S02.E01: Switch

[hincandenza]

I'm wondering if this series will conclude eventually with what actually happens to Saul in that future. Will he find a way out, or be doomed to Cinnebon oblivion forever?.

Allow me to coin the term "cinneblivion". :)

A solid premier; I really enjoyed this show more than I thought I would in season 1, and had rewatched it on Netflix a week or so ago to prepare. Odenkirk has been such a revelation; I've loved him since his old Mr. Show days, but he really does a phenomenal job with this extended look into the life of James McGill. I like that a lot of people here are talking about the slow burn; when I turned some friends on to this show after it showed up on Netflix, I told them it was similar to BB in that they have scenes where people aren't talking constantly, giving the actors a chance to breath and let the audience soak in an episode slowly; it's practically a Gilligan signature at this point.

Most things have been touched on that I wanted to say, but I want to toss in my own two cents about the cop scene at "Price"'s house. Like most of us, I'm well versed in most TV tropes, so I was watching that intently to see what Price said and what unfolded- expecting the whole time for the cops to find something- and honestly? He seems perfectly innocent. Of course, we know that's not true, but I'd be sad if the show made more of that bit with the cops than necessary; nothing Price did was particularly odd or suspicious. Some dorky IT guy calls in the theft of his baseball card collection, which is obviously of great importance to him- and a decent thing to steal if you've just robbed a home. A lot harder to walk down the street lugging a TV or a computer than it is to walk down with a cardboard box or photo album full of pawnable baseball cards, with a lot more potential cash in pocket.

The Hummer in the driveway is not notable either; back in 2002, the cops even joked that they should have gotten into computers themselves. With no debt or dependents, living in a modest little bungalow, a half-decent IT person working in pharma could afford to lease a Hummer as his personal "treat yo self" indulgence; he seems exactly like the kind of guy who'd do that in the hopes that he'd finally be "cool", no different than young single guys I've met in my own tech career who lived in modest one bedrooms and splurged on a luxury car they could barely afford (or those "$30,000 millionaire" types). Sure, he did mention that cash was missing, but glossed over it; that's not suspicious either. It's like if you lose your wallet, and someone mails it back to you with all your cards and ID, but no cash, you're just happy to not have to rebuild everything. Plus, Price only mentioned money when asked, and never said how much, so for all they know it could have been a few hundred bucks in a cookie jar he'd set aside for his "Single Mom Education Fund".

In other words, nothing about that scene should have made two patrol cops be particular suspicious, not even the sofa. In TV land every beat cop is a regular Sherlock Holmes, but in real life some bored cops are likely more focused on what to have for dinner that night than actually giving two shits about what is so clearly just another random home burglary. Even the loose panel doesn't mean much; they had to yank at it pretty hard to get it free themselves, and there was nothing in there. For all intents and purposes, they showed up at a burglary scene and proceeded to pointlessly vandalize it while the homeowner was freaking out about his stupid baseball cards.

The way it was written and acted, to me it also seemed crystal clear that Price, for his part, didn't suspect anything but some random home burglary where they saw what even a two-bit burglar would recognize as valuable (along with them possibly finding his hidden cash). As others have said, he's too naive to apparently even suspect this was connected to his side business, which clearly is not going to result in a happy ending for him.

Edited February 22, 2016 by hincandenza

[Umbelina]

I agree with most of that, but cops ARE trained to be aware of their surroundings, and that couch area was the only pristine part of the completely trashed house.  Burglary, they are supposed to look around, at least back then.  Now you are lucky if a cop will even show up.

 

I can't find the original 2002 price, but in 2006 it was $129,399.00, and it looked like his was tricked out so maybe more?  $155,518.79 in today's dollars.  All it takes is one phone call to check on his salary, and no way in hell do I believe that he didn't buy that car, wasn't that a registration in his glove compartment?  All they have to do is run those plates and it will show too.

[Ohwell]

Yeah, I could see him buying or leasing a car around $50-$60k to treat himself--but a big, honkin', expensive, tricked-out Hummer?  No way.  Any cop worth his or her badge would be suspicious enough to do some further investigation.  Plus, once they found out he worked for a pharmaceutical company they could put two and two together rather quickly.    

