TV: Better Call Saul - Part 4

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

For anyone still confused about the ending, from Rolling Stone:

So Jimmy McGill decides to cast off the hollow greed of Saul Goodman, as well as the naked desperation for freedom of Gene Takovic, and make a genuine sacrifice to get what he really wants. He will offer a true accounting of his crimes, no matter how much it extends his sentence (which goes from 7.5 years to 86), in the hope that Kim will stop hating him(*).

(*) Though the decision follows Bill telling him about Cheryl’s legal plans against Kim, Jimmy’s response is more about recognizing why Kim would have not only confessed to the authorities, but directly to Cheryl. If she would do that, he realizes, he would have to be willing to be just as transparent and apologetic in order to win back even a fraction of her sympathies.

Again I do get the ending but just found it off-brand/unrealistic. I agree with the other posts about it being a very good but not Mount Rushmore show (ala Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc).

 

[Voight]

For anyone still confused about the ending, from Rolling Stone:

So Jimmy McGill decides to cast off the hollow greed of Saul Goodman, as well as the naked desperation for freedom of Gene Takovic, and make a genuine sacrifice to get what he really wants. He will offer a true accounting of his crimes, no matter how much it extends his sentence (which goes from 7.5 years to 86), in the hope that Kim will stop hating him(*).

(*) Though the decision follows Bill telling him about Cheryl’s legal plans against Kim, Jimmy’s response is more about recognizing why Kim would have not only confessed to the authorities, but directly to Cheryl. If she would do that, he realizes, he would have to be willing to be just as transparent and apologetic in order to win back even a fraction of her sympathies.

Again I do get the ending but just found it off-brand/unrealistic. I agree with the other posts about it being a very good but not Mount Rushmore show (ala Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc).

Ya. Its like they were trying to show us he was no longer the scheming criminal he was. Like he had some change of heart. Not really Sauls character.

Now time to remake Oz but with Saul Goodman and friends

 

[shadow1]

For anyone still confused about the ending, from Rolling Stone:

So Jimmy McGill decides to cast off the hollow greed of Saul Goodman, as well as the naked desperation for freedom of Gene Takovic, and make a genuine sacrifice to get what he really wants. He will offer a true accounting of his crimes, no matter how much it extends his sentence (which goes from 7.5 years to 86), in the hope that Kim will stop hating him(*).

(*) Though the decision follows Bill telling him about Cheryl’s legal plans against Kim, Jimmy’s response is more about recognizing why Kim would have not only confessed to the authorities, but directly to Cheryl. If she would do that, he realizes, he would have to be willing to be just as transparent and apologetic in order to win back even a fraction of her sympathies.

Again I do get the ending but just found it off-brand/unrealistic. I agree with the other posts about it being a very good but not Mount Rushmore show (ala Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc).

I don't agree with Rolling Stone's interpretation. They mostly get it right, but it's way too "Kim" heavy.

Though her coming clean to Cheryl and the DA is what ignited Jimmy's own decision, he's not throwing himself on the sword for her; it's for himself.

Here's what Peter Gould had to say:

“When he hears what Kim has done in the previous episode, that she has copped to everything that she did, her whole part in what they did — which of course, is only a small sliver of what Saul Goodman did — I think it brings him up short. And suddenly this deal that he was kind of happy about, it kind of turns to ashes in his mouth. Suddenly everything feels wrong to him at that point. And he makes a decision, no matter what the cost is, he’s gonna come clean in court. He’s going to do what she did. If she can do it, he can do it. But he would really like her to be there. He wants her to see it. And who knows, maybe he doesn’t even trust that he has the courage to do it if she’s not there. So that’s why he tells a lie in order to get her into court. And then in court, he really hangs himself. He slits his own throat by confessing to everything. But in a weird way, it’s a moment of great showmanship. He may be the devil, but he’s the devil in the spotlight. And that’s as far as he’s planning to go. But then he sees the look on her face. And then he goes a little bit further.”

