S04.E04: Talk

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

A restless Jimmy embarks on a new endeavor while Mike burns bridges. Kim pursues her bliss. Nacho tries to survive a turf war.

[Spartan Girl]

Mike is the biggest BAMF on this show. But that flashback with young Matty reminds us all that he had a heart.

[Primetimer]

Mike develops a theory about one of his fellow support-group grievers, while Jimmy develops a plan for marketing cell phones to a specific kind of customer in our EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP of 'Talk.'

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[tiredofwork]

Kind of a fragmented, disjointed episode.  I like the nacho, Mike stuff always, but seemed disjointed.   Looks like Mike has to "end" Nacho?

Did anyone else's station have a strange commercial cut in when the judge was looking to ask Kim to rep the guy in court?  What happened as it came back to a different scene?

[peggy06]

Why did Mike lash out right after Stacy had spoken? Did he think the fake widower was trying to get in good with her? Or could he just not stomach the lies juxtaposed with real grief? But then, why did he basically call them all out?

[WritinMan]

Just now, peggy06 said:

Why did Mike lash out right after Stacy had spoken? Did he think the fake widower was trying to get in good with her? Or could he just not stomach the lies juxtaposed with real grief? But then, why did he basically call them all out?

This.

[benteen]

Well, that was dull.  There were some good moments to be sure.  The shootout was pretty awesome (and Nacho's storyline continues to have the most suspense), Jonathan Banks performance (when his daughter-in-law was talking about not thinking about Matty), Ethan Phillips was terrific as the judge but I was bored.  This was the show in one of its self-indulgent moments.  Particularly Jimmy's storyline, which continues to be the least interesting on the show (though I like his new partner in crime).

Edited August 28, 2018 by benteen

[WritinMan]

3 minutes ago, tiredofwork said:

Did anyone else's station have a strange commercial cut in when the judge was looking to ask Kim to rep the guy in court?  What happened as it came back to a different scene?

I didn't notice a strange cut. But I also didn't think he was necessarily looking for him to rep the guy. I thought he just noticed her still in his court after telling her she shouldn't be there.

2 minutes ago, benteen said:

Well, that was dull.  There were some good moments to be sure.  The shootout was pretty awesome (and Nacho's storyline continues to have the most suspense), Jonathan Banks performance (when his daughter-in-law was talking about not thinking about Matty), etc. but I was bored.  This was the show in one of its self-indulgent moments.  Particularly Jimmy's storyline, which continues to be the least interesting on the show (though I like his new partner in crime).

Always surprises me that someone could think this show is dull. There's always so much going on. I don't see self-indulgence at all. This isn't an action show. They're going to tell the story at their own pace. Just like Breaking Bad.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Mike's distress when Stacey was describing moving on was a lot.  Why did he have such a visceral reaction?  Whatever the cause, it did not help matters when he "talked."  

It did not help Nacho that he talked in the scene immediately preceding.  Maybe, like Mike, Nacho has half checked-out, ready to die if he "has to."  I bet there were not many days when one, let alone two, underlings "talked" to Gus without fear.   

I am fascinated to know what Kim is doing.  She is at the very beginning of an insane amount of work with "Lane" (Viola) and she decides to just sit in a courtroom?  The reference to "The Verdict" was incredibly awesome timing given the revelations in the dossier/letter just released implicating the Pope himself IRL.

And now for an ultimate "looking too hard to make significance out of randomness":  The two letters Mike filled in on his crossword puzzle in the restaurant were "RE."  The last two letters Jimmy painted on the window of CC Mobile?  "RE."  I'll crawl back into my hole now. 

[TVFan17]

I continue to hope that somehow Nacho makes it out of this series alive and intact, and that he doesn't get killed by Gus, Victor, Tyrus, anyone else in the Gus Fring camp, the Cousins, anyone else in the Salamanca camp.... or Mike.    I keep hoping Nacho will magically "disappear" -- never to be seen by any of them again.   But he is in bad shape, and he might just collapse and die if someone else doesn't kill him first.

