S03.E02: Witness

[ShellSeeker]

Quote

Jimmy and Kim hire an assistant; Mike seeks out a mysterious acquaintance; Chuck uses the law to gain an advantage over Jimmy.

[Bryce Lynch]

It will be interesting to see who the assistant is.  Ernie, after he gets fired from HHM? Francesca?  Someone else?

[SignGuy77]

Please let it be OMAR.

[Pike Ludwell]

20 hours ago, SignGuy77 said:

Please let it be OMAR.

I think you mean Huell.

Edited April 12, 2017 by riverclown

[LittleIggy]

Los Pollos Hermanos! Gus Freen! :-)

[Bryce Lynch]

Victor!

Nice callback to Saul asking Walt and Jesse to each give him a dollar.

[TVFan17]

It seems like so many people want to not be excited about BB characters' appearances on this show, even to the point of worrying that these characters will somehow ruin BCS.  I've seen soooo many comments in assorted places (since 2015) from people who don't care about and will not be excited about any BB characters popping up on this show.

Well, I am going against the grain.  I am not at all ashamed to admit that I love seeing the BB characters.  Bring them on!   I was thrilled when the cousins and Hector showed up last year, and now I am even more thrilled to see Francesca, Victor.... and GUSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!  Yes, yes, yes!

[Shriekingeel]

Bit of a heavy-handed metaphor (Jimmy trying to straighten out his "a little crooked" wall design) but I liked it. 

[Primetimer]

Now here are a couple of guys who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

View the full article

[Bryce Lynch]

9 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

It seems like so many people want to not be excited about BB characters' appearances on this show, even to the point of worrying that these characters will somehow ruin BCS.  I've seen soooo many comments in assorted places (since 2015) from people who don't care about and will not be excited about any BB characters popping up on this show.

Well, I am going against the grain.  I am not at all ashamed to admit that I love seeing the BB characters.  Bring them on!   I was thrilled when the cousins and Hector showed up last year, and now I am even more thrilled to see Francesca, Victor.... and GUSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!  Yes, yes, yes!

I'm with you.  I was thrilled to see Gus, Francesca and Victor.

 

Great episode.  My only quibble is I am not sure I believe Jimmy would be dumb enough to break Chuck's door down and threaten to burn the house down.

[benteen]

The most overrated show on television returns to bore viewers with more silent and predictable storytelling on the Mike front.  Gus can make any garbage work but I DESPISE the self-indulgence involved in how Mike's boring-ass storyline is turning out.

Jimmy's storyline is better by comparison and the only part I liked in this episode was Jimmy finally snapping at the vile Chuck at the end.

[acid burn]

When Jimmy is in Los Pollos Hermanos before he meets Gus, you can hear someone say "It's all good" over the din of conversation. Nice little bit of fan service there.

[Lion18]

18 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

It seems like so many people want to not be excited about BB characters' appearances on this show, even to the point of worrying that these characters will somehow ruin BCS.  I've seen soooo many comments in assorted places (since 2015) from people who don't care about and will not be excited about any BB characters popping up on this show.

Well, I am going against the grain.  I am not at all ashamed to admit that I love seeing the BB characters.  Bring them on!   I was thrilled when the cousins and Hector showed up last year, and now I am even more thrilled to see Francesca, Victor.... and GUSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!  Yes, yes, yes!

I agree totally. I love to see BB characters 

[cyberfruit]

Why does Chuck always have to be the absolute worst.

I thought Gus' (!!!!) introduction was going to be him popping up behind Jimmy asking, "Can I help you?" since that scene was so tension-filled. But nah, sweeping slowly into view while Jimmy acts like the worst spy in the history of ever. He has yet to learn that Gus has eyes in the back of his head. 

[Bryce Lynch]

4 minutes ago, benteen said:

The most overrated show on television returns to bore viewers with more silent and predictable storytelling on the Mike front.  Gus can make any garbage work but I DESPISE the self-indulgence involved in how Mike's boring-ass storyline is turning out.

Jimmy's storyline is better by comparison and the only part I liked in this episode was Jimmy finally snapping at the vile Chuck at the end.

I like Mike's plot better, though both are good.  The cat and mouse game between Gus and Mike is great, since both are so shrewd.  I always thought that if not for Jesse messing things up, Gus, Mike and Walt could have taken over the world together.

