Better Call Saul (SPOILERS)

[MirrorMask]

Gus figured out that Lalo would never come at him directly, unless he had proof that Gus was working behind the cartel's back, and he imagined Lalo would eventually go after the meth lab that Werner Ziegler started building. So he went there to plant a gun so that if one day Lalo will show up there, he will be ready for him.

So basically there are chances that Walt and Jesse cooked standing over Lalo's buried remains.

[DragonAttack]

I needed last week’s change of pace, and it sure did set the table for many things down the road. Watching it again before the new one tonight

Lalo has to be one of most suave and disgustingly ruthless villains ever created

[MinistroRaven]

Who’s Lakota?

[DragonAttack]

Lakota is Lalo when your phone does an autocorrect 😀

[KevShmev]

Oh look, another episode where not much happened. 

But hey, we did get several minutes of Mike talking to his granddaughter, numerous shots again of dripping water and simmering coffee, and more drawn out scenes that made me yawn.

I am so ready for this show to end.  Just get to the finish so I can see how it ends and I can be done with it. 

[KevShmev]

I will say this, though: I think Kim and Jimmy are walking into a trap.  Cliff asking Kim about Jimmy and then not seeing Howard or his PI again tells me that they are on to whatever nefarious plan they have concocted on "D-Day," and Kim turning around and getting directly involved will be what brings her down.   

[gmillerdrake]

Man Kev.....you are salty towards this show in a big way     I just don't see the distain that your seeing but I know BB is like the 10 Commandments to you so I can understand your loyalty to it and inclination to bag on BCS. But I'm enjoying the heck out of the show and think it's been great! There were quite a few 'snoozer episodes' in BB as well but it all worked together for the story. And  I say that not ripping on the slow episodes as I understand those episodes are necessary for the story. You have to have the foundation(s) in place for the payoff(s) to be worth it.

[DoctorAction]

I love this show. Slower the better. 

There are some episodes I watch where I just think every shot is like a panel from a crime comic book. Awesome.

Do we have another episode before the break, does anyone know?

[gmillerdrake]

Do we have another episode before the break, does anyone know?

I  believe there is one more then the break.....

[DoctorAction]

Excellent. Can't wait to see where this goes...

[KevShmev]

Man Kev.....you are salty towards this show in a big way     I just don't see the distain that your seeing but I know BB is like the 10 Commandments to you so I can understand your loyalty to it and inclination to bag on BCS. But I'm enjoying the heck out of the show and think it's been great! There were quite a few 'snoozer episodes' in BB as well but it all worked together for the story. And  I say that not ripping on the slow episodes as I understand those episodes are necessary for the story. You have to have the foundation(s) in place for the payoff(s) to be worth it.

I wouldn't say I have disdain for or am salty towards the show; I am just consistently underwhelmed by it.  Far too many episodes leaving me thinking, "That's it?", when it ends.  The Nacho episode earlier this season was great, but then we got back to episodes moving at a snail's pace.  With only seven episodes left to go in the series, it feels like the storyline ought to be moving fast, but it's just not.  I am still hopeful that the payoff will be worth it, but I am not confident about it. 

[MirrorMask]

Why not? the quality of Breaking Bad and all the previous seasons of BCS prove that they know what they're doing.

True, anyone can "fail", and I've always liked Ozark and was dead sure they would have ended greatly but the finale left me underwhelmed, but I just trust these writers and I know that everything will have a pay off.

Anyway, I think that whatever will happen in the next episode, it will be the downfall of Kim. And possibily of Howard.

I don't think Lalo will have any lasting damage from being hurt in the rib, but maybe that's how Gus will get the best of him? he's injured enough (or better, he ignores enough the conseguenques of being hurt) and he will make a fatal mistake when confronting Gus or Mike in the lab? (this of course assuming that Lalo will find the lab, but come on, we've been seen Gus planting a gun in it, he will get the info from the german guy, and Lalo needs proof to bring to the Salamanca clan... he will find the lab but won't make it out alive, so everyone will continue to believe he's dead, and the only one who knows the truth can't speak anymore)

[KevShmev]

Why not? the quality of Breaking Bad and all the previous seasons of BCS prove that they know what they're doing.

