Better Call Saul - Season Five Discussion

The meaner Kim gets, the sexier I find her

 

I understand that this sort of thing matters to some (or maybe a lot of) people, but I don't care if my good feelings about or for Kim (or any character) goes away. All I care about is if the story is a good one, and I think the story about what's emerging in Kim is a very good one. It's an interesting, unnerving story about a complex human being, and I think it's being told very compellingly--Mesa Verde, mixed feelings about Howard, and all.

L.

 

I agree--they're giving Kim agency and a complexity, whereas otherwise, she would be stuck in the boring role of the voice of reason against Saul's questionable moral choices (which would create short term friction, but only so far, as she couldn't believably stay with a man like Jimmy if she really abhorred how he truly is).

We know what eventually happens to Saul, Mike and Gus--Kim's story trajectory is the wildcard, and the one I'm probably most interested in at this point.

 

Kim went off like that on Chuck as well, didn't she.

 

She did, but it was lie to protect Jimmy. In the case of Howard she is telling (her) truth.

 

Yeah, it explains why he wouldn't immediately press charges against Saul for the things he has recently done to Howard (bowling balls, hookers.)

 

If there's anyone with a catchphrase in this show then it is surely Kim with, "Ok Jimmy, you crossed a line there, but you're not going to do it again, right?"

Maybe she hasn't actually said that previous to this last episode, but it certainly feels like she must have done!

She can't possibly believe it herself at this stage. It's like some kind of abused spouse syndrome. But I really don't see her as a victim, if anything she is becoming more the femme fatale. Or maybe that has been her role all along. Which would make Jimmy's "am I bad for you?" question quite ironic.

And that's how Kim seemed to respond to that question too. "Are you bad for me? Ha!" Her character is almost a complete enigma to me at this point.

I loved that look of astonishment on Jimmy's face as Kim heads to the bathroom blowing smoke from her gunfingers. A look halfway between admiration and frightened little boy.

 

Yes, Howard has demonstrated that he has some cool. He's not just some stereotypical tight-ass. It does make him more interesting.

 

Come to think of it, Kim's fervent but insincere defense of Jimmy to Chuck back in season 2 ("Nailed") is a little bit like her fervent but insincere defense of Jimmy to Lalo in ep 9.

 

They didn’t develop that much but yes I think we are to take it that his guilt about Chuck among other things is driving him generally and offering Jimmy a job in particular. That said you can take the crochet tie off the Howard but you can’t take the Howard out of the Hamlin.

That and I’d guess that he knows he can’t beat Jimmy anyway and would have to drag it out in the mud should he want to try.

 

True. I also think the "namaste" bumper sticker was meant to clearly show us the depth of Howard's spiritual change and commitment - which is to say, maybe not so deep.

 

I’ll have to go watch it again but I remember a scene with him taking a call in his living room with all the posery accouterment like singing bowl etc. that rang, yeah about as deep as you’d expect Howard to ever get.

 

Howard doesn't strike me as necessarily an evil dude or anything like, just another dude in power who suffers from "imposter" syndrome because of his privileged background.

Next to Chuck all his lawyering life, Howard knows everyone questions whether or not he really deserves to be there. Chuck's legal genius was evident -- Next to Chuck, Howard probably always got the, "This guy is here because of his daddy and wealth, right?"

This situation led to Howard to becoming the uptight, insecure, anxious, "I have a right to be here, I really do!" pain in the ass with his colleagues.

 

What we have seen of Howard's lawyering in action isn't impressive. Unless I am forgetting some things, it was basically him at Chuck's hearing - and he was pretty awful at it.

His forte seems to be more like marketing or PR, thing related to that. You just KNOW that designating that color as "hamlindigo blue" was his idea.

 

Gilligan and company seem to do this with several characters, using the same behaviors two or three times to really drive home the point they want to make; Kim standing up for Jimmy, Mike taking a half measure that ends up costing him in the end, I'm sure there are others.

 

'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Might Arrive Next Year, Will Wrap Up the Series With 13 Episodes

 

I admit I did have a little bit of "Wait... that's it?!?" feeling to the season finale. All in all, still a good season.

I never would have thought they'd squeeze this much out of this offshoot from Breaking Bad. I may not always be on the edge of my seat like I was with that storyline, but I'm still enjoying watching this.

And I still have to say that Rhea Seehorn is amazing.

 

Like others, I was not a fan of Howard at first, but he has grown on me. It helps that Patrick Fabian does a tremendous job playing the role. I think the turning point for me was when Chuck threatened to sue him and Howard took money out of his own pocket to buy him out, just to get rid of Chuck quickly.

 

Thought i'd pop in and ask a question - at the end of this series they dump their car in the desert, why did he remove the petrol cap and put it in his bag?

 

That’s how Mike was able to track Saul through the desert. Mike took the cap so his method of tracking people’s cars wouldn’t risk being exposed.

 

Indeed; because there is a GPS transmitter hidden in the gas cap.

In addition, they are a bit expensive, so Mike's not going to leave one in the desert.

 

Those gas cap trackers sure have come in handy for Gus.

Is it possible that is part of the reason we are being hammered with the fact that Lalo is a car maniac and a really good mechanic? So we won't be shocked if he finds Nacho's?

 

If Nacho is as smart as we think he is, he'll dump that ride in the ravine in the desert and get out of town in a nice non-descript grey Honda...that he dumps in Nevada....on his way to Kentucky.

 

Isn't Nacho's car abandoned in the Lalo's yard?