[Dev F]

1 minute ago, benteen said:

The most overrated show on television returns to bore viewers with more silent and predictable storytelling on the Mike front.  Gus can make any garbage work but I DESPISE the self-indulgence involved in how Mike's boring-ass storyline is turning out.

I couldn't disagree more. I thought Donna Bowman's review at the A.V. Club very astutely identified the method behind the slow-play styling of Mike's storyline. The point is to contrast the "boring" attention to detail of someone like Mike or Chuck with Jimmy's seat-of-the-pants carelessness. Mike's hunt seems a bit tedious because it's meant to be a bit tedious -- so that we can sympathize with Jimmy's impulse to just rip the strip of tape off instead.

[mattie0808]

I wish Jimmy had just beat the absolute living HELL out of Chuck, if he's going to get in trouble for it anyway. I'm not sure I've ever had such a revulsion to a fictional character as I do to Chuck. At the same time, even calling the cops on this, with the witnesses and whatever...Jimmy's gotten himself out of much worse trouble than this, lol. Let's see where this goes.

Kim is awesome. Full stop.

Poor Ernesto.

Francesca! Who knew she was with Saul for so long! Before Saul, even.

GUS! Man, Jimmy's a quick thinker (with the watch). And Victor (that's his name, right?)! I was laughing at the end with the gas cap and cell phone. They're on to you, Mike!!!

[Sharper2002]

Jimmy taunting Chuck about his wife leaving him really hit him where it hurts. I had to give a little (internal) cheer when Jimmy said that. I know Chuck is technically on the "right" side of the law, but I really loathe him so much.

Howard scaling the wall was hilarious. Doing dirty work is clearly not his thing.

And Gus!!! I'm a huge Gus Fring fan, so I was delighted to see him finally pop up on the screen. Of course, he was fastidious as ever when digging through the garbage for Jimmy. Jimmy? Worst.spy.ever.

Because it can't be said enough, Kim and that damned Cindy Brady ponytail. Girl, let it go.

[Bryce Lynch]

5 hours ago, cyberfruit said:

Why does Chuck always have to be the absolute worst.

I thought Gus' (!!!!) introduction was going to be him popping up behind Jimmy asking, "Can I help you?" since that scene was so tension-filled. But nah, sweeping slowly into view while Jimmy acts like the worst spy in the history of ever. He has yet to learn that Gus has eyes in the back of his head. 

I root for Jimmy  against Chuck, but IMO Chuck had good cause to run the sting to nail Jimmy.  Jimmy sabotaged his work, broke into his house to cover it up, humiliated him, harmed his firm and hurt his innocent client by delaying the Mesa Verde expansion. 

Chuck's "We have a responsibility as officers of the court." crap was disingenuous and sanctimonious.  But, he has good reasons to want Jimmy punished and to not want him practicing law 

As a spy, Jimmy gets an A+ for noticing details and an F for being discrete.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Bryce Lynch

[Knuckles]

Loved that Howard drove a Jag...which is just what someone as pretentious as Howard would drive...his expensive suit did survive jumping fences though. I'm with the poster that cheered when Jimmy mocked Chuck's wife leaving him...and I wish he had thrown in more about Chuck's supposed illness. I don't think Howard is going to like being dragged into this...it doesn't  make HHM look good, with a loony founding partner still part of the firm. 

And Victor and Francesca are back...and of course, Gus. So the players have now met...let the games begin.

8 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

IMO Chuck had good cause to run the sting to nail Jimmy.

Of course, there is the fact that Jimmy has been the one who has done the shopping, run errands and done everything for his brother Chuck, for years. He has been perfectly willing to use Jimmy as a servant and errand boy, while stealing his work on the nursing home and cutting him out of the lawsuit.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Quote

Of course, there is the fact that Jimmy has been the one who has done the shopping, run errands and done everything for his brother Chuck, for years. He has been perfectly willing to use Jimmy as a servant and errand boy, while stealing his work on the nursing home and cutting him out of the lawsuit.

Not to mention the fact that Chuck basically stole Mesa Verde away from Kim. Chuck is an ungrateful asshole who is still living out his childish jealousy and his sibling rivalry with Jimmy. It was highlighted when Mrs. McGill was on her death bed last season; Jimmy went out to get some sandwiches while Chuck stayed behind in her hospital room and their mother's last words were "Where's Jimmy?" She couldn't care less that Chuck was there at her bedside, being a good son. Chuck never told Jimmy that their mother asked for him right before she died because he was so pissed that their mother loved Jimmy more. But then again, everyone prefers Jimmy over Chuck.

