Better Call Saul: Axe and Grind
May 16, 2022 9:09 PM - Season 6, Episode 6 - Subscribe

Kim and Jimmy enlist a knowledgeable contact; Howard scrutinizes Jimmy's business practices.
posted by Rhaomi (55 comments total)
 
That flew by so fast, I couldn't believe it when it ended! It's the last episode before the mid season break next week, so some sort of conclusion re Sandpiper seems to be on the cards. It feels like we're a way off any Gus/Lalo showdown though, and it feels like there'll be a huge amount of other ground to cover in the remaining 6 episodes of the series after the break.
posted by chill at 1:08 AM on May 17, 2022


Also, if we're keeping count, I think this means when the fake judge photos were taken, Jimmy probably had Mike's team surveilling him, Howard's PI surveilling him, and his own fake surveillance surveilling him. Which is quite delightful.
posted by chill at 2:35 AM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


The casting of Kim’s mom was ::chef’s kiss::

Kim & Saul’s relationship contains multitudes—law partners, accomplices, lovers, enablers—but…. well, we were all wondering why they got married last season, especially after that montage that sped us forward and they seemed more like roommates. So I was really touched by Saul’s delight and joy at Kim’s news about the foundation (as well as her fear and vulnerability that it would ruin their plans and her commitment to them). It revealed a depth of feeling and connection that is often overshadowed by their shenanigans.

And my heart broke a little bit when she turned the car around. I realize this is a show where there are no happy endings so hoping Kim gets one is just setting myself up for torture. But I can’t help it. Kim Wexler is one of the best female characters in television, and I do want her to get away with her scams. Or at the very least not die, a hope that the cold open fuels with that Nebraska license plate. Team Giselle + Gene in Omaha!
posted by emkelley at 6:43 AM on May 17, 2022 [14 favorites]


I don't understand what they were doing with the vet. I felt like I missed something there. Did he get botox or something?

I also missed what was happening with the judge and the film crew. I know they're building up to "D-Day" but I'm still very confused about it all.

I'm not quite buying the Lalo plot. He's roaming all around rural Germany looking to find out what Gus is doing? There has to be a better way.

We're at the point in the series now where every time Kim does anything I'm expecting something horrible to happen. I half expected her to get into a fatal car accident. I, too, hope she has a happy ending but I'm not getting my hopes up.
posted by bondcliff at 7:03 AM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


My reading on the vet thing was that they were road testing something to slip Howard to make him appear high (jittery and dilated pupils).
I don’t think we’re supposed to have figured out what exactly d-day is yet, every week seems to confound my expectations as to the direction it’s going in.
posted by chill at 7:13 AM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


I don’t think we’re supposed to have figured out what exactly d-day is yet, every week seems to confound my expectations as to the direction it’s going in.

It's still a mystery, but we got a lot more clues this week:

- Sandpiper meeting
- Stimulants
- Photos created (but now problematic)
- Kim did not need to be present

My original thought a few episodes ago was that somehow Lalo coming back into town was going to throw off Kim & Jimmy's plan, but it looks like it's the broken arm instead. Up until the last scene, I thought the plan might be something like: someone gets the stimulant into Howard's system (seems like it is skin contact?). Howard then sees/receives the manufactured photos. Meanwhile Jimmy calls into the Sandpiper meeting and causes a disruption. Howard shows up to the onsite portion of the meeting and accuses Jimmy or bribing the judge, but he won't have the photo proof (either he never got possession or they were lifted/switched) and will appear high (diluted pupils, increased heart rate, sweating, ranting). Howard is then personally undermined and the confidence of the Sandpiper clients in the law firms is undermined, leading them to press for a quicker settlement.

Now that the photos are a bust? Maybe they have to get their body double back and into a cast and have Howard witness Jimmy and the fake judge interact in person? Then the plan can more or less proceed.

I think the biggest miss in the scheme arc/writing is that no one went to look at the judge in person previously to at the very least confirm the mustache look, whether he had lost/gained weight, etc. They still could have had the judge break his arm later in the week after they had done their recon (or is it implied they did this? I didn't get the sense that they did).

Was it significant that the car air freshener in Kim's case is the same one Gene freaks out about in a previous flash forward, or just a bit of a fun reference?
posted by mikepop at 8:13 AM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


The casting of Kim’s mom was ::chef’s kiss::

Oh my god, she captured Kim's mannerisms so well that I had to double check it wasn't Rhea Seehorn in crazy makeup.

