S02.E09: Nailed

[LittleIggy]

Jim Beaver is back next week. Yay! Season finale. Boo! Ten episodes is just not enough.

I hate Chuck, but I don't want him to die because of the guilt that would cause Jimmy. I did enjoy seeing Chucky get humiliated at the banking commission hearing.

BTW, why does everyone have to take off their watches before going in Chuck's house yet he can ride in a car.

[TVFan17]

Jim Beaver is back next week. Yay! Season finale. Boo! Ten episodes is just not enough.

I hate Chuck, but I don't want him to die because of the guilt that would cause Jimmy. I did enjoy seeing Chucky get humiliated at the banking commission hearing.

BTW, why does everyone have to take off their watches before going in Chuck's house yet he can ride in a car.

 

Agreed.  I wouldn't care if Chuck went off somewhere, never to be seen on the show again (he has been a bore to watch for me), but if he actually died or suffered some sort of traumatic brain injury or something, Jimmy will have to live with it and deal with his guilt.  Also, Kim will put the pieces of the puzzle together and realize that Jimmy was circuitously involved in Chuck's incident at the copy place, and she will dump Jimmy forever.  He is already skating on thin ice.  He could lose his girlfriend and brother in one swoop.

[Lingo]

Kim's speech in this episode was great! And I almost believed that she believed what she was saying, right up until it cut to outside. Rhea Seehorn has been amazing this season. I feel everything she is feeling. I feel sorry for her to be stuck with these two schmucks (well 3 with Howard).

[Umbelina]

I think Kim DID believe what she was saying.  Two things can both be true.  Chuck drove Jimmy to this, and Jimmy did it.

[Lingo]

Agreed.  I wouldn't care if Chuck went off somewhere, never to be seen on the show again (he has been a bore to watch for me), but if he actually died or suffered some sort of traumatic brain injury or something, Jimmy will have to live with it and deal with his guilt.  Also, Kim will put the pieces of the puzzle together and realize that Jimmy was circuitously involved in Chuck's incident at the copy place, and she will dump Jimmy forever.  He is already skating on thin ice.  He could lose his girlfriend and brother in one swoop.

 

Kim might feel as guilty as Jimmy will feel. She's the one who told him to go cover his tracks. I don't think she'll blame Jimmy at all -- it's not like Jimmy actually caused Chuck's injury.

I think Kim DID believe what she was saying.  Two things can both be true.  Chuck drove Jimmy to this, and Jimmy did it.

 

Well I was talking about her thinking Chuck made a simple mistake. I almost bought that she believed that. I DO believe the rest.

[Consternation]

Is the cartel still smuggling coke?  Can $250,000 worth of cocaine physically fit in the truck tires?  Is it heroin?

 

I'm one who took a really long time to warm up to Kim.  I just could not care about her for the whole first season.  But now all that has changed.

 

I didn't see the head crack coming.  I thought sure, maybe another hospitalization for severe electromagnetism, like last season.  That looked so terrible.  I can't wait to listen to the podcast so the show runners can tell a bunch of jokes about filming it to make me feel better.

[thuganomics85]

Man, that Chuck/Kim/Jimmy confrontation was a thing of beauty.  First, as much as I hate him, Chuck totally had Jimmy pegged.  Like, right down to when and around what time he did all of his nefarious acts.  He was totally right and this is why, as despicable as he can be, Chuck is actually right a lot of times, when it comes to Jimmy.  At the same time, since he is such an asshole, I loved watching everything blow up and his face, and how his hubris and arrogance almost played just as big of a role.  I mean, he was basically telling his clients; the guys who own the fucking bank; that they were the ones wrong and "mudding the waters."  Fucking hell! How arrogant can one person be to realize that is the worst thing you can do?!  Chuck really doesn't think his shit stinks, and he paid for it big time, and, assuming he survives, will probably be thinking about this humiliation for a long time.

