S02.E08: Fifi

[Tara Ariano]

Mike is determined to settle the score with a dangerous adversary. Meanwhile, an unexpected opportunity to gain a competitive edge falls in Jimmy's lap.

[TVFan17]

I need something to erase my memory of the frustrating nonsense that was most of last night's Walking Dead season finale, so I hope that tonight's Better Call Saul installment is a good one -- and not just Kim making 15 minutes of phone calls or Chuck brooding in the dark.

[SignGuy77]

Eeny Meeny Fifi ... Tio.

[riverheightsnancy]

Interesting opening scene. No idea what it means (yet), but very interesting. 

[TVFan17]

Okay, now that long opening sequence was riveting to me even though not much was happening.  I was fascinated the whole time.

[SignGuy77]

Great single shot, too.

Looks like an ice cream delivery truck that clearly just had a close call at the New Mexico border, delivering more than just frozen treats for the Salamancas.

[SoSueMe]

Kim, get that loan payoff gift in writing.....

[riverheightsnancy]

LOVED Kim's full out run to her office. >>>>>>>>>>>Whoosh. 

[SignGuy77]

Oh, Chuck. You are so brilliantly evil.

[TVFan17]

Chuck is pretty sharp and quick-thinking when he wants to be.  Devious and manipulative, but sharp.

[Lisa11]

Great homage/shoutout to the opening sequence to Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil". I was expecting the truck to blow up.

[SignGuy77]

Chuck is evil. But Jimmy is SAUL.

[TVFan17]

Jimmy is an evil genius too!  He is fighting fire with fire!

[SoSueMe]

No Chuck, you wouldn't do the same for Jimmy.

[SignGuy77]

Kaylee! She's going to cause Hector's stroke, inadvertently changing the course of the ABQ/Juarez meth trade for years to come.

I mean, obviously.

[SailorGirl]

The name may not be changed yet, but Saul Goodman is in the houzz! That was awesome -- I hope we don't see a later scene where he falls for Chuck's BS and undoes what he did/puts back the original documents. Chuck, you are one manipulative piece of shit. Sure you'd "do the same" for Jimmy. When hell freezes over you crap weasel. 

And WTF is Mike making with that hose? 

Edited April 5, 2016 by SailorGirl

[SoSueMe]

Kaylee! She's going to cause Hector's stroke, inadvertently changing the course of the ABQ/Juarez meth trade for years to come.

I mean, obviously.

LOL

[SignGuy77]

The Albuquerque Nail Hose.

Look it up on Urban Dictionary.

[Umbelina]

Oh man, I was hoping Jimmy was going to hit Chuck with massive blasts of electricity and either kill him or take him to the funny farm.

 

No Chuck, you wouldn't do shit for Jimmy if the situations were reversed, get over yourself you nasty piece of shit.

 

I hope Jimmy's numbers changing actually works and the copies back in the office don't bite him in the ass, I'm all for anything that is a fail for Chuck, and for Howard, especially if it gets them off screen.  Although I would like some resolve, hopefully thrilling and fun, with Rebecca first.

 

So, the nails in the hose?  Hijacking the truck?

 

ETA

Loved those border patrol scenes, that must have cost some money.  Well done. 

Edited April 5, 2016 by Umbelina

[Dianaofthehunt]

What was the deal with the faux-veteran in the wheelchair?

[TVFan17]

Oh man, I was hoping Jimmy was going to hit Chuck with massive blasts of electricity and either kill him or take him to the funny farm.

 

No Chuck, you wouldn't do shit for Jimmy if the situations were reversed, get over yourself you nasty piece of shit.

 

I hope Jimmy's numbers changing actually works and the copies back in the office don't bite him in the ass, I'm all for anything that is a fail for Chuck, and for Howard, especially if it gets them off screen.  Although I would like some resolve, hopefully thrilling and fun, with Rebecca first.

 

So, the nails in the hose?  Hijacking the truck?

 

ETA

Loved those border patrol scenes, that must have cost some money.  Well done. 