In the case of Breaking Bad, yes, but the writing of that was finished nearly a decade ago.  Just like musicians don't always write music of the same quality, neither do writers of TV shows, and the writing on BCS hasn't been as great or engrossing as BB, IMO.  It's really not close.  Heck, a few years ago they did El Camino, which showed Jesse's story post-BB, and that wasn't that great, so that was proof there for me that the writers are not clicking on all cylinders when writing in that world like they were from 2008-2013.  Plus, unlike with Breaking Bad, when writing Better Call Saul, they have to follow a lot of patterns to make sure things lines up with how certain things were in the BB timeline, so maybe those slight constraints have made the writing a little less great. Hard to say.  With BB, they told a story, and they were free to tell it with no worry about anything else.  With BCS, they are having to connect a lot of dots to make things make sense based on the previous story (in the future, timeline-wise) they already told.

[gmillerdrake]

Why not? the quality of Breaking Bad and all the previous seasons of BCS prove that they know what they're doing.

In the case of Breaking Bad, yes, but the writing of that was finished nearly a decade ago.  Just like musicians don't always write music of the same quality, neither do writers of TV shows, and the writing on BCS hasn't been as great or engrossing as BB, IMO.  It's really not close.  Heck, a few years ago they did El Camino, which showed Jesse's story post-BB, and that wasn't that great, so that was proof there for me that the writers are not clicking on all cylinders when writing in that world like they were from 2008-2013.  Plus, unlike with Breaking Bad, when writing Better Call Saul, they have to follow a lot of patterns to make sure things lines up with how certain things were in the BB timeline, so maybe those slight constraints have made the writing a little less great. Hard to say.  With BB, they told a story, and they were free to tell it with no worry about anything else.  With BCS, they are having to connect a lot of dots to make things make sense based on the previous story (in the future, timeline-wise) they already told.

I don't know Kev....the writing on BCS has been on par and as good as BB IMO. I think that for BB especially, it's entered this realm of 'lore' that while it's deserved....it also is now shielded from any criticism or shortcomings due to it's cultural status. While the two shows share characters and backstory and are set in the same world....they are still two different shows that require them to tell/write in a similar yet distinct manner. For my money BCS has been written and acted just as good if not better than BB but that's just me. 

[Chino]

I'm surprised the German guy even knew who Fring was, even if it was just in name. I would have that that'd have been security measure #1.

[KevShmev]

I don't know Kev....the writing on BCS has been on par and as good as BB IMO. I think that for BB especially, it's entered this realm of 'lore' that while it's deserved....it also is now shielded from any criticism or shortcomings due to it's cultural status. While the two shows share characters and backstory and are set in the same world....they are still two different shows that require them to tell/write in a similar yet distinct manner. For my money BCS has been written and acted just as good if not better than BB but that's just me.

To be fair, Breaking Bad earned its status.  It's not like most put it on a lofty pedestal for fun; it is put up there because of how awesome it was.

I would certainly agree that the acting on BCS has been terrific, and the production values are always top notch, but I just think the writing is a bit too style over substance at times. 

I'm surprised the German guy even knew who Fring was, even if it was just in name. I would have that that'd have been security measure #1.

That's a great point, and I think the whole Gus thing is where the writers have lost the plot.  Gus is a master at hiding in plain sight, but now he has this whole setup at his house where a lot of people know what is going on with him?  Er, no.  That goes against his entire persona that we knew in Breaking Bad.  And yeah, it is not realistic that anyone building the underground lab would have known anything about the mastermind behind it.  I think the writers have gone a little crazy with writers catnip where they are trying to be clever with every little thing.

[MirrorMask]

Was killing some time going through Breaking Bad's quotes, this is from an episode of season 3...

