S02.E03: Amarillo

[TVFan17]

If Gus Fring or the Salamanca Cousins appear at some point through the Mike/Nacho/Tuco connections, I will hardly be able to contain my glee.  While I enjoy seeing Tuco -- other than Walt and Jesse -- Gus Fring is probably my favorite BB character.  He is certainly my favorite BB villain, but I love the Cousins too.

 

Anyway... Chuck, Chuck, Chuck.  What a piece of work. 

 

I had to laugh at the mesothelioma commercial, as it still runs on TV today.  I seem to run into it all the time.

[NYCFree]

I think the endless discussions of the background swirl Jimmy's assistant told him about led to his hesitation about speaking to Cliff. That, and Jimmy is certainly a man who believes "it is better to seek forgiveness than ask for permission."

He ran out of the room to speak with Cliff in private so that Kim wouldn't hear his half of the "I'm sorry" conversation he knew he had to have.

[maplebrew]

Jimmy has a self destructive streak.

 

All he had to do was wait a few days to seek approval from the partners for the commercial. When speaking with Kim later, all he had to do was admit to her that he ran the commercial without approval. On some level he has to know she will eventually find out that he let her believe that he had approval. She's now going to be extra upset for both the commercial and 'lying' to her. 

 

If I were a firm partner, I'd seriously question Jimmy's judgment in running the commercial without clearance, even if the outcome for the firm was positive...this time. I too would have called him and chewed him out. When he slinks in the next day, I'd chew him out some more and tell him that this was "strike one" for his job.  

 

Jimmy's not a fit for this firm. It's no surprise he ends up in sole practice. 

[Umbelina]

Again, there is no way in hell those partners would have EVER approved that commercial.  EVER.

 

They might agree to another word scroll, after spending months on the background color and nature of the "swirl."  Maybe.

 

As bad as the show was in showing us their intent with the Daughter in Law, a rare gaff IMO, they completely explained how the firm felt about and dealt with commercials. 

[scrb]

Cliff seems like a decent, honorable guy.  But his reaction to the commercial seems out of character.  Until now, he seemed to like Jimmy so one transgression shouldn't be enough to blow the stack, even if he ultimately decides to can him.

 

Stylistically, it would seem he'd be apologetic but explain to Jimmy why he must go, not yell at him.

 

Even Howard never lost his cool all the time Jimmy was trolling him in season 1.

 

Of course Chuck is looking for any fault to can him so he's not going to give Jimmy any breaks.

 

Howard seems the type to not care as long as Jimmy delivers results.  So if Jimmy was a rainmaker, I don't think he'd care that much about the rep. of the firm.  I got the impression that all the reverence and deference he shows for Chuck is because Chuck brought in a lot of money to the firm, not because Chuck was some paragon or honor or dignity.  In fact, it's hard to conceive of Chuck's "eccentricities" being tolerated unless he still had clients he was billing for a lot of money.  Why not try to get him certified as mentally incompetent, based on his crackpot theories?

 

One way they can accelerate Jimmy's breaking bad towards SG would be to have another lawyer do something shady but be given a pass or be praised because he brings a lot of new money for the firm.  That would be the camel back-breaking straw for Jimmy.  Or they screw over Kim.

[ShadowFacts]

Exactly. Her demeanor just bugs. She was doing that whole, "Something's wrong, ask me what's wrong, but then I'm going to hem and haw about telling you" thing. I just don't entirely trust her.

 

I thought how she acted was fishy.  I mean, I could buy that she is just very twitchy and misinterpreted sounds and has convinced herself someone has targeted her.  But the way she made Mike pull it out of her, then said something like, "don't make me sorry I told you" when he was very concerned, tilted me toward thinking she was manipulating him.  Though I couldn't figure out why she would want to move out of what looks like a pretty nice house, in a nice neighborhood. 

 

Mike leaving the sofa bed in the middle of the night to meet Nacho seemed like it should have drawn notice from her.  I don't know, maybe he left a note.