I don't think it's out of character at all of Jimmy to face the music. They've shown time and time again that while he can't "keep his hands out of the cash drawer", he's a character with a lot of humanity. A couple examples:

• In Season 2, after seeing the great anguish caused to Chuck after Jimmy sabotages the Mesa Verde paperwork, he admits to Chuck he switched the numbers; a felony that culminated in arrest and his license getting suspended.
• In Season 3, when he realized his plan was causing Irene to be miserable and hated by her friends, he purposely sabotages himself to get her friends back - at the cost of failing to settle the Sandpiper case, which would've meant over $1M in his pocket.

86 years is a lot of jail time, but Jimmy's life was over and he knew it. With the exception of Kim, who had moved on half a decade earlier, everyone he ever cared about was dead. Before getting caught, his pathetic pseudo-family of Jeff and Marion was probably the happiest he'd been while in hiding. The police catching Gene Takovic in a dumpster was a fitting analogy for the life he was living.

 

[bobholly39]

For anyone still confused about the ending, from Rolling Stone:

So Jimmy McGill decides to cast off the hollow greed of Saul Goodman, as well as the naked desperation for freedom of Gene Takovic, and make a genuine sacrifice to get what he really wants. He will offer a true accounting of his crimes, no matter how much it extends his sentence (which goes from 7.5 years to 86), in the hope that Kim will stop hating him(*).

(*) Though the decision follows Bill telling him about Cheryl’s legal plans against Kim, Jimmy’s response is more about recognizing why Kim would have not only confessed to the authorities, but directly to Cheryl. If she would do that, he realizes, he would have to be willing to be just as transparent and apologetic in order to win back even a fraction of her sympathies.

Again I do get the ending but just found it off-brand/unrealistic. I agree with the other posts about it being a very good but not Mount Rushmore show (ala Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc).

It still makes no sense to me a few days later.

Want to make amends/get Kim to forgive you/help Kim/earn Kim's respect/show Kim you have integrity - or any other variation of "making good" with Kim you can think of....to me there are two options:

Option 1 - out in 7 years (maybe 4 or 5 with good behavior) - do all the amends you can think of and then some in-person 7 years later.

Option 2 - Maybe she hates you a bit less, maybe not, either way your life is done as you go to prison for 86 years and it doesn't matter...

To me, option 1 has a much better success chance at redemption, since the possibilities are endless in-person.

It just makes no sense. If he had done this to save Kim (ie if they had been prosecuting her, and by admitting his guild she gets a deal or to go free), ok maybe. But absolutely nothing changes with the way things went down - he just threw his life away for no reason.

It just felt unnecessary to me.

I don't agree with Rolling Stone's interpretation. They mostly get it right, but it's way too "Kim" heavy.

Though her coming clean to Cheryl and the DA is what ignited Jimmy's own decision, he's not throwing himself on the sword for her; it's for himself.

Here's what Peter Gould had to say:



I don't think it's out of character at all of Jimmy to face the music. They've shown time and time again that while he can't "keep his hands out of the cash drawer", he's a character with a lot of humanity. A couple examples:

• In Season 2, after seeing the great anguish caused to Chuck after Jimmy sabotages the Mesa Verde paperwork, he admits to Chuck he switched the numbers; a felony that culminated in arrest and his license getting suspended.
• In Season 3, when he realized his plan was causing Irene to be miserable and hated by her friends, he purposely sabotages himself to get her friends back - at the cost of failing to settle the Sandpiper case, which would've meant over $1M in his pocket.

86 years is a lot of jail time, but Jimmy's life was over and he knew it. With the exception of Kim, who had moved on half a decade earlier, everyone he ever cared about was dead. Before getting caught, his pathetic pseudo-family of Jeff and Marion was probably the happiest he'd been while in hiding. The police catching Gene Takovic in a dumpster was a fitting analogy for the life he was living.

It's true that essentially his life as he knew it was over....but again:

Option 1 - start life anew in 7 years (or 4-5 with good behavior). With his brains, possibilities are endless, whether he goes back to his schemes or not.

