S01.E10: Marco

[haydensterling]

Was I flabbergasted during the Howard scene?  Yes.  Yes, I was.

[Bannon]

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.

Just because they have a lot of dysfunction to work thorugh doesn't mean that Jimmy is ever going to worship Chuck again. If he were still willling to do that, Ernie would not have his new responsibilities. He still loves Chuck, but if Chuck is still alive, Saul is gonna have some satisfaction with the knowledge that Saul's existence causes Chuck discomfort. Jimmy wuld never have had that emotion.

[ketose]

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.

I think there's a point to that. Jimmy is a professional grifter. That was how he made his living. When he was back in Chicago, he was a lawyer and had the opportunity for enough money. He didn't need to pick $100 here and there off the odd tourist. The part Saul probably enjoyed most was knowing Marco was watching him work.

 

The art of the con is not how smart you are, but how greedy the mark is. None of those people had to give him their money. They all thought they were scamming someone when they handed over the cash.

 

I think Jimmy was pulling the long con on Chuck. He wanted to fool Chuck into thinking he went straight and Chuck was having none of it. One thing I liked about the last two episodes is that first we had Chuck looking like the worst human being for his disrespect for Jimmy. Then we get Jimmy showing us why Chuck doesn't trust him. It goes back to what Mike said in the last episode. Jimmy is a good guy who does bad things. Chuck is a bad guy who does respectable things.  

[Ohwell]

I  loved the ending, with Saul...err...Jimmy driving away.  I was hoping that he would walk away from the Sandpiper/potential law partner deal.  While it was good of Kim, Howard and maybe some of the other lawyers around town to work out a deal for Jimmy, I think he regarded it as some sort of settlement for the wrongdoing done to him by Chuck.  Jimmy doesn't need or want that.  He also doesn't want anyone's pity; he's doing it all on his own now.  Chimp with a machine gun, indeed.  I love it.   

[henripootel]

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

That was a low spot for a visually distinctive show.  Overlapping talking heads with money falling in the background?  Ugh, tired, hackneyed shot.

 

A very disappointing episode.  Marco might as well have had a reaper following him, as much as they telegraphed his death.  Saul decides to repudiate 10 years of (comparative) moral sobriety, then realize that he really is a lawyer now, then realize that he's actually the scumbag Chuck thinks he is?  When he has the perfect opportunity to show Chuck how wrong he's been about him?   I mean we know he had to become Saul but this transition was ... labored.  

[shapeshifter]

...And Krazy 8 is delivering Dr Pepper.

Seriously? For reals?

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

When Jimmy was telling his elder clients the story of the Chicago Sunroof, he said of the owner of the car with the sunroof something like "Let's call him Chet." "Chet" sounds an awful lot like "Chuck." So now I'm guessing Chuck slept with Jimmy's wife. I can even imagine Chuck thinking Jimmy wasn't good enough for her, but that he (Chuck) was. But if so, what became of the cub scouts? Maybe they were step sons of either Jimmy or Chuck?

...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??

Now that you mention it, sounds right to me. Both the Sandpiper case and Standpipes represent many years of work that would be drudgery to guys like Jimmy and Marco.

My relationship with my older sister isn't that much different than Jimmy's is with Chuck, but I settled for the drudgery to support my kids and myself. And it turns out that helping people isn't really drudgery. But I guess for Jimmy and Marco it is.

The montage made the cons feel like drudgery to me (and seemingly to many viewers) but I guess not for Jimmy?

When Jimmy was walking towards the meet up with the other law firm, rehearsing what he would say, and we saw him from the back slowing down, telegraphing that he was going to shine it on, I thought: Aw Jimmy.

...It goes back to what Mike said in the last episode. Jimmy is a good guy who does bad things. Chuck is a bad guy who does respectable things.

Thank you for sorting that out for me. Somehow I was still confused.

A couple of weeks ago I was back to thinking Jimmy becomes Saul to distance himself from Chuck. Then I thought no. Now I think probably. We shall see. Next year.

Edited April 7, 2015 by shapeshifter

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Very large misstep, in my opinion.  Everything up to the point of Kim's phone call was well within reason.  It was way too drawn out for my tastes, but I do get that VG was laying down the predicate of the intense pull Jimmy felt to be more like Marco.  I'll have a lot more later.

 

I liked the Hamms beer in the earliest flashback.  I LOVED that the Buckinghams' Mercy, Mercy, Mercy was one of the background music choices.  I also then loved that Jimmy's beer choice was Old Style in the follow-up flashback.  Once again, perfection in art direction, advancing characters and story.  It does not get more Chicaguh dan dat.  Does anyone know the jazz piece used in the extended scam montage?

 

For the record, Old Style is very underrated as an American beer.

[ketose]

As one of the people last week who blasted Chuck, I wrote that Chuck's suspicions weren't the problem, it was his underhanded actions. In this episode, Jimmy was essentially vindicated. He had the respect of Kim and Howard. People at the firm finally understood what an old crank Chuck was. Even a big law firm was interested in hiring Jimmy. I think the similarity between Standpipe and Sandpiper was no accident. Jimmy would have a career, but he would have no more victories. He already proved he was the bigger man. I doubt he would ever have a case as big as this again.

 

So Chuck was right about Jimmy all along, but he was such an asshole about it that it was a completely evil response. I think the only reason Jimmy became a lawyer was to show Chuck. In a way, becoming Saul meant that he was no longer looking for Chuck's approval. Becoming Chuck by being a partner at an identical law firm would have been copying Chuck and denying his own self.

[Bannon]

That was a low spot for a visually distinctive show.  Overlapping talking heads with money falling in the background?  Ugh, tired, hackneyed shot.

 

A very disappointing episode.  Marco might as well have had a reaper following him, as much as they telegraphed his death.  Saul decides to repudiate 10 years of (comparative) moral sobriety, then realize that he really is a lawyer now, then realize that he's actually the scumbag Chuck thinks he is?  When he has the perfect opportunity to show Chuck how wrong he's been about him?   I mean we know he had to become Saul but this transition was ... labored.  

