Wow. Jimmy isn't going to get charged for this crime obviously but I'm going to guess him changing his name is some sort of agreement with Chuck. I predict season 3 ends with Jimmy finally becoming Saul, season 4 ends with a tease of blue, and then season 5 can be a hodge lodge of stories current with the BB timeline and post BB.
Damn, Vince Gilligan is a fucking triple threat. He is an amazing writer, show-runner, and director. Each time he directs it seems more and more confident. This was just an amazingly tense episode from beginning to end.
*It was a treat watch that beautifully shot sniper scene. Its a remnant of Breaking Bad, but whenever we get those huge splashes of blue New Mexico sky and the orange desert--I fall in love. Its just gorgeous.
*Seeing Jimmy's commercial was awesome as well. That shot of the TV over Kim's shoulder while she grins from ear-to-ear was just excellent. It is a master class in directing. We got to see the commercial as well as Kim's reaction. Such a genius idea of staging the shot like that.
*The Chuck ER visit was completely disorienting. I often find BCS starts to show its seams when they go into legal talk. The dialogue just never feels right. That hospital dialogue when Chuck is being admitted, however was absolutely spot on. It is scary how on-point it is.
*I saw the "twist" coming a mile away. And what a frustrating, yet satisfying way to leave the season. It does make you wonder how they would have done things if the series wasn't renewed. I am sure Gilligan and Gould knew it would be, but it wasn't official until after the premiere of the season if memory serves.
* @pavlovsbell hit the nail on the head with what an amazing performance Odenkirk gave while entering the tinfoil-dome of doom. His reaction was just excellent stuff.
Ok I slept on it... So Chuck blackmails Jimmy, but Jimmy ends up having him committed and changes his name?
Idk I just thought we were done with Chuck. That was my expectation going into this episode. That Chuck, the character, was on a clock. But now it's gonna turn out to be McGillbowl? Eh....
Damn, Vince Gilligan is a fucking triple threat. He is an amazing writer, show-runner, and director. Each time he directs it seems more and more confident. This was just an amazingly tense episode from beginning to end.
*It was a treat watch that beautifully shot sniper scene. Its a remnant of Breaking Bad, but whenever we get those huge splashes of blue New Mexico sky and the orange desert--I fall in love. Its just gorgeous.
*Seeing Jimmy's commercial was awesome as well. That shot of the TV over Kim's shoulder while she grins from ear-to-ear was just excellent. It is a master class in directing. We got to see the commercial as well as Kim's reaction. Such a genius idea of staging the shot like that.
*The Chuck ER visit was completely disorienting. I often find BCS starts to show its seams when they go into legal talk. The dialogue just never feels right. That hospital dialogue when Chuck is being admitted, however was absolutely spot on. It is scary how on-point it is.
*I saw the "twist" coming a mile away. And what a frustrating, yet satisfying way to leave the season. It does make you wonder how they would have done things if the series wasn't renewed. I am sure Gilligan and Gould knew it would be, but it wasn't official until after the premiere of the season if memory serves.
* @pavlovsbell hit the nail on the head with what an amazing performance Odenkirk gave while entering the tinfoil-dome of doom. His reaction was just excellent stuff.
Season 3 can't get here quickly enough.
That shot as Jimmy enters is amazing. Just slowly shows you the magnitude of this 'project.'
My first thought was that he had built some sort of dome, but as the camera continues to pan you start to realize that nearly every inch of wall is covered with space blanket.
Also I thought the use of sound during the sniper scene with Mike was great. There was something about the ambient sound just snapping off mid scene and leaving us with pure silence. Perhaps it was a hint to let us know that someone was nearby.
And that stretcher scene was marvelous. From almost placing us in Chuck's perspective to the disorienting angle we view Chuck all the way to the authenticity of the dialogue. It all felt so real.
Personally, all the sympathy I had for Chuck kind of went out of the window for me this episode. From him not telling Jimmy what his mothers last words were to him staging this elaborate ploy to get Jimmy to confess on tape to sabotaging the Mesa Verde case for HHM.
Also, my first thought was Gus when I saw the 'don't' note. Just seems minimalistic in a way only Gus can be.
Overall great episode. I wish we could have got more of a climax to Mike's storyline, but I can't complain about what I got. Now we wait a year.:(
In the middle of nowhere in the desert, how does Nacho not see Mike's car in his mirrors?
I thought that in the moment myself, but they seemed to have specifically put Mike at an angle where rear views wouldn't catch him. EDIT: After 2nd viewing--Mikes' car is visible for maybe 1.5 seconds directly behind the van, but honestly, does anyone pull away from being parked while looking in a rear view? Acceptable, I suppose, but they have to know people will wonder.