[Ohwell]

I don't know if the daughter-in-law has PTSD.  Maybe she does.  However, what I do know is that she's using her daughter as a pawn to get whatever she can out of Mike.  Which is why I can't stand her.

 

And once again, last night, Kim's voice was like someone stabbing me in the ears.  In what was supposed to be a romantic evening, her chirping would have ruined whatever romantic feelings I had, if I were Jimmy.   

 

Cliff seems like a decent, honorable guy.  But his reaction to the commercial seems out of character.  Until now, he seemed to like Jimmy so one transgression shouldn't be enough to blow the stack, even if he ultimately decides to can him.

 

Actually, I think Cliff might have some issues himself, maybe anger issues, which is why he plays the guitar to calm himself down.

 

ETA:  Actually, forget the PTSD bullshit.  She made up her mind to get what she could out of Mike after he told the story of how her husband/his son got killed.  She has hated him ever since.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Ohwell

[carrps]

One of my uncles died of mesothelioma, so that spoke to me.

 

Can I just say how much I loved that gold armadillo bolo tie slide Jimmy was wearing in the bus scene? I'm wondering if it was custom, because I tried googling and couldn't find anything at all like it.

 

 

It makes sense that the seniors wouldn't call the law firm immediately after the commercial. They had to watch the rest of Murder She Wrote.

That's exactly what I was telling Jimmy when was he was getting nervous...just wait until the show is over. If seniors don't like answering machines, they don't exactly love vcr's either, amirite?

 

Corporate communication is an important thing, especially so with a law firm.  You can't just have someone who has been with the company a month (or so) running ads using the company logo and name.  It's madness!  He exposes the firm to potential liability.

Yeah, I worked for a largish corporation, and no one, and I mean no one, was supposed to speak to the media without running it by Corp Comm first. One guy I knew talked on the record to the L.A. Times, got his ass chewed, then he did it again. They fired his ass instead of chewing it a second time.

ETA: the phone number is real. I called it. You can leave a message for a call-back consult. Hee. Oh, and Birdie's Hometown Buffet got pretty good reviews on tripadvisor.

Edited March 2, 2016 by carrps

[Bryce Lynch]

Which was exactly how our first impressions of Saul on Breaking Bad were formed. A low budged commercial positioning Saul as the champion of the common man against The Man. We didn't need to be told he was shady to know it, from the word go.

There was that, but there was also Jesse telling Walt, "You don't want a criminal lawyer, you want a CRIMINAL-lawyer." :)

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

In fact, it's hard to conceive of Chuck's "eccentricities" being tolerated unless he still had clients he was billing for a lot of money.  Why not try to get him certified as mentally incompetent, based on his crackpot theories?

I'm not sure how it works, but I would surmise that if Chuck decided to retire for one reason or another, the firm would have to buy him out with a huge chunk of cash. Maybe it's cheaper to keep him around?  I can't recall, but I think the amount was discussed in Season 1 when Jimmy was trying to get Chuck to leave the firm.

[SignGuy77]

There was that, but there was also Jesse telling Walt, "You don't want a criminal lawyer, you want a CRIMINAL-lawyer." :)

I'm trying to recall that episode. Obviously Jesse's infamous description steers our judgement, but did the commercial come before it?

 

Either way, the point about lawyers advertising on tv/billboards being thought of as shady stands.

 

"Hurt in a Car?" Lol.

Edited March 2, 2016 by SignGuy77

[Misstify]

Amarillo = yellow in Spanish. The episode made a point of letting us know that Jimmy picked out the canary yellow color of the flyers himself. What's up with that?

The only symbolism I know of re: yellow is cowardice. I did not think Jimmy acted out of cowardice in this episode. Are there other things yellow could mean? Or was there other yellow stuff that I missed?

[AuntiePam]

As bad as the show was in showing us their intent with the Daughter in Law, a rare gaff IMO, they completely explained how the firm felt about and dealt with commercials. 

