S06.E10: Nippy

[sistermagpie]

6 hours ago, gallimaufry said:

I'm a little surprised by the negativity around this one although I guess it is a departure from the norm.  (Though I actually think "Fly" is pretty overrated).

Although it was the complete opposite of what I expected from a Michelle MacLaren episode, I liked that they took the time to show how Gene deals with Jeff.  The recast was unfortunate but actually I thought the new guy fitted the role really well and I soon forgot it was a recast.  It was also enjoyable to watch while constantly trying to figure out what was going on.

I assumed casting Carol Burnett would lead to more than this and it still might - I can imagine her seeing some documentary about Saul Goodman (perhaps even the "American Greed" episode) and realising it's Gene.  At that point, Jimmy would have to hurt (or corrupt) an old lady to preserve his cover and as that's been the tell of where he is on the Jimmy/Saul spectrum in the past, it makes sense to factor into the endgame.

I figured the credits would clunk to snow but blue makes sense as well.  I was surprised that even the closing credits were black and white though.  I was expecting near the end a burst of colour to come in from the clothes.  Are they really going to persist with black and white through all the Gene scenes?

This episode takes me back to the early seasons - very small, character-centric and it was great.  I don't feel like I necessarily need to see more of the Saul-era (and it plays against their strengths as Odenkirk has aged so noticeably that asking him to play 18 years younger looks wrong) although I'm sure there will be some kind of Walt and Jesse stuff - though between "American Greed" style material and police tapes, I feel like they could probably feature them in sneaky ways perhaps alongside one mega-montage of the BB years.  It's true that I do want to see a lot more about Mike although in many respects, I'm not sure there's a great deal more to say about his character before the BB era - although I hope we do get close for Kayleigh and Stacey.  As for Gus, he's been hugely underserved on this show to be honest but with 3 episodes to go I feel like it's frankly too late to give him the kind of exposition he deserves.  As great as this show has been, I think he's the weak link.  They could slip back in time again but Occam's Razor says it's time to really understand how Gene goes from here.  I hope they don't wait too long to get to the Kim of it.

Although this was a quiet, transitional episode, I think it was a really important one and well-told.  I'm, as ever, intrigued to see how they land this.

ETA: Two random thoughts.

1. This was really a love letter to Cinnabon and deserved after they were such good sports about hosting an escaped convict.

2. I'm really glad after Bob's heart attack that their heist plan didn't involve him eating all those Cinnabons!

3 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Was there a special significance to the flicking to the open hands (Magic!) by Gene when he looked into the mirror immediately after he realized his con worked even with the major vamping he had to do?  Did Saul use that gesture in BB?

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

I believe Jimmy at some point did that and said, "It's show time."

That would be an imitation of Joe Gideon in All That Jazz. A movie about a philanderer/addict/workaholic's last days, where he's talking with the angel of death and working himself to death.

[Cinnabon]

1 hour ago, jww said:

What is going to happen when the two get busted when they attempt to fence the merchandise?  And if they are able to fence the suits how happy will they be to get $.10 on the dollar?  Would a mall departement store be selling  top self designer suits?  Texas last played Nebraska on 10/16/10, Texas won 20-13. They have only played 14 times in 80+ years as they have always been in different conferences.

There are lots of people interested in buying designer goods at a discount. Word of mouth, neighborhood groups, Craigslist, eBay, FB ads, etc. There are lots of designer and high end products being sold on eBay, many not discounted much at all. They could find buyers. But they are kind of stupid, so there’s that.

[bad things are bad]

"I like to think they will re-unite but as reformed characters."

When Gene was in the store at the end, I half expected to see Kim browsing the racks

[SoTheresThat]

26 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

It’s an homage/callback to the 2013 movie “Nebraska,” which predates the Fargo tv series. The movie was also shot in black and white and has some similar themes to BCS. What do you expect Carol Burnett to do and why?

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nebraska-2013

Thanks so much for mentioning this movie.  Looks like it's worth a watch.

Bob Odenkirk is in it.  And it's available on Prime.  

[SunnyBeBe]

Perhaps, I’m missing something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have disappeared….changed identities again?  I don’t recall the rules about how that worked. The whole scheme was really just too risky, imo.  And, the risks will continue. Gene making Jeff say aloud they were done was pointless and rather silly.   Sort of like when Gene told the security guy scout’s honor…lol.  That made me laugh.  

[ctlady]

21 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

There are lots of people interested in buying designer goods at a discount. Word of mouth, neighborhood groups, Craigslist, eBay, FB ads, etc.

Poshmark.  I know someone who shops thrift stores and resells them on Poshmark and has made a lot of money

At first I thought the clothes grab was for Gene/Saul's new wardrobe should he decide to skip out, but Jeffy wasn't exactly grabbing certain sizes.  Gotta hand it to Gene/Saul - he sure knew the legal consequences right down to the amount of jail time when he planned this

Disappointed the anticipated appearance of Walt and/or Jesse was a bust.  But we did get a nice shout out from Gene (paraphrasing): "I'll tell you what crazy is - a 50 year old chemistry teacher who came to me so broke he couldn't pay his bills.  A year later he had enough money to fill a Volkswagon"

[Cinnabon]

16 minutes ago, SoTheresThat said:

Thanks so much for mentioning this movie.  Looks like it's worth a watch.

Bob Odenkirk is in it.  And it's available on Prime.  

