Better Call Saul 2.08.
Apr. 5th, 2016 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakHuh. That was... very set-up-y? Like a first part of two? Or three?
Since obviously both Jimmy's and Mike's preparations in this episode will pay off in the future, but we don't know how, precisely, though we have an inkling in each case. Mike's going to sabotage the truck of smugglerdom somehow, I guess, and Jimmy's change of the documents will result in HHM handling the wrong property instead of the Messo Verde one they're supposed to, thus making Chuck (and by implication HHM) look senile and incompetent, so Messo Verde returns to Kim. If that's the case, I'm very much afraid this will also spell out the beginning of the end for Jimmy and Kim, because he's just committed forgery on her behalf. That's a crime, no amount of quibbling possible. And she'll figure it out; she'll know it wasn't Chuck making a mistake.
Back to the beginning: Jimmy and Kim were at their most adorable, so determined to strike out on their own and having each other's backs. And Kim really was in kick-ass mode in her conversation with the Messo Verde people, making the perfect pitch to them. The high-fiving with Jimmy later with both of them so damm happy was that moment where you thought of season 1, Jimmy believing he can now fight the Sandpiper case with Chuck at his side, happy as anything... until the reveal. Argggghhh!
And this time it will have been his fault, and yet you completely understand why he did it. Mind you: not just for Kim. I can hear her protest on that count already. He also did it for the same reason why Chuck went to the office and endured electric hell, knowing a breakdown was in store as punishment later. He just couldn't let his brother win.
Chuck's way of handling Messo Verde, btw, as Kim's original pitch was from the Mark Antony school of oratory, seemingly praising the competition while by implication making them look worse and by this making themselves look even better. It's also where you can see Chuck, like Jimmy, can sell something if he tries. It's interesting that Howard needed the help, though, because you'd think he learned that in law school. I suppose Howard knows he can't help coming across as swarmy, whereas Chuck has the gravitas for grandfatherly sincerity.
As another entry in McGill Brothers messed upness, I also loved that Chuck probably meant it when thanking Jimmy (for watching over him), complete with "if our positions were reversed, I hope you know I'd do the same for you". While utterly oblivious to the fact he just screwed Kim over for nothing but petty sibling rivalry. (Also because Howard pointedly did NOT mention Kim and Jimmy aren't going to found a firm together, though Kim had explained this to him.)
Mike watching the Salamanca goings on: no opinion on this one until next week, and I don't think I'm asked for one.
Since obviously both Jimmy's and Mike's preparations in this episode will pay off in the future, but we don't know how, precisely, though we have an inkling in each case. Mike's going to sabotage the truck of smugglerdom somehow, I guess, and Jimmy's change of the documents will result in HHM handling the wrong property instead of the Messo Verde one they're supposed to, thus making Chuck (and by implication HHM) look senile and incompetent, so Messo Verde returns to Kim. If that's the case, I'm very much afraid this will also spell out the beginning of the end for Jimmy and Kim, because he's just committed forgery on her behalf. That's a crime, no amount of quibbling possible. And she'll figure it out; she'll know it wasn't Chuck making a mistake.
Back to the beginning: Jimmy and Kim were at their most adorable, so determined to strike out on their own and having each other's backs. And Kim really was in kick-ass mode in her conversation with the Messo Verde people, making the perfect pitch to them. The high-fiving with Jimmy later with both of them so damm happy was that moment where you thought of season 1, Jimmy believing he can now fight the Sandpiper case with Chuck at his side, happy as anything... until the reveal. Argggghhh!
And this time it will have been his fault, and yet you completely understand why he did it. Mind you: not just for Kim. I can hear her protest on that count already. He also did it for the same reason why Chuck went to the office and endured electric hell, knowing a breakdown was in store as punishment later. He just couldn't let his brother win.
Chuck's way of handling Messo Verde, btw, as Kim's original pitch was from the Mark Antony school of oratory, seemingly praising the competition while by implication making them look worse and by this making themselves look even better. It's also where you can see Chuck, like Jimmy, can sell something if he tries. It's interesting that Howard needed the help, though, because you'd think he learned that in law school. I suppose Howard knows he can't help coming across as swarmy, whereas Chuck has the gravitas for grandfatherly sincerity.
As another entry in McGill Brothers messed upness, I also loved that Chuck probably meant it when thanking Jimmy (for watching over him), complete with "if our positions were reversed, I hope you know I'd do the same for you". While utterly oblivious to the fact he just screwed Kim over for nothing but petty sibling rivalry. (Also because Howard pointedly did NOT mention Kim and Jimmy aren't going to found a firm together, though Kim had explained this to him.)
Mike watching the Salamanca goings on: no opinion on this one until next week, and I don't think I'm asked for one.