 

Yep.  Since Mike and Stacey had an okay-if-not-great relationship in BB, I'm thinking that this thing with Stacey is just a plot device to get Mike down the path to becoming an enforcer/hit man. 

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm trying to recall that episode. Obviously Jesse's infamous description steers our judgement, but did the commercial come before it?

 

Either way, the point about lawyers advertising on tv/billboards being thought of as shady stands.

 

"Hurt in a Car?" Lol.

I can't tell you the number but it was in Season 2 when they needed a lawyer to get Badger out of jail.

[SignGuy77]

I can't tell you the number but it was in Season 2 when they needed a lawyer to get Badger out of jail.

I know the particulars of how Saul first gets involved with Walt. I was just trying to remember if Jesse's "criminal lawyer" remark comes before our first glimpse of Saul's tv ad.

Every time Jimmy uses some of that showmanship of his, I am reminded of the final scene of BB episode "Better Call Saul" where the former Mr McGill finds Walt at the high school and makes him an offer he can't refuse. If anyone wasn't sure what kind of character we were dealing with, it gets driven home. It's like a live version of his commercial.

[Misstify]

Yellow is also used as a warning color

Oooh, I like that.

[ShannaB]

Jimmy should be in a lot of trouble with that commercial. Old school 'respectable and reputable' law firm would never advertise on TV .  It is considered undignified and crass. OH!! The horror of it!!

 

Anyone else think we are watching the 'breaking bad' of Jimmy and Mike?  Clever VG.  Clever and we get to see some familiar characters along the way.

 

I am hoping that Nacho wants to take out Tuco because I want to see that CRAZY maniac again.  And if we get Tuco then maybe we will get Uncle 'ding ding' Tito.  I fondly remember the power of the ding. I won't be disappointed if it is Gus and when I think about it, Mike has to meet Gus and start working for him.  This may be the time for that.

[Clanstarling]

Loved the opening scene!  The way Jimmy can talk to older people is amazing.  Manipulating or not (I do think he is sincere about wanting to help them), he really seems to have an amazing ability to read them, and understand what works on them, and what doesn't.

The essential con man skill set.

  

 

Cliff seems like a decent, honorable guy.  But his reaction to the commercial seems out of character.  Until now, he seemed to like Jimmy so one transgression shouldn't be enough to blow the stack, even if he ultimately decides to can him.

 

Stylistically, it would seem he'd be apologetic but explain to Jimmy why he must go, not yell at him.

This reminds me of a line in The Avengers (I think) that spoke to me (bear with me). Bruce Banner explains how his trick to Hulking out on command is that he's always angry. Many mild people just appear so - they've pushed down all their negative feelings. But when they pop - watch out.

[AuntiePam]

The only symbolism I know of re: yellow is cowardice. I did not think Jimmy acted out of cowardice in this episode. Are there other things yellow could mean? Or was there other yellow stuff that I missed?

 

Cowardice -- kinda.  Jimmy was afraid to ask permission, and he was afraid to tell Kim that he didn't get permission and that he was in trouble for it.  "Golden boy"?  Not so much. 

 

As much as he loves the perks and the money and sticking it to his brother, Jimmy isn't happy because he can't be himself.  Being on Kim's good side and doing something for the Sandpiper folks -- the only things that keep him on the sorta straight and narrow.

[Ronin Jackson]

Cliff seems like a decent, honorable guy. But his reaction to the commercial seems out of character. Until now, he seemed to like Jimmy so one transgression shouldn't be enough to blow the stack, even if he ultimately decides to can him.

Stylistically, it would seem he'd be apologetic but explain to Jimmy why he must go, not yell at him.

