S04.E07: Something Stupid

[Bryce Lynch]

1 minute ago, SunnyBeBe said:

If the police or prosecutors wanted info from Huell about Jimmy, why haven't they asked him and why is that not on the table in the plea negotiations? Also, did the ADA know that Jimmy is Kim's lover, when she made that insulting comment? 

They may not have reached that stage yet.  Huell was just arrested.  I don't know if the ADA knows about Kim and Jimmy's relationship, but given that she knew about Jimmy being disbarred, it seems likely she does, assuming she looked into his disbarment hearing.  Kim being Huell's lawyer might throw a monkey wrench into any plans they had for Huell and Jimmy.  Actually, the fact that Huell could implicate her lover for kidnapping, assault and violating his PPD by associating with a known felon, is probably a conflict of interest for Kim. To get him the best deal, she would probably need to advise him to rat out Jimmy.  

[SunnyBeBe]

I'd be surprised if this thing with Huell is all designed to jam up Jimmy. Why not charge Jimmy with being an accessory, if that was what they wanted? 

Can someone elaborate on the scene where Jimmy is showing that office space? 

[Bryce Lynch]

6 minutes ago, PeterPirate said:

I wish the music for the construction workers had been "Don't Fear The Reaper".  

If Jimmy is buying the phone wholesale from the manufacturer, and not from CC Mobile, how do they get a phone signal?  Is he using a different carrier?  

I don't know from accents, but I'm glad to hear the actor playing Huell got the Cajun accent right.  On another show there are many posts are about one actor's bad Boston accent.   

I don't see how the ADA could know about Jimmy's past but not know Kim was his counsel at the PPD.  I like the idea that Jimmy is the real target of the prosecution, and in that context maybe the ADA didn't want to tip her hand.  

It will disappoint me greatly if Kim plays the race card without evidence.  The ADA did call Huell a "Pickpocket with a rap sheet", which indicates he's been at least arrested more than once.   

I agree that Jimmy might be the real target.  If they could get him to keep track of who he sells each phone to and give that information to law enforcement, that information would be extremely valuable. 

I think Huell has a felony conviction.  But, a pickpocket is one of the lowest priority criminals.  As the incident actually happened, there is no way he would get years in prison.  I think the cop is "embellishing" the facts to try to make an assault on a police officer charge stick, or at least to be able to threaten Huell with that charge.  

Was Bill Burr the one with the "bad Boston accent"?  He was born and raised in the Boston area.  

[echo.Echo.ECHO]

9 hours ago, acid burn said:

I assumed she was thinking picket signs and plans to suggest the DA's office is racially biased. Based on the scenes from the upcoming episodes, it looks like she raises a ruckus.

That's exactly what I was thinking, too.

[Bryce Lynch]

Earlier, I had wondered if Gus might tell the doctor to stop treating Hector, once he was able to understand what is going on, but before he could regain speech and motor skills.  That is what has happened.

I wonder how much the doctor understands about Fring's intentions.  He gave her a level of plausible deniability about the fact that he is intentionally having her put a cap on Hector's recovery.  But, does she really know or suspect what Fring is up to?  If she doesn't know, should she know?  Is she being willfully blind to it?

She reminds me of Gale, in BB.  I always wondered if Gale understood that Fring planned to kill Walt, as soon as he told him that he had Walt's cook process perfected.  Was Gale really that innocent and naive as to not get this?  Or was he willfully ignoring the possibility, to soothe his conscience?

34 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

That wasn't the first time we've seen them brushing their teeth together, it must be some writer's idea of solid couple-hood. Ewwww.  I don't think I've ever seen my husband brush his teeth.

There was one scene where Jimmy wanted to use Kim's toothbrush, but she balked at it, so he used her finger to brush his teeth, which she was OK with.

[Bryce Lynch]

Fring is certainly laying out a ton of cash between the super lab and the new wing at Johns Hopkins.  Was his pre-Heisenberg drug ring THAT profitable for him to have that much cash?  Is someone else financing him (Herr Schuler?)?  Maybe this explains why he drove a 10 year old Volvo wagon in BB. :)

[acid burn]

2 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

The media narrative is that black men get the book thrown at them all the time.  The reality is that, generally, criminals of all skin colors need to try pretty hard to get serious prison time.  Prisons are overcrowded and DAs and courts are overburdened, so most offenders plea for little or no prison time, unless they do something pretty bad.  Maybe a drug dealer might get what some might think is an excessive sentence, but pick pockets are probably among the most "respected" of criminals.

Not just a media narrative. I work in the legal field and have worked for both the equivalent of my county's District Attorney's office and legal aid and I have seen first-hand that the system works against black offenders--particularly black men. 

Edited for topic: The scene at Kim's party made me cringe but I thought it was well done. We all expected Jimmy to do something to screw up, but I didn't realize how much he resented Kim's decision 'til that point. 