 

And then there was Kim, of course, who seemed to figure out quickly that Chuck was telling the truth, but knew he had no evidence and no leg to stand on, and decided to back Jimmy.  In the long run, I'm sure it will backfire, but I still loved how she let loose on Chuck, and basically pointed out how he had been an utter dick to Jimmy, and never, ever showed him any respect or even gratitude for taking care of him all these years.  This has gone beyond him simply not wanting Jimmy at HHM; I can understand that.  But Chuck clearly doesn't want Jimmy to succeed at anything having to do with law, and takes it upon himself to intervene, when he could just let sleeping dogs lie, and, if Jimmy truly is as bad as he claims, he will probably destroy himself.  But, nope: Chuck kept poking the bear, and I'm finally glad the bear swiped back.

 

That said, yeah, I'm sure Jimmy is going to feel guilt over Chuck passing out and hitting his head.  Wherever he lives or not, I'm sure there will be a huge fallout involving them and maybe even Kim, and that will continue his journey into becoming Saul.

 

Speaking of unintended consequences, Mike ended up accidentally getting a good Samaritan killed, with his attempt to get one over Hector.  Obviously, Hector is the one to fully blame, but I'm sure this is going to set Mike back a bit.  I wonder what his next play will be.  And I wonder where Nacho will end up fitting into all of this. He easily figured out what was up, but seems content with it, as long as it doesn't blowback on him.  Hope we see more of it.  Really love how Jonathan Banks and Michael Mando play off one another.

 

The person I really feel bad for is poor Ernesto.  He already has a crap job, and I can only imagine how he's feeling being stuck in the middle of this feud between brothers.

 

Really hope Rhea Seehorn gets Emmy consideration this year, alongside Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks again.

 

Can't believe it's already over next week, but at least there will be another season.  Of course, I suspect AMC will probably let Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould play this out, because I have to think there is plenty of goodwill between this and Breaking Bad (and this show is no Walking Dead, but does better then other AMC shows.)

Edited April 12, 2016 by thuganomics85

[Bama]

Have we ever heard Ernesto's last name.

 

Because I'll be godamned if he doesn't favor a Mr. Gustavo Fring.

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

And then there was Kim, of course, who seemed to figure out quickly that Chuck was telling the truth, but knew he had no evidence and no leg to stand on, and decided to back Jimmy.  In the long run, I'm sure it will backfire, but I still loved how she let loose on Chuck, and basically pointed out how he had been an utter dick to Jimmy, and never, ever showed him any respect or even gratitude for taking care of him all these years.

I thought Kim had her "defense lawyer" hat on for this.  A defense lawyer might know if her client is guilty, yet she has to defend him, stipulate nothing, ask for proof and never tip her hand.  Well done, Kim.  

 

It surprised me that the copy center guy didn't try to get money out of Chuck, which is what most tv shows would do.  Just like BB, this show zigs when I think it is going to zag.

[TVFan17]

Kim might feel as guilty as Jimmy will feel. She's the one who told him to go cover his tracks. I don't think she'll blame Jimmy at all -- it's not like Jimmy actually caused Chuck's injury.

 

Well I was talking about her thinking Chuck made a simple mistake. I almost bought that she believed that. I DO believe the rest.

 

Yes, I agree -- Kim will feel guilty as well.  That's absolutely true!

 

Jimmy didn't cause the injury as far as going into the copy place and knocking Chuck's head into the counter, but he was involved in a circuitous way, by first doing the copy trickery with the address in the first place (to help Kim get the client back), setting that whole mess in motion, and then going in to the copy place and paying the kid to pretend he was never there... which stressed Chuck out and caused him to pass out and hit his head.  (Kind of like Skyler's involvement in Ted Beneke ending up in the shape he ended up in -- she didn't directly cause the injury, but she felt responsible for her role in how it happened.)

 

I don't like Chuck, but if I had played the same role Jimmy played in this incident -- especially if Chuck doesn't make it out alive, or ends up in really bad shape -- I would feel guilty.  I tend to think that Kim might think that if Jimmy had not been up to his usual shenanigans in this case, and to help her, no less, Chuck would not have ended up that way.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Sherry67

[Starchild]

I think Kim has decided to end this relationship. I'm pretty sure I saw tears in her eyes when she and Jimmy were in bed tonight.