[acid burn]

5 minutes ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Chuck is an ungrateful asshole who is still living out his childish jealousy and his sibling rivalry with Jimmy. It was highlighted when Mrs. McGill was on her death bed last season; Jimmy went out to get some sandwiches while Chuck stayed behind in her hospital room and their mother's last words were "Where's Jimmy?"

Agreed. And that point was further driven home by Kim and Francesca repeatedly telling Jimmy that "they/people love you." 

I love that Francesca came to Jimmy/Saul from the DMV. Of course she did. 

ETA: "This guy (Mike) REALLY doesn't want to talk about Cracker Barrel." Hahahaha. 

Edited April 18, 2017 by acid burn

[jwc]

I like the fact that this is a prequel, and we know how the game ends for everyone (well not Saul, as it is not clear from the flash forward last week when he was on the floor of the Cinnabon what happened after that).  BCS is about setting up the pieces on the chessboard for BB.

[thuganomics85]

I might not agree with Jimmy about everything, but he was right about this, at least: from my experience, older people do seem to like Cracker Barrel...

Well, that was nuts.  I figured it was all a set-up by Chuck to have Jimmy sneak in and steal the tape, and have him arrested, but instead, Jimmy just kicks the door down, and destroys the tape in front of him.  Granted, he's still in deep shit and will likely get arrested for destroying private property (among other things), but I still kind of love that, once again, Chuck doesn't know Jimmy like he thinks he does.  He was so sure Jimmy was going to be sneaky and hide in the shadows, and instead, Jimmy confronts him in daylight and finally gives him an earful.  I don't care how cruel it was: I loved Jimmy's dig about Chuck's wife.  Jimmy isn't perfect and maybe he shouldn't be a lawyer, but Chuck has never showed him any support or affection, even when Jimmy was helping his sorry ass.  Chuck can fuck off.

At long last, Gus Fring has arrived!  The long reveal was maybe a bit much, but it was still great when Giancarlo Espositio's smile showed up again.  It's like he never left!  Not surprised he saw through Mike's plan, even if Jimmy wasn't the world's worst spy.  I do hope this will give Mike's storyline a good kick, but it is still going a bit too slow for my taste.  At least Jonathan Banks doesn't have to memorize many lines for these past two episodes.

Hey, Francesca!  So, that's how Saul knows her!

Poor Ernesto.  Poor Kim too.  I hope she survives whatever fallout happens (which will no doubt happen), and ends up being some kind of badass, successful lawyer elsewhere. 

Harold sneaking around in backyards in his slick suits was a hilarious image.

Overall, a good improvement over the premiere, although I wonder how long it's going to take to check in on good old Nacho!

[Bannon]

1 hour ago, benteen said:

The most overrated show on television returns to bore viewers with more silent and predictable storytelling on the Mike front.  Gus can make any garbage work but I DESPISE the self-indulgence involved in how Mike's boring-ass storyline is turning out.

Jimmy's storyline is better by comparison and the only part I liked in this episode was Jimmy finally snapping at the vile Chuck at the end.

If you don't like it, fine, but please don't presume to speak for all viewers.

[Bannon]

One of the many things I like about the show is that it uses action, without dialogue, to reveal character, and does so better than any other show that I watch. Howard's ridiculous trot in his expensive suit was just perfect, and I'd love to know if it was the actor's, writer's, or Gilligan's (who directed). It reminded me of Chuck playing piano in the cold open of an episode.

I also like the fact that they show surveillance work for what it is; a lot of silent waiting around.

[Christina]

I think Chuck is a perfect bad guy because he is so easy to hate, there is no guilt in hating him because of some external factor, such as giving him a break because he just lost his child, etc., and is true to form how real evil and nasty people operate. Not everyone uses physical violence, and watching him emotionally manipulate those around him is so true to reality for some bad guys.