Edited September 18, 2018 by acid burn

[nodorothyparker]

Eh, I'm not one to speculate too much on the motives of going after Huell so harshly beyond noting that both the cop and the ADA seemed to think it was a much bigger deal that it was the same cop who arrested Huell three years prior than anyone else did.  We never got any indication from Huell at any point that he ever remembered the guy.  He did, after all, whack him from behind with a bag of sandwiches, which the cop is probably going to downplay as the "weapon" of choice while playing up that he "threw him to the ground."  That certainly sounds more dramatic and serious than he was so busy hassling a guy who wasn't technically doing anything illegal that he didn't notice a guy come up behind him with a couple of subs.

Truthfully, it feels like more like a vehicle to force Kim into full awareness of exactly what Jimmy has been up to these past eight months as their lives were moving in increasingly different trajectories, which the opening montage was brilliant in illustrating.  We get confirmation that she had no idea what he was doing the night he got "mugged" at the Dog House or that there's been anything much at all going on beyond working his cell store job and dutifully counting down the days until he gets his law license back.  Even the potential threat of losing his license forever and being recharged if he got arrested wasn't enough to stop him from engaging in a little side hustle, and Rhea Seehorn is so good at portraying that all of that occurs to her to the point that you know she has to be thinking that she never would have brought Jimmy to that dreadful office party had she had any idea.   She took him there like he belonged, even after the deliberate Davis & Main wipeout, and was repaid with an uncomfortable bit of boorishness and resentment because she does belong there.  All of this is confirmed for her in the conversation with the ADA, who presumably has no idea about Kim's personal relationship with Jimmy, in sneeringly referring to Jimmy as a scumbag disbarred lawyer peddling drop phones to criminals.  That's what he is now to anyone who doesn't have any professional incentive, as the people at S&C do, to be polite about it.  Even after listening with an increasingly incredulous look on her face to Jimmy ramble on about the lengths he wanted to go to in discrediting the cop, she needed to hear that.

Maybe it's because I don't care about the building of the superlab all that much, but a second musical montage felt like overkill and almost fan servicey in an already overstuffed episode.  The first montage already established the passage of time.  Just tell us where they are now in the building and I'm good.  I'm no Hector fan by any stretch, but there's something unbelievably horrifying in getting confirmation that Gus patiently waited and paid the bills for months to make sure that Hector was cognizant despite being trapped in his body and then purposely ended treatment that might have alleviated that.

My one real quibble is in feeling that Jimmy officially working for the first time under the name Saul Goodman felt seriously underplayed.  Even one line to Huell who had been working for him before as Jimmy about suddenly having those first-draft garish cards printed up would have been great.

[Bryce Lynch]

5 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

My one real quibble is in feeling that Jimmy officially working for the first time under the name Saul Goodman felt seriously underplayed.  Even one line to Huell who had been working for him before as Jimmy about suddenly having those first-draft garish cards printed up would have been great.

Jimmy previously worked under Saul Goodman when had his commercial production business.   He even did an ad as Saul Goodman.  

[nodorothyparker]

You're right.  I forgot about that.  That makes it feel even more like it's a persona he's randomly adopting and people who have worked with him before are just ... not commenting on that?

I know someone who changed his name because among other reasons was that he didn't want to be associated with his family name any longer, drawing definite parallels to Chuck and Jimmy.  People always always always comment on it when they find out and want to know the story behind it.

[ShadowFacts]

1 hour ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I don't want to get into a political debate, but incarceration rates match arrest rates, which match victim identification rates when it comes to the demographics of those incarcerated.  

I'm not debating, you brought the media narrative up and I did reply that if you don't accept the stats (because we can all do varied mental gymnastics around different reports) that is still how it looks Kim is headed with her defense, given what she has said so far.  I could be wrong about that, though.  Because the school supplies have me stumped.

The most memorable part of what was for me, a somewhat lackluster episode (photography aside) is Jimmy telling Huell "I'm the magic man."  That's Jimmy/Saul one month away from being reinstated to practice law, immediately jumping out of bounds into probable criminal, self-destruct territory.  Seeing Kim's beautiful office and symbols of her accomplishment, along with Huell's dissing the perfectly nice office he hoped to make into Wexler & McGill, has really got him reeling.  His feelings are understandable, but the actions he takes in response are unfortunate. 

[Bannon]

46 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Fring is certainly laying out a ton of cash between the super lab and the new wing at Johns Hopkins.  Was his pre-Heisenberg drug ring THAT profitable for him to have that much cash?  Is someone else financing him (Herr Schuler?)?  Maybe this explains why he drove a 10 year old Volvo wagon in BB. :)

The tragedy of Gus Fring is that he probably could have made a hundred million or so by merely being a chicken fast food magnate. 

[rhys]

5 hours ago, MissBluxom said:

I just rewatched the scene between Kim and the lady prosecutor. Near the very end of that scene, the prosecutor calls Jimmy a "scumbag disbarred lawyer who peddles drop-phones to criminals" and calls the cop a "decorated police officer".  The last thing Kim says is, "You don't know the whole story."

 

I took that as Kim not knowing the whole story. IOW, she's actually referring to herself but using the sentence as a lawyer would to refer elsewhere.