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Date: 2016-04-05 01:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-05 02:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-05 02:13 pm (UTC)That said, I was delighted/worried by the clip from 'His Girl Friday' at the end, while he was making his gadget, of Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell talking about the difficulties of working together while being in love. Not a good sign for Jimmy and Kim, I fear!
I'm so frustrated with Chuck right now, but the show makes me see why he's doing what he's doing. I also like the stealthy way this season has made Kim as much of a protagonist as Jimmy.
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Date: 2016-04-05 02:20 pm (UTC)ETA: Oh, question: Do I need to watch Age of Ultron to understand Civil War properly? I have seen the first Avengers movie, and obviously, I do know Tony and Rhodey from Iron Man.
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Date: 2016-04-05 02:28 pm (UTC)His Girl Friday in the background amused me, too, and was a great pop culture reference at this point, but yes, not a good omen for Jimmy and Kim.
Looking at tumblr, Chuck is about as hated as season 5 Walt was right now, which considering he's not producing any meth is, err, interesting. Not that I'm crowning him brother or boss (technically, he was Kim's boss as well as Howard was) of the year, but yeah, the show makes it more complex than Chuck stroking his evil moustache, determined to ruin Jimmy's life. People who truly believe they're righteous are usually capable of so much human damage, of course. And it's one of the most frustrating things for Kim, surely: that she doesn't really factor as her own entity in Chuck's or for that matter Howard's (earlier at least, after the commercial affair) thoughts but always in relation to Jimmy.
Stealth protagonist Kim for the win! And because we know how Jimmy will end up, and how Mike will end up, it's really great that Kim has become our third protagonist because her future is prequelitis-free!
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Date: 2016-04-05 02:32 pm (UTC)Oh really good point about Kim being the key player with an unknown future.
I've heard that Rhea Seehorn started out as a stage actress in the Washington DC area before this, I hope she gets a lot of attention for her role here and in the future.
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Date: 2016-04-05 03:16 pm (UTC)Age of Ultron: without having watched Civil War yet (obviously) and just going by trailers and comics, I would say so, for several reasons. AoU features a better relationship between Tony and Steve than Avengers did (in a show, not tell way which gets across they've now developed a bantery comrades at arms relationship - not the intense friendship they have in the comics where they have had years of interaction before things go south, but definitely a good relationship). And the fact that Tony screws up spectacularly in it also seems to be a key part of his motivation for heading team "we superheroes need to be held accountable to someone not a superhero" (which is the reverse of his Iron Man II attitude and due to the Ultron experience). Also, when Wanda makes everyone see their nightmare scenarios, Tony's isn't just getting everyone killed but Steve specifically telling him "this is all your fault". Now of course you can read this all in a summary - and just did - but reading is not the same thing as watching, emotionally speaking.
(Mind you, my favourite thing about AoU is Tony seducing Bruce into doing crazy Frankesteinian science with him. Twice. As far as Avenger & Avenger relationships involving Tony Stark are concerned, I'm Team Science Bros all the way.)
Oh, and depending how heavily Civil War will feature Wanda and Clint, AoU also might be needed for them. Wanda gets introduced there, and Clint, well, it's the first movie featuring him extensively where he's not brainwashed most of the time.
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Date: 2016-04-05 03:48 pm (UTC)(Oh, yeah, I know. General knowledge of the comic canon aside - an old friend of mine was *very upset* when Steve died that one time, and Bucky was Captain America for a while, and wouldn't believe me that Steve would come back sooner rather than later - I'm also somewhat weirdly fond of Sebastian Stan and his tearfully-angsty stare (bless Jack Benjamin), so I knew about the nine movies deal. *g*)
AoU: I see. I have not watched Iron Man II, either, do I have to see that to appreciate Tony's changed attitude? (I stopped after Iron Man, and am only luke-warm on the Avengers/Thor stuff I've seen, to the collective indignation of aforementioned friends. I fear my Loki issues rival your Bucky issues, all admiration for Tom Hiddleston notwithstanding, that certainly added to it.)
Bruce Banner was an aspect of Avengers I really liked, so this is a good reason to watch the movie. And Clint I can take or leave, thanks to my dislike of Jeremy Renner, but Wanda does actually interest me.
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Date: 2016-04-05 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-05 04:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-05 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-05 10:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-06 07:45 pm (UTC)I feel like Jimmy needs to have a brother sale. Somebody can get Chuck on clearance.
Not to cross over too much, but it's interesting that Chuck is SO vindictive of Jimmy over stuff that was pretty murky, happened ages ago and didn't really directly impact Chuck (also how much of that $14,000 or associated money went to fund Chuck's law school or other Chuck-related advancements?)... compared to someone on another show who actually has a legitimate grievance against their sibling and doesn't... well, do THAT. :P By which I mean Norma, even back in S2 she just wanted Caleb to go away. She wasn't running up on his gun-runs and going HE'S ACTUALLY REALLY BAD AT THIS. I'LL DO IT FOR YOU. (And then proceeding to throw Dylan in a trash can because he still talks to Caleb. And then finding out if Caleb has a girlfriend and, if so, slashing her tires or something. And Norma can hold a grudge. So I think it's saying something that she takes the high road that much better than Chuck.)