You’re welcome. I just discovered it, too.🙂

5 minutes ago, ctlady said:

Poshmark.  I know someone who shops thrift stores and resells them on Poshmark and has made a lot of money

At first I thought the clothes grab was for Gene/Saul's new wardrobe should he decide to skip out, but Jeffy wasn't exactly grabbing certain sizes.  Gotta hand it to Gene/Saul - he sure knew the legal consequences right down to the amount of jail time when he planned this

Disappointed the anticipated appearance of Walt and/or Jesse was a bust.  But we did get a nice shout out from Gene (paraphrasing): "I'll tell you what crazy is - a 50 year old chemistry teacher who came to me so broke he couldn't pay his bills.  A year later he had enough money to fill a Volkswagon"

Right, I forgot about Poshmark. Even if they charged half the retail price, they could make some decent pocket change.

[SnarkAttack]

1 hour ago, Cinnabon said:

It’s an homage/callback to the 2013 movie “Nebraska,” which predates the Fargo tv series. The movie was also shot in black and white and has some similar themes to BCS. What do you expect Carol Burnett to do and why?

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nebraska-2013

The scene at the cemetery with his mom is hilarious.

[Dev F]

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Didn't Jimmy do a methodical scheme in setting up Howard? Of course he did it with Kim, but he played a major role there. I don't see how he's more controlled as Gene than he was back then.

The scheme with Howard was elaborate, but it wasn't methodical in the same way as his plan here. And it ended with Saul running around like a maniac to keep everything on track—in marked contrast to his deliberately paced routine here.

It's also interesting how he has to respond this time when the con goes wrong: it's not about "Go, go, go," it's about stopping the momentum long enough for Jeffy to finish the burglary. And whereas Saul was all about filling his life with chaos and his earbud with chatter to escape the hurt, here Gene saves the day by embracing the pain, turning it into a sob story to keep Frank distracted.

12 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Perhaps, I’m missing something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have disappeared….changed identities again?  I don’t recall the rules about how that worked.

The flash-forward at the beginning of season 5 dealt with this possibility. Gene actually calls the Disappearer and asks for a do-over, before deciding he doesn't want to keep running and living in fear but will handle it himself—by, it turns out here, reembracing and reimagining the very life he's been running from.

[Simon Boccanegra]

"Fly" was one of my favorite Breaking Bad episodes. For many, it seems it's either near the top or rock-bottom. It has the lowest IMDb score of the series. 

So, while "Nippy" was going on, as I realized we were never going to leave Gene's monochromatic world, the whole hour would be about this post-BB shoplifting scam, I was thinking, "This will be the 'Fly' of BCS" within the fan community. 

It won't be a "Fly"-like favorite for me, though. It was...fine. It was beautifully shot. I always love the way the mall is photographed and lighted on this series. It's so "Everymall," yet it can seem as threatening a location as any we've seen in either series. The episode was very well acted; the bit players popped, one after another. I especially liked Kelsey Scott as Kathy Deutsch, the steely manager of the department store, and Carol Burnett was well used. The unavoidable recasting of Jeffie the cabbie hurt. The new actor gave a good performance, but as others have noted, he didn't seem at all like the same character, even given the change in circumstances. 

The execution of the material was fully up to the standards of the show, and I can see that material's value on the big canvas. It's just that whatever was going on in any one of the 59 prior Better Call Saul episodes was more compelling to me. 

[Penman61]

38 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Perhaps, I’m missing something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have disappeared….changed identities again?  I don’t recall the rules about how that worked. The whole scheme was really just too risky, imo.  And, the risks will continue. 

I agree. I mean, it's in the suspension-of-disbelief bucket, but still, if you wanna disappear, maybe don't take a public-facing job in food service in a mall in a major midwestern city? And maybe don't eat lunch at a high-visibility centrally-located public bench in said mall? It is possible--and it was even pre-covid--to construct a MUCH less public-facing life than Jimmy/Gene did. 

But then we wouldn't get shot after glorious closeup shot of those frosting-slathered Cinnabon rolls...

[qtpye]

1 hour ago, Cinnabon said:

It’s an homage/callback to the 2013 movie “Nebraska,” which predates the Fargo tv series. The movie was also shot in black and white and has some similar themes to BCS. What do you expect Carol Burnett to do and why?

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nebraska-2013

This is so cool...Bob O is in the movie.

44 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Perhaps, I’m missing something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have disappeared….changed identities again?  I don’t recall the rules about how that worked. The whole scheme was really just too risky, imo.  And, the risks will continue. Gene making Jeff say aloud they were done was pointless and rather silly.   Sort of like when Gene told the security guy scout’s honor…lol.  That made me laugh.  

I think Gene is tired of running and being afraid.

The scam, with all its issues. is the first time the character of Gene felt alive to me and not a sad shadow of his former self.

I guess the real question is, who is his true self...Saul or Jimmy?

[peeayebee]

34 minutes ago, Dev F said:

The scheme with Howard was elaborate, but it wasn't methodical in the same way as his plan here. And it ended with Saul running around like a maniac to keep everything on track—in marked contrast to his deliberately paced routine here.

It's also interesting how he has to respond this time when the con goes wrong: it's not about "Go, go, go," it's about stopping the momentum long enough for Jeffy to finish the burglary. And whereas Saul was all about filling his life with chaos and his earbud with chatter to escape the hurt, here Gene saves the day by embracing the pain, turning it into a sob story to keep Frank distracted.