It wasn't my favorite episode, but again, Jimmy didn't repudiate 10 years of relative moral sobriety; Chuck repudiated Jimmy, without regard to anything Jimmy actually does, and that was the whole point of the moral sobriety. Why avoid whisky if water has the same effect, especialy if you really like the taste of whisky? Jimmy has no desire to prove Chuck wrong; he just wanted Chuck to think of him as a real lawyer, and Chuck has made it 100% clear that nothing Jimmy ever does will bring about that desired outcome. There is about as much point in being James McGill, Attorney at Law  as there is in me working to be the starting center for the Lakers, because although James McGill can be an attorney, while I can't jump ball like Jabbar or O'Neal, James McGill can't get what he wants by being James McGill, Attorney at Law. Being Saul Goodman won't get that thing either, but it'll be a helluva lot more fun while not getting that thing. 

Edited April 7, 2015 by Bannon

[Ronin Jackson]

Jimmy walking away from the Santa Fe gig echoed Walt walking away from the job offer from Elliott in season 1 in BB. Clearly taking the gig was the right move, but then, we wouldn't have a show, would we? It was sadder to see Jimmy walk away and a little harder to understand, but I'm glad he seemed satisfied with the move. I imagine season 2 will further detail his trasformation into Saul... right now it seems incomplete.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Ronin Jackson

[Bannon]

As one of the people last week who blasted Chuck, I wrote that Chuck's suspicions weren't the problem, it was his underhanded actions. In this episode, Jimmy was essentially vindicated. He had the respect of Kim and Howard. People at the firm finally understood what an old crank Chuck was. Even a big law firm was interested in hiring Jimmy. I think the similarity between Standpipe and Sandpiper was no accident. Jimmy would have a career, but he would have no more victories. He already proved he was the bigger man. I doubt he would ever have a case as big as this again.

 

So Chuck was right about Jimmy all along, but he was such an asshole about it that it was a completely evil response. I think the only reason Jimmy became a lawyer was to show Chuck. In a way, becoming Saul meant that he was no longer looking for Chuck's approval. Becoming Chuck by being a partner at an identical law firm would have been copying Chuck and denying his own self.

I wouldn't say he wanted to "show Chuck". He wanted to Chuck to be proud of him, which to me isn't the same thing. Chuck has made it clear that there is nothing that Jimmy can ever do which will make Chuck genuinely proud to say he is the brother of James McGill, Attorney at Law.  There is thus no point in being James McGill, Attorney at Law.

[Bannon]

Jimmy walking away from the Santa Fe gig echoed Walt walking away from the job offer from Elliott in season 1 in BB. Clearly taking the gig was the right move, but then, we wouldn't have a show, would we? It was sadder to see Jimmy walk away and a little harder to understand, but I'm glad he seemed satisfied with the move. I imagine season 2 will further detail his trasformation into Saul... right now it seems incomplete.

If taking the Santa Fe gig won't get you what you wanted to obtain by becoming an attorney, why is taking the gig clearly the right move? I really think a lot of people are entirely misreading Jimmy's motivation. Jimmy has no sense of inner pride that must be serviced, like Walt did. Jimmy's motivation is entirely outward directed, at one person, and that person has stated that Jimmy will never get that thing he wants, no matter what Jimmy does. The Santa Fe gig thus has no value to Jimmy, relative to any other way he can employ his legal training, that will provide other benefits that the Santa Fe gig will not. Imagine if you labored for a decade, under the impression that the labor would provide benefit x. Now imagine learning benefit x will never exist, in any amount, no matter what you do. Talk about life-changing!

Edited April 7, 2015 by Bannon

[Hava]

While I agree the end of the episode was rushed, I don't really agree with the notion is Jimmy all that upright. Obviously, he is no Saul yet. But, even as a lawyer, he was going to do that scam with those two brothers, was trying to make money off of public defending, and was completely enamored of the idea of helping that guy become his own country when he thought the money was good.  

[Bannon]

I wrote in earlier threads that I thought regret/remorse was going to be the primary motivating feeling in most of BCS's major characters , in the way that pride was the primary motivating feeling in most of  BB's characters. I still think I was mostly right, but with the adjustment that grief is going to be BCS's  major theme. Mike clearly grieves for his son, and that grief drives him. Jimmy is now clearly grieving the loss of his relationship with Chuck, and the potential he thought that relationship had, and it is that grief that will create Saul Goodman. 

Edited April 7, 2015 by Bannon

[Ronin Jackson]

If taking the Santa Fe gig won't get you what you wanted to obtain by becoming an attorney, why is taking the gig clearly the right move? I really think a lot of people are entirely misreading Jimmy's motivation. Jimmy has no sense of inner pride that must be serviced, like Walt did. Jimmy's motivation is entirely outward directed, at one person, and that person has stated that Jimmy will never get that thing he wants, no matter what Jimmy does. The Santa Fe gig thus has no value to Jimmy, relative to any other way he can employ his legal training, that will provide other benefits that the Santa Fe gig will not. Imagine if you labored for a decade, under the impression that the labor would provide benefit x. Now imagine learning benefit x will never exist, in any amount, no matter what you do. Talk about life-changing!

It was the right move because he'd probably be able to exist as a successful attorney. My comment wasn't a read into Jimmy's motivation... it's about what would be best for him. Making Chuck proud has little to do with that. Is going down the road to become Saul Goodman best for him because he can't make Chuck proud? We know how it's going to go for him... getting involved with Walter White and ending up this sad guy in Omaha. His decision to walk away from the Santa Fe gig was very much a crossroads moment, like Walt's with Elliott. That's not to say the motivation was the same.

[lucindabelle]

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.

 

See I thought that respect from Chuck was one goal out of several. Another was to work with  Kim. Which he'd be doing, if not next to her, while at Santa Fe... and that could lead to working WITH her. He didn't expect *Chuck* to work with him in that fancy office in the tower.

 

i dunno, it seemed to me when Jimmy woke up that am, he was actually rather bored. And he didn't look excited by the cons. If anything I'd think that a con which ended in the death of your friend would turn you off to cons, regardless of the fact that it was a great week for the friend.

 

I guess Odenkirk was too good at portraying a guy who deeply wanted to go straight... it didn't seemm like it was just "utility." I could even accept that this is all a reactiion to the shock of the betrayal except for that line about the million bucks which just doesn't jibe with aything we've seen out of Jimmy ever. He minds his crappy car, I mean, who wouldn't? but apart from that he's seemed pretty grounded. He's not scamming his elders for every penny... by a long shot. He's sweet to them. He was, as he told Marco, building a practice. He put the Kettleman money back.