[sempervivum]

36 minutes ago, acid burn said:

ANot just a media narrative. I work in the legal field and have worked for both the equivalent of my county's District Attorney's office and legal aid and I have seen first-hand that the system works against black offenders--particularly black men. 

But we don't even know the races of all those other 'assault on a P.O.' cases Kim was reeling off to the ADA; for all we know, they might have all been minorities.  I don't have any strong suspicions about what Kim's school supply strategy is, but it seems like pulling a race card to defend Huell might be misguided.

I also have questions about the whole scene with the cute little converted house/office which Jimmy apparently has in mind for his/Kim's future business. Why would he be acting on this? Does he really imagine that Kim will throw away her partnership at S & C? And how could he be so chagrined at his pace-off in her fancy office solidifying his realization that duh, her office is of course much bigger and fancier than anything he could offer her? It's not like he's never seen a bigtime law office before.

And why has Mike been dragging his feet on bringing in hookers for the lab workers? Even if they had been done with the job in 8 months, that would still be an unreasonably long time for young guys to go without. He should have made plans for bugged cribs, non-German-speaker girls, hooded/secret transport, etc. from the beginning.

[ShadowFacts]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

That wasn't the first time we've seen them brushing their teeth together, it must be some writer's idea of solid couple-hood. Ewwww.  I don't think I've ever seen my husband brush his teeth.

I just saw this same type of scene in another show, it must be the trend in showing a comfort level or something.  Not so appealing, what's next, one of them on the throne while the other brushes their teeth? 

[Bryce Lynch]

4 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

But we don't even know the races of all those other 'assault on a P.O.' cases Kim was reeling off to the ADA; for all we know, they might have all been minorities.  I don't have any strong suspicions about what Kim's school supply strategy is, but it seems like pulling a race card to defend Huell might be misguided.

I also have questions about the whole scene with the cute little converted house/office which Jimmy apparently has in mind for his/Kim's future business. Why would he be acting on this? Does he really imagine that Kim will throw away her partnership at S & C? And how could he be so chagrined at his pace-off in her fancy office solidifying his realization that duh, her office is of course much bigger and fancier than anything he could offer her? It's not like he's never seen a bigtime law office before.

And why has Mike been dragging his feet on bringing in hookers for the lab workers? Even if they had been done with the job in 8 months, that would still be an unreasonably long time for young guys to go without. He should have made plans for bugged cribs, non-German-speaker girls, hooded/secret transport, etc. from the beginning.

If the other offenders were all white, Kim might have a case that Huell is being discriminated against.

I also wondered about the Jimmy's new office scene.  Did that take place after the time passage and the toothbrush montage?  It would seem to be pretty delusional for him to think Kim would leave S&C to join him.  Was he comparing the size of the office to Kim's because he hoped to sell Kim on the size of the office or because he wants a bigger one than her?

When they were driving to the party, I was wondering what conversation, disgraced, disbarred lawyer, Jimmy could have with the S&C lawyers.  He was doing fine with his initial corporate retreat suggestions, but he kept pushing it and pushing it until he made it so whatever Schweigart did end up doing would be a disappointment to his staff.  Was that intentional?  Was Jimmy drunk?  

Men can go more than 8 months without sex.  It seems like he is going to arrange a debauchery field trip for them, which I fear is going to lead to disaster.   

[sempervivum]

3 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

If the other offenders were all white, Kim might have a case that Huell is being discriminated against.

Of course; but the script made a point of specifying that Huell was the only one of these cases who had a felony(?) conviction, which is not a minor point. If I were Kim, I admit I would have brought up the race issue during my initial convo with the ADA as a way to make her back down.

 

5 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Men can go more than 8 months without sex.

Yes, but Mike's genius is as a problem-anticipator and I'm surprised he didn't plan for this. The original consult with the German engineer (can't think of his name) certainly implied that this job could run into more time than expected. In fact we see in this episode that they apparently ran into more rock (that needed to be blasted) than anticipated. What if there had been injuries in that accident we saw with the support crashing down? There could be all kind of situations that could extend the time line, and it just seems uncharacteristic of Mike not to have a plan. But I agree, the fact that it's showing up as a plot point means it will no doubt lead to mayhem of some kind.

[monagatuna]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Can someone elaborate on the scene where Jimmy is showing that office space? 

A way to get Kim to spend more time with him. He conceded the Schweikert & Cokely gig to her, but she clearly said she wanted to spend more time at the courthouse, and he found a place that's only 4 blocks away. He was going to give the "corner office," measuring a generous six feet wide, to the "partner." Even though she now works full time at S&C, he can still reel her back in by giving her office space close to her PD clients. This is a last-ditch effort to remain connected to her, as with the song "Somethin' Stupid" playing during the montage, where a couple that's clearly going their separate ways tries one last time to stick together. Everything Jimmy has done in the past few years has been for Kim, once he realized trying to earn his brother's respect was a lost cause.
 