We haven't really seen Cliff's patience tested like Jimmy did with the commercial stunt. And airing a commercial without even getting approval from the partners and clapping their name on it is a major transgression. It's not like it was a minor misstep... I think almost anyone in Cliff's position, no matter what profession, would be rightfully infuriated by what Jimmy did. We can maybe excuse Jimmy as the audience because we've been following his story and understand his motivations and who he is, but that's not a benefit Cliff has. We've only been with Cliff for parts of three episodes and certainly that's not enough to say he would be more patient than most people would be in that situation.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Ronin Jackson

[Dev F]

The way I read the title is that it's meant to reflect the literal role the city of Amarillo plays in the story -- it's this distant place where Jimmy thinks he's free to do his own thing, but he discovers when he gets home that he's still going to be held accountable for what he did there. And that's what the whole episode is about, really, in both Jimmy's storyline and Mike's: how people act when they think no one else is watching, and how relationships change when it turns out that someone is.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Is Better Call Saul's Kim A Winning Partner, Or Just Another 'Wet Blanket Wife'?
Jimmy is doing a lot of things he shouldn't. Is it automatically problematic for a feminist viewer if one of the people pointing this out to him is a woman he wants to continue dating?

[Bryce Lynch]

I'm trying to recall that episode. Obviously Jesse's infamous description steers our judgement, but did the commercial come before it?

Either way, the point about lawyers advertising on tv/billboards being thought of as shady stands.

"Hurt in a Car?" Lol.

The commercial came first. My point was that Jesse's comment pretty much removed any doubt about whether Saul was shady.

[Umbelina]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Is Better Call Saul's Kim A Winning Partner, Or Just Another 'Wet Blanket Wife'?

Jimmy is doing a lot of things he shouldn't. Is it automatically problematic for a feminist viewer if one of the people pointing this out to him is a woman he wants to continue dating?

It was excellent this week, thanks!

 

We haven't really seen Cliff's patience tested like Jimmy did with the commercial stunt. And airing a commercial without even getting approval from the partners and clapping their name on it is a major transgression. It's not like it was a minor misstep... I think almost anyone in Cliff's position, no matter what profession, would be rightfully infuriated by what Jimmy did. We can maybe excuse Jimmy as the audience because we've been following his story and understand his motivations and who he is, but that's not a benefit Cliff has. We've only been with Cliff for parts of three episodes and certainly that's not enough to say he would be more patient than most people would be in that situation.

Yeah, imagine if you owned or co-owned a business (ANY business!) and a new hire made a commercial on the cheap, slapped your name on it, and aired it without running it by you?  Obviously it's a bigger deal in a respected profession like being a Lawyer, or Doctor, both of whom have rules, but damn, if I was a Realtor I would still be furious.

[dwmarch]

Yeah, imagine if you owned or co-owned a business (ANY business!) and a new hire made a commercial on the cheap, slapped your name on it, and aired it without running it by you?  Obviously it's a bigger deal in a respected profession like being a Lawyer, or Doctor, both of whom have rules, but damn, if I was a Realtor I would still be furious.

 

Further to this, Davis and Main has a pretty specific idea of how they want their commercials done if they are ever going to have any more of them. Look at their commercial: full of legalese and medical jargon and completely devoid of emotion. And look at Jimmy's commercial: a sad little old lady being ripped off by the big mean company. Call now, lawyers are standing by! Jimmy thinks that they will be impressed by the result and perhaps they will be but this is definitely not their kind of method. Davis and Main has spent a lot of time establishing a good reputation and it took Jimmy all of thirty seconds to permanently smear it, making his new firm look like the kind of lawyers guilty people hire.

 

There was one bit that about the whole thing that I loved. Jimmy and the film students have this discussion about their lack of a dolly and how they will have to improvise. And when we see the commercial we see how they did so: they used the lady's chair lift as a makeshift dolly!

[Umbelina]

Jimmy is so in the wrong job!   He should have been a Hollywood agent or negotiator.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Umbelina

[SoothingDave]

Did Jimmy push the ethical envelope during season 1 on the Sandpiper case?

My recollection is that his work on the case was completely legitimate.

 

 

He went dumpster diving.  Don't know if that's "ethical," but it's certainly not respectable.

