BETTER CALL SAUL

[SpaceCoyote 150]

11 minutes ago, Jay said:

According to this new interview with Bob Odenkirk, next week's episode is the one he was filming when he had his heart attack

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2022-emmys-better-call-saul-star-bob-odenkirk-heart-attack-1235179022/

 

I wonder if he'll be a guest on the Insider podcast to talk about it

 

 

It had previously been reported that Vince was directing when it happened, and that both Rhea and Patrick Fabian were there. Writer/producer Tom Schnauz confirmed back in May that it was this week's episode (6x08). So there must have been some confusion/mistranslation on the part of Bob or the interviewer. I'm assuming that it was the opening scene with Kim, Jimmy, and Lalo, as Tony Dalton said at one point that he was there as well (but that was never repeated by anyone else, for reasons that now make sense).

 

[Jay 37,266]

You're right, this article must be wrong!

 

It seemed wrong to me when I read it, but then I second-guessed myself

 

So they'll presumably talk about it on this week's Insider podcast then

[Damien F 1,742]

19 minutes ago, Jay said:

According to this new interview with Bob Odenkirk, next week's episode is the one he was filming when he had his heart attack

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2022-emmys-better-call-saul-star-bob-odenkirk-heart-attack-1235179022/

 

I wonder if he'll be a guest on the Insider podcast to talk about it

 

That doesn't make sense because Patrick Fabian said he was there when it happened (about 0:48 below). 

 

 

Unless they were filming a flashback scene but I always thought it happened when filming the first episode of the second half of the season. I think Bob Odenkirk meant it happened while filming the episode that airs next week relative to when the interview was recorded.

[Jay 37,266]

Yea, we already cleared this up above

[Damien F 1,742]

10 minutes ago, Jay said:

You're right, this article must be wrong!

 

It seemed wrong to me when I read it, but then second-guessed myself

 

So they'll presumably talk about it on this week's Insider podcast then

 

I'm 45 minutes into the podcast and they haven't mentioned it yet. Dave Porter is one of the guests so there is a lot of discussion about the score.

 

Edit: ah, now at minute 48. They are briefly mentioning it now.

[Jay 37,266]

So I had no idea about this at all - only learned about it today - but apparently they actually screened 608 at the Tribeca Film Festival last month!?

 

Of all the episodes to screen, talk about a spoiler-y one!  Yikes!

Anyway, this guy shared his experience there now that the episode is aired and I thought it had some interesting factoids

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/betterCallSaul/comments/vx9ma0/a_few_cool_facts_i_learned_from_the_tribeca/

[Anthony 572]

• Of course everything had to go down the way it did! The surprise was that they didn't try to subvert expectations. It all played out to logical conclusions, yet the tension came from how exactly we'd get to them.
   
• I like that the decks are cleared for the final 5 episodes. I still can't work out how they're going to slot Walt and Jessie in without it feeling shoehorned, or how we get from where we are now to full-Saul-Goodman and ALSO wrapping up the Gene timeline.
   
• I keep wondering what Peter Gould means when he says "By the time we're done, you won't look at Breaking Bad in the same way."
   
• Dave Porter has been kicking the shit out of this season with his score. All the other seasons it's been - as Gus would say - acceptable. It's done what it's needed to do, but it hasn't drawn my attention like the music this season has. Bravo!
   
• There were so many good scenes but I think my favourite has to be Kim approaching Gus' house to kill him with the overhead shot mirroring (exactly?) Walt doing the exact same thing a few years later. I'm not sure either of them would have actually been able to pull the trigger. The music here was so creepy, and the whole scene was more like a horror movie (the light in the peephole disappearing!), even though I predicted Mike would run up behind her at the last second.

[Jay 37,266]

I just heard in the Insider podcast that the cello lament that plays at the end over the shots of Lalo and Howard being buried, was actually written by Porter for the teaser as a lament for Howard only, but in post it made more sense for the ending scene

[Anthony 572]

It was the most film-music-like piece of music either BB or BCS have ever had!

 

6 hours ago, Jay said:

It might be the only BCS episode without any jokes or comedic moments of any kind...

