Better Call Saul - the sixth (and final) season

[Snrub]

Also, I guess it was implied that Jimmy is going to buy the vet's "little black book," and that's how he has a guy for everything by the time he's working with Walt and Jesse. It's easy to forget just how immersed he is in the criminal underworld of Albuquerque in Breaking Bad.

Apparently the Vet's book was in the montage at the start of the season when the mansion is being cleared out.

[Mobius]

Interesting that Kim made a point of acknowledging the vacuum cleaner business card

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I thought he was Paul F Tompkins the first few appearances.

My housemates think that Lalo is played by Steven Ogg and there seems to be nothing I can do to convince them otherwise.

[The Guppy]

Do they think Lalo is the guy Mike beat up, back for revenge?

[Povidone]

I think the Matt Berry comparison is more apt, though I would love to see all three in a suave-off.

Wonder if anyone has ever mistaken Tony Dalton for Dickie Davis.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Do they think Lalo is the guy Mike beat up, back for revenge?

That scene has completely slipped their minds. They seem to be getting Lalo mixed up with Ogg's character in The Walking Dead, presumably because he also played a moustachioed psychopath.

[Blue Jam]

Just rewatched 606 and yuuuuuup, I still think it's great. I think a lot of people seem a bit disappointed in this show because it isn't turning into Breaking Bad and is instead carrying on being what it's always been. Oh boo hoo that show about a lawyer has too much lawyery stuff in it instead of having Nacho die every week. Meh, I always preferred BCS and I'm frankly relieved that it's remaining it's own thing instead of taking on the style and tone of BrBa.

Anyway, let the overanalysis commence:

Far from being boring, I think there was plenty of ominous stuff in this one. The cold open with Lil' Kim the shoplifter? Kim and Jimmy are both thieves, but while Kim got away with it, Jimmy never got caught at all (only suspected by his brother, an unreliable witness blinded by envy). Could that be a hint that Kim won't get away with the scam on Hamlin? Was Mike wrong to assume she's "made of sterner stuff"?

Kim's mother is an enabler- just like the man she married, and just as she and Jimmy are co-enablers. We know Kim's mother was an alcoholic, and Kim hits the bottle when stressed, is this something else she's inherited/learned from her mother?

Kim bouncing her foot up and down- something she was doing before shoplifting and before the meeting with Clifford Main in 605. And before her wedding to Jimmy, awww. She has a "tell" and can't hide her true feelings or her tracks as well as Jimmy. That said, her telling Cliff how big a debt she owed HHM was on par with Jimmy's bullshitting at the Bar hearing. I noted the way she said "I would never have met my husband" instead of using his name- she didn't want to say "Jimmy" and remind Cliff of that scumbag who fleeced him out of the signing bonus.

Wot no praise for Giancarlo Esposito's directorial debut? I loved the opening shot with the golden coathangers- were we back in Saul's tacky house? Looking at the rack of uniforms at Los Pollos Hermanos? Nice nod to Gus and his fastidiousness too.

The opening shot was nicely mirrored with the rack of suits in Howard's bedroom as well- why are they out in the open on cheap hangers, unrotected from dust and light? Oh, that's why. Loved the scene unfolding like an episode of Mad Men (can't you just imagine a flashback with John Slattery as George Hamlin?) with the foreground of Howard's expensive suits then becoming less of a focus than the background detail of his sordid little grief hole.

Howard's peace sign latte art may have been cheesy, but Cheryl Hamlin unceremoniously dumping it into her flask? Heartbreaking.

This show loves arc words and arc symbols so I have been looking out for them, and there seems to be a theme of connecting buildings- Gus's decoy house connected to his real house, Howard's SLGH connected to the main bit of the house where his wife still lives, Dr Caldera's practice linked to the backroom where he does his non-legit business by the corridor full of holding kennels... could we even get Gene hatching a plan involving a secret tunnel or connecting door?

Two sausage dogs in as many episodes! Wire-haired ones as well, they're the best. Awwwww lovely little Fernando.

That drug Jimmy tested at Caldera's practice? Sounds like it's atropine to me, AKA datura. A drug used to dilate pupils before eye tests, but one which can also cause an increased heart rate and hallucinations. I did wonder about Caldera trying to estimate the dosage- "Is this guy about the same size as you?". A proud Jimmy was lying when he said "yes" (Howard has several inches on him and also battered him in the previous episode), so maybe if the same dose is given to Howard it won't work... or

Spoiler alert

if someone other than the intended target ingests it, someone smaller and less "used to caffeine", it could have tragic consequences. 607 is meant to end on an especially cruel cliffhanger, could we see someone pass out and have to wait six weeks until we find out if they survive?

[close]

Kim sacking off the meeting for her dream job to take part in D-Day, even though she didn't need to be there- surely she's going to look as suspicious as a Tory MP charged with sexual assault absent from PMQs if she doesn't turn up to that meeting? Surely Cliff will figure out why she sacked it off? Or was there any meeting at all, and were Cliff and Howard just trying to get Kim out of the way before the big meeting at Davis and Main? In any case I suspect she's fucked- and again she's more like Jimmy than she'd care to admit, being a self-saboteur whenever her dream job is in reach.