 

If what Jimmy wanted were just trappings, he could have kept the Kettleman bribe, and done nothing to help Kim. That action was altruistic and didn't earn the respect of Chuck, because Chuck never knew about it. It was just Jimmy goodness. I know what the writers intended but it didn't work for me. Odenkirk was selling, but I wasn't buying. That's not the Jimmy I loved all season. Fear, I could buy. Screwing up, I could buy.

 

Deciding he wanted money and an easy route... not so much.

While I agree the end of the episode was rushed, I don't really agree with the notion is Jimmy all that upright. Obviously, he is no Saul yet. But, even as a lawyer, he was going to do that scam with those two brothers, was trying to make money off of public defending, and was completely enamored of the idea of helping that guy become his own country when he thought the money was good.  

Are you suggesting Jimmy was shady for *taking the salary* out of public defending? It's not a volunteer job.

And I can't fault Jimmy for wanting to take a crackpot on as a client, in his position. He needed the money. There are lawyers who defend Scientology. There are the lawyers who wrote the clauses to defraud the old people at Sandpiper in the first place, and who tried to buy off Jimmy with $40k, while offeering the old people only $40k.

The scam, yes, that's bad, but it was to get the business of known embezzlers, for whom I have no sympathy.

[gpgurl50]

While I agree the end of the episode was rushed, I don't really agree with the notion is Jimmy all that upright. Obviously, he is no Saul yet. But, even as a lawyer, he was going to do that scam with those two brothers, was trying to make money off of public defending, and was completely enamored of the idea of helping that guy become his own country when he thought the money was good.  

I agree.  Jimmy ran a scam to get the Kettlemans, then used their money to help fund another scam which led to his hero scam.  When Chuck found out, he threw out that thing about elder law that Kim mentioned.  I do think Jimmy is a nice guy given his treatment of Kim and Chuck and the elderly.  But it doesn't mean he has been completely resisting Slippin' Jimmy all this time.

 

I also think the point ketose brought up is true.  Jimmy is a good guy who is a criminal.  Chuck is a prick who does good things.  The perfect example is how that employee seemed so put upon while serving Chuck but smiled when he saw Jimmy sitting in his car.  Jimmy is Mr. Personality.  Chuck is the guy who gets his coworkers to do his dirty work for him and stabs his brother in the back.

 

Even after blowing off Marco for years and not even seeing him the last time he was in town, Marco still welcomed Jimmy back with open arms just as he was.  Yet after years of scraping to get by and doing everything for his brother, he never won Chuck's approval.  He will never win Chuck's approval. 

 

Without Jimmy, Marco got sucked into some appropriate job when he was happiest running cons with Jimmy.  Jimmy was the one who suggested they start up again.  He also missed time with Marco out of loyalty to Chuck who wasn't loyal to him at all. 

 

Marco was right about lawyers making a good living.  Jimmy could've been making a killing if he wasn't bound to Chuck's code of conduct.  It's not like we wasn't apparently committing all kinds of crime before.  He owes nothing to Chuck anymore and isn't going to live that way anymore.  He still is a good guy, seeing as he checked on Chuck multiple times after what Chuck did.  He apologized to Kim.  He just isn't going to do things Chuck's way anymore and has to find out what that looks like.

Edited April 7, 2015 by gpgurl50

[lucindabelle]

 

Marco was right about lawyers making a good living.  Jimmy could've been making a killing if he wasn't bound to Chuck's code of conduct.  It's not like we wasn't apparently committing all kinds of crime before.  He owes nothing to Chuck anymore and isn't going to live that way anymore.  He still is a good guy, seeing as he checked on Chuck multiple times after what Chuck did.  He apologized to Kim.  He just isn't going to do things Chuck's way anymore and has to find out what that looks like.

 

I could buy that, if it weren't for the lines that it was only wanting Chuck's approval that kept him from stealing the stolen money. That just doesn't seem like the Chuck we know, who's basically a pretty good-hearted, decent guy. It's one thing to sell a fake coin to a guy who t hinks he's getting a real one for a steal (because an actual honest person who knows about coins wouldn't be saying, I'll give you $100, but that is worth a hell of a lot, listen, let me give you the number of an honest appraiser... in other words, the people he cons are basically trying to get something for nothing themselves)... and it's another to take a million dollars embezzled from taxpayers.

 

Yes, we did see Jimmy still "taking care" of Chuck by giving Howard the list. Sitting patiently in the lobby. Behaving. Maybe he just needs more time off. But I don't believe this is the same character as someone who was really tempted by that money. Maybe he's trying to talk himself into it. I mean, I've never seen a million dollars in cash. It's got to be pretty powerful.

 

I didn't think Jimmy was held back by Chuck. I hope that was empty boasting. It sounded like some other character.

Edited April 7, 2015 by lucindabelle

[Tabasco Cat]

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.

 

My thoughts exactly. I've loved every BrBa and BCS montage before, but this one seemed like filler. This seemed to me like a 40-minute episode. The Bingo scene was good, I guess, I felt bad for him thinking of his 'B'rother with every B ball that was coming out. But it just went on way too long. The closeups on the balls and the tube where they came out was a little too artsy fartsy for me. If there was a point to it, fine, but there didn't seem to be one except to waste time. Same for the coin scam. Interesting but it went on way too long. I'm not an impatient person, but the scenes to let us know Jimmy still enjoys a good scam went on, again, way too long.

 

The writers mailed this one in, in my opinion. They got the word that Season 2 had been picked up last June a couple of weeks after they started filming the season. Writers all on vacation maybe? It seems like they stuck with the original plan to make a self-contained season/series in case Season 2 wasn't picked up, instead of returning to hash out the finale and lead us into Season 2. If there was no Season 2 and this was the series finale, I would have been fine with it. Unfortunately that's not the case.