Option 2 - he'll die in prison, so who cares.

Seems weird to pick option 2.

 

[MAHJ71]

Didn’t love it..but I can live with it. Still a great show overall.

 

[shadow1]

It's true that essentially his life as he knew it was over....but again:

Option 1 - start life anew in 7 years (or 4-5 with good behavior). With his brains, possibilities are endless, whether he goes back to his schemes or not.

Option 2 - he'll die in prison, so who cares.

Seems weird to pick option 2.

Jimmy's decision point was choosing to tell the truth vs telling a lie in court.

He opted for the truth, and left the rest to the scales of justice.

Saul Goodman would've sleazed his way to the 7 year deal, but I don't think Jimmy could live with himself doing that at this point. He needed to seek penance for his actions.

 

[Hasbro]

I don't agree with Rolling Stone's interpretation. They mostly get it right, but it's way too "Kim" heavy.

Though her coming clean to Cheryl and the DA is what ignited Jimmy's own decision, he's not throwing himself on the sword for her; it's for himself.

Here's what Peter Gould had to say:



I don't think it's out of character at all of Jimmy to face the music. They've shown time and time again that while he can't "keep his hands out of the cash drawer", he's a character with a lot of humanity. A couple examples:

• In Season 2, after seeing the great anguish caused to Chuck after Jimmy sabotages the Mesa Verde paperwork, he admits to Chuck he switched the numbers; a felony that culminated in arrest and his license getting suspended.
• In Season 3, when he realized his plan was causing Irene to be miserable and hated by her friends, he purposely sabotages himself to get her friends back - at the cost of failing to settle the Sandpiper case, which would've meant over $1M in his pocket.

86 years is a lot of jail time, but Jimmy's life was over and he knew it. With the exception of Kim, who had moved on half a decade earlier, everyone he ever cared about was dead. Before getting caught, his pathetic pseudo-family of Jeff and Marion was probably the happiest he'd been while in hiding. The police catching Gene Takovic in a dumpster was a fitting analogy for the life he was living.

I do wonder what became of his film crew.

 

[loudi94]

Was anyone else yelling at the TV when he was sitting in the dumpster with an open box of diamonds. He never struck me as stupid, but boy was that stupid.

 

[bobholly39]

Was anyone else yelling at the TV when he was sitting in the dumpster with an open box of diamonds. He never struck me as stupid, but boy was that stupid.

Worst then that...

Step 1- Marion calls the cops
Step 2 - He runs out
Step 3 - He goes......home? Seriously? Saul Goodman of all people didn't have an escape plan that didn't rely on "hey, the cops are after me - but let me go by my house first to pick up my things!"

 

[shadow1]

Was anyone else yelling at the TV when he was sitting in the dumpster with an open box of diamonds. He never struck me as stupid, but boy was that stupid.

It was a dumb move, but the bigger mistake was dropping his keys in Marion's driveway.

He doesn't do that, she doesn't have time to get the make and model of his vehicle and read his license plate. After all, Marion didn't know where Gene lived.

Without realizing the police knew which vehicle he was in, he probably figured he had at least an hour to get away, rather than the minutes he did have.

I have to say I loved the shot of Gene grabbing a new burner phone from the cabinet, which was filled with them. The burner phone is perhaps the iconic accessory from BCS/BB.

 

[JonathnTaylorTavares]

I cant read through the thread cause of spoilers, but does anyone know a place to rip season 6 episodes?
Im having to buy each episode from Apple to watch so far cause theyre not streaming anywhere.

DM me? Ill be your best friend of all time

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

I don't agree with Rolling Stone's interpretation. They mostly get it right, but it's way too "Kim" heavy.

Though her coming clean to Cheryl and the DA is what ignited Jimmy's own decision, he's not throwing himself on the sword for her; it's for himself.