[Ohwell]

Now that I think about it, even $50-60k would have been a lot back in 2002, even for a "treat."  

[Umbelina]

Probably more than a house in Albuquerque back then, quite a bit more really, even if it wasn't tricked out and painted in the team colors.

[Quilt Fairy]

I have to say that the one thing that throws me out of this storyline is "Price works in IT for a drug company therefore he has access to drugs". Uh, no. IT people (and I was one) work in an office, not a manufacturing facility. It is more likely that a janitor who cleans up the plant would be able to steal some product than a computer guy back in HQ.

[Umbelina]

I just figured he knows more about the computer system than anyone else, so he can "hide" them on line, deliver to anywhere, then completely erase the transaction.  simple  Something like that anyway.  Much easier to steal via computer than physically.

[shapeshifter]

People change and evolve over time but the essence that makes you "you", never goes away. I don't think Jimmy and the Saul of BB share the same soul. As I said though, I'm ok with it because I am enjoying this show so much.

It's weird, because I see Saul Goodman in Jimmy all the time.

Me too. To me, Saul is just a more well healed Jimmy.

Odenkirk looks believablely the right age for the prequel, but at what cost? Botox? If this show goes a third season, I'd like to have it pick up at the Cinnabon. I'd even be happy with that happening mid-this season. Like others, as long as VG has at least a light hold on the reins, I trust whatever we get will be worth watching.

My take on the light switch thing was that Jimmy cannot help screwing things up. If a great thing lands in his lap, he will find some way to F it up-it's just in his nature. He cannot follow rules and he cannot go in a straight line. Nothing happened when he flipped the switch, but he knows he will keep 'flipping switches' until something does.

ETA re the episode title, "Switch:" At 44 minutes into the podcast (via itunes or via podbay.fm) Peter Gould (I think) remarks that he sees Jimmy McGill as a pendulum who can swing either way, and that Saul is one way, and Gene of the Cinnabon is the other. Odenkirk talks about Gene being hesitant because he can see how bad things can go, whereas Saul was the risk taker.

--which is pretty much what you said, Madding crowd, right?

Edited February 20, 2016 by shapeshifter

[Madding crowd]

Yes, I don't listen to the podcasts but I enjoy the moments that reveal Jimmy's character. Odenkirk is fantastic. It's not easy to write a criminal type in a likable way, but Gilligan has done it here.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It is not unknown for a corporation to surreptitiously test its new employees.

 

I can totally see Big Law setting up the test of the switch to see if Jimmy was more the team player, or a damn-the rules-kind of guy.  I can also see them desiring either outcome.  It's hard to peg Ed Begley, Jr.  ;)

[DrSpaceman73]

Every single time I see that sad pathetic opening I hope that when this series ends, Saul somehow escapes that fate, gets out of it somehow, moves to some non-extradition country and starts over, among palm trees, fruity cocktails, and a bunch of carefully embezzled Cinnabon funds. Or something even better, giving him a stake in starting over, a phone call from Jesse saying he went back grabbed the money hidden by Todd's relatives, he's in paradise and there is a yacht waiting for him to bring him there. Yeah...too much. But I want them both happy. I don't really care that much about Walt's family, but I want the best for those two.

Odenkirk makes me care about Jimmy so much. It's too late for Walt, and for Mike, but I really want Jimmy and Jesse to end up happy.

Yeah, no fairy tales, but is it too much to want Jimmy to at least be able to start over somehow? Oh, and maybe just a little mention that Jesse is fine? Ha.

I was thinking the same thing, I hope he escapes.

And I am hoping him being trapped in the dumpster area is a bit of foreshadowing. I took the being stuck in the dumpster area as a metaphor for where he is now. He just has to sit and wait, nothing to do, everything is dull. He can't try anything bold or brash to escape or he takes the chance he could get caught (the emergency door). He just has to wait for someone to come along and give him an opening to come out or escape quietly. And him putting SG was here on the wall means he still considers that chance, he still things of himself as Saul Goodman

[DrSpaceman73]

I'm pretty ignorant about economics, so I'm confused about the luncheon with the stockbroker. What did Jimmy and Kim gain except a really expensive meal? Was there something else that I missed. Or is it just that this kind of thing is something Jimmy does well and we'll probably see a lot more of it?