I still don't see the difference. The scheme with Howard had Jimmy running around because he saw the judge with a broken arm. Otherwise, it would have gone just as planned. This scheme with the shoplifting would have gone just as planned, but Jeff slipped and fell, so Gene had to improvise and cover for him.

BTW, Cinnabon, I didn't even think about your username until a minute ago.

[anoninrva]

15 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I guess the real question is, who is his true self...Saul or Jimmy?

Slippin' Jimmy, Saul Goodman, and Gene are all personas.  I  thought Gene was dipping into real hurt when he talked about Chuck during the distraction scene.  Still, the question remains, who is he really?  There's no one left to accept him.

[tennisgurl]

4 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

It makes me so sad.  Gus is the perfect small local businessman, running a clean family restaurant and serving as a mentor to his young employees.  Jimmy was absolutely perfect at elder law, patient with their slowness, understanding their interests, best Bingo caller ever.  Why?

I think that this has been a theme of the whole franchise, its really interesting. So many of the major players, Saul, Gus, Mike, Walt, even Jesse in his way, are truly very intelligent, are more successful at their legal jobs then their criminal ones, their lives would have been a million times easier and better if they had just stuck with living law abiding lives, but all of them have some tragic flaw that ends up consuming them and leads them to throw away all that potential and success because of their vices. Everyone has an excuse about why they do the things that they do, but at the end of the day, its about the thrill, or pride, or revenge, or taking the easy route, not because anyone really had to go into a life of crime. Its all very Greek tragedy. 

This was an interesting episode, I feel like I will know more about how I feel about it when I see the rest of the season. I think that point was that Gene/Saul/Jimmy is moving towards his Saul life again, even if he knows its a horrible idea. The scheme isn't all Saul, he was a bit more hard edged than Saul usually would be, but he really just cant help himself. He will always go back to schemes, even when it doesn't benefit him and could actively hurt him. He clearly misses being Saul, looking longingly at a Saul style outfit, but I think he also misses being Jimmy. It might have been part of his manipulations, but when he was sadly telling Jerry about how his family is dead and he has no one, he was actually being sincere for one second. he has nothing and he knows its all his own doing, so he is going back to something he knows that makes him feel better about his emptiness. 

Damn it Jerry! I was really worried that the security guard would drop dead of a heart attack after all of the cinnabuns that Saul/Gene/Jimmy was feeding him. Wouldn't be the first time an innocent person was collateral damage to one of his schemes. 

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Perhaps, I’m missing something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have disappeared….changed identities again?  I don’t recall the rules about how that worked. The whole scheme was really just too risky, imo.  And, the risks will continue. Gene making Jeff say aloud they were done was pointless and rather silly.   Sort of like when Gene told the security guy scout’s honor…lol.  That made me laugh.  

I don't think so. I mean, yes, it would have been easier in many ways, but it was more about the personal decision to not keep running because it would never end. And in this case I think his making him say "We're done" worked because the point wasn't the promise, but that he understood the threat. That's what was different.

8 minutes ago, PeterPirate said:

In a sense he's neither.  He didn't really enjoy the scam nor did he want to continue doing them.  Maybe he really is "Paul" now.  

Actually, the Royals play in Kansas City, Missouri.  That's a mistake even stable geniuses make.    

LOL. Paul is dead. I buried Paul...

5 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I still don't see the difference. The scheme with Howard had Jimmy running around because he saw the judge with a broken arm. Otherwise, it would have gone just as planned. This scheme with the shoplifting would have gone just as planned, but Jeff slipped and fell, so Gene had to improvise and cover for him.

BTW, Cinnabon, I didn't even think about your username until a minute ago.

But I think the point is running vs. the opposite of running. Running around is how Jimmy ignores is problems, always running, slipping, etc. But this whole plan was about staying in place, being on schedule, same thing ever day. So when he saw Jeffy slip he *couldn't* run around to do anything. He had to sit very still, exactly where he was, as if nothing was wrong. His improvisation had to be enough to get the guard's attention but not so big that the guard would move. 

I mean, Jimmy has certainly been meticulous--think of him changing that address on those papers for Chuck. But I think DevF's point is that this is a different kind of control, more Walter Whit-ish in fact, in that he's standing his ground and needing to be calm rather than running his mouth and dancing to distract the person. (I know he was running his mouth in a sense because he was talking, but he was telling the truth and bringing the spotlight on his true self in that moment, so it fits with embracing who he is.)

[sistermagpie]

Just now, tennisgurl said:

I think that this has been a theme of the whole franchise, its really interesting. So many of the major players, Saul, Gus, Mike, Walt, even Jesse in his way, are truly very intelligent, are more successful at their legal jobs then their criminal ones, their lives would have been a million times easier and better if they had just stuck with living law abiding lives, but all of them have some tragic flaw that ends up consuming them and leads them to throw away all that potential and success because of their vices. Everyone has an excuse about why they do the things that they do, but at the end of the day, its about the thrill, or pride, or revenge, or taking the easy route, not because anyone really had to go into a life of crime. Its all very Greek tragedy. 

I don't know that I agree with that. If they were more successful at their legal jobs they would have kept them, most of them. Walt, as Gene said, couldn't pay his mortgage. He was practically the walking dead. And Jesse didn't even really discover his ability to love doing something meticulously until working with Walt. Mike's job was boring too Jimmy didn't like working as a super successful lawyer.