[ShadowFacts]

14 minutes ago, peggy06 said:

Why did Mike lash out right after Stacy had spoken? Did he think the fake widower was trying to get in good with her? Or could he just not stomach the lies juxtaposed with real grief? But then, why did he basically call them all out?

I took it as he was fed up with all of them/it.  He said something about they wouldn't notice the guy's lies because they come there and feed off each other's grief. 

[Tighthead]

I think Kim is watching trial work because she is having a crisis of conscience about whether her calling is to do regulatory work for a regional bank. 

What was Gus’s beef with Mike? I thought Gus was pulling all the strings and the turf war was to his benefit. 

As for the group session, I think Mike was pissed at the liar, but also frustrated by the whole process. He likely sees it as a way that stops people from moving on more than helps them. He basically called it a pity party. 

Edited August 28, 2018 by Tighthead

[Dev F]

15 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Mike's distress when Stacey was describing moving on was a lot.  Why did he have such a visceral reaction?  Whatever the cause, it did not help matters when he "talked." 

I thought that was sort of the point of the whole thing -- Mike recoiling at the very idea of "talk." His memories of Matty are written in cement, bound to memories of hard work and sacrifice. It's probably horrifying to him that Stacey could forget about his son because she mostly associates him with something as trivial as making breakfast. And then the group leader reassures her that they've all felt things like that -- so what's the point of all this talking if it's not going to help you hold on to the person you love? His fun bet with Anita becomes something ugly and mean because he's accusing the rest of the group as much as he's accusing the fake widower: This loss isn't real to you. It's all just meaningless words.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Dev F

[peggy06]

3 minutes ago, Tighthead said:

I think Kim is watching trial work because she is having a crisis of conscience about whether her calling is to do regulatory work for a regional bank. 

What was Gus’s beef with Mike? I thought Gus was pulling all the strings and the turf war was to his benefit. 

Right. The judge as good as said so.

[TVFan17]

5 minutes ago, Tighthead said:

I think Kim is watching trial work because she is having a crisis of conscience about whether her calling is to do regulatory work for a regional bank. 

What was Gus’s beef with Mike? I thought Gus was pulling all the strings and the turf war was to his benefit. 

As for the group session, I think Mike was pissed at the liar, but also frustrated by the whole process. He likely sees it as a way that stops people from moving on more than helps them. He basically called it a pity party. 

Gus was mad that Mike did not tell him that Nacho was trying to kill Hector, or that he didn't somehow thwart Nacho's attempt, because Mike already knew that Gus wanted to keep Hector alive (that is, until Gus is ready to kill him).

[Dianaofthehunt]

I agree with Mike's opinion of the grief group. 
One of my favorite scenes in Mad Men: Don Draper visit's Lane Price's widow with a big cash pay-out, acting all sad. She gives him hell for it, telling him the company never gave a damn about Lane, and implying (rightly) that Americans wallow in grief, whereas Brits get on with it. 

Help me out: I don't get how Gus knew that Mike even knows Nacho. 

[nodorothyparker]

Poor Nacho's efforts to keep his dad's business out of the drug game just keep getting more and more expensive.  The bodies are piling up and Gus is telling him he isn't anywhere close to being done.

I kind of love that Jimmy is the one person who can't just take a blow off job as easy money to catch up on his reading or the news or whatever.  But this isn't the first time that we've seen that an idle Jimmy left to his own devices is a dangerous thing.

[TVFan17]

7 minutes ago, Dianaofthehunt said:

I agree with Mike's opinion of the grief group. 
One of my favorite scenes in Mad Men: Don Draper visit's Lane Price's widow with a big cash pay-out, acting all sad. She gives him hell for it, telling him the company never gave a damn about Lane, and implying (rightly) that Americans wallow in grief, whereas Brits get on with it. 

Help me out: I don't get how Gus knew that Mike even knows Nacho. 