Juan: Don Salamanca had a nephew named Tuco.
Gus: Yes, I knew of him.
Juan: Then perhaps you know Don Salamanca mentored him in the business. Thought of Tuco as a son. When Don Salamanca was no longer able, Tuco took over for his uncle. He was a key man in our organization north of the border. He was loyal. This "Heisenberg" – Walter White – he was one of Tuco's local suppliers. Until he betrayed Tuco. So now you see...blood must be repaid by blood. Tuco's cousins here...they have the right to exact vengeance. The Salamanca family, the cartel...everyone stands shoulder to shoulder on this.
[Hector rings the bell in affirmation]

"When Hector was no longer able, Tuco took over"... mmh, I seem to remember that Lalo started to help because Tuco was in prison when Hector had his stroke 

[Chino]

I'm surprised the German guy even knew who Fring was, even if it was just in name. I would have that that'd have been security measure #1.

That's a great point, and I think the whole Gus thing is where the writers have lost the plot.  Gus is a master at hiding in plain sight, but now he has this whole setup at his house where a lot of people know what is going on with him?  Er, no.  That goes against his entire persona that we knew in Breaking Bad.  And yeah, it is not realistic that anyone building the underground lab would have known anything about the mastermind behind it.  I think the writers have gone a little crazy with writers catnip where they are trying to be clever with every little thing.

Someone on Reddit made a great point about this. Lalo was with Gus when Gus was pretending to build that chiller for his restaurants, and Kai was one of the guys there pretending to work on it. So he's at the very least seen Fring on at least one occasion, and may have even recognized Lalo. Gus is still kind of green in BCS compared to BB, and those kind of slip ups could explain why he's even more anal/hardcore in BB.

[KevShmev]

I'm surprised the German guy even knew who Fring was, even if it was just in name. I would have that that'd have been security measure #1.

That's a great point, and I think the whole Gus thing is where the writers have lost the plot.  Gus is a master at hiding in plain sight, but now he has this whole setup at his house where a lot of people know what is going on with him?  Er, no.  That goes against his entire persona that we knew in Breaking Bad.  And yeah, it is not realistic that anyone building the underground lab would have known anything about the mastermind behind it.  I think the writers have gone a little crazy with writers catnip where they are trying to be clever with every little thing.

Someone on Reddit made a great point about this. Lalo was with Gus when Gus was pretending to build that chiller for his restaurants, and Kai was one of the guys there pretending to work on it. So he's at the very least seen Fring on at least one occasion, and may have even recognized Lalo. Gus is still kind of green in BCS compared to BB, and those kind of slip ups could explain why he's even more anal/hardcore in BB.

Good points.  I had forgotten that the guy in Germany had briefly seen Gus.

I hope this is not a spoiler, but Peter Gould, whom I believe is the main showrunner now, said something to the effect that this week's coming episode is going to be painful for a lot of watchers, which makes me wonder if Kim's arc is resolved this week.  I am sure whatever we all predict or guess will be wrong, and then whatever happens will seem so obvious (these writers are good at that ), but I cannot imagine a good outcome for Kim at this point, and her bad decision at the end of last week's episode just feels like life-changing for her, in a very bad way.

[gmillerdrake]

Yep. She had a choice to make and well….she made it. I think that was a pretty distinct moment. Eh could have had everything she essentially wanted as far as career but has seemingly thrown it away. I would feel bad for first season Kim. Not so much for sixth season Kim…..I’d argue that at this point right now she’s more sinister than Jimmy.

[Elite]

I’m betting that Jimmy is going to throw Kim under the bus.
I was watching that final scene and you can see Kim hesitating, she might think Jimmy is lying to her about the judge person, that Jimmy is chickening out of whatever they’re doing now that Kim is away. Maybe I’m overthinking, but Kim is done. She should not have turned around.

Either that, or it will be the other way around; Kim will throw Jimmy under the bus. We’ll see. It’s possible the cold open holds some significance too, although I thought Kim would steal the vet’s black book.. at least we got vacuum cleaner man mentioned in there..

Well then, this is going to be interesting whichever way it goes. One of them is going down.

[Chino]

The vet's black book was shown in the intro of the first episode, when we're getting the tour of Jimmy's place. So one of them definitely gets it at some point.