[shapeshifter]

I absolutely loved seeing Kim defend Jimmy to Chuck and tell him off.

Yes, but yet the scene in bed reminded me a little bit of being with my ex, knowing it would probaby end poorly.

...Chuck is a brilliant lawyer and he figured out the whole situation but it doesn't change the fact that he's a nut who pushed his brother to this. Not defending Jimmy because what he did here was stupid. But Chuck's personality is what led him to the situation at the end.

Yes, but Chuck was likely also lead to being a bad brother by their father's inability to run a business smartly. Even if Jimmy only ripped off the old man that one time, if Chuck knew about it, Jimmy became the target of his ire--not all the other wolves in Cicero.

Man, Chuck is going to flip in a hospital with all the electrical equipment! Maybe he will get psychiatric help while in the hospital and come back "normal" and go after Jimmy. That would suck, but be an interesting turn of events. Maybe, Chuck could get healthy?

Maybe he could get convinced that Jimmy didn't do it, but:

...Poor Ernesto, he has the worst job in the world. As pointed out last week by another poster, Chuck and Howard are awful with their employees....

will Ernesto feel obligated to tell someone that the copy dude changed his story and seemed freaked that Chuck might be a cop? Ernesto being a person of color has to also consider whether he could get in more trouble supporting the "real" story or not. Edited April 12, 2016 by shapeshifter

[Irlandesa]

Maybe he could get convinced that Jimmy didn't do it, but:will Ernesto feel obligated to tell someone that the copy dude changed his story and seemed freaked that Chuck might be a cop? Ernesto being a person of color has to also consider whether he could get in more trouble supporting the "real" story or not.

I could see Ernesto telling Howard what happened. It would seem logical. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Kim knew Chuck was speaking the Gospel truth as each word sputtered out of his mouth.  Then, the instant Jimmy rose to get out of bed, she KNEW!  There is no more moral wiggle room for her.  She is a con.

 

I am having trouble with Jimmy's distress as he saw Chuck struggling.  First really false note I have seen from BO (or the writers who forced it).  He had well and truly finally had it with Chuck, or he would not have pulled the stunt he pulled - even if it helped Kim.  I don't believe he meant to go and hurt Chuck in a physical sense.  He was not that far gone, in my opinion.  I'd put it more like being the victim of an alcoholic or druggie and finally having had enough. Let them suffer from their own devices.  In this case, if Chuck had been "a person" (tm Radar O'Reilly) none of this would have happened.  But, no. Chuck could not let it go and made it his personal mission to destroy Jimmy and the lady he loves was mere collateral and acceptable damage.   Remember...he just experienced Kim nailing (pun intended) Chuck and all-but forgiving Jimmy of EVERYthing, too.  Chuck brought himself to that moment where his head met the counter.  (The preceding is what I believe Jimmy would believe in his gut.  It is also my opinion.)  

 

Mike's problem is far tougher.  A total innocent is dead because of the choices Mike made.  There is no coming back from that.  Mike is officially broken very, very, bad.  

As to those choices...Mike took a heckuva chance that there would be zero traffic.  Sure, it is more likely than not that the highway would be empty all that time.  Yet???  That was a major variable he allowed into this.  It would have made for a super scene had that samaritan happened along as this went down.  How far would Mike have gone with him/her?  

 

Why did they go to Chuck's house in JImmy's beater?  Kim's car was big enough.

 

I loved the small touch that yet again, one of Jimmy's production crew spoke out of turn.  It was a nice smile moment in a tough ep.  Rupert Holmes?  I bet there was a major competition at that writer's table when they needed to come up with the "perfect" celebrity for Jimmy to name.  I can almost visualize the moment when they all must have instantly said, "YESSSSS." when RH's name was suggested.  It must have been like the scene in Charlie Brown Christmas when psychiatrist Lucy suggested Charlie had pantophobia (fear of everything).  Charlie screamed, "THAT'S IT!!!!!!!"