 

Mike saying "I hope stainless will suffice" as the new refrigerator was delivered cracked me up.

 

I was a little disappointed the episode didn't end with a camera angle of the excavator buying the camera with sand. But then again, I  thought of that, so it was presumably considered but too cliche. 

[Jay 37,266]

Some tidbits from the Insider podcast

 

-Bob's heart attack happened on the first day of filming for this episode.  They had only shot the opening condo conversation scene with Bob's closeups and Rhea's closeups, and then 2 months later had to film Tony Dalton's closeups and the wide shots, and the rest of the episode

-The really was Patrick Fabian on the floor in a lot of shots in the condo, and really Fabian and Dalton in the hole at the end (but it was stunt doubles that got tossed in)

-Dave Porter said he introduced a theme for Lalo into the underscore in the last 2 episodes of season 5, and brought it back in this episode

-The gunshot exchange was performed by stunt doubles, and lit entirely by the flash of the blanks in the guns

-The overhead shot of Kim approaching Gus's house was deliberately meant to mimic Walter doing the same in BB; Someone had an ipad on set with the shot so they could attempt to get the camera and everything the same, but it had to be shot in the middle of the night and the equipment was loud, so it didn't end up matching as much as they'd hoped

-The beach scene was the last thing filmed for the entire show, and they said it was the only footage in the entire show to not be filmed in New Mexico (it was filmed in California).  This episode's cinematographer wasn't available for the shoot so the other guy did it (this season has two cinematographers and one guy does the odd episodes and the other guy does the even)

[Jay 37,266]

New interview with Seehorn

 

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-07-12/emmys-nominations-2022-rhea-seehorn-better-call-saul

[Jay 37,266]

So here's something interesting to ponder.

 

It's one of the reasons I hope the next episode takes place the very next day (the day they have to try to act normal) and doesn't jump forward yet

 

It's easy to forget what was going on before all the Hamlin/Lalo stuff, but don't forget we just ended the same day that started with Kim driving out to that meeting Clifford set up for her, to be a part of a huge pro-bono thingy!

Clifford might not even know yet that she skipped the meeting, if he had to deal with a lot of the fallout from Hamlin's behavior at the meeting, etc.

 

So he should be contacting Kim in the next episode and being like, why did you skip the meeting? etc

 

 

It's also funny to think just a few episodes ago DA Ericsen called Kim into her office to tell her Lalo was dead, and wanted her to convince Jimmy to help them take the cartel down, and she went home and basically told Jimmy not to be a rat . Then Kim finds out Lalo wasn't dead, the cartel situation blew up in their face, but now Lalo is dead anyway..... oh boy

[Anthony 572]

40 minutes ago, Jay said:

It's also funny to think just a few episodes ago DA Ericsen called Kim into her office to tell her Lalo was dead, and wanted her to convince Jimmy to help them take the cartel down, and she went home and basically told Jimmy not to be a rat . Then Kim finds out Lalo wasn't dead, the cartel situation blew up in their face, but now Lalo is dead anyway..... oh boy

 

Yes, I also assume this will be coming back!

 

Another couple of comic moments from the episode: the expression of body-double-Gus when Kim points at him, and Lyle singing the Pollos Hermanos jingle.

[Jay 37,266]

Here's 3 new interviews with Gordon Smith!
 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/how-better-call-saul-writer-ep-gordon-smith-brought-a-13-year-old-breaking-bad-story-to-a-close-1235180005/

 

https://ew.com/tv/better-call-saul-producer-on-lalo-gus-showdown-jimmy-kim-future/

 

https://www.amc.com/blogs/better-call-saul-q-and-a-gordon-smith-on-the-big-showdown-between-gus-and-lalo--1054811

[Jay 37,266]

Some nice behind the scenes pics of Vince directing 608

 

 

 

Those ON Cloud shoes Bob is wearing definitely didn't exist in 2004!