Gus finds out everything about everyone he associates with.  I think that even if he didn't figure out that Mike knew of Nacho personally, he was mad at Mike for not protecting Hector from an attempted murder because he wants Hector to stay alive for now.   

Edited August 28, 2018 by TVFan17

[Pike Ludwell]

What is the deal with the magnified eating sounds this season? Last week it was Jimmy eating cereal loudly for a prolonged time. This week it was judge munninger eating hyper-loudly for a long time. We went through the entire BB without hearing people's chewing, saliva flowing, and nasal sounds while eating. This season we seem to have a new sound guy who decided there hasn't been enough eating sounds in the past and that needs to change!! They throw in eating scenes (where the eating is really not necessary to the scene) I think because this guy thinks it's an important sound for people to hear and that people love it!

[Tighthead]

11 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

Gus was mad that Mike did not tell him that Nacho was trying to kill Hector, or that he didn't somehow thwart Nacho's attempt, because Mike already knew that Gus wanted to keep Hector alive (that is, until Gus is ready to kill him).

 

Got it. I assumed that it related to this episode, it was bigger picture stuff. Makes sense and thanks. 

[Dev F]

9 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

Gus finds out everything about everyone he associates with.  I think that even if he didn't figure out that Mike knew of Nacho personally, he was mad at Mike for not protecting Hector from the attempted murder because he wants Hector to stay alive for now.   

He's definitely aware that Mike knows Nacho personally; there's no way he could've known Mike was the guy plotting against Hector in the first place without following Nacho to him.

[TVFan17]

8 minutes ago, Dev F said:

He's definitely aware that Mike knows Nacho personally; there's no way he could've known Mike was the guy plotting against Hector in the first place without following Nacho to him.

That's very true.   And even aside from that, I just assume that Gus knows all about everyone, all the time, anyway.  He seems to have eyes and ears all over the place, and knows who to follow and spy on at the right moments.

[thuganomics85]

So, basically Gus had Nacho lie and claim that he was jumped by a rival gang, which led to the Salamanca cousins taking them out, and now the territory will likely go to Gus' crew.  Classic gangster move there, huh?!  No surprise, the cousins are not to be trifled with!  And poor Nacho is still along for the ride.  His scene with his dad was so sad.  Michael Mando has really been shining these past few seasons.

I definitely think Mike's outburst was because Henry or whoever he was, was using Stacey's grief to build on his own fake story, and that was the last straw for Mike.  But in general, I do think that these kind of sessions will not work on someone like Mike.  Curious to see how it all plays out.  Of course, since Henry was played by Marc Evan Jackson, I was just like "Well, duh, he's lying, because he's actually got a husband back in Brooklyn.  Holt would be very disappointed in you, Kevin!  And think about Cheddar!"

Kim seems to be disillusioned with her Mesa Verde work, and longs to be doing normal trials again.  Hmm, I wonder where this is leading?  Enjoyed Ethan Phillips as the judge, even though even when he's his normal self on screen, whenever I hear him speak, I just think of Neelix from Star Trek: Voyager! 

Jimmy actually seemed to take a backseat in this episode, but I'm guessing him being stuck in a cellphone store with nothing to do, is going to lead to more schemes that will continue his journey into Saul Goodman!

[MisterBluxom]

8 hours ago, benteen said:

Well, that was dull.  There were some good moments to be sure.  The shootout was pretty awesome (and Nacho's storyline continues to have the most suspense), Jonathan Banks performance (when his daughter-in-law was talking about not thinking about Matty), Ethan Phillips was terrific as the judge but I was bored.  This was the show in one of its self-indulgent moments.  Particularly Jimmy's storyline, which continues to be the least interesting on the show (though I like his new partner in crime).

 

Did anyone else catch that Jimmy's new partner left a glove in the case after he took the Hummer and the business owner suddenly came out of his office? It he did, that could set up a small mini-plot where Jimmy will be threatened with getting busted for stealing that Hummer.

The whole enterprise made no sense to me. These people have had millions. Maybe if the enterprise involved them making $4K minimum every day, that might be valuable. But a one time event? The penalty if they get caught can't possibly justify the reward. Just don't make sense. I can understand why Mike passed on it. No brainer.