Though I do really, really want to read a fic one day about Norma (with or sans Caleb and/or Dylan) on a gun-run. Possibly meeting up with Lydia.
Also I am currently up to 3x5 of Black Sails! So I will be reading your reviews on that soon too :P I am trying to finish up S3 before I get billed for my next month of Starz, so let the binge begin!
Annnnd I love the Mike and Kaylee interaction x1000. Those two are adorable. I wonder whatever happened to the promised s5 scene of Mike teaching Kaylee how to box. Maybe it's on the blu-ray/barrel set? (It's in whatever vault the S3 Bates Motel forehead-rubbing Norma and Caleb scene is in).
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Date: 2016-04-07 04:47 pm (UTC)Okay, several points here, playing devil's (ha!) advocate. First of all and in general, I think it's pretty clear Chuck and Jimmy are playing out the parable of the Prodigal Son and have for decades, starring Jimmy as the Prodigal, and Chuck as the brother complaining that he stayed and worked and his parents still love the spendrift wastrel better and forgive him everything. It's not just one event, it's an accumulation of a life time spent in that dynamic, with the one significant change just two or three years ago (i.e. when Chuck got his psychosomatic illness which he clearly didn't have yet when Jimmy started in the mailroom and Chuck was married to Rebecca) which suddenly put Chuck in the role of dependant (not financially, but emotionally) and Jimmy in the role of caretaker.
This being said, I do think Jimmy stealing from their father and their father's death was a hugely significant event in their relationship, probably far more from Chuck's pov than Jimmy's. And I really disagre that it wasn't a legitimate grievance, or that however much of Dad's money went to Chuck's education is to be weighted against what Jimmy stole. Not just because as of now we have zero idea how much of Chuck's law school stuff was paid by their parents, and how much Chuck earned the same way Kim did, because that's a pretty common practice, I understand, for non-rich students. But also because Chuck didn't steal however much money their parents contributed. They gave it to him for his education. Now if he'd pretended the money was for college and then gone and spent it on a vacation in Hawaii, THAT would have been stealing. But in no way can you compare parents knowingly giving money to their son so he can go to college to a son taking the money for whatever purposes without asking. I'm sorry, but you can't. Even if it turns out Jimmy secretly distributed the money under the homeless of Chicago (which the flashback doesn't look like), he still took it without asking first. That's stealing.
(BTW, my own theory is that once he was past small scale pilfering as we see in the flashback, he probably thought he'd score in some convoluted deal and would pay it all back; that it definitely wasn't his intention for his father to ever find out. Which still makes it stealing.)
As to Chuck not being directly impacted: I dare say if my father dies after getting his heart broken by my brother, I'm directly impacted. Mind you, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out Chuck's indignation once he'd made the discovery contributed to Dad's heart attack or whatever it was, and thus Chuck is additionally projecting guilt into Jimmy. But that's just one theory, and I've been wrong before. Be that as it may, in addition to loss-of-beloved-father being a direct impact, the other impact it had was that it changed Chuck's role in the family dynamic, because now he wasn't just the older brother grumbling about younger brother getting away with everything, now he was responsible for Jimmy in a paternal way as well. And that made their relationship even more messed up than it was before.
Lastly: while why Chuck thinks he's doing what he does (see also: Slippin' Jimmy with a law degree = ultimate badness rant) and why he actually does it (sibling jealousy as a key motivation) are two different things, I wouldn't dismiss his stated motivation as being untrue. It's not the main motivation he believes it to be, but it's definitely a factor. He truly believes that Jimmy as a lawyer can do great damage, far more than Jimmy the con man could. And the hell of it: he's not wrong. Saul Goodman being Evidence No.1. Now of course Saul is partly a self fulfilling prophecy on Chuck's part, but I think this season is making clear that even if Chuck had been a good and faithful cheerleader to Jimmy's lawyer career as opposed to being horrified at the thought of his brother practising law, Saul still might have happened. Because not only did Kim provide affection, support and approval for Lawyer!Jimmy, but Cliff, however pedantic, truly tried with Jimmy as his boss. He was, as Jimmy himself admitted, a good guy. (And a far better and more lenient boss than Howard was for Kim, btw.) And despite all that, Jimmy found he didn't really want to be on the straight and narrow, because it was against his nature.
In conclusion, your honor: the show makes it far more complicated than Bad Brother Chuck, and I love that. :)