 

Also, maybe nothing, the BCS Insider podcasts left coverage of this episode to last. They recorded the 110 podcast first to get it out of the way because they knew 109 was a better episode, and they didn't want to leave off the podcasting on a downer note. That's my take, anyway. (I've been wrong before.... like I was last week about Chuck!) I get that a lot of Vince Gilligan series make the 2nd-to-last episode of the season the key awesome episode. I get that. This is the first time, though, that the actual finale feels like a lazy effort on the writers' parts.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Tabasco Cat

[ketose]

The montage was actually only 2 and a half minutes. I thought Jimmy was serious most of the time, but not unhappy. He was working. That's what he's good at. I think the truth is that Jimmy is not a real lawyer. The kind of law he excels at is shady backroom deals and theatrics in the courtroom. I think Howard had a point when he called Jimmy Charlie Hustle. He saw Jimmy as a guy who was determined and willing to do the work. That's true, but he also seems to be looking for the next hustle. How long does he last as a partner in a law firm where there are rules and expectations?

 

I think this admiration for Chuck thing only goes so far. They didn't really see each other for a while. Their mom was the one who called Chuck to get Jimmy out of trouble. I think Jimmy liked working at the law firm and people liked him. They just didn't respect him. They respected Chuck, but didn't exactly like him. The whole lawyer thing was something of a hustle. It was a way for people like Kim to think better of him.

[Oscirus]

I liked this episode it wrapped up everything quite nicely.  He's obviously a better lawyer then his brother gives him credit for but he doesn't want that life. As a matter of fact, I'd say that his brother did him a favor because he would've been miserable. 

 

The narrative question has been: who is Jimmy? Is he a shark type corporate lawyer like Harry or is he a matlock type who likes helping the elderly? Ultimately, he learns that he's Saul. He likes the con.  I look forward to watching next season when he goes darker. I have a feeling that Nacho will be a lot more prominent then.

 

I also think that this is the last of the good times between Kim and Saul. I can't see that relationship lasting much longer given his new outlook on life. Hamlin's 180 degree turn was just strange.  I mean yea, Chuck was forcing him to be the bad guy. But at the same time, they were at each other's throats quite a few times.  I have a feeling that Jimmy will once again be forced to take care of Chuck once Chuck drives away all the lower level lawyers in that firm.

[resonance]

Chuck repudiated Jimmy, without regard to anything Jimmy actually does

I don't believe this to be true. Jimmy had been portrayed as a con-man through and through since the beginning. Jimmy arranged for the two skaters to pretend to be hit by a car. Also, there was the billboard incident with HHM where he fake rescues the worker.

 

Chuck found out about the former from hospital bills and read about the latter in the newspaper and was shown to be markedly upset by the former incident. So even if one were to disagree with Chuck's treatment of Jimmy, Chuck actually had considered what Jimmy does.

Edited April 7, 2015 by resonance

[shapeshifter]

...Even after blowing off Marco for years and not even seeing him the last time he was in town, Marco still welcomed Jimmy back with open arms just as he was.  Yet after years of scraping to get by and doing everything for his brother, he never won Chuck's approval.  He will never win Chuck's approval...

I love this analogy, but Marco actually took a few beats to forgive Jimmy for not connecting with him during his previous trip to Chicago. Marco really only forgave Jimmy because of their mutual weakness for and love of the con game. Chuck too initially supported Jimmy's legal work, but only so far. Chuck was not willing to risk another Chicago Sunroof, whereas Marco might have been willing to participate in such a caper with Jimmy. There's a Christian scripture (and perhaps it exists in many sacred writings) that says: One who has been forgiven of much, forgives much. Chuck could never see that Jimmy and others were forgiving him, so he could not forgive. Maybe Jimmy just needs to be around people who will forgive him?

[Chaos Theory]

The ending was perfect if understated. Jimmy spent 10 years paying off a debt to his brother he could never pay off. If he took the job at that big law firm he would owe Kim. If the case was won he would always feel that his first big win was due to an act of charity.

Walking away and doing it his way puts everything in his own hands. He owes his fate to no one. We all know how it ends but with this show and with Breaking Bad it is the ride that matters.

[rehoboth]

Wow.  The mom in me certainly came out last night as I tried to grab Jimmy by the shirt collar through the TV and say "Your are soooooo going to that meeting, Jimmy!"  Alas, not to be.

 

At least he is becoming Saul on his own terms.  He's not forced to by lack of clients or screwing up royally at the bigger firm.  He's following the advice of Marco (who revered Jimmy) instead of Chuck (who has the lowest of low expectations).

 

Last thought:  I could have happily lived the rest of my life without knowing what a Chicago sunroof is.

[DrSpaceman]

It was an OK finale.  Overall I am enjoying the series, but as I have been saying all season, I just have different thoughts on what I expected out of the series. 

 

First of all I thought the ending was a bit cartoonish and over the top with Jimmy expressing how he should have just driven off with the money.  I think the point and the story could have been made without that.  Might as well have drawn an evil cartoon mustache on him and had him do the cliched evil cartoon laugh as he drove away.  This has been the one consistent criticism I have had of VG overall going back to breaking bad.  His goes over the top I think at times to drive home a point.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 

 

Everything up to that point in the story would have been fine, even Jimmy going back to do his scams.  The direction I would have gone however right after that, however would be Jimmy having a revelation not that he might as well be a crooked lawyer but instead that the best use of his talents would be defending the accused.  He knows the criminal element in society based on his interactions.  He knows how they work, how they think.  And like it or not, they do deserve, in this country, legal representation.  Who better to do that now than Jimmy?  he has lived the life, he has been in their position, he understands their thought processes and how that side of the system works.  Put together your two best talents and there you have it, Saul Goodman.  Instead the angle here seems to be Jimmy is becoming a lawyer that will scam the system for money whenever he can.  I never really viewed Saul that way in Breaking Bad.  This could even be used to explain why he walked away from the other offer he had with a different company.  Could just say, I am going in the direction of criminal law, its what I know

 

Second, I would reiterate I thought this show would go the route of more comedy less drama.  So far, haven't really seen that.  And I wonder if that is just my own fault for false expectations from VG.  Its his show, he has obvious ideas of where he wants it headed and I think he just prefers the dramatic element.  I see Bob Odenkirk and knowing his acting history though, and I see Saul and all the dark comedic potential, and they seem like the perfect combination for such a series and stories that could be hilarious and witty and insightful all at the same time.  This has been heavy on the drama all season though, more than I expected, right up until the end.  Lilliehammer I think finds the right mix of the two and I was expecting I think a show more alone those lines.