Here's what Peter Gould had to say:



I don't think it's out of character at all of Jimmy to face the music. They've shown time and time again that while he can't "keep his hands out of the cash drawer", he's a character with a lot of humanity. A couple examples:

• In Season 2, after seeing the great anguish caused to Chuck after Jimmy sabotages the Mesa Verde paperwork, he admits to Chuck he switched the numbers; a felony that culminated in arrest and his license getting suspended.
• In Season 3, when he realized his plan was causing Irene to be miserable and hated by her friends, he purposely sabotages himself to get her friends back - at the cost of failing to settle the Sandpiper case, which would've meant over $1M in his pocket.

86 years is a lot of jail time, but Jimmy's life was over and he knew it. With the exception of Kim, who had moved on half a decade earlier, everyone he ever cared about was dead. Before getting caught, his pathetic pseudo-family of Jeff and Marion was probably the happiest he'd been while in hiding. The police catching Gene Takovic in a dumpster was a fitting analogy for the life he was living.

I mean whether it was more about Kim or him (fair enough, you make good points) but I still feel it's illogical (just IMO). I really wanted an ending where he throws Kim under the bus for a smaller sentence (maybe it's because everyone loves Kim but me lol). Or maybe because it was just a kind of happy/bittersweet ending it bugged me. Saul didn't deserve any happiness, Kim either. They kind of gave the same ending in BB to Walt and I love it at the time but in hindsight the dude was a huge asshole who deserved to be killed much earlier lmao.

 

[MAHJ71]

Was anyone else yelling at the TV when he was sitting in the dumpster with an open box of diamonds. He never struck me as stupid, but boy was that stupid.

When he dropped everything I thought to myself there is no way he’s got the time or ability to gather them all back up in the dumpster.

 

[Voight]

Worst then that...

Step 1- Marion calls the cops
Step 2 - He runs out
Step 3 - He goes......home? Seriously? Saul Goodman of all people didn't have an escape plan that didn't rely on "hey, the cops are after me - but let me go by my house first to pick up my things!"

Its hard to go on the run as a wanted fugitive (especially one as big as him) with no money. He showed hes not willing to kill so his only option would be to steal in order to continue his run.

Side note - I wonder if all the prostitutes' are his way of getting over Kim/loneliness. If he wa sable to get her, no reason why he couldn't find another woman. He has charm/charisma.

 

[Hasbro]

I was little disappointed to find out he had only been the lamm for nine months. Feel like it would have raised the stakes if it had been a couple years.

 

[shadow1]

With the dust settled, here are the top-10 episodes based on IMDB score:

1. Season 6, Episode 7 - "Plan and Execution" - 9.9
2. Season 6, Episode 8 - "Point and Shoot" - 9.8
3. Season 6, Episode 13 - "Saul Gone" - 9.8
4. Season 5, Episode 9 - "Bad Choice Road" - 9.7
5. Season 5, Episode 8 - "Bagman" - 9.7
6. Season 3, Episode 9 - "Chicanery" - 9.7
7. Season 6, Episode 3 - "Rock and Hard Place" - 9.7
8. Season 6, Episode 12 - "Waterworks" - 9.6
9. Season 4, Episode 10 - "Winner" - 9.5
10. Season 1, Episode 9 - "Pimento" - 9.4

It could be recency bias, but Season 6 dominates the top-10. I don't think so though because it was a great season.

I rewatched seasons 1-5 in anticipation for season 6 and it's an incredibly consistent show. By comparison, Breaking Bad drags a lot early on, especially in Season 2 where the Walt-Skyler storyline is awful.

 

[bobholly39]

Its hard to go on the run as a wanted fugitive (especially one as big as him) with no money. He showed hes not willing to kill so his only option would be to steal in order to continue his run.

Side note - I wonder if all the prostitutes' are his way of getting over Kim/loneliness. If he wa sable to get her, no reason why he couldn't find another woman. He has charm/charisma.

But remember the call with Francesca? Didn't he have money buried from 1+ year ago stashed safely away that he could direct her to to bribe her with giving him information?

