S01.E09: Pimento

[Tara Ariano]

Chuck urges Jimmy to accept a harsh truth. Meanwhile, a deal threatens to go off the rails when Mike's ability to complete a job is called into question.

[editorgrrl]

I posted this in the Mike thread last week (before there was an episode thread):

Mike looks so small in the preview of episode 9, "Pimento":

Jonathan Banks told Entertainment Weekly:

Well, you’re gonna have a lot of fun in one of them [an upcoming episode] with Mike. It’ll be a little lighter, but it’ll be a lot of fun. They wrote a scene for me that just cracks me up that I love. I will give you a spoiler—it has something to do with pimento cheese.

Edited to add a link to more than you probably ever wanted to know about pimento cheese: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/history-southern-food-pimento-cheese.html

Edited March 29, 2015 by editorgrrl

[cbob]

Didn't Mike offer Jesse a pimento cheese sandwich once?

 

Isn't that big guy from the wanted poster/ bathroom?

[editorgrrl]

I'm the dorkiest dork who ever dorked —I just went out & bought a jar of Kraft Pimento Spread ("made with Philadelphia") to eat whilst I watch tonight.

I'm in the northeast US, so it was all I could find. I forgot Wonder Bread, so I'll have it on Triscuits.

[ToastnBacon]

I'm the dorkiest dork who ever dorked —I just went out & bought a jar of Kraft Pimento Spread ("made with Philadelphia") to eat whilst I watch tonight.

I'm in the northeast US, so it was all I could find. I forgot Wonder Bread, so I'll have it on Triscuits.

My father used to buy Star Brand pimento cheese spread and make white bread sandwiches with it. They are pretty gross untoasted, so I think you'll be better off with Triskets unless you toast the bread. Edited March 31, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[CarpeDiem54]

I'm the dorkiest dork who ever dorked —I just went out & bought a jar of Kraft Pimento Spread ("made with Philadelphia") to eat whilst I watch tonight.

I'm in the northeast US, so it was all I could find. I forgot Wonder Bread, so I'll have it on Triscuits.

LOL! Why didn't I think of that? We always filled celery sticks with pimento cheese spread.

[Umbelina]

Fuck.  You.  Chuck.

[mattie0808]

Chuck can go immediately, completely, and irrevocably TO HELL.

 

I don't think I can even otherwise comment. GO TO HELL CHUCK.

Edited March 31, 2015 by mattie0808

[riverheightsnancy]

Chuck has a point and I certainly can see his esoteric, philosophical view of the law, but my heart breaks for Jimmy. 

Edited March 31, 2015 by riverheightsnancy

[SoSueMe]

My heart is broken for Jimmy. Poor Kim, she tried and didn't even tell Jimmy what a jerk his brother was.

[CarpeDiem54]

Chuck, you Hamlindigo colored douchebag. My heart broke for Jimmy tonight.

Loved tough guy Mike giving the beat down on Mr. Gun Toting Bad Guy. And how the huge guy ran off.

[SailorGirl]

Wow. Get the easy part out of the way -- love every scene that Mike is in, and I will never be sad to see Nacho on my screen. 
 

The rest of it? Speechless right now. What a son-of-a-bitch B-A-S-T-A-R-D. Lawyer through and through -- the law and its esoteric principles mean more than his own brother and all Jimmy has for done for him. 

My heart broke right along with Jimmy's -- well done Bob Odenkirk. 

That's all I got right now. . . this is an episode that needs to be processed -- what VG et al do so very well. 

Edited March 31, 2015 by SailorGirl

[Scout Finch]

ASSHOLE!

[TrininisaScorp]

Yeah, fuck you, Chuck.  This is your brother who has proven himself to be good at the job.  AND, even if that wasn't true, Jimmy is the reason Chuck hasn't been committed and/or found incapacitated.  I can't believe he sat in that meeting looking surprised at Howard's declaration.  Fuck you, Chuck.  So angry.  Coward.  Self-righteous.  Dick.

 

The other major portion of the episode made me very happy.  Mike is such a badass.  And I loved the way we've weaved Nacho back into the story.  I thoroughly enjoyed Mike's takedown of the dick in the parking garage. 

 

I felt badly for Kim.  She put her neck out for Jimmy to Howard only to find out from Howard about Chuck's betrayal.

[Starchild]

As soon as Chuck protested, I was sure.

 

I watched that last scene with tears in my eyes.

 

Poor Jimmy.

[whyjen8]

Fuck Chuck, forever known to me as UpChuck now.....he's a puke.  