 

It was a satisfying finale I would say, nothing great.  And again, overall I have enjoyed this season of the show.  Its still much different than what I expected and leaves me with mixed feelings about it all.  I assume we will see more Saul/less Jimmy next season at least. 

[SlackerInc]

Lots of good posts here, interesting discussion!

 

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.

 

Great description there: it was definitely muddy, and kind of coasted for most of it and then took a sharp unearned turn at the very end.  It was still better than most of what's on TV, but certainly not up to typical BCS/BB standards.

 

Was I flabbergasted during the Howard scene?  Yes.  Yes, I was.

 

Because he was kind to Jimmy?  I do think it's problematic to have the writers suddenly decide to reverse who's the villain and who's the nice guy over halfway through the season.  I've never liked when shows do this (while surely not the first example ever, the

Nina switcheroo

in the first season of 24 was a memorably egregious one).

 

That was a low spot for a visually distinctive show.  Overlapping talking heads with money falling in the background?  Ugh, tired, hackneyed shot.

 

A very disappointing episode.  Marco might as well have had a reaper following him, as much as they telegraphed his death.  Saul decides to repudiate 10 years of (comparative) moral sobriety, then realize that he really is a lawyer now, then realize that he's actually the scumbag Chuck thinks he is?  When he has the perfect opportunity to show Chuck how wrong he's been about him?   I mean we know he had to become Saul but this transition was ... labored.  

 

Yes, this--all this.

 

Jimmy walking away from the Santa Fe gig echoed Walt walking away from the job offer from Elliott in season 1 in BB.

 

That's what I was thinking.  In BB, as Gilligan has repeatedly emphasized, the original arc had Walt endlessly find complications that essentially forced him to keep going back into criminality.  But Vince decided that it was important to put the onus completely on Walt to own his actions morally, so he gave him an "out" that he refused out of pride.  I have never had any problem with that creative decision.  But to do it so similarly here feels like a retread.  I hope Vince Gilligan doesn't become like Aaron Sorkin, where some of his creative flourishes look brilliant the first time, but start looking like a tired schtick when they are recycled over and over.

 

I guess Odenkirk was too good at portraying a guy who deeply wanted to go straight... it didn't seemm like it was just "utility." I could even accept that this is all a reactiion to the shock of the betrayal except for that line about the million bucks which just doesn't jibe with aything we've seen out of Jimmy ever. He minds his crappy car, I mean, who wouldn't? but apart from that he's seemed pretty grounded. He's not scamming his elders for every penny... by a long shot. He's sweet to them. He was, as he told Marco, building a practice. He put the Kettleman money back.

 

If what Jimmy wanted were just trappings, he could have kept the Kettleman bribe, and done nothing to help Kim. That action was altruistic and didn't earn the respect of Chuck, because Chuck never knew about it. It was just Jimmy goodness. I know what the writers intended but it didn't work for me. Odenkirk was selling, but I wasn't buying. That's not the Jimmy I loved all season. Fear, I could buy. Screwing up, I could buy.

 

Deciding he wanted money and an easy route... not so much.

 

Agreed.  If they wanted to get here at the end of the season, they should have dialled back some of the altruism they showed us earlier.

 

My thoughts exactly. I've loved every BrBa and BCS montage before, but this one seemed like filler. This seemed to me like a 40-minute episode. The Bingo scene was good, I guess, I felt bad for him thinking of his 'B'rother with every B ball that was coming out. But it just went on way too long. The closeups on the balls and the tube where they came out was a little too artsy fartsy for me. If there was a point to it, fine, but there didn't seem to be one except to waste time. Same for the coin scam. Interesting but it went on way too long. I'm not an impatient person, but the scenes to let us know Jimmy still enjoys a good scam went on, again, way too long.

 

Totally.  The funny thing is, they had to kill a teaser they really liked in the previous episode because they just ran too far over time.  They hinted they might use it again, so maybe they did in this episode?  But those three scenes you mention were all too long, I completely agree.  Did they really need to fill time?  I thought this ep went a little long if anything (I watch on Amazon, but I thought it was something like 49 minutes).  They should have trimmed them and shown us more of his wrestling with the issue of what to do when he got back to Albuquerque.  Maybe take Mike out for a beer and discuss it more at length?  I dunno, but it's funny that given how I've cautioned the show against becoming too Mike-centric, a little more here might have been better than spending so much time on all that other stuff.

 

I  loved the ending, with Saul...err...Jimmy driving away.  I was hoping that he would walk away from the Sandpiper/potential law partner deal.  While it was good of Kim, Howard and maybe some of the other lawyers around town to work out a deal for Jimmy, I think he regarded it as some sort of settlement for the wrongdoing done to him by Chuck.  Jimmy doesn't need or want that.  He also doesn't want anyone's pity; he's doing it all on his own now.  Chimp with a machine gun, indeed.  I love it.

  

While I tend to side with lucindabelle and others with similar reactions to this episode, I wanted to acknowledge this as the best, most persuasive case for this being a legit transformation.  But it still wasn't well sold by the show itself IMO.

[nachomama]

I'm not proud of knowing a person who has pulled off a Chicago Sunroof. 

 

I think all lawyers have to have a bit of con man in them. Most are not out there trying to make the world a better place, the difference between things being "legal" and "morally right" is very slim at times. Chuck may not defend criminals but corporate law is ten times the evil that any petty theft. They don't take on the Sandpiper case because they want to save the old people's life savings, only because there's a huge payoff at the end. (If Jimmy hadn't landed them the defending old people position, I can see HHM defending the Sandpiper company, either side they represent they make bank) Jimmy found easy money in elder law, he really could have ripped them off big time but chose not to. As a con man he was only ripping off people who thought they were getting a deal too good to be true. The rolex dudes gave up the cash in the wallet for the watch, the coin guy thought he was getting $800 for $110, Jimmy was scamming scammers. The guy in the bar wasn't going to miss a house payment because of $110. 

[ghoulina]

I swear, I think this episode broke my heart more than last week's. Not just seeing Jimmy lose Marco, which was awful, but that moment where he stopped in the parking lot. I was screaming at my TV. "No! Just go! What are you doing?" That is the magic of Jimmy. Because I KNOW he turns into Saul. I know who he's going to become. But I'm so captivated by him that I take leave of my senses and actually think he can overcome everything. 