Edited August 28, 2018 by MissBluxom

[peeayebee]

I'm still confused about the Mike/Nacho/Gus conversation. Gus says, "You came to me. You asked me for a favor. You looked me in the eye. You shook my hand. And all the while you knew Varga was moving against my interests." So that's Gus assuming that Mike knew Nacho wanted to kill Hector? Can someone remind me about the scene where Mike asked Gus for a favor and shook his hand?

As I expected, we learned what Kim was up to when she told her paralegal last week that she was going to the courthouse. I guess she wants to find something more interesting and satisfying to her than doing Mesa Verde work.

In the therapy group session, I thought Mike was upset with Stacy for forgetting about Matty, but maybe he was just tearing himself up inside again for not protecting and saving his son. Hearing any talk about him is going to bring up the pain and guilt.

[MisterBluxom]

I must have gotten ahold of the wrong episodes or mixed them up or something. I've watched four episodes titles E01 thru E04 and I can't ever recall any courtroom scene.

I posted about the Hummers above because the file I saw labeled S04E04 was the one where Jimmy and his new partner stole the Hummer. The very end of that episode was when Jimmy and Kim read the letter that Chuck left for Jimmy. Did I somehow get the episode number mixed up? Was the end of Episode 4 not about them reading the letter? Can anyone tell me in which episode the courtroom scene with Neelix ocurred?

I am getting kind of old. But I sure hope I'm not yet getting senile. I just don't understand.

Edited August 28, 2018 by MissBluxom

[Dev F]

3 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

I posted about the Hummers above because the file I saw labeled S04E04 was the one where Jimmy and his new partner stole the Hummer. The very end of that episode was when Jimmy and Kim read the letter that Chuck left for Jimmy. Did I somehow get the episode number mixed up? Was the end of Episode 4 not about them reading the letter?

No, that's the end of episode 3. Sounds like you're still one episode behind.

[MisterBluxom]

33 minutes ago, Dev F said:

No, that's the end of episode 3. Sounds like you're still one episode behind.

Thanking you ever so much. I will try to figure out what happened.

[SailorGirl]

Jonathan Banks. That is all. The way he played the seething rage just under the surface. When he was sitting in the grief group, getting more and more annoyed and all that happened was his lip was twitching. The slightest little bit. For me, that scene alone was Emmy material. And totally on his side with using the group to continue to wallow in misery rather than getting on with life. 

Definitely a slow-moving episode but lots of subcurrents going on -- one of the things Gilligan et al do best -- sometimes when things seem the dullest is when the most is going on underneath, building up. And I can't wait to see how they bring it all out. I remember that from BrBa -- the "boring" episodes always served a valuable purpose. I don't see this being any different. 

 

[LittleIggy]

Mike is da man! He is so freaking awesome. I saw the support group as a pity party too.

The Salamancas don’t need no stinkin’ backup!

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

I'm still confused about the Mike/Nacho/Gus conversation. Gus says, "You came to me. You asked me for a favor. You looked me in the eye. You shook my hand. And all the while you knew Varga was moving against my interests." So that's Gus assuming that Mike knew Nacho wanted to kill Hector? Can someone remind me about the scene where Mike asked Gus for a favor and shook his hand?

I don't remember that, either.

Remember a scene in BB when Saul Goodman opened his desk drawer and it was full of all different kinds of cell phones?  Makes sense now.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Quilt Fairy

[Penman61]

2 hours ago, Dev F said:

I thought that was sort of the point of the whole thing -- Mike recoiling at the very idea of "talk." His memories of Matty are written in cement, bound to memories of hard work and sacrifice. It's probably horrifying to him that Stacey could forget about his son because she mostly associates him with something as trivial as making breakfast. And then the group leader reassures her that they've all felt things like that -- so what's the point of all this talking if it's not going to help you hold on to the person you love? His fun bet with Anita becomes something ugly and mean because he's accusing the rest of the group as much as he's accusing the fake widower: This loss isn't real to you. It's all just meaningless words.