[Jay 37,266]

Rhea Seehorn's thoughts on whether Kim had it in her to pull the trigger or not

 

 

 

and..... this lol

 

 

[Jay 37,266]

And AMC has released six photos for 609.  I am putting them in spoiler tags because if you look at them you won't be going into the next episode blind, but I wouldn't say they give away anything too major personally

 

Spoiler

 

 

My thoughts

 

Spoiler

It makes sense Eladio will have to talk to Bolso and Fring about operations now that Lalo is gone.  But of course... Gus can't tell them he KNOWS Lalo is dead now.... they thought he was dead since the attack on his house though right?  Only Hector knows Lalo was alive after that?

 

It's interesting to see Gus looking at the pool where Max was shot.  Makes me think this will be the final Gus scene of the season.  I'm trying to remember the state of affairs with regards to the cartel at the start of Breaking Bad - Tuco  is in charge, but they aren't in meth business?  They only get into that once Walter starts making it?

 

Jimmy in a black suit instead of a Saul suit makes me think he's at a memorial service for Howard, and Cliff is there too.  Since this would be a few days or weeks after where last episode ended, I hope we start right after the last episode (with Kim and JImmy having to try to act normal) before jumping forward to this.

 

No picture of Kim is a little worrying.  I wonder if she ditches town before the service even happens, and Jimmy doesn't see her again until maybe a reunion in the Gene timeline?

 

[Anthony 572]

I'm wanna go in blind to 609 although I do know of one returning character.

 

However I'm more interested in 610 - 3 mildly spoilerish things below, but I only know 1 of them is 100% true:

 

Spoiler

1.) It breaks the episode naming convention for the season and is just called "Nippy"

 

2.) I believe we will finally pick up with Gene

 

3.) If I recall correctly, this will also be the episode with Walt and Jesse (or at least the first episode with them in, if they are in more than one)

 

[Jay 37,266]

Another bit of cleverness I liked in 608 was setting up a delivery of a new fridge for the condo, and using the old fridge to move Howard's body out.  Smart!

[Jay 37,266]

[Anthony 572]

9 hours ago, Jay said:

Another bit of cleverness I liked in 608 was setting up a delivery of a new fridge for the condo, and using the old fridge to move Howard's body out.  Smart!

 

 

And how it was similar to Nacho's safe getting replaced in 602. Gus runs an appliance delivery service as well it seems!

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Fantastic ep! Only watched it last night and glad I don't have to wait too long for the next one.

 

 

On 13/7/2022 at 7:42 AM, Anthony said:

• I like that the decks are cleared for the final 5 episodes. I still can't work out how they're going to slot Walt and Jessie in without it feeling shoehorned, or how we get from where we are now to full-Saul-Goodman and ALSO wrapping up the Gene timeline.
• I keep wondering what Peter Gould means when he says "By the time we're done, you won't look at Breaking Bad in the same way."

 

One interesting theory I've seen is that Kim actually is around during some or all of the events of Breaking Bad, but we just don't see or hear from her in that show. It's a wild thought, and kinda funny if you imagine her just out of shot in scenes established in BB (not that I think they'd do anything like that), but that could tie into Walt/Jesse's appearances. The only way they're going to show up is if there's a time jump to the events of BB, and I personally think there could be some interesting interactions between Kim, Saul and Walt/Jesse that were "withheld" from BB.

 

One common criticism that I've heard for this ep was the convenient timing of Gus' man missing that Lalo was climbing through the ventilation fan on the security camera. But I'm pretty sure that the guy was outside when the rest of the group departed to Kim's apartment/Gus' house and then had to walk all the way back to the security room, which Lalo used to his advantage. Just wanted to point this out because that's how damn airtight this show is.

[crumbs 14,287]

On 16/07/2022 at 8:37 AM, Anthony said:

 

 

And how it was similar to Nacho's safe getting replaced in 602. Gus runs an appliance delivery service as well it seems!

 

Which is perfectly logical when you consider Gus' connections to Madrigal Electromotive. 

 

Such a small detail but everything really is airtight on this show. They don't miss a thing. 

[Jilal 569]

On 14/07/2022 at 11:32 PM, Jay said:

And AMC has released six photos for 609.  I am putting them in spoiler tags because if you look at them you won't be going into the next episode blind, but I wouldn't say they give away anything too major personally

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

My thoughts

 

  Reveal hidden contents

It makes sense Eladio will have to talk to Bolso and Fring about operations now that Lalo is gone.  But of course... Gus can't tell them he KNOWS Lalo is dead now.... they thought he was dead since the attack on his house though right?  Only Hector knows Lalo was alive after that?

