S01.E10: Marco

[halgia]

In the aftermath of recent events, Jimmy seizes the opportunity to reconnect with an old friend. Meanwhile, Chuck adjusts to a new way of life.

 

Season finale already.... :|

[editorgrrl]

Jimmy's old friend is that guy from the "Hero" flashback:

[PrincessSteel]

As much as I have enjoyed binge-watching various shows, I really like the anticipation that I feel for the next episode of BCS. Although, given that Marco is the last episode for a while, I may change my tune. Whining may occur.

[SoSueMe]

Season finale already.... :|

I miss it already :(

[SignGuy]

Marco is Jimmy's hometown accomplice.

And Krazy 8 is delivering Dr Pepper.

[SailorGirl]

"Sorry I called you a pigfucker." Hehehe. 

[SignGuy]

Belize!

[Umbelina]

John Hamm isn't going to get that Emmy this year, is he?

[SignGuy]

I knew the Kevin Costner reference was gonna happen some day. I mean, you dream about it and expect it but when it comes ... Wow!

[SoSueMe]

Geez, did it have something to do with the ring?

[ToastnBacon]

Very anti climactic... I was hoping for a little more to keep me waiting for season 2...

Edited April 7, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[Umbelina]

Geez, did it have something to do with the ring?

More with the unhappy worker bee who wore it.

 

Next season we open on Saul Goodman?

 

Aw, damn Jimmy.

 

Jimmy making sure Chuck was taken care of?  Aw...again.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Umbelina

[aunt jen]

Damn, that bingo meltdown.

[peggy06]

So Jimmy is over trying to live up to Chuck. Getting Chuck's approval isn't going to stop him any more.

 

When the episode ended that way, I was a little nonplussed. I had expected an explosion right off, sending him to the Saul side. But when he seemed to work it out of his system, when he listened to the voicemails and felt an obligation to get back to his clients, I thought maybe we weren't ready for Saul just yet. For him to walk away from a chance at a partner position and working on the Sandpiper case, that was completely unexpected, and a little jarring.

 

But now I think I get it, and it's great. It's true to Jimmy. He doesn't want to keep trying to be like Chuck. He wants to do it his way. He doesn't want favors that he has to try to live up to. He wants the freedom to be himself.

 

It's sad, because obviously Jimmy is not on a good path now. And it's sad because he's saying goodbye to Kim. But it's also exhilarating, as indicated by the end music.

 

Only problem: Who's going to take care of Jimmy's old people?

Edited April 7, 2015 by peggy06

[enchantingmonkey]

Underwhelmed.  The BINGO scene was fun, and it was cool that Howard finally got to be honest.  I don't know, I'm just not a big fan of the penultimate episode being more exciting than the finale.  

[Dianaofthehunt]

The image of crapping on the heads of two cub scouts made my night.

[benteen]

Damn.  I wish this had been a full 13 episodes.  Not going to be happy waiting until next year for new episodes.

 

I have to admit, I was sad that Jimmy didn't go into the courtroom at the end.  But I get the ending.

 

Really good episode.  Odenkirk was brilliant during the bingo meltdown.  Liked the Marco character a lot, sorry to see him go.

 

Looking forward to Season 2!

[tennisgurl]

Interesting that Jimmy hasn't gone full Saul yet...at least not fully. 

 

Even though I know where all this is going, I`m still rooting for Jimmy to get and keep his act together. Rooting against fate, and the main series. Tragic. 

[Starchild]

Oh Chuck, what have you done? You broke your boy.

[SignGuy]

Vince doesn't care what you're "a fan of."

Vince tell his story the way it needs to be told.

It was understated, but so much more actually happened in this one. And so much "final" stuff.

[peggy06]

Interesting that Jimmy hasn't gone full Saul yet...at least not fully. 

 

Even though I know where all this is going, I`m still rooting for Jimmy to get and keep his act together. Rooting against fate, and the main series. Tragic. 

It's crazy, but I'm doing the same. I know the things Jimmy does as Saul, but I'm somehow rooting to rewrite TV history.

 

(Although, I admit the Chicago sunroof was worse than anything I had imagined.)

[SignGuy]

Technically the Chicago Sunroof is just the poop through the roof part. The two kids unnoticed in the back seat took it to a whole other level.

[DrSpaceman]

Would be nice if I could have actually understood half what Jimmy said in his speech in the nursing home. Acoustics was horrible in that scene.

[SailorGirl]

He let the bastard win. Even though I knew he ultimately wouldn't go in, I was still hoping against hope he would, join the chi-chi law firm, take the nursing home case to a monstrous win, and prove Chuck the Fuck wrong. But then there would be no Saul Goodman.