 

OMG a pimento is a pepper not a cheese.  A pimento sandwich would be a pepper sandwich and gross.  Pimento cheese is grated cheese (not the bagged shredded stuff, hand grate yourself), mayo, pimentos and black pepper.  Being a southerner this really bothered me.

 

Speaking of cheese, Nacho!!!  

[MrWhyt]

you knew how that scene in the garage was going to go down as soon as Mr. Tough Guy started mouthing off about his guns, still totally satisfying even if entirely predictable.

[Dianaofthehunt]

Nacho needs to kill Hamlindigo and Chuck. That is all.

[benteen]

Chuck really is a piece of shit.  His brother has been making a legitimate effort for years to turn himself around and Chuck can't even be happy for him.

 

Great episode with some first-rate acting from Odenkirk and McKean.  I don't know who is more punchable, Hamlin or Chuck.  Liked seeing Mike doing his thing.  Glad to see Nacho return.

 

I have to admit I marked out when I realized the guy Mike beat up is the voice of Trevor "Mother******" Phillips from Grand Theft Auto 5.  The character he played here was funny but is not even a one-quarter as deranged as the character he played in GTA 5.

Edited March 31, 2015 by benteen

[Starchild]

Chuck, you Hamlindigo colored douchebag.

I wonder if Howard would be willing to work with Jimmy if it weren't for Chuck nixing it. He seemed genuine in his praise of Jimmy's efforts.

[haydensterling]

Lurker, but:

 

Chuck can get fucked in a big way. I was so hoping that this wasn't going to be the way things played out, alas.

 

Fuck Kim also.  She will be redeemable for me when she leaves the firm of scumbags.

Edited March 31, 2015 by haydensterling

[SoSueMe]

Not a BB alumnus, but I loved Mike providing a moral compass for the newbie drug dealer, lol. 

[car54]

I had a feeling that when Jimmy lost faith in Chuck --that they were brothers, and partners....through and through....that would be the beginning of Saul.

I think I'm more disappointed in Kim, who  was Jimmy's declared friend.   Chuck was his mainstay, but Chuck was never truly his brother.   

I loved both Jimmy and Mike in this episode.    Mike just kills it in any scene he does.   For a minute until I got a good look at Man Mountain, I thought it was going to be Huell.

[Scout Finch]

Watching Jimmy's tender heart get ripped straight out of his chest made me forget about Mike's story. I am really enjoying his back story too.

 

If I were Jimmy, I'd pay some electrician to come over in the dead of night to fix the breaker box. Then, I'd turn on every light in the house and haul in several microwave ovens. Those would be set on high and operating for the maximum amount of time possible--and one would go right outside Chuck's bedroom. 

Edited March 31, 2015 by Scout Finch

[peggy06]

Ouch, ouch OUCH! "You're not a real lawyer"? I knew Chuck didn't want Jimmy at the firm, but not that he harbored those feelings. Yikes. I don't feel mad at Kim though. Her advice was good. She did want Jimmy to be happy, and  "putting HHM behind him" was the best way for that to happen. I only hope he hasn't burned bridges with her, with those insulting accusations he made.

 

Poor Jimmy - always looking for validation from his brother, and this slap is what he gets. "I was proud when you were working in the mailroom." Ugh. Guess what, Chuck? Jimmy did work hard to get this. Going to school nights while working. And he passed the bar, so he is just as much a real lawyer as you.

 

Nice fake outrage by Chuck in the meeting. And the scene where Jimmy let Chuck know that he knew, was awesome. I didn't know where it was going. I thought Jimmy was pushing too hard. And then he turned the tables on Chuck. Really well-done scene.

 

I still feel it's better than Chuck dying, but it's a lousy, lousy way for Jimmy to get pushed over the edge. But why would he even try any more? Why not live down to their expectations? 

 

It made me sick, but good episode. Oh, Milburn Stone, the preview spoiler from that post last week didn't turn out as expected. So I guess nobody was spoiled after all. :)

Edited March 31, 2015 by peggy06

[ToastnBacon]

I'm probably going to be hated for this, but Chuck does have a point about Jimmy...

He is a bit like a Chimp with a machine gun! Look at how he handled the Kettelmens and if you look at Jimmy in the context of BB, he is like a Chimp with a frigging nuke...

Don't get me wrong, I love Jimmy, but he never put Slipping Jimmy out to pasture...

Mike's little speech to the dorky criminal rings true to Jimmy's character... You can be a good guy and be a criminal, and that is exactly what Jimmy aka Saul is...

Great episode!