 

I think this is correct.  

Also, I fucking hate people policing other people's grieving.  Even Mike.  This process doesn't work for you? Then leave.  You think you know better? Form your own fucking group.  

This may have pissed me off.  May have.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Penman61

[all fall down]

2 hours ago, Pat Hoolihan said:

What is the deal with the magnified eating sounds this season? Last week it was Jimmy eating cereal loudly for a prolonged time. This week it was judge munninger eating hyper-loudly for a long time. We went through the entire BB without hearing people's chewing, saliva flowing, and nasal sounds while eating. This season we seem to have a new sound guy who decided there hasn't been enough eating sounds in the past and that needs to change!! They throw in eating scenes (where the eating is really not necessary to the scene) I think because this guy thinks it's an important sound for people to hear and that people love it!

I noticed this too. The cereal scene just made me mad thought because it made me crave cereal and then I discovered I was out of milk. Lol.

 

Quote

Did anyone else catch that Jimmy's new partner left a glove in the case after he took the Hummer and the business owner suddenly came out of his office? It he did, that could set up a small mini-plot where Jimmy will be threatened with getting busted for stealing that Hummer.

I saw him set the glove down, and kept waiting to see if he picked it up again, but didn't notice it. I bet it comes back at some point. 

[MisterBluxom]

1 hour ago, SailorGirl said:

Jonathan Banks. That is all. The way he played the seething rage just under the surface. When he was sitting in the grief group, getting more and more annoyed and all that happened was his lip was twitching. The slightest little bit. For me, that scene alone was Emmy material. And totally on his side with using the group to continue to wallow in misery rather than getting on with life. 

Definitely a slow-moving episode but lots of subcurrents going on -- one of the things Gilligan et al do best -- sometimes when things seem the dullest is when the most is going on underneath, building up. And I can't wait to see how they bring it all out. I remember that from BrBa -- the "boring" episodes always served a valuable purpose. I don't see this being any different. 

 

 

I wish to support SailorGirl's opinion.  It is not easy to recognize an actor's talent and many people are quick to criticize others who make the kind of a post that agrees with someone else but does not post anything original.  Many people seem to object to other people whose posts do not contain any original opinions.  But, I want to give SailorGirl some acknowledgement because the very nature of Mr. Banks' performance makes it very difficult to spot his talent.  So, you go SailorGirl.

Edited August 28, 2018 by MissBluxom

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Enjoyed Ethan Phillips as the judge, even though even when he's his normal self on screen, whenever I hear him speak, I just think of Neelix from Star Trek: Voyager! 

Thank you so much.  I recognized the voice instantly, but could not place the actor.  (He reminded me of Wallace Shawn, but I knew Wallace Shawn would be much older now.)

[DangerousMinds]

13 minutes ago, Penman61 said:

I think this is correct.  

Also, I fucking hate people policing other people's grieving.  Even Mike.  This process doesn't work for you? Then leave.  You think you know better? Form your own fucking group.  

This may have pissed me off.  May have.

Right. Some people are extremely isolated and truly need groups like this. Mike is not one of them.

[Bryce Lynch]

3 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I'm still confused about the Mike/Nacho/Gus conversation. Gus says, "You came to me. You asked me for a favor. You looked me in the eye. You shook my hand. And all the while you knew Varga was moving against my interests." So that's Gus assuming that Mike knew Nacho wanted to kill Hector? Can someone remind me about the scene where Mike asked Gus for a favor and shook his hand?

As I expected, we learned what Kim was up to when she told her paralegal last week that she was going to the courthouse. I guess she wants to find something more interesting and satisfying to her than doing Mesa Verde work.

In the therapy group session, I thought Mike was upset with Stacy for forgetting about Matty, but maybe he was just tearing himself up inside again for not protecting and saving his son. Hearing any talk about him is going to bring up the pain and guilt.

