S06.E10: Nippy

[Lalo Lives]

33 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

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?

Quick guess would be the stopper is a painful reminder….burner phones are always useful for someone on the run.

[Starchild]

2 hours ago, peeayebee said:

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.

Where I'm from "nippy" is used to mean it's getting cold. As autumn approaches winter there's a "nip" in the air. I'll leave it you smarter folks to determine whether there's some symbolism there (beyond the snow on the ground).

1 hour ago, Dev F said:

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.

Gene was very deliberately doing several things:

• ensuring consistency with the time -- the guard very consistently took just over 3 minutes to eat the bun, so Gene could feel confident in the estimate he gave Jeff
• establishing a rapport with the guards (notice how the initially frosty guard eventually warmed up to him) so they don't think of him as a potential suspect -- recall how Hank couldn't see Walt right in front of his nose
• establishing a pattern long before the crime, so that it would not occur to them that he was a part of it -- if he's smart, and he is, he will continue the pattern for a while  (though they may not show us) in order to minimize suspicion when cops ask why they didn't see this guy running around the store for several minutes

As for whether he's been this deliberate in establishing a pattern before, I'm not sure. He may not have needed to do that with his other scams because, unlike with these guards, he was executing them with people he knows very well. The reason they succeeded so well with Howard (I recall they were expecting Howard when he knocked on their door that night) is because they knew him very well, what buttons to push, what reactions they'd get. Same for Chuck, and anyone else they knew well. Other short scams were pulled on people who exhibited easily exploitable personality flaws, like Ken. Or just a dedication to being painfully meticulous (e.g. the Mesa Verde transposition scheme.) And of course, in all scenarios, Jimmy can think fast on his feet.

Bottom line, when it comes to scamming, not only is Jimmy not lazy, he is extremely versatile.

46 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

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. 

Interesting that Carol's character is called "Marion." She used that name a lot in her sketch show.

3 minutes ago, Lalo Lives said:

Quick guess would be the stopper is a painful reminder….burner phones are always useful for someone on the run.

Or he forgot where he put it and didn't have time to look for it.

[Lalo Lives]

Star child said:

Or he forgot where he put it and didn't have time to look for it.

Yes, crossed my mind also. He was in a bit of a hurry.

The last 3 episodes of BB were fairly significant.

Ozymandias

Granite State

Felina

Might we expect similar impact from the last 3 of BCS?
I certainly hope so.

Please forgive my spelling on episode names. Too lazy to double check.

[Eulipian 5k]

1 hour ago, Cinnabon said:

It was referred to as the AE35 antenna unit.

"Just a minute, just a minute...." That was the pre-text from which HAL's entire plot developed. I squeed when she read that.

[JudyObscure]

34 minutes ago, Starchild said:

if he's smart, and he is, he will continue the pattern for a while  (though they may not show us) in order to minimize suspicion when cops ask why they didn't see this guy running around the store for several minutes

I think one unintentional benefit from Gene having to spill his guts to the security guard about his loneliness is that he wont have to taper off on the visits.  The big guy will just think Gene is too embarrassed over the meltdown to come back.

[ShadowFacts]

4 hours ago, Starchild said:

Money laundering would be my guess.

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

Federal inasmuch as the DEA was the primary investigative agency going after Walt and the others. Interesting, I never thought about the statute of limitations. Maybe Saul plans to run out the clock on it.

[Starchild]

I did 30 seconds of googling and found a range of 5-10 years. Not great, but not horrible, as far as staying under the radar goes.

[PeterPirate]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

(Walt) 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.

Makes me wonder why he went after the Nazis.  Was it to save Jesse or exact revenge?  

[Cinnabon]

3 minutes ago, PeterPirate said:

Makes me wonder why he went after the Nazis.  Was it to save Jesse or exact revenge?  

He thought Jesse was dead until he arrived at the Nazi compound and realized that someone was still making the blue meth.

[Scout Finch]

8 hours 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.  

I love this movie! Ordered the DVD right after I rented it years ago. I've had friends watch it and they've all liked it. 

[PeterPirate]

18 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

He thought Jesse was dead until he arrived at the Nazi compound and realized that someone was still making the blue meth.