[SoSueMe]

I think Kim was doing everything she could for her friend without being the one to totally undermine his love for his brother, I don't see her as being at fault.

Edited March 31, 2015 by SoSueMe

[Chaos Theory]

Jimmy was so happy when he thought he was earning his brothers respect but Chuck would only ever see him as Slippin Jimmy.

[enchantingmonkey]

Lots of Chuck hate, I see.  It was cold but I can see where Chuck's coming from.  He has a mountain-sized amount of pride for what he's accomplished.  And if you take pride in all of your hard work, Jimmy might look like one of those guys who takes the easy route.  The confrontation was a great scene, though.  Maybe the first (except for the entire Mike episode) on this show to capture my undivided attention.

 

Mike is awesome.   

Edited March 31, 2015 by enchantingmonkey

[SailorGirl]

just did the rewatch of the first scene when Chuck convinces Jimmy to turn the case over to HHM. Knowing how it ended, it makes him even MORE of a bastard. 

Playing it off like its the best thing for the clients and blatantly playing Jimmy, leading him to think he was so proud of him.

Jealous son of a bitch -- how dare "Slippin' Jimmy" be a good enough lawyer to find a case like that when the lofty and hallowed halls of HHM exist. 

And what makes it even worse is that that motherfucker wouldn't have even been involved in -- let alone even KNOWN about the case -- if Jimmy hadn't brought it over, trying to help Chuck continue to make the progress he had when he started working on the wills Jimmy left him to "distract" him.

Screwing over his own brother was a stronger drive than avoiding the EMF waves from the phone. And Jimmy was right, he had turned the phone off  -- Chuck clearly turns it on before calling HamDICKligo. 

And to keep adding to it?? Jimmy was the one who came up with the idea of lining Chuck's suit with the tin foil blanket so he could go out in public. 

 

And the years Jimmy put into turning himself around in order to prove himself to Chuck and repay him for all the times Chuck bailed Jimmy out, and this was his repayment for it! 

okay, and I can see how someone who went the lawyer route the way Chuck did would see Jimmy as taking the "easy" way, but the bottom line is, he got there, and he got there legitimately. Get the FUCK over yourself Chuck! As someone who started college right after high school but stopped going for family and other reasons and only recently, 23 years later, finished my undergrad degree through an accredited online school, sometimes, that's the best way for the person. Who is someone else -- ANYONE else -- and ESPECIALLY a BROTHER -- to SHIT on something like that?? 

 

And now its the scene where Jimmy gets told (by HamDICKligo) that he isn't being brought on -- and they play it off like Chuck has no idea, and Chuck acts just as put out and insulted as Jimmy. 

WHAT A SON OF A BITCH! 

It just keeps getting worse the more you think about it. . . I really have to stop now. 

 

edit to add:
regarding Kim? Imagine how you would feel if you learned what she learned. . . how do you tell a friend something like that? The best she could do was tell him to take the deal and hope he never found out -- she knew it would destroy him -- she was there in the hospital. She KNOWS how much Jimmy loves (loved) his brother and everything he was doing for him, and then she found out how Chuck was repaying that. I don't feel badly toward her at all -- I don't know that I could have told a friend something like that, and I don't know many people who could. 

Edited March 31, 2015 by SailorGirl

[Starchild]

Jimmy's buildup was brilliant. I kept going back and forth on whether or not he'd figured it out, even though, after that lingering shot on the charging cell, I knew he'd figured it out. And Chuck's cold, dead eyes when he realized he'd been found out.

 

Odenkirk and McKean were just masterful in that scene.

[Umbelina]

I'm going to need Jimmy to have a win soon. 

 

Odenkirk is amazing, he just ripped my heart out.   

 

Mike is always great, wonderful actor, terrific character.

 

This is the only kind of Pimento cheese I ever saw as a kid.  I had no idea people actually made the mixture themselves.

 

Lots of Chuck hate, I see.  It was cold but I can see where Chuck's coming from.  He has a mountain-sized amount of pride for what he's accomplished.  And if you take pride in all of your hard work, Jimmy might look like one of those guys who takes the easy route.  The confrontation was a great scene, though.  Maybe the first (except for the entire Mike episode) on this show to capture my undivided attention.

 

Mike is awesome.   

Chuck is a very rich lawyer.  I highly doubt his hands are pristine. 

 

Screw him.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Umbelina

[CarpeDiem54]

Fuck Chuck, forever known to me as UpChuck now.....he's a puke.

Perfect! UpChuck it is.

[Irlandesa]

As soon as Chuck protested, I was sure.