What are the Easter eggs that people keep referencing?

Odenkirk is an amazing actor. Could watch him all day.

Was the opener showing us what Jimmy was doing after BB, and before anything in the first episode came to be?

Well on the surface it was just getting the drinks for free and the meal, but it was actually much more than that. It was all about Saul/Kim and their future

Much of this episode centered on the Saul/Kim relationship.

This was my view of things. Saul obviously wants Kim for a romantic relationship. But at the same time, he doesn't not wanted to be 'Jimmy McGill', the character he was for most of last season and the character and person Kim knows best. In the opening scene, we see Saul going down the "Jimmy McGill" route further and he wants to know if him continuing to be the honest, hardworking lawyer is the route he needs in order to be with Kim. She tells him "One has nothing to do with the other". He takes her at face value for that and basically abandons, at that moment, the Jimmy McGill persona and makes more of a transition back to who he was before being a lawyer. He starts to scam again.

What he is trying to find out, I think, is if Kim really knows who he is, would should still be interested? They have the scene in the bar where she is trying to figure out what his plan is for the future. He has basically made the decision he doesn't want to be Jimmy anymore, he wants to change. At the same time, he wants to know if Kim will still be interested if he changes. So what does he do? He lets her into his world, his old world. Up to that point, he was in her world of law and everything that went with it. This was Kim entering his world of hustling and scamming. He gives her an opening and sees if she will take it. She does, and she loves it, does spectacularly. ANd they end up together afterwards, romantically. Its no longer Jimmy she sees in him, it's more Saul, more the old pre-Jimmy person, and she still loves him, enjoys him.

The problem is after that, the next morning, she leaves, she goes back to her old world, their old world, and doesn't call back. I doubt it was just those two phone calls in the pool that morning that he made to her, those were just examples. He was testing her to see if she would return and enter fully his scamming, dishonest world. She realizes its fun but not something you can continue long term, doesn't call back.

So what happens at the end? He re-renters the law world, I presume for Kim. She stated at the beginning that "one has nothing to do with the other", but it doesn't seem to that's true. She would not date the pre-Jimmy person he was. At the same time, he can't be Jimmy again without being miserable. He at least found out she still has some interest in the devious, quick witted, smart on his feet, manipulative and charming person he can be. He doesn't have to be all Jimmy for her to be interested in him. The ending I took to mean he is going to try to find come blend of Jimmy/pre-Jimmy to become "Saul". It's the best of both worlds for him in order to have a chance with Kim.

goes with the name as well, Switch, as do many other parts of the show, of course.

Also the switch at the end is contrasted to the door in the dumpster room, represents how he has changed post breaking bad. The light switch in the law office he just casually turn off/on and doesn't give a second thought, no hesitation. The door at the end, he won't break the rules of the sign and open the door even though it's his only immediate escape, he'd rather just sit and wait than take the chance.

Edited February 21, 2016 by DrSpaceman73

[riverheightsnancy]

Yeah, I could see him buying or leasing a car around $50-$60k to treat himself--but a big, honkin', expensive, tricked-out Hummer?  No way.  Any cop worth his or her badge would be suspicious enough to do some further investigation.  Plus, once they found out he worked for a pharmaceutical company they could put two and two together rather quickly.    

I really disagree with this. He said he leases it. Many people lease cars to appear like they own a really expensive car, but in reality they are just "renting" the cache. It's all for show.  I would be more curious and impressed if a person walks into a place and pays "cash" for a $50,000 dollar car. I know upper middle class people in NJ who have paid cash (via a check) for a brand new car that cost $42,000 in 2002 because their accountant told them they need to reduce their tax basis and spend a little money on their business. Lucky for me I got to buy that car used after they needed to upgrade again. 

