Better Call Saul

laughed a lot at Gene doing Bob Odenkirk's I Think You Should Leave sketch when the heist starts going wrong

that whole scene felt like something from Uncut Gems. its the first time in 6 seasons where we really don't know what's gonna happen to him

I liked the straightforward single episode encapsulated heist format. Pretty obvious from the moment it was introduced that the floor polisher was going to be the unexpected variable, but how it played out was a great gag.

Carol Burnett confirmed she's in multiple episodes fwiw

Really over the top stalling in the security room. Looking at the monitors constantly. Hard to believe they get away with it. Though maybe that's why they used an actor famous for being useless. Jerry was great.

I could watch a whole season of single episode heists like this

Also really nice to be away from the Kim / Hamlin / cartel drama

i thought originally he was bringing 'Jerry' the cinnabons so he would have a heart attack on the job and they could rob really easily

^^^ Yeah I thought that was going to be the flaw in the perfectly-oiled heist machine. I thought the mark on the floor was some devious thing Gene did for some reason.

I liked the straightforward single episode encapsulated heist format. Pretty obvious from the moment it was introduced that the floor polisher was going to be the unexpected variable, but how it played out was a great gag.

― mh, Tuesday, July 26, 2022 9:11 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

nearly being foiled by a slip n' fall is perfect. that was a hell of a pratfall too though when I watched it it seemed pretty clear when the stunt actor came in

okay so trying to get a grasp on what we know about the final 3 episodes:

Carol Burnett's character appears in "more than one" episode, so her & Jeffy will be back (I'm guessing Gene's ultimate fate will have something to do with something going wrong with these people?)
Jesse & Walt have a couple scenes, so some of it will be in the past
Francesca was told to make a phone call to a payphone at a specific time...?

Obvious, I suppose, but just because it animated the part of Jimmy's story I wanted to be watching, I liked the reference to the broke chemistry teacher he once knew who made a pile of money within a year.

I was afraid Jeffy was dead for a moment

loved the rhyming of the merch with the sequence -- 'Patagonia five to survive' etc

(xpost Jeffie dying) That would have taken some Jimmyspiration! Or if he'd just kept lying there with eyes closed a lot longer, wtf Jeffie??
Agree that it was refreshing to be away from the grinding plot machinery down south, and Burnett was totally charming; I bet she ends up accidentally causing Gene's downfall, if not demise, oh no gosh Sweetie Gene!
So, just to stay consistent and above suspicion, and maybe for companionship too, won't Gene have to keep up the Cinnabon sessions, at least with some regularity?
(At first, I was like, "Yeahhh, gimme one of those bad boys," but after countless close-ups of Jerry's ingestions, not so much.)

Although, now that I mention it, starting to want one now, at least 30 miles from likeliest mall. Dammit.

I do not want to take the time to look up the dietary stats on the standard issue 'bon, but I know they're horrific.

I think I last had one in an airport on a business trip, and regretted it instantly and smelled the cream cheese and cinnamon for the rest of the day.

That said - I think if you cut directly to the center, and skipped the outer layers, you would be doing much better from a caloric standpoint and would get the best part of the 'bon.

Damnit. I think I kinda want one now, too.

one thing I didn't get was how often he was visiting the security desk - I had assumed it was every week so he could talk about the college football game, but if that were true the scheme would take months to pull off which I am guessing was not the case. but it had to be on some kind of schedule. could it be every single day? those Cinnabons are like 850 calories!!

I really don't like cinnabons and all the ep did was make me not want them more.

Maybe Kim's final torture is making a hungry woman watch endless Cinnabons when they don't even have them in this godforsaken country.

The Jeffie guy totally threw me, like he was getting out of a CAB wearing a STRIPY SWEATER but ... it's not the guy!

With the first cinnabon I assumed he'd put ricin or a laxative in the middle of it.

We were puzzling why Saul had set up a fairly elaborate procedure for fairly small gain but it made sense at the end with the felonies stacking up like that.

Also, love Gerry being Gerry. Or Gary, Frank, whatever

And Jeffie

final episodes prediction: marion revealed as kim in elaborate disguise, jeffy is jesse, frank is fring, nippy is lalo and so on, they've been dead this whole time, shopping mall dance party ending

Narrator of Monster a Go Go: There WAS no Nippy

The more I think about it the more I’m convinced Carol Burnett’s character is gonna lead to Gene’s downfall

Really, really intense conversation w Seehorn about That Scene and aftermath: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/better-call-saul-rhea-seehorn-interview-season-six-1383649/

Startling to see her happy and laughing, excited, on Late Night w Seth Myers last night---she better get that Emmy.

The more I think about it the more I’m convinced Carol Burnett’s character is gonna lead to Gene’s downfall

Yeah, I had a horrible feeling at the end of the last ep when she rocked up.

Carol Burnett has been wreaking havoc in the culture for almost six decades now.

Carol is Lalo

remember how she used to end every episode of her show with a signal to the cartel?

so I guess she's not going to drop "Gene, you should meet my other kid, Kimmy"

(xpost) Great!

Saul Goodman is gonna get Gene killed

in the future, Walt Jr has resurrected his dad's meth business and is on a vacation in Nebraska, when he accidentally runs over Gene while Gene is jaywalking, and the episode culminates in a teachable moment about why jaywalking is actually very dangerous.

