S02.E02: Cobbler

[Tara Ariano]

Mike brokers a deal to keep a potentially messy situation from unraveling. Meanwhile, Jimmy works to exonerate an eccentric client.

[SignGuy77]

Mike Ehrmantraut: Memorabilia Retriever!

[SoSueMe]

Oh no. Chuck is ruining it all, or maybe Jimmy would have hooked up with Mike anyway? 

[SignGuy77]

Squat Cobbler >>> Chicago Sunroof

[riverheightsnancy]

I prefer Mincemeat myself. 

[Primetimer]

Chuck comes out of confinement, and Jimmy has a little slip.

Read the story

[bmoore4026]

Who else is craving pie right now?

[Umbelina]

Jimmy's brother is an asshole.

 

I'm really not quite sure how I feel about this one.  I loved Mike.  I loved Jimmy doing the favor for Mike.  I loved Kim getting Jimmy back in the groove when his brother tried to sink him, but even though she's right, the way she shit all over Jimmy at the end was not fun.

[SignGuy77]

That final scene on the bed, with Kim realizing she cannot hear any more about Jimmy's shady deals. A lot to unpack there, not the least of which is the subtle Skyler White comparison.

[whyjen8]

I want to believe without UpChuck showing up when he did then Saul would not have still been "morally flexible" when Mike called.  It is and has always been about Chuck.  Really hate that guy.

I think this episode is the most Saul Jimmy has been.

 

Nacho!  School bus for 6 year old pimps.

  Absolutely freaken dead!

[Maire]

If the client was never charged (he wasn't) Jimmy was telling a crazy story. The video was an extension of that. Was it a bad idea? Probably. But don't be such a killjoy Kim!

[TVFan17]

I wonder if Kim is going to end up breaking things off with Jimmy as he gets deeper into Saul-esque work and does things that she doesn't agree with.

 

I don't think I ever would have put the words "squat" and "cobbler" together.

 

Why do I feel that Price (or is it Pryce?) is not out of the woods yet?  He may have gotten his cards back and lost that giant monstrosity of a vehicle, but I keep thinking he will end up tangling with Nacho (and maybe Tuco) again somehow.  He will do something stupid to call attention to himself and get into trouble, probably.

[SignGuy77]

I want to believe without UpChuck showing up when he did then Saul would not have still been "morally flexible" when Mike called. It is and has always been about Chuck.

I think that's what they want us to think, for now. And possibly that's how Jimmy sees it/justifies it to himself, for now.

[Umbelina]

This got the cops to stop investigating though, otherwise?  They would have kept it up.  They probably already ran the Hummer registration, checked his salary, and he did say pharma IT tech. 

 

The crazy story got them to drop it, and I agree, Kim, the client wasn't under arrest, he was the damn victim, so if Jimmy was lying, so were the cops about WHY he was there. Yeah, yeah, but falsifying evidence when they cops have no evidence of a crime, just a tad of an overkill reaction their Kim.

 

Oh yeah, I don't think we've seen the end of Pryce, he's going to miss that drug money.  He'll fuck up again.  Actually, that COULD get Jimmy caught...hmmmm

Edited February 23, 2016 by Umbelina

[Tim Thomason]

I'm not sure if Jimmy's fabrication of evidence is that much worse than lying to the police in the first place. Depending on how he phrased it, there might be no indication that the video was one of the ones stolen by the "art patron" or a recent one made (which it wa, of course).

 

But I don't think Pryce will live to see the end of 2002. Nacho and his crew know that Pryce is a very pushable man, and is willing to go to the cops in a snap. He doesn't seem to have Mike's protection, so I'd wager that Nacho would take care of his and Mike's mutual Pryce problem by dispatching him quickly. Which would raise eyebrows immediately amongst the APD who would look deeper into Pryce's background and Jimmy's story.

 

Good luck maintaining a cushy law job when you're being constantly questioned by the police department in a murder case.

[SignGuy77]

So today it was just a video "prop."

Tomorrow it's sending Mike to clean up an early morning drug overdose

Slippery slope.

