalo's head while he's peering out of the storm drain. Where's Pennywise when you need him??