 

Why is it so outrageous that this IT guy lives in a reasonable house and may have a little money? The cops never asked him "how" he attained the money. Just because he is quirky and eccentric does not mean that it is always illegal. (Of course we know that, but to me, he is the least likely to be doing something illegal-he called the cops). Maybe he hit the lottery, maybe he inherited it. Mid-life crisis. Saved up. Maybe he made a ton in the .com boom and got out in time. Maybe he found a super rare baseball card and has been selling and trading his cards to increase his wealth. I think that he would not be under suspicion unless and until they start seeing inconsistencies in his story or affect. Most people doing illegal things are NOT going to call the cops. This guy is stupid, and the cops do not know that yet, but to me he does not come off as doing anything illegal. 

[Umbelina]

Because it all doesn't add up.  ONE anomaly, OK.  Guy bought a car that from the looks of his house, he can't afford.

 

TWO  He mentions money stolen as well, but then awkwardly and suspiciously drops it.

THREE  There is one completely clean small area of a completely trashed house.

FOUR  They look in that area and discover a secret hiding place.

 

Most importantly though?  These things are easily checked.  They can quickly find out his salary several different ways, also how much he has in the bank, but most easily of all?  They can run the plates of that hummer and find out if he owns it.  Cops aren't idiots.  They will, just as they moved the suspiciously spotless couch and looked behind it.  This really isn't rocket science, the "clues" are LEAPING at these cops.  They don't know what exactly is wrong, but they can tell it stinks.

Edited February 21, 2016 by Umbelina

[diebartdie]

I had to google cocobolo cuz I didn't know either and it must be a popular google today it popped on its own. And I would NOT like a cocobolo desk. :D

Oh I would, I think those desks are morgeous!!!!

[hincandenza]

It is not unknown for a corporation to surreptitiously test its new employees.

I can totally see Big Law setting up the test of the switch to see if Jimmy was more the team player, or a damn-the rules-kind of guy. I can also see them desiring either outcome. It's hard to peg Ed Begley, Jr. ;)

That was totally my thought as well! This show is so good at creating tension even when it isn't a matter of life and death; I was on the edge of my seat expecting either a sudden catastrophe (like the whole office loses power) or that it was a test, and Ed Begley Jr. was going to walk in any second and fire him (or possibly applaud him). Mostly, I was thinking that it's idiotic to put a vitally important switch where anyone could get at it.

Also, we only saw him briefly, but Ed Begley, Jr. seems to not have aged much at all. I guess he's got one of those timeless faces, like Steve Martin. It's good to see he's managed to fix that pesky eyebrow problem. :)

[ByTor]

Jimmy is a little bit Robin Hood, he's a scam artist for sure, but he keeps it small, when he smelled a hyooooge scam being played on his elderly clientel he blew the whistle. Granted, he made bank in the process but he stole from the rich and prevented the old folks from being swindled further.

Jimmy didn't steal from anybody. He brought up a case against a company that was ripping off the elderly.

 

no way in hell do I believe that he didn't buy that car, wasn't that a registration in his glove compartment?

Leased vehicles are required to be registered...unless the laws in NM are different than where I live (PA). However, the reason I would be suspicious about the lease story is that a person can't do a custom paint job like that on a leased vehicle. No way in hell was there an H2 sitting on a lot with that paint job ready to be leased.

My take on Playuh and the floorboard...I don't think Nacho was looking for money or broke in just to screw with him, I think he broke in looking for drugs. Nacho only had Playuh's word that he gave him all he had, I think he went in looking for some freebies and then stole the cash and baseball cards because he could, and he did say that was something he enjoyed getting away with. I also think the police were suspicious that he said he had "a lot" of money then suddenly cut himself off. If he were just some IT guy who happened to have a lot of money put away, he wouldn't have abruptly stopped talking about the cash and then changed the subject.

I'm happy Jimmy took that position with the law firm. I didn't see how Jimmy could turn into Saul unless he ended up well known from some high profile case, and I think it would be more difficult for that to happen unless it were with a large firm. I totally think Playuh will be Jimmy's client.

I'm not one who sees/looks for symbolism in TV shows, but something struck me with the law firm. Chuck's firm is modern looking; open with a lot of windows and just "bright" in general. Jimmy's new firm, however, is more traditional looking and fairly dark & not well-lit. Does this indicate the firm is what starts Jimmy on his "dark" path?