[nodorothyparker]

Chuck is stone cold and not in a good way. And I will never be able to think of cobbler in the same way ever again.

[ketose]

Jimmy and Chuck have a terrible dynamic. Chuck tries to control Jimmy. Jimmy flourishes, but he wants more, even to emulate his brother. Chuck feels the loss of control and gets Howard to crush Jimmy. Chuck gets sick, possibly due to some internal struggle and Jimmy becomes a low-rent lawyer. Chuck seems to be okay with Jimmy's bottom feeder status. Jimmy perseveres and Chuck seems to regain his strength for the sole purpose of "bearing witness" to Jimmy. Jimmy's reaction is to chase excitement to his ruin.

[Umbelina]

It's stress relief.  One lawyer plays the guitar, one dabbles in a little crime on the side.

 

Chuck wants to KEEP Jimmy down, that's why he showed up.  He HATES that Jimmy is a lawyer in prestigious firm (just like him) and on the partner track (to be even more like him.)

 

Who would Jimmy be if Chuck wasn't constantly sabotaging him? 

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

Chuck wants to KEEP Jimmy down, that's why he showed up.  He HATES that Jimmy is a lawyer in prestigious firm (just like him) and on the partner track (to be even more like him.)

When Howard was at Chuck's house explaining to Chuck that all the elderly clients love Jimmy, Chuck seemed jealous.  It isn't a big part of Chuck's skill set and it comes so effortlessly for Jimmy.  And no matter what he might do, he can never be as charismatic as Jimmy is.

[SailorGirl]

In the category of "its the really small things that make all the difference between a show being elevated to greatness versus just another time killer," we get another example tonight.  

 

By all external criteria, Jimmy is now officially a "success" as an attorney -- hired into a prestigious law firm based on his "rainmaker" case, given all the perks including an expensive, company-paid car. Like anyone else who gets a new car, Jimmy checks out the amenities. He opens the sunroof, looks out for about 2-3 seconds, makes the smallest facial movement, and then closes the sunroof. In that short snippet, Jimmy (and we) are immediately taken back to the reminder of a Chicago sunroof, the action that got Jimmy into the final trouble that Chuck bailed him out for, and the act after which he finally turned his life around to repay Chuck, the subsequent realization of Chuck as the puppet master, and that no matter what the car looks like, how nice the clothes, how impressive the job, etc., he is still Slippin' Jimmy and to the person it matters most, will always be a disappointment, no matter the job or the perks. Not bad for less than 10 seconds. Just another one of the small details that plays a huge part in the progression to full-on Saul. 

Or maybe I'm just really tired and a sunroof is just a sunroof . . . :-D

Edited February 23, 2016 by SailorGirl

[Umbelina]

I want to sneak into Chuck's house while he's asleep, hook up sun lamps, portable air conditioner, a huge blasting stereo, several microwaves, a computer, and flood lights, a blender, coffee grinder, massive TV set with a DVD player, turn them all on at once and wake him up while holding two ringing cell phones and dancing around a roomba buzzing through the house, maybe a jackhammer tearing up his sidewalk at the same time.

 

I'll leave him a big bowl of red delicious apples and chemical laden TV dinners to put in the microwave or starve to death too.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Umbelina

[thuganomics85]

Fuck, Chuck is back!  On one hand, yay!  Michael McKean is great and bringing it as always.  On the other hand, well, fuck!  Chuck is an asshole!  This is a slipperily slope, because in the end, Jimmy is responsible for his own actions and I don't want to feel like I am excusing him for what he has done and will likely do.  But Chuck really seems to be the person who brings this out of Jimmy, and he seems to enjoy it.  Even if I wanted to look past what he did last season and understand why he doesn't want to work side-by-side with his brother, this just feels like too much.  Let Jimmy work in Santa Fe and see if he sinks or swims on his own terms.  But, no. Instead, Chuck wants to play mind games and fuck him over, because... well, he's an asshole.  Seriously, at the rate he's going, I might end up hating him more then Fucking Todd and he (Breaking Bad spoiler)

shot a kid in cold blood.