I've always thought Walt assumed Jesse was alive when he learned there was blue meth on the street.  

[Cosmocrush]

12 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?

10 hours ago, peeayebee said:

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

[Scout Finch]

Damn it! I haven't had a Cinnabon since sometime last year but now, thanks to this episode I am too weak to resist. But since it's 100+ degrees out (and very humid in the Pacific NW), I'm having some delivered. Vince needs to reimburse me!

[SimplexFish]

2 hours ago, Lalo Lives said:

The last 3 episodes of BB were fairly significant.

Ozymandias

Granite State

Felina

Might we expect similar impact from the last 3 of BCS?
I certainly hope so.

I hope so! This one sucked...LOL

Edited July 26, 2022 by SimplexFish

[Penman61]

10 minutes ago, Scout Finch said:

Damn it! I haven't had a Cinnabon since sometime last year but now, thanks to this episode I am too weak to resist. But since it's 100+ degrees out (and very humid in the Pacific NW), I'm having some delivered. Vince needs to reimburse me!

I've never had one, so I'm afraid you'll have to report back. :)

And it's definitely NOT off-topic because this episode had approximately 387 minutes (give or take) of Cinnabon product placement...

[Scout Finch]

6 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

I've never had one, so I'm afraid you'll have to report back. :)

And it's definitely NOT off-topic because this episode had approximately 387 minutes (give or take) of Cinnabon product placement...

Heh, I wonder if there was a slight uptick in their sales today!

ETA: Company Tweet: "sooo how many Cinnabons do you think that security guard ate."

They also retweeted someone that posted after the episode: "Anyone else craving Cinnabon today?"

Edited July 26, 2022 by Scout Finch

[Penman61]

4 minutes ago, Scout Finch said:

Heh, I wonder if there was a slight uptick in their sales today!

"Slight"? Every video and discussion forum I've seen--every one--discussing this ep has said "Well, now I want a Cinnabon" or "Anyone else get a weird craving for a Cinnabon?" 

I just wanted to be THE FLY on the wall in the Cinnabon management meeting after the AMC/BCS presentation to use their product. I can just see a Roger Sterling VP asking "Wait, isn't that the show about DRUGS?" 

Edited July 26, 2022 by Penman61

[Cinnabon]

32 minutes ago, PeterPirate said:

I've always thought Walt assumed Jesse was alive when he learned there was blue meth on the street.  

Didn’t he just hear about the blue meth on the street from Skinny Pete and Badger? That made him think perhaps Jesse didn’t die in the desert. But he wasn’t sure until the Nazis dragged Jesse out.

[Lalo Lives]

7 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

I've never had one, so I'm afraid you'll have to report back. :)

And it's definitely NOT off-topic because this episode had approximately 387 minutes (give or take) of Cinnabon product placement...

Was watching a Behind the Scenes of FOYLE’s WAR a while back.

One scene has a young assistant to the head copper eating sandwiches. Of course, in Britain a sandwich is about 1/6 of a real sandwich. But they had to do so many takes to get things right that the actress had to stuff some crazy number of these things in her face. 50+ or heck, I don’t know, maybe a 100. The number was so outrageous I remember thinking even I couldn’t do that when I was a teenager.

I wonder how many takes it took for this gastronomic Cinnabon feast to be completed.

[PeterPirate]

3 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Didn’t he just hear about the blue meth on the street from Skinny Pete and Badger? That made him think perhaps Jesse didn’t die in the desert. But he wasn’t sure until the Nazis dragged Jesse out.

Yes, from Badger and Skinny Pete.  I've always assumed Walt concluded Jesse was alive, and later on baited the Nazis into pulling Jesse out of the pit.  I have no idea what the consensus is among the BB fandom.  

[Lalo Lives]

44 minutes ago, Cosmocrush said:

MIJO.

Many examples.

[sistermagpie]

51 minutes ago, Cosmocrush said:

[Pj3422]

4 hours ago, Cinnabon said:

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.

And don’t forget the Schnauz sharp cheddar from Wisconsin! That HAS to be a shout-out to producer Thomas Schnauz. 

I’m off to listen to the Better Call Saul Insider podcast for all the off camera scoop from last night’s ep. 

