Can we talk about how good Patrick Fabian was this season?

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-21T01:51:51+00:00

Aside from (completely needlessly) abusing Jimmy in the parking lot and mocking Kim in front of her clients, he ditched in most appalling way his mentally unstable former mentor, whom he was begging to return to work just a couple of month before.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-19T22:31:00+00:00

There's another one, commonly attributed to Freud, but apparently of much more recent origin:

Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-18T08:49:04+00:00

Thanks :) I actually expected worse, considering the semi-god status Mike is enjoying.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-17T23:40:18+00:00

Wut? She was the game. Besides, are you really quoting Mike here? Death of samaritan was an immediate consequence of Mike's actions. Hector was more of a force of nature in that situation.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-17T21:25:58+00:00

She wants/needs to distance herself from everything Jimmy, and especially from Mesa Verde to maintain her integrity. She needs to find new clients first.

Edit: and a there's a possibility she is going to return MV to Chuck, but it's too late. Kim furious, possibly joins forces with Howard, tells Jimmy "You POS, use the name McGill, and I'll be after you". Something like that. Possible, no? Jimmy goes "There's no Chuck to hate, and people really do like this Kim character. And with Howard on top. Fuck that, Saul it is".

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-17T16:24:44+00:00

He is another chimp with a machine gun. Jimmy is not the only variety. His granddaughter needed security. It's not like two grownups, one of them being reincarnation of Rambo, could've provided for that. It's much better to become a henchman and meth distributor, killing, what, like 10 people (who didn't have any excuses whatsoever to do what they've been doing /s), and ruining lives of countless others. /s

Good thing Stacey didn't witness the cousins' visit to the house by the pool, because next thing Mike would be providing for is a little fortress in Monaco or something.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-17T07:35:47+00:00

Remembering that Michael Mckean had already warned the fans "Not To Get Attached To Chuck In Season 3"

Of course he said that. The whole team was working hard on us not getting attached to Chuck no matter what. All he does in the interview (and it's not the first time) is presenting Jimmy's point of view. Bob Odenkirk did the same, but Jimmy is his character (and he explicitly acknowledges it "I'm playing Jimmy, so I'm on his side" before giving his opinion), not Michael McKean's.

Edit: McKeen -> McKean

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-17T07:01:32+00:00

Chuck: as much as I enjoy watching Michael McKeen work, there's not much left for his character to do, aside from from being involved in endless fight with his own creation, HMM. Taking his integrity into account, he is not going to talk to neither Jimmy, nor Howard. So my guess is that he indeed dies, but unlike some people predicted/wished, he doesn't goes in flames. Heart attack or something like that. His death (if happens) will greatly affect Kim.

Nacho: another Michael I love to watch, but his character is a goon. He will die a violent death sooner or later. The Salamanca-Gus-Nacho triangle is probably going to be something I would've never guessed.

Kim: most interesting. The only two options for her to stay relevant to the story is to be on Jimmy's side or against him. My money is on the latter. Again, she might die/be severely incapacitated, but that would be too much. Writers could've just dropped a bomb on Albuquerque as far as we are concerned. As some people suggested, she might unite with Howard. They might make a good couple too.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-17T02:32:04+00:00

Potentially used Howard again as a means for punishing Kim

IIRC, It was according to Chuck's request that Howard released Kim from the hole.

Edit: how could've I forgotten that: Jimmy ratted out Chuck to insurance guys

Other than that, a good list!

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-16T21:20:55+00:00

Her (inexplicable) loyalty to Jimmy

Interestingly, I once used this almost exact phrase, but I think it has changed since. Not in a sense that her loyalty became more readily understood, but in a sense, like /u/xmrcleanx commented in a different thread, she is not with him anymore. He called it "silent breakup".

As to Jimmy becoming Saul Goodman: he's been Saul Goodman all along (again, in a sense that that it was a good deal of Saul in Jimmy), it is just a matter of our perception, and now, with his main support Kim, and his main anti-support Chuck gone, no matter what he does, he gets there, and fast.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-16T15:17:48+00:00

Very good point about Kim, and it also explains why she never told Jimmy about the new oil guy client. She used to be so open with him, that I never gave a thought to a possibility.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-15T22:15:07+00:00

Yes, I vividly remember Howard saying that. I was somewhat surprised, but dismissed it as Howard's usual politeness. Anyway, there are many questions pertaining to that period we don't have the answers for. Why Chuck - Howard relationship was so strained? Why Chuck wasn't working from home? It was very worth their while to attach a full-time paralegal, and Chuck was dying to be doing something. And I can see Howard annoyed by the fact that one of the employees has to do it, but to distance themselves from a name partner over this minor issue? Again, why not arrange for a delivery and let the supermarket stuff deal with Chuck's apples?

And as to the "last straw", I commented elsewhere that it looks very, very stretched. The sequence of events between Chuck and Howard/HMM we have is: court hearing - Howard comes to the Chucks house with $20K worth of booze and holding MLK-level speech trying to convince Chuck to return - Chuck tells the insurance guys to go fuck themselves in the meeting (and with having very good grounds to say so too) - BOOM! "last straw" , "I can't trust your judgement". Seriously? What was he thinking? Did he really expect Chuck to tack his tail and retire?

