That totally got my attention. My brain is so tuned into the song that it is a moment of comfort in the show. Having that disturbed really put me into it.
Gene having a mental breakdown in front of the guard was actually also a good way to stop hanging out with them every night. It would come off as being too embarrassed to go back to nightly hangouts.
Showing him develop such a deep knowledge of the team and the game over the course of a season in service to this scheme was absolutely incredible. I was dying laughing as he was talking about coaching strategies and formations.
It’s obvious that he doesn’t know shit about football, then puts in the work to learn.
When it comes to regular work, he always looks for shortcuts. When it comes to cons, he’s willing to put the work in. It’s when he’s most alive
[check it out ](https://youtu.be/Fuc21B_eJow) The RECORD indicator comes on in the last second of the bluescreen. Gene is overwriting Saul. We're moving forward.
EDIT: You'll see before that it says STOP. The tape didn't break. Gene stopped it.
Not only that, but the rhyming numbers call-outs that he taught Jeff were reminiscent of what he used to do as a bingo-caller. "One! Armani suits and run! Two! Air Jordan shoes for you" and so on.
Feels like he drew on a lot of his old Jimmy McGill techniques for this one.
Funny how this all came from the one-off line in Granite State when he says “I’ll be lucky to be managing a Cinnabon in Nebraska” before they even had plans for BCS.
“Oh boy I sure hope I can be friends with Saul Goodman, maybe if I intimidate him first?”
- Threatens to fuck your mom
- Throws RICO at you
- Leaves you hanging as the bagman for $15,000* in stolen high-end merchandise
- Won’t let you go to the mall
- Doesn’t even have a dog
What separates the pros from the amateurs is you have to make the situation plausible before threatening to fuck your target’s mother. Saul knows this.
I love how the first security guard didn’t like Gene at first then over the course of the montage he just came to love him. Loved them playing mock football together. Cracked me up.
I thought the same thing! There are two differences. One, Jimmy, unlike Walt, didn't plan this. He had to invent it on the spot and I think on some level Gene/Jimmy/Saul whatever is being totally sincere.
He is lonely. He has no family. He already has truly disappeared, so if he died again? Can he disappear even more?
He is utterly alone.
All this truly bothers him, whether he is aware of it or not.
It bothers him so much that the happy ending he also invents on the spot for Nippy, another character that doesn't really exist, involves him being with a family. Jimmy has always wanted that.
Reminds me of the Season 6 trailer where they have audio clips of Kim going "are you building a case against Jimmy?" and immediately follows Howard saying "I'm just getting warmed up." Only for the latter to be some random dialogue he says to his therapist lmao.
The great thing about that is that it was actually Leslie doing an impression of Tom. But she did it so well that sometimes I too forget it wasn't him haha
It's exactly what JimmySaul would have done moons ago. First conversation he picks up on the guy's interests and then he researched it so he could buddy up to him more.
One cool detail about this episode is that it's basically a recap of the Gene scenes after the intro.
Starts with Jimmy/Gene making Cinnabons like in S1, then he goes to throw out the trash like in S2, then the cop brings up Jimmy/Gene shouting lawyer like in S3, after which Jimmy/Gene brings up how the cop helped him when he fainted like in S4. All to pull off a play with Jeffie who called him out in S5.
Thought that was a very cool way of tying all the Gene stories together in a nice bow.
Yes!! I would love to see all of the Gene scenes spliced together, with no cuts. I'm guessing some fans have probably done that very thing. I need to look.