 

I also loved the callback to the moment in McGill's grocery and the grifter told Jimmy there are sheep and there are wolves.  We got that at the copier place with Jimmy the grifter and Lance as Jimmy.  So awesome.  I so love this show. 

Edited April 12, 2016 by Lonesome Rhodes

[Umbelina]

I keep thinking about that hose thing.

 

Mike had to go out there, and dig a decent sized groove in the road to hold that hose and it's long nails, THEN had to lay the hose, and then recover it to look like asphalt.  That is a LOT of work.

 

I can buy that the road is usually empty, but not completely, so yes, that wasn't a very good variable either, someone would eventually come along.

 

Kind of loosey-goosey there for story.  This writing team is usually tighter.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Umbelina

[Lingo]

I thought the hose was just lying on the opposite side of the road, and then he pulled it across with a rope when the truck came. No?

[Umbelina]

I thought the hose was just lying on the opposite side of the road, and then he pulled it across with a rope when the truck came. No?

To me it looked like he pulled it up through the asphalt.

 

Holy hell, if I didn't see that right.

[Dev F]

I thought the hose was just lying on the opposite side of the road, and then he pulled it across with a rope when the truck came. No?

 

That's what it looked like to me as well. He screwed an eyebolt into the dirt on either side of the road and ran a transparent plastic string between them. One end of the string was attached to the hose, which was lying on the other side of the road. The other end was in his hand, and when the truck got close enough he just pulled on it to draw the hose across the road.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Dev F

[shapeshifter]

I loved the small touch that yet again, one of Jimmy's production crew spoke out of turn. It was a nice smile moment in a tough ep.

For me it was a cringe-y moment. But then it turned into a further illustration of Jimmy's ability to forgive people's mistakes and roll with them, in comparison with Chuck's need to squelch and stomp. Jimmy covered her gaff, thus saving his con, and also leaving her in a mood to desire to pay more attention, thus saving having to reshoot because of the makeup bib--which I kept thinking she should have removed much earlier. Edited April 12, 2016 by shapeshifter

[Consternation]

I could not stop laughing at the flag shot.  Epic!  Jimmy should consider running for some sort of public office.

[Umbelina]

That's what it looked like to me as well. He screwed an eyebolt into the dirt on either side of the road and ran a transparent plastic string between them. One end of the string was attached to the hose, which was lying on the other side of the road. The other end was in his hand, and when the truck got close enough he just pulled on it to draw the hose across the road.

Thanks guys.  That must have been the gravel flying then.  I swear, it looked to me like he was pulling it up from the asphalt.

 

Much better then!

[Lingo]

On the other hand, it must be difficult to pull a sharp spiky thing across asphalt.

[TVFan17]

I wonder how the shot of Chuck's head banging into the counter was staged/created.  That was a pretty hard hit.  Was that a Chuck dummy used in place of Chuck's actual head?  Or maybe the counter was made of something that was not actually hard, so he could hit it without a real injury?

Edited April 12, 2016 by Sherry67

[shapeshifter]

On the other hand, it must be difficult to pull a sharp spiky thing across asphalt.

It would depend upon the physics--that is: Would it be weighted such that the spikes wouldn't flip over ineffectively? Police spikes on TV are always laid out before the car gets there. I wonder if the BCS folks will talk about researching this in the podcast or in an interview. I would think spraypainting it to blend in with the road might have been more realistic.

[Charlesman]

I wonder how the shot of Chuck's head banging into the counter was staged/created. That was a pretty hard hit. Was that a Chuck dummy used in place of Chuck's actual head? Or maybe the counter was made of something that was not actually hard, so he could hit it without a real injury?

Likely foam, with some digital trickery to take out any flex or give when he actually makes contact.

[Bannon]

This has to be the end of Jimmy and Kim, or at least the beginning of the end,  which will be one more loss (or, more likely two more losses, given Chuck's health), with consequent grieving, that will motivate a character(s) in the future. Damned if this isn't funniest sad show, or saddest funny show, I've ever seen.