 

But I guess I was just expecting more from his transition. If it had happened right after Chuck broke his heart last week, I would have got it. But, while it was obvious that upset him greatly, it still didn't seem like it totally broke him. He seemed more hurt than bitter; he was still concerned about Chuck getting looked after properly. He just couldn't do it himself. And his messages were piling up while he was gone. He wanted to go back to his clients. And then the offer from the other firm. So what if someone pushed for it a bit? Wouldn't it have been a similar thing if Chuck had spoke up for him and tried to get him a job at HHM? Connections are everything. It just seemed like he had a lot to look forward to, and he chose to pass it right up. 

 

Clearly Marco dying had something to do with his change of heart. I just can't figure out exactly what. I just keep thinking back to Marco's last words - "This was the best week of my life". Maybe that made Jimmy realize he wanted to do something that HE wanted to do? That he truly enjoyed? I don't know, though. He seemed to really enjoy schmoozing all the old people. And I felt he was genuinely upset about the fraud perpetrated on the Sandpiper residents and wanted to help them. Maybe what Chuck said to him just took the confidence right out of him. But that doesn't seem right either. When he drove away, he didn't appear defeated.  I don't know. Maybe I need to watch a few more times, read some more posts - because it just wasn't clear to me what his motivation was for abandoning the meeting. 

 

 

The one thing that was finally settled - found out what a Chicago Sunroof is. Thanks for that. 

[queenanne]

 

 

I thought this ep went a little long if anything (I watch on Amazon, but I thought it was something like 49 minutes). 

 

It was 1:07 with commercials, so longer than AMC's default for Mad Men.

 

I dunno, I liked it though I agree it didn't flow well from the remainder of the season's Jimmy, but I think the point is that Jimmy consciously decides to veer away and take the road more traveled.  Not because someone else wants him to, but because he wants to.  He's finally acting to please himself.  Finally deciding not necessarily to "be less moral", but "not to fight against morality" anymore.

[riverheightsnancy]

For myself, I think that Jimmy just decided that he wants to be in control of his own destiny, no matter what that is. He is in control. Not like Chuck who has no control of his emotional/psychological state, or much else for that matter. Or to be beholden to Chuck and his ideals either.  Before the whole mess with the Kettleman's money return, Jimmy looked gloriously happy to be getting his own office with a view, that he would be in control of. I still think that drives him now. It is about controlling what you do and deciding what you will do, when you are good and damn ready! Whether it is good or bad, it is about the control of it that really matters. Money, obviously, plays a part in that because, for most of us we will never have the ability to be in total control of what we want to do without the freedom that money brings us to do exactly that. As a person who watches, The Good Wife, I will use that as a comparison. I think about how often the attorneys "buy into their own hype". They present as these superior attorneys, from exceptional law schools, yet they are just as morally corrupt on the down-low-yeah I am looking at you Alicia!  But, I digress. In essence, the other attorneys in Jimmy's world are really NO different from Jimmy. They are doing a job. The job is as an attorney.  I don't think that representing criminals is a criminal activity per se. Jimmy's occupation is as a lawyer and that comes with certain guidelines. You represent who walks in the door. So he has a flair for the dramatic, so what? A lot of big name attorney's have made their mark BECAUSE of that ability. I think of Johnnie Cochran when I say that. 

[Bannon]

I don't believe this to be true. Jimmy had been portrayed as a con-man through and through since the beginning. Jimmy arranged for the two skaters to pretend to be hit by a car. Also, there was the billboard incident with HHM where he fake rescues the worker.

 

Chuck found out about the former from hospital bills and read about the latter in the newspaper and was shown to be markedly upset by the former incident. So even if one were to disagree with Chuck's treatment of Jimmy, Chuck actually had considered what Jimmy does.

Why not take Chuck at his word? He has plainly stated that be believes that it is literally impossible for a human being to change, which means that it does not matter how Jimmy behaves; Chuck will never respect Jimmy, regardless of anything Jimmy does. 

[ghoulina]

If what Jimmy wanted were just trappings, he could have kept the Kettleman bribe, and done nothing to help Kim. That action was altruistic and didn't earn the respect of Chuck, because Chuck never knew about it. It was just Jimmy goodness.

 

Exactly. I just can't believe that everything Jimmy did for the last 10 years was to make his brother proud. There were lots of times Jimmy did the right thing, and Chuck had nothing to do with it. What about when Mrs. Waverly didn't have enough to pay him and he let her owe him AND reduced the amount? He has a good heart. Maybe in the beginning this career was about proving something to his brother, but I don't think that continued to be his sole motivator. 

 

Without Jimmy, Marco got sucked into some appropriate job when he was happiest running cons with Jimmy.  Jimmy was the one who suggested they start up again.  He also missed time with Marco out of loyalty to Chuck who wasn't loyal to him at all.

 

I felt like Jimmy suggested conning the guy who walked into the bar because he felt guilty about not looking Marco up whilst in town for the funeral. I thought that was all about making it up to his buddy, not that he genuinely wanted to do it. And then he just got suckered in. 

[ShadowFacts]

 

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.

 

His brother has been a major force in his life for the last ten years, and he isn't ever going to be that in the same way again.  That just blew up a week or so ago.  Then Marco abruptly dies after reconnecting.  Two major life events that trigger a host of reactions in an already conflicted person.  So he makes what appears to be an impetuous decision.  I can buy it.  That upcoming partnership did not feel right, and he couldn't go through with it.  The sad part is that it changes his relationship with Kim forever. I don't think there's much chance that she's going to turn out to be that second ex-wife.

[BeatrixK]

Why, oh Why did they only give us 10 episodes!?!?!?!??!

 

Love it!  Odenkirk....I have an official hard crush on you!  Tee hee:  Call me!

 

I thought the ending was fitting:  We already know, essentially, the end game - but dammit if Gilligan and Co aren't making it a helluva fun ride.  At some point, Jimmy does have to have the impetus to become Saul...and that was some damn solid groundwork towards making it believable.  (However, if this show doesn't end with Saul getting his new car and driving it through A1A car wash for it's first bath, there is EPIC fail afoot!)

 

Is it next February yet?

[ToastnBacon]

This episode looked like it suffered from being made when it was uncertain if there was going to be a season two. If this was the end of the series, then that episode made a hell of a lot more sense. However, I read that wasn't the case.