I loved this episode. The opening montage was heartbreaking. I cringed visibly during his tirade at the law firm mixer. I loved seeing Schweikert being affable and having a good time. I agree that the cop has a definite tell. He stands too straight and talks too confidently to be someone who needs the use of a burn phone. I agree that defense of others would be an effective defense for Huell. He had his headphones on and couldn't hear their conversation, couldn't see his face--all he saw was the back of a bigger guy posturing aggressively in front of his boss. And a pickpocketing offense from three years ago? I'm surprised this cop even remembers Huell, let alone expecting Huell to remember him. The DA is reaching so hard they're going to dislocate their shoulders. Even Petty with a Prior guy was reasonable.

 

Someone jog my memory--Schweikert is defending Sandpiper, correct? That case hasn't settled out yet, for sure, so it's still ongoing. And yet Kim pitched them the banking division rather than HHM or Davis and Main? Is this because she had burned her bridges with both of the latter? They'll have to build an ethical wall around that case because of Kim's involvement with HHM, Jimmy, et al., which shouldn't be such a problem for a large law firm.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if this isn't the end for Kim and Jimmy, but the actual end will have an even more heartbreaking impact. I've enjoyed their relationship to now, but knowing it has to end, I really hope Kim gets out unscathed.

[ShadowFacts]

39 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I also wondered about the Jimmy's new office scene.  Did that take place after the time passage and the toothbrush montage?  It would seem to be pretty delusional for him to think Kim would leave S&C to join him.  Was he comparing the size of the office to Kim's because he hoped to sell Kim on the size of the office or because he wants a bigger one than her?

I think although he nearly melted down when Kim initially told him about her partnership at Schweikert, he still had his dream that they could be Wexler and McGill.  Not necessarily rooted in reality; he was living in denial until he was right in the middle of her milieu.  Then he knew his dream could literally never measure up. 

[MisterBluxom]

2 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I agree that Jimmy might be the real target.  If they could get him to keep track of who he sells each phone to and give that information to law enforcement, that information would be extremely valuable. 

I think Huell has a felony conviction.  But, a pickpocket is one of the lowest priority criminals.  As the incident actually happened, there is no way he would get years in prison.  I think the cop is "embellishing" the facts to try to make an assault on a police officer charge stick, or at least to be able to threaten Huell with that charge.  

Was Bill Burr the one with the "bad Boston accent"?  He was born and raised in the Boston area.  

If Jimmy was the real target I believe they would have sent two cops. I think they use two cops when they expect they might have to go to court so their evidence will be more believable. This just seemed like one somewhat rogue cop.

[Bannon]

57 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

 

When they were driving to the party, I was wondering what conversation, disgraced, disbarred lawyer, Jimmy could have with the S&C lawyers.  He was doing fine with his initial corporate retreat suggestions, but he kept pushing it and pushing it until he made it so whatever Schweigart did end up doing would be a disappointment to his staff.  Was that intentional?  Was Jimmy drunk?  

 

Jimmy was slightly intoxicated, and it was intentional. He resented Schweikert acting the big shot, telling the underlings of what a great trip to Taos he was going to generously provide them. So Jimmy decides to trivialize it, by proposing bigger and better trips, some of it nonsensically described (many expert skiers, for example, consider Taos a greater challenge than Telluride), finishing up with a ridiculous private jet trip to Aspen. He's calling Schweikert out (and Schweikert knows it, even if others don't) for playing the big shot.

I actually witnessed an exchange like this once, at a corporate party. The CEO started bloviating about how great the newly acquired midsize private jet was, and one of the execs, who revealed a short time later that he'd been headhunted by another company, in another industry, started goading  the CEO about how a Gulfstream was even nicer. The CEO was PISSED OFF, albeit with a phony smile plastered to his face. Good times.

When you get to the heart of the matter, we are all just a bunch of status seeking follically challenged chimps, with more upright posture, and slightly better thumbs.

Edited September 18, 2018 by Bannon

[Bryce Lynch]

4 minutes ago, Bannon said:

Jimmy was slightly intoxicated, and it was intentional. He resented Schweikert acting the big shot, telling the underlings of what a great trip to Taos he was going to generously provide them. So Jimmy decides to trivialize it, by proposing bigger and better trips, some of it nonsensically described (many expert skiers, for example, consider Taos a greater challenge than Telluride), finishing up with a ridiculous private jet trip to Aspen. He's calling Schweikert out (and Schweikert knows it, even if others don't) for playing the big shot.

I actually witnessed an exchange like this once, at a corporate party. The CEO started bloviating about how great the newly acquired midsize private jet was, and one of the execs, who revealed a short time later that he'd been headhunted by another company, in another industry, started goading  the CEO about how a Gulfstream was even nicer. The CEO was PISSED OFF, albeit with a phony smile plastered to his face. Good times.

When you get to the heart of the matter, we are all just a bunch of status seeking follically challenged chimps, with more upright posture, and slightly better thumbs.

I didn't take Schweikart as acting like a big shot.  I took it more as Jimmy just being bitter and jealous towards a  basically, decent guy for "stealing" Kim from him.

BTW, throughout the exchange, I was thinking, "I'd bet a rare,  left facing Kennedy half dollar that Jimmy has NEVER been skiing." :)

11 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

If Jimmy was the real target I believe they would have sent two cops. I think they use two cops when they expect they might have to go to court so their evidence will be more believable. This just seemed like one somewhat rogue cop.