 

The scene with Jimmy, Chuck, and Kim was simply masterful, writing, acting, and direction. I know some people are bored with Chuck, but not me, because you can't really understand Jimmy without Chuck, and McKean has been so damned good. His use of facial expression, not saying a word,

when Kim finally let him have it with both barrels, was off the charts. Great, great, stuff.

 

I wonder.....if Chuck gets the Big Subpoena from The Sky, will Howard, in a fit of desperation, beg Kim to come back, with the agreement that they will hang the massive regulatory filing eff-up, and Kim leaving HHM, on Chuck? Blame the dead guy is always a strategy to consider. Will Chuck offer her immediate partnership, if she can convince Mesa Verde to stick with her? Will Kim take it? Would not Jimmy just be beside himself if she did?

Edited April 12, 2016 by Bannon

[knaankos]

Jimmy made a mistake by even talking to Chuck the night he did the file tampering. Chuck was so delirious he could haven't even spoken to him and Chuck would have never ever known. Yet I bet he still would have blamed Jimmy somehow. 

[Conan Troutman]

Chuck sure likes himself some victory lapse.

 

ETA: Maybe I should finish the episode before making puns. That took a dark turn.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Conan Troutman

[knaankos]

I bet Jimmy will go in and try to help Chuck out but Chuck will end up dying so his actions will not ultimately cost him as far as the law goes.

[loki567]

Have we ever heard Ernesto's last name.

 

Because I'll be godamned if he doesn't favor a Mr. Gustavo Fring.

 

That would be hilarious if after all the speculation about Gus coming in to back Mike up against the Salamancas, he enters the story from the Jimmy side of things. 

[Irlandesa]

That would be hilarious if after all the speculation about Gus coming in to back Mike up against the Salamancas, he enters the story from the Jimmy side of things. 

Except I never got the impression that Saul and Gus knew one another so if it is the  Jimmy side of things, I doubt it's with Jimmy.  I did wonder at one time if it would be as a client to Kim.

[Lingo]

I wonder how the shot of Chuck's head banging into the counter was staged/created.  That was a pretty hard hit.  Was that a Chuck dummy used in place of Chuck's actual head?  Or maybe the counter was made of something that was not actually hard, so he could hit it without a real injury?

 

 

Likely foam, with some digital trickery to take out any flex or give when he actually makes contact.

 

Actually, according to this article, it was a real stunt performed by Michael McKean with some sort of hidden wire:

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-better-call-saul-39-postmortem-showrunner-1405755296841782.html

 

ETA: or maybe it was a not-so-hidden wire removed digitally in post -- it's hard to tell from the article.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Lingo

[loki567]

Except I never got the impression that Saul and Gus knew one another so if it is the  Jimmy side of things, I doubt it's with Jimmy.  I did wonder at one time if it would be as a client to Kim.

 

I think there's enough plausible deniability there that they could do a Gus/Saul storyline if they wanted to. Saul had very few scenes in BB, outside of his interactions with Jessie and Walter so I could believe that he might have been lying about not knowing Gus before introducing him to Walter. Gus is the type who wouldn't want his name being spread around to most of Saul's clientele, he made Walt run around a bunch of hoops to meet him. Saul made it sound like a, "he knows a guy who knows a guy," situation but he could have had some interaction with Gus beforehand and just doesn't want to admit to knowing him.

 

Admittedly, I'm fuzzy if there are any examples in BB that would absolutely prove that Saul and Gus never could have know each other before, but I'm willing to chalk it all up to Saul lying if it let's Saul and Gus share a scene together.  

Edited April 12, 2016 by loki567

[Sentient Meat]

This was the first episode of Saul where after watching the intro I fully expected to hear the Breaking Bad theme song instead.

 

The Mesa Verde hearing... excellent

 

Mike buying drinks for everyone in the bar reminded me of the scene in Good Fellas where everyone started to spend the Lufthansa money and then got capped.

 

Jimmy/Chuck/Kim scene... as mentioned above also terrific

 

Film crew scene... nice comic relief

 

Mike and Nacho scene... also great.