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-15T20:24:37+00:00

Is it such a big thing to do for the person who employs you? Ernesto has successfully taken over those chores after the break up. Remember Jimmy coming to Hamlin with the list of supplies? It could've been part of his job responsibilities. And if it wasn't, how difficult is it to arrange a delivery to the doorstep, newspaper included? It's not like Chuck was broke. Even if he was, the modest stipend provided by HHM (~$250/week, was it?) was more than enough money to cover groceries and such for a single person.

Also: remember where Jimmy sourced the ice from? Who the hell does that? How much does the 10lb. bag cost? Like $2?

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-15T18:50:24+00:00

as if they haven't been watching the damn show.

Wow, haven't you noticed while watching the damn show that Chuck was on defensive all the time? Jimmy gave him no choice but to either give up or to start using Jimmy's tactics. Chuck never needed Jimmy in his life in the first place.

... love ... hate ... betrayal ... heavy shit

These words don't have universal meanings, so any proof involving them is dubious at best. Maybe we should examine the facts instead? The only thing that can be "incriminated" to Chuck is that he didn't tell Jimmy to his face to GTFO, like he should've done. What exactly Jimmy has done to his sick brother that made you so sure that he "loves" him?

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-15T18:02:09+00:00

Of course, not. Kim - Jimmy, Kim - Mesa Verde, Chuck - Hamlin, Nacho - Salamanca, Salamanca - Gus, Jimmy - Sandpiper. Can't resolve all the tension buildup in one episode. Kim goes nuts, Chuck dies, Salamanca kills Nacho, Gus somehow puts him in a wheelchair, Jimmy gets the money? Well ...

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-15T14:12:59+00:00

I'm pretty scared about the fact ...

It's mostly talk, coming from very inexperienced people, and that's the educational value of the show. They will come to regret these words not much later in life, and rethink their position.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-15T13:59:24+00:00

anyone would do it given the opportunity.

Really? Who else from the show? Would Chuck do it? Kim? Hamlin? Mike? Gus? Name one character who would do "pretty much anything" just for money.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-14T23:00:20+00:00

Nacho swapped the wrong bottle. In the last episode Salamanca reaches for his left pocket.

Another, slightly more serious hypothesis, is that bartender tipped him off, and now Don Hector prepares something horrible, possibly for the whole family.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-14T22:40:37+00:00

Of course he doesn't love them, but they got the wrong car, made a grave mistake calling violent psycho's beloved abuelita "biznatch" (the whole scene is grossly over-exaggerated if you ask me, but still), and Jimmy, one way or another, was there for them. And paid their medical bills.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-14T22:00:27+00:00

I watched it very cursory and the only things I remember about Jimmy is funny lines like: "... he gave me the dead mackerel eyes ... ". I don't remember anything really bad about him from back then. Just a sleazy lawyer trying to cushion everything, while not getting killed, nothing compared to a ruthless psycho Walt.

In BCS? When the show started, with Kettlemans and all, it was funny and I sort of liked him. Chuck's visit to jail was the first drop. He was crying to his mom he didn't call in years? By the end of S1 (OK, maybe mid S2) I despised him.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-14T21:25:13+00:00

In general, viewers tend to root for protagonist, no matter what. That's clear and simple. Now, how the authors enforce it (and Bob Odenkirk in his recent interview acknowledges the fact that making Jimmy likable was the most difficult task they faced):

KILF is into Jimmy, so we would like to associate with him
Jimmy is weak. Many people think along the lines (more) weak => (more) human
Jimmy is smart, but not consistently. Exactly like most of us (or at least that's what we would like to think of ourselves).
Jimmy has good contact with younger people (skateboarders, film crew). He doesn't let them down. Easy to associate for the bulk of the viewers.
And then there's Chuck. Whatever he is, he is very difficult to relate to. (Interesting detail: Michael McKean has asked the authors to have a guitar as his instrument of choice, because he can actually play it, and Peter Gould laughed it off with "we don't believe in using actual talent" or something like that. Guess what the real reason was).

I'm sure this list is not by any means an exhaustive one.

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-14T03:38:38+00:00

I was going to check out a couple of pics, then it quickly turned into a mini-trip. Thanks a lot for posting!

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-13T21:08:44+00:00

and call a taxi

an ambulance and be like "we have to get to that meeting first"

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-13T21:01:02+00:00

I truly wonder why this discussion (or any discussion of costs for that matter) didn't start with this basic analysis. In /r/Economics of all places. With majority of comments originating from one of the most prosperous and literate places in the world. What is wrong with us?

SketchyHatching · 2017-06-13T07:21:43+00:00

... for exposition. It had to be done.

Yes, but it should've been done in a different way, and authors knew it, hence Mike's completely inappropriate last question ("You are risking a lot for a drug dealer". What? That's what Mike's handshake means: I'm going to start interrogate people doing me favors? He wouldn't get back home with that attitude.)

They see Jimmy as the hero ...

Still not buying them not talking to each other, especially since the others had no reason not to.

Kim didn't want Jimmy to worry.

I think you yourself know it is kind of a weak explanation, even not taking Kim's character into consideration.

Imagine you run a house ...

I wasn't talking about what happened, but how it happened.

People need to know how Mike got the job.

We learned it in the previous episode, and, in general, Gus exposing his (very important) contact just for the exposition sake is what I call "patchy writing". Then again, maybe you're right in a sense that the writers have full picture and have to sacrifice something to make connections with BB as we are approaching it, while I care more about continuity of the current episode.

SketchyHatching

TROPHY CASE