I'm not exactly meaning his fear of electricity, which I think is true to him to some extent, and exaggerated to another, but everything else like lining up the situation to get Jimmy to break in, with witnesses, and have him arrested. True bad guy; true evil overlord. I shall cackle with glee when Jimmy finally prevails! Mwhahaha, enjoy the pulsating lights from when Jimmy gets Mike to adjust your house wiring, somehow! (Not a spoiler, that has not happened.)

The slow burn of this show isn't bothering me, yet, but The Americans is wearing real thin this season and I fear that this show will too, if every episode has long drawn-out scenes. It makes sense for the stories and the characters in both shows, it just seems a bit too long sometimes. It is probably literally a minute too much, yet I start getting distracted or, more often, find myself searching the scene for something hidden that doesn't actually exist, because I'm expecting a payoff in exchange for the time I'm investing. Yet, I will watch both until the end so I'm just pissing into the wind about it. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Jimmy was so crushed when he learned that his brother had deceived him. He was on an up from the love fest with his elderly clients, and then he had to return to being cheerful. Great acting by Odenkirk. 

Kim is great. Chuck is awful. I have no idea what is going on during the Mike surveillance sequences, but I don't mind watching them. 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, acid burn said:

ETA: "This guy (Mike) REALLY doesn't want to talk about Cracker Barrel." Hahahaha.

I loved how the show did that.  We know Mike well enough to know just how he'd be reacting to her folksy talk.  It was hilarious just thinking about it that we didn't need to actually see it.  I especially like him calling her a "pip."

Aah, Gus.  Everything about him from putting on the gloves to his expression after he saw the car leave was perfect.

And I'd like to bring up a discussion we had last week about "external content" and whether or not we needed to watch/listen to it to understand what is going on with the show.  Last week, it didn't really strike me that Chuck telling Ernesto was a setup until I watched the after show.  However, I never felt like I needed that external info because BCS/Breaking Bad are really good about continuing threads which often clarify things later.  That's what happened in this episode.  Even if I hadn't been turned on to the fact that it was a setup last week, this week would have made it perfectly clear. 

[knaankos]

I'm hoping we are hit with some unpredictability in the coming episodes because I'm pretty sure the thread ability last week's episode predicted this episode in full.

[acid burn]

10 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I loved how the show did that.  We know Mike well enough to know just how he'd be reacting to her folksy talk.  It was hilarious just thinking about it that we didn't need to actually see it.  I especially like him calling her a "pip."

I imagined Mike sitting in his car during that call, eating one of his homemade pimento cheese sandwiches, getting increasingly disgusted and impatient every time poor Francesca brought up one of the topics Jimmy told her to broach.

[PrincessSteel]

BCS, the spunky little con-man brother of BrBa, came of age tonight. 

[knaankos]

I'm guessing that this is the final straw for jimmy regarding his relationship with Chuck. That's good. If that's the case then The writers can no longer use the "Jimmy is enotional toward Chuck" angle anymore to justify wildly stupid actions. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Jimmy's velcro wallet was everything.  I know.  I am not normal.  :)

So, where is the timing now?  How many days was Mike surveilling LPH?  We know the JImmy arc was moved forward 8 days from Ernesto's reveal.  I wish the timing of his rage-filled B&E at Chuck's were more clearly drawn.  Why 8 days?  Did he blow off any clients and just take off?  No Kim to try to stop him?  And, of course, Howard just happened to be there at precisely the correct 20 minutes.

Mike now knows he is really up against someone/thing better than he is.  It will be interesting to see if his approach changes to one less pro-active.   I do think VG was a tad too deliberate this time in focusing so much on Mike.  We could have had any number of other scenes or arcs utilized to keep the slow narrative overall.

Question:  As super-friendly and earnest as the folks at LPH are, why wasn't a bigger fuss made by the earnest cashier over the regular appearance of knapsack dude?   Why would she have given him the exact same third-degree with the upsell questions?  

[Bryce Lynch]

3 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Not to mention the fact that Chuck basically stole Mesa Verde away from Kim. Chuck is an ungrateful asshole who is still living out his childish jealousy and his sibling rivalry with Jimmy. It was highlighted when Mrs. McGill was on her death bed last season; Jimmy went out to get some sandwiches while Chuck stayed behind in her hospital room and their mother's last words were "Where's Jimmy?" She couldn't care less that Chuck was there at her bedside, being a good son. Chuck never told Jimmy that their mother asked for him right before she died because he was so pissed that their mother loved Jimmy more. But then again, everyone prefers Jimmy over Chuck.