I feel like there needs to be an Irish wake for the soul of James M. McGill -- cause of death: fratricide.

[lucindabelle]

Incident understand the reference to the sex offender.l. It sounded like he was saying chuck made that happen. Huh?

I felt the ending seemed contrived to be honest and did not jibe with everything we've seen from jimmy. I agree, he was wanting to go back for his clients. And the favor is such a small one.l. Both Howard and kim know he's earned a place at the table. Howard was so clearly shaken by what a diligent and great brother jimmys been for all this time, getting to the newsstand by 6 to get the papers. He works hard.

I know he has to turn into saul but I didn't really buy it. He just hasn't wvwr seemed driven by money for its own sake before. He seemed to enjoy helping people and I believed kim that he old people ask about hit he meltdown at bingo broke my heart.

I know if he'd gone straight they couldn't get him to be saul very fast, but this seemed too soon,

Chuck was an ass.

[Stratego]

"Soft serve".

The ring did symbolize Marco.  Marco said "...the best week of my life."  That, and the Kettleman's stolen money  became the reason Jimmy morphed into Saul.  Mystery solved.

I suspect next season we will see procedurals with maybe a overarching plot.

[Starchild]

I know he has to turn into saul but I didn't really buy it. He just hasn't wvwr seemed driven by money for its own sake before.

I don't think it's about money at this moment. I think it's about respect. James M. McGill, Esq. doesn't get any. But Slippin' Jimmy? Everyone wanted to be his friend.

[lucindabelle]

But jimmy could have gained respect as himself in Santa fe. It's not even the same city. It just did not make sense to me.

It didn't seem to me that jimmy was even tempted by e kettlmans money before and stopped because of chuck.

Please tell me, did the sex offender thing come because chuck made that happen? Truly did not understand.

[whydoiwatchtv]

I was loving all the Chicago scenery, accents and even some super fan references like Marco hitting himself on the chest and eventually having a heart attack. Marco even said he's got frents (friends).

Lots of questions answered tonight that lead me to some good speculation. Can't wait for next season.

[peggy06]

But jimmy could have gained respect as himself in Santa fe. It's not even the same city. It just did not make sense to me.

It didn't seem to me that jimmy was even tempted by e kettlmans money before and stopped because of chuck.

Please tell me, did the sex offender thing come because chuck made that happen? Truly did not understand.

I'm not sure I understand your question. My take on that was, Jimmy did the Chicago sunroof on a friend named Chet who owed him money (or there was some other grudge). Jimmy was arrested and they wanted to charge him with public indecency, which would have made him a sex offender if convicted. (Jimmy said this was because Chet had connections.) Chuck flew back from Albuquerque to act as Jimmy's attorney and got him off, or pled down to a lesser charge, or something less dire. Jimmy got a second chance, and Chuck made that happen.

[Dev F]

I don't think it's about money at this moment. I think it's about respect. James M. McGill, Esq. doesn't get any. But Slippin' Jimmy? Everyone wanted to be his friend.

 

But the episode goes out of its way to establish that as a lawyer, Jimmy has the admiration and support of basically everybody in his circle except for Chuck -- Kim, Howard, his clients, the guys in the mailroom, lawyers at a competing firm, everybody. So it can't be a simple as him going where the respect is.

 

It didn't seem to me that jimmy was even tempted by e kettlmans money before and stopped because of chuck.

 

Yeah, I thought that was odd, too, considering he actually gave up the money out of a desire to make things right with Kim. But . . . maybe that was the point? Perhaps his time with Marco made him realize that you can make people proud in all sorts of different ways, and he'd rather do it in a way where he didn't have to constantly swallow his inner con man to avoid letting down decent people like Kim?

 

I dunno, I found it a bit of a muddy episode. Somehow it seemed to take the character too far too fast while simultaneously skating by on the revelations of the previous episode. But maybe I'm just not getting everything it was doing.

[lucindabelle]

It just sounded as though chucks connections somehow went the toher way, which made no sense, thanks for explaining. I can't bear to watch againl I hate seeing jimmy so sad. Though it was nice seeing everyone else feel bad about it.

[Umbelina]

The "other thing" is that the guy was banging his (then) wife.

[Starchild]

But the episode goes out of its way to establish that as a lawyer, Jimmy has the admiration and support of basically everybody in his circle except for Chuck -- Kim, Howard, his clients, the guys in the mailroom, lawyers at a competing firm, everybody. So it can't be a simple as him going where the respect is.

