Better Call Saul

[FfldCntyFan]

The one possible mistake Mike made may have been buying the bar a round of drinks. The context of this (beyond the fact that it was obviously a large number of drinks) is unknown at the moment but if the scope of where that bar is in terms of the what Hector et al know of in Albuquerque, once word is out that someone is throwing money around all of a sudden, those who ere ripped of will investigate.

 

[Rocktheworld]

The one possible mistake Mike made may have been buying the bar a round of drinks. The context of this (beyond the fact that it was obviously a large number of drinks) is unknown at the moment but if the scope of where that bar is in terms of the what Hector et al know of in Albuquerque, once word is out that someone is throwing money around all of a sudden, those who ere ripped of will investigate.

Yeah watch one of the guys who was in his apartment was there

 

[Dogdeacon]

Yeah watch one of the guys who was in his apartment was there

Nah, they woulda showed him right at that bar. Plus he did get 50k from Hector recently so it's eons from a pink caddy and a fur coat.

 

[junglehusky]

Nah, they woulda showed him right at that bar. Plus he did get 50k from Hector recently so it's eons from a pink caddy and a fur coat.

Still, it was very uncharacteristic for Mike. I think the writers put that scene there very deliberately.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Nah, they woulda showed him right at that bar. Plus he did get 50k from Hector recently so it's eons from a pink caddy and a fur coat.

And spoil it for next episode?

That scene is utterly pointless without someone seeing him flashing cash IMO

 

[Dogdeacon]

I disagree, but we'll see - I thought the point of the bar scene was a rare moment of Mike actually being happy and content that he'd cooked Hector. This continued into the next scene, he's moving past it all looking into the future (winter, years in ABQ) and has the atypical for Mike flirtation with the waitress and classic come-on line from her "you can shovel my driveway". Awesomeness.

So to me the point is Mike wanted Hector to pay for bullying and making Mike take a payoff. The fact that Mike got money out of it was gravy that Mike didn't truly care about $ other than to revel just a bit as illustrated in the bar scene. But just as Mike's enjoying himself and trying to read about Hector's imminent arrest in the paper the celebration comes to a crashing halt via the phone call from Nacho. End of episode Mike is back plotting how to get Hector because Mike's plan didn't work and insult to injury Mike's foolproof plan got an innocent person killed. And lastly Nacho told us directly that Hector has forgotten entirely about Mike.

The moral of the story is Mike has already paid a price for his heist (guilt over the good Samaritan) and once again feels the need to make Hector pay (b/c Hectors a bad guy that will continue to wreak havoc) with understanding now that his attack must be directly aimed at the Hector menace.

And of course we don't need to ask for whom the bell dings since we know the state of each character down the road on Breaking Bad.

 

[Rico444]

And spoil it for next episode?

That scene is utterly pointless without someone seeing him flashing cash IMO

It's not pointless; this whole show (just like BB was) is about the transformation of the main characters. The Mike in Breaking Bad would never do something as celebratory and reckless as flashing a wad of $100s and buying the bar a round of drinks.

 

[UConn Dan]

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It had to have been Fring who left the note on Mike's car.

Chuck becomes more of a f*&king pr!ck each episode. HIs latest stunt will severely damage not only Jimmy but Ernesto and Kim as well and he did it solely to prove he was right. He is so self absorbed it is borderline criminal and his resentment of Jimmy (that their father would never admit to Jimmy's theft, that their mother said his name when dying) is just shy of psychotic. Nothing matters in Chuck's eyes beyond what he views as important to him.

 

[SAMCRO]

Nothing matters in Chuck's eyes beyond what he views as important to him.

Ha, you just described most of the posters on the BY...

 

[Dogdeacon]

The show is incredibly well made and a pleasant hour for sure, but I was disappointed in that finale. I think it is too much of a circle jerk and drawing out this battle for the doomed soul of Jimmy. Specifically, even though it was entertaining to see Chuck out-maneuver Jimmy, I don't see Chuck then using this to totally blow up Kim with Mesa Verde (hmm just noticed this kinda means the grass is greener, again show is just admirably well made). So I think they'll backtrack again next season (please don't tell me we have to wait until January 2017) and Chuck will use the tape as a deterrent and we are in for another season of the Chuck v Jimmy v Kim v Howard dance-a-thon.

Likewise, the stuff with Mike was all logical, but I wanted to see either Hector incapacitated or Gus introduced. Seems almost certain now that we will spend at least half of next season on the Gus-Mike meet cute.