By recording Jimmy, did Chuck technically just prove that he has no EM sensitivity?
I was really disappointed with this finale. Instead of finally wrapping up the Chuck plot and starting something new they just kicked the can forward. They perfectly set the stage to wrap it up and move on with Jimmy & Kim starting their practices, but then they go and pull this shit with the most obvious setup ever.
I loved this finale, this is by far one of the best shows on TV now, I've got too much swirling around my head to try relay it here, but love what they're doing with Mike, it's got to be Gus that left the note, very interesting way to start their relationship.
The foreshadow from Ernie about Chuck really being out to get Jimmy, yet Jimmy still responds emotionally to his brother as someone he loves, and will definitely be burnt again as result, 1) that packs such a punch for me but 2) Does brilliant work in turning Jimmy into Saul.
This makes me want to go back and watch breaking bad just to reevaluate Saul'l character throughout
Fuck Chuck. It's so smooth and easy to say, just rolls off the lips, Fuck Chuck. Seriously though, if anyone had any bit of pity or whatever for Chuck, it has to be gone after this episode.
Fuck Chuck. It's so smooth and easy to say, just rolls off the lips, Fuck Chuck. Seriously though, if anyone had any bit of pity or whatever for Chuck, it has to be gone after this episode.
Wow I see a few different people in here upset that Chucks story didn't wrap up. Depending on the pacing of next season I think Chuck v Jimmy could be amazing, but more than likely it will be drug out until next years finale where Saul Goodman rises from the ashes of Jimmy McGill. Kim is going to be the big play here, I'm very interested what her role will be next season.
I don't have any sympathy for Jimmy or Chuck. I know the winner of the Jimmy vs. Chuck is going to be Saul Goodman, I'm not overly interested in who is the better person out of Jimmy or Chuck.
I rarely ever get tense watching TV, but I felt very tense while Mike was doing his sniper thing. I was convinced he was going to take the shot, that Nacho would be the one who ended up with the bullet (we know Hector or the cousins aren't dying), the surprise and stress would lead to Hector having a stroke and that would be all for the Salamanca family in Better Call Saul.
And I really don't know why I thought that (I'll blame it on the tension I was feeling). It makes a lot of sense that we will see them next season if it's the season Mike is going to be introduced to, and begin working with, Gus.
I expected to see a lot more of Kim in the finale, some reaction to the ending events of last episode. I guess maybe she wants to be sure Chuck is OK before reacting (negatively?) towards Jimmy? My biggest fear with her character is she won't have a satisfying end/exit from the series.
This whole season has been incredible, and much better than season 1 (which was already great). I know some people are annoyed about it, but I'm hyped to see McGillbowl and even more hyped to see (probably) Gus next year. I'm happy to just sit back and enjoy this show at whatever pace it wants to go at as long as it stays this good, although I will be disappointed if we don't get to some during/after Breaking Bad stuff eventually.
Can't wait to hear how Jimmy asking Kim to get coffee for his waiting room full of people is justified when Chuck was a certified piece of shit for asking her to get the two of them a cup so they could talk.
@Drew At this point I don't see how anyone can argue that there aren't plot pacing issues. It's clear why, it's a prequel and they don't want to rush into the BB timeline.
But it's really starting to irritate me. They set up a Saul introduction perfectly well with the money at the end of season 1, then jerked the reins. They again perfectly set the stage for a proper introduction to Saul at the end of season 2, and again rein it back in and delay the Chuck plot resolution. FFS the show is called Better Call Saul and here we are with two full seasons done and Saul is still a no-show.
I want to see seasons of content of Saul being Saul, enough with the foreplay already.
@ghm3 I can respect that, although I do like shows that do the slow burn, and I think this show and this crew do it incredibly well, I am surprised he hasn't become Saul by the end of season 2.
Love it how a lot of people were defending Chuck last week and Villgang starts this weeks episode with a bombshell of why Chuck fucking sucks...chuck is a dick.
Wow I see a few different people in here upset that Chucks story didn't wrap up. Depending on the pacing of next season I think Chuck v Jimmy could be amazing, but more than likely it will be drug out until next years finale where Saul Goodman rises from the ashes of Jimmy McGill. Kim is going to be the big play here, I'm very interested what her role will be next season.
I'm surprised that people thought Chuck's story would be wrapped up. I did not have that feeling at all. The ongoing battle between the McGill brothers is what fuels the story, while it racks up collateral damage in the form of Kim, various clients, Howard, now Ernie/Ernesto, and more to come.