[nodorothyparker]

The dumpster diving was "more or less" legal, as even Chuck had to admit in Rico. (Those scenes are amazing and somewhat painful to rewatch knowing what we know now about Chuck.)  He says absolutely nothing about the ethics of it but clearly relished the challenge of what Jimmy had found before blowing it up into a class action suit that would obviously be too big for Jimmy to handle on his own.

[Boilergal]

Chuck hadn't left the house in forever - and now he is able to go to every meeting just to mess with Jimmy - he is the worst. big brother. EVAH!!

 

I predict that something will happen with the bin-o-phones.  Either Jimmy will swipe someones to get info, of Chuck will arrange to have Jimmy's swiped while they are in their meeting.

 

Mike's DIL is a total manipulator.  I believe once or twice before already she has told Mike some sob story of how she can't afford this that or the other....that is why he is doing the side jobs to begin with- and now she wants out of the neighborhood and is totally conning him.  I think he is suspicious of her, but loves the granddaughter and would do anything for her.   Probably what leads to the safe deposit box full of cash for the granddaughter in BB.

[cmfran]

I may be in the minority on this, but I could do without so many Breaking Bad callbacks. I'm a huge BB fan, but BCS is a fantastic show and good enough to stand on its own. I can understand the desire to throw a few into S1 to hook some BB fans, but now that we're into S2, why keep doing it so much? Even the ones that are relevant to the plot ("Ken Wins," the tequila) could have been written differently and it wouldn't have affected the story at all.

[Ottis]

This is the episode where I lose my empathy for Jimmy and begin to see his brother as being correct. And unlike Walter White, who broke bad after first being diagnosed with cancer and then tried to plan for his family's future after he was gone (that became a mockery later, but it wasn't at the beginning), Jimmy is (and has been, we can assume) making bad decisions on his own, for years.

 

Based only on what we have actually seen (and Chuck clearly has seen more), first Jimmy makes the "cobbler" video to fool the police, and Kim rightly denounces Jimmy and reminds him it could get him disbarred. Despite that reminder, he then commits another offense by soliciting the seniors on the bus (this would have been much better if Jimmy at least had a plausible rationale for what he did, i.e. "the other seniors heard me talking to Anabel and began to ask me questions," but he basically acknowledged he shouldn't have done it). Then he makes a commercial for his employer and airs it without ever asking for an OK. That last one is common sense 101, and even if you are a risk-taking, results-matter person, you have to know that pulling that stunt is a hi-risk move that could end your career - and in Jimmy's case, his relationship with Kim.

 

So I think back to Chuck and his "bear witness" comment, and I get it. He's being a dick about it, but if he has lived with seeing his clearly talented brother Jimmy squander opportunity after opportunity for decades with this kind of decision making, I get it. Yeah, risk takers are often glorified, but the reality is, for most it doesn't end well. Jimmy is a risk addict, whose profession is about as opposite that as it can be. Not surprised chuck is disgusted at this stage, however much Jimmy entertains me.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Ottis

[attica]

It would do wonders if he'd run up against just one who calls him on it, because there are a lot of smart, tart-tongued older people who would find this approach alienating.

 

Mike, maybe? :)

 

Jimmy lives by the adage "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission." The discussion about the swirl commercial told him all he needed to know about how his auteur work would be received by Chuck, but he knew it would work. So he bet that the number of clients would soothe Cliff's ire over a single Visine Tear. Whether that bet will pay off? Tune in next week.

[nodorothyparker]

I have a certain amount of sympathy with both brothers, which I don't doubt will probably lessen over time, because they're both in or shortly will be in hells of their own making.  They're each responsible for the decisions that put them there but decisions are rarely made in a vacuum.

[ShadowFacts]

I have a certain amount of sympathy with both brothers, which I don't doubt will probably lessen over time, because they're both in or shortly will be in hells of their own making.  They're each responsible for the decisions that put them there but decisions are rarely made in a vacuum.