Basically the making & artistry of the show continually takes precedence over story. It is a deserved victory lap for Gilligan & crew, but they are selfishly wallowing in the minutia of the characters they love. As fans we are left with morbid recourse of McKean & Jonathan Banks ages motivating story advancement. Bring us to Cinnabon already!

 

[FfldCntyFan]

My belief is that Gus knows if an unknown gunman takes Hector out the cartel will assume Gus was behind it and come after him. What I am curious about is how Gus knows as much as he does about Mike's plans (Nacho?).

I am now convinced that it is Mike & Gus that incapacitate Hector and it is Gus' plan (to have it appear as merely an older man having a stroke) that gets Mike to join Gus.

 

[Mots010]

Perhaps Gus is keeping a close eye on a rival and in doing so, notices Mike tailing Hector. I would imagine Gus is impressed with Mike's skill along with a shared rival, and brings him into the Los Pollos Hermanos operation.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I'm not clearly remembering where Gus' operation stood in relation to the Mexican cartel.

During Breaking Bad (SPOILER ALERT!!)

At some point in the past (wiki says 1989, hmm at least 10 yrs pre BCS) Gus & his partner tried to work for the cartel (Don Eladio) and Hector kills Gus' partner by the pool
Not sure what happened next, was Gus employed by Cartel or just dismissed?
In modern times Gus works seemingly parallel to the cartel but in some sort of de'tente
Gus is expanding/growing with help of Walt and so cartel starts sending him messages to cool it
Ultimately gets close to all out war, then Gus proposes some sort of merger & double crosses cartel, kills Don Eladio

So I'm guessing at the time of BCS Gus is slowly building his empire, not sure if its (1) completely under the radar of Hector & Don Eladio or if (2) Gus is an affiliate or if (3) Gus is a known minor player paying tribute?
Gus does have to build up some sort of influence or credit with the cartel, because Gus at time of BBad had the power to at least delay the cousins desire to kill Walt.

 

[UConn Dan]

@Dogdeacon

/spoiler

IIRC, I believe the deal that was worked out between Fring and the cartel was that he controlled his product north of the border and the cartel south.

 

[CTMike]

Chuck won't stop until he wins (aka destroys Jimmy).

 

[Rocktheworld]

I get some of the hate for Chuck, but he is no worse (in fact better) than Jimmy. He is the only person to have known all along what Jimmy really is; what we all know Jimmy really is. He has had to watch everyone love Jimmy despite what he knew. Imagine how frustrating that must be. Chuck has been completely right this entire time about Jimmy; he knows Jimmy that well. All he is really after is giving Jimmy what he has deserved all along.

You guys just love to watch Jimmy get away with it with no thought of Chuck at all. I bet you who hate on Chuck hated Skylar in BB.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I get some of the hate for Chuck, but he is no worse (in fact better) than Jimmy. He is the only person to have known all along what Jimmy really is; what we all know Jimmy really is. He has had to watch everyone love Jimmy despite what he knew. Imagine how frustrating that must be. Chuck has been completely right this entire time about Jimmy; he knows Jimmy that well. All he is really after is giving Jimmy what he has deserved all along.

You guys just love to watch Jimmy get away with it with no thought of Chuck at all. I bet you who hate on Chuck hated Skylar in BB.

They had to add Chuck's idiosyncratic illness so Chuck wouldn't be too sane (& obviously in the right) and thus foster the audience's ability to root for Jimmy. The illness also allows us to see Jimmy's big heart which truly does trump his scheming. But Chuck simply should have left Jimmy to his own devices and demise back home and never rescued him. To bring Jimmy to ABQ, then set him up in the mailroom only to keep Chuck's foot on Jimmy's neck was both cruel and careless b/c Chuck knows Jimmy always wriggles away and ultimately brings down everyone before himself. In fact, besides that shrew (I kid!), I'm starting to blame Jimmy for Walter's downfall!
P.S. Are you an older brother?

 

[Rocktheworld]

They had to add Chuck's idiosyncratic illness so Chuck wouldn't be too sane (& obviously in the right) and thus foster the audience's ability to root for Jimmy. The illness also allows us to see Jimmy's big heart which truly does trump his scheming. But Chuck simply should have left Jimmy to his own devices and demise back home and never rescued him. To bring Jimmy to ABQ, then set him up in the mailroom only to keep Chuck's foot on Jimmy's neck was both cruel and careless b/c Chuck knows Jimmy always wriggles away and ultimately brings down everyone before himself. In fact, besides that shrew (I kid!), I'm starting to blame Jimmy for Walter's downfall!
P.S. Are you an older brother?