As I said earlier, the cop might have originally planned to try to get Jimmy to take his business elsewhere, but when Huell "assaulted" him, it gave him and the DA leverage to do more.  

[MisterBluxom]

Something bothered me about the scene between Jimmy and the cop. When Huell came charging up towards the cop, Jimmy's reactions did not ring true. In fact, it rang extremely false. I would have expected Jimmy to have said something like, "Look out" to the cop and then run up to Huell and block him from hitting the cop. Instead Jimmy made these weak little childlike arm waving motions and did nothing to stop Huell.

Huell's actions also rang false. The first thing he would have done would be to remove the headphones. There were many reasons why he would never want to go into that situation without being able to hear what was going on. I don't know how important this might be to the plot. But, IMHO, there was def something "off" about that scene.

[Eulipian 5k]

But Jimmy wasn't running some street hustle scam. He told the cop he had permits & he collected taxes, He was a street vendor, the lifeblood of cities all over the planet. The cop had NO business hassling a vendor because he doesn't like the clientele. GTFOH flatfoot! If people could trump up charges the way the cops do, Huell could claim "He approached my friend in an intimidating manner. My friend was mugged and beaten several weeks ago and as his bodyguard, I acted. Ewwps".

 

They're probably trying to send Huell up the desert for Assault, Battery, & Littering, Plus, he did it to a cop, so that's worse since cops  are extra special citizens.

[ahmerali]

2 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Earlier, I had wondered if Gus might tell the doctor to stop treating Hector, once he was able to understand what is going on, but before he could regain speech and motor skills.  That is what has happened.

I wonder how much the doctor understands about Fring's intentions.  He gave her a level of plausible deniability about the fact that he is intentionally having her put a cap on Hector's recovery.  But, does she really know or suspect what Fring is up to?  If she doesn't know, should she know?  Is she being willfully blind to it?

 

She can't possibly know how deep Gus's hatred for Hector goes. Gus will say that he will 'take care' of Hector, which we will do by putting him in Casa Tranquila, and the good Doctor can go back to her clinic.

I am looking forward to the next taunting phase - Gus may go to visit Hector, telling him that he knows that Hector's mind is sound, but he is trapped in his useless body that is basically a bell-ringing machine. Hector will avoid his gaze and pretend to not be listening. He will say that he knows he was looking at the attending nurse and checking her out. "Will you look at me, Hector? I can continue your treatment. The doctor says that you might walk and talk again....I will let her try, if you will just look at me. beg me to give you your body back, Hector, and maybe I will. But first you must look at me."

Spoiler not spoiler: Hector will not look at him.

[jnymph]

10 minutes ago, ahmerali said:

She can't possibly know how deep Gus's hatred for Hector goes. Gus will say that he will 'take care' of Hector, which we will do by putting him in Casa Tranquila, and the good Doctor can go back to her clinic.

I am looking forward to the next taunting phase - Gus may go to visit Hector, telling him that he knows that Hector's mind is sound, but he is trapped in his useless body that is basically a bell-ringing machine. Hector will avoid his gaze and pretend to not be listening. He will say that he knows he was looking at the attending nurse and checking her out. "Will you look at me, Hector? I can continue your treatment. The doctor says that you might walk and talk again....I will let her try, if you will just look at me. beg me to give you your body back, Hector, and maybe I will. But first you must look at me."

Spoiler not spoiler: Hector will not look at him.

GAH !  The Gus/Hector dynamic makes my hair stand on end.  It's that chilling.     

Anyone else notice the kitchen knife that Gus was holding (rather lovingly) when discussing Hector with the good Doctor?  Another *shudder* from me.

Vince Gilligan is TOYING with us; making us think Jesse was driving up to buy a burner phone.   I also first thought the cop driving up looked vaguely like Walter White for a split second when he first got out of his vehicle.    He is TOYING with us, I tell you !   And I love him deeply for it : ) 

[PeterPirate]

2 hours ago, monagatuna said:

It wouldn't surprise me if this isn't the end for Kim and Jimmy, but the actual end will have an even more heartbreaking impact. I've enjoyed their relationship to now, but knowing it has to end, I really hope Kim gets out unscathed.

I think that depends on the word 'unscathed'.  I still believe the person currently known as Kim Wexler is going to make a call to a vacuum cleaner repair man before the season is over, and will end up physically unscathed but with a new identity.      

Edited September 18, 2018 by PeterPirate

[Bryce Lynch]

3 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

But Jimmy wasn't running some street hustle scam. He told the cop he had permits & he collected taxes, He was a street vendor, the lifeblood of cities all over the planet. The cop had NO business hassling a vendor because he doesn't like the clientele. GTFOH flatfoot! If people could trump up charges the way the cops do, Huell could claim "He approached my friend in an intimidating manner. My friend was mugged and beaten several weeks ago and as his bodyguard, I acted. Ewwps".

 

They're probably trying to send Huell up the desert for Assault, Battery, & Littering, Plus, he did it to a cop, so that's worse since cops  are extra special citizens.