I think most of them, maybe save Jesse who was young and lazy, love their illegal jobs and excel in them more.

[PeterPirate]

4 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

LOL. Paul is dead. I buried Paul... 

Yes, and my apologies if it seems I was piling on.  As I've said before, I don't correct someone unless I can use it to make a point or a joke.  In this case I like the "Paul" reference because I want this show to end with Jimmy being redeemed.  

[Penman61]

Who is "Paul"?

[BC4ME]

I would just like to say, "Nippy" is a terrible name for a dog that has gotten lost if someone hopes they'll be returned.

Is there anything to glean out of that choice of name WRT the episode? As in someone getting "bit" by what went on?

[scenario]

4 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

Who is "Paul"?

It was a typo in the previous thread. Also Saul/Paul is a religious reference. 

[Blakeston]

12 hours ago, Dev F said:

So I see as being somewhat more complicated than Jimmy just looking for a way to return to his old life as a big-shot con artist. On some level he's actually looking for a way to exorcise that history, to be Saul but to do it differently, to get it right this time. That's echoed in his kiss-off scene with Jeff and his buddy. He strong-arms them into telling him "We're done," which is something he was never able to do with Walt: "We're done when I say we're done."

Saul effectively managed that with Walt in their final interaction, when Walt tried to say, "It's over when I say it's over" but started coughing, and then Saul said, "It's over" and Walt became resigned and gave up.

The only reason Gene was able to convince Jeff to walk away, when Saul wasn't able to do the same with Walter White the first time he tried it, was because Walter was more powerful than Saul. Jeff was a pathetic loser who no longer had any power over Gene. If Jeff actually had the ability to make Gene a lot of money and give him a lot of thrills, and Gene turned that down, that would have sent a different message.

As for Gene constructing a methodical plan, and keeping calm and embracing pain to pull it off, I don't think that's anything new.

Jimmy's plan to get Chuck's malpractice insurer to drop him depended on Jimmy having a brilliantly thought out plan - and the plan hinged on Jimmy speaking emotionally about Chuck's struggles to the insurance company employee.

Jimmy getting his bar membership back also depended on him manipulating others by making a very emotional speech that undoubtedly contained some deeply felt truths about Chuck.

[Ellaria]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Perhaps, I’m missing something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have disappeared….changed identities again?  I don’t recall the rules about how that worked. The whole scheme was really just too risky, imo.  And, the risks will continue. Gene making Jeff say aloud they were done was pointless and rather silly.   Sort of like when Gene told the security guy scout’s honor…lol.  That made me laugh.  

This was Gene’s choice. He could have run away again but didn’t. We now know that this episode occurred less than a year after he became Gene. It is just enough time for him to accept that living in the shadows, living on the run, isn’t for him. My assumption is that he will continue to embrace Saul. Much like Walter White before him, he doesn’t want to hide. 

[tennisgurl]

24 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

I don't know that I agree with that. If they were more successful at their legal jobs they would have kept them, most of them. Walt, as Gene said, couldn't pay his mortgage. He was practically the walking dead.

Walt is a bit different, his original motivation made a lot of sense and was a sympathetic reason for him to start cooking meth. He was broke, his medical bills would bankrupt his family, he hated his low paying mindless job. Later on though, we find out that it didn't have to be that way, he had opportunities to get money in other ways, he could have gone to his super rich friends for help, they even, if I remember right, offered to cut him in on a new idea they had, but he wouldn't do it out of pride. He might have started out with good intentions and out of real desperation, but by the end, it was clear that he kept going, even when he didn't have to, out of pride and ego.

[Cinnabon]

6 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Walt is a bit different, his original motivation made a lot of sense and was a sympathetic reason for him to start cooking meth. He was broke, his medical bills would bankrupt his family, he hated his low paying mindless job. Later on though, we find out that it didn't have to be that way, he had opportunities to get money in other ways, he could have gone to his super rich friends for help, they even, if I remember right, offered to cut him in on a new idea they had, but he wouldn't do it out of pride. He might have started out with good intentions and out of real desperation, but by the end, it was clear that he kept going, even when he didn't have to, out of pride and ego.

I’m not sure that he hated teaching. He was good at it and appeared to be a natural teacher with Jesse. Teaching may not be high paying, but it’s not mindless. Teachers are highly educated professionals just like lawyers, doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc etc. Walt just felt he deserved to be more “important.”

[lilysmom]

5 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

The way his tacky home was being dismantled looks like the government's hand.  He probably has fears about both.

I agree, don't think the cartel would care about his personal possessions. My question is, were we ever told exactly what Saul had done to have the government go after him and place a reward on his head? I would think it would be something during or after BB, and it would have to have been big enough to make the news so a taxi driver would have known about it. Jeff did threaten him with the "it would take only one phone call..." bit. I think that is why Saul got involved in this con. He wanted insurance so Jeff would never be able to turn him in without it crashing down on him as well.

I also think that Marion may serve the same purpose to Saul as Nacho's father served for the cartel. Keep Nacho and now Jeff in line.

[tennisgurl]

3 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

I’m not sure that he hated teaching. He was good at it and appeared to be a natural teacher with Jesse. Teaching may not be high paying, but it’s not mindless. Teachers are highly educated professionals just like lawyers, doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc etc. Walt just felt he deserved to be more “important.”