Hm, maybe so. Then perhaps it is really only Chuck's respect that matters. And he's never going to get that.

[lucindabelle]

He did seem way too invested in Chuck's respect.

 

But still it seemed a little unrealistic.

[haydensterling]

That breakdown in the bingo scene hurt.  Another great bit of acting from Odenkirk.  But I'm feeling a little lost about everything right now.  It was an odd note to end the season on, perhaps?  Jimmy went back to ABQ because of the calls from his senior clients.  I wish I had a better idea as to why Jimmy suddenly decided to walk away from Sandpiper.   

Even though everyone in this episode seemed to care about Jimmy, you still see that none of it matters to him.  The only thing that matters to Jimmy is Chuck, and as Jimmy put it "My brother thinks I'm a scumbag".  Jimmy has given up on himself.  I don't think Jimmy sees a reason for himself to be good unless Chuck sees him as good.  Really sad.  Also the knowledge that Jimmy's mom died three years back.  I couldn't quite make it out--was the implication that Chuck and Jimmy didn't stay for the funeral?

 

Chuck sure was a prick to the kid who was bringing him his food, huh?  What a shocker.

[lucindabelle]

I think the implication was that Marco was hurt that Jimmy was in town and didn't stop in.

And the real reason Jimmy didn't was chuck.

[thuganomics85]

A Belize remark and we get the infamous "Kevin Costner" bit.  Yep, they had a little bit of fun with the Breaking Bad fanservice.

 

I enjoyed the episode, because I was actually prepared for it to be quiet.  I don't know; lately with most shows I've been watching (Game of Thrones, Mad Men, even Breaking Bad), I feel like the trend has been that the penultimate episode is the "big event" of the season, while the finale is now more of a wrap-up and slow burn.  Not sure if this is a good thing or not, but I figured this was where it was heading.

 

Mainly, it was sad to watch.  Despite knowing what has to happen, I was still rooting for Jimmy to rise above it, and not let Chuck get to him.  But, in the end, it wasn't the case: he goes to Chicago and falls back into his Slippin Jimmy ways.  Then, Marco dies, and, again: I foolishly have hope.  But, nope: in the end, he refuses the new law firm.  That was the only thing that didn't completely work for me.  I'm not against it being another big thing or having him get screwed again, but I still felt like his decision came out of nowhere.  Does he just think he won't ever be fully respected?  Or, in the end, is really all about the money, now?  I do hope we get more into this next season.  Is he just going to abandon all the elders, now?  If so, that will be sad as hell.

 

Glad we at least got to check up on Mike. Still working the booth, but it sounds like he's still doing the "jobs."  Hopefully, Nacho will be more involved next season.  And maybe we'll even get a Tuco reappearance, depending on Raymond Cruz' availability.  And, there i hope we one day get the return of Gus Fring?  I know Giancarlo Esposito is game, but hopefully it would be done in a way where it benefits the story, and isn't just there for fanservice.

 

I briefly felt sorry for Chuck at the door, but if he doesn't even feel bad enough to open it quicker, then he really doesn't care that badly about what happened to Jimmy.  The fact that Jimmy made sure Howard kept taking care of Chuck and was still checking in from the outside, makes him a way better brother, IMO.

 

I hope Kim keeps playing a part going forward.  I've really grown to like her.  Howard is getting more interesting: I still can't fully like him after he punished Kim for something she really couldn't control, but he seems to have some good qualities.

 

Really hope it gets some Emmy love.  It will be tough this season with Mad Men on it's final season, but the show, Bob Odenkirk, and Jonathan Banks all deserve some nods.  Hell, I think Banks deserves a win.  I would love one for Odenkirk, but we'll have to see if Jon Hamm brings his A+ game for MM's final season.  Either way, it's been a fun ride.  Well done, Peter Gould and Vince Gilligian.

[ketose]

I'm happy / sad for Saul. Marco was basically an example of what Jimmy would become if he took the job. He'd be the standpipe guy with more money. That $4 million or more cut won't be seen for years given the complexity of the case. If Jimmy becomes a partner, he has to put his money toward the partnership and still be expected to drum up business. He might be an adequate lawyer, but he'd be putting up a front. He'd be the rube he plays in his scams 24/7.

 

Chuck really forced the issue when he said Slippin' Jimmy with a law degree was like a chimp with a machine gun. Jimmy seems to embrace that now. Why accidentally fall into a big case when you can make all kinds of money working your magic for the criminal element? I'm guessing that not only was Marco having the week of his life, Jimmy was having the best week in a long time because he could show off his skills with Marco. Saul is a lawyer, but he's also a showman.