 

All the stuff with Mike, Nacho, and Pryce cracked me up.  Pryce is something else.  While this show is mainly showing how Jimmy will become the Saul from BB, Pryce is showing me how Mike ended up having the patience of a saint, anytime he was around when Walt and Jesse were fucking things up.  No one can pull off an exasperated "You are such a fucking idiot!" face like Jonathan Banks can.  Loved how he orchestrated everything so everyone at least got something they wanted, and no blood was spilled.  But I do wonder if this isn't the end for Pryce.  He strikes me as someone who is stupid enough to try something again, and even if they aren't charging him, the cops probably will remain at least a bit suspicious of him.

 

Interesting that Nacho's day, non-criminal job seems to be working for his dad.  On the surface, his dad seems like a stand-up guy, but I wonder if he has any idea what Nacho is up to.  Took me a while to place his dad, but he was played by Juan Carlos Cantu, who was Captain Robles on FX's The Bridge.

 

Legally right or not, it was a blast watching Jimmy work his magic with the detectives and somehow have them somewhat buying his bullshit.  He really did become Saul in that moment.  But I guess stuff like this is going to keep pushing Kim away from him.  Not sure what to make of this.  She seem totally down with the con that was just a personal thing, but it seems like she really doesn't like it when Jimmy does this stuff when it involves him being a lawyer.  I guess she worries it will blow back on him, but I just find it interesting that there are some rules she doesn't mind he breaks, but others she does.

 

Another success with casting the day players.  The two actors playing the detectives were great.  Loved their reaction shots and how they started out so doubtful, followed by confused, and then were totally into Jimmy's story.  Even practically begging him to tell them what a "Squat Cobbler" is.

 

I'm still hoping that, when the day Chuck finally pushes Jimmy too far, Jimmy just starts tossing cellphones at him or other various electronic devices that are easy to throw.  Because fuck Chuck.

[TrininisaScorp]

If Price has any real chance of surviving, Mike is going to be the one to help him.  He's too dumb to live, though.  That said, watching Mike do his Mike thing is always fun to watch.  Nachos and Mike at the garage was a beautiful scene.

 

Oh, Jimmy.  This show is always a master class in waiting for the other shoe.  Big shoes (e.g. Jimmy's fancy law career) and smaller shoes are in the queue, but we all know he digs down to a different path and I can't wait to see how the comedy/tragedy plays out to get us to full on Saul.

 

I was dying laughing about the cobbler thing.  It's so crazy and underbelly!

 

I find it interesting that Kim is Jimmy's strength, yet ultimately, I already see the cracks in what may prove to sink their relationship.  Their flirtation and chemistry was cute last season.  This season it just adds to the stakes.  

 

Suck it, Chuck.  Every looks from the actor makes me want to hate Chuck even more.

[Auntie Anxiety]

SailorGirl, I was thinking the same thing about the car roof.  I even started laughing because it was a brilliant touch and did remind us so clearly of Jimmy's past. 

 

Last week after the first episode, I realized how watching Season 2 was like stepping into a pair of comfortable slippers.  First of all, I love how the scenes are shot so creatively and with so much thought.  The writing and acting is spot on.  Once again, a Vince Gilligan production respects the intelligence of his viewers and I really appreciate that.  

 

When I saw the previews for Episode 2, I thought that maybe Jimmy's car was on its way to the Breaking Bad junk yard.

 

 

I guess she worries it will blow back on him, but I just find it interesting that there are some rules she doesn't mind he breaks, but others she does.

Kim has some "moral flexibility," just like Jimmy.  Most humans probably do.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Auntie Anxiety

[LittleIggy]

Nacho's dad was heartbreaking to me because he was such a decent, honest guy trying to talk Mike down from exotic leather.

Fuck Chuck. What a selfish bastard.

All those names for that fetish cracked me up. "It must be like Hellman's mayonnaise-has a different name out west."