Kim tried to "steal" Mesa Verde from HHM and Chuck and Howard competed fairly to retain the client.  Then Jimmy broke the law, hurt the client and hurt Chuck and HHM to steal Mesa Verde back for Kim...wno would never have wanted him to do that "for her".  Remember when she said, "You don't save me, I save me."?

Chuck is an insufferable jackass in many, many ways.  Buf there is a good argument that he is the good guy and Jimmy is the bad guy in the Mesa Verde situation.

Again, I love Jimmy and root for him against Chuck.  But, I think an unbiased analysis of the facts would show that Chuck is not the devil and Jimmy the angel.

[millennium]

5 hours ago, Dev F said:

I couldn't disagree more. I thought Donna Bowman's review at the A.V. Club very astutely identified the method behind the slow-play styling of Mike's storyline. The point is to contrast the "boring" attention to detail of someone like Mike or Chuck with Jimmy's seat-of-the-pants carelessness. Mike's hunt seems a bit tedious because it's meant to be a bit tedious -- so that we can sympathize with Jimmy's impulse to just rip the strip of tape off instead.

I suppose that's one way to look at it.  If we had no idea where it's all leading, it might even make sense.   But most of us already know the broad strokes of the storyline, so trying to build suspense in the face of that knowledge tends to foment frustration and annoyance instead.   We're hungry for substance but all we're getting is style.  The gas caps ... I now know more about aftermarket gas caps than I ever dreamed I would.   Drawn out scenes of people swapping out batteries.   I want to scream "COME ON ALREADY!"

I don't get the objections to BB characters.   It's a BB spinoff.   The premise of the whole show is to set the stage for BB.   Stop fighting the tide.

Kim really rocks those skirts.

[Phei]

"Trout? Like the fish?"

 

I'm in love with every second of Jonathan Banks scenes. I could watch them for hours.

[theodyssey]

7 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

It seems like so many people want to not be excited about BB characters' appearances on this show, even to the point of worrying that these characters will somehow ruin BCS.  I've seen soooo many comments in assorted places (since 2015) from people who don't care about and will not be excited about any BB characters popping up on this show.

Well, I am going against the grain.  I am not at all ashamed to admit that I love seeing the BB characters.  Bring them on!   I was thrilled when the cousins and Hector showed up last year, and now I am even more thrilled to see Francesca, Victor.... and GUSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!  Yes, yes, yes!

I look forward to appearances and foreshadowing for Breaking Bad. But the one person who CAN NOT appear at all is Walter White. He doesn't know Mike, Saul or Gus before the events of Breaking Bad. They can't undermine that. If they get in Brian Cranston, they're cheating. And obviously he can't appear in the flash-forwards.

I'd kind of accept Jesse in a season or two, after "Jimmy" has taken on his new name. Jesse and Saul seemed to have met before when Breaking Bad introduced Saul. But I still think they should avoid it really. It just draws comparisons. This is a different show.

Almost anyone else works. I'd be surprised if we didn't get Skinny Pete or Badger eventually.

[Bryce Lynch]

2 minutes ago, theodyssey said:

I look forward to appearances and foreshadowing for Breaking Bad. But the one person who CAN NOT appear at all is Walter White. He doesn't know Mike, Saul or Gus before the events of Breaking Bad. They can't undermine that. If they get in Brian Cranston, they're cheating. And obviously he can't appear in the flash-forwards.

I'd kind of accept Jesse in a season or two, after "Jimmy" has taken on his new name. Jesse and Saul seemed to have met before when Breaking Bad introduced Saul. But I still think they should avoid it really. It just draws comparisons. This is a different show.

Almost anyone else works. I'd be surprised if we didn't get Skinny Pete or Badger eventually.

I think Cranston would be fine in a cameo, where he doesn't really interact with Saul, Mike or Gus.

I want Mike and Jimmy to meet in some bar and have Twaughthammer playing in the background.

I would also love to see Jimmy or Kim defend Marie on a shoplifting charge and Jane on a drug bust. 

[benteen]

7 hours ago, Bannon said:

If you don't like it, fine, but please don't presume to speak for all viewers.

Fair enough but it is the most overrated show on television and I find the praise for it to be truly inexplicable.