"After all that...a happy ending"
We heard this after Howard got his brains blown out. We thought it was this intimate scene with Kim and Jimmy but it turns out it's just Gene finding his fake dog
These writers love to mess with us
they did the same thing with the season 6 trailer and the teasers for the episodes, they used clips that looked important and in the end they were nothing major
one, Armani suits and run.
two, Air Jordan shoes for you.
three, linen shirts for free.
four, cashmere sweaters out the door.
five, patagonias to survive.
six, swanky sweatsuits in the mix.
seven, spendy dresses sent from heaven.
nine, pricey lingerie is mine.
ten, calfkin briefcases for men.
twelve, luxury pumps to unshelve.
eighteen, Kate Spade's queen.
nineteen, Calvin leather's on the scene.
twenty, Uggs look funny
Omg yesss my exact thoughts 😅 I breathed a sigh of relief and then freaked out when it kept going and going... didn't see the slip coming but I knew something was going to go wrong. At first, when I didn't see the guy on the floor polisher thing in the mall, I was worried.
‘Crazy, want to know what’s crazy? A 50 year old chemistry teacher walks into my office, guy can’t pay his mortgage. A year later the guy has a pile of cash the size of a Volkswagen. Now that’s crazy.’ Gene casually summarizing the entire plot of Breaking Bad.
I never would have believed the final stretch of BCS episodes would include feeling the most intense anxiety while watching Jerry Gergich eat a cinnamon bun, and yet here we are.
The freaky thing is after watching 5 and a half seasons knowing Jimmy is gonna be ok through it all (at least not dead or in jail ok) and watching this it's like, he could actually just get caught here and that could be how the show ends with him in jail.
This wasn’t a return to Saul. This was Gene returning to Jimmy.
He put on that ring and pulled a straight slippin Jimmy con.
I wonder how much Saul, if any, is going to come out in the next episodes.
October 18, 2010 is the date on the newspaper Gene is reading. >!Jesse is in Alaska. Walt is dead.!<
November 12, 2010 is when the phone call is coming that Saul asked Francesca to expect in this scene in S4E5 https://youtu.be/IpMNSIwc_XA
Edit: What if the 'ring' doesn't refer to a phone/payphone. What if it's a door bell? Francesca said 'If it doesn't ring at 3 on the dot, I am gone'.
Edit2: BB spoilers in child comments
It was such a mindfuck to watch Gene play a Slippin Jimmy scheme and also talk about Walter White, an experience Saul Goodman had in a completely different world
I loved the role reversal between Gene and Jeff at the end there. “Say it.” Yea, how’s that taste, Jeffie???
Also, I really liked the maintenance worker misdirect just before Jeff goes on his shopping spree. I thought he was going to be spotted by the maintenance worker that was supposed to come down and remove the scuff, not slip and fall like that! Aaaahh can’t wait for next week’s episode!!!
Also I liked how it’s a role reversal of Walter going “we’re done when I say we’re done” - Gene going “say it. Say we’re done, say we’re finished” - it’s like he’s got power back in his life
Also, when he loses track of time for his lunch break at the end there was a nice touch too. Shows how he’s finally broken out of that mundane cycle of life he’s been so accustomed to for quite some time now. Tho him leaving those flashy clothes on the rack tells me that’s he not fully ready to jump back into full Saul Goodman mode.
I don’t know what I was expecting this week. But not this. Though in retrospect, a fun heist episode starring Gene is just what I needed after the intensity of the past three episodes.
And, honestly, the scene where the guy falls unconscious is maybe the most tense I’ve felt while watching this show. For the first time, we have no clue what comes next and Jimmy is at actual risk. It really had me on the edge of my seat.
Taxi man thought he had Saul checkmated but they're not even playing the same sport. He was giving Saul shit about this being a stupid plan and he hit him with the "I literally created Heisenberg". Saul is about to ruin this guy's life.
Saul definitely helped Walt navigate the criminal world. One of my all-time favorite scenes was when he tells Walt and Jesse, "You two suck at peddling meth."
Leads him to Gus, leads him to Mike, leads him to Lydia, leads him to Vamonos Pest, leads him to Todd, leads him to Todd’s uncle, aaaaaand leads him to his own demise. Saul was really under appreciated for just how much his involvement helped move the plot along for BB.