While Jimmy was probably under no obligation to leave, the cop didn't exactly harass him.  He took him to task for selling disposable phones to help drug dealers,  tried to make him feel guilty, and asked him as a favor to move somewhere else and stop selling to criminals.  He made no threats about what would happen if Jimmy refused.  Then Jimmy rattled off ways the cop might harass him (but had not actually threatened to do) and became rather insulting toward the cop.  Neither guy was breaking the law at that point.

Then, suddenly Huell hit the cop with the sandwiches, from behind, giving him cause to arrest him.    If given more time, it is possible that the cop would have done something to abuse his power, but Huell hit him before he got the chance.  

The defense you give for Huell, which is more or less true,  could be one he might use.   Credibility is the biggest obstacle.  

The type of policing the cop was doing, was not necessarily wrong, as long as he didn't push it too far.  A local resident or business owner could do the same thing the cop did, again, as long as they didn't push it to far and threaten or assault him. 

While Jimmy's business is legal, it really isn't legitimate, in that he knows it is aiding criminals and he is specifically targeting them.  If someone was selling special "multi tools" designed for breaking into homes to commit burglaries, rapes, or whatever and targeting felons for his sales, it might be legal, but it is not something any decent citizen would do or want done.  

Its funny how perspective can change people's views.  On "The Wire" the cell phone company was painted as a villain for not cooperating with warrants for wires on disposable drug dealer phones in a timely manner.  But, since we love Jimmy, his crime facilitating business is viewed much more favorably.  

[Bryce Lynch]

30 minutes ago, ahmerali said:

She can't possibly know how deep Gus's hatred for Hector goes. Gus will say that he will 'take care' of Hector, which we will do by putting him in Casa Tranquila, and the good Doctor can go back to her clinic.

I am looking forward to the next taunting phase - Gus may go to visit Hector, telling him that he knows that Hector's mind is sound, but he is trapped in his useless body that is basically a bell-ringing machine. Hector will avoid his gaze and pretend to not be listening. He will say that he knows he was looking at the attending nurse and checking her out. "Will you look at me, Hector? I can continue your treatment. The doctor says that you might walk and talk again....I will let her try, if you will just look at me. beg me to give you your body back, Hector, and maybe I will. But first you must look at me."

Spoiler not spoiler: Hector will not look at him.

She might not know how deeply Gus hates Hector, but his behavior of suddenly wanting her to stop her very beneficial treatments, when she told Gus she believed she could achieve a great deal more progress, should have seemed very odd, at best, suspicious, at worst, to her.  

I don't think she is sure Gus is trying to undermine Hector's fuller recovery, but she seems very willing to go along without really questioning it, probably because of the money Gus gave for her clinic.  Gus seems to have a knack for getting people to become willfully blind.  

Edited September 18, 2018 by Bryce Lynch

[Bannon]

35 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I didn't take Schweikart as acting like a big shot.  I took it more as Jimmy just being bitter and jealous towards a  basically, decent guy for "stealing" Kim from him.

BTW, throughout the exchange, I was thinking, "I'd bet a rare,  left facing Kennedy half dollar that Jimmy has NEVER been skiing." :)

As I said earlier, the cop might have originally planned to try to get Jimmy to take his business elsewhere, but when Huell "assaulted" him, it gave him and the DA leverage to do more.  

They aren't mutually exclusive. Schweikert can be acting like a big shot, AND Jimmy can be petty and jealous. People view these things through different lenses. I've always preferred those who do something nice for others without embellishing it, and the corporate social weekend is something I've always disliked, due to the social pressure involved. Some business leaders are quite gracious when it comes to these things, but others are pretty obnoxious. Schweikert isn't bad as these things go, but throughout the show he's been shown as pretty status driven, which is not unusual, but is something I've always found to be quite tedious. None of this is to discount Jimmy's somewhat pathetic response.

[SunnyBeBe]

44 minutes ago, MissBluxom said:

Something bothered me about the scene between Jimmy and the cop. When Huell came charging up towards the cop, Jimmy's reactions did not ring true. In fact, it rang extremely false. I would have expected Jimmy to have said something like, "Look out" to the cop and then run up to Huell and block him from hitting the cop. Instead Jimmy made these weak little childlike arm waving motions and did nothing to stop Huell.

Huell's actions also rang false. The first thing he would have done would be to remove the headphones. There were many reasons why he would never want to go into that situation without being able to hear what was going on. I don't know how important this might be to the plot. But, IMHO, there was def something "off" about that scene.

Yes. I think you may have pinpointed some of the misgivings that I had with that scene. 

[Bannon]

14 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

She might not know how deeply Gus hates Hector, but his behavior of suddenly wanting her to stop her very beneficial treatments, when she told Gus she believed she could achieve a great deal more progress, should have seemed very odd, at best, suspicious, at worst, to her.  

I don't think she is sure Gus is trying to undermine Hector's fuller recovery, but she seems very willing to go along without really questioning it, probably because of the money Gus gave for her clinic.  Gus seems to have a knack for getting people to become willfully blind.  