[aghst]

If this was all a scheme to implicate Jeff, the guy who knows his pre-Gene identity, why was he specific about what he stole?

Jeff had to make 2 trips or more and it was on the last trip that he fell.

He could have stolen enough on one trip to make him vulnerable to all those federal crimes that Gene recited to them.

They're not going to fence the stolen goods either?

Maybe Gene has some money hidden away so he doesn't have that motive.

What are the odds some dingy mall in Omaha is going to have all those high fashion goods?

Each of those Italian suits (Armani?) was almost $2k and the threshold for interstate federal crime was like $5,000 or $6,000?  So why did Gene have Jeffy run around like that?

[Constantinople]

6 hours ago, Dev F said:

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.

We already know Jimmy is willing to put in an incredible amount of effort to pull of a scheme, that he's good at improvising on short notice and that he can turn the tables on someone who thinks he's got something on Jimmy.  I don't need to see yet another variation of the same theme.

[Dev F]

1 hour ago, Constantinople said:

We already know Jimmy is willing to put in an incredible amount of effort to pull of a scheme, that he's good at improvising on short notice and that he can turn the tables on someone who thinks he's got something on Jimmy.  I don't need to see yet another variation of the same theme.

Neither do I! In fact, that's my precise point: I'm the one arguing that each new con has a unique and specific meaning to the story based on the subtle ways it's different from Jimmy's previous cons, against the counterargument that the differences are not significant and that the only point of Gene's newest con is that it's the same as all of Jimmy's previous cons.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Dev F

[Penman61]

The All That Jazz reference—and movie buff Jimmy most definitely knows the reference—makes me think that Jimmy should be in show business somehow. He’s got a lot of natural skills as a performer, writer, and director, and doing it definitely energizes him.

But Gene’s appeal to Jeff to get in the game gives away why show biz would never be enough for Jimmy: On the outside looking in, wanting to get back at “the sons of bitches” (if memory serves), definitely a class resentment of the tribe that Chuck and Howard embodied. He was too deeply embittered to not want to slip.

Shame, really. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Penman61

[peeayebee]

49 minutes ago, aghst said:

If this was all a scheme to implicate Jeff, the guy who knows his pre-Gene identity, why was he specific about what he stole?

Jeff had to make 2 trips or more and it was on the last trip that he fell.

He could have stolen enough on one trip to make him vulnerable to all those federal crimes that Gene recited to them.

They're not going to fence the stolen goods either?

I think Gene wanted it to be a significant enuf haul that Jeff would believe in it. If it was just "Steal three Armani suits," Jeff wouldn't have thought it worth the trouble.

And if Jeff stole all the Armani suits, that would be noticed right away by store staff in the morning. Gene said no one would notice three items missing from each display. Also, after taking three items, Jeff rearranged things so the missing items wouldn't stand out.

As far as fencing them, I don't think Gene cared one way or the other. Maybe I missed something, but if Jeff wanted to sell stuff, he could go ahead and do it. That was irrelevant to Gene's plan.

Quote

What are the odds some dingy mall in Omaha is going to have all those high fashion goods?

I did think about that, esp with how poorly malls are doing nowadays. But then, this is supposed to be taking place several years ago, so maybe it was different back then.

Quote

Each of those Italian suits (Armani?) was almost $2k and the threshold for interstate federal crime was like $5,000 or $6,000?  So why did Gene have Jeffy run around like that?

I don't know, but I did notice that Jeff said he could sell the suits for $500, and Gene made a face like, You have no idea, dummy.

Another thing I noticed was when Gene was looking at the suits (when he's marking off the distance for the run-thru with Jeff), he's hold the book "The Moon's a Balloon." I read that decades ago. It's a memoir by David Niven. I don't know what significance that has. Maybe just a favorite of one of the people on BCS.

[Smok44]

Cinnabon  sales have increased due to BCS before https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/better-call-saul-gave-a-surprise-sales-boost-to-cinnabon-thanks-to-1-breaking-bad-line.html/

Edited July 27, 2022 by Smok44
It happened before

[Adiba]

5 hours ago, Eulipian 5k said:

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?