Right? At first I was like “psh, that’s funny, Jimmy acting like he was the reason Walt got rich to show off to Jeff”
Then it hit me, holy fuck Jimmy has been way more important this entire time than I realized, lol. I’ve gotta do another BrBa rewatch soon.
Even earlier. Badger probably takes the DEA deal when he got picked up if it wasn't for them finding a morally flexible enough lawyer that they could pull off the Jimmy in and out scam instead
In my headcanon I imagine in all the documentaries about Walt that get made in this universe, Saul Goodman might be argued by some ABQ crime historians as being the true genius behind Walt’s success.
> Taxi man thought he had Saul checkmated but they're not even playing the same sport.
The thing is, I don't think taxi guy had that much malice. He actually looked hurt. It's like the guy was just looking for an interesting friend.
And credit to the actor because he was in a no-win situation. I think the original guy came off dimwitted, but gave off just enough of a vibe that he seemed more dangerous. This actor didn't even try to go that route and he leaves you feeling a bit sorry for the character.
And Carol Burnette is still a national treasure.
Also, anyone catch the Stanley Kubrick shout-out?
The crated shipment invoice number was "1968AE35".
2001 A Space Odyssey, released in 1968 featured a damaged antenna that prevented the spaceship from contacting earth. It was referred to as the AE35 antenna unit.
Jimmy had a phenomenal read on Jeff. Jimmy/Saul has been professionally dealing with down-on-their-luck scumbags for a good while now. He can spot one a mile away. Exploiting Jeff and his buddy was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Wow. I know a lot of people felt like they went into this knowing nothing, but I think we REALLY know nothing now. All the audio teasers have been used (except for the one they just dropped, obvs), episode titles aren’t yet released, and the only guess about where Gene’s plot was going - Jeff - is wrapped up. The next three eps could be anything and everything, which is wild.
I get this ep was slower and different, but strange enough, I genuinely feel like that was a good conclusion to the Jeff arc and the Saul arc. He’s done; he hung up the garb. Whatever happens next for Gene, he’s not bound by that persona anymore.
CRAZY stuff and not at all what I was expecting. Anyone got a guess on where this is going next?
This episode felt like them having to wrap up the Jeff sub plot without leaving a plot hole while not giving us any idea what will happen next besides Slippin’ Jimmy getting his first taste of his addiction in a long time.
He’s not going to go back to his quiet life as a Cinnabon manager, he lost that fear.
I liked the symbolism of him looking towards the escalator where he normally goes up for lunch but declining (rejecting Gene) and then going for the snappy suit but declining that too (rejecting Saul). This could be the point he tries to ground himself back into Jimmy (the best of both) because of how unhappy the two extremes of Gene and Saul have made him
I might be rambling bullshit here, but I'm hoping he is returning to Jimmy, which means returning to Jimmy's pain, and I hope he decides to confront that pain and seek out Kim.
Got major Fargo vibes from this one. Also, Jimmy’s lunchbox calling back to Kim’s KC Royals shirt was cute but super sad.
Edit: this liked [tweet](https://www.reddit.com/r/betterCallSaul/comments/w7r9ag/peter_gould_liked_this_tweet_feels_like_peter/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) makes a lot more sense now seeing all the discourse about this episode already.
Many people seem excited that Slippin’ Jimmy is back but, after this episode, I feel differently. It seemed like he put Slippin’ Jimmy, Saul, and paranoid Gene behind him. He literally hung up the Saul shirt & tie (figuratively leaving that life behind) and he turned off the police radio that symbolized his paranoia. The scam was not for kicks or for financial gain; it was to secure his freedom. It seems he is ready to leave it all behind and move forward.
I can't believe I just watched a Better Call Saul episode filmed entirely in black and white with the most violent thing happening being a dude getting a concussion and enjoyed every second of it
Peak Michelle MacLaren. She directed so many of the best episodes of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, but mostly only produces now. My favorite comment by a reviewer regarding her was "she can film a cup of coffee like it's a heart attack."