 

It's interesting to see Gus looking at the pool where Max was shot.  Makes me think this will be the final Gus scene of the season.  I'm trying to remember the state of affairs with regards to the cartel at the start of Breaking Bad - Tuco  is in charge, but they aren't in meth business?  They only get into that once Walter starts making it?

 

Jimmy in a black suit instead of a Saul suit makes me think he's at a memorial service for Howard, and Cliff is there too.  Since this would be a few days or weeks after where last episode ended, I hope we start right after the last episode (with Kim and JImmy having to try to act normal) before jumping forward to this.

 

No picture of Kim is a little worrying.  I wonder if she ditches town before the service even happens, and Jimmy doesn't see her again until maybe a reunion in the Gene timeline?

 

 

Spoiler

I think it's very important that Hector knows about Lalo's survival and that Lalo suspected Gus of ordering the raid. He also instructed Lalo to gather evidence, so if communication between Lalo and him suddenly ceases, as it will of course, Hector will become very suspicious of Gus. Hector has also been seen to communicate quite successfully with the twins in BB, so Gus will probably have to come up with some lie in order to save his own skin. He can't mention the confrontation between him and Lalo, of course.

 

[Anthony 572]

4 hours ago, crumbs said:

 

Which is perfectly logical when you consider Gus' connections to Madrigal Electromotive. 

 

Such a small detail but everything really is airtight on this show. They don't miss a thing. 

 

Love it! However I wonder to what extent Madrigal is corrupt. Is Pollos Hermanos the only "front" restaurant? Are all the others genuine I wonder? I always got the impression it was a very small minority of the company who really knew what was going on.

 

I'm beginning to think we're not going to get answers to Gus' background or how this all came around. The Santiago stuff, Gus in Pinochet's government...it doesn't feel like there's enough time left, or that this is of importance given what else needs to be tied up.

[Jay 37,266]

That will be told in the upcoming spinoff, Never Trust Gus

[crumbs 14,287]

A Gus mini-series would be pretty fun, even if only a handful of episodes. They could cover the sprawl from Gus's past in Santiago to starting Los Pollos Hermanos and the completion of the lab. Esposito is so compelling to watch.

 

Now Lalo's storyline is effectively closed, and other than Mike completing the arc with Nacho's dad (the fake ID he took from the safe), I'm not sure there's much else to say with the cartel storyline that we won't already know by BB. I guess Gus will visit Hector and taunt him about Lalo's death, hence Hector never looking him in the eyes (until that fateful moment in BB). Maybe Tuco cameos in the last few episodes if released from prison early, to 'rescue' Hector from the retirement home?

 

Not sure who's running the day-to-day Salamanca operation in ABQ now Lalo/Nacho are dead and Hector incapacitated. Wasn't Crazy 8 doing that before he was caught by the cops at the drug house? Can't remember if that's the last time we saw him.

 

But I'll be happy to see the focus mostly on Jimmy/Kim from here, maybe except some closure with Mike/his daughter/Nacho's dad and maybe Gus with Don Eladio/Gale in the super lab. Jimmy will get his Sandpiper settlement money and probably use it to convert his office styling, and buy that fancy house from 601. I'm thinking his excitement at the settlement money will be the catalyst that sees Kim walk away, still traumatized by Howard's death.

 

I guess there'll be a big "Gliding Over All"-esque montage that covers the time jump from BCS to BB, as Saul grows his business and renovates the office.

[Anthony 572]

[Jay 37,266]

50 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Not sure who's running the day-to-day Salamanca operation in ABQ now Lalo/Nacho are dead and Hector incapacitated. Wasn't Crazy 8 doing that before he was caught by the cops at the drug house? Can't remember if that's the last time we saw him.

 

It's a good question - Nacho was in charge when Lalo went to jail for the murder of the travel store clerk, right?  When Lalo decided to bring Nacho with him to Mexico, who did he leave in charge of the Salamanca operations in ABQ?  Is it Krazy-8?  I think at the start of BB, Krazy-8 is a rival to Tuco, isn't he?  I can't remember these details...

