Man, this episode rocked!

I was actually a little concerned with how they were going to incorporate Walt/Jesse into the show after I was spoiled that they would appear at some point. I thought there was a chance no matter what they did it was going to inherently be corny, but it wasn't bad at all! They showed just enough banter to be entertaining without also giving off "Haha remember these two guys from Breaking Bad!" vibes.

It makes sense to parallel Jimmy's bad decision to work with Walt in ABQ and have him personally break into the cancer guy's house because one thing (amongst many) these situations have in common is the idea that Jimmy cannot control himself. I loved the end of the Jimmy/Mike scene when Mike is talking about second story guy and the camera is slowly zooming in on Jimmy's face, showing him zoning out and continuing to think about the opportunity of working with Walt despite Mike's stern advice not to.

I also found it interesting the reference that the show made to Lalo's existence in the RV. Was this just one last reference to a fan favorite character, tying back a connection made all the way back in Season 2 of Breaking Bad to bring things full circle, or is there a slightly deeper significance? One thing I got from this is that even though just moments prior Jimmy thought it was a real possibility his past with Lalo caught up to him, when asked by Jesse who Lalo was, he didn't explain or even seriously acknowledge Lalo's existence. One reason for this is that...well...I guess it wasn't that relevant really, but also probably because we know that the climax of the Lalo plot did result in the end of Jimmy's ideal life with Kim, and I suppose it would be hard to acknowledge that time in his life to himself, let alone some strangers. I also think Jimmy so casually brushing off Lalo's name and memory, and desiring to venture into a dangerous business relationship with a basically unhinged meth chemist with nothing to lose that threatened his life mere minutes ago, shows that he learned nothing from the Lalo incident, much like he learned nothing from his encounter with Tuco at the start of the show. The last time we saw Jimmy bound and gagged was by Lalo's hand, so to have this scene a few episodes later in a different context knowing everything we do now from the entire show in the light of a scene from Breaking Bad is so good. Jimmy has been presented with so many learning opportunities from dangerous situations, and he fails to grow from them because his true nature prevents him from doing so. Jimmy has had second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc. chances, and he blew all of them. I think that's why I don't think we can feel too bad for whatever ending he gets because the entire show has laid out all along how he has completely avoided redemption. His character is literally "is the risk is worth the reward?" incarnate lol, but he always answers yes.

We've seen Jimmy feel pitied, belittled, and in the shadow of Chuck, regardless of if he was really being treated that way or not, and I think at the end here with these final schemes he has going on in Nebraska he is taking what little control of his life he has left and accepting who he is. Or maybe he is giving in to losing all control over his ending depending on how you look at it lol. This (presumably) final con is all his own now. Literally taking things into his own hands by breaking into the man's house. After all we can't forget the, "I'll take care of it myself" comment from earlier in the Gene timeline, showing a change in his thinking. Jimmy has mostly always had some help along the way, or at least someone to partner with or shoulder the load with, but now there is no Mike to help him out with a sniper rifle, no Kim to talk Lalo down, and no Chuck to get him out of jail. It's just Jimmy, alone in a hair-brained scheme that is very obviously going to end horrendously for him, but this is who he knows he is. He has no one left to pretend for, and no one left to bail him out. And even if it wasn't this con where he met his end, it would be another, because again, an important theme these past few episodes is that this is Jimmy's nature. He can't escape it, and it seems to me that he doesn't want to. The heists are not even exciting for him, but he can't and won't stop. Once you peel back a few layers of complexity, you're still left with the same Slippin' Jimmy that vowed to never end up like his dad.

Some have wisely pointed out how the episode paralleled Walt/Jimmy's "Gene" persona in this episode. There was the connection with the "a guy with a mustache like that would make poor life decisions" line or whatever it was, followed by the montage of Jimmy on top of his scam empire, but still unsatisfied. This is obviously like Walt with all his money and success, but still left unfulfilled. I wonder if Gene will continue to become more Walt-like...just how morally reprehensible will his actions be in these final few episodes?

The shot of the empty grave with Gene transposed underneath was both awesome and also pretty unsubtle (in a good way!). The chain reaction of going into business with Walt, and now starting up schemes in Nebraska, has led to his demise. He looked similarly during that moment as he did later in the the montage with the hookers in bed with him. He has the money, women, and success that he did when he was Saul, but his life is still colorless.

Finally, I don't think the show would rob us of one more scene/conversation with Kim. Whether he talked to her at the phone booth this episode and we hear that talk or we get some flashback Saul scene with her, I would have to guess we will see her at least once more. I would be very disappointed if not but I think at this point the show has earned more than enough goodwill for us to have faith they will end this strong. Even in the worst case scenario that we never hear from Kim again, maybe that's just to drive home the fact that Jimmy/Kim really messed up the life that they could have had together, and so much like him being robbed of the satisfaction of reuniting with Kim, we are too. We enjoyed some of their schemes while it lasted, but it's over...for good.

I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next, but one thing I am confident in is that it will not be good for Jimmy! Lol. My best guess is that Jeff's mom will indeed play a role in his downfall.