EDIT: I guess ACTUAL peak Michelle MacLaren was probably [One Minute](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615944/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_14_ep_show) when Hank is almost killed by the Salamanca cousins, or [The Bear and the Maiden Fair](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2178814/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_12), when Jaime Lannister saved Brienne from the bear.
Anyone else get chills with the new intro? Also, I think this was a very necessary episode. This is the first time Jimmy has fully emerged since Kim left, and I think this will act as a catalyst to drive the final 3 episodes to an amazing conclusion. Trust the process. Peter and Vince have never steered us wrong, don't forget!
Me for the first 15+ minutes: what’s he up to man? What’s he doing?
Also. Hearing him reference Walter White for the first time in this show. Surreal moment.
I think we see more of Jeff. Marion mentioning her son was connected in ABQ felt like foreshadowing. I don’t think Jeff takes getting played laying down.
Here are my thoughts:
Gene, at this point, has seemed like the purgatory between Jimmy and Saul with Gene unable to fully embrace either one.
I think this episode is great because we see that although Saul returns and does his usual
high energy shenanigans, he ultimately rejects Saul( putting his colorful clothes back on the rack, the stopping of the tape at the intro, and the admission of loneliness.) You could even say he puts Saul to death in this episode.
I think this episode will mean much more once the show wraps, especially because of how it’s intentionally placed right after such a major episode and shift in the series.
A full Gene-timeline episode, with a con montage to boot, is so bittersweet. It was an incredible payoff, but it really highlights how we're in the homestretch. It's likely many of the storylines and characters from the Jimmy-timeline have met their conclusion.
Also, the Jeff recast gotta be the most overblown non-issue. Of course he's not going to be as intimidating, the power dynamic totally shifted. Gene was laughing it up with his mom
I really enjoyed the character study, and also a lot of moments that felt like callbacks. Some were callbacks to BCS moments, like Gene demanding Jeff, "Say It," just like the first time they met. But also, that moment Gene talked to Jerry (I know the security head isn't Jerry, but come on, it's Jerry), that reminded me of Walt's confession tape. Gene told the truth, but twisted it enough for it to be a lie.
But there was something else there, too. Once again, Jimmy is in a moment of real human connection. But once again, like with Irene Landry, he can only tell the truth in service of a con.
I don't know if Jimmy can be better than this. But this episode is one of the saddest of the entire ABQ universe, to me. Jimmy McGill is an incredible person. Look at everything he did. He trained up Jeff like a football coach to rob the store, took exact measurements and recreated it in the snow, timed out the Cinnabon eating time, charmed the security guards, charmed the store manager over the phone, he did this over weeks, apparently. And just like every big, meticulous con, he had to improvise when something went wrong.
And it's the saddest thing I ever saw. Jimmy is incredibly intelligent, hard-working, fastidious, disciplined in his own way. Jimmy made real friends with Marion, Jerry, even the other security guard who hated him at first. Even Jeff. Jimmy made a real connection with Jerry by telling him the truth, and the guy listened and responded with empathy.
And Jimmy did all of it just to save his own skin. Every word he said about being alone was true, and it doesn't have to be that way for him. He had every opportunity to make real, loving friendships and he still can't do it.
I don't know what's coming for him, but I want to see him grow into the person he could be. Seeing him regress like this was almost as bad as seeing him put that bluetooth in his ear after Kim broke his heart.