I was looking at it more from Walt’s perspective. Teaching is certainly not mindless, it’s very challenging and fulfilling, and it seems like Walt really was good at it. His issue is more his massive ego and that he felt like being a high school teacher was “beneath” him which led to a lot of bitterness underneath the surface that really started coming out as the show went on.

[Penman61]

49 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Jimmy's plan to get Chuck's malpractice insurer to drop him depended on Jimmy having a brilliantly thought out plan - and the plan hinged on Jimmy speaking emotionally about Chuck's struggles to the insurance company employee.

Jimmy getting his bar membership back also depended on him manipulating others by making a very emotional speech that undoubtedly contained some deeply felt truths about Chuck.

(emphasis added)

Thanks for reminding me of this yet 3rd example of Jimmy harnessing some actual painful emotion of his in order to manipulate others (1 and 2 were bar hearing panel and mall security guard).

"Manipulating others" is key here. He's not genuinely trying to process these painful feelings or figure them out with a close friend/family member/therapist.

Instead, it seems he can only "express" these "true" feelings in the service of grifting. I don't think that counts as truly processing them, and so here we are, with Jimmy/Saul/Gene grifting right up to the bitter, windswept Nebraska end. 

Edited July 26, 2022 by Penman61

[Starchild]

6 minutes ago, lilysmom said:

My question is, were we ever told exactly what Saul had done to have the government go after him and place a reward on his head? I would think it would be something during or after BB, and it would have to have been big enough to make the news so a taxi driver would have known about it. Jeff did threaten him with the "it would take only one phone call..." bit. I think that is why Saul got involved in this con. He wanted insurance so Jeff would never be able to turn him in without it crashing down on him as well.

Money laundering would be my guess.

What's the statute of limitation on that? Would it be federal or just state level?

[nodorothyparker]

24 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Jimmy's plan to get Chuck's malpractice insurer to drop him depended on Jimmy having a brilliantly thought out plan - and the plan hinged on Jimmy speaking emotionally about Chuck's struggles to the insurance company employee.

That wasn't planning but pure dumb luck. Jimmy went to the insurer to try to convince them to not bill him for the year that his law license was suspended. I didn't get the impression it had even occurred to him that he wasn't the only McGill they were insuring until they had to clarify which McGill he was.  His entire concerned brother routine was improvisation on the fly.

It never would have occurred to me to try to date this episode from the football references as like Gene, I have very little interest in sportsball. So kudos for that. He's definitely better at faking it than I am though. I guess I'm in a minority of being less impressed that the timeline between the end of BB and this is so compressed. I'd been under the impression Gene has been trudging wearily along for awhile and this was the first real flicker of Slippin' Jimmy/Saul re-emerging.

[Lalo Lives]

3 hours ago, SimplexFish said:

It never showed Saul getting the black book from the Veterinarian, I hope that still comes up

Me too.

[30 Helens]

It always kills me when a popular show is coming to the end and people start complaining about an episode being “wasted” when there are so few left. In a show like this, I’m sure they had as many episodes as they wanted to wrap things up. And without this one, we simply might have had one less.

I thought this was a necessary episode, because if we’re going to see what comes next for Gene, it’s important to see where he is now, and how he’s transitioning to that next step. For the most part, it looked like more of a reawakening of his Saul side. I really enjoyed this episode, and thought it was a fascinating deviation from the norm.

As for the value of the stolen clothes, I think that was irrelevant. Gene didn’t care if the guys got rich off the scheme, he just needed them to do it so he would get his leverage. He roped them in by setting up an extravagent heist, and they were probably more dazzled by the mechanics of it than the results. Let’s face it, they weren’t that bright.

Edited July 26, 2022 by 30 Helens

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

This was an interesting episode, I feel like I will know more about how I feel about it when I see the rest of the season.

Yeah, I see this ep definitely as a setup to the rest of the eps. In a way it was a standalone ep because of the whole scheme and watching it play out, but I didn't see anything new here. I may rewatch it with a clearer (i.e., soberer) head and maybe get more out of it.

Quote

Damn it Jerry!

😆

Quote

I was really worried that the security guard would drop dead of a heart attack after all of the cinnabuns that Saul/Gene/Jimmy was feeding him.

Alan Sepinwall said at least he didn't have a fart attack.

38 minutes ago, BC4ME said:

I would just like to say, "Nippy" is a terrible name for a dog that has gotten lost if someone hopes they'll be returned.

Is there anything to glean out of that choice of name WRT the episode? As in someone getting "bit" by what went on?

Before this ep aired I was wondering what meanings 'Nippy' would have. As you suggested, the bitten one is the only thing that comes to my mind.

12 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

Thanks for reminding me of this yet 3rd example of Jimmy harnessing some actual painful emotion of his in order to manipulate others (1 and 2 were bar hearing panel and mall security guard).

"Manipulating others" is key here. He's not genuinely trying to process these painful feelings or figure them out with a close friend/family member/therapist.

Instead, it seems he can only "express" these "true" feelings in the service of grifting. I don't think that counts as truly processing them, and so here were are, with Jimmy/Saul/Gene grifting right up to the bitter, windswept Nebraska end. 

I really like these observations. He uses his life stories to grift. Will we see Gene be sincere in declaring his feelings? 

[peeayebee]

3 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

I thought this was a necessary episode, because if we’re going to see what comes next for Gene, it’s important to see where he is now, and how he’s transitioning to that next step.