Mike asked Gus to launder the money he stole from the Salamanca ice cream truck 

[dwmarch]

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Thank you so much.  I recognized the voice instantly, but could not place the actor.  (He reminded me of Wallace Shawn, but I knew Wallace Shawn would be much older now.)

Wallace Shawn was on Deep Space Nine as Grand Nagus Zek:

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Wallace_Shawn

2 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The Salamancas don’t need no stinkin’ backup!

I appreciated the subtle genius of Gus Fring here. He knew the twins would be arrogant enough to go in on their own and if they should get themselves killed along the way more is the pity. I also appreciated the subtle genius of the production, having a massive gun battle (in a show about a lawyer) that we only see tiny bits of because of the fence.

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Jimmy actually seemed to take a backseat in this episode, but I'm guessing him being stuck in a cellphone store with nothing to do, is going to lead to more schemes that will continue his journey into Saul Goodman!

Idle hands and all that. Although it's interesting to see that at least on his first day Jimmy was all kinds of productive. He dusted every flat surface, he fixed up the displays and he even had time to paint the windows!

[gallimaufry]

An excellent episode.  With all the characters following their own separate trajectories, it feels more like an ensemble show than the the two-track structure of past seasons but this has the advantage that we have a really good knowledge of each of the characters.

Really pleased to see the flashback teaser -- and a Mike one!  I don't want the show to go all "Lost" in requiring flashbacks but I do think these are very interesting and I hope we get more of them, especially with different characters.

This is one of the strongest Mike episodes in a long time.  I loved seeing him torpedo the grief group and his reaction to Stacey's admissions were heartbreakingly brilliant.  Mike hates dishonesty but he feels he's the most broken and dishonest one of all for killing his boy so he goes to Gus with not a care in the world and gets stuck in.  It makes sense and calling out Gus's tactics was brilliant.  Don't play a player.

Nacho had some great material this week too.  The Salamanca gunfight was epic and Gus's strategy was good.  But my favourite scene was with his father.  I just love that actor.  He radiates love and sadness in equal measure.  And that relationship is so perfect and really defines Nacho's character.

Kim also seemed to move on more than she has in a while despite only being in a few scenes.  I loved her absolute disdain for the cynical judge and her effectively giving him the finger by sitting right back down.  Although he mocked a heroic movie-style case, he's also right: we know she does want to be Atticus Finch.  As ever, I'm intrigued to see where she goes.  I also like that they address last week's ending not with a conversation but with an action - Kim suggests talking and not to her.

No Howard for the second episode in a row.  I like that the show doesn't force appearances where they aren't necessary and I can see that Howard is very peripheral as things stand.  Still, I've really grown to like Howard and I hope, like Nacho in S3, he gets a really good spotlight in the back half.

And finally, Jimmy.  I loved that they had him bouncing the ball at the end of one scene, stacked a load of other scenes in between, and when he came back he was still bouncing the ball.  The mobile phone job was always going to be a train wreck but I was surprised how quickly.  It was a nice bit of prequel work to show the origin of Saul's need for an endless supply of phones -- I wonder if he's going to try and acquire some before his employers realise what a mistake they've made.  I liked his relationship with Ira too.

I was interested that, in the timeline, he still has 10 months before he can return to the law.  I thought they might try to move that along a little faster as, if they keep the current pace and the pace of most of BB, we wouldn't reach the end of his time until S7 which is longer than the show will likely run.  Obviously they'll need to hit fast-forward at some point, hopefully a little more slickly than "Gliding Over All" which I felt condensed a little too much too quickly. 

I do miss Jimmy the lawyer and except for his bit of phone salesmanship last week, we haven't seen it this year.  There's also a lot building up in the Jimmy/Kim relationship.  As a result, the Jimmy stuff feels like waiting for the other shoe to drop.  We're so used to Jimmy talking and he's just not and it gives the plot a pressure cooker feel.  I'm nervously excited to see where this goes...

