Better Call Saul

Yeah her demeanor when she realized Lalo isn't dead was subtle but recognizable. being a 'friend' of the cartel means constantly having people tail you and meeting shady people in coffee shops.

I got fished in the way I think they wanted me to get fished in: when Howard started describing his dream, and we see Jimmy walking along, I thought Jimmy was part of it.

Loved the camera mounted on the door to show us Saul jumping out of the car to set up the cone then getting back in.

Something else I didn't pick up on right away: when Wendy complimented Saul on his hair, I hadn't, to that point, figured out that he was trying to look like Howard.

What did you think they were doing at that point? Not trying to be mean!

I knew what they were up to in broad outline, but I didn't give much thought to the hair/tan.

"petty with a prior" guy's "there's proving, and there's knowing" was a good moment

xp I saw it right away but that’s why I thought the cut from the therapy was so cool, for a second I thought we were seeing Howard’s dream in which he had jimmy’s face

lol

the suit was also a Howard special

Oh yeah, I was definitely thinking it was Howard's dream at first. It was nicely directed, I thought.

Yeah, and the flashy opening sequence + its followup, it’s like what else can rhea seehorn do

(btw when this is all over I want a supercut of kim saying “ok”)

I re-watched all of s5 before the new ones, and have finally caught up (good thing too, as I had hardly any recollection of Mr Acker, and Kim and Jimmy getting married).
Poor old Nacho. I'm not sure I entirely understand the logic of Gus basically letting him dangle in the wind until the Salamancas got to him, then realising the Salamancas might make him talk so rushing to get him out, but I guess he didn't really have many options?

Kim saying "do you want to be a friend to the cartel, or do you want to be a rat?" has been seemingly taken as her making a negative judgement on the 'rat' option, but only a few episodes ago she was aghast that Jimmy was "a friend of the cartel" so I think maybe she was genuinely being fairly neutral there, as to which is more beneficial (or less dangerous) as she's seen how far into it he/Lalo was. I may be wrong, maybe she thinks they can get involved and just talk themselves out of any trouble.

They've kind of reached the Walter White point where they are successful on their own terms, so the HH scam seems pretty unnecessary. Like other people upthread, I don't like them doing this any more (even though it's hilarious) - it's clearly their blind spot. Jimmy has happily dumped any guilt re Chuck onto Howard so I guess thinks/pretends he thinks he deserves it for that reason. Kim just delights in being cruel against the Elite.

They brought Lalo back just in time--I was starting to think, "This is so dumb: they're keeping maybe their most interesting character out of the show."

My timeline's gone all to hell. Werner's wife? I can't remember at all at what point Werner and his crew were working on the underground lab. I wasn't even sure if that was Breaking Bad.

lol at that reaction to the toilet in the middle of the room

haha yeah.

these last few eps have been Pinter-paced, even by Gilligan's usually slow standards. I started playing on my phone until Lalo showed up - that scene was more of the masterful "will this innocent civilian survive" touches I've come to love with this franchise.

but good lord, last eps were suuuuuuch filler. coulda made them 30 min episodes.

Yeah, although the old man fite (shades of Battlescar Galactica) was fairly entertaining filler, and why did Jimmy fall for the "H.O. Ward" lure and why did he end up getting into the ring after starting to walk away? Welp, we've already seen him and Kim sitting up sleepless, and him indicating some tangle of feelings about "him," meaning big brother, so apparently that and the way he associates Howard with all that, was the lure. Also, somewhat pleasing to see Howard beat him: Jimmy and Kim have broken bad and I have 0 sympathy--- run over 'em, Namast3!

But yeah pace x all those fucking commercials, and of course this "last" season will be split, as with BB and MM.

lol I came here to talk about how much I loved the pace of this one, I’ve been waiting for them to really push it this season

This would be a horrible show to watch with ads tho, don’t think I knew it had them in the us

well when I watch it on DVR, I can skip them. last night was the first time all year I watched live.

fwiw I don't require BCS to be breakneck in pace, either, as BB wasn't always either. it's probably one of the best shows that can make interesting shit out of the minutiae of criminal enterprise.

I think it just rubs me differently when we're watching Saul's daily Youtube prank series vs watching Lalo stake out info from the widow of lab maker guy.

actually "the minutiae of criminal enterprise" would probably be my favorite genre, any movie or tv show that reflects on the mundane shit these guys have to do to avoid getting whacked.

Last night's prologue seemed a little too clever. All that to (I guess--I certainly didn't clue in) foreshadow the reemergence of the Werner subplot.

I think the last three prologues have all had a figure-out-how-this-fits-in angle to them. Those kinds of prologues have always been part of BCS and BB, but that seems to be the default now.