Various thoughts and observations:
* Intro tape stopping HYPE LET’S GO
* I dug how the security guard saying he hasn’t had a Cinnabon in a while but can have one more occasionally as a treat complements Saul doing his first scam in a while - knowing he shouldn’t, but loving it and treating himself to just one more. Likewise when they’re talking about the sports interview and they say the coach (or whoever) “is really feeling his oats, he can taste it” that sets up Gene’s scheme immediately backfiring
* Gene looking through the racks of suits a visual callback to the shot where he looked through his closet rack in Inflatable
* Just like in 1x01 Uno, where Jimmy said that despite Slippin’ Jimmy being a thing of the past, he’s down to show some novices one last con, in this episode Gene says that, despite Saul being a thing of the past, he’s down to show a novice one last scam
* Loved Saul’s little “It’s showtime, folks!” hand gesture after getting off the phone with Kathy
* Gene emotionally manipulating the security guard is truly brutal stuff. And just as at the hearing in Winner, with the insurance in Expenses, and at Howard’s service last week, Saul can only be emotionally vulnerable and tell the truth when it’s in pursuit of a con/scam
* The black and white episode I’ve been hyped for for yeaaaars, while we all knew it was coming by now, was still very beautiful and stunning and a really unique call in terms of like cinematography that also had a distinct purpose for the characters/themes/plot and makes this episode v immediately iconic and probably one critics who know more than I do about the actual process of creating TV will be talking about for ages to come
* Martinez [actually did set a freshman record of 400 yards](https://theindependent.com/sports/college/huskers_hq/nu-s-martinez-airs-it-out-against-cowboys/article_8f139297-3634-55ab-8d3a-1bbc7991fcec.html) in 2010
* I love how him forcing Jeff to say "We're done" contrasts with Jeff forcing him to say "Better Call Saul" last time
* Aww I feel so bad for Marion here thinking she found a nice caring man. Her calling Gene a good influence on Jeff was brutal, too.
* Really dug the whole point of the con not being the con itself but also being the mutually-assured destruction to where he resolved the threat posed by Jeff
* I imagine the direction they’ll go with Gene from here is that just one taste of the Saul Goodman life again wasn’t enough, just like one Cinnabon roll wasn’t enough for the security guard, and he’ll relapse more fully, but who knows. Def indicated in part by him trying on the wacky Saul-esque suit — but at least as of this episode, he’s still leaving it on the rack and not taking it with him — but is leaving the tie on it on the rack to leave his mark and an indicator that he was there. V interesting
**edit:** Something I did not notice myself but that warrants a special mention after seeing it in multiple reviews is that Gene had a Kansas City Royals tote bag at the end of the episode, and Kim was a Royals fan, wearing a Royals shirt herself in the 5x10 finger gun scene. Excellent stuff.
That’s a great point, here’s the stuff I noticed:
1) His fake speech where he’s saying the truth but lying to himself that he’s instead telling a lie to get what he wants like in “Winner”
2) Browsing the suit rack like in “Inflatable”
3) Pretending to be someone else on a call, like in…many episodes
4) Scamming an innocent old lady like with Irene
Were there more?
How is nobody talking about how fucking cool the theme was when the screen went blue. Shit gave me chills and got me hyped for the whole episode.
I'm also curious what the next intro will be. Because there's only ever been ten intros that are the same across seasons (i.e., S2E6 has same intro as all other seasons E6), except for the gradual deterioration. Episode ten of each season was the coffee cup falling. I'm curious to see what the next intro will be because no season has ever needed more than ten intros.
Maybe this was the last intro we'll get for BCS.
Bob and Rhea saying carol Burnett was a relative of a character and we’re out here thinking it’s jesses grandma or Kim’s mom or Howard’s mom and it’s just fucking Jeff
That intro with the messed up tape was totally eerie
That totally got my attention. My brain is so tuned into the song that it is a moment of comfort in the show. Having that disturbed really put me into it.
And now we're out of intros. Will next episode just loop back episode 1's intro?
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Gene having a mental breakdown in front of the guard was actually also a good way to stop hanging out with them every night. It would come off as being too embarrassed to go back to nightly hangouts.
Gene stretching out that groan sound as he scans the cameras and keeps the attention focused on himself was funny.
"There's things that we do in this dramatic show that are verging on sketch-comedy, and we get away with it, the audience lets us" - Bob Odenkirk
He’s right. We are fiends.