Edited April 18, 2017 by benteen

[Bannon]

11 minutes ago, benteen said:

Fair enough but it is the most overrated show on television and I find the praise for it to be truly inexplicable.

Again, your opinion is not a fact, and you don't have a finely calibrated overrate-o-meter to establish your opinion as fact. I don't think the show is overrated at all, and I think my praise for it is eminently explicable. Look, you don't like it, and I won't try to convince you that you should. It would be apprecitaed if you didn't write as if your opinion of the show is a proven reality. Criticism of the show is fine, especially when it is grounded in specific observations, but when the criticism is along the lines of "It is boring and predictable to see what Mike is doing" or "this show is overrated", these are largely matters of preference. 

[Bryce Lynch]

I am looking forward to finding out what Fring's operation is like, at this stage in the timeline.  Does he have 14 restaurants already, only the one, something in between?  Is he producing his own meth, or is he distributing imported meth for the cartel?

I would also love to know what exactly started the conflict with the cartel that we see in BB.  How much was personal and how much was business? How much did it have to do with Walter White?  Was it mainly that he insisted on protecting the man they held responsible for Tuco's death?  Was the cartel angry with Fring for producing his own meth and competing with them?  Did they only get mad when he started producing far superior meth with Walt as his chemist? Was it that  they figured out that he arranged for the cousins to get caught/killed trying to murder Hank, to bring heat on the cartel?

Does anyone have an idea of what year it is now in BCS?  I believe it started in 2002, from the letter/check that Jimmy received from HHM.  How much time has passed, months, years?  I would estimate about 1 year, but it could be more or less.  On Breaking Bad, Gilligan intentionally tried to keep the timeline somewhat vague, but we did have Walt's birthday bacon to give at least a broad idea of how much time had passed.  On BCS, they seem to be keeping the passage of time even more vague.  
 

Edited April 18, 2017 by Bryce Lynch

[ShadowFacts]

3 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Again, I love Jimmy and root for him against Chuck.  But, I think an unbiased analysis of the facts would show that Chuck is not the devil and Jimmy the angel.

Absolutely agree.  They are both seriously flawed, to put it nicely.  Jimmy not only has more charm, but I get the feeling he really has some sincerity regarding his elder clients whereas Chuck doesn't seem to have anything left but bitterness.  But they're both on the road to hell.

I liked that Mike and Jimmy interacted, that is something I need from the story; the two separate orbits isn't as compelling to me. 

Kim being instantly all-in with defending Jimmy to the point of calling her old law professor was a little surprising.  Her discomfort with what he did has evaporated.  She's being sucked into the Jimmy vortex.  It will be interesting to see how Saul becomes Kim-less. 

[ghoulina]

I thought we were going to get just ONE BB character this week, but THREE? What a treat! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes with Francesca. I don't think she was given enough on BB for me to have a real opinion of her. But she was quite a delight tonight. I absolutely loved when she was trying to put Mike on hold and whispered to Jimmy, "this one really doesn't want to talk about Cracker Barrel". 

Fucking Cracker Barrel. I wonder if Jimmy can get justice for Brad's wife. 

And I really really loved all the first glimpses of Gus. I have to say that that scene of Jimmy scoping out Los Pollos could have been dull as dirt, if not for Odenkirk. He played it beautifully, all his facial expressions. It was quite obvious that while Jimmy is great with the old people, doing a stakeout for Mike gives him more of the thrill he desires. He was a disappointed little kid when Mike cut him loose. But I just loved the unfocused, blurry Gus in the background, sweeping up. You saw the yellow shirt....and you KNEW. 

I'm hanging in there, but the Mike stuff is still perplexing me a bit. I get that he's now tailing the guys who were tailing him. The Victor sighting makes it clear that Gus is the one ultimately tailing Mike. But what I'm a bit confused about is HOW is he still tailing them (the one guy)? Are we to believe that the dude is carrying around that other gas cap all the time? Forgive me if I'm missing something, but I have to admit I'm quite tired on Monday nights and always struggle to stay awake, no matter how good it is. But it's also often very dark in Mike's scenes and I'll admit I probably don't catch everything. 

