S02.E03: Amarillo

[peeayebee]

I agree, but in this case I didn't think she was playing Mike, even before the podcast contents were mentioned here. When she showed Mike the "bullet" nick in the stucco, she looked really freaked out, not acting. I think Mike saw that too and decided the best thing for her was to move her to another neighborhood. I think we can go by Mike's reading of people. Now, as far as PTSD goes, that didn't occur to me, but it's not necessary to know in order to recognize that she was terrified of gunfire in the neighborhood.

[shapeshifter]

...But then, it turns out, we can just listen to the podcast in which we find out that her mind turned the newspaper splats into gunshots, and she has PTSD. Questions answered, and not by watching the show. THAT'S what I don't like.

I agree, but in this case I didn't think she was playing Mike, even before the podcast contents were mentioned here. When she showed Mike the "bullet" nick in the stucco, she looked really freaked out, not acting. I think Mike saw that too and decided the best thing for her was to move her to another neighborhood. I think we can go by Mike's reading of people. Now, as far as PTSD goes, that didn't occur to me, but it's not necessary to know in order to recognize that she was terrified of gunfire in the neighborhood.

I think the podcasts mainly serve to prove that some of the audience had the "correct" interpretation, but it's okay that some viewers didn't get that meaning from the scene. I didn't see the DiL as anything but paranoid, but that doesn't mean another interpretation wasn't expected by the show runners. I'd like to see in the future either a clear revelation of DiL's disturbed mentality, or another character's interpretation of her as a "manipulative b!tch" that matches some viewers' interpretation--and have that contrasted with Mike's understanding that she's just screwed up by the loss of her husband and father of her young child.

[Yolapukka]

I tend to think there is a difference between something that seemed ambiguous because a viewer missed the intended significance of details as opposed to something that is ambiguous because a production couldn't be bothered to include them. I personally thought it was pretty heavily underlined through several shots that the newspaper delivery was the source of the sounds Stacey believed were gunfire. Equally, I thought Mikes's reaction to the "bullet-hole" demonstrated he knew the problem was not one that could be solved through reasonable explanations. I think Mike knows his DIL is having severe anxiety issues, is not rational and is probably humouring her because telling her outright her fears are groundless will only make her stop trusting him as a confidant and she'll still be frantic and needy, on top of which, due to the nature of her husband's death,  she has good reasons to feel frantic, needy and anxious aside from the stuff that is in her imagination. Even though the sound is not gunfire her mind is jumping to worst-case scenarios instead of reaching for calming possibilities. Besides it's entirely possible for her to have problems that are beyond her control, like PTSD and still be manipulative in wanting Mike to fix things for her.

Edited March 7, 2016 by yuggapukka

[benteen]

I think Jimmy loves the thrill of the con though I do believe he wants to do well by his elderly clients.  Money doesn't seem to be a huge motivating factor though he's annoyed now that he gave up the money.  The thrill of the con seems to be what excites him the most.

[ghoulina]

I think, as far as Stacy goes, it can be a combination of both. Maybe she really IS up all night and is hearing things and totally freaked out. Maybe on some level she knows she's being irrational, but isn't able to confront that about herself. Or maybe she is totally aware of it. I'm one of those people with an insane imagination and I can get totally freaked out by the most minor things at night. But by the light of day, I realize I'm being ridiculous. I don't think that would take away from what she's going through. But I still think she's trying to squeeze Mike a bit. It's just the way she talks to him. She wants to tell him something, but he's going to have to get it out of her. She drops little passive aggressive hints about needing more money. I don't think it's ALL she's using him or ALL she's genuinely terrified. I think she's wading in some grey, murky water in the middle of those two. 

[Umbelina]

She has good reason to be paranoid.  Imagine having your husband murdered by other cops?  For being honest!

 

Who do you trust at that point?  Where is your security?

 

I agree, the show dropped the ball on this story a bit, it wasn't clear.  They almost never do that kind of thing though, so it gets a pass from me.  This time.

 

Then, your father in law murders them!  I mean holy shit!

Edited March 7, 2016 by Umbelina

[Ohwell]

Well, by the time of BB, it certainly appeared that Stacey wasn't paranoid anymore.  She was just waiting for the cash.

[Irlandesa]

My opinion of Stacey is colored by the fact that in BB she never stopped asking him for money, or babysitting (which he didn't mind because he loved his granddaughter, but still..).  He could never do enough for her.  

 

 

Well, by the time of BB, it certainly appeared that Stacey wasn't paranoid anymore.  She was just waiting for the cash.

All I remember about Stacey from Breaking Bad was that she was a blurry figure in the background waving at Mike when he picked up/dropped off his graddaughter. I never got the sense that he was doing all he was doing because she was asking.  Rather, I think he wanted to take care of his granddaughter.  Better Call Saul might define their roles a bit more but Kaylee was important to Mike during Breaking Bad.  Unless I'm forgetting something significant, Stacey was a non-entity.