I'm sure it's a necessary ep, but to me it felt too much like setting things up for more important developments. For instance, that seems to be it for Jeff. That was a blip in Gene's life and in the show. So I assume the whole storyline re the threat of Jeff was to bring Marion and Gene together. What will happen there, I don't want to guess.

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, PeterPirate said:

Yes, and my apologies if it seems I was piling on.  As I've said before, I don't correct someone unless I can use it to make a point or a joke.  In this case I like the "Paul" reference because I want this show to end with Jimmy being redeemed.  

Oh, not at all. I thought it was an excellent callback! I was going to make a Biblical reference but the only one that came to mind was Peter. And when this came to mind it took me a second to remember it was from.

It is nice of you to make sure it didn't feel like piling on, though. Things can get easily misunderstood on the internet.

54 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

Who is "Paul"?

Originally my typo for Saul, then it became a Biblical reference, and just now I turned into the 1960s conspiracy theory about Paul McCartney. 🤷‍♀️

[Cinnabon]

39 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

(emphasis added)

Thanks for reminding me of this yet 3rd example of Jimmy harnessing some actual painful emotion of his in order to manipulate others (1 and 2 were bar hearing panel and mall security guard).

"Manipulating others" is key here. He's not genuinely trying to process these painful feelings or figure them out with a close friend/family member/therapist.

Instead, it seems he can only "express" these "true" feelings in the service of grifting. I don't think that counts as truly processing them, and so here we are, with Jimmy/Saul/Gene grifting right up to the bitter, windswept Nebraska end. 

I agree. I’m not convinced that speaking about these things truly affects him. He can pull out the sob stories and painful truths if need be, but there’s likely no authentic emotion imo. 

[SnarkAttack]

Tell me, why was Carol Burnett brought on - is she's a big fan of the show or something?  Is there reason to believe she's more than a bit player?

[Cinnabon]

24 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

It always kills me when a popular show is coming to the end and people start complaining about an episode being “wasted” when there are so few left. In a show like this, I’m sure they had as many episodes as they wanted to wrap things up. And without this one, we simply might have had one less.

I thought this was a necessary episode, because if we’re going to see what comes next for Gene, it’s important to see where he is now, and how he’s transitioning to that next step. For the most part, it looked like more of a reawakening of his Saul side. I really enjoyed this episode, and thought it was a fascinating deviation from the norm.

As for the value of the stolen clothes, I think that was irrelevant. Gene didn’t care if the guys got rich off the scheme, he just needed them to do it so he would get his leverage. He roped them in by setting up an extravagent heist, and they were probably more dazzled by the mechanics of it than the results. Let’s face it, they weren’t that bright.

I feel the same way. I trust the writers to stay true to THEIR vision of the story. At its core, this show is a character study. This episode was a much needed reprieve from the unrelenting violence and heartbreak of the previous few episodes. And as someone else said, it had a couple very funny moments.  I laughed when inept Jeffy fell and knocked himself out. Because of course he did. 

19 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Originally my typo for Saul, then it became a Biblical reference, and just now I turned into the 1960s conspiracy theory about Paul McCartney. 🤷‍♀️

This is why I love this board! Paul is dead, indeed.

[gallimaufry]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I think that this has been a theme of the whole franchise, its really interesting. So many of the major players, Saul, Gus, Mike, Walt, even Jesse in his way, are truly very intelligent, are more successful at their legal jobs then their criminal ones, their lives would have been a million times easier and better if they had just stuck with living law abiding lives, but all of them have some tragic flaw that ends up consuming them and leads them to throw away all that potential and success because of their vices.

They even hit this on the head in S3 of "Breaking Bad" where Gale shares with Walt his scientific coffee-maker and Walt says, "Why are we making meth?"

Interesting that the setting is 2010.  There's still a lot of latitude for a major time-jump to the present day (or beyond) if, for example, they wanted Jimmy to serve a long prison stint.  That said, while they could age up Bob Odenkirk relatively easily since he's already been playing 20 years younger, it would be hard for them to show such a big age gap with Rhea Seehorn where, even though she's also been playing much younger, they haven't really done much in terms of make-up to support this as far as I can see.  And as great as the make-up team are, old age make-up always looks wrong.

2 minutes ago, SnarkAttack said:

Tell me, why was Carol Burnett brought on - is she's a big fan of the show or something?  Is there reason to believe she's more than a bit player?

I have no knowledge to support this but I could well believe that she'll be back given the resonance of old people with Kim's story.

Incidentally, the fact that they transported the goods across a state border, suggesting that the border is close enough for them to easily retrieve it... does this also suggest we're near Kim's home-town which was also on the border of two states?

[30 Helens]

8 minutes ago, SnarkAttack said:

Tell me, why was Carol Burnett brought on - is she's a big fan of the show or something?  Is there reason to believe she's more than a bit player?

Carol Burnett is a big fan of the show. I don’t think this role was written for her, but they knew she’s a fan and I’m guessing that’s why they offered her he role. 

I wasn’t crazy about the casting, even though I like Carol Burnett and thought she did a good job, but it felt a little too much like stunt casting and took me out of the show’s reality a bit. 

I assume it was a one-and-done role, but who knows. Maybe she’ll show up in the finale with Nippy, and give a reunited Kim and Jimmy the puppy they need for their new home.