[bgmnts]

I haven't watched the final season yet but does it sort of plant any seeds of the character regressing into the comical, slimy, pervy lawyer character we get in Breaking Bad?

[Frances Found]

I have a horrible feeling that

Spoiler alert

tea drinker Howard is not going to have a good reaction to this drug they give him, and, along with all his stress and anxiety, it could cause a heart attack? It's really the only thing I can see causing an irreparable split with Kim and Jimmy too.

[close]

[Blue Jam]

I have a horrible feeling that

Spoiler alert

tea drinker Howard is not going to have a good reaction to this drug they give him, and, along with all his stress and anxiety, it could cause a heart attack? It's really the only thing I can see causing an irreparable split with Kim and Jimmy too.

[close]

Oh good observation:

Spoiler alert

You're right, Howard made the coffee for his wife but a tea for himself. I was wondering if that was foreshadowing, and Cheryl would end up pouring some spiked coffee into her travel mug, but I think you may be right. Someone who is used to glugging filter coffee from a great big "World's 2nd Best Lawyer (again)" mug probably wasn't the best test subject.

Judging by the preview clips it looks like Howard did get a dose of something. And atropine (if that's what the drug is) can cause heart palpitations. And the episode is called "Plan and Execution". And Kim has made a snap decision to execute the plan perhaps a little too hastily. And we've been promised a particularly heart-wrenching cliffhanger... was Kim's mother saying "I didn't know you had it in you" foreshadowing?

[close]

TL:DR: How could anyone think that episode was boring? I'm terrified for Kim and Howard now!

Also: Just six episodes to go after the mid-season break, some of which will consist partly (if not entirely) of Gene scenes. Jimmy still has a long way to fall to become Saul, surely he'll have to lose the civilising influence of Kim soon, and in a truly heartbreaking way that destroys his faith in all that is good and pure?

[Petey Pate]

Spoiler alert

It was implied that they'd administer the drug to Howard via his skin, I'm not sure how they would do that but it would be less risky that spiking his drink. Maybe if its on Howard's hands he ends up spreading it to everyone else at a HHM meeting, including the elderly people present, who may also have a bad reaction to it.

I can see them being indifferent to any bad side effects Howard suffers but if Irine dies as a result of their scam that may be what breaks up Jimmy and Kim for good. Perhaps Jimmy will push all of his guilt onto Kim like he did with Howard over Chuck's death, or behaves as if the outcome of settling Sandpiper was worth it, which only disgusts Kim.

[close]

[Blue Jam]

Spoiler alert

It was implied that they'd administer the drug to Howard via his skin, I'm not sure how they would do that but it would be less risky that spiking his drink. Maybe if its on Howard's hands he ends up spreading it to everyone else at a HHM meeting, including the elderly people present, who may also have a bad reaction to it.

I can see them being indifferent to any bad side effects Howard suffers but if Irine dies as a result of their scam that may be what breaks up Jimmy and Kim for good. Perhaps Jimmy will push all of his guilt onto Kim like he did with Howard over Chuck's death, or behaves as if the outcome of settling Sandpiper was worth it, which only disgusts Kim.

[close]

Oh no, not

Spoiler alert

Irene

[close]

I did wonder what

Spoiler alert

"That stuff you put on my skin" was about

[close]

Also Dr Caldera

Spoiler alert

assured Kim and Jimmy that the drug wouldn't show up on a standard drug panel (presumably the kind Howard might have to take routinely at work), but perhaps it would show up on a more comprehensive one? Like a toxicology report in a crime investigation, or *gulp* post-mortem?

[close]

I suspect all these tiny details are relevant, that's how this show works :'(

[Blue Jam]

From Wikipedia:

Spoiler alert

Adverse reactions to atropine include ventricular fibrillation, supraventricular or ventricular tachycardia, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, loss of balance, dilated pupils, photophobia, dry mouth and potentially extreme confusion, deliriant hallucinations, and excitation especially among the elderly.

[close]

Oh Peter and Vince, you wouldn't...

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

season 6 has been such a slow mover! (not a bad thing once I'd settled in and just went with it)

I don't really know what I was expecting given the previous seasons. Not constant gunfights and explosions, but they obviously know what they're doing. Of all the shows to have a (half) final season play out like this, this is the one.

Also as people have said already it gives things like

Spoiler alert

dispatching Nacho quite early in the season

[close]

a LOT more weight when it happens. First time something like that's happened in a TV show and I basically didn't react at all. Just sat there in silence dumbstruck!

Spoiler alert

quickly broken by Hector sat pap papping away with his little gun afterwards

[close]

[jobotic]

Can I ask two really stupid questions? Please?

Did Rhea Seehorn play her own mother in that episode?

What's happening with Sandpiper? They're due a big payout when it's settled, yes?