[SpaceCoyote 150]

 

 

 

Hold on to your butts...

[Jay 37,266]

"hits me where I live"? What does that expression mean?

[SpaceCoyote 150]

1 minute ago, Jay said:

"hits me where I live"? What does that expression mean?

 

To affect one on a personal or intimate level.

[Jay 37,266]

Huh.  Never heard it before

[Jay 37,266]

Damn I love this feeling I get at the end of workdays on Mondays now knowing I got a new BCS tonight.  Gonna have a nice scotch with tonight's ep

 

 

Fun and Games

written by Ann Cherkis

directed by Michael Morris

 

Previous episodes written by Ann Cherkis

• 2x05 Rebecca
• 3x06 Off Brand
• 4x05 Quite A Ride
• 5x03 The Guy For This
• 6x04 Hit and Run

Previous episodes directed by Michael Morris

• 4x05 Quite A Ride
• 5x03 The Guy For This
• 5x06 Wexler V. Goodman
• 6x01 Wine and Roses

[Damien F 1,742]

21 minutes ago, Jay said:

Damn I love this feeling I get at the end of workdays on Mondays now knowing I got a new BCS tonight.  Gonna have a nice scotch with tonight's ep

 

For me in Europe, it drops on Netflix at 8am GMT on Tuesday morning. It's a bit awkward. Either watch it in the morning or save it for the evening (preferred time to watch shows) but stay off social media to avoid spoilers.

[Jay 37,266]

3 minutes ago, Damien F said:

Either watch it in the morning

 

No!

 

3 minutes ago, Damien F said:

or save it for the evening (preferred time to watch shows) but stay off social media to avoid spoilers.

 

Yes!

That's what I do with HBO Max & Disney+ shows.  Works fine.

[Jay 37,266]

  

 

That was incredible

[Holko 9,491]

Great episode! Great to see Gus relaxed and having fun, and also great but sad to see Kim come to her senses.

[Jay 37,266]

Really nice interview with Rhea, shares some nice thoughts about Kim's thoughts in 608 and 609

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/better-call-saul-rhea-seehorn-season-6-episode-9-1235182396

[crumbs 14,287]

Fantastic episode! Every scene was so expertly directed and acted. Bravo to the whole cast and crew.

 

Also amusing that the photos of Howard's various adventures are actually from Patrick Fabian's real life escapades:

[crocodile 7,978]

Fantastic episode.

 

Karol

[Damien F 1,742]

I had always expected the time jump from the BCS timeline to the BrBa timeline to happen in a montage, but that sudden jump cut is genius and also quite depressing. To jump cut from Jimmy with Kim, the woman he loves, to Saul with some random meaningless one night stand is very striking. 

 

Kim's last word in the episode is "fun" and Rhea delivers it perfectly.

[Anthony 572]

What were the photos Mike was burning in the desert? I didn't understand what they were of.

[Damien F 1,742]

2 minutes ago, Anthony said:

What were the photos Mike was burning in the desert? I didn't understand what they were of.

 

I think they were just photos of Jimmy and Kim's apartment that his crew used while cleaning the place and removing Howard's body.

[Anthony 572]

For what purpose would they need photos?

[Damien F 1,742]

22 minutes ago, Anthony said:

For what purpose would they need photos?

 

I think they probably had to move a lot of the furniture around so they took photos to ensure they put everything back in the right place. I could be wrong because I've only seen the episode once, but that's the impression I got. Mike is very detail orientated!

[Jay 37,266]

Better Call Saul 6x09 Fun and Games

Three prior episodes this season have seen the death of members of the main cast, all well thought-out, well-executed, well-reasoned deaths with interesting ramifications for the futures of the surviving characters, and all three of those episodes were fantastic episodes.  But I think I like this episode more than any of those.

 

HBO learned a while ago to put the big climactic events in the episode before the season finale, so you'd have time in the season finale to explore the ramifications of those events.  And that's what this episode does beautifully - spends time with characters really having to deal with everything they've done, and it's quite masterful!