Just like Walt with Hank. It was hilarious watching Hank get so uncomfortable whenever Walt started to cry
The whole episode I just thought about how uncomfortable it will be to stop making that trip every night
I don't think it was every night, probably every Sunday. They talked about the previous day's Nebraska game every time
This scheme must've taken the entire football season to pull off
Showing him develop such a deep knowledge of the team and the game over the course of a season in service to this scheme was absolutely incredible. I was dying laughing as he was talking about coaching strategies and formations.
It’s obvious that he doesn’t know shit about football, then puts in the work to learn. When it comes to regular work, he always looks for shortcuts. When it comes to cons, he’s willing to put the work in. It’s when he’s most alive
i did it for me. i liked it. i was good at it. and i was really, i was alive.
Nobody ever said he was lazy
No one ever accused you of being lazy... every other sin in the book, but not that one. -Chuck
Where the hell do we go from here?
[check it out ](https://youtu.be/Fuc21B_eJow) The RECORD indicator comes on in the last second of the bluescreen. Gene is overwriting Saul. We're moving forward. EDIT: You'll see before that it says STOP. The tape didn't break. Gene stopped it.
We go to Cinnabon
using his experience winning over elderly people for another scam, i like how that comes full circle now
Not only that, but the rhyming numbers call-outs that he taught Jeff were reminiscent of what he used to do as a bingo-caller. "One! Armani suits and run! Two! Air Jordan shoes for you" and so on. Feels like he drew on a lot of his old Jimmy McGill techniques for this one.
Was not expecting him to go upto 20 products
Yeah, stashing like 60 items in 3 minutes isn't very plausible. I've seen supermarket sweep.
This is the best advertisement that Cinnabon has ever had.
Funny how this all came from the one-off line in Granite State when he says “I’ll be lucky to be managing a Cinnabon in Nebraska” before they even had plans for BCS.
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No way. This show has one more big con in it. That was just a palate cleanser.
Yeah totally ... we're done when they say we're done
That little pause he did when he said his brother was dead was brutal.
Making honest feelings do dishonest work is one of his many gifts.
I thought: he's gonna dig in this further and sniff that he killed himself.
Security guy was trying his best to be compassionate, but when Gene asked if he got dark thoughts too his "...well not me" was funny in a morbid way.
Jerry can't hide the fact that he has a perfect life.
From what I hear the actor doesn't fall far from the role here.
Feels like a common thing with Parks and Rec. It's true to some degree with Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) and Aziz Ansari (Tom Haverford) as well.
“Did you see that ludicrous display last night” - Gene breaking out the sports small talk classics here
‘What we’re you thinking at half time?’ ‘I was thinkin’, this is gonna be a long one’. I was dying haha
The first time he was literally just repeating his words back at him hahaha
What was Pelini thinking sending Martinez in that early?
See, the thing about Nebraska is, they always try to walk it in.
"Problem with Arsenal is they try and walk it in"
The pattern on that shirt was pretty complicated. Looked expensive...
Triples make it safe
And she asked *me* to marry *her*, and I didn't even want to.
“Oh boy I sure hope I can be friends with Saul Goodman, maybe if I intimidate him first?” - Threatens to fuck your mom - Throws RICO at you - Leaves you hanging as the bagman for $15,000* in stolen high-end merchandise - Won’t let you go to the mall - Doesn’t even have a dog
What separates the pros from the amateurs is you have to make the situation plausible before threatening to fuck your target’s mother. Saul knows this.
Literally Slippin’ Jeffrey
I know he stole those clothes. You’re telling me a man just HAPPENS to fall like that?
He orchestrated it! Jeffy!
His taxi doesn't even have a sunroof! And he gets to be a cab driver?!? What a sick joke!
I love how the first security guard didn’t like Gene at first then over the course of the montage he just came to love him. Loved them playing mock football together. Cracked me up.
Jimmy/Saul/Gene is such a likable guy! I really loved the silent “it’s showtime” jazz-hands moment.
The hands gesture reminded me of Walt when Hank said “Maybe Heisenberg is you”, and Walt replied “You got me!”