Why wouldn't Gene have done that the very minute he arrived in Nebraska...securely hide an "escape bundle" a few key places if he ever got caught and had to go on the run expectedly, since he wouldn't be able to go back home. Him actually going home, and getting caught there, is so against character for how smart he always was with those types of things.

 

[Voight]

But remember the call with Francesca? Didn't he have money buried from 1+ year ago stashed safely away that he could direct her to to bribe her with giving him information?

Why wouldn't Gene have done that the very minute he arrived in Nebraska...securely hide an "escape bundle" a few key places if he ever got caught and had to go on the run expectedly, since he wouldn't be able to go back home. Him actually going home, and getting caught there, is so against character for how smart he always was with those types of things.

Yea, but as you pointed out, that money is gone. Theoretically speaking it would have been a lot smarter to have more stash spots but he was probably thinking he was never goin to get caught.

As I said above, he probably did not think he would get caught. Mind you, I think Ed should have sent him somewhere farther like he did with Jesse and Walt. Especially given A) His fame (at least locally) and B) How much of a wanted fugitive he was.

 

[Voight]

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

But remember the call with Francesca? Didn't he have money buried from 1+ year ago stashed safely away that he could direct her to to bribe her with giving him information?

Why wouldn't Gene have done that the very minute he arrived in Nebraska...securely hide an "escape bundle" a few key places if he ever got caught and had to go on the run expectedly, since he wouldn't be able to go back home. Him actually going home, and getting caught there, is so against character for how smart he always was with those types of things.

I mean I don't like the viability of the ending adding to his sentence but you're looking at it the wrong way re: he should have had a better escape plan". He leaves ABQ in March 2010, starts scheming with Jeff in October and is caught by December 2010. One of the most wanted men in the US can't keep his head down for a year, he had no hope lol.

 

[Sticksandsun]

It still makes no sense to me a few days later.

Want to make amends/get Kim to forgive you/help Kim/earn Kim's respect/show Kim you have integrity - or any other variation of "making good" with Kim you can think of....to me there are two options:

Option 1 - out in 7 years (maybe 4 or 5 with good behavior) - do all the amends you can think of and then some in-person 7 years later.

Option 2 - Maybe she hates you a bit less, maybe not, either way your life is done as you go to prison for 86 years and it doesn't matter...

To me, option 1 has a much better success chance at redemption, since the possibilities are endless in-person.

It just makes no sense. If he had done this to save Kim (ie if they had been prosecuting her, and by admitting his guild she gets a deal or to go free), ok maybe. But absolutely nothing changes with the way things went down - he just threw his life away for no reason.

It just felt unnecessary to me.



It's true that essentially his life as he knew it was over....but again:

Option 1 - start life anew in 7 years (or 4-5 with good behavior). With his brains, possibilities are endless, whether he goes back to his schemes or not.

Option 2 - he'll die in prison, so who cares.

Seems weird to pick option 2.

This, even if hes doing it for himself as much as Kim, do your 7 years and come back into the world and do good. Yeah you freed yourself from Saul and won Kims respect back but no way by year 10 you arent regretting your choice lol

 

[Voight]

I mean I don't like the viability of the ending adding to his sentence but you're looking at it the wrong way re: he should have had a better escape plan". He leaves ABQ in March 2010, starts scheming with Jeff in October and is caught by December 2010. One of the most wanted men in the US can't keep his head down for a year, he had no hope lol.

As I said before, you'd think Ed would choose a farther place just to lower the risk of someone seeing you. Why couldn't it be somewhere like Maine or Rhode Island, on the other side of the country

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Again I do get the ending but just found it off-brand/unrealistic. I agree with the other posts about it being a very good but not Mount Rushmore show (ala Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc).

Sopranos does not hold up.

It had to be said.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Sopranos does not hold up.

It had to be said.

You're off your rocker.

 

[Voight]

I do wonder what became of his film crew.

WitSec

Not sure if this an "Easter Egg" but interesting to note that Kim grew up in Nebraska and thats where Saul/Gene ended up.