 

Jimmy has a good job at a respectable firm, a nice apartment (with a bowl of balls), nice vehicle and caring girlfriend.  He's starting to blow it up by his own choices which come from lots of places but his con-artist soul is a big part of it.  Chuck is a sick guy from his envy of Jimmy, but I bet there's more--I am interested in the fact he appears to wear a wedding ring. 

[Misstify]

The way I read the title is that it's meant to reflect the literal role the city of Amarillo plays in the story -- it's this distant place where Jimmy thinks he's free to do his own thing, but he discovers when he gets home that he's still going to be held accountable for what he did there. And that's what the whole episode is about, really, in both Jimmy's storyline and Mike's: how people act when they think no one else is watching, and how relationships change when it turns out that someone is.

I agree with all this. But I do think there is an additional layer with the pointed mention of canary yellow and the fact that this city name was chosen by the writers as the particular distant place that Jimmy goes to. Now that I think of it, Playuh's Hummer and shoes were also yellow. I'm now thinking there are yellow warning flags being dropped all over the place, and Jimmy is ignoring them. Maybe on purpose.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Misstify

[riverheightsnancy]

Jimmy is so in the wrong job!   He should have been a Hollywood agent or negotiator.

Yes, an entertainment attorney would work too. I knew people in the arts and they all had attorneys to help them navigate the complexities of acting contracts and income from many states. The income aspect can be a nightmare come tax time. 

[Ohwell]

I've forgotten whether Mike lost all of his money he had stashed away for Kaylee in BB, before his demise.  I think he did.  I think Stacey wound up with the last payment he gave to her and that was it.  l hope that was the case.  She should have gotten a widow's pension, she's only got one child, and by the looks of her uniform she's a nurse or in some other health care job.  It's not like she's making minimum wage in some chicken joint.  So while I understand she isn't living in the lap of luxury, she shouldn't be in such dire straits to keep guilt-tripping Mike for money.  I just think she's a manipulative bitch.  

[Lurky McLurkerson]

This episode raised way more questions than it answered.  What the hell is up with Mike's daughter-in-law?  What exactly was Jimmy's motivation for not going through channels on his commercial?  Is Jimmy going to get fired, even if his commercial is wildly successful?  Who is Nacho sending Mike after?  (And I'm most interested in the answer to the last one, obviously.  I mean, Nacho could take care of Playuh himself and BB watchers know what's in store for Tuco, Jimmy/Saul, and Gus -- and Saul/Jimmy makes reference to Nacho in BB, so whatever he is asking Mike to do does not appear to have blown back on him that badly.)

 

I felt like this one kind of dragged, too.  It's weird, I usually wait and just binge-watch shows, but the few times I do appointment TV and have to wait between episodes, it does affect how I  feel about them.  In a run of 2-3 episodes, Amarillo would have left me wanting more, I think, but having to wait another week for resolution, the want subsides.  Now, I find myself arguing multiple sides of each question (dangers of working with lawyers for an extended period of time, I guess) and not happy with any of the answers.

[Dobian]

That was a big slip, Jimmy.  It was great, though, that you could see the wheels spinning inside his head when he was bringing the videotape to Ed Begley.  "If he watches it and says 'no', we'll never get any claimants for this case.  But if I run it without telling him, he'll be so overjoyed at the results it won't matter."  Jimmy has obvious issues with authority and is someone who works best on his own.  He's right on track to become Saul.

[xVladx]

Wonder where the building is with the TX flag painted on the side.  In Amarillo?  Don't know where in ABQ it could be.  I guess it could have been painted specifically for the show, but loved how aged and dirty it looked.  Like it had been there for a long time.

 

According to the podcast for this episode, they actually painted it specifically for this episode.  They had their paint crew spend a few days to make it look like it had been there for a while.

 

I may be in the minority on this, but I could do without so many Breaking Bad callbacks. I'm a huge BB fan, but BCS is a fantastic show and good enough to stand on its own. I can understand the desire to throw a few into S1 to hook some BB fans, but now that we're into S2, why keep doing it so much? Even the ones that are relevant to the plot ("Ken Wins," the tequila) could have been written differently and it wouldn't have affected the story at all.