If we hit season two with a jump ahead in time and Saul is open for business in the strip mall, then I have less of a problem with it.

The ending scene with Jimmy and Mike at the parking booth was the last time we will see Jimmy, I hope. If that was their way of putting the Jimmy story to rest, I'm fine with it.

He plainly made his own choice to become Saul and it didn't have much to do with all that crap that went down with Chuck.

Jimmy had made it as a legitimate lawyer, and he walked away from that future. He didn't want it, he gave it up on his own.

Chuck was the only thing that was keeping Jimmy on the straight and narrow. When we last saw Chuck, he was discredited and resigned to a future of being fussy about Fuji apples. No more lawyer Chuck.

Jimmy had made it as a legitimate lawyer, he had beaten Chuck.

He became Saul because that is who he is, and who he had always been.

Some general criticisms

They might as well have edited in the sound of a wolf howling when he touched Marco's ring before he got back in his car. That way John & Jane Mouthbreather in middle America would have been able to follow along.

Mike's little speech about how he does the job he is hired to do, made him seem like an robot and it fell flat.

The montage sucked. I had the "montage song" from Team America playing in my head during it. Visually that montage reminded me of the Squishy bender that Bart and Milhouse went on in an episode of The Simpsons.

The bingo meltdown was painfully long, but it did show what a dark character he is. That soft serve comment was obscene and heartless.

Wait! I liked this episode after all.

Edited April 7, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[Constantinople]

You knew Jimmy was out of sorts during Bingo when he didn't remind everyone to take their vitamins after B-12 was selected.

[Irlandesa]

Also, maybe nothing, the BCS Insider podcasts left coverage of this episode to last. They recorded the 110 podcast first to get it out of the way because they knew 109 was a better episode, and they didn't want to leave off the podcasting on a downer note. That's my take, anyway. (I've been wrong before.... like I was last week about Chuck!

They've recorded a lot of the podcasts this season out of order. I think it has more to do with scheduling guests than a preference for specific episodes.

 

I liked the montage in an abstract way.  It was kind of cool and a nice way to show Slippin' Jimmy jimmying.  Yet I did feel a bit disconnected from it. 

 

I hope next season Jimmy is still Jimmy.  I think completely changing his name because Chuck is disappointed in him would be a bit of a cop out.  I think there are more clever reasons that better serve plot for him to do that.  The shift may feel unearned but if BCS follows BB, I still think we'll still see Jimmy struggle with who exactly he is and this won't be quite the sharp turn it appears to be.

[attica]

There was a listlessness to this ep that made me restless watching it. The other episodes have been bang on point, but I didn't think this one was. I didn't discern any inevitability in Jimmy's giving up the straight life, which, from a structural dramatic standpoint, shouldn't there have been? I mean, if I wanted to watch somebody just sideshuffle into a life of crime, I wouldn't watch tv, I'd just watch my neighbors. I didn't see any emotional reward for Jimmy in choosing to bail on those clients, whereas heretofore, we see him satisfied with the choices he makes, however inconvenient they are in the moment. 

 

Also: Jimmy has a certain renown (in certain circles) in ABQ. I'll be interested to see how he pulls off doing cheesy commercials as Saul without anybody twigging to his old identity.

 

Marco might as well have had a reaper following him, as much as they telegraphed his death.

 

Hee! I know! The very first wee cough at the bar, and you know he's a goner. 

[Gentian root]

Nice little Easter Egg for Vince's home town:  the Santa Fe law firm was named after an eternal Richmond restaurant, Davis & Main.  I got a wee chuckle every time it was said.

[lovinbob]

You knew Jimmy was out of sorts during Bingo when he didn't remind everyone to take their vitamins after B-12 was selected.

Absolutely!

 

I'm with many of you who were rooting so hard for Jimmy to take that "good" job, even though I knew what was to come. The weird thing for me is that I don't think of Saul as being such a "bad" person. He is slippery, like Jimmy, but not bad. (I know that the way things went down with Walt, he was complicit in a lot of very bad acts, but weirdly, I associate that more with self-preservation, and with being led astray by Walter, than with "who he really is.") Jimmy is a con man who steals from people. Saul was a lawyer who used the outer limits of the law to get his clients off. He's not ashamed to represent unsavory people or salt of the earth people, and he went to the mat for all of them (much like Jimmy took care of his elderly clients).

 

The irony, I believe, is that all lawyers use all the tools at their disposal to help their clients. Even blue chip firm lawyers rely on tricks and machinations--they just have a better class of clients. At the end, Jimmy embraced his "slippin'" self, but no matter what firm he worked for, those skills would be essential. Maybe it's just a matter of him preferring to consort with the Marcos of the world, rather than having to feel like the poor relation to white collar guys like Hamlin and Chuck.

 

It's possible that my affection for Jimmy is causing me to romanticize my memory of Saul. :)

 

By the way, I actually liked the way things ended with Hamlin. It might have been a little too much of a 180, but I never believed Hamlin could have been that bad of a guy. It makes more sense to know that he was pushed to be a douche by Chuck's demands.

Edited April 7, 2015 by lovinbob

[Bannon]

It was the right move because he'd probably be able to exist as a successful attorney. My comment wasn't a read into Jimmy's motivation... it's about what would be best for him. Making Chuck proud has little to do with that. Is going down the road to become Saul Goodman best for him because he can't make Chuck proud? We know how it's going to go for him... getting involved with Walter White and ending up this sad guy in Omaha. His decision to walk away from the Santa Fe gig was very much a crossroads moment, like Walt's with Elliott. That's not to say the motivation was the same.

Being a successful, normal, attorney only has substantial value (and I don't know how you seperate what is best for a person without considering what a person thinks is important to that person) to Jimmy if it comes with Chuck thinking well of Jimmy. If that is unobtainable, and Chuck has clearly stated that Chuck will never view Jimmy in a positive light, no matter what the future holds, then Jimmy is going to use his legal training in a manner which he finds most enjoyable. He may find dealing with seniors to be non-torturous, perhaps even semi-enjoyable at times, because Jimmy isn't a black-hearted shark who simply wants to maximize every chance, but he gets no rush from it. He likes the action, and working with other lawyers in a normal firm, putting in his time to become partner, doesn't provide that which he finds most enjoyable. Being Saul, working with clients who are frequently on the fringe, doing what he wants to do, wthout consulting with partners, is what he thinks will be most satisfying. Jimmy is done with having other human beings having input as to what Jimmy's choices will be, and that is what makes him Saul. He is sort of the mirror image of Walter White, who was always, always, always, to a large degree, reacting to the actions and rhetoric of other human beings.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Bannon

[ShadowFacts]

TeeFury has a Jimmy shirt today.  I recently read that people my age should forgo graphic tees, but I just may have to violate that fashion advice . . .