[SailorGirl]

I want to sneak into Chuck's house while he's asleep, hook up sun lamps, portable air conditioner, a huge blasting stereo, several microwaves, a computer, and flood lights, a blender, coffee grinder, massive TV set with a DVD player, turn them all on at once and wake him up while holding two ringing cell phones and dancing around a roomba buzzing through the house, maybe a jackhammer tearing up his sidewalk at the same time.

 

I'll leave him a big bowl of red delicious apples and chemical laden TV dinners to put in the microwave or starve to death too.

Hah -- my first thought when Jimmy's cell phone rang after the meeting was that Jimmy should have stayed RIGHT THERE in front of Chuck and answered the phone, forcing Chuck to walk away rather than Jimmy once again giving in to Chuck's psychosomatic delusions. I really, really don't like Chuck! 

Edited February 23, 2016 by SailorGirl

[Bannon]

The squat cobbler scene literally had me in tears, it being the funniest thing I've seen on t.v. in many, many, years. I don't know which was better, the acting or the writing.

To have a scene like that, between the two that sandwiched it, malevolent Chuck (has a villain ever been more brilliantly revealed in heavily serialized television?) working to sabotage his baby brother, and then the woman Jimmy loves throwing a wet blanket on what Jimmy has the most fun with, which is bamboozling people who deserve to be bamboozled, really sets this show apart. The actors, all of them, are just killing it, and the scripts are giving them the chance to do it.

[Ronin Jackson]

I love this show. I had a grin on my face the whole episode. I loved watching Mike think his way out of the bind Pryce had gotten them into. Loved the interplay between Jimmy and Kim (and honestly I was kinda iffy on it last season). Loved the nail salon ladies checkin' out Jimmy's new wheels. By the time it got to the squat cobbler scene was laughing so hard I almost had to pause it so I could keep paying attention. This show is so different than what I expected it to be and honestly I think it's better than I expected it to be. I never expected it to be Breaking Bad but I'm impressed how Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have managed to put together something with such a different but distinct rhythm. Just like it's predecessor while you're watching you know you are in the hands of artists who are so confident and comfortable in creating their fictional universe.

[Bannon]

The cold open with Chuck playing the piano was also incredibly well written; revealing character without a word being spoken, until Howard knocked on the door . Chuck is absolutely maniacal about maintaining perfect control, of everything around him, and he hates, hates, hates, Jimmy, because Jimmy has slipped from his grasp 

[shapeshifter]

I started laughing from the first mention of squat cobbler all the way until, sadly, Kim lost her appetite. I saw the scene with the detectives as a paraody of the scenes in first season True Detective with Matthew McCohaughey's character trying to convince two black detectives of his philosophically convoluted view of what happened when he and his partner stretched the truth on catching (and killing) the man they thought was a child molester. I wonder if that parallel will be mentioned in the podcast.

Why do I feel that Price (or is it Pryce?) is not out of the woods yet?  He may have gotten his cards back and lost that giant monstrosity of a vehicle, but I keep thinking he will end up tangling with Nacho (and maybe Tuco) again somehow.  He will do something stupid to call attention to himself and get into trouble, probably.

We can hope. :>D

The crazy story got them to drop it, and I agree, Kim, the client wasn't under arrest, he was the damn victim, so if Jimmy was lying, so were the cops about WHY he was there. Yeah, yeah, but falsifying evidence when they cops have no evidence of a crime, just a tad of an overkill reaction their Kim.

I'm having trouble with it being bad to have made the video. Maybe because it's too funny, but also, it's not like they fabricated bills of sale from the "patron."

When Howard was at Chuck's house explaining to Chuck that all the elderly clients love Jimmy, Chuck seemed jealous.  It isn't a big part of Chuck's skill set and it comes so effortlessly for Jimmy.  And no matter what he might do, he can never be as charismatic as Jimmy is.

Good point--and one that Jimmy doesn't likely see. Chuck is jealous of Jimmy.

[TVFan17]

This episode was quite interesting to me for several reasons, but among them would be that Mike and Jimmy are more alike than they may seem in that they can both talk their (and their 'clients/associates') way into or out of anything. They have different demeanors, different styles, different approaches, different energies -- but they are both quick thinkers and know the right things to say at the right time.