I think the artists presented their work as they saw fit, however, anytime art is presented to the public for its consumption or entertainment, the art itself becomes dynamic, not static. For some people, interacting with the art is part of the enjoyment of the art— so critique, analysis, etc. actually is part of the total experience.

On topic: Does anyone know why the security guard sat facing away from the monitors, rather than toward them, when eating? He could have watched while eating.

Gene seems to have solved the Jeff problem, but what about anyone else that may recognize him in the near future? He still needs to hide, unless he turns himself in.

[SimplexFish]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Maybe Gene has some money hidden away so he doesn't have that motive.

Sure he does, we saw him digging money out of the wall in his office and also he called the vacuum man for another $250k disappearance before changing his mind.

[Irlandesa]

54 minutes ago, aghst said:

If this was all a scheme to implicate Jeff, the guy who knows his pre-Gene identity, why was he specific about what he stole?

Jeff had to make 2 trips or more and it was on the last trip that he fell.

He could have stolen enough on one trip to make him vulnerable to all those federal crimes that Gene recited to them.

Each of those Italian suits (Armani?) was almost $2k and the threshold for interstate federal crime was like $5,000 or $6,000?  So why did Gene have Jeffy run around like that?

A quick Google search shows department store Armanis priced at 1,000 to 3,000 dollars.  I'm sure they get more expensive the more customized they are but this is off-the-rack.  And they were probably less expensive ten years ago.

Gene was specific because they needed to steal enough items to equal $10,000 but they had to be sporadic enough that they couldn't be immediately noticed as missing.  So stealing 3 of the $3,000 suit would probably be noticed much faster than it would be to notice a black $3,000 suit, a gray $1,000 suit and a blue $1500 suit. 

Making sure people didn't notice things were missing was also why shoe displays were replaced/restocked.

13 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I don't think he will ever go see Carol Burnett again after the, "We're done," moment.

It's hard to know.  I hope we see her again but it's also a good opportunity for a fan to do a guest stint perfect for her.

But Rhee was on Seth Meyers last night talking about the show and Carol.  And she said something that is not really a spoiler, IMO but may be considered one so I'll put it behind tags--

Spoiler

That she was amazed by the breadth of what they gave Carol to do. That isn't how I'd describe her character so it made me wonder if there is more.

8 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.

The thing is, I don't know what is considered a "wrap up for this series."  Jimmy's life has wrapped.  I consider the main story as done. I suspect we could see the other characters but we were left hanging with other characters on Breaking Bad. 

They could spend the last four episodes showing Gene playing with fire and continue the con games and it'd make sense to me. 

[scenario]

One thing I don't get is the idea of stunt casting. Carol Burnett is 89 years old. She seems to be pretty healthy for her age and clearly wants to continue acting but most people who are that old can't take the rigors of a tv series. They can't word for 12 hours a day or more for weeks or months at a time. So if they want to keep acting, small guest spots like this one are their best path. 

But if someone whose got a really big reputation wants to keep acting and is willing to take a few bit parts here and there so they can keep doing what they love doing, it's stunt casting. So if they try to keep working its stunt casting. Or they just stop working. 

[sistermagpie]

29 minutes ago, Adiba said:

On topic: Does anyone know why the security guard sat facing away from the monitors, rather than toward them, when eating? He could have watched while eating.

Because Gene made a point of sitting on that side of the table?

17 minutes ago, scenario said:

One thing I don't get is the idea of stunt casting. Carol Burnett is 89 years old. She seems to be pretty healthy for her age and clearly wants to continue acting but most people who are that old can't take the rigors of a tv series. They can't word for 12 hours a day or more for weeks or months at a time. So if they want to keep acting, small guest spots like this one are their best path. 

But if someone whose got a really big reputation wants to keep acting and is willing to take a few bit parts here and there so they can keep doing what they love doing, it's stunt casting. So if they try to keep working its stunt casting. Or they just stop working. 

Gotta say, this didn't feel at all like stunt casting to me. I mean yes, it's Carol Burnett, but she fit perfectly into the universe imo. I didn't even recognize her at first. 

[Lalo Lives]

7 hours ago, Cinnabon said:

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.

This kind of thing is indeed cool.