[Clanstarling]

I would have been more open to the Stacey having PTSD scenario (which I guess is what they intended) if she had not refused Mike's offer to spend the night, had not been so specific about the time and had not said "you don't know, you weren't here." Not to mention the passive-aggressive financial shakedowns.

 

I don't do podcasts for several reasons - I've already watched the show and don't really want to have anyone "explain" it to me. I enjoy watching it unfold, coming up with my own interpretations, and don't mind when more pieces of the puzzle are filled in and I'm proved wrong (though, of course, I'd prefer to be right). I do enjoy reading other viewers opinions as we share the experience. Especially on this forum, where so many people do a lot of deep thinking and share it with us.

 

For me, personally, it ruins the experience to have a showrunner or writer explain what's happening during the season. It is, in effect, a spoiler for me. I'm just thankful that when I was a lit major, we didn't have authors telling us "no, this is why this character is behaving this way" before we finished the books.

Edited March 8, 2016 by clanstarling

[Ohwell]

All I remember about Stacey from Breaking Bad was that she was a blurry figure in the background waving at Mike when he picked up/dropped off his graddaughter. I never got the sense that he was doing all he was doing because she was asking.  Rather, I think he wanted to take care of his granddaughter.  Better Call Saul might define their roles a bit more but Kaylee was important to Mike during Breaking Bad.  Unless I'm forgetting something significant, Stacey was a non-entity.

Yes, he was saving money for Kaylee, but I definitely remember being annoyed by her in BB even though she didn't have that many scenes.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Ohwell

[Umbelina]

Mike is kind of a hunted man, and there are many reasonable reasons why she may not have wanted Mike to stay at her house, among them, she quite reasonably blames Mike for her husband's death, another, relatives of the cops he killed, or other cops, could decide to off him at any moment.

 

She has reasons for being scared, and BCS did outline them earlier.  I think this is a case of knowing BB hurting us for giving this woman a fair shot on BCS.  On BB I feel it was still a judgement call about her, she definitely didn't want Mike too close, but did allow him to see Kaylee, and accepted help from him.  Demanded?  Judgement call. 

[Umbelina]

I am watching the replay now, Saul wasn't really talking down to anyone.  I wouldn't have been offended, he just used examples, did some harmless flirting, and made the law easy to grasp. 

[ghoulina]

I am watching the replay now, Saul wasn't really talking down to anyone.  I wouldn't have been offended, he just used examples, did some harmless flirting, and made the law easy to grasp

 

I agree with this. I never saw it as he was speaking slow because they were old or anything. But the law can be a tricky thing for ANYONE who doesn't have a background in it. I thought he was just trying to come across as innocuous and helpful. 

[buttercupia]

Stacy had no speaking lines in BB.  She was played by an extra. How do we get from that to always hounding Mike for cash?

[monagatuna]

That finger wag. One little move. So much behind it. Chuck may have been out of the office for over a year, but he clearly still has all the power. It makes me wonder how things worked when he was a daily presence, before he got sick. Is Howard's fear of pissing off Chuck really just because he's worried about Chuck finally leaving and wanting to be bought out? Or is he more worried about Chuck coming back full time and lording over everyone again? How is the partnership divided up, I wonder? 

 

 

 

 

Thanks. I guess I'm just still confused as to why the direct mailer is okay, but talking to them on the bus isn't. Yes, a mailing is not done in person or electronically, but is that really the only distinction? A mailer is still letting them know the same information.

 

 

 

Yea, in last season we saw several scenes of him sitting in his camped, nail salon office, wiggling his fingers and willing someone, anyone, to call. I don't think he is hurting for clients once we get to the BB time line. I don't remember him doing that then, but I could be wrong. 

Direct mailers are okay if they're labeled as an advertisement. 

[benteen]

Stacy had no speaking lines in BB.  She was played by an extra. How do we get from that to always hounding Mike for cash?

 

Exactly.  We didn't even know if Mike had either a son or a daughter until it was mentioned that his granddaughter shared his last name.

[Ohwell]

Perhaps it was Season 1 of BCS then, because I do remember her.

[Anela]

On 3/1/2016 at 9:25 AM, Blakeston said:

Mike's daughter-in-law should absolutely be getting benefits through her late husband. And didn't they establish that she has a job?

You're not cold-hearted. I'm taking the makers if the show at their word that her concerns were genuine...but there was something about the way she handled it that just seemed "off." Especially with her being adamant about not wanting Mike to stay there overnight.

If you genuinely believe that someone is firing bullets at your house, wouldn't you want the toughest man in the world there to protect you?

I thought she was playing him, too.  I’ve thought it since she told him that money really helped, but it was a drop in the bucket.