 

It all starts with just a fantastic cold open.  We see the very next day in the lives of Mike, Kim, and Mike & his team.  The way the filmmakers planned out all these interesting ways to transition from one into another, all while Perfect Day plays, is just great!  I thought it was a little funny how quickly Saul had the "Saul Goodman & Associates" sign getting installed, or was it Francesca's idea? I loved the thoroughness of Mike's team, taking polaroids to make sure everything matched after cleaning up, etc.  And then burning all the evidence, which even included all the post-it notes from the scam.  And then when Kim and Jimmy come home and their day is done and they faces change, it was fantastic.  And the conversation on the bed was great too.

 

Gus's trip to Mexico to talk to Don Eladio and speak to Hector's accusation was very interesting.  I loved how little Gus said, letting the "facts" of the dental records and nobody else hearing the phone call speak for itself.  I liked that at this point, his revenge against the Salamancas is starting to work, with Lalo dead and Tuco in jail, and I wonder if when he looks down at the pool and probably thinks about Max, if he realizes it will be another 5 years until he finishes off Bolsa, Eladio, and Hector.

 

It was great when he came home that he opened up some windows in his house, finally letting some (metaphorical and real) light in. And I loved that Mike was waiting for him in the basement tunnel, and that Mike reveals they truly didn't know if Gus would survive the trip to Mexico or not.  And of course, Gus provides no thoughts of celebration, and immediately puts Mike to work on finishing the lab (I guess the second crew won't get their own story like the first crew did )

 

Speaking of not allowing celebration, the scene with Gus at the bar was one of the most interesting scenes the show has ever had!  I loved seeing Gus not only let her guard down and actually have fun, but have so much fun he let himself flirt with an acquaintance he seems to have some history with (Reed Diamond from Dollhouse was great in this role!).  After he leaves to go get the expensive bottle, you can clearly see Gus ponder the options, decide his need for revenge is more important, and take off.  Damn!

This has some nice parallels with the nice scene with Mike and Nacho's father.  I loved loved loved this scene.  I love that Mike goes into it thinking he is doing his dad a favor, and that he himself has some sort of moral highground compared to everybody else "in the game".  And I love that his dad puts him in his place by pointing out that kililng the Salamancas won't be justice, just revenge, and that Mike is just like every other gangster.  Great stuff.  Really is a nice end-cap to the entire character arc Mike had in this show, and tells you everything you need to know about who he is when he shows up in Breaking Bad.  Oh, and I loved how the scene was shot, with the fence in between them.

 

At this point with so much time spent on Mike and Gus, I was wondering if this was going to be a total flip of the usual episodes; Often episodes start with a cold open feature either no characters, or characters other than Jimmy or Kim, and then Jimmy and Kim is often the main focus of the episode.  So I was wondering if the cold open would be the only time we'd see Kim and Jimmy in this episode, and the rest would focus on the other characters.  But nope, then we get the fantastic wake scene at HHM!
 

Boy, what a scene, or really series of scenes.  You are left wondering exactly what their talks with the police were like, and how much prep they did between themselves what they would say at this wake.  It was great to see the famous HHM lobby again, and I loved that the giant pictures of Howard were just from Patrick Fabian's own social media  It was great to see Rich Schweikart one last time, and the little tidbit that HHM is changing its name to Brookner Partners or whatever probably explains the card Saul gives to Francesca in that flash-forward. 

 

I had no idea what to expect when they go to talk to Cheryl and Cliff and boy, what a scene.  I loved how delicately Jimmy stuck to the story they had to stick to while being as information-free as possible.  I LOVED that he divulged a personal detail - that he was always jealous of Howard because he had the respect of Chuck and he did not - which is probably simultaneously true, something Jimmy would never admit in normal circumstances, and a great detail that would help quell many people in this situation.  But it isn't enough, and Cheryl demands more. 

 

And then the most interesting part of the entire episode happens, Kim's perfect on-the-fly lie to sell their story.  I loved watching the gears spin in her head, then her lie about seeing Howard snorting coke a while back, and the final button: Asking Cliff if he had ever observed any behavior like that.  Chef's kiss, Kim.  I truly had no idea what Cliff was going to say to that!  Say he had?  Out them as probably scamming them after all, especially since he knows Kim was with him at the hooker-out-the-car scene, etc.  Instead... he neither confirms nor denies specifically, but between his delivery and choice of words "now is not the time or place" more or less agrees that it's probably all true.  Goddamn.