This season was mainly predicated on Jimmy goading Chuck to roll around in the dirt with him, and now that Chuck has been reduced to that level, S3 could go in a few directions. I really hope that the result is that Chuck becomes entertaining to watch (that DIY Faraday cage was something else), because while I sympathize with him to a degree, his baseline personality is so humorless and insufferable that, for me, Chuck vs. Jimmy is not an enjoyable foundation on which to base the show.
Surely Chuck must have some positive personality traits -- Rebecca seemed like a lovely person and she apparently loved him enough to marry him -- but I'm at a loss as to what they are. By the same token, I am not overly sympathetic to Jimmy. While he is entertaining to watch, I find his immaturity, complete lack of self-awareness, and reckless disregard for consequences to be major turnoffs. That kind of behavior was tolerable from Jesse Pinkman when he was an uneducated, 20-something addict eager for a mentor/father figure. It is decidedly unattractive in an educated, late-30s Peter Pan conman lawyer.
Ultimately, I don't find the codependent dysfunctional McGill brothers dynamic all that compelling. I'm more interested in the side characters like Kim* and Howard. And Mike, who seems destined to remain on his appended webisode-like side show. I know that the Mike Show will eventually be integrated, but in the meantime, I feel less like I'm watching Shakespearean tragedy and more like I'm watching men behaving badly with some consequences that will payoff someday.
*I would call Kim a co-lead due to her prominence this season, but the finale reduced her character to being a Jimmy cheerleader by having her fawning over the commercial, telling Jimmy he's doing the right thing, completely eliding her reaction to the events of "Nailed," and demoting her being Jimmy's receptionist. I suppose that is the consequence of standing by Jimmy, but the show depicted it from either Jimmy's perspective or a neutral one, instead of giving us Kim's perspective, and that is disappointing.
OK but not amazing. I felt they pushed the Reset Button with Jimmy and Chuck. I thought they would end up in All Out War but it seemed like they dialed back the conflict instead -- at least on the surface. Sure Chuck has the tape, but it could take half of season 3 to play out that plot thread. I think the exploration of their family bond, and how it can trump their legal and personal conflicts, is interesting and dramatic. But I think it would resonate more if they gave us more concrete details about their past.
The stuff with Mike was neat but a bit confusing. I watched the scene several times but had a hard time telling when precisely his horn started beeping. I was under the impression that it was Nacho who left the note, and I'm surprised to see all the feedback suggesting it was Gus or some other outside party. Dramatically I thought what they were going for was that Nacho knew Mike was there, and he intentionally was standing next to the target so Mike couldn't get a clean shot. In reflection, I actually think it's a bit lame that they ended the season without shedding more light on this scene. To me it was not a compelling cliffhanger... Just confusing.
@Cory I thought you would appreciate this: I knew I recognized Dr. Cruz from somewhere, but I wasn't interested enough to google it in S1 (I thought she resembled someone from E.R.). Turns out the actor played invisible girl Marcie in the Buffy episode, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight." Glad to see Marcie straightened out her life.
I thought the whole tape recording thing was 100 percent stupid. That is a hack trope, that has been used too many times on shows and movies that were forgettable from the start. The only thing I could take from this episode is that chucks issues are way worse than some Howard Hughes type eccentricities. I was hoping that Chuck would have died from his fall and Jimmy would have too deal with the fallout from that but keeping Chuck on the show goes back to the same bickering that has gone on too long already. The part with Mike left me kind of flat too. Wanted to see something big happen but was spoiled by some post in the forums. So as going against popular opinion, I would say that this season ended with a fizzle out. So as for this weeks total 3 out 3 bust for me because HBOs two shows were lack luster also.
Also being a guy who quotes old movies and such wouldn't Jimmy have been a lil bit suspicious of Chucks line of questioning. "The old hidden tape recorder trick, works every time." Ah ah ah Bullshit!
@Cory I thought you would appreciate this: I knew I recognized Dr. Cruz from somewhere, but I wasn't interested enough to google it in S1 (I thought she resembled someone from E.R.). Turns out the actor played invisible girl Marcie in the Buffy episode, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight." Glad to see Marcie straightened out her life.
Was thinking the exact thing (could've sworn she was on E.R.)!