 

Another very interesting detail in the scene where Jimmy was checking out his new car (aside from opening and closing the sunroof, which I chuckled at right away) was the cup -- the present that Kim gave him.  This was shot in a way that was very reminiscent of scenes we would see in Breaking Bad (which always focused on small details or odd images like pink one-eyed teddy bears), but it was very suggestive and symbolic.  In my mind, that simple act of trying to fit the cup into the holder of the new car, only to find that it didn't fit (when it fit fine in the old car), was supposed to represent a growing disconnect between the old Jimmy and the eventual Saul, as well as a growing disconnect between Jimmy and Kim.   Jimmy would have a car with a cup holder that could fit the cup.  (Soon to be) Saul has a car with a cup holder that won't fit the cup.

 

Chuck is a very jealous, bitter person.  If I thought that Kim would have anything to do with him in a physical way, I would think that Chuck would try to woo her to win her away from Jimmy, just to dig the knife in a bit deeper.  But I can't imagine any circumstances under which Kim would go along with that, or would let Jimmy even think she was tangled up with Chuck in a romantic way (unless he were blackmailing her or something).

Edited February 23, 2016 by Sherry67

[Bannon]

This episode was quite interesting to me for several reasons, but among them would be that Mike and Jimmy are more alike than they may seem in that they can both talk their (and their 'clients/associates') way into or out of anything. They have different demeanors, different styles, different approaches, different energies -- but they are both quick thinkers and know the right things to say at the right time.

 

Another very interesting detail in the scene where Jimmy was checking out his new car (aside from opening and closing the sunroof, which I chuckled at right away) was the cup -- the present that Kim gave him.  This was shot in a way that was very reminiscent of scenes we would see in Breaking Bad (which always focused on small details or odd images like pink one-eyed teddy bears), but it was very suggestive and symbolic.  In my mind, that simple act of trying to fit the cup into the holder of the new car, only to find that it didn't fit (when it fit fine in the old car), was supposed to represent a growing disconnect between the old Jimmy and the eventual Saul, as well as a growing disconnect between Jimmy and Kim.   Jimmy would have a car with a cup holder that could fit the cup.  (Soon to be) Saul has a car with a cup holder that won't fit the cup.

 

Chuck is a very jealous, bitter person.  If I thought that Kim would have anything to do with him in a physical way, I would think that Chuck would try to woo her to win her away from Jimmy, just to dig the knife in a bit deeper.  But I can't imagine any circumstances under which Kim would go along with that, or would let Jimmy even think she was tangled up with Chuck in a romantic way (unless he were blackmailing her or something).

I do think Chuck is going to try to hurt Jimmy in the worst way he can imagine, by poisoning Jimmy's relationship with Kim, and it is the loss of the relationship with Kim, and the associated grief, which is going to be the catalyst for Jimmy becoming full-fledged Saul. How Chuck pursues that evil task will be interesting to watch.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Bannon

[dwmarch]

Amen to the I Love This Show chorus. I normally watch The Blacklist and Blindspot and Hawaii 5-0, the low-hanging fruit of snark-worthy television. But this show is on a different level altogether. This show is the master chef that can cook up anything for you and you will like it, even if you didn't before.

 

For example, after the interview with the police, Jimmy tells Warmolt that he has to make a video. And at first we might think, why? The interview is over, the police know the crime was inspired by some freaky shit that they'd rather not investigate, case closed. Right? But Jimmy also has a need to see someone other than himself have to resort to abject humiliation to get out of trouble. In other words, he didn't make a video of Warmolt sitting in a pile of pies because he needed to. He did it because he wanted to. And because he wanted pie.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The biggest takeaway, by far, for me is that Kim is nothing more than a mob wife.  She can insist that she never hear of the details until the cows come home and go out again and come home again a bazillion times, but she now knows what JImmy is.  He is irredeemably a risk taker who does not hesitate to bend any rule necessary if it pleases him.  Jimmy also now knows this (the same way he knows when a mark is ready to play the way he wants her/him too), but he is no fool.  He'll reel her in slowly, as Michael Corleone did Kay.