Edited February 22, 2016 by ByTor

[smartymarty]

I think Nacho broke in to take back his money, and get any drugs there. He won't deal with Pryce again because Pryce is too risky now. So Nacho got the last of what he could. Time for a new supplier.

[ElsieH]

Question.... how far is Santa Fe from ABQ? I think it would be hilarious if Jimmy represents Playuh, but is he commuting to Santa Fe where Davis & Main is located, or do they have a local office? Just wondering.

[Portia]

That was totally my thought as well! This show is so good at creating tension even when it isn't a matter of life and death; I was on the edge of my seat expecting either a sudden catastrophe (like the whole office loses power) or that it was a test, and Ed Begley Jr. was going to walk in any second and fire him (or possibly applaud him). Mostly, I was thinking that it's idiotic to put a vitally important switch where anyone could get at it.

Also, we only saw him briefly, but Ed Begley, Jr. seems to not have aged much at all. I guess he's got one of those timeless faces, like Steve Martin. It's good to see he's managed to fix that pesky eyebrow problem. :)

I don't think Begley was ever much of a looker, but for an extremely fair-skinned man who's pushing 70, he looks GREAT. We pale folk have to work really hard to counteract the aging effects of the sun, so kudos to him. I would have agreed with you on Steve Martin until recently, but I'm 99% sure he's had some weird work done on his eyes, and I don't think he looks like himself anymore.

Totes got your eyebrow joke, hincandenza!

Back to the episode . . . I flipped out over the final shot at the end of the dumpster sequence, when the camera slowly, slowly closed in on the tiny "SG was here" graffito. Absolutely mesmerizing, that was.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Portia

[Hanahope]

Because it all doesn't add up.  ONE anomaly, OK.  Guy bought a car that from the looks of his house, he can't afford.

 

TWO  He mentions money stolen as well, but then awkwardly and suspiciously drops it.

THREE  There is one completely clean small area of a completely trashed house.

FOUR  They look in that area and discover a secret hiding place.

 

 

I don't see it as all that suspicious, outside the car, which maybe saying its leased helps some.  A lot of people hide cash in their houses, it out of the way places.  Sure, one can buy a safe, but that screams "my money and valuables are in here" and depending on the size of the safe and its location, it could be easily taken too. 

 

Pryce could easily explain that he thought the hiding place behind his sofa was more concealed, but unfortunately the burgler found it.  The area was clean because Pryce moved the sofa back himself so he could move around.  He opted not to follow through on the stolen money, however much it was, with the cops because he realized that money is very difficult to track down and recover.   Even for non-drug dealers, when money is stolen, its hardly ever recovered, so Pryce says why waste time on that, the baseball cards are more identifiable and could be recovered.

 

And maybe the burgler didn't steal the stereo and TV because those were bigger items and the thief only took smaller items that were easy to carry.

[shapeshifter]

I think Nacho broke in to take back his money, and get any drugs there. He won't deal with Pryce again because Pryce is too risky now. So Nacho got the last of what he could. Time for a new supplier.

And/or he figured the guy was a liability regarding keeping under the radar of the cops/feds, so he (Nacho) wanted to remove any trace of his association with Pryce.

[riverheightsnancy]

I don't see it as all that suspicious, outside the car, which maybe saying its leased helps some.  A lot of people hide cash in their houses, it out of the way places.  Sure, one can buy a safe, but that screams "my money and valuables are in here" and depending on the size of the safe and its location, it could be easily taken too. 

 

Pryce could easily explain that he thought the hiding place behind his sofa was more concealed, but unfortunately the burgler found it.  The area was clean because Pryce moved the sofa back himself so he could move around.  He opted not to follow through on the stolen money, however much it was, with the cops because he realized that money is very difficult to track down and recover.   Even for non-drug dealers, when money is stolen, its hardly ever recovered, so Pryce says why waste time on that, the baseball cards are more identifiable and could be recovered.

 

And maybe the burgler didn't steal the stereo and TV because those were bigger items and the thief only took smaller items that were easy to carry.