 

I wondered if the nails in the hose were going to act as a sort of spike strip to pop the tires on the truck.  Or stab someone.  One or the other. 

[SoSueMe]

What was the deal with the faux-veteran in the wheelchair?

Commercial.

[Umbelina]

What was the deal with the faux-veteran in the wheelchair?

No clue, but I was hoping it has to do with Jimmy reclaiming his old folks home RICO thing.  I don't think he could get that case back though.  Maybe it's just for an ad, something like how he fights for the rights of "the greatest generation."  I loved the old guy pointing out the difference between the Pacific War and the German theater though.  Perfection there, and Jimmy really should have listened to the guy.

 

ETA

The Dog House!  Be still my heart...

Edited April 5, 2016 by Umbelina

[Dianaofthehunt]

The late-night copy shop sequence was classic Breaking Bad -good. I so hope Jimmy screws things up for HHM....that idiot from Mesa Verde who let himself be sucked in by them! What a dope.

Yes, the hose. The hose with nails. Hector, it's coming your way, and possibly causing you a stroke, OLD MAN !

[Irlandesa]

Great homage/shoutout to the opening sequence to Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil". I was expecting the truck to blow up.

And I just saw that recently so it was very timely.  I didn't expect the truck to blow up, though.  I thought it was going to be a bait and switch where as the Regalo Helado truck pulled out, we saw a Pollos Hermanos or Gus's laundry truck pull in.

 

I loved the fighting over Mesa Verde because it was so straight forward.  Kim made a great pitch.  Chuck made a better pitch.  (Yeah, she did bring them in but there are benefits to a prestige firm with multiple attornies handling the case.)  And Jimmy? Well what Jimmy did is why Kim will eventually regret working with him.

 

There's very little I like more than Mike on a caper so I look forward to seeing it play out in the upcoming episodes.

 

No clue, but I was hoping it has to do with Jimmy reclaiming his old folks home RICO thing.

He doesn't have the resources for that but I would bet he still would get residuals once that case is settled.  Wouldn't it be ironic if the settlement comes through just after he takes off to Omaha? 

 

What was the deal with the faux-veteran in the wheelchair?

First Better Call Saul commercial?

Edited April 5, 2016 by Irlandesa

[SailorGirl]

Forgot about this week's BB shout-out -- Jimmy and Kim eating at the "Dog House." Wonder if they picked up a side of chili-pepper-laced crystal meth . . . 

[TVFan17]

Next week's episode is called "Nailed," so I guess that's when we will see the hose in action.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Sherry67

[Umbelina]

Well, we now know Chuck wasn't behind the treatment of Kim at H&M.  He was legitimately shocked when Howard delivered the news that she was leaving, and knew nothing about which firm was courting her.

 

I actually enjoyed the scene with Chuck being a cutthroat lawyer in that meeting.  Not something I want them to make a show out of, but that scene did work.  Last two episodes have been so much better, I hope they go out with a bang.

[SignGuy77]

Next week's episode is called "Nailed," .

That's a little on the nose, innit?

I mean, we all want to see the Jimmy and Kim sex scene, but don't spoil it like that.

[Constantinople]

UO: On the whole, I thought this episode was a bit dull, but I'm guessing it's mostly set-up for the last 2 episodes of the year.  Even if it is, I found it impossible to believe that a bank would even consider hiring a solo practitioner for their regulatory work, much less one who is just starting-up her own practice.

[FoundTime]

Great homage/shoutout to the opening sequence to Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil". I was expecting the truck to blow up.

 

Thank you for picking up on this. I was just gobsmacked that it was a single take -- and when I rewatched just now it timed out at four minutes at least. Crazy. I didn't recognize this director but man, he has got it. Also as noted above with the copy shop scene, and some other shots, the legacy/continuation of the BrBa visual vocabulary was everywhere. So great.

[SignGuy77]

Some interesting and poetic parallels in how slow and meticulous Mike is with his plans while Jimmy quickly crafts his scheme.