The doubling of Howard's meticulous espresso with Cliff's vending machine slop was also really beautiful to watch.

The more we learn about the Howard swindle the more heartbreaking I'm sure it will be. I almost don't want to see how it ends, either for Howard or for Jimmy and (especially) Kim.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:36 AM on May 17, 2022 [8 favorites]


I don't know what it is but I'm not really into this season so far. It's good, but... something seems off. Like all the pieces are too siloed off from each other, and I also think the D-Day plot has been way too obtuse.

I also think the show got a little too cute with the office decor.
posted by rhymedirective at 8:39 AM on May 17, 2022 [8 favorites]


Man, that Lalo scene. I hate to say it, but even knowing everything I do about him, I would have been fooled too. My friend was bothered by last week's focus on Gus's fear/preparation but how can you not be absolutely scared of Lalo? The show has set him up as an almost mythical enemy, in terms of his ability and tenacity.
posted by destructive cactus at 9:46 AM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


I absolutely loved the opening scene with Kim and Mom. I was like now that is a HUGELY important piece of her childhood that we didn't know about. I too really thought it was Rhea in a bunch of makeup! Or maybe she dubbed the voice or something, it sounded exactly like her. "You got away with it! I'm proud of you!" It was such a sweet and funny scene.

The last time we saw Kim and her mom, Kim was stubbornly walking home from school with a giant band instrument on her back because Mom was too drunk to drive.

To me this informs:
- Her instant and strong connection with Jimmy - their similar childhoods, scraping by, getting what they can get where they can get it, doing things their own way.
- Her strong desire to become Mrs. Goodman (which I called last season)
- Viscerally feeling like suddenly being vulnerable, at the mercy of the system because you made a mistake, and how much she was longing for someone to guide her out of that room at that moment, she is now focused on guiding others out of that room. And on putting herself back in.

I was really glad we got to spend a lot more time with that story this week.
posted by bleep at 9:54 AM on May 17, 2022 [5 favorites]


I also immediately loved recognized Francesca's decorating style as "everything from the Cute Office Supplies section of the Staples catalog". Oh, sweet Francesca, I love you.
posted by bleep at 9:57 AM on May 17, 2022 [1 favorite]


Also I believe we witnessed the first introduction of the Vacuum Man, so that's pretty significant. The way Saul found out about the Vacuum Man was this D-Day thing.
posted by bleep at 10:08 AM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


We also see that coded black book among the effects being taken by law enforcement in the teaser that opened the season. According to the podcast, there are a lot of "preaster eggs" in that opening scene. Some probably meaningful, others probably just being cute. Time will tell which is which.
posted by absalom at 10:39 AM on May 17, 2022


I assume Jimmy will buy the vet's black book and code outright, basically taking over the franchise of local fixer, while the vet avails himself of the vacuum cleaner salesman's services?
posted by Grangousier at 11:36 AM on May 17, 2022 [7 favorites]


Geez, this D-Day plot is super tenuous and convoluted. I'm struggling to suspend my belief.

They don't know *when* the judge broke his arm, which is critical information here. Could bite them in the ass (or any of a million other things). They've basically got a bunch of wildcards they're dealing with and the whole thing is high-stakes too. What a shitshow this is going to be.

My guess is that they're trying to set it up for a big projection scheme to make Howard look like an ass publicly. Giving Howard reasons to accuse everyone — including the judge — to be wrapped up in drugs. But no, not him!

For Kim, there's already no going back. She tied her oar to Jimmy's boat and that shit's going down.

The coffee scenes were harsh.

I'm tired of Lalo. He's annoyingly smug and invincible.

The D-Day morning scene of Kim and Saul leaving their apartment was a heartbreaking composition. They left in different quadrants, separated by the X made with the metal support cables. Oof.
posted by iamkimiam at 1:12 PM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


You got away with it! I'm proud of you!" It was such a sweet and funny scene.

I have to say, “sweet and funny” was…not exactly my take on the opening scene with Kim and her mother. “Twisted, sad, and bordering on neglect if not outright abuse” is more like it. What was sweet and funny about it?
posted by holborne at 1:41 PM on May 17, 2022 [8 favorites]


I'm not quite buying the Lalo plot. He's roaming all around rural Germany looking to find out what Gus is doing?

I feel like they're only just joining the dots there on how Lalo is working the trail -- the very brief flash of the sticker from the "Deiner Junge" acrylic here -- and mostly they're leaning hard into "Tony Dalton's kinda great in this role so let's show more of him" in the same way they did for Gus in Breaking Bad.

