Better Call Saul - Season Three Discussion

So is Jimmy sleeping in his car now? Or was that just a change of clothes he keeps in the trunk?

 

The latter.

 

He's pressed for time between his community service and his commercial shoots.

 

As far as all this talk of why Kim is attracted to Jimmy and stays with him, I keep going back to her interview with Schweikart & Cokely in S2: E7.



When they ask her "Are you from New Mexico?" notice how she puts her hands under the table and gets real uncomfortable with her answer and the follow-up questions. I look forward to (hopefully) there being an episode where we find out more about her past in "just a tiny little town barely on the map near the Kansas/Nebraska border." Something tells me she has a slight dark side she ran away from that jives with Slippin' Jimmy and would give insight as to why she has enjoyed the pseudo scams the two have played together in bars. It may also explain why she is so adamant on integrity in keeping to the straight and narrow with her approach to the law. And that while Jimmy excites her, he also scares her because maybe it would take her back down the path of her past.

 

Yep, I totally agree with that. I wonder why Ptah had the impression that it was rehearsed--I mean of course it was for the show, but the acting as always for Odenkirk was just spot on. It was the ultimate aha moment when he was able to pique the actuary's interest in Chuck's mental problems and direct her to the transcript of his cross examination, all while crying about his problems. Hilarious.

I didn't think it had any additional relevance but maybe I need to watch again. Kim's little snipe at her friend at Mesa Verde, immediately followed by stoic apology--this is just dull to me and as Ptah said doesn't ring true for an attorney. Likewise, the bar scene where Jimmy is so bored and in need of cash that he's literally chomping at the bit to swindle some of the drunks there--Kim poured cold water all over that plan. It was more realistic but not exactly what's keeping me on the edge of my seat.

 

And Jimmy's meeting with the insurance company reminded me of Walt's recorded "confession". Great acting in both cases.

 

I keep going back to this:

 

In Breaking Bad, didn't Saul say something about catching his wife having sex with his brother?

 

I thought he said one of his ex-wives slept with his step-father

 

And I thought that most of what he said on BB was lies.

 

But, it's not a lie if YOU believe it.

 

Apparently, the showrunners, producers, and writers don't agree with you.

I am so lame, I didn't see that reveal coming until the very end of the scene. And I thought, "man, that was a long con on that one."

If I can make a prediction (and this is not a giveaway -- only a guess), I'm betting the season will end with HHM having to let Chuck go because of the insurance problem, and Chuck responds by blowing his brains out. And now Jimmy will have to live with having driven his brother to suicide. I can't see any way around this.

If there was anything technically wrong with the episode, it was that Jimmy's knowledge of filmmaking vernacular ("last looks, everybody!") was a little too inside and sophisticated for a regular guy in a town like Albuquerque. This is how they would talk on a set shooting a big-budget AMC TV series, not a $500 local TV commercial. But I don't think 99.99% of viewers would pick up on that.

 

Is it possible that Jimmy's interaction with the insurance company might not simply cause HHM's malpractice rates to go up, but could bring down the firm altogether? Mesa Verde has sued or will sue HHM for a whole lot of money. Almost certainly HHM, at the urging of its insurer, has tried or will try to settle. If the insurer yanks the coverage - whether because it thought HHM made misstatements on its renewal applications because name partner Chuck concealed the true nature of his condition, or whether because HHM told them something different in the claims process than what Chuck said at the bar hearing - then HHM could be left naked, defenseless and uninsured against Mesa Verde. THAT could bring the whole firm down and financially ruin the individual partners, who depending on how the firm is structured may have to pay its obligations.

 

Bob Odenkirk on Jimmy crying (Not embeddable)

Inside Better Call Saul: Season 3, Episode 7

 

I bet I went back and forth 3 or 4 times during that scene between thinking that it was real or a con.

 

Thinmking about it now, that scene at the insurance office is brilliant. It is logical and emotional. Beginning sincerely, Jimmy tries to get some money back from the agent and when he runs into a brick wall, he instead goes after the man who put that brick wall in front of him, Chuck.

 

This was to Odenkirk what the court scene was for McKean.

 

No new episode om Monday, by the way, because of the holiday.

 

Indeed! And a huge step away from Jimmy and toward Saul.

It was as if, in his darkest moment, with his back against the wall, Jimmy discovers Saul.

 

Yeah. The first real sign was with the Chinese food delivery guy. "It could be zero".

Nice guy Jimmy is dying a death by a thousand cuts. Saul is being created to fight back.

 

Exactly! And Kim, in her Mesa Verde meeting seems to be showing glimmers of her own protective persona, though of course she isn't comfortable using it (even apologizing for it.)

 

Kim is walking a high-wire. I still don't know which side she will fall on.

 

That's an interesting perspective from a business insider. I guess the pathetic unsophisticated 99.99% of the viewers will have to rely on the fact that the term "last looks" was introduced to the character last season during the recording of the "flag" segment of his commercial by the makeup person.

Speaking of, he has been taking her advice more and more lately, despite their rocky Rupert Holmes start.

 

I thought about this as well. I was chomping at the bit to see Jimmy take down the a-hole in booth. But it was more subtle to know that he could have, and even playing out the scene in my head, I guess we didn't need the actual thing to happen. The look on Kim's face was "you've done this before".

The other story line...I found it interesting that Nacho would divulge his entire plan to Mike. He must trust Mike pretty well, and he respects Mike for pointing out the flaws in his plan for Hector.

The acting and timing on this show continues to amaze me. Even the lessor characters like our Pharmacist are terrific (I love his short pants outfit).

 

It's not really a matter of opinion. Jimmy was a trial lawyer. Now he's not practicing. They robbed the show of one of its defining features for the rest of the year.

It was set up very well, and if this kind of Jimmy-ism is going to happen at least once per episode I can get over the suspension. Though the rest of the episode and previous episode leading up to that was snoozefest.

I don't think they'll get rid of Chuck that quick. His arc has to drag out for a couple more seasons at least. You may be right, but I think Chuck's far too self indulgent/important to try to kill himself. More likely he'd try to kill Jimmy. Or Chuck's demise may come about by Jimmy getting more involved with shady clients who take things too far.

Isn't that typical of the BB/BCS writing? Remember one of Jessie's meth buddies in BB? He would get into the technical details about home theater gear in a totally unrealistic way and when Jessie took them to the music store to buy cases for transporting the lab into tented houses, the guy sat down at a keyboard and played some Mozart. It's those kinds of things that snap me right out of the plot and remind me I'm watching a show where the goal isn't to be true to the characters.

Certainly the actuary/manager was very interested when Jimmy started blubbering about his brother being crazy and that it came out for everyone to see in the transcript. It could be this case was already on her radar, though there has been no mention of Mesa Verde filing a lawsuit against HHM, let alone HHM filing a claim with the insurer. It's certainly possible that happened, though, given the disdain Mesa Verde has for Chuck's refusal to take responsibility for the error. Anyway, I can't wait to see Chuck's face when his whole plot to take down his brother comes back to bite him on the ass. If it takes down HHM altogether, that would be great. Poetic justice if Jimmy can have his class action suit back, but that's unlikely and I don't predict it.

Yep, it was my favorite scene since Jimmy read the riot act to Nacho after the cops dropped the kidnapping case against him.