 

Yeah, I agree with you. If we had no knowledge of Nacho and the drug dealing, we might not have been so quick to jump to "100% suspicious". I know a lot of people who drive rides that they cannot afford, because they can lease them. I know lots of restaurant people and contractors who keep  a lot of cash in their homes too. Maybe it's a New Jersey thing, but a lot of people I see around are overextended, and driving cars that they cannot really afford (think back to all the people underwater on their mortgages a few years back). Just because Pryce lives in a modest house, maybe he wants a flashy car to pick up the ladies (let's be honest, he doesn't have much else going for him!). For me, that one tidbit, does not instantly = must be suspicious. Of course, just based on what we have seen of him, he is going to keep talking and screw himself. He is too stupidly arrogant  to know any better. 

[RCharter]

I have to say that the one thing that throws me out of this storyline is "Price works in IT for a drug company therefore he has access to drugs". Uh, no. IT people (and I was one) work in an office, not a manufacturing facility. It is more likely that a janitor who cleans up the plant would be able to steal some product than a computer guy back in HQ.

I was thinking about that too, unless it was a rather small facility and he had access to the product before it got onto the trucks and the IT skills to hide the fact that inventory was off.  I can't see him being savvy enough to get a partner, but perhaps.

[Bannon]

I was thinking the same thing, I hope he escapes.

And I am hoping him being trapped in the dumpster area is a bit of foreshadowing. I took the being stuck in the dumpster area as a metaphor for where he is now. He just has to sit and wait, nothing to do, everything is dull. He can't try anything bold or brash to escape or he takes the chance he could get caught (the emergency door). He just has to wait for someone to come along and give him an opening to come out or escape quietly. And him putting SG was here on the wall means he still considers that chance, he still things of himself as Saul Goodman

If anyone here watched "Justified", when that show ended last year, one of the great 'ner-do-wells in recent tv history, Wynn Duffy (fabulously played by Jere Burns) was on the lame with duffel bags filled with cash. It occurred to me that timeline-wise, Saul Goodman was now in Omaha at the Cinnebon. I wish Gilligan and Graham Yost were buddies (for all I now they are), and would explore doing a mashup, where Duffy is traveling thrugh Omaha in his motorhome, and runs unto the world's most interesting food court employee. If I remember right, Duffy was a tennis nut. Duffy and Goodman, running a tennis club for wealthy ex-pats, in Cancun, running scams of various scale, wuld be hilarious, if executed well.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The way I figure it, Pryce as the IT guy might could know how to hack into the ordering system and get product sent to him.  

[RCharter]

The way I figure it, Pryce as the IT guy might could know how to hack into the ordering system and get product sent to him.  

True, but that seems like a paper trail, but Playah isn't a criminal mastermind so that makes sense too.  I just figured he just "removed" certain inventory from the computer so it looks like the drugs never even existed and physically took them.  I'm sure the company would audit if there was a massive amount missing, but if some nominal amount is missing...like under 5% or something...it doesn't trigger an audit.  But he could have also had them sent to him.

[queenanne]

Oh, me too!  I said exactly the same thing.  I also decided that I want to be a con artist.

 

Fun fact:  Davis and Main is an intersection in the Fan neighborhood of Richmond, VA (Gilligan's hometown).  It's formerly the site of a restaurant named after the intersection that has since closed.  http://www.yelp.com/biz/davis-and-main-richmond  The first time they mentioned Davis and Main on the show, I kept thinking about the restaurant.  But it's closed!  Jimmy can't go work there!  If you live in RVA like me, you'll notice shout outs to the area in BB and BCS.

 

Someone upthread mentioned that they are getting more curious about Gene.  I thought that, too.  Considering Gilligan/Gould & Co. can take as long as they need to tell Jimmy's story, why not tell us a Gene story, too.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Gene eventually circled back, or the story started working itself backwards, to meet the end of BCS.  At least to tell a wee short story of Gene.

[ShadowFacts]

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Gene eventually circled back, or the story started working itself backwards, to meet the end of BCS.  At least to tell a wee short story of Gene.

 

I think it's too tantalizing not to.  And why bother with sort of long sequences like his involuntary imprisonment in the garbage area if Gene isn't going to stay in play.  It would be some great bookending.