Jimmy's realization of what Chuck was doing was just heartbreaking to me. When Jimmy fucked Chuck over (Mesa Verde) it was really all about Kim. I don't think he INTENDED to make Chuck a fool, and I do think he felt horrible with what it resulted in. When Chuck is now fucking Jimmy over, it's all about making Jimmy PAY. I don't think Jimmy would ever feel that extreme about his brother. He's no saint, but Chuck clearly has a lot more anger in his heart in regards to his brother than Jimmy does. I think Jimmy, deep down, still just wants to be like his brother and make him proud - hence the tape rolling, which actually made me really sad. 

It was clear that Jimmy was just destroyed by this turn of events. And Kim is MAD. I'm curious to see more of the fallout from her than anything. 

Did anyone catch how when Kim wanted to tell Jimmy what she knew, she made him pay her? Just like Saul does with Walt/Jess in BB? I wonder if that's just a common lawyer thing, or if Jimmy ultimately got that idea from her. Either way, I loved that callback. 

[Bryce Lynch]

6 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

I thought we were going to get just ONE BB character this week, but THREE? What a treat! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes with Francesca. I don't think she was given enough on BB for me to have a real opinion of her. But she was quite a delight tonight. I absolutely loved when she was trying to put Mike on hold and whispered to Jimmy, "this one really doesn't want to talk about Cracker Barrel". 

Fucking Cracker Barrel. I wonder if Jimmy can get justice for Brad's wife. 

And I really really loved all the first glimpses of Gus. I have to say that that scene of Jimmy scoping out Los Pollos could have been dull as dirt, if not for Odenkirk. He played it beautifully, all his facial expressions. It was quite obvious that while Jimmy is great with the old people, doing a stakeout for Mike gives him more of the thrill he desires. He was a disappointed little kid when Mike cut him loose. But I just loved the unfocused, blurry Gus in the background, sweeping up. You saw the yellow shirt....and you KNEW. 

I'm hanging in there, but the Mike stuff is still perplexing me a bit. I get that he's now tailing the guys who were tailing him. The Victor sighting makes it clear that Gus is the one ultimately tailing Mike. But what I'm a bit confused about is HOW is he still tailing them (the one guy)? Are we to believe that the dude is carrying around that other gas cap all the time? Forgive me if I'm missing something, but I have to admit I'm quite tired on Monday nights and always struggle to stay awake, no matter how good it is. But it's also often very dark in Mike's scenes and I'll admit I probably don't catch everything. 

Jimmy's realization of what Chuck was doing was just heartbreaking to me. When Jimmy fucked Chuck over (Mesa Verde) it was really all about Kim. I don't think he INTENDED to make Chuck a fool, and I do think he felt horrible with what it resulted in. When Chuck is now fucking Jimmy over, it's all about making Jimmy PAY. I don't think Jimmy would ever feel that extreme about his brother. He's no saint, but Chuck clearly has a lot more anger in his heart in regards to his brother than Jimmy does. I think Jimmy, deep down, still just wants to be like his brother and make him proud - hence the tape rolling, which actually made me really sad. 

It was clear that Jimmy was just destroyed by this turn of events. And Kim is MAD. I'm curious to see more of the fallout from her than anything. 

Did anyone catch how when Kim wanted to tell Jimmy what she knew, she made him pay her? Just like Saul does with Walt/Jess in BB? I wonder if that's just a common lawyer thing, or if Jimmy ultimately got that idea from her. Either way, I loved that callback. 

I also enjoyed Francesca.  She seemed a lot more friendly and upbeat, which makes sense.  I'm sure years of dealing with Saul Goodman's shenanigans and his lowlife clients would wear on a person.

I am not 100% sure, but I think after Jimmy's fiasco at LPH, Fring figured out that Mike had been tracking his men and intentionally let Mike track them, so he could leave him the phone.  It was a bit like Chuck intentionally allowing Ernie to "accidentally" here the Jimmy tape.

Kim's reaction was interesting, basically getting 100% behind Jimmy.  Is it love, pity, disgust with Chuck?

So now we know that Saul got Ice Station Zebra Associates and the "gimme a dollar so we will have attorney-client privilege" thing from Kim.  

[ghoulina]

5 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

So, where is the timing now?  How many days was Mike surveilling LPH?  We know the JImmy arc was moved forward 8 days from Ernesto's reveal.  I wish the timing of his rage-filled B&E at Chuck's were more clearly drawn.  Why 8 days?  Did he blow off any clients and just take off?  No Kim to try to stop him?  And, of course, Howard just happened to be there at precisely the correct 20 minutes.