Gene is in a coma for 20 years, and when he wakes up, the hospital is empty. he walks outside, and...boom, voila - surprise Walking Dead spinoff show.

I was watching Monday night and laughing with my partner about the ads for yet another Walking Dead spin-off.

We were puzzling why Saul had set up a fairly elaborate procedure for fairly small gain but it made sense at the end with the felonies stacking up like that.

An addiction to risk and possible self- destructive maybe? It didn’t make much rational risk: there’s the chance of being caught throughout the operation and then also when his accomplices try to fence the goods. And how much of a hold over Jeff is this scam really ? If Jeff went to the police to report Jimmy/Saul, he could probably get a deal to overlook this relatively minor crime and in mitigation could point out that it was directed overall by Jimmy and that he was coerced at crucial points.

That's giving Jeff too much credit? Saul is persuasive.

I didn't really get why Jeff recognizing him was such a big deal. If the vacuum guy did his job would they really be able to prove that this is in fact Saul Goodman? Just because he kinda looks like him? He does call him again right after he gets recognized so maybe he does think there's a chance.

I do think Luna is right though, it's not about getting Jeffy "in the game" it's about the return of Saul/Slippin' Jimmy. obviously he is not gonna be satisfied just living out his days at Cinnabon.

also curious what exactly the timeline is here. I saw that the last episode took place around October 2010 (someone was sleuthing out the sports conversation) - how far is that from when Walt's operation blows up and Hank gets killed?

James McGill and Saul Goodman may be dead, but Slippin' Jimmy is immortal. (Would watch a spinoff of the spinoff of Slippin' Jimmy scheming across human history.)

Jeff seemed like a really dim bulb, and was played that way by the actor. as was the other guy. like the way Jimmy easily manipulated Jeffie into not backing out.

but also, he only ever wanted to sell Jimmy/Saul out to cash in. Jimmy/Saul gave him a way to make a fairly large score without selling him out, but also made it so they committed a interstate felony and would likely face actual jail/prison time if they sold Jimmy out. Jeff is the type of guy who would want to avoid ANY time, since he's 'reformed' in the eyes of his mother now. and that would leave nobody to take care of her. It's not really the type of risk you'd want to take in that situation I think?

Also, as someone who worked in retail, I know stores are notoriously bad about recognizing theft quickly (as Jimmy said), by the time they notice product is missing, it'll probably just be a line item on a shrinkage report and they'll probably suspect their own employees since that's where a lot of it happens. they probably wont even know when it happened, so they're not filing a police report.

so Jeffie and the other guy would essentially be self-reporting their own crime of which there is no video evidence (as it's deleted in 72 hours), and nothing tying Jimmy to them, as all of the transactions were performed by Jeffie and the other guy. and then trying to convince someone "oh, but we only did it because this other guy that we can't locate made us", when lots of detectives like to get easy clearances by going with the more obvious answer. if they get busted fencing, it'd be easier for them to say they got the goods from someone else rather than self-report their robbery.

and they know Jimmy is an ex-slimy lawyer who knows how to bend the legal system to his will.

also Jimmy befriending his mother first rather than just showing up at Jeff's house is a subtle "you fuck with me, I fuck with your mother's wellbeing" situation. i mean he busted her scooter!

Could be Slippin' Jeffie now, too, for obvious reasons.

Lol

but also, he only ever wanted to sell Jimmy/Saul out to cash in

was he? it seemed to me like he was more just thrilled to recognize him. but I guess Gene doesn't really know what his intentions were.

I think there was a hint of a veiled threat in the way the original Jeff played it

Yeah, there was definitely a veiled threat.

Jeff says something like "You'll do better next time" after Gene does the "Better call Saul!" routine for him.

love the idea that we’re just in the gene time now for the rest of the series, that those were Mike & Gus’s last scenes* and that sequence starting with Saul waking up in Xanaxdu is the end of that part of the story

I know there’ll be a bit more in the bb time (Walt & Jesse, the Francesca call) but I’m thinking these will be small flashbacks (I’d be very surprised if we don’t also get a chuck flashback as well)

*and maybe Kim’s as well, idk if she has anything to do with the phone call or what - I’d be cool with following her into the show’s present, but in a standalone ep that never intersects with gene’s story

I don't think we're actually going to be in the Gene timeline for the rest of the show, since we already know Walt and Jesse are going to appear at some point in the last few episodes. I feel like there will be some return to the time period at the end of the last episode when Saul is embracing his new riches.

also curious what exactly the timeline is here. I saw that the last episode took place around October 2010 (someone was sleuthing out the sports conversation) - how far is that from when Walt's operation blows up and Hank gets killed?

The BB wiki says the series finale of that show took place over September 4-7, 2010, and Saul disappeared around April of that same year.

Disappeared in April, so yeah this could be October.

so I guess she's not going to drop "Gene, you should meet my other kid, Kimmy" That could be awesome! Kim as Chuck, the one who made good---but Mom favors Jeffie, not the one she groomed or encouraged to be a cool little bad girl (she likes kids to stay kids, dependent, malleable). Kim went rong by growing up, and by becoming a goodie-goodie lawyer, supposedly.