I know other movie/tv creators do things kinda like this (Pixar has made it a point in its productions), but do we think there are other things like this in the BB/BCS series that Mr. Magoo here has missed completely, or is this a one-off?

Edited July 27, 2022 by Lalo Lives
Phantom apostrophe

[Irlandesa]

30 minutes ago, scenario said:

But if someone whose got a really big reputation wants to keep acting and is willing to take a few bit parts here and there so they can keep doing what they love doing, it's stunt casting.

I don't think it's stunt casting.  Stunt casting is usually done to increase awareness of a show by casting a big name and make it a big event.  BCS doesn't do that.  In fact, they kept this under wraps and TPTB were surprised when it leaked. 

That said, Carol Burnett is pretty high profile for this show.  She's an icon and maybe the most recognizable regular or guest cast member they ever had.  They usually go with character actors over stars.  And in hearing them tell the story, this was one of the few instances where they pursued an actor to fill a role instead of going through a casting process. 

[Arkay]

1 hour ago, sistermagpie said:

Gotta say, this didn't feel at all like stunt casting to me. I mean yes, it's Carol Burnett, but she fit perfectly into the universe imo. I didn't even recognize her at first. 

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't think it's stunt casting.  Stunt casting is usually done to increase awareness of a show by casting a big name and make it a big event.  BCS doesn't do that.  In fact, they kept this under wraps and TPTB were surprised when it leaked. 

That said, Carol Burnett is pretty high profile for this show.  She's an icon and maybe the most recognizable regular or guest cast member they ever had.  They usually go with character actors over stars.  And in hearing them tell the story, this was one of the few instances where they pursued an actor to fill a role instead of going through a casting process. 

I also didn’t recognize Carol Burnett at first, until she wheeled over to the deli section.

I remember when Elizabeth Taylor played a role on General Hospital. If I recall correctly, she loved the show and asked to appear. That show was in its heyday then, 1981 or so, but of course they loved having her.

if I remember, Taylor’s plot line wasn’t really necessary and was created just to accommodate her. Therefore I’m wondering if Carol Burnett is a one-off who just wanted to appear and the show wanted her, or if she is going to appear further with more purpose.

I’m speculating that she could act as the deus ex machina who brings down Gene altogether. That’s if Jeffy blurts out something to Mommy, or Mommy can sense something going on with her son.

I didn’t particularly love this episode but I agree with others who have said that we needed to see the path that Gene takes, now that the series is nearly over. Otherwise it was an awful lot of effort put in by Gene to keep Jeff quiet.

Of course Jimmy put in a ton of effort with his scam on Howard, but that’s because Kim was the main driver of that.

[Simon Boccanegra]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

What are the odds some dingy mall in Omaha is going to have all those high fashion goods?

That didn't seem implausible to me. It's common for a mall to have one anchor store that's ritzier and higher-end than the others. What the BCS people created here (and they did create it, within an empty space in the Cottonwood Mall they use) looked like a simulation of one of those. Omaha isn't a metropolis on the level of New York, Chicago, or L.A. , but it is the biggest city in that state, and one of the largest in its region.

[Armchair Critic]

Wouldn't the security guards get sick of Cinnabon? Funny that is what stuck with me from this episode, but I figured Jimmy Saul Gene was bringing them for a few weeks. I have never had Cinnabon so can't judge, when I was younger and went to the mall with my Mom she wouldn't buy them and when I got old enough to buy my own they were gone from our mall.

This episode wasn't one of my favorites but still miles ahead of most of the shows out now.

Like others I thought the Carol Burnett character at the end was going to say she figured out who Gene was. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Armchair Critic

[Constantinople]

3 hours ago, Adiba said:

On topic: Does anyone know why the security guard sat facing away from the monitors, rather than toward them, when eating? He could have watched while eating.

3 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

Because Gene made a point of sitting on that side of the table?

In their first meeting, Frank the Security Guard sat down first, facing away from the monitors. During the montage, one time it appears as if Frank is sitting alone, indicating Gene hasn't sat down with his coffee.

Very plot convenient.

[Dev F]

54 minutes ago, Constantinople said:

In their first meeting, Frank the Security Guard sat down first, facing away from the monitors. During the montage, one time it appears as if Frank is sitting alone, indicating Gene hasn't sat down with his coffee.