[Bannon]

7 hours ago, Dev F said:

I thought that was sort of the point of the whole thing -- Mike recoiling at the very idea of "talk." His memories of Matty are written in cement, bound to memories of hard work and sacrifice. It's probably horrifying to him that Stacey could forget about his son because she mostly associates him with something as trivial as making breakfast. And then the group leader reassures her that they've all felt things like that -- so what's the point of all this talking if it's not going to help you hold on to the person you love? His fun bet with Anita becomes something ugly and mean because he's accusing the rest of the group as much as he's accusing the fake widower: This loss isn't real to you. It's all just meaningless words.

 

Precisely. Mike's grief and pain have not diminished by even the most miniscule amount.The day he and Matty  spent together decades ago, is as fresh in his memory as it ever was. He can't fathom it being different for other people, and it astounds and angers him that the other people in the group listen so poorly (and the entire exercise is supposed to be about listening and sharing) that they don't pick up on the obvious (to Mike) lies in Mr. cuff tug's story..

Edited August 28, 2018 by Bannon

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, gallimaufry said:

This is one of the strongest Mike episodes in a long time.  I loved seeing him torpedo the grief group and his reaction to Stacey's admissions were heartbreakingly brilliant.  Mike hates dishonesty but he feels he's the most broken and dishonest one of all for killing his boy

This was my interpretation too of the tearful looks on Mike's face during Stacy's confession, but until reading this post, @gallimaufry, I missed the connection of Mike's guilt over his son's death being the direct motivation for actions like:

1 hour ago, gallimaufry said:

so he goes to Gus with not a care in the world and gets stuck in.  It makes sense and calling out Gus's tactics was brilliant.  Don't play a player.

I now fully realize that as much as Mike is motivated to provide for and protect  his son's widow and child, he was also ultimately on a suicide mission as well, having convicted himself of his son's death, and having sentenced himself to death.

 

 

If Jimmy the Lawyer is a "chimp with a machine gun," Jimmy not practicing law is just a lawless chimp with a machine gun.

Edited August 28, 2018 by shapeshifter

[Bannon]

I understand why some would think it too slow,  but I thought it a very good episode, delving into motivations. Mike in his self recrimination and grief, Kim in her disatisfaction with her life's direction, Jimmy in his boredom. So many shows don't, or can't, take the time to do this, and the result is a bunch of characters engaged in behavior, without adequate explanation as to why they take the paths that they do.

[Ms Lark]

Did anyone else think of "The Great Escape" cooler scene when Jimmy was bouncing the ball? Same moves. Jimmy is trapped, but he will escape!

[MisterBluxom]

5 hours ago, christine falls said:

I noticed this too. The cereal scene just made me mad thought because it made me crave cereal and then I discovered I was out of milk. Lol.

 

I saw him set the glove down, and kept waiting to see if he picked it up again, but didn't notice it. I bet it comes back at some point. 

It could very well become something major. After all, the facts about Jimmy's new partner getting a bunch more money than expected and giving half to Jimmy when he didn't really have to is just too far "over the top" to make it a "one time only" event. I'm guessing that glove can develop into a major plot point in the rest of this season.

What I mean to say is the fact that this partner did something so very "over the top" good for Jimmy must mean something else is coming. Otherwise I can't see why it would have been presented that way.  I'm pretty certain this glove will indeed come back and it will become a lot more than just a "red herring".

1 hour ago, Bannon said:

Precisely. Mike's grief and pain have not diminished by even the most miniscule amount.The day he and Matty  spent together decades ago, is as fresh in his memory as it ever was. He can't fathom it being different for other people, and it astounds and angers him that the other people in the group listen so poorly (and the entire exercise is supposed to be about listening and sharing) that they don't pick up on the obvious (to Mike) lies in Mr. cuff tug's story..

 

Wow! that is a pretty amazing analysis of this episode. Well done, Bannon.

[Bannon]

I was surprised to see the Hummel caper work out; I was inclined to think that the Hummel wasn't going to bring the anticipated cash, creating conflict. Instead, it makes more money than was planned, and is the basis for an ongoing criminal partnership.