 

It's all up to personal taste, but for me, it doesn't really bug me unless it's the kind of thing that wouldn't make sense unless you'd seen BB first.  Of course, aside from the entire name of the show and the Gene scenes, the only one that really felt a little forced to me was the Tuco thing in the first two episodes.  Don't get me wrong, I liked it and it served a great purpose (boosting Jimmy's confidence in his lawyering), but that reveal of Tuco at the end of the pilot had such significance placed on it and nobody who hadn't seen BB would have known who the heck he was.

 

Other than that, I've personally been fine with all the references.  The tequila thing is basically a stand-in for "really high-priced alcohol", and can almost be viewed like Red Apple Cigarettes in Tarantino's movies.

[ghoulina]

The way I understand solicitation is that it protects potential clients from having to make an immediate decision without carefully thinking about it.  If a lawyer is talking to you face-to-face or on the phone, you might feel pressured to make a decision right away.  If you see a commercial, or a letter, or an email, you can take as long as you want to decide to contact that lawyer.  And the field of law is all about making logical decisions, at least for lawyers that we know aren't destined to become Saul Goodman.

 

Thank you! This explanation is very clear and concise, and I feel like I finally understand. =)

[scrb]

They can't wait too long to introduce the BB characters.  The actors are not getting any younger so if Fring or even Jesse appears say 5 years or more after they last filmed BB, it's going to appear jarring.  Of course makeup and all that will make them look younger.

 

But you can already see Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks are much older than they were in BB, though since they're in every episode, it's not as noticeable.  But if you pull up a BB episode from say season 4 or 5, it would be a lot more noticeable.

[ghoulina]

ETA:  Actually, forget the PTSD bullshit.  She made up her mind to get what she could out of Mike after he told the story of how her husband/his son got killed.  She has hated him ever since.

 

I agree. That's the impression that I'm getting. She believes Mike is ultimately responsible for the loss of her husband/father of her child. So now she's going to take him for everything she can, because it's "owed" to her. 

[Blakeston]

I didn't have the impression last season that Mike's daughter-in-law blamed him for her husband's death.

There may have been a little bit of "If he didn't idolize you so much, he never would have chosen to be a cop, and he wouldn't have gotten killed."

But I think she understood that her husband died because of his own moral stance - one that Mike encouraged him not to take. And while she was probably a bit uncomfortable with the knowledge that Mike killed those cops, I think she was also grateful that he did it.

[SignGuy77]

I may be in the minority on this, but I could do without so many Breaking Bad callbacks. I'm a huge BB fan, but BCS is a fantastic show and good enough to stand on its own. I can understand the desire to throw a few into S1 to hook some BB fans, but now that we're into S2, why keep doing it so much? Even the ones that are relevant to the plot ("Ken Wins," the tequila) could have been written differently and it wouldn't have affected the story at all.

Fair point, but I think one of the reasons I find the callbacks so much fun is the writers are obviously having so much fun putting them in the story. And the fact that pretty much none of them so far this season have been vital to our understanding of the plot is awesome, too. They're just a little treat; a mini game of spot the reference to keep us going as we piece together the bigger game of Jimmy's decline and fall.

[Ronin Jackson]

I may be in the minority on this, but I could do without so many Breaking Bad callbacks. I'm a huge BB fan, but BCS is a fantastic show and good enough to stand on its own. I can understand the desire to throw a few into S1 to hook some BB fans, but now that we're into S2, why keep doing it so much? Even the ones that are relevant to the plot ("Ken Wins," the tequila) could have been written differently and it wouldn't have affected the story at all.

 

To a certain extent, it's the same universe and callbacks can be fairly organic. There's no reason why it'd be inevitable for Jimmy to have run into Ken Wins but I think it made it more fun. So far I don't think there's been any callback that's been too gimicky and I suspect Gilligan and Gould have the good sense to avoid that. The only BB characters who pretty much have to return at some point are Francesca (his secretary) and Huell and Kuby. It almost wouldn't make sense for them not to return.