And Kim's angle at getting Mesa Verde to stay with her: seems she has noticed how Jimmy's personal touch with clients serves him well.

[AuntiePam]

I liked Howard in this episode.  I think he was honest when he told Kim he wanted to change the world, but "dad talked me out of it".

 

What's going to happen when Mesa Verde needs Chuck to go to court, or to a conference room outside of HHM?  He might be a wizard at banking law, but his condition makes him a liability.  Kim might be solo, but if she didn't know her stuff, I don't think she would have gone after Mesa Verde.  She's too honest.  We've seen her work a twenty-hour day, and she can hire assistants for the grunt work.  Paige obviously wanted to stay with Kim.

 

How soon will Chuck figure out what Jimmy did to those documents?  What effect will it have? 

[Irlandesa]

Thank you for picking up on this. I was just gobsmacked that it was a single take -- and when I rewatched just now it timed out at four minutes at least. Crazy. I didn't recognize this director but man, he has got it. Also as noted above with the copy shop scene, and some other shots, the legacy/continuation of the BrBa visual vocabulary was everywhere. So great.

The director's name is Larysa Kondracki and she directed Bingo last season. 

 

What's going to happen when Mesa Verde needs Chuck to go to court, or to a conference room outside of HHM?

There is probably very little courtroom work that would need to be done.  The biggest issue would be meetings but he could probably prep another lawyer to handle it.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Irlandesa

[shapeshifter]

No Chuck, you wouldn't do the same for Jimmy.

Oh, but he already did---did do what Jimmy was doing while "staying" with Chuck, that is, screw his brother out of his livelyhood. Well, Jimmy taking back Mesa Verde wouldn't hurt Chuck anywhere near as much as Chuck stealing it from Kim (and, by association, Jimmy), so I guess it's not the "same."

I was wondering if they used a drone for that opening shot.

How soon will Chuck figure out what Jimmy did to those documents? What effect will it have?

Initially it will mean the documents are null and void because they don't refer to the actual address of Mesa Verde. The bigger issue is that they will destroy Mesa Verde's faith in HHM. Edited April 5, 2016 by shapeshifter

[LittleIggy]

I found it impossible to believe that a bank would even consider hiring a solo practitioner for their regulatory work, much less one who is just starting-up her own practice.

I thought the same thing. The issue wouldn't be Kim's competence. It would be her not having a staff to do all the little things (remember document review?) that have to be done.

I know from personal experience that it is extremely difficult to literally cut and paste numbers the way Jimmy was and get them to line up straight. And, no,I wasn't doing anything illegal!

I doubt Howard ever had any real intention of practicing on his own. Every person I knew in law school whose family had a practice knew right where they were going and planned accordingly.

Loved Jimmy's crack about Chuck's baked potato imitation.

Chuck is tied with Rollo on "Vikings" for the worst brother prize.

Edited April 5, 2016 by LittleIggy

[thuganomics85]

Well, I guess I have to give it to Chuck.  He was willing to put his own health on the line and brave the evil electricity, just to get another one over Jimmy.  Because I really doubt he went the extra mile just because he wanted Mesa Verde back for their business, or because he was upset at Kim for leaving.  No, I have no doubt in my mind it was because he doesn't want Jimmy/Kim to work-out.  So, well done, Chuck.  You won this one, you big asshole.

 

Then again, it might be a short-lived victory!  Because Jimmy?  Is truly this close to becoming full-blown Saul now.  Just totally screwed with the addresses in the documents, and I while I'm not quite sure what will happen exactly, I have to think he it will really put HHM in a bad light.  So diabolical, but after everything he's done, I'm honestly ready for Jimmy to just fight fire with fire.  I still want this to end with him whipping out a cellphone in front of Chuck, and watch Chuck wimper like the little punk that he is.  And I call bullshit on him claiming he would do the same.  If Jimmy was suffering from any kind of disease, Chuck would probably say it was Jimmy's fault or some shit.  At best, he'd help, but be massive passive aggressive over it.  Jimmy has a shit-ton of faults, but in this case, he's been a saint for helping Chuck as long as he has.