 

The Kevin Costner bit was hilarious. I also thought it was funny those two waitresses looked like they were wearing the uniforms from 2 Broke Girls.

[lucindabelle]

See, I just don't see the comparison to Standpipe at all though I get that's what the writers intended. From what's been shown on the series so far, Jimmy enjoys helping people. He actually likes it. He had a hunch about the old lady and the allowance... he was concerned and he followed up. It was not then just the money. His patter at Bingo is not solely to drum up business... there's a kindness.

 

Heck, even the sheer fact of *making* a list and explaining the needs to Howard was waaaaaay above and beyond what most people would do in that situation.

 

I think honestly? this was a bad creative effort which often happens when a writer of any kind *need* to get to an end point and tries to force characters there. Much as I didn't want Jimmy to be arrested or trapped, something else would have made more sense than his turning down the very thing he most wanted. The Jimmy we've been shown up until now, even the one going back to Albuquerque, becuase of his brother, would find some way to do it hoping to show Chuck ultimately that he was wrong.

 

It would have made more sense for him to take the job and gradually be corrupted, to take on a criminal client or something...

[pinky]

No, this episode did not have the sturm und drang of last week's but I think it set us up for an amazing Season 2. We have seen Jimmy working hard, trying to follow his brother's footsteps, never measuring up. We have seen Jimmy "do(ing) the right thing" for naught. Would he be happy working for a corporate law firm? Perhaps he can't quote case law verbatim like his brother but he has a crafty and creative legal mind, compassion and ease with "common people," a talent Chuck obviously envies. This season has been a suspenseful and beautifully crafted character study of an anti-hero. I wrote here last week that I was aching to see some sort of validation for Jimmy. I guess this is as good as it gets--Jimmy realizing his gifts, turning his back on the bullshit of corporate law, and returning to his elder clients and those on the fringes of society. Unfortunately we all know the ending. But I rarely think of BB when watching this show as I think the writing and acting are so stellar. This season was way too short. 

[Gemma Violet]

But, nope: in the end, he refuses the new law firm.  That was the only thing that didn't completely work for me.  I'm not against it being another big thing or having him get screwed again, but I still felt like his decision came out of nowhere.  

 

I agree.  I have to say the ending was a major let-down for me.  I know there has to be a way for the writers to get Jimmy to turn into Saul, but yeah, this came out of nowhere.  He has a chance to work for a highly-prestigious law firm, something he always dreamed about, and he turns it down because of his brother?  I just don't get it.

[Lingo]

  I couldn't quite make it out--was the implication that Chuck and Jimmy didn't stay for the funeral?

 

No, Marco was just pissed because Jimmy was in town and didn't call him.  Jimmy felt guilty about that.

 

Did anyone else get momentarily confused when Marco was talking about "standpipes" and think, "Huh? Marco works for Sandpiper?"  Odd choice of words.  Do you think they intentionally chose similar-sounding words??

 

Yeah, this episode felt "muddy" to me too.  I'm not quite sure I get why he suddenly changed his mind at the end.  I'll have to think about it.  At least at the very end of the season, we can say that it wasn't due to yet another stroke of bad luck or abuse.  He chose his path for himself.

 

Also, I can't explain why, but I hate hate HATED that goofy montage in the middle of the episode of Jimmy and Marco apparently conning people left and right, with the dumb mood lighting and the talking directly to the camera.  I dunno why, it just felt lazy and overly long.  I don't know if it was 7 minutes, but I felt like they could have cut that whole thing and gotten the episode in under an hour.

[Umbelina]

His dream was to work with Chuck. 

 

I think his time with Marco reminded him that he was much happier without trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.  Had Chuck not been a hateful asshole, I think Jimmy would have been happy working with his proud brother, and had a different kind of life.  Without Chuck?  That just wasn't for him anymore.  Work a drudge job or use his talents combined with his criminal skills, and have a bit more fun with it?

[lucindabelle]

Not a fan of the montage either. I mean, we get it. They pulled a bunch of cons and had fun.

 

I think the ending didn't work because it was forced. They were writing to get there, not letting the events take us there. It was rushed. And did not work. Even his "why did I do that?" to Mike seemed to come the Hell out of nowhere. He was more himself telling Marco how he had to go back.

 

The Jimmy who took care of Chuck, even spoke kindly to Ernie, did not seem like someone eager to rip people off or turn into Marco. Honestly, even the "Chicago Sun Roof" was out of a feeling of being betrayed himself. I think the writers knew they had to make him turn into Saul by the end and forced it to happen but if they hadn't HAD to do that-- it wouldn't have. It's just not what we were shown.