[Bryce Lynch]

Interesting Easter egg in the episode.  Mike's friend Anita wears a name tag from Cradock Marine Bank.  This is the bank where Daniel Wachsberger puts the hazard pay and Kaylee's millions into the safe deposit boxes in BB.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, Dev F said:

Mike recoiling at the very idea of "talk." His memories of Matty are written in cement,

Thank you, @Dev F, for mentioning the written-in-cement metaphor. Somehow I missed its literal significance.

[JudyObscure]

This is the first episode of BCS that I thought veered into the unrealistic.

Kim disobeying a direct order from a judge.  Isn't that a really bad thing in lawyer-land, contempt of court or something?

Mike calling out all the honest people in the grief group. We know Mike can't get over the death of Matty and his own part in it, but how often does Mike think about his wife these days?  Stacey might actually be moving on a little better if Mike wasn't there silently guilting her about moving on.

The gun fight.  Please.  With all those armed thugs, and all that junk to hide behind, I can not believe one of those guys didn't get the drop on one of the Salamancas.  The satchels o' guns did make me laugh, though.

I'm probably just mad because I thought this was going to be a Kim episode and her time on screen was tiny compared to the drug world. 

Also, the sound of people eating makes me angry and causes me to hate the eater, (this is not an uncommon reaction*) so if that's not what we're supposed to do then that part of the directing is bad.

*Misophonia, a disorder which means sufferers have a hatred of sounds such as eating, chewing, loud breathing or even repeated pen-clicking, was first named as a condition in 2001"

Edited August 28, 2018 by JudyObscure

[Bryce Lynch]

When Stacey told Mike she had volunteered him to lay the cement for the playground, Mike claimed he didn't know much about laying cement.  Stacey then told him that Matt had told her about him doing it when Matt was a kid.  Obviously this was the memory Mike had in the beginning of the episode.  I wonder if he was lying to Stacey or if she helped him remember it 

I wonder if part of Mike's anger came from feelings that Stacey might be using their shared grief to manipulate him.  

I am looking for parallels between Mike's blowup in the group to Jesse's blowup in the NA meeting (in the same church, I think).  They both had a similar, "This is bs!" reaction.

Jesse met Andrea in the NA meetings, which not only led to her death, but to the relationship between him, Walt and Fring going nuclear, as it led to him knowing that Fring's dealers used kids and that one of them murdered Combo.

Mike has a possible love interest from his group with a similar name.  Will that relationship also lead to bad things?

Mike and Jimmy are now both dealing with guilt for being indirectly responsible for the death of their more ethical loved ones, who shared their profession.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Bryce Lynch

[Bryce Lynch]

3 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

This is the first episode of BCS that I thought veered into the unrealistic.

Kim disobeying a direct order from a judge.  Isn't that a really bad thing in lawyer-land, contempt of court or something?

Mike calling out all the honest people in the grief group. We know Mike can't get over the death of Matty and his own part in it, but how often does Mike think about his wife these days?  Stacey might actually be moving on a little better if Mike wasn't there silently guilting her about moving on.

The gun fight.  Please.  With all those armed thugs, and all that junk to hide behind, I can not believe one of those guys didn't get the drop on one a Salamancas.  The satchels o" guns did make me laugh, though.

I'm probably just mad because I thought this was going to be a Kim episode and her time on screen was tiny compared to the drug world. 

Also, the sound of people eating makes me angry and causes me to hate the eater, (this is not an uncommon reaction) so if that's not what we're supposed to do then that part of the directing is bad.

Did the judge really order her to leave the court?  It seemed more like a combination of advice and a test to see how much she really wanted to pursue a more idealistic law career 

I thought Mike's blowup at the meeting was realistic.  I thought Mike sitting around while people get in touch with their feelings was a bit unrealistic and that reaction was more in character.

The gunfight was a bit unrealistic, but I think the Cousins are supposed to be almost mystical villains.  Maybe Santa Muerte had their backs. :)