 

I do worry that Jimmy didn't cover his tracks all that well, and he will somehow be found out.  I doubt it will hurt him professionally or legally, but if Kim does find out what he did, I suspect she won't be happy even if Chuck sucks.

 

I wonder if Howard was being sincere with claiming he was hard on Kim because he respects her.  If that was his intention, he went way overboard, and I really don't see what Kim had to gain to put up with him.  I hope tonight's misstep doesn't knock her back too far.  I loved how happy she was when she thought she got it, and it was crushing watching it all fall apart.

 

Jimmy and the cameramen pulling that con at the military base was so, so wrong, but so, so hilarious!  I'm guessing it's some kind of commercial, but I wonder what Jimmy's play is here.  Fun seeing Brendan Fehr pop up as the military guy who was giving them a tour.

 

Aww.... Mike and Kaylee are having some nice grandfather/granddaughter time, by building what I'm guessing is some kind of weapon or trap; maybe to toss on the road and slice the trucks Hector is using.  Who doesn't love it when you can have your granddaughter help build a device to use in your battle with a drug kingpin?!  She gets to learn how to use a screwdriver and use fractions!  Like how all that meth cooking was really just Walter's way to help Jesse learn chemistry and science!

 

The opening track shock of the border patrol was fantastic.

[Umbelina]

I was confused by washing the hose down so well, but I think I get it now.  Fingerprints?

[shapeshifter]

When Jimmy asked Chuck, "How are you feeling?" I wondered if the audience was supposed to fill the pause with "guilty."

[J-Man]

 

Initially it will mean the documents are null and void because they don't refer to the actual address of Mesa Verde.

I don't think that was Mesa Verde's (the bank) address but rather the address of a property that was the subject of a mortgage or a sale or some other transaction in which MV was a participant.

[Umbelina]

I'm not quite sure how Doc Review works, but I hope those weren't documents that Kim had reviewed.  (Which I assume means checked for errors and signed off on?)

[ketose]

I plan on leaving my resignation letter on my manager's desk like a turd in a punch bowl. Of course, I'll need to stay there 2 weeks to get my severance.

 

I've never actually seen "Touch of Evil" and even I was expecting the truck to blow up.

 

The copy center scene was very Breaking Bad. I noticed the music had some of the BrBa twang as well. Of course, by 2002, I had a scanner and Windows Paint so I could do something like that electronically. My only limitation was my cheap ink jet printer.

[Dev F]

I'm not quite sure how Doc Review works, but I hope those weren't documents that Kim had reviewed.  (Which I assume means checked for errors and signed off on?)

 

No, doc review refers to the process of reviewing discovery documents for pertinent information -- e.g., looking through all the bills from Sandpiper for suspicious charges. The Mesa Verde files wouldn't have been subject to that.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Dev F

[Bannon]

If their situations were reversed, Chuck would have had Jimmy committed to a mental hospital years ago, while lying to himself that it was all for the best. I still don't think we have been given the full picture of the history of McGill the shop owner, and his sons Chuck and Jimmy, and I think we'll eventually get another flashback which shows that the account that Chuck told to Kim had huge holes.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I have been on pins and needles from the moment I saw Jimmy transpose the numbers.  I can NOT wait to see what he is up to!

 

I love, love, love, that he knows the precise detail of the copy paper (using knowledge gained AT HHM) he needed to mimic HHM stock.  Small, but crucial detail - the kind that is everything to a grifter.

 

Howard absolutely overreached if he was playing Bear Bryant (famously tough/brutal football coach in the USA) to Kim the player.  He would be the perfect college fraternity student president: A legacy, smart, driven, with almost no moral compass.

 

It appeared to me, with the 20 (I counted three times) popsicle sticks, that drugs aren't coming into the USA via the ice cream truck.  It may well be the vehicle which takes back cash, guns, whatever the payoff is to the supplier.  The drugs looked like they were in that older car (Chevy Impala?).   I loved the smirk of recognition from Mike as he watched the proceedings.  Again - I can NOT WAIT to see what he is planning!