Rare is the person who will look hard at someone who is providing great benefit.

[LoneHaranguer]

3 hours ago, Bannon said:

Again, the primary purpose of the criminal justice system is to produce guilty pleas, and that is usually accomplished by offering very short periods of incarceration.

Only in comparison with what they're also overcharged with to coerce a deal. My experience as a juror says that cops will happily lie in court to try to push the higher charge, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if this cop lied about what happened rather than admit he allowed himself to be blindsided.

14 hours ago, ahmerali said:

Safe to say that Jimmy has plenty of experience talking his way out of situations with cops. He knows how to spot them.

The cop was wearing a badge, which was probably detectable under his jacket for someone with Jimmy's experience.

[Eulipian 5k]

Another funny bit is that Jimmy "outed" Huell as a pickpocket (or rather put-pocket) during the "McGill vs McGill" Bar hearing with the cell phone battery switch.

[Bannon]

29 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Only in comparison with what they're also overcharged with to coerce a deal. My experience as a juror says that cops will happily lie in court to try to push the higher charge, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if this cop lied about what happened rather than admit he allowed himself to be blindsided.

 

Oh, absolutely. Law enforcement officers testify falsely with regularity. The most common form of false statement may be in sworn warrant applications.

Edited September 18, 2018 by Bannon

[Bryce Lynch]

8 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

The cop was wearing a badge, which was probably detectable under his jacket for someone with Jimmy's experience.

I doubt he could detect the badge, but Jimmy, who has a lot of experience with the police, and who as a con artist, is a student of human behavior would be very skilled at spotting cops.  I think cops tend to have a way of carrying themselves and talking that people can spot.  Plus, I don't think he was necessarily trying to hide the fact that he was a police officer.   While I guess it is possible he was going undercover to try to get Jimmy to incriminate himself, I tend to think his plan was always to try to convince/intimidate Jimmy into going away, and the badge would have come out soon, even if Jimmy hadn't made him.   

Also, Jimmy might have seen the officer testify against one or more of his clients during his public defender days.  

Edited September 18, 2018 by Bryce Lynch

[LoneHaranguer]

3 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I doubt he could detect the badge, but Jimmy, who has a lot of experience with the police, and who as a con artist, is a student of human behavior would be very skilled at spotting cops.  I think cops tend to have a way of carrying themselves and talking that people can spot.

He was certainly trying to act and talk in a way that would get viewers to spot him as a cop.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's Previously.TV's EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP of the episode!

Better Call Saul Splits The Difference

A time jump sees Kim maaaybe preparing to cast off more than her injury when Huell gets in trouble, and work hits snags on two fronts for Gus, in our EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP of S04.E07, 'Something Stupid.'

[PeterPirate]

43 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

He was certainly trying to act and talk in a way that would get viewers to spot him as a cop.

Either that or another drop phone street dealer about get into an argument over territory.  But definitely not a customer.  

[DangerousMinds]

5 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Earlier, I had wondered if Gus might tell the doctor to stop treating Hector, once he was able to understand what is going on, but before he could regain speech and motor skills.  That is what has happened.

I wonder how much the doctor understands about Fring's intentions.  He gave her a level of plausible deniability about the fact that he is intentionally having her put a cap on Hector's recovery.  But, does she really know or suspect what Fring is up to?  If she doesn't know, should she know?  Is she being willfully blind to it?

She reminds me of Gale, in BB.  I always wondered if Gale understood that Fring planned to kill Walt, as soon as he told him that he had Walt's cook process perfected.  Was Gale really that innocent and naive as to not get this?  Or was he willfully ignoring the possibility, to soothe his conscience?

There was one scene where Jimmy wanted to use Kim's toothbrush, but she balked at it, so he used her finger to brush his teeth, which she was OK with.

I know Gus is paying that doctor to treat Hector, but what about HIPAA laws? He is not a relative. Is it legal for her to share all of Hector’s medical information with him?

[ShadowFacts]

1 minute ago, DangerousMinds said:

I know Gus is paying that doctor to treat Hector, but what about HIPAA laws? He is not a relative. Is it legal for her to share all of Hector’s medical information with him?

Good question.  Now that there's been a time jump, have the cousins been back to visit?  Nacho? 

Another question is relating to Jimmy's prosecution deferral.  I really couldn't tell from that opening sequence with the split screen because I was jumping back and forth, but did his case get closed out?  I thought maybe yes.  If not (and there was a reference to being one month from reinstatement) he is skating on thin ice with his association with a known criminal, and having that on record as having been the witness that the prosecutor referred to as the scumbag disbarred lawyer. 

[nodorothyparker]

Jimmy did immediately make the cop when he walked up, addressing him as "officer."

The last specific date we see in the montage is Jan. 2004.  Jimmy's file goes in a completed cases drawer, so he's in the clear.  He also played dumb, acting like he had no idea when the cop told him Huell had a record

[Bryce Lynch]

12 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

Good question.  Now that there's been a time jump, have the cousins been back to visit?  Nacho? 