LOL yes I am. But my brother is awesome and not the biggest scam artist in an entire geographical region who directly damaged my father's business. Plus my parents were fair with picking favorites; my mom me, my dad my brother

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I get some of the hate for Chuck, but he is no worse (in fact better) than Jimmy. He is the only person to have known all along what Jimmy really is; what we all know Jimmy really is. He has had to watch everyone love Jimmy despite what he knew. Imagine how frustrating that must be. Chuck has been completely right this entire time about Jimmy; he knows Jimmy that well. All he is really after is giving Jimmy what he has deserved all along.

You guys just love to watch Jimmy get away with it with no thought of Chuck at all. I bet you who hate on Chuck hated Skylar in BB.

I'm not sure it is as cut and dried as you are implying. There were a few instances where Jimmy seemed to put a good amount of effort into following a relatively strait and narrow path only to have Chuck sit in judgement, proclaiming that Jimmy was still cheating, making it clear that in his eyes Jimmy will always be Slippin' Jimmy. Kim nailed it on that one (when she lashed into Chuck) that Jimmy's primary motivation (since Chuck saved his ) was to earn Chuck's approval only for Chuck to repeatedly reinforce that it was not possible.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I'm not sure it is as cut and dried as you are implying. There were a few instances where Jimmy seemed to put a good amount of effort into following a relatively strait and narrow path only to have Chuck sit in judgement, proclaiming that Jimmy was still cheating, making it clear that in his eyes Jimmy will always be Slippin' Jimmy. Kim nailed it on that one (when she lashed into Chuck) that Jimmy's primary motivation (since Chuck saved his ) was to earn Chuck's approval only for Chuck to repeatedly reinforce that it was not possible.

I don't blame Chuck for never fully trusting Jimmy again after what he did to their own father's business. Does Kim know about that? I forget

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't blame Chuck for never fully trusting Jimmy again after what he did to their own father's business. Does Kim know about that? I forget

That's how we know, when Chuck told Kim.

What Chuck's doing goes well beyond merely never fully trusting again.

I was going to add 'why did Chuck save Jimmy & bring him out there if this was how he felt" but then something dawned on me (I should have remembered this earlier). Last season, when Jimmy when back to Chicago (Joliet?) and saw Marco, Marco got pi$$ed when he found out Jimmy came back once earlier for a funeral (I think his mother's). It could be that Chuck was trying to give Jimmy a chance to redeem himself until that point but the jealousy over their mother calling out only for Jimmy may have been the thing that pushed Chuck over the edge, to where his resentment of his brother outweighed everything else.

 

[Dove]

I don't blame Chuck for never fully trusting Jimmy again after what he did to their own father's business. Does Kim know about that? I forget

Chuck had a sit-down chat with Kim at his office. Just after Kim's mailroom banishment.

 

[NorwalkHusky]

That's how we know, when Chuck told Kim.

What Chuck's doing goes well beyond merely never fully trusting again.

I was going to add 'why did Chuck save Jimmy & bring him out there if this was how he felt" but then something dawned on me (I should have remembered this earlier). Last season, when Jimmy when back to Chicago (Joliet?) and saw Marco, Marco got pi$$ed when he found out Jimmy came back once earlier for a funeral (I think his mother's). It could be that Chuck was trying to give Jimmy a chance to redeem himself until that point but the jealousy over their mother calling out only for Jimmy may have been the thing that pushed Chuck over the edge, to where his resentment of his brother outweighed everything else.

Wow Nice catch with the funeral I totally missed that. Also I'm wondering what happened to chuck's wife did she pass away or divorce Chuck because he went crazy. Or is that what caused him to go crazy?

 

[StoweD210]

Two things we'll hear more about next season:

- What New Mexico's laws are regarding taping someone without their knowledge.

- How Chuck reacts when he realizes he was reduced to acting like Jimmy in order to get Jimmy to admit to doctoring those documents.

My only quibble with how this season went is how big Jimmy's blind spot for Chuck is. He knows how his brother feels about him, but it took Kim saying something to make him realize he should cover his tracks at the copy center. Then he believes everything is okay between him and Chuck after he sends his brother in for a CAT scan against his wishes. And the only reason Chuck needed a CAT scan was because of injuries his suffered trying to prove Jimmy did something. Maybe the larger point is these are lessons Jimmy needs to learn in order to fully become the Saul Goodman character.