I too feel the pacing is odd -- seven episodes left, and they've strongly set the expectation that this will abut Breaking Bad, complete with strategic reveals of returning characters; at their languid pace it feels like they really don't have enough runway left to achieve that? This all feels a little like a repeat of their usual Breaking Bad trick of writing themselves into a corner and then having to find a way to subvert out of it; I hope it's not just an "oh, we'll do a timelapse to fast-forward into it" thing.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:49 PM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


What was sweet and funny about it?
Because it showed that her mom loved her and supported her after all, in her own way. A mama lion teaching her baby how to hunt. A baby lion growing her teeth in.
posted by bleep at 1:54 PM on May 17, 2022 [1 favorite]


Anyone have a closeup of the back of the painting with all the sticky notes in it? I'd be very interested to see what's on it!
posted by QuakerMel at 2:38 PM on May 17, 2022


I am someone my grandfather would call "people with little to do" so I took some screenshots.
posted by bleep at 3:03 PM on May 17, 2022 [5 favorites]


That Lalo. Such a phony!

Kim's Mom, that's a whole whirlwind of mixed-message double-binds. Kim's like 12 years old and already numb to it. I think we learn that she's long had transgressive impulses, in this case in favor of acquiring some luxury, but maybe it was going to be a gift (necessity)?
posted by rhizome at 3:15 PM on May 17, 2022


Is Howard married? What is the deal with the woman at the beginning?

I'm pretty sure we've seen Kim's mom before - was that the same actress?
posted by fiercekitten at 4:28 PM on May 17, 2022


During Howard's therapy session in a previous episode he talked about his marital problems, which I think is the first mention of Howard's marital status.

Kim's mom was played by the same actress who played her in the first Kim childhood flashback, when Kim refused a ride home due to her mother's drunken state and ended up walking home lugging her cello.
posted by Agave at 4:41 PM on May 17, 2022 [1 favorite]


Seeing Howard's shirts and ties hanging on a portable rack in a relatively small bedroom and hearing the brief exchange about changing the mattress "out there", I gather he's been sleeping in the guest house or room above the carport.
posted by theory at 4:51 PM on May 17, 2022




What was sweet and funny about it?
Because it showed that her mom loved her and supported her after all, in her own way. A mama lion teaching her baby how to hunt. A baby lion growing her teeth in.


Hmm, I did not get that feeling at all, especially after rewatching.

Kim's not happy driving away in the car with her mom. It's not clear if she was acting out because she needs structure and moral clarity in her life, but that's definitely not what she's getting from her parent.

At any rate, we can see where Kim gets her skill for manipulative fabrication. I also tend to think that her mother's lack of morality caused Kim to come up with her own ideas of justice. She approaches both her pro bono work and her destruction of Howard with the same sense of righteousness. While Jimmy gets a thrill out of shady maneuvers he still feels sorry for people; overall he's a gentle soul. Kim on the other hand is shaping up to be coldly calculating and completely unsympathetic to people she feels are undeserving. While she's extremely competent, she's a lot more Gus Fring than she is Mike Ehrmentraut.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:25 PM on May 17, 2022 [10 favorites]


I didn't say she was a good mom. It was clear that she loved her daughter and was proud of her. They are not the same thing!
posted by bleep at 5:40 PM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


Also, one scene that really bugged me was when Mike was talking to his granddaughter and she was looking at constellations through a telescope. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU DO THAT!

I get it, it was for the story, but little details like that really bug me.

I suppose, sure, with a wide enough field of view you could do it but there'd hardly be any point.
posted by bondcliff at 5:54 PM on May 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


... and I didn't say anything about how her mom felt about Kim. I just think this scene doesn't bode well for anyone's future.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:56 PM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


Yeah the telescope thing bugged me too. Also setting it all up and getting it focused for... approximately 90 seconds of viewing? They should have just given her binos.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:57 PM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


Because it showed that her mom loved her and supported her after all, in her own way. A mama lion teaching her baby how to hunt. A baby lion growing her teeth in.