 

 

Also: Jimmy has a certain renown (in certain circles) in ABQ. I'll be interested to see how he pulls off doing cheesy commercials as Saul without anybody twigging to his old identity.

 

I don't think that's even possible, he's been way too high profile.  Billboard, front page news, he is known to the police and at the courthouse.  He will not be flying under any radar.

 

 

I liked the montage in an abstract way.  It was kind of cool and a nice way to show Slippin' Jimmy jimmying.  Yet I did feel a bit disconnected from it.

I didn't love or hate it -- but I immediately thought Twilight Zone, and I think Vince is a big fan. 

[lucindabelle]

BHe likes the action, and working with other lawyers in a normal firm, putting in his time to become partner, doesn't provide that which he finds most enjoyable. Being Saul, working with clients who are frequently on the fringe, doing what he wants to do, wthout consulting with partners, is what he thinks will be most satisfying. Jimmy is done with having other human beings having input as to what Jimmy's choices will be, and that is what makes him Saul. He is sort of the mirror image of Walter White, who was always, always, always, to a large degree, reacting to the actions and rhetoric of other human beings.

 

I don't think I saw any of that at all in these 10 episodes. He didn't "enjoy" putting together the shredded paper. I didn't see him enjoying the cons with Marco, either. His sudden decision in the parking lot, and the line about what stopped him taking the million, felt forced to me.

[peeayebee]

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. 

I understand that, but I don't think the very ending highlighted that very much. He's walking toward the law office building, practicing what he's going to say to the Davis and Mane lawyers, and then he suddenly stops, thinks, and apparently changes his mind right then. I think his change would have worked better if he'd just spoken to his brother or had some reminder -- or gave the audience a reminder -- of their relationship.

 

I did enjoy the ep, but I didn't like the ending.

[ShadowFacts]

 

Being Saul, working with clients who are frequently on the fringe, doing what he wants to do, wthout consulting with partners, is what he thinks will be most satisfying. Jimmy is done with having other human beings having input as to what Jimmy's choices will be, and that is what makes him Saul. He is sort of the mirror image of Walter White, who was always, always, always, to a large degree, reacting to the actions and rhetoric of other human beings.

 

I couldn't help but think of Walter's final admission that he did what he did because he liked it, he wanted to.  I think Saul is the same in that regard.  He likes representing scumbags, which is what he says Chuck thinks he is.  There is an element of self-loathing.  There are many motivations and influences and facets to his personality, not just one neatly definable one.  He is so very interesting and I like him because of his humanity, the kindness and decency mixed in with many flaws.

[Bannon]

TeeFury has a Jimmy shirt today.  I recently read that people my age should forgo graphic tees, but I just may have to violate that fashion advice . . .

 

 

I don't think that's even possible, he's been way too high profile.  Billboard, front page news, he is known to the police and at the courthouse.  He will not be flying under any radar.

 

I didn't love or hate it -- but I immediately thought Twilight Zone, and I think Vince is a big fan. 

Not just that; I think Saul is going to get some measure of enjoyment from the knowledge that his cheesy commercial are a topic that causes proper legal circles in Albuquerque to cackle and guffaw, and that cackling and guffawing about what Jimmy McGill has become, and who he is related to, causes that relative to be embarassed and uncomfortable.

[Wouldofshouldof]

If you liked Mel Rodriguez as Marco, please check out HBO's wonderful and underrated Getting On (only 2 seasons in, so binge watching will be a breeze!).

 

Here's a sample of his Nurse Patsy:

 

http://www.hbo.com/getting-on#/getting-on/about/video/character-mashup-nurse-patsy.html/eNrjcmbOYM5nLlTPz0lxzEvMqSzJTA5ITE-1S8xN1SzLTEnNh4k65+eVpFaUcDIyskknlpbkF+QkVtqWFJWmsjGyMQIAUKwXOA== 

[Constantinople]

If I understand the chronology correctly, Hamlin first met Jimmy no earlier than 1992

• the series first starts in 2002 when we see Saul defending the three wayward youth in court
• later that year Jimmy returns home to see Marco (or perhaps it's now 2003, I'm not sure how much time has elapsed between the first and last episode)
• Marco mentions it's been 10 years since he last saw Jimmy, which was right before Jimmy moved to ABQ to work in his brother's law firm.

 

I mention this because Hamlin told Jimmy that Hamlin always kind of liked Jimmy, that Hamlin used to call Jimmy "Charlie Hustle", and asked if Jimmy remembered.  Jimmy said he did.

 

"Charlie Hustle" sounds like a good nickanme, but "Charlie Hustle" was also Pete Rose's nickname.  The nickname was first given when Rose was a rookie baseball player because he worked hard and showed a lot of drive.  Eventually Pete Rose became Major League Baseball's all-time hit leader and the Cincinnati Reds manager.

 

In 1989, 3 years before Hamlin could have met Jimmy, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting on games that he had managed for the Reds.  This also made Rose ineligible for the Hall of Fame even though he was the all-time hit leader.

 

So calling someone "Charlie Hustle" in 1992 is giving them a very Slippin' Jimmy kind of nickname.

[Ohwell]

The weird thing for me is that I don't think of Saul as being such a "bad" person. He is slippery, like Jimmy, but not bad. (I know that the way things went down with Walt, he was complicit in a lot of very bad acts, but weirdly, I associate that more with self-preservation, and with being led astray by Walter, than with "who he really is.") Jimmy is a con man who steals from people. Saul was a lawyer who used the outer limits of the law to get his clients off. He's not ashamed to represent unsavory people or salt of the earth people, and he went to the mat for all of them (much like Jimmy took care of his elderly clients).

I never thought of Saul as being a "bad" person either, which is why I'm not bothered or sad about him becoming Saul.

 

I also noticed in this episode that this was his first reference to Belize, which he mentions later in Breaking Bad.