Another question is relating to Jimmy's prosecution deferral.  I really couldn't tell from that opening sequence with the split screen because I was jumping back and forth, but did his case get closed out?  I thought maybe yes.  If not (and there was a reference to being one month from reinstatement) he is skating on thin ice with his association with a known criminal, and having that on record as having been the witness that the prosecutor referred to as the scumbag disbarred lawyer. 

Jimmy still has one month left before his suspension by the bar is up.  His PPD deal was arranged shortly before that hearing, so I think he probably has 2 or 3 weeks left on his PPD. 

[Bryce Lynch]

25 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

I know Gus is paying that doctor to treat Hector, but what about HIPAA laws? He is not a relative. Is it legal for her to share all of Hector’s medical information with him?

I'd be much more concerned about the ethics of her ceasing therapy that could lead to her patient regaining the power of speech and the ability to walk, because her benefactor told her to, than about her sharing information about his condition with Gus.   

From a practical standpoint, Gus is not going to report any HIPAA violations and neither is the doctor.   

It is also possible she got permission from the Cousins to inform Gus.  I could see it going something like:

Doctor: "Do you have any objection to me sharing information about your uncle's progress with Mr. Fring?"

Cousins: (total silence)  

[ShadowFacts]

1 minute ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I'd be much more concerned about the ethics of her ceasing therapy that could lead to her patient regaining the power of speech and the ability to walk, because her benefactor told her to, than about her sharing information about his condition with Gus.   

I'd be concerned about both the law and the ethics because after all it is the sharing of information that is leading to the ceasing of therapy.  The only way I think she is okay is if she takes Gus' comments to mean that he is going to continue seeing that he gets therapy consistent with what he has been getting.  He said something like it's time to delegate so you can get back to your work and she could think that means that of course he is not going to let him languish.  She needs to question that though, and satisfy herself that Hector is set up for ongoing therapy. 

[DangerousMinds]

Hector is still hospitalized. Surely they aren’t going to simply release him if his current doctor is no longer available.

Edited September 18, 2018 by DangerousMinds

[Bryce Lynch]

27 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Hector is still hospitalized. Surely they aren’t going to simply release him if his current doctor is no longer available.

 

They will probably transfer him to Casa Tranquila where he will be well cared for, but not receive the top of the line therapy that Dr. Bruckner has been providing, and will stop improving.  Although, in BB, he was initially seen with Tuco in a small house out in the desert.  I wonder if that was his home, or if Tuco had taken him on a visit from the nursing home.  Given that Tuco was planning on fleeing to Mexico, it would seem odd for him to take Hector out of the nursing home, so maybe he never went to Casa Tranquila until 

Spoiler

after Tuco was killed.  

Edited September 18, 2018 by Bryce Lynch

[qtpye]

7 hours ago, Bannon said:

Funny, I found the party scene painfully realistic, in that I've witnessed things like that. One of the circles of hell is most certainly the company party, where employees are compelled to socialize with management, and junior executives fight to get their noses shoved into the rear end of the boss, who grandly informs everyone how wonderful it is to work for the boss. Yes, I've seen spouses or significant others, resentful at being forced to attend these affairs, act out in a fashion  not dissimilar to Jimmy. I was cringing watching the scene, because it was so spot on that it triggered memories I have.

Company parties are horrible but I show up bright eyed and bushy tale to my husband's stuff and he does the same with my work parties. It is usually once or twice a year at most and is part of the work culture. When I see the resentful spouses, I wonder why the hell they can not suck it up for a couple of hours, just for the sake of the paycheck?  Jimmy was purposefully trying to make Mr. S look like a fool and everyone knew it, hence "the something stupid" of the title. Kim is a far kinder woman than most because I would give my husband an earful in the car (particularly since there is a good chance that she is the higher earning partner and her salary is probably what is keeping them afloat).

Edited September 18, 2018 by qtpye

[Bryce Lynch]

https://audioboom.com/posts/7012315-407-better-call-saul-insider

The Insider Podcast for episode 407 is now available.  

[Ellaria]

I found this to be a sad episode because, IMO, we are certainly watching the end of Jimmy and Kim as a couple. They seemed to be two people that enjoyed each other’s company, had shared interests and respected each other’s individuality. Of course, we know that Jimmy McGill is a conflicted man who wears many faces. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to have a long-term, mature relationship with him. 

When Kim decides to finally move on from Jimmy, I’m sure that she will be fine. Jimmy, on the other hand, will be losing the last thing tying him to deceny and compassion. (I honestly wanted to punch him during the conversation at the office party.)

This may be considered heresy in the BCS/BB universe but I have no interest in  Huell. I don’t think that he adds anything to the narrative.

Love Mike’s growing friendship with Werner (?), the German civil engineer. However, I’m expecting another shoe to drop in that plot line. Keeping X many guys locked away doing a top secret job for nearly a year poses tons of issues. Mike - in his “fixer” capacity - will certainly be faced with some ugly tasks.

Gus vs Hector: while I appreciate the time taken to show us how these enemies maneuver around each other, I hope that it takes a backseat for the remainder of the season. This is the rare instance where knowing “the ends” of these two characters makes me much less interested in their present.