 

Another small thing, but I guffawed...The airmen posing with "Major Talbott," who could only grunt, and pissed off Jimmy thoroughly by even doing too much of that, cheerfully, cogently, and clearly saying, "Cheese!"  God, the humor in this series is simply tremendous. 

 

ETA:  Nothing would preclude Kevin from giving Kim some basic work just to get her going, and to have her in his fold, which would be a savvy business move.  He is no dummy and clearly understands how things "work."   She would be a nice, and relatively inexpensive, asset to have in his pocket.  This is not a deal where it is federal banking law or nothing.  A place like that would have all manner of legal needs.  They would also have in-house counsel, which has conveniently been missing in this whole arc, to date.  

Edited April 5, 2016 by Lonesome Rhodes

[knaankos]

One of my tv/movie pet peeves showed its head again. The idea that someone hiding in a car is invisible and its the invincible way to spy. Gilligan has actually used this several times with Mike already and he used it Breaking Bad plenty of times with Hank spying on Jesse and Walt doing it. I just don't think it's very realistic that just because you are sitting in a car suddenly nobody can ever see you, especially if the window is open like Mike's was!

[Sentient Meat]

People complain about how slow "Saul" has been moving but they managed to capture both the euphoria and excitement of late season 3 Mad Men quickly followed by the soul crushing disappointment of Season 4 all in a neat 20 minute segment.  Not to mention watching the genesis of Mike's cooler craftier version of Lucille as well as making Jimmy's trip to a dying 24 hour copy joint feel like the Italian Job.  I'm a little tired of using Chuck's condition over and over though to hammer home his hatred of Jimmy's success.  It's like watching Superman deal with Kryptonite on a loop.

[shapeshifter]

If their situations were reversed, Chuck would have had Jimmy committed to a mental hospital years ago, while lying to himself that it was all for the best. I still don't think we have been given the full picture of the history of McGill the shop owner, and his sons Chuck and Jimmy, and I think we'll eventually get another flashback which shows that the account that Chuck told to Kim had huge holes.

This episode and your post have me thinking that maybe Jimmy only stole money (was it 8 whole f'in' dollars?) that one time when he was twelve, and sobbed loudly about it at the funeral.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Well. There was certainly a theme of time spent on the mundane and unexciting things in this one, wasn't there? And of course it was photographed and edited with flair, but after a while, I was getting the picture: the episode that milks the hell out of tedious groundwork for the later payoff. Customs inspections. Grim, silent surveillance. Client meetings. Intricate copier shenanigans. Holes punched in garden hoses.  

 

I've enjoyed the second season a lot, and I enjoyed tonight's episode too, but honestly, Better Call Saul suffered from the dreaded sophomore slump. The first season was much more compelling in the way the narrative was shaped, and all of the major characters were part of a big picture. This season, although I've continued to enjoy the work of all the major actors, the characters have been scattered around, sometimes marooned. Mike's story has had little to do with Jimmy's, and we haven't even had all that many of their parking-lot chats. Howard has gone from major to minor. With all the cards on the table in the Chuck/Jimmy relationship, that has not been the wellspring it was last year.

 

What I hope is that these next two episodes set us up for a third season that really reinvents the show. Should Better Call Saul run for five or six seasons, I shouldn't be surprised if people look back years from now and the second season is the consensus season to talk shit about, the one that spun its wheels, the one that told us and showed us things we already knew. That isn't to take away from how entertaining the individual episodes were when they were actually on, because almost all of them have been that.  

[Ms Lark]

The late-night copy shop sequence was classic Breaking Bad -good.

Wasn't it just? I have to add, that was a beautiful cut and paste job Jimmy did. It's a dying, if not already dead, art!

 

Got to agree, there is no way Chuck would have cared for Jimmy the way Jimmy has cared for Chuck. Although, I'm not ruling out Jimmy eventually murdering Chuck at this point. And getting away with it!

 

Can hardly wait to see what Mike is up to with that hose.