 

The sequence at the copy shop that began from where Kim told Jimmy to clean up his mess was also good except for the clumsy Carnac references that went on too long.

 

In the words of the director Howard Hawks... a good movie has three great scenes, no bad ones.  By my count this hour long episode had at least four.

 

Keep up the good work Gilligan and Co., you are almost singlehandedly keeping my faith alive that quality film making is still possible in the current industry climate.

[PrincessSteel]

Well THAT took a turn. Real dark, real fast. Poor Lance.

[TVFan17]

Except I never got the impression that Saul and Gus knew one another so if it is the  Jimmy side of things, I doubt it's with Jimmy.  I did wonder at one time if it would be as a client to Kim.

 

My impression was always the same as yours, Irlandesa -- I never got the sense that Gus and Saul knew each other, like in the way Jimmy/Saul and Mike know each other (just as occasional business associates).  I suppose they could have met once or twice, but I don't think that Saul had any ongoing face-to-face encounters with Gus.

 

I remember a scene in BB in which Gus and Mike are in a car together, rehashing the latest goings on.  Gus says something along the lines of "What about the attorney" or "What about the lawyer" (referring to Saul).  He doesn't actually say his name, nor does he say anything to indicate that he was personally very familiar with him. 

Edited April 12, 2016 by Sherry67

[shapeshifter]

Actually, according to this article, it was a real stunt performed by Michael McKean with some sort of hidden wire:

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-better-call-saul-39-postmortem-showrunner-1405755296841782.html

 

ETA: or maybe it was a not-so-hidden wire removed digitally in post -- it's hard to tell from the article.

Either way, there seemed like a real risk of having a whiplash injury--something I experienced decades ago in an older car, and believe me, it is no joke or scam. Since I read that all of Mike's injuries were done with CGI back in the Tuco fight scene, I'll assume that whatever method was used for the head bounce that no actors were in need of medical attention afterward.

[Bryce Lynch]

Yeah, I have no doubt Jimmy will call 911. He can do it anonymously.

With the sex robot voice. :)

[RCharter]

In a way, I wish Mike had left well enough alone.  Of course, then we wouldn't have a story for Mike, but his actions in messing with the Cartel got an innocent person shot in the face and buried in the desert.  Plus, I think that Nacho will squeal or be found out, and Mike will be in a world of trouble.

 

I wonder if that will be a reason for Mike to continue some feud with Hector.  He said he was "done" before he found out about the good Samaritan, right?

I'm going to guess that the truck driver will end up dead in the next episode.  Hector or the Cousins will kill him for some reason or another.  Or someone else will do it.

 

Maybe they are going to think that Gus is responsible for the heist, which will be a way to bring him into the picture.

Well, he is going to get "questioned" by Nacho....and that doesn't sound like something you come out of alive.

You know what amused me though, is that Kim/Jimmy in bed, sort of looked like Rebecca/Chuck in bed.  

This was the first episode of Saul where after watching the intro I fully expected to hear the Breaking Bad theme song instead.

 

The Mesa Verde hearing... excellent

 

Mike buying drinks for everyone in the bar reminded me of the scene in Good Fellas where everyone started to spend the Lufthansa money and then got capped.

I felt like Mike was spending that money in order to be found out and force a final showdown.  He wanted the Salamanca's to have the deal with the police, for Hector to get upset, want to find out who brought the cops to his doorstep and find Mike out there, spending a bunch of money in ostentatious ways.

 

But how cute...Mike and the waitress!  Go get it Mike...shovel her driveway and have a little fun!

[RCharter]

 

I wonder.....if Chuck gets the Big Subpoena from The Sky, will Howard, in a fit of desperation, beg Kim to come back, with the agreement that they will hang the massive regulatory filing eff-up, and Kim leaving HHM, on Chuck? Blame the dead guy is always a strategy to consider. Will Chuck offer her immediate partnership, if she can convince Mesa Verde to stick with her? Will Kim take it? Would not Jimmy just be beside himself if she did?