I don't have the timing nailed down, but I don't think it was necessarily 8 days since JIMMY was told. I think it was 8 days since Chuck dropped the bomb on Ernesto. We don't know how many days it took Ernesto to work up the nerve to tell someone, decide who to tell, etc. I think Jimmy probably went to Chuck's the same day, or next day at the latest. Ernesto may have been stewing for a week. 

 

4 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Chuck is an insufferable jackass in many, many ways.  Buf there is a good argument that he is the good guy and Jimmy is the bad guy in the Mesa Verde situation.

I agree. Kim did get Mesa Verde, but she got them FOR HHM. When she left, she tried to take the client with her. And, while I think HHM would have been just fine to let that one go, I don't think there's anything wrong with Howard and Chuck trying to keep the client with the firm. Jimmy was definitely in the wrong when he switched those numbers around. He did it for good reasons, but the act itself was wrong. Quite the opposite with Chuck, who usually does the correct thing, but with bad intentions. 

3 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I am not 100% sure, but I think after Jimmy's fiasco at LPH, Fring figured out that Mike had been tracking his men and intentionally let Mike track them, so he could leave him the phone.  It was a bit like Chuck intentionally allowing Ernie to "accidentally" here the Jimmy tape.

I got that. But I mean even prior to the siting at LPH. When Mike was tailing the napsack guy all these days and nights, was the guy just carrying that gas cap around with him? 

[Dev F]

37 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I would also love to know what exactly started the conflict with the cartel that we see in BB.  How much was personal and how much was business? How much did it have to do with Walter White?  Was it mainly that he insisted on protecting the man they held responsible for Tuco's death?  Was the cartel angry with Fring for producing his own meth and competing with them?  Did they only get mad when he started producing far superior meth with Walt as his chemist? Was it that  they figured out that he arranged for the cousins to get caught/killed trying to murder Hank, to bring heat on the cartel?

I gather that all along Gus was playing a very long game of revenge against Hector, Juan Bolsa, and Don Eladio, but Walter's hot-headedness accelerated his timetable and forced him to improvise in ways that he would otherwise have considered foolishly reckless. At Better Call Saul's point in the timeline, I don't think he even has a competing product yet; the flashback at the beginning of the Breaking Bad episode "Box Cutter" establishes that Gale was still setting up Gus's superlab when Walt's meth operation came to their attention.

[benteen]

Now that I've said what I wanted to say, I'll get to the part I found most interesting.  It'll be interesting to see Jimmy try to get out of this one because he'd have to admit why he acted the way he did in the first place.  Saying "I was trying to destroy evidence that I committed a crime" isn't going to work.

Quote

Chuck is an insufferable jackass in many, many ways.  Buf there is a good argument that he is the good guy and Jimmy is the bad guy in the Mesa Verde situation.

Jimmy was in the wrong on the Mesa Verde situation but if Chuck was so devoted to the law, he would have reported Jimmy for what he did, which I believe him and Hamlin have a legal obligation to do.  Instead, he's trying to entrap Jimmy.

Chuck might be right about the Mesa Verde situation but he's no good guy.  He treats everyone around like shit and like they are beneath him.  His brother, his partner and his employee (Ernesto).

[teddysmom]

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I would also love to know what exactly started the conflict with the cartel that we see in BB.  

Don Eladio (sp)  killed Gus' closest friend and partner way back in the day when they first came to him about selling meth.  I think it's a grudge he held for years, and then they were stealing meth from his Pollos Hermanos delivery trucks and selling it.  

[Bryce Lynch]

22 minutes ago, Dev F said:

I gather that all along Gus was playing a very long game of revenge against Hector, Juan Bolsa, and Don Eladio, but Walter's hot-headedness accelerated his timetable and forced him to improvise in ways that he would otherwise have considered foolishly reckless. At Better Call Saul's point in the timeline, I don't think he even has a competing product yet; the flashback at the beginning of the Breaking Bad episode "Box Cutter" establishes that Gale was still setting up Gus's superlab when Walt's meth operation came to their attention.

Yes, I know Gus didn't have a super lab, yet.  But, I was wondering if he had a smaller manufacturing operation going on or if he was merely distributing for the cartel.  I suspect the latter.