I don't want it to be breakneck pace, prob more slow show constanly interrupted by spew of commericals, and about the content, incl dgaf about Gus's fear factor, although good that he finally decides that Lalo not coming back for awhile (however he divines this, same way he just knew Lalo still alive), so what the hell let's go out for a while-- but basically dgaf about Gus at this point, great as he was and will be in BB---also Howard just rushing through the same shit he's told his oldsters for so many years, and it works (maybe they don't remember how many times they've heard it) I like the widow, and can see how she might tell all this to a sympathetic, attractive stranger, also like her concerned dog. She *told* Lalo the lawyers took all the relevant shit, but of course he can't resist---did apparently see the sympathy cards she mentioned, from husband's co-workers, and maybe he had time to notice a return address.

Ha, every time Howard has shown up in this series I have the Ben Folds Five song "Boxing" in my head for days - "Boxing's been good to me, Howard..." - and now it's literally been played out on screen!

What was Gus doing in the labcave? Just absorbing the atmosphere?

Can't imagine this show with ads - my sympathies.

I'm going back to tape delay watching

What was Gus doing in the labcave? Just absorbing the atmosphere?

He stashed the handgun from his ankle holster down there, though I'm not sure if he had the idea to do that while he was cleaning bathroom grout or after he went down there and scoped it out as a place for defense.

Pretty sure this was an anomaly: Gus referring to their curls as "signature." That phrase is overused to death now, but isn't is something that became common in the last 5-10 years?

(And we're still in 2007 or so.)

oh right thanks, WmC

I've forgotten the business relationship between Gus and the Cartel---the labcave is in prep for his secret side hustle/possible tunnel to financial independence, right? Prospects for that take a leap when he's approached by meth wizard Walt, right? ( remember some of BB's backstory for Gus, how he and hiw partner came from Chile and approached the Druglord with---an idea for chicken places as cover for drug network, right? The other guy was shot to death in front of Gus, big joek, and he got his chicken places, named Hermanos Pollos in honor of the lost partnership---later he got revenge, possibly some satisfaction)

Nice symmetry in this episode with the very first and final shots (sliding panel/window) although I had to watch a recap video to notice.

maybe he had time to notice a return address

The bottom of the memorial thing we saw being made at the beginning of the episode had a sticker from the shop that made it

Presumably step two is rifling through the records at the shop to see who ordered it

So how did Lalo know about Werner and his wife? And what's he up to with that anyway? Trying to prove to the cartel that Gus has gone rogue so they'll take him out?

He wants to know what Werner was hired for. He followed Mike, overheard 'Werner Ziegler' and killed that guy at the Travel Wire, phones Werner at the hotel and tries to get info out of him on what he's doing before Mike stops him. He's just as sneaky as Saul/Kim, a fellow master of scams.

Oh yeah, so he did

I guess he found out about the wife from obituaries etc. They kind of handwaved how he got into Germany, I guess it's easy if you're sneaky

I rewatched all of the previous season (5) and all that was in the one before that! It's a really long time period to keep track of what's happened, especially when you're half-remembering Breaking Bad stuff too

Fring quite clearly rehearsed holding the power connection to the lights, dropping it to his feet, then counting his steps to the hiding spot, so I’d say something’s gonna happen in the dark.

Something sexy

Lalo actually did get a little bit of info out of Werner, about the south wall nearly being complete, & has had a bit of an idea of what gus is up to ever since - he’s finally chasing this down now & I guess might be hitting up madrigal soon

What a great sequence that was with the widow, tense and sad are the moods this ep’s long scenes want you to marinate in, this is why I think the pacing is good

Also think it was v smart to vanish lalo for a few eps as it made him an increasingly oppressive absent presence for us & many of the characters (gus in particular getting frayed), & then the reveal that he’s in a different continent is p funny

I dont recall Lalo being in BB. Whats the end goal/result of him spying on the Germans operation? It seems that for the entire BB run his mob didnt know about the superlab under the dry cleaners so whats all this for? I'm sure Ive forgot something.

Kim & Jimmy’s caper even at its most comedic is so infused with bad vibes, neither of them seem to be much enjoying it & they must know at some level that it ends badly even tho it’s likely they “win”. Howard clearly has his own shit going on, from the therapy session last week & his slightly unhinged reaction to being scammed (that scene ruled btw)

xp lalo isn’t in bb (because he’s dead imo) and he’s trying to expose the secret superlab operation to the cartel to get fring killed (and fails obv)

Lalo definitely wasn't in BB, so he's clearly going to be whacked eventually. but they will definitely learn about the superlab and its function because Eladio starts hijacking Gus's Pollos trucks in an attempt to force him to share the recipe for his blue meth. so Lalo probably drops some secrets before he peaces out for good.

and I'm guessing none of them will realize Gus tried to off him, as the only one who knows about what Gus is up to is the one Salamanca who can't talk.

He might also just be after the location of the lab to try and attack it (but again obviously fails)

There are now two parties tailing the McGill-Wexler-Goodman household, wonder if they’ll come into conflict

"it's OUR shift tonight"

"no, look at the schedule dipshit"

*gunfire*

lol I back Mike’s guys against whatever mook Howard hired

Howard's guy looks like he was born 41 years old

and I'm guessing none of them will realize Gus tried to off him, as the only one who knows about what Gus is up to is the one Salamanca who can't talk.

He can when the writers need him to, using the alphabet and the bell.