I don't know, I got the feeling that losing Mesa Verde didn't mean as much to Howard as it did to Chuck.  And Chuck only cared that much because of Jimmy.  I know its an UO, but Howard interests me.  He is such a slick looking suit of a guy, but he does seem to have his moments where he seems genuine.  He really seemed to try to talk Chuck down after the banking meeting....and while he may have wanted to do it alone just so that he could keep Chuck away from the business, he may have also offered to do it alone because Chuck was really sick after having to deal with light and stuff last time.  The conversation he had with Kim when she left seemed genuine and he forgave her school debt (which, frankly, may be a write off of some sort for HHM).

 

So, I think if Howard is fine with Kim leaving.....and even fine with her having Mesa Verde (he didn't have the same drive to get it back that Chuck did) I don't see why he would beg for her back.  She seems like a great attorney, but I imagine HHM is full of really great attorneys.

[henripootel]

I wonder if that will be a reason for Mike to continue some feud with Hector.  He said he was "done" before he found out about the good Samaritan, right?

I think this is absolutely the thing that keeps Mike in the game.  And Hector has to end up in that chair somehow, so ...

 

I wonder about where Chuck was going with his plan. It was brilliant that he figured out it was totally Jimmy behind all this, but what's he gonna do even if he finds some proof that Jimmy was indeed in a copy place that night.  Chuck's already sure Jimmy did it, but without proof, Chuck of all people knows it ends there.  What is he realistically hoping to find, old cut-up legal briefs?  Super-sharp focus surveillance tape so they can read over Jimmy's shoulder?  If I understood what Jimmy did, he planted the doctored documents, got Chuck to use the bogus address, then removed all the bogus documents and replaced the real ones.  Sounds like the perfect crime.

 

It's a bit of a stretch to say that Jimmy anticipated the outcome of his little prank.  Not a paperwork-filing dude, me, but I was wondering if clerical errors happen all the time IRL.  Embarrassing, sure, but who'd have guessed it would derail everything?  I mean it was Chuck coming off the rails that made the situation worse, but who'd have guessed that Chuck'd be there to do that?

[Blackie]

I didn't buy that Jimmy wouldn't have known to cover his tracks at the copy centre in the first place, or at least as soon as Chuck basically had his plot down step by step.

[henripootel]

I didn't buy that Jimmy wouldn't have known to cover his tracks at the copy centre in the first place, or at least as soon as Chuck basically had his plot down step by step.

Why bother?  So Jimmy was making copies, you really think the copy guy's gonna know what Jimmy was actually up to?  It doesn't matter what Chuck 'knows', it matters what Chuck can prove.  

[Bryce Lynch]

Have we ever heard Ernesto's last name.

Because I'll be godamned if he doesn't favor a Mr. Gustavo Fring.

Good point. He seems to have the same calm demeanor of Gus, as well. I was wondering if Ernesto had some secret cartel connection, but I didn't think of Fring.

[Bannon]

Poor Paige. No doubt she thought she scored big, in the eyes of her boss, by initially bringing Mesa Verde to HHM. Little did she know that one of HHM's partners was a lunatic locked into decades long sibling death match. Nor did she know the other sibling was a con man-extraordinaire, who just recently learned that his brother has had it in for him for years. Nor did Paige know that the con man brother has a thing for Kim, which would cause him to seek revenge on the lunatic, when the lunatic tried to sabotage Kim's career, in part as a means to hurt the con man. Which would result in Mesa Verde getting screwed, and Paige's boss being pissed, and likely wishing he'd never heard of HHM.

Some days, you come to regret you ever answered the phone....

Edited April 12, 2016 by Bannon

[Bryce Lynch]

Why bother? So Jimmy was making copies, you really think the copy guy's gonna know what Jimmy was actually up to? It doesn't matter what Chuck 'knows', it matters what Chuck can prove.

The fact that Jimmy was there at the time that Chuck alleged the document altering took place, along with Jimmy buying the exacto knife and having access to the documents and motive would be a decent circumstantial case against Jimmy. Probably not enough to convict him, but possibly enough to get him disbarred and probably enough to get Mesa Verde to dump Kim.