 

 

They can't wait too long to introduce the BB characters.  The actors are not getting any younger so if Fring or even Jesse appears say 5 years or more after they last filmed BB, it's going to appear jarring.  Of course makeup and all that will make them look younger.

 

But you can already see Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks are much older than they were in BB, though since they're in every episode, it's not as noticeable.  But if you pull up a BB episode from say season 4 or 5, it would be a lot more noticeable.

 

That's going to be an issue no matter what. It's going to be up to each viewer to decide how much it'll bother them. Personally, I know there's no way around it so I'll pretty much overlook it. I don't think they need to rush bringing back BB characters for this reason. Take Walt and Jesse, for example. I don't think they'll re-appear unless it fit the story, and it's quite possible the BCS timeline could eventually run concurrent with the BB timeline, and that's when an appearance by either of those characters would actually fit the story. It may take a while for it to get there, and yeah Cranston and Paul may be that much older, but I'd rather them show up when (or if) it fits the story rather than rushing it because pretty soon Paul is going to look like a man pushing 40.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Ronin Jackson

[Ohwell]

The only BB characters who pretty much have to return at some point are Francesca (his secretary) and Huell and Kuby. It almost wouldn't make sense for them not to return.

 

OMG.  I can't wait to see Huell and Kuby!  Even Francesca.

[Clanstarling]

This is the episode where I lose my empathy for Jimmy and begin to see his brother as being correct. And unlike Walter White, who broke bad after first being diagnosed with cancer and then tried to plan for his family's future after he was gone (that became a mockery later, but it wasn't at the beginning), Jimmy is (and has been, we can assume) making bad decisions on his own, for years.

Walt may only have "broken bad" after being diagnosed, but he'd made plenty of bad decisions before then. By the end of Breaking Bad, we knew that Walt wasn't some meek little Chemistry teacher who broke bad because of illness, but a man who'd always been driven by his ego and resented the life he led (prior to BB) without accepting any responsibility for his choices.

Not unlike Jimmy - though Jimmy seems to have had a bigger heart in the beginning.

[Umbelina]

 

Umbelina, on 01 Mar 2016 - 4:33 PM, said:

    I may be in the minority on this, but I could do without so many Breaking Bad callbacks. I'm a huge BB fan, but BCS is a fantastic show and good enough to stand on its own. I can understand the desire to throw a few into S1 to hook some BB fans, but now that we're into S2, why keep doing it so much? Even the ones that are relevant to the plot ("Ken Wins," the tequila) could have been written differently and it wouldn't have affected the story at all.

 

It's all up to personal taste, but for me, it doesn't really bug me unless it's the kind of thing that wouldn't make sense unless you'd seen BB first.  Of course, aside from the entire name of the show and the Gene scenes, the only one that really felt a little forced to me was the Tuco thing in the first two episodes.  Don't get me wrong, I liked it and it served a great purpose (boosting Jimmy's confidence in his lawyering), but that reveal of Tuco at the end of the pilot had such significance placed on it and nobody who hadn't seen BB would have known who the heck he was.

 

For the record, I NEVER said that.  The quote function may have messed up.

 

I love all the BB callbacks, adore them really. 

 

Also, it would be weird to have this person Nacho wants gone be Tio, Tuco, or Gus.  Because we KNOW they live on, so either Mike messes up, or is bribed away, neither of which fit with Mike's story as we know it.

 

My guess is an associate of theirs, or possibly cop who works with Hank, or informant?  I kept waiting for the Hummer car-wash scene, Ha!  I am sure the writers toyed with it, but they aren't using BB callbacks willy-nilly, it's the perfect amount.

 

I really did want the other members of Grey Matter to at least walk through Saul's new firm though, before he's canned.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Umbelina

[Captanne]

Why was this episode called Amarillo?  Is there a reference to yellow (the colour or cowardice) or to the city?  I must have missed the connection.  

Edited March 2, 2016 by Captanne