 

And then Kim twists the knife in another savage moment of brilliance, saying Cheryl would know Howard best.... when Kim fully knows that he had been sleeping in the guest house for a while, so she actually wouldn't know what he's been up to.  Damn!  This is one of the most savage character assassinations I've seen on TV.  I loved the various looks Jim gave Kim throughout all this, he was clearly impressed she could lie better than he could, and tap into everything necessary to pull off the perfect con.

 

Then the garage scene!  How cool was it that their cars were parked pointing in 180degree opposite directions, foreshadowing EVERYTHING.  I liked that Jimmy thought the con was over and the healing would begin now, but man that kiss from Kim should have told him otherwise.  I love details like this, and here's another one; Kim used to always smoke outside, then during the whole Howard scam this season she started smoking inside again.  Now, after quitting being a lawyer, packing her things, and waiting for Jimmy to come back home, she's smoking outside again.  Damn.

Once he comes in, their breakup scene is just a masterclass of writing and acting.  All her reasons for needing to separate from Jimmy are completely logical, well thought out, and inevitable.  And I love that Jimmy is so vulnerable here, and so pleading with her to stay.  And the best part was that for the first time in the entire show, they actually say "I love you" to each other on-screen.  And she finally tells Jimmy she knew Lalo was alive, and even admits that she didn't tell him because she knew he would put the kibosh on the Howard scam, and that she feared he'd break up with her as well (this is the only thing in the whole episode that didn't really track for me.... why did she think that?).  And the last thing she says to Jimmy before leaving (that we see at least) is "I didn't want that, because I was having too much fun".  Damn.  I have never been more sure of anything that we will see her again in the Gene timeline.  I will miss her for a couple episodes until we get there!

 

The jump forward to 2008 was shocking.  I was NOT expecting that.  Did anybody else think the lady he had slept with kind of looks like Kim?  In fact, I thought it was the actress that plays Kim's mom at first!  I didn't really get the point of having him park in the handicap spot in front of his own office and put up a fake handicap placard; it's his own office, can't he put up a sign reserving it?  That was weird.  I loved the broken down, BB-era Francesca inside, a nice comparison to the still optimistic one at the start of the episode.  And I loved seeing the statue of liberty, Better Call Saul signage, and pillars of justice office all in place.  What a way to end the episode.  I'm happy to be in the BB era to kick off the final 4 episodes, but hope we get some information about the 4 years we just jumped past.

[Jay 37,266]

13 hours ago, Holko said:

Great episode! Great to see Gus relaxed and having fun

 

Not just having fun, but letting himself be flirtatious with a potential mate!  I loved finally seeing this side of him!

 

13 hours ago, Holko said:

, and also great but sad to see Kim come to her senses.

 

Man.  It was inevitable, and she really didn't even give him a chance to potentially talk her out of it did she

 

 

6 hours ago, crumbs said:

Also amusing that the photos of Howard's various adventures are actually from Patrick Fabian's real life escapades:

 

I recognized them immediately, and laughed out loud!

 

2 hours ago, Damien F said:

I had always expected the time jump from the BCS timeline to the BrBa timeline to happen in a montage, but that sudden jump cut is genius and also quite depressing. To jump cut from Jimmy with Kim, the woman he loves, to Saul with some random meaningless one night stand is very striking. 

 

Yea I think most of us were probably expecting some type of montage to get us from 2004 to 2008, I never expected it to be handled like this personally.

 

2 hours ago, Damien F said:

Kim's last word in the episode is "fun" and Rhea delivers it perfectly.

 

Yes!
 

1 hour ago, Anthony said:

What were the photos Mike was burning in the desert? I didn't understand what they were of.