[Dev F]

1 hour ago, BC4ME said:

Is there anything to glean out of that choice of name WRT the episode? As in someone getting "bit" by what went on?

I saw it as being more about what Nippy is. If this were Breaking Bad it would've probably been titled like the episode "Problem Dog" and "Rabid Dog": "Lost Dog."

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

The only reason Gene was able to convince Jeff to walk away, when Saul wasn't able to do the same with Walter White the first time he tried it, was because Walter was more powerful than Saul. Jeff was a pathetic loser who no longer had any power over Gene. If Jeff actually had the ability to make Gene a lot of money and give him a lot of thrills, and Gene turned that down, that would have sent a different message.

Sure, the circumstances are quite different, but to me the point isn't what Gene was able to accomplish in that scene but what he wanted to accomplish. Considering he clearly did have the upper hand with Jeff, I think it's significant that what he chose to do with it is reenact that earlier moment with Walt. Which, again, speaks to Gene's interest in control, something Saul and Jimmy never seemed to care that much about as they rode the waves of chaos.

Quote

As for Gene constructing a methodical plan, and keeping calm and embracing pain to pull it off, I don't think that's anything new.

I can't think of a single other caper over the course of the series that involved Jimmy/Saul doing the same thing over and over again to work out the precise timing. Usually his elaborate plans involve a lot of different moving parts that he sets in motion one after another—e.g., the "Inflatable" montage, which has a similar rhythm but depicts Jimmy perpetrating increasingly outrageous acts of chaos at Davis & Main in order to get fired.

It's a fairly subtle distinction, but that's often how the show conveys meaning: by depicting similar events and inviting us to notice the small ways in which they're not the same. And I find it it's particularly conspicuous in this case, when multiple other characters have previously been characterized by their patience and precision in contrast to Jimmy: Mike with his extended scenes of watching and waiting, Chuck with his metronome, Lalo with his egg timer, etc.
 

Quote

Jimmy's plan to get Chuck's malpractice insurer to drop him depended on Jimmy having a brilliantly thought out plan - and the plan hinged on Jimmy speaking emotionally about Chuck's struggles to the insurance company employee.

Jimmy getting his bar membership back also depended on him manipulating others by making a very emotional speech that undoubtedly contained some deeply felt truths about Chuck.

Well, I agree with nodorothyparker that Jimmy's insurance con was extemporaneous rather than brilliantly thought out. But I also think there's a difference in Jimmy's use of emotions there, since they're altogether fabricated. He doesn't actually fear for his brother's life; he's just putting on a show to screw Chuck over. And it's this fabricated emotional outburst that causes Jimmy's actual emotional turmoil, since it's a big part of why he feels such intense guilt over Chuck's death.

The bar hearing is a closer match, but again, I think the subtle differences are informative. At the bar hearing, Jimmy was letting out a little of his genuine grief, but then he crammed it back down again with his Saul Goodman–esque glee about how he manipulated those poor suckers. In this episode, after he distracts the guard, saves the con, and makes it to his little spot off-camera, there's no such glee—not even the subtle hand-rubbing excitement he expressed in the exact same spot earlier in the episode. He's alone and unobserved, but he still looks genuinely pained. And that carries over into the rest of the episode, in which it turns out that his whole plan was to put an end to his criminal chicanery, whereas his reaction to the bar hearing was precisely the opposite: Woohoo, I can see the Matrix! Time to do more cons!

And obviously, this is far from the healthiest or most direct way to deal with trauma. But I do think it demonstrates that, in his own dysfunctional way, Gene is working through some of his shit.

Edited July 26, 2022 by Dev F

[SimplexFish]

3 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Perhaps, I’m missing something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have disappeared….changed identities again?  I don’t recall the rules about how that worked. The whole scheme was really just too risky,  

Its $250k and also no more Ed Galbraith...

[SimplexFish]

3 hours ago, ctlady said:

Disappointed the anticipated appearance of Walt and/or Jesse was a bust.  But we did get a nice shout out from Gene (paraphrasing): "I'll tell you what crazy is - a 50 year old chemistry teacher who came to me so broke he couldn't pay his bills.  A year later he had enough money to fill a Volkswagon"

I think he said the SIZE of a Volkswagen, LOL

[peeayebee]

52 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

I wasn’t crazy about the casting, even though I like Carol Burnett and thought she did a good job, but it felt a little too much like stunt casting and took me out of the show’s reality a bit. 

I was very pleased because I was worried it would look too much like stunt casting. 

Quote

I assume it was a one-and-done role, but who knows. Maybe she’ll show up in the finale with Nippy, and give a reunited Kim and Jimmy the puppy they need for their new home.

I sure hope it's not a one-and-done. I would expect the show would have a lot more for Burnett to do. Plus, as I posted earlier, if there's not more with Marion, then it seems like the whole plot line with Jeff was kind of pointless.

29 minutes ago, Dev F said:

In this episode, after he distracts the guard, saves the con, and makes it to his little spot off-camera, there's no such glee—not even the subtle hand-rubbing excitement he expressed in the exact same spot earlier in the episode. He's alone and unobserved, but he still looks genuinely pained.

I thought he was looked shook because of it being such a close call. I admit it's possible he was also affected by his "unburdening" himself to Frank. Again, I'll have to see if I have a different reaction upon rewatch.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I take "Nippy" to represent our shadow side constantly nipping us to give in.  "Try it.  You'll like it." 