@kingbee67 Chuck dying would have definitely added some stakes to the show, but I feel like they can't even play that card yet because there are still too many unanswered questions (i.e. Rebecca) floating around his character. Why did they even introduce his wife in that fashback if they weren't going to follow up on it this season? If they wanted to lay groundwork for a plot in later seasons, a few lines of dialog would have sufficed. When you make Rebecca the center of a long flashback, and name an episode after her, it's seems anti-climatic when they don't follow up later in the seasons.
What about Kim? Despite being perhaps the main protagonist in season 2, in "Klick" she receded to the role of Supportive Girlfriend. I was expecting her to at least have to wrestle with her own feelings about what happened to Chuck. Since the accident was indirectly due to Jimmy's crime, to which she is an accomplice.
Also, what was the business about the Temporary Guardian? Was that supposed to be Jimmy? Why did Jimmy just leave Chuck within a few hours after getting home from the hospital? They wasted a lot of time discussing it in the hospital, and then dropped it.
I'm all for planting long-term story seeds, and maybe this will all work better narratively when the entire show is watched in a binge. But, judging season 2 on its own, I was left feeling unsatisfied.
Temporary guardianship was only applicable to the hospital. Don't get thrown off by the term guardian. Chuck was refusing the tests. Legally, the hospital cannot force Chuck to take the tests. That is, unless someone else becomes his guardian and consents to it on his behalf. That was what the guardianship talk was all about.
As for the whole Chuck v Jimmy thing, someone else mentioned it already, but the entire point of the season seems to be a distinction between the good criminal and the bad innocent.
Jimmy is a scumbag who does illegal things. But the net result of his "felony" is that a wealthy law firm lost one client that ultimately doesn't make much of a difference to them. Meanwhile, Chuck has been within the law (though he has violated professional ethics quite egregiously) with the goal of destroying his brother's and by extension Kim's career.
@adampasz The temporary guardian business was to get Chuck the medical help he was refusing. Without Jimmy taking that role, Chuck could have gone home with injuries that they'd never know about. Jimmy agreed to the MRI and such and then released himself from that role once everything was in the clear. Chuck assumed Jimmy would continue with it and have him committed, but Jimmy didn't do that. Which makes the betrayal hurt more. If Jimmy would have had him put in an institution or something, this whole fiasco with the "mistaken" address would have been dropped and forgotten.
Also, the sniper scene is how to do tension with this show. We know Hector becomes wheel chair bound at some point before Breaking Bad. I was waiting for the trigger to be pulled on that rifle and realizing it was Mike's bullet that did this. Instead they went a different route and evaded expectations. Its a pretty smart move on the Villigang's part.
@joepinetree Thanks for the clarification. I'm still not clear why they made such a big deal about the temporary guardian stuff. Was Chuck angry or resentful at Jimmy for forcing him to endure the tests? If so, I would have expected it to come up as a point during their discussions. Again, I was surprised how much ended up back at the status quo at the end of this episode.
I don't have trouble with the recording as a plot device - you want to nail someone, you wear a wire. It's just a smart thing to do.
The problem I have - had I not known the truth, I'd believe it either way if you told me Jimmy was confessing or that he really was saying it to try and pull his brother from the grip of insanity. Hard to see it as sufficient proof for Chuck. I suppose the copy guy and Ernesto are there to be squeezed.
My bet is "Saul" is born out of an informal settlement between the two of them. Not sure how Kim leaves the picture, but I'm guessing she leaves town after finally having enough.
I'm really curious how the show picks up the Gene storyline. I suppose they might not, but I'd be disappointed. Was hoping for a time jump and then a couple seasons about Gene and some new characters and maybe at the very end looping back to ABQ. I suppose one season could work, but only if he goes straight back to ABQ somehow. Maybe there's some way he's been cleared in Walt's case?
EDIT - oh, that has to be Gus that left the note for Mike doesn't it? I'm guessing Nacho being in the way was pure coincidence. Not sure about how close Mike was able to tail them, or the ninja-like way the horn was triggered.
Comments
*It was a treat watch that beautifully shot sniper scene. Its a remnant of Breaking Bad, but whenever we get those huge splashes of blue New Mexico sky and the orange desert--I fall in love. Its just gorgeous.
*Seeing Jimmy's commercial was awesome as well. That shot of the TV over Kim's shoulder while she grins from ear-to-ear was just excellent. It is a master class in directing. We got to see the commercial as well as Kim's reaction. Such a genius idea of staging the shot like that.
*The Chuck ER visit was completely disorienting. I often find BCS starts to show its seams when they go into legal talk. The dialogue just never feels right. That hospital dialogue when Chuck is being admitted, however was absolutely spot on. It is scary how on-point it is.