Very plot convenient.

It looks like Frank has his own cushy office chair, which he prefers to roll over to the table instead of going around to sit in one of the rigid metal chairs on the other side. Which, yeah, is a little bit convenient, but part of the reason why Gene spent weeks ingratiating himself with Frank is to probe for those kind of weaknesses and make sure they're consistent and predictable.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Dev F

[Gemma Violet]

If I wouldn't have read here, I would've had no idea who Jeff was.  I was confused as I was watching it.  I couldn't remember the scene where Jeff recognizes Gene/Saul at the mall.  I saw the scene on Youtube after I read about it here, and I said, "Oh yeah..." 

I'm impressed at how people can remember scenes from a couple of years ago.  I can barely remember a scene from last week.  

[nlkm9]

On 7/25/2022 at 10:34 PM, SoMuchTV said:

Like another poster, maybe I’m having the three martini problem, but who/what is Jimaune?

I almost hate to ask, but after all these years i forget- on breaking bad was there a scene if gene being exposed? Or was that on bcs? How do the characters tonite tie in? The one security guard seemed to really dislike saul, and who is jeffie? I apprexiate anyone who can explain this to me!!

[nodorothyparker]

We never saw Gene on Breaking Bad, just the setup with the Disappearer for him to become Gene.

In one of the previous seasons' cold opens we saw Gene sitting on a mall bench when the surly security guard busted what I believe was a young shoplifter. Gene watched this and seemed to forget himself for moment, yelling out to call a lawyer. Jeffie was later Gene's cab driver who recognized him and then wouldn't leave him alone at the mall until he admitted who he was by saying the "Better Call Saul" catchphrase.

[ShadowFacts]

If Carol Burnett's character ends up dropping a dime on Gene, I would kind of love it. She said he is good for her son and if she finds out he's not, all bets are off. Or figures it out herself, she may remember one of his commercials from visiting Jeffy in ABQ. Jimmy had a doting mother who protected him, this would mirror that.

[Milburn Stone]

20 hours ago, Simon Boccanegra said:

The unavoidable recasting of Jeffie the cabbie hurt.

No complaints about the recasting from me, but why "unavoidable"? (I have a feeling I missed something about it in this thread.) Did the first actor die? Or have another commitment that wasn't death?

[scenario]

3 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

No complaints about the recasting from me, but why "unavoidable"? (I have a feeling I missed something about it in this thread.) Did the first actor die? Or have another commitment that wasn't death?

The first actor had another job and wasn't available when they were filming. 

[PeterPirate]

12 hours ago, SimplexFish said:

Quote

The last 3 episodes of BB were fairly significant.

Ozymandias

Granite State

Felina

Might we expect similar impact from the last 3 of BCS?
I certainly hope so.

I hope so! This one sucked...LOL

Mileage varies, of course.  But if one considers Granite State, it "sucked" too.  

Walt travels from New Mexico to New Hampshire.  He checks into a cabin.  He plays cards.  He walks to the local tavern.  He watches TV.  He makes a couple phone calls.  He leaves.  

Narratively, not much happens--especially compared to the episodes before and after it.  And yet every scene is critical to show how bleak Walt's life had become.  

I think Nippy is the Granite State of BCS.  It shows the old Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman in action again, but then wisely choosing not to continue his scams.  

[wendyg]

I loved "Granite State" - and you're leaving out all the dramatic tension and conflict! Walt had a real gate; Gene has a mental one. The advice the BCS crew has is that the hardest thing about disappearing is *staying* disappeared. It's a very real, permanent jail sentence.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Details of those Gene scenes probably do fade on viewers who haven't watched the older seasons again since they initially ran. Here's a good quick-reference guide to what happened in all of them.

https://breakingbad.fandom.com/wiki/Cinnabon,_Omaha

The one for S4 could use a little fleshing out. They left out his anxiety when he thinks his fake Social Security number is responsible for the delay with the hospital registration woman (a false alarm, it turned out), as well as the cab driver eyeing him in the rearview mirror on the way back to the mall (a real alarm, it turned out).

Edited July 27, 2022 by Simon Boccanegra