This is just a really weird take to me. Kim’s fate is shaping up absolutely tragic, very possibly because she learned to associate being worthy and loved with being criminal, beginning with that scene. Characterizing that as sweet or funny or being an heartwarming representation of a “mama lion” seems to be a pretty gross mischaracterization of what was going on. If she’s learning to hunt, she’s learning to hunt other people. I mean, maybe there’s something I’m missing, but I’m having a hard time seeing that scene as anything but horrifying.
posted by holborne at 6:37 PM on May 17, 2022 [4 favorites]


I think that the D-Day plan also has to include moving towards an early resolution of the Sandpiper case so Jimmy gets his money. I assume (as previously mentioned) that discrediting Howard is part of that. Jimmy claiming that Howard is milking the case for his drug habit, might lose the case, etc.
posted by willF at 7:32 PM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


Young Kim tapping her foot seemed off? Adult Kim does it when she’s nervous about plans succeeding or not, not after they fail. Yes, I’m overthinking. Kim’s mom was great.
posted by willF at 7:34 PM on May 17, 2022 [1 favorite]


I think that seven episodes will be enough:

- D-Day is basically already underway; even if the landing craft haven't landed in Omaha Beach, they're already in the water. No idea if they're going to try to get the model back for more pictures, or somehow account for the judge suddenly having a broken arm, or what. (Photoshop?) I think that this will be it for Howard and HHM; he'll get the divorce, close up the practice, and move out of the ABQ and get a job somewhere else.

- Even if they carry D-Day, though, I think that this is Kim crossing her personal Rubicon, to mix my aquatic military metaphors. Cliff will write her off as brilliant and dedicated but maybe a little flaky in the clutch. No idea still where that will put her at the end of the show.

- It may be frustrating to see Lalo fucking around off in the Schwarzwald or wherever, but he's implacably focused on his endgame: finding out what Gus' secret project is, which he seems to have already guessed is aimed at cutting out the cartel. I don't know if that will actually involve a showdown between Lalo and Gus down in the unfinished secret lab; it may very well involve Lalo using Saul to find out its location (and also either using Kim or using her as leverage to get Saul's cooperation), to tie those two threads together.

- Whether or not that will be the end of Kim--not the end end, one hopes, but maybe her splitting with Saul/Jimmy and going elsewhere--it would seem an efficient way to set up the BB Saul: he ends up flying solo, getting his part of the office redone much more tackily (and getting the tacky McMansion to go with it); using the black book (including the vacuum repair card) to become a proper criminal lawyer, and becoming an occasional employer of Mike.

Other random bits: loved the bits with Kim's mom (who was much more sanguine about the shoplifting thing than Lil' Kim herself; that young actress was very good), and also loved seeing Francesca's very short-lived joy at having her dream office turn into her more curdled cynicism from BB, between the biker stubbing out his cigarette on the sofa arm and the other dude pissing in the waterfall thing.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:20 PM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


My D-Day prediction:
Kim and Jimmy are trying to set Howard up to publicly accuse that particular judge of taking a bribe from Jimmy. When it is easily proven that there was no bribe, Howard's reputation will be tarnished, and it will take him a long time to be taken seriously again.
posted by oldnumberseven at 11:24 PM on May 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


The series has set up the expectation that we’ll see some closure on *post* Breaking Bad Jimmy/Saul/Gene. So to my mind that’s one episode next week for D Day, a final episode skipped forward in time a la the Breaking Bad series finale, leaving just 5 in the middle to get to Breaking Bad Saul from D-Day, while also bringing some level of conclusion to the Lalo stuff, and wrapping up Howard’s involvement with Jimmy and (presumably) Kim’s too.

I’m not doubting they’ll manage it because it’s been years in the planning, I just can’t imagine how.
posted by chill at 11:30 PM on May 17, 2022


I don't know what it is but I'm not really into this season so far. It's good, but... something seems off. Like all the pieces are too siloed off from each other, and I also think the D-Day plot has been way too obtuse.

To me it feels like the stakes are lower. Lalo is a ticking time bomb, but every episode where he doesn't confront Gus or Mike or Jimmy is just more ticking. (Also, we know that Jimmy, Mike, and Gus will survive, so that takes away some suspense too.)

Meanwhile the Jimmy plot has come down to "Will they successfully embarrass Howard?" which isn't as exciting as trudging though the desert with a bag of money.

A lot of the real tension earlier came from Nacho's plot line, and now he's gone.

The REAL tension now is "what the heck is going to happen to Kim" of course, but we only know about that because of the impending end of the show, it's not something that's being actively foreshadowed.

Kim and Jimmy are trying to set Howard up to publicly accuse that particular judge of taking a bribe from Jimmy. When it is easily proven that there was no bribe, Howard's reputation will be tarnished, and it will take him a long time to be taken seriously again.

Howard's easiest way out will probably be to "admit" he has a drug problem and enter rehab, which is probably why Kim said it wouldn't permanently destroy him earlier.
posted by mmoncur at 11:56 PM on May 17, 2022 [1 favorite]


The coffee scenes were harsh.