 

The one potential anachronistic error I heard was Jimmy referencing "digital" media.  If nothing else, that little blurb cost him more in using digital cameras and assundry hardware and software.

 

Having said this, O.  M.  G. How I delighted when Jimmy told the tale to the cops.  The instant he told Pryce to take a hike, I was tingling with anticipation at what was about to unfold.  NO other show delivers like this!  Goodness, how awesome that character and Odenkirk are.  It was also a great choice that we never actually see the video.  Our imaginations most certainly envisage so much more.  And yes, it saved them cash to never shoot such a scene.

 

I am wondering if Mike will take care of Pryce, himself.  Not sure of the ramifications to his "code," though. Any of you have thoughts on this point?  Another Mike theory...If the ABQ cops were dirty, just as Mike and his Philly brothers were, wouldn't it make sense for them to use Pryce to get to the wealthy "patron" who got off on the videos?  A little blackmail, anyone?  A little Karmic payback for Mike?

 

I also loved seeing the dutiful son Nacho.  His father appears to be a pretty great man, too.  All the more reason to hate what Nacho will be (already is).  

 

It was a nice touch for the driver to throw sand at Pryce and Mike as he drove off.  A final??? humiliation.  Another excellent touch was the Asian nail salon owner having zero respect for Jimmy.  She knows full well who is really was - even if Jimmy didn't for most all the time he was renting space there.

 

Finally - Anyone know of any significance of the name "Rebecca Bais" on the sheet music, or of the music Chuck was attempting to play at the beginning?  Thank you.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Lonesome Rhodes

[Ronin Jackson]

 

The one potential anachronistic error I heard was Jimmy referencing "digital" media.  If nothing else, that little blurb cost him more in using digital cameras and assundry hardware and software.

 

 

That's not necessarily anachronistic... there were plenty of digital camcorders on the market at that time. These were of course, SD digital cameras that we now think of as pretty crappy. Analog video cameras may not have quite been phased out yet but certainly digital cameras had hit the market. If we are still in the year 2002, that was, incidentally, the year of the first films shot in HD digital, Star Wars Episode II and perhaps more notably (at least in my warped mind) Russian Ark. Though I suspect the squat cobbler genre typically used sub $1000 digital cameras.

[SignGuy77]

The squat cobbler genre. Lol.

[ElDosEquis]

Poor Jimmy, Some victories aren't meant to be shared.

That's not necessarily anachronistic... there were plenty of digital camcorders on the market at that time. These were of course, SD digital cameras that we now think of as pretty crappy. Analog video cameras may not have quite been phased out yet but certainly digital cameras had hit the market. If we are still in the year 2002, that was, incidentally, the year of the first films shot in HD digital, Star Wars Episode II and perhaps more notably (at least in my warped mind) Russian Ark. Though I suspect the squat cobbler genre typically used sub $1000 digital cameras.

Digital media, as in fingers.

[benteen]

The cobbler scene was so damn funny, it had me laughing out loud.  I've got to give everyone involved with that scene credit for pulling it off.

 

Really good episode, even better than last week's (and I liked last week's).  Chuck is such an asshole...maybe we can get The Fonz to beat him up.  I though it was interesting that he didn't want Hamlin to know he was playing his piano but Jimmy's new boss doesn't care if people see him playing the guitar at work.

 

I was surprised as Kim's reaction at the end.  Was it shady and probably illegal?  Sure.  But it's not like Jimmy's client had been charged with anything.  I was surprised Jimmy decided to make a video but leave nothing to chance I guess.

 

If Price is smart, he should be able to keep his head.  But I don't think he's that smart.

 

Loved the scene between Mike and Nacho.

 

I loved Jimmy's reaction to seeing the sunroof.  That acknowledging something without the need to verbalize it and I always appreciate that.

Edited February 23, 2016 by benteen

[ghoulina]

Ugh, I knew Chuck wasn't going to just go away, but when I see him, I just want to punch him in the face. It was funny how mad he got hearing that Jimmy was working at Davis and Main. He was literally seething inside. "As what?" As a lawyer, you prick! He IS a real lawyer, whether you like it or not. And, of course, Chuck now feels up to coming back to the office. 