[Elite]

I was thinking… we know Jesse and Walt will show up at some point, but I guess this will be in the second half of this final season. We’re a little unsure on when exactly BCS tales place, compared to BB. What if Season 6 Part 2 actually jumps ahead in time a little? Just an idea.

[KevShmev]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Walt and Jesse tomorrow in some kind of flash forward.  Given that they promoted them as being in this final season, it would always seem strange to not see them until Part 2 is aired this summer.

[Elite]

Your tomorrow is Tuesday for me, unfortunately.

[Chino]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Walt and Jesse tomorrow in some kind of flash forward.  Given that they promoted them as being in this final season, it would always seem strange to not see them until Part 2 is aired this summer.

I'm very curious about this as well. I'm trying to remember... was Walt's first introduction to Saul by him just walking into his office?

If so, I have no idea how they work them into the show without jumping ahead in time until after BB started. Or maybe they do something like end BCS with Walter walking into his office or something. 

Now that I'm typing this, I'm wondering if Walt and Jesse's return has anything to do with Saul at all. Could Gus have had W&J on his radar before they tried to meet him at Los Pollos? Maybe Gus was tailing them as soon as their meth started selling. Mike is good at hanging out in the desert. Maybe he was watching them cook?

[KevShmev]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Walt and Jesse tomorrow in some kind of flash forward.  Given that they promoted them as being in this final season, it would always seem strange to not see them until Part 2 is aired this summer.

I'm very curious about this as well. I'm trying to remember... was Walt's first introduction to Saul by him just walking into his office?

If so, I have no idea how they work them into the show without jumping ahead in time until after BB started. Or maybe they do something like end BCS with Walter walking into his office or something. 

Now that I'm typing this, I'm wondering if Walt and Jesse's return has anything to do with Saul at all. Could Gus have had W&J on his radar before they tried to meet him at Los Pollos? Maybe Gus was tailing them as soon as their meth started selling. Mike is good at hanging out in the desert. Maybe he was watching them cook?

That's an interesting idea.  Remember that Combo was shot by that kid in BB who was with those two guys who were working for Gus (the ones Walt took out in the "run!" scene), and that was after Walt and Jesse had met Saul, but before Saul floated the idea of meeting "a guy who knows a guy...who knows another guy" (Gus), so Gus had to be aware of the blue meth at that point, or it is possible those two guys simply took out someone selling on their territory without running that knowledge up the chain of command.  Hard to know for sure. 

[MirrorMask]

One of the writers announced on Twitter that they wrote the last season as 13 consecutive episodes, so they didn't factor in the break. So, even though I'm sure the episode will end on a high note filled with tension, we should not expect a proper "mid season break cliffhanger", 'cause when it was written, they thought the next episode would air the next week.

[DragonAttack]

Kim's flashback:  was this the first time we found out that she is from Nebraska? 

The Goodmans vs. HHM:  I have no idea who is outsmarting who at the moment. 

I found the Ehrmantrauts' star gazing incredibly fascinating.  We know Mike loves the them, and the anger and emotional pain were so evident.  The man can loudly express himself with few (if any) words.  Love that character!

[MirrorMask]

Kim's flashback:  was this the first time we found out that she is from Nebraska? 

Nope, can't tell you when (I just don't remember), but it's been known for years.

[MinistroRaven]

Kim's flashback:  was this the first time we found out that she is from Nebraska? 

Nope, can't tell you when (I just don't remember), but it's been known for years.

I think it was on the JMM episode where they show this on her drivers license when getting married with Jimmy. I can’t recall more

[KevShmev]

One of the writers announced on Twitter that they wrote the last season as 13 consecutive episodes, so they didn't factor in the break. So, even though I'm sure the episode will end on a high note filled with tension, we should not expect a proper "mid season break cliffhanger", 'cause when it was written, they thought the next episode would air the next week.

I am glad I know this now so I can mentally prepare myself for having another "That's it?" reaction when the episode ends.

[Chino]

 

[Chino]

Holy hell.

[gmillerdrake]

Holy hell.

Dammit. I was going to wait until tomorrow to watch because the Blues game is going to go late but this response alone tells me I must watch tonight.