 

A partnership track is hardly a "drudge job." He was going to be working on the very case he discovered and knew about. Not drudgery at all.

Edited April 7, 2015 by lucindabelle

[Lingo]

I'm watching the rerun again right now...he doesn't really seem to be enjoying himself much during the cons (ladies or no).

[peggy06]

Oh, I really liked the montage! The music was genius, too. It goes to show how mileage varies, which makes it all the more important IMO that the showrunners make the show the way THEY want. Because you can't please all of the people all of the time anyway.

 

I think it has already been said, but they might have wanted a complete story arc in case there was only one season. In that context, it makes complete sense to show that Jimmy is gone and reborn as Saul. I think they did show that. Could it have been drawn out more? Maybe, with additional episodes, but I don't feel there was a need. We saw how Chuck's rejection crushed him. We saw him go back to Cicero to get his old life out of his system. He seemed resigned to a career spent eking out a living on wills. He was defeated and deflated. I think getting the chance at a firm job made him realize he did have options, and Marco's last words made him realize he's not made for the partner track at a big firm. That's not where his talents and inclinations lie. From that, it isn't a stretch that he throws it over. Making good was something he did for Chuck, and now that he knows he'll never make good in Chuck's eyes, respectability loses its allure. I prefer for the transformation to happen this way, than for him to mess up at the firm. This worked for me.

 

But again, we all have our own ideas and preferences.

Edited April 7, 2015 by peggy06

[ketose]

See, I just don't see the comparison to Standpipe at all though I get that's what the writers intended. From what's been shown on the series so far, Jimmy enjoys helping people. He actually likes it. He had a hunch about the old lady and the allowance... he was concerned and he followed up. It was not then just the money. His patter at Bingo is not solely to drum up business... there's a kindness.

There are a lot of defense lawyers out there who say that even drug dealers need defending. Jimmy's not a bad guy and he wants to do what's right, but he also identifies with the criminal element more than the squares out there. Of course, he broke bad by becoming a fixer. I think before Walter White he had little to do with actually killing anyone. He really only ever suggested it anyway.

 

That may be the evolution. Jimmy knows his real talent is scamming legal deals and getting money off the top. Next season he may be a perfectly legitimate defense attorney who inadvertently gets drawn into shady acts. Even if he tries to keep a murder from being discovered, it is arguably his duty as a lawyer to not put his client into a situation where he would be convicted. I think there's more rabbit hole to go in the creation of Saul Goodman.

[Bannon]

See, I just don't see the comparison to Standpipe at all though I get that's what the writers intended. From what's been shown on the series so far, Jimmy enjoys helping people. He actually likes it. He had a hunch about the old lady and the allowance... he was concerned and he followed up. It was not then just the money. His patter at Bingo is not solely to drum up business... there's a kindness.

 

Heck, even the sheer fact of *making* a list and explaining the needs to Howard was waaaaaay above and beyond what most people would do in that situation.

 

I think honestly? this was a bad creative effort which often happens when a writer of any kind *need* to get to an end point and tries to force characters there. Much as I didn't want Jimmy to be arrested or trapped, something else would have made more sense than his turning down the very thing he most wanted. The Jimmy we've been shown up until now, even the one going back to Albuquerque, becuase of his brother, would find some way to do it hoping to show Chuck ultimately that he was wrong.

 

It would have made more sense for him to take the job and gradually be corrupted, to take on a criminal client or something...

The very thing that Jimmy has always most wanted is the respect of Chuck, and now that he knows that it will never be obtained, the utility of those things which he thought would bring that respect is rather diminished. The week with Marco reminded him that he loves the adrenalin of being on the edge, and when he was about to walk into the courtroom to meet his prospective employer, he reaized that he'd never get that kind of action working for a normal law firm. Jimmy would rather make 10 bucks pushing the envelope than he'd like to make 11 being a purely respectable attorney. 

 

I understand your point, but I think Jimmy's behavior makes sense. Yeah, he likes old people perhaps more than the typical lawyer, and yes he has kindness in his heart. but that doesn't preclude him from pursuing what excites him, now that his Chuck worshipping days are done.

[haydensterling]

Jimmy doesn't look like he's having fun at all running the cons with Marco.  Dead eyes, sleepwalking through it.  That was why I thought the montage worked--it was a snarky counterpoint to Jimmy's actual experience of running cons again.

 

And in no way are his Chuck-worshipping days over.  Those two have a lot more dysfunction in them to suffer through.

Edited April 7, 2015 by haydensterling