 

He / his team took polaroids of how Jimmy and Kim's living room looked before they started moving things around to clean everything up, then referred to the polaroids to put everything back exactly like it was beforehand.  He burned those plus the post-it notes and maybe some blood-stained paraphernalia they took out of the room too, idk.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

Speaking of not allowing celebration, the scene with Gus at the bar was one of the most interesting scenes the show has ever had!  I loved seeing Gus not only let her guard down and actually have fun, but have so much fun he let himself flirt with an acquaintance he seems to have some history with (Reed Diamond from Dollhouse was great in this role!).  After he leaves to go get the expensive bottle, you can clearly see Gus ponder the options, decide his need for revenge is more important, and take off.  Damn!

 

I think there's a few layers to Gus' moment there - yes he is focused on revenge, but there's also a brief glimpse of shame and fear, realising that he can't let himself get close to another person again for fear of another loss, but also possibly a sliver of guilt for "betraying" the memory of his partner.... The amount of complex facial acting that Espisito pulls off in this scene is delectable - especially juxtaposed with his almost constant stoicism in the rest of the show. Between this and the slight wincing he does when being patted down at Don Eladio's compound this is the most vulnerable and human that we've ever seen Gus. Incredible.

 

2 hours ago, Jay said:

And then Kim twists the knife in another savage moment of brilliance, saying Cheryl would know Howard best.... when Kim fully knows that he had been sleeping in the guest house for a while, so she actually wouldn't know what he's been up to.  Damn!  This is one of the most savage character assassinations I've seen on TV.  I loved the various looks Jim gave Kim throughout all this, he was clearly impressed she could lie better than he could, and tap into everything necessary to pull off the perfect con.

 

I audibly gasped when Kim said that. The single most callous thing Kim has ever done, but so complicated as it was also done to protect Jimmy.... Rhea does such an incredible job of not letting too much on about what Kim is thinking in the moment, so it wasn't until the scene in the apartment that we realise that her fear of what she's capable of is what drives her away. This is not how I expected their relationship would end but it is so perfect.

 

33 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Not just having fun, but letting himself be flirtatious with a potential mate!  I loved finally seeing this side of him!

 

Lol "potential mate", ok David Attenborough! But yeah, I loved seeing this layer of Gus.

 

I suspect the next ep will cover the events of BB and then we'll jump to Gene-town. And HOPEFULLY a reunion with Kim 😭😭

 

Also one thing I loved: the opening montage with the "Saul Goodman & Associates" sign and the camera angled to emphasise "ASS". I love the cheeky sense of humour in this show.

 

 

[Anthony 572]

The two time jumps in this episode frustrated me a little: the opening montage glossing over the day after the night before, and then not showing Jimmy or Kim "finding out" about Howard's suicide, not showing them talking to the police...

 

It all felt a little too easy. The HHM scene slightly redeemed this, as there would have been no point showing these missing scenes then also repeating things in the scene with Cheryl. Plus Mike said to Gus it all happened as planned - okay, so at least Mike explained this last week.

 

And then the big time jump. Excuse me, but I haven't waited 7 years to reach this point and then for them to go....and then he became Saul Goodman! No!

 

I like the whiplash effect and the stark conrast between Kim's apartment and Saul's rotating bed with a hooker in...but we better get some of the gap between the two filled in. I want to see the decision making/justification behind this ridiculous lifestyle. Jimmy's head isn't in this space when Kim breaks up with him - it's how Jimmy got to that point that I've been waiting to see.

 

I've always said that in Saul's introduction in BB he comes across nothing like Jimmy. And even then throughout the series he isn't quite as sleazy as in that first episode. In 609, Odenkirk plays Saul like that first BB episode again, but it's such a departure from Jimmy that I need to see some kind of bridge between the two - it's just really jarring otherwise.

 

The scene with Gus also frusrated me. Usually I relish scenes that go at a snail's pace and you have no context as to what's going on or where they're going. But I trust the writers are taking them somewhere. The Hedberg scene from 401 is one of my absolute favourites. But this went on far too long and just went...nowhere. Gus won't take the time to celebrate, he's stuck in the cycle of revenge that Nacho's dad describes - was there not a more concise way to show that? 

 

Maybe I'd have had a little more patience with the scene if there weren't so few episodes left. There's so much other stuff I still want to know, this felt like it was wasting precious time.

 

That said, it was still a good episode, but it felt a little flat compared to the intensity of the last two.