 

I loved when Kim switched the folders so she could sit next to Jimmy at the conference table. But it wasn't lost on me that the cup she gave him didn't fit in his new car. (I have that problem a lot, though.)

 

I was a bit sad seeing his lemon clunker go, though. And no more cucumber water!!!

 

Mike schooling Price is the best. It's so ridiculous how he's all disdainful about the idea of "thieves", but he's a freaking thief! 

 

Nacho's dad was adorable. Such an honest businessman. We need more of him. 

 

Overall, I really loved the resolution of the beef between Price and Nacho. Mike and Jimmy played their parts perfectly. And this show is so educational. First Chicago Sunroof, now Squat Cobbler. I can't stop laughing. Lots of good stuff in this episode. 

[nodorothyparker]

It's kind of a neat trick that on a show that includes actual drug dealers and criminals that Chuck is maybe the darkest character on the canvas.  Last season for all the "Chuck's an evil asshole for what he did to Jimmy" frothing, a tiny part of me could see where he was coming from.  He was the older successful brother who'd had to bail his ne-er do well slimier kid brother out one time too many, who'd worked hard and done everything right to get his name on the front of the building. So he just couldn't buy that that same kid brother had taken what he believed to be every short cut and now expected to be treated as an equal or take the risk of him reverting to form and shitting all over his name and his legacy.  But as the show has slowly peeled back the layers it's become obviously so much more than that.  Chuck is a monstrous control freak and everything he does is about exerting that control over every single person in his orbit, from making an entire law firm hand over their electronics because of what's clearly a psychosomatic illness tailormade to force everyone to dance in attendance to sitting passively at the end of the table just to make sure Jimmy hasn't forgotten that he wants him and expects him to fail.  He was positively seething that Jimmy had packed up shop after Chuck had deemed him unworthy and was finding success elsewhere because then he would be out of his control.

 

Loved Mike and Nacho and by extension Jimmy all agreeing that Price really is too dumb to criminal but they didn't have any choice but to fix it so he didn't lead back to any of them.  The cobbler scene really was the very best pre-Saul Saul we've seen because he just kept going and going and going and he clearly wasn't bothered in the least by going over the line with it.  I didn't really read Kim as hectoring Jimmy or shitting all over him at the end as much as her being clearly alarmed that he doesn't seem to realize he has a lot more to lose now if he continues with the shady extracurriculars.

Edited February 23, 2016 by nodorothyparker

[pasdetrois]

When Jimmy and Kim were taking their smoke break in the garage, and discussing his plans, he said he might buy a home between Santa Fe and ABQ, and "we'd get one of those smoker things." He said "we" not "I," implying that he and Kim would be spending a lot of their nights together - possibly moving in together. Kim had a quick little reaction on her face - hopeful and a little happy I guess. Then later she had to pull back with the revelation of the faked video. She was reminded of what Jimmy can be and how she needs to be cautious.

Edited February 23, 2016 by pasdetrois

[Bryce Lynch]

I thought Kim's response was reasonable. Conning a doucebag financial planner out of a bottle of expensive booze is one thing, fabricating false evidence to give to the police is almost certainly a felony (obstruction of justice?) and a serious ethics violation.

As an officer of the court, Kim probably has a legal and ethical responsibility to report such violations, so I could understand her not wanting to know about it.

Also, Jimmy is risking throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime by engaging in such antics for a minor case.

We all love Saul's schtick, but in the real world it could ruin his life.

[tennisgurl]

Chuck has increasingly proven himself to be the absolute worst. His absolute desire to watch Jimmy fail, what will certainly drive him further and further towards the Dark Side, is just so hard to watch. I swear, I just want to somehow be able to cuss this guy out, through the screen, and him be able to hear me. 

 

It seems like Nachos dad has no idea what his son is up to. He seems like a really decent guy, it really sucks how his son turned out. But I will take Nacho over Chucks hateful ass any day. 