*I saw the "twist" coming a mile away. And what a frustrating, yet satisfying way to leave the season. It does make you wonder how they would have done things if the series wasn't renewed. I am sure Gilligan and Gould knew it would be, but it wasn't official until after the premiere of the season if memory serves.
* @pavlovsbell hit the nail on the head with what an amazing performance Odenkirk gave while entering the tinfoil-dome of doom. His reaction was just excellent stuff.
Season 3 can't get here quickly enough.
Idk I just thought we were done with Chuck. That was my expectation going into this episode. That Chuck, the character, was on a clock. But now it's gonna turn out to be McGillbowl? Eh....
My first thought was that he had built some sort of dome, but as the camera continues to pan you start to realize that nearly every inch of wall is covered with space blanket.
Also I thought the use of sound during the sniper scene with Mike was great. There was something about the ambient sound just snapping off mid scene and leaving us with pure silence. Perhaps it was a hint to let us know that someone was nearby.
And that stretcher scene was marvelous. From almost placing us in Chuck's perspective to the disorienting angle we view Chuck all the way to the authenticity of the dialogue. It all felt so real.
Personally, all the sympathy I had for Chuck kind of went out of the window for me this episode. From him not telling Jimmy what his mothers last words were to him staging this elaborate ploy to get Jimmy to confess on tape to sabotaging the Mesa Verde case for HHM.
Also, my first thought was Gus when I saw the 'don't' note. Just seems minimalistic in a way only Gus can be.
Overall great episode. I wish we could have got more of a climax to Mike's storyline, but I can't complain about what I got. Now we wait a year.:(
By recording Jimmy, did Chuck technically just prove that he has no EM sensitivity?
But it's really starting to irritate me. They set up a Saul introduction perfectly well with the money at the end of season 1, then jerked the reins. They again perfectly set the stage for a proper introduction to Saul at the end of season 2, and again rein it back in and delay the Chuck plot resolution. FFS the show is called Better Call Saul and here we are with two full seasons done and Saul is still a no-show.
I want to see seasons of content of Saul being Saul, enough with the foreplay already.
The stuff with Mike was neat but a bit confusing. I watched the scene several times but had a hard time telling when precisely his horn started beeping. I was under the impression that it was Nacho who left the note, and I'm surprised to see all the feedback suggesting it was Gus or some other outside party. Dramatically I thought what they were going for was that Nacho knew Mike was there, and he intentionally was standing next to the target so Mike couldn't get a clean shot. In reflection, I actually think it's a bit lame that they ended the season without shedding more light on this scene. To me it was not a compelling cliffhanger... Just confusing.
The only thing I could take from this episode is that chucks issues are way worse than some Howard Hughes type eccentricities. I was hoping that Chuck would have died from his fall and Jimmy would have too deal with the fallout from that but keeping Chuck on the show goes back to the same bickering that has gone on too long already.
The part with Mike left me kind of flat too. Wanted to see something big happen but was spoiled by some post in the forums.
So as going against popular opinion, I would say that this season ended with a fizzle out. So as for this weeks total 3 out 3 bust for me because HBOs two shows were lack luster also.
Also being a guy who quotes old movies and such wouldn't Jimmy have been a lil bit suspicious of Chucks line of questioning. "The old hidden tape recorder trick, works every time." Ah ah ah Bullshit!
What about Kim? Despite being perhaps the main protagonist in season 2, in "Klick" she receded to the role of Supportive Girlfriend. I was expecting her to at least have to wrestle with her own feelings about what happened to Chuck. Since the accident was indirectly due to Jimmy's crime, to which she is an accomplice.
Also, what was the business about the Temporary Guardian? Was that supposed to be Jimmy? Why did Jimmy just leave Chuck within a few hours after getting home from the hospital? They wasted a lot of time discussing it in the hospital, and then dropped it.
I'm all for planting long-term story seeds, and maybe this will all work better narratively when the entire show is watched in a binge. But, judging season 2 on its own, I was left feeling unsatisfied.
As for the whole Chuck v Jimmy thing, someone else mentioned it already, but the entire point of the season seems to be a distinction between the good criminal and the bad innocent.
Jimmy is a scumbag who does illegal things. But the net result of his "felony" is that a wealthy law firm lost one client that ultimately doesn't make much of a difference to them. Meanwhile, Chuck has been within the law (though he has violated professional ethics quite egregiously) with the goal of destroying his brother's and by extension Kim's career.
Edit: Joe beat me to it.
Gus absolutely wrote that note. He gives orders, and people follow them.