A beautifully brewed coffee, in a beautiful kitchen, assembled to the languid soundtrack of Perry Como's A Dreamer's Holiday and topped off with a skilfully prepared peace sign. Only to be clumsily decanted into a travel mug by Howard's wife, as she talks about something else. So much said about the couple's marriage in this scene. Note that Howard himself drinks herbal tea not coffee: potentially important given the vet's remark about whatever drug Jimmy might be about to give him, not working out well for people who are caffeine intolerant.

Note also that Kim still seems to be wearing those earrings.

The meticulous Kanban board on the back of Kim and Jimmy's picture mirrors that which is employed by the show writers themselves. Note that every single post-it represents the distilled visual endpoint of an idea which has been discussed and scheduled ad-nauseam. So it is for the BCS: the show is asking a lot from us at this point: required viewing to be an expert in what is happening are 5 seasons of this show on top of Breaking Bad. Keep up! (and extra credit if you can explain to a more casual viewer, your theory of what exactly Gus or Lalo or Kim or Jimmy or Howard are really up to in less than 5 minutes).
posted by rongorongo at 12:12 AM on May 18, 2022 [3 favorites]


Ever since Nacho's death, the cartel stuff has been pretty dull to me. We know where 90% of these people end up, because we've already seen them in Breaking Bad! Now the only mystery is whether Lalo dies before anyone realizes where he is (boo) -- so he remains the bogeyman-at-large from Saul's first scene in Breaking Bad -- or if he resurfaces in the Cinnabon future.

I agree that the actress (Beth Hoyt) was an incredibly inspired choice. As soon as I saw this Kim-not-Kim person, I immediately knew we were in a flashback.

Francesca is getting paid a lot to work with Jimmy, so it seems appropriate that she's at least trying to hide her disdain for him now. But I like the interaction with Kim, for contrast: she likes and admires Kim so much.
posted by grandiloquiet at 8:04 AM on May 18, 2022 [3 favorites]


Things can be horrifying and funny at the same time! The world is a prism.
posted by bleep at 8:52 AM on May 18, 2022 [2 favorites]


It was good for my Mr. Show with Bob and David-loving soul to see Bob Odenkirk and John Ennis on screen together again.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:40 AM on May 18, 2022 [5 favorites]


I think we need a spin-off (comic book, maybe?) where Howard, instead of "going to rehab" and returning to lawyer life slightly bruised after D-Day, instead vows his revenge on Jimmy. Each story would be set in the Breaking Bad timeline and show an elaborate scheme (Howard trying to emulate Jimmy/Kim) failing so spectacularly that Jimmy wouldn't even be aware of Howard's presence (although you could retroactively make some minor events in Breaking Bad results of Howard's failures). If Lalo's fate is ambiguous after the end of this series, maybe Howard accidentally kills him off while they are both stalking Jimmy.
posted by mikepop at 11:09 AM on May 18, 2022 [8 favorites]


Remember at the end of last season, the open was Gene getting recognized while eating lunch at the mall. It was ostensibly some dirtbag-style ex-clients, but maybe they are working at Howard's behest! Howard has been...somewhere...through the entire BB run, then finally tracks him down. Or is playing a long game to spoil his life at every step the way Saul spoiled his, and was biding his time during BB for the cartel to take him out instead, which didn't wind up happening.

Gene calls in some favor, then cancels it, saying "I'll handle it myself."
posted by rhizome at 2:44 PM on May 18, 2022 [3 favorites]


truth in Twitter
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:26 PM on May 18, 2022


Note that Howard himself drinks herbal tea not coffee: potentially important given the vet's remark about whatever drug Jimmy might be about to give him, not working out well for people who are caffeine intolerant.

Man, that's a potential dark ending that I didn't think of. Howard dies from the drug and Kim somehow ends up being caught and going to prison while Jimmy channels his guilt into increasingly risky behavior.

Thanks, now I'm worried for Kim AND Howard's safety...
posted by mmoncur at 9:20 PM on May 18, 2022 [5 favorites]


I don't know why the hell this jumped out at me, but the scene with Saul and Francesca in the alley showed the toilet that was in the office space when Kim and Saul first looked at it (and that Kim had said, jokingly, she wanted Saul to keep there). It's in the dumpster behind them.

Then the client is taking a leak in the water feature when Saul and Francesca walk back into the office.