[PreBabylonia]

When Jimmy and Kim were taking their smoke break in the garage, and discussing his plans, he said he might buy a home between Santa Fe and ABQ, and "we'd get one of those smoker things." He said "we" not "I," implying that he and Kim would be spending a lot of their nights together - possibly moving in together. Kim had a quick little reaction on her face - hopeful and a little happy I guess. Then later she had to pull back with the revelation of the faked video. She was reminded of what Jimmy can be and how she needs to be cautious.

 

No, I'm pretty sure that it was Kim that suggested "we'd get one of those smoker things" and Jimmy carried on from there, encouraged that she had (consciously or unconsciously) included herself in the new home. I also think she was the one that first brought up moving somewhere in between their two work locations, and thru a mix of serendipity or strict geographic calculations, they came up with the same city/town.

I see Kim dealing with her growing feelings for Jimmy and not as manipulative in any way. She's career driven and obviously doesn't want to give it up for him, so she's cautious and backs away when he jumps on board with couple talk. One of the most fascinating, adult romantic relationships I've ever seen on TV or in film. I definitely like her much better than Skyler.

[riverheightsnancy]

This episode was quite interesting to me for several reasons, but among them would be that Mike and Jimmy are more alike than they may seem in that they can both talk their (and their 'clients/associates') way into or out of anything. They have different demeanors, different styles, different approaches, different energies -- but they are both quick thinkers and know the right things to say at the right time.

 

Another very interesting detail in the scene where Jimmy was checking out his new car (aside from opening and closing the sunroof, which I chuckled at right away) was the cup -- the present that Kim gave him.  This was shot in a way that was very reminiscent of scenes we would see in Breaking Bad (which always focused on small details or odd images like pink one-eyed teddy bears), but it was very suggestive and symbolic.  In my mind, that simple act of trying to fit the cup into the holder of the new car, only to find that it didn't fit (when it fit fine in the old car), was supposed to represent a growing disconnect between the old Jimmy and the eventual Saul, as well as a growing disconnect between Jimmy and Kim.   Jimmy would have a car with a cup holder that could fit the cup.  (Soon to be) Saul has a car with a cup holder that won't fit the cup.

 

Chuck is a very jealous, bitter person.  If I thought that Kim would have anything to do with him in a physical way, I would think that Chuck would try to woo her to win her away from Jimmy, just to dig the knife in a bit deeper.  But I can't imagine any circumstances under which Kim would go along with that, or would let Jimmy even think she was tangled up with Chuck in a romantic way (unless he were blackmailing her or something).

Such a great post and observation. I, too, thought about the fact that the cup holder was indicative of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole type pf thing. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

he said he might buy a home between Santa Fe and ABQ, and "we'd get one of those smoker things." He said "we" not "I,"

I thought Kim said "we" and Jimmy just repeated/highlighted it, but I didn't have the closed captioning on and I didn't go back to check.

 

I'm a little afraid to hate Chuck too much, because VG zigs when you're expecting him to zag.  I definitely don't like how Chuck has dogged Jimmy, but he is seething inside and resents the hard work he put into his career while Jimmy, without a fancy law degree (go Land Crabs!) and a professional background somehow uncovers the case that will make tons of money for everyone involved.  I'll say it again:  Chuck is just plain jealous.

[RustbeltWriter]

Two scenes really stood out for me. The squat cobbler, because of the way Jimmy was able to just keep rattling off those names. I can't imagine how many takes they had to do just from people cracking up. The second was Chuck in that meeting just telling everyone to keep going while he sat there pretending to be unobtrusive, even though the lights were out and everyone had to deposit their electronics in a plastic bin.

Edited February 23, 2016 by RustbeltWriter

[PrincessSteel]

Leave it to Jimmy to come up with something simultaneously nonsensical and humiliating for Price to act out in order to save his Boston cream splat.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Because Pryce is such a nebbish, Jimmy had to come up with something plausible. I thought he was going in the Plushy or Furry direction. The Squat Cobbler fit Pryce to a T.