One reason I do not trust that we have heard the last from Marion is that it was she, after all, who raised the detritus we call Jeffie.  No saint, she.

The entire time I was watching this ep, I was twisted with the joy of watching it unfold and the dread that it all ends very, very soon.

I know it can get cold early in those parts, but the Monday morning  QB conversations about Martinez would have taken place in late-October at the latest.  Sure enough, the weather in Omaha then was pretty warm.  Given the visuals and Gene's trickeration to stop Marion, disbelief is suspended.

The reference to the Oklahoma St. "Okies" was an interesting miscue by Gene.  He very quickly deflected the conversation when Jerry expressed a slight confusion.  OSU is known as the "Cowboys."  Now, is there any chance we get a Land Crabs reference in the final three eps?

Anybody seen/heard anything as to the significance, if any, of the phone number on the Nippy posters being stapled by Gene?

What about the "...IY" on the plate of the promo art?  Marco's ring is obvious. 

Would the crew have been wondering why Gene was baking more rolls near closing time all of a sudden?  Surely, Gene preached about cost control and waste...  

Finally, I got a serious Heisenberg vibe as Gene was meticulously applying the syrup to the whipped cream on top of the drink he was fashioning.  Gene was every bit the scientist in that moment, imo.  I felt this more in this scene than when he was cutting ties with Jeffie and the other criminal (We're done.).

[ShadowFacts]

7 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I know people want to see Saul Goodman again but everyone complaining we are getting nothing new with Gene what exactly can we get new with Saul?   We saw how he started his criminal law.    Maybe watch him take on a few cases as Saul Goodman but how much fun could that be?  The only reason to do that would be pure nostalgia or maybe have him make one last attempt to get Kim Back or possibly after a really bad day walk into his office and walk past Walt and Jessie.   But that is an episode tops.   The real story is can Jimmy repent and be something else as Gene?  Even with a fake friend in the security guard and Carol Burnett which he can turn into the real thing will he go back to being Slippin Jimmy because that is who he truly is? 

It sure looks like that is the dominant part of his psyche, and messing with the guards and cutting an elder's motorized scooter connection doesn't point toward a redemptive path. I'm not sure he's in the clear re: Jeffy. Sure, he is scared in the moment but all it takes is an anonymous phone tip a la what used to happen with America's Most Wanted. I think he's close enough geographically to New Mexico and looks much the same, so he might have to move on anyway.

[Cinnabon]

20 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I take "Nippy" to represent our shadow side constantly nipping us to give in.  "Try it.  You'll like it." 

One reason I do not trust that we have heard the last from Marion is that it was she, after all, who raised the detritus we call Jeffie.  No saint, she.

The entire time I was watching this ep, I was twisted with the joy of watching it unfold and the dread that it all ends very, very soon.

I know it can get cold early in those parts, but the Monday morning  QB conversations about Martinez would have taken place in late-October at the latest.  Sure enough, the weather in Omaha then was pretty warm.  Given the visuals and Gene's trickeration to stop Marion, disbelief is suspended.

The reference to the Oklahoma St. "Okies" was an interesting miscue by Gene.  He very quickly deflected the conversation when Jerry expressed a slight confusion.  OSU is known as the "Cowboys."  Now, is there any chance we get a Land Crabs reference in the final three eps?

Anybody seen/heard anything as to the significance, if any, of the phone number on the Nippy posters being stapled by Gene?

What about the "...IY" on the plate of the promo art?  Marco's ring is obvious. 

Would the crew have been wondering why Gene was baking more rolls near closing time all of a sudden?  Surely, Gene preached about cost control and waste...  

Finally, I got a serious Heisenberg vibe as Gene was meticulously applying the syrup to the whipped cream on top of the drink he was fashioning.  Gene was every bit the scientist in that moment, imo.  I felt this more in this scene than when he was cutting ties with Jeffie and the other criminal (We're done.).

Here’s something cool - 

The crated shipment invoice number of the unwanted merchandise was "1968AE35.”

Stanley Kubrick’s “2001 A Space Odyssey,” released in 1968 featured a damaged antenna that prevented the spaceship from contacting earth. It was referred to as the AE35 antenna unit.

Edited July 26, 2022 by Cinnabon

[Eulipian 5k]

16 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

Jimmy didn't use his powers for good, but at least he chose not to continue to use them for bad.

See, that's Jimmy:

Organized shop lifting is a crime everywhere (except San Francisco 😉)

• No qualms about roping in Jeff's mother in his scam
• No concern for the "not-in-on-the-game" guards or the store manager

Someone needs an audit review from Errmentraut Security Consultants.

Gene took a ton of burner phones, but left the Tequilla bottle stopper?

[Eulipian 5k]

2 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

It always kills me when a popular show is coming to the end and people start complaining about an episode being “wasted” when there are so few left. In a show like this, I’m sure they had as many episodes as they wanted to wrap things up. And without this one, we simply might have had one less.

Some folks say that shot, or dialogue, "took me out of the show for a sec". Yet they spend so much time producing the show, counting the episodes left, or wondering whether Gould was right about Walt showing up. How does playing baby producer, director, or show runner not take you out of the show? Why not let the artists present their work as they saw fit?

[peeayebee]

46 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

What about the "...IY" on the plate of the promo art? 

I think that must just be crumbs from the cinnamon roll.