[ShadowFacts]

 

Chuck doesn't have one shred of evidence against Jimmy re: transposition of address numbers.

 

I'm not so sure.  Jimmy wasn't wearing gloves, his fingerprints would be all over those files and file boxes which he would have no explanation for. 

 

I had the feeling that Kim has either broken bad, or will wrestle with angst but either way, she is going to be through with Jimmy shortly.  She may still play significant role on the show, but she's not going to want entanglement with him.

 

It was interesting seeing the rare glimpse of Mike's lighter side.  He was positively giddy (for him) buying drinks and semi-flirting with the waitress.  Didn't last long with him finding out an innocent was killed.  Reminded me a bit of Drew Sharp and the train caper on BB. 

 

 

Some days, you come to regret you ever answered the phone....

 

I bet Mike feels that way about his initial meeting with Nacho.

[Bryce Lynch]

The innocent Good Samaritan getting killed seems like a callback to Drew Sharp during the train robbery in "Dead Freight".

During Story Synch they brought up Mike's quote about there being two kinds of heists; those where they get away with it and those where they leave witnesses.

I wonder if Mike's experience gave him a little empathy for Todd and influenced his decision to vote against killing him.

[Bannon]

Why bother?  So Jimmy was making copies, you really think the copy guy's gonna know what Jimmy was actually up to?  It doesn't matter what Chuck 'knows', it matters what Chuck can prove.

The fact that Jimmy also asked for an exacto knife and glue stick is highly suggestive of document doctoring. It may not be enough for a jury in a criminal trial, but in a tort action, or a Bar Association setting? It may well be enough, and certainly enough for the Mesa Verde CEO to get away from all these idiots, maybe up to and including firing poor Paige.

[ghoulina]

Wow, Jimmy really fucked that Mesa Verde situation up. Usually I don't take too much issue with his schemes, because they usually only negatively affect those I perceive to be jerks. But while his scam did get back at Chuck, it mainly really harmed Mesa Verde. Now they have to push back their entire schedule for opening the new branch. That was seriously screwed up. 

 

He's got to stop trying to rescue Kim all the time. I loved how she defended him to Chuck, but she clearly knows his brother was right. I don't know how much more of this she is going to put up with. But I appreciated that she reminded him to clean up his lose ends. 

 

I thought it was really rich that Chuck accused Jimmy of stabbing HIM in the back, when Chuck is the one who went to Howard secretly several times to prevent Jimmy from working as a lawyer for HHM. Chuck has been sabotaging Jimmy for years, while Jimmy, up until recently, has always been accommodating and helpful to his brother. 

 

So I'm assuming Chuck had Ernie going to every copy shop in the area, to establish which one Jimmy used, and then he'd bring Chuck in to handle things. But I find it pretty coincidental that Jimmy just happened to show up at the one he used when Ernesto was still in there. Anyway, handwave that. That final scene was so tense. Overall, the editing and special effects highlighting Chuck's EMS issues were incredible tonight. And Michael McKean deserves an Emmy for the performance. He was truly frightening. I had a feeling what happened in the final moment was going to happen to him eventually, as he kept pushing himself. So I shouldn't have been shocked, but I still gasped. What a crazy predicament for Jimmy - he's witnessing the whole thing, but if he runs up to help, he'll prove Chuck right. Should that go out the window in an emergency? Probably. But will it? I just kept yelling for Jimmy to make an anonymous call to 911 from out there in the alley! 

 

Is Chuck going to make it? I'm thinking no. 

 

The not-so-serious-scenes - I loved Jimmy's playground shennanigans. He really is the smoothest liar. How could you ever trust someone like that? It just comes naturally to him. Pina Coladas! 

 

 

I'll admit, I'm still not entirely sure what Mike's end game with Hector is. He wanted to bring the cops down on him? How does he eventually get to working in this world? I love that this show doesn't spell it out for you, it always leaves me wanting more. But I did love Mike buying a round for the house, that was super cute.