Yep.  Same here. I almost wish they didn't have the phone scene.  It ended up feeling almost too revealing because the work McKean and Fabian (Hamlin) did in that protest scene was great.  Chuck's protests were poorly acted (by the character, not the actor.)  And there was this little moment where Howard looks over at Chuck that subtly tipped me in that it was Chuck all along.  Chuck didn't want to be the bad guy with his brother so Howard acted as the "muscle" telling Jimmy he couldn't have what he wanted. 

 

I wonder if Howard would be willing to work with Jimmy if it weren't for Chuck nixing it. He seemed genuine in his praise of Jimmy's efforts.

I don't think Howard would have hired a Jimmy McGill off the street.  But if Chuck had insisted that they hire his brother?  I suspect Jimmy would have been hired because that's the sort of back scratching you do for one's partner.  But without Chuck's support?  There's no way Jimmy would get hired. It will be interesting to rewatch the Hamlin parts of the first season seeing Chuck as the puppetmaster in a lot of his decisions. 

 

I think I'm more disappointed in Kim, who  was Jimmy's declared friend.

Why?  What could she have done?  She took a huge risk going to Hamlin on Jimmy's behalf.  Like it or not, he was right.  Kim is an associate.  A partner/business decision like that really isn't her business.  I'm guessing he elicited some sort of confidentiality agreement out of her before sharing Chuck's betrayal.  Armed with that information, she gave Jimmy the best advice she could even while facing some pretty unfair accusations. 

 

McKean was really good in this episode but I kept thinking the gas canisters would blow up.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Irlandesa

[enchantingmonkey]

Chuck is a very rich lawyer.  I highly doubt his hands are pristine. 

 

Screw him.

It's certainly a possibility that Chuck's done some underhanded things himself.  But when we're judging others, we're usually focused on their flaws, not our own.  And we all judge others, hehe.  

 

I'm pretty happy that Jimmy becomes Saul, so if this is the impetus for it, I'm not complaining.  

[SailorGirl]

I think we are going to see "Saul Goodman" very soon now -- any respect and pride he had in the name of McGill as an attorney is toast. 

 

This is a totally different episode on rewatch, knowing what we know. 

The scene when Kim tells him to take the deal, and he slams her for taking Hamlin's side. She took it, to protect him, and her voice cracks at the end as she tells him to take the deal. She really does care about him. 

I am turning the tv and the computer off now. 

Thank heaven for this forum, BTW. None of my friends are watching this show and I am glad to have others to share my outrage, indignation, and heartbreak! 

Edited March 31, 2015 by SailorGirl

[Starchild]

HamDICKligo

You know, I'm starting to give Howard the benefit of the doubt here. I'm thinking if he were that big a dick, he wouldn't have told Kim the truth. Maybe he urged her to use her friendship to try to get Jimmy to take the deal because he didn't want Jimmy to lose out after all that hard work. He's been doing Chuck's dirty work for years now and it certainly looked to be wearing on him tonight.

[Tim Thomason]

I guess the whole printer code thing was a red herring last week.

[SoSueMe]

You know, I'm starting to give Howard the benefit of the doubt here. I'm thinking if he were that big a dick, he wouldn't have told Kim the truth. Maybe he urged her to use her friendship to try to get Jimmy to take the deal because he didn't want Jimmy to lose out after all that hard work. He's been doing Chuck's dirty work for years now and it certainly looked to be wearing on him tonight.

Ya know you are helping me to see Howard in a whole new light. Great show, I guess there are never really total absolutes.

[Umbelina]

I guess the whole printer code thing was a red herring last week.

Or Chuck had already decided to screw Jimmy. 

[pinky]

As other posters have written, I'm heartbroken for Jimmy. I thought tonight was the finale so I was very glad there is one more episode--he desperately needs some kind of validation. I understand Kim not wanting to deliver the horrid news while giving her best advice. Chuck, however, is dead to me and hopefully to Jimmy/Saul. I hope we can see that UpChuck will realize he has greatly underestimated his brother (but I'm not holding my breath). I've been this situation--worked very hard for a goal just to have it dismissed by loved ones--and this betrayal is affecting me more than is healthy.   

[turbogirlnyc]

Isn't there another law firm in town Jimmy could work with? HHM must have some competition.

Poor Jimmy. Chuck is a jerk.

Edited March 31, 2015 by turbogirlnyc

[ToastnBacon]

Jimmy was so happy when he thought he was earning his brothers respect but Chuck would only ever see him as Slippin Jimmy.

Isn't that what he really is? He never put Slippin Jimmy to rest. What he did with the Kettlemans is proof of that...