I'm reading nothing into this. It's likely just a wink at the audience, and I guess it wouldn't be the first time a toilet has been a minor character in BCS.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:24 PM on May 18, 2022 [5 favorites]


I'm not sure too much needs to be read into the opening scene with Kim and her mother. We already knew there was a fucked-up dynamic there, which likely led to Kim's passion for defending people who are unprotected and without resources (and probably contributed to her love for Jimmy).

We also know Kim is spearheading the D-Day con even while Jimmy has at some points expressed reservations about it. Her argument that it's for the greater good might be a little persuasive; but this new information about her history with her mom would explain what gave her a taste for the con in the first place. That drive in Kim has been demonstrated before, but not really explained, and could have been seen as in conflict with her passion for fair play.

We are now seeing that Kim's mom's uniformly bad parenting led both to Kim's good passions and impulses, and also to her illicit, reckless, and potentially self-destructive ones.

She's kind of equally stubborn (and competent) at both, which makes her a great character. I think maybe Seehorn's finest scene to date was the one when she stood up to Lalo in defense of Jimmy; both aspects of her personality came through so clearly in that speech.
posted by torticat at 11:15 PM on May 18, 2022 [5 favorites]


It wouldn't be the first time a toilet has been a minor character in BCS.
I will see your Season 1 BCS toilet clip and raise you "Kim Wexler and Her Golden Throne". TLDR: 1) There are LOTS of BB/BCS toilets if you care to look! 2) Toilets appear to be part of the Saul Goodman persona which currently lies with Kim's creative control; maybe including golden ones.
posted by rongorongo at 6:10 AM on May 19, 2022 [1 favorite]


I guess we knew Kim is from Nebraska already? So I was the only one who raised an eyebrow when the shot of the car pulling away at the end of the cold open focused on Kim's Mom's car's Nebraska plate I guess.

I think there's a theme in the Young Kim scenes we've been shown that connects to her choices in this season that hasn't been touched on so far. The theme of the flashback scenes is that Kim's mom never really put Kim first. She put booze over the safety of her daughter, and then wasn't proud that Kim was smart or a dedicated musician or student. So Kim realized the way to get her mom's approval was to be a criminal. Kim's mom wouldn't sacrifice for her. Kim had to be the one to sacrifice in the relationship if she wanted there to be a relationship.

Fast forward to adult Kim, where she now has a partner who wants so much for her to be successful that he was willing to be disbarred and criminally charged to further her success. One moment in the series that's always lingered for me is the look on her face during Jimmy's disbarment hearing when they play Chuck's recording and Jimmy says "I did it for Kim!" He loves her for exactly who she is and doesn't demand anything in return. And I think that's why she's willing to sacrifice a potential career changing meeting, and enable Saul. This may have been actions of survival when she was a kid, but now they're actions of reciprocity for someone who values her in a way she never has been.
posted by dry white toast at 11:32 AM on May 20, 2022 [16 favorites]


Three coffee scenes… Howard meticulously making a perfect, artful latte that is received with “meh.” Kim and Cliff getting the harsh, rushed courthouse machine coffee in a rushed meeting. And Mike delivering coffee as a token of appreciation to his guys watching things, who are grateful to receive it.
posted by azpenguin at 7:38 PM on May 22, 2022 [4 favorites]


This was incredible. Serious woodchopping ominousness.
posted by lalochezia at 7:26 PM on June 1, 2022


We also see that coded black book among the effects being taken by law enforcement in the teaser that opened the season.
Caldera's black book - which we see here - specifically is seen in the S1 cold open, being thrown into the "objects of no value" bin, has been decoded by fans. - [Potential - albeit very oblique - spoilers for future episodes here - and many citations backwards to other characters we have seen].

Dr. Caldera is an intriguing character: he introduces Mike to Albuquerque's criminal underworld, patches up an injured Nacho for the cousins, puts Jimmy in contact with Huell and introduces (here) the character of Ed the vacuum cleaner salesman who aids disappearance - as seen in BB. So he is a pivotal figure who spends most of his time quietly as a vet.
posted by rongorongo at 4:01 AM on June 3, 2022


And who reveals in this conversation that he hates the underworld life that he chose and that has consumed him; a revelation that Jimmy and Kim completely ignore as they're all starry-eyed over the potential of the black book.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:08 AM on June 3, 2022 [1 favorite]


He's somewhat the opposite of Walter White.
posted by rhizome at 8:33 PM on June 3, 2022 [1 favorite]


So she actually did get a dog.
posted by tilde at 4:34 AM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]


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