[mjwilson]

Can I ask two really stupid questions? Please?

Did Rhea Seehorn play her own mother in that episode?

No.

[JamesTC]

Spoiler alert

I've seen it pointed out that Howard drinks chamomile tea. This contains no caffeine...

Is the drug being put on the pictures of Saul with that judge?

[close]

Can I ask two really stupid questions? Please?

Did Rhea Seehorn play her own mother in that episode?

What's happening with Sandpiper? They're due a big payout when it's settled, yes?

Her mother was great casting. She really did look like Rhea. Little Kimmy was great casting too.

D-Day is surrounding a meeting with Sandpiper. They are basically pushing for more money in the settlement right now. Saul wants it settled now.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

https://screenrant.com/better-call-saul-kim-mom-beth-hoyt-good/ (great URL there. Beth Hoyt Good.)

bloody hell, I assumed it was Seehorn with a prosthetic nose or something, or just overdubbed later. but side by the side photos makes me feel like an IDIOT now. great casting

[gotmilk]

The show has always been slow, but the difference is that every plot just feels like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Gus is waiting for Lalo, Mike is waiting for Lalo, Lalo is gathering information we already know about, and Kim and Jimmy are continuing to orchestrate their revenge plot. There's not much to engage with emotionally, as the characters have been in the same place for the whole season now. The fact they're keeping us in the dark about the revenge plan keeps us a kind of remove, and feels like a cheap way to maintain a bit of mystery while the show moves methodically from point A to point B.

[up_the_hampipe]

Surely the culmination of this revenge plan will be a direct line to what happens to Howard, Kim and who Jimmy/Saul becomes. The disaster of it will reverberate and change their lives forever. Otherwise, it's all pointless, especially in the final season.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Maybe Kim and Howard fall in love and decide to run away to Mexico together. Howard becomes a lumberjack.

[up_the_hampipe]

Howard comes home after having his reputation destroyed, finds his wife in bed with another man and becomes William H. Macy in Boogie Nights.

[Frances Found]

From Wikipedia:

Spoiler alert

Adverse reactions to atropine include ventricular fibrillation, supraventricular or ventricular tachycardia, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, loss of balance, dilated pupils, photophobia, dry mouth and potentially extreme confusion, deliriant hallucinations, and excitation especially among the elderly.

[close]

Oh Peter and Vince, you wouldn't...

Oh god, I already had a feeling of dread about this plan, but if they do that I don't think I can cope.

[JamesTC]

Saul tends to fail upwards. His plan with Chuck went wrong but it has ended up working out incredibly well for him despite the bumps in the road.

I'm thinking that D-Day goes horrifically wrong but the consequences don't fall on Saul. Perhaps Sandpiper get the blame for whatever goes down. Wouldn't be surprised if ultimately what goes wrong is what Blue Jam suggests...

From Wikipedia:

Spoiler alert

Adverse reactions to atropine include ventricular fibrillation, supraventricular or ventricular tachycardia, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, loss of balance, dilated pupils, photophobia, dry mouth and potentially extreme confusion, deliriant hallucinations, and excitation especially among the elderly.

[close]

Oh Peter and Vince, you wouldn't...

[Blue Jam]

Hey, give Petey Pate the credit there!

Nb: The drug may not actually be atropine, I have just convinced myself that it is. Looks like it can be administered subcutaneously though.

607 was written by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Not a spoiler, just a warning
:(

[Blue Jam]

Saul tends to fail upwards. His plan with Chuck went wrong but it has ended up working out incredibly well for him despite the bumps in the road.

It's gonna be another pyrrhic victory for him isn't it? He gets his Sandpiper money but loses Kim. Cut to him driving his brand new white Caddy out of the dealership, taking in the expensive leather interior and climate control and power steering and absence of his gal in the passenger seat and feeling utterly empty.

I have a horrible feeling Dr Caldera is going to get fucked over as a consequence too. All his reassurances that the drug is untracable, and talk of cutting his ties to the criminal underworld and getting out of ABQ... sounded like Famous Last Words to me. I think he may end up consulting Ed the Disappearer to draw him up a new retirement plan.

[druss]

https://screenrant.com/better-call-saul-kim-mom-beth-hoyt-good/ (great URL there. Beth Hoyt Good.)

bloody hell, I assumed it was Seehorn with a prosthetic nose or something, or just overdubbed later. but side by the side photos makes me feel like an IDIOT now. great casting

I thought the kid was Maise Williams so feel even sillier.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Especially considering that Maisie Williams is now 25 and would struggle to play a girl in her early teens.

[BeardFaceMan]

I think I've got to a point now where I enjoy watching people discuss the show more than I like watching it.

[Old Thrashbarg]

I do find it odd that so many people have watched (and presumably enjoyed) five seasons of a show that has always been a character study way more than being plot-driven, but are now complaining it's too slow and that nothing is happening. Especially as the first few episodes were probably the most action-heavy, plot-focussed run of three episodes they've done.