Chuck's comment about Jimmy being a chimp with a machine gun was very accurate...

[nachomama]

I love mike with every fiber of my being.

And I susoected chuck was behind the stonewalling of jimmy and potentially thought Howard might be in love with Kim too. I even think that part of chucks illness involves his guilt over bad things he has done, both in the practice and directly to jimmy. He's got an ocd compulsion to catch jimmy doing wrong. Went to fetch the paper because he knew jimmy was hiding something. I don't know, chuck seemed almost jealous of jimmy even though he looks down on jimmys law degree and by all accounts chuck was the More successful brother. But he needs jimmy to be slippin jimmy for some reason.

[Umbelina]

Yeah Chuck.  Find someone else to haul over fuel and ice and food for you.  Good luck with that. 

 

The EW review I just posted in the media thread has some comments from the writers about Chuck being, in some ways, jealous of Jimmy. 

[SoSueMe]

Oh crap. I've got the replay on and I just saw Chuck coming downstairs (the day after) and he's whistling. I cannot imagine that Jimmy could have disgraced Chuck so badly to deserve that contempt.

[haydensterling]

I like Kim as a character, so I should probably clarify.  Clearly no one can go up against the great Chuck McGill.  Still, as Jimmy's--let's say 'close friend'--her decision to stay with HHM feels painful to me; I think it's likely meant to.  I know she has her own dreams and her own plans for her life; it's just that Jimmy is getting kicked in the ass so hard and with such frequency that I wanted someone, anyone to have his back, and the only person left for that is Kim.  

It's tough to watch a show where the protagonist is repeatedly getting his heart ripped out.  Jimmy needs a break.  And a hug. 

[peggy06]

You know, I'm starting to give Howard the benefit of the doubt here. I'm thinking if he were that big a dick, he wouldn't have told Kim the truth. Maybe he urged her to use her friendship to try to get Jimmy to take the deal because he didn't want Jimmy to lose out after all that hard work. He's been doing Chuck's dirty work for years now and it certainly looked to be wearing on him tonight.

Yeah, it's entirely possible that it was always Chuck who was so against Jimmy being made an associate. You could tell when Jimmy burst in with the news about passing the bar that he was less than thrilled. While I can allow that he's justified in having some doubts about Jimmy, that outburst tonight was more about Chuck's pride and ego. I recall now that Chuck also wanted Jimmy to change his last name. More of the same. It'll be interesting to see how it goes for Chuck now that he has to do for himself.

[Tabasco Cat]

I think Kim wanted to tell Jimmy what Howard told her. But the depth of depravity on Chuck's part was too much, and she was right to not tell him. Jimmy needed to know the truth but he didn't need to hear it from her.

 

If it wasn't for Jimmy, Chuck wouldn't eat. Chuck would have zero contact with the outside world. Chuck would be in a friggin' mental institution after his petty theft caper a few weeks ago. Chuck You Farley indeed.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Tabasco Cat

[Lingo]

Wow, I was so wrong.  Last week I said that Chuck didn't respect Jimmy but that I didn't think that Chuck would intentionally screw him over -- just fail to stand up for him.  I was wrong.  It was him all along!  It certainly puts into a new light Chuck's suggestion in the premiere that Jimmy change his name.  Do you think that Chuck is so ashamed of him that he doesn't even want to share the name McGill with him??

 

It also puts Hamlin in a new light, to some extent.  Now I'm not entirely sure how much of a dick he is.  He did show considerable restraint tonight, except when he lost his temper with Kim (who deserves a Badge of Courage for sticking up for Jimmy).  If you think about it, he's probably had to endure Jimmy's misdirected ire for some time, so he's bound to have developed some hard feelings in reciprocation.  But I'm sure he's still something of a dick as well.  He probably feels the same way about the U. of American Samoa, and let's not forget that he took some of Jimmy's cake, and he banished Kim when she lost the Kettleman case, and of course Hamlindigo.

 

So are we supposed to assume that Jimmy's only two options are to either give the case to HHM or do it all himself?  I would think there must be another high-resource, high-prestige law firm somewhere close enough who could handle this case and would be happy to hire Jimmy for bringing it to them (after all, the retirement home company has branches in 5 states).  Do you think we're supposed to ignore this option?  Or does the fact that Chuck's involved make this impossible -- or the fact that they used HHM's resources in the last episode?  I'm surprised that plot point did not factor into this episode, though maybe it will next week.

 

P.S. to Chuck: you're a rich lawyer -- hire someone to bring your damn food to your house!!