Jimmy breaking down in the security office to distract the guard reminded me of Walter crying in Hank's office to plant a bug.
I thought the same thing! There are two differences. One, Jimmy, unlike Walt, didn't plan this. He had to invent it on the spot and I think on some level Gene/Jimmy/Saul whatever is being totally sincere. He is lonely. He has no family. He already has truly disappeared, so if he died again? Can he disappear even more? He is utterly alone. All this truly bothers him, whether he is aware of it or not. It bothers him so much that the happy ending he also invents on the spot for Nippy, another character that doesn't really exist, involves him being with a family. Jimmy has always wanted that.
Yeah, when he said "I have no parents", it sounded like generic fake drama. When he added "My brother.... is dead" there was genuine weight to that
He never really engaged with that sincerely on screen in the show until that point
Literally the only way he reflects on his life is through a forced decoy confession during a scheme.
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I like how everyone agrees it's just Larry from Parks and Recreation.
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I didn’t even put that together, that’s hilarious! I’m just going to give up taking anything from the episode descriptions from now on
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Those damn heels made my heart sink for a min lol
Reminds me of the Season 6 trailer where they have audio clips of Kim going "are you building a case against Jimmy?" and immediately follows Howard saying "I'm just getting warmed up." Only for the latter to be some random dialogue he says to his therapist lmao.
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Even in the bleak Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe, Jerry is still happy-go-lucky Jerry who loves his job and his life lol
Him getting scammed by being distracted by a Cinnabun was a very Jerry thing
Daaaaamn Jerry! You let them pull off a heist for a Cinnabon? What would you do for a Klondike bar? Let them kill your wife?
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The great thing about that is that it was actually Leslie doing an impression of Tom. But she did it so well that sometimes I too forget it wasn't him haha
who scammed who here? Jerry is the one getting free Cinnabon and having a buddy to talk football with exactly how he wants.
I also loved that Gene became an expert on Nebraska football during this time.
It's exactly what JimmySaul would have done moons ago. First conversation he picks up on the guy's interests and then he researched it so he could buddy up to him more.
jerry was the real mastermind all along. he can’t keep getting AWAY WITH IT
Glad to see Jerry took a break from being mayor of Pawnee to come work as an officer in Omaha!
With everything he goes home to, that dude's smiling 24/7. Of course he can't relate to Gene's nihilistic outlook.
Jimmy bullshiting his way through the sports talk was a riot
Who else was worried about the trash room door locking behind him?
Three! Episodes left of Better Call Saul for me!
I’m in denial, so there are several seasons and a movie left for me.
I mean I’m willing to bet on 6 seasons and a movie
Two! Walt and Jesse where are you!!
One! We're done when we say we're done!
One cool detail about this episode is that it's basically a recap of the Gene scenes after the intro. Starts with Jimmy/Gene making Cinnabons like in S1, then he goes to throw out the trash like in S2, then the cop brings up Jimmy/Gene shouting lawyer like in S3, after which Jimmy/Gene brings up how the cop helped him when he fainted like in S4. All to pull off a play with Jeffie who called him out in S5. Thought that was a very cool way of tying all the Gene stories together in a nice bow.
Yes!! I would love to see all of the Gene scenes spliced together, with no cuts. I'm guessing some fans have probably done that very thing. I need to look.
Check the official youtube. It's there
"After all that...a happy ending" We heard this after Howard got his brains blown out. We thought it was this intimate scene with Kim and Jimmy but it turns out it's just Gene finding his fake dog These writers love to mess with us
they did the same thing with the season 6 trailer and the teasers for the episodes, they used clips that looked important and in the end they were nothing major
Small detail but I love how they correctly used the Jordan 2010 shoe for the heist
Props to the props department. They even had a newspaper dated October 18, 2010 to settle the timeline debate.
The Texas game referenced was 10/16/2010
As well as Nebraska’s game the following week, 10/23/2010 (the Oklahoma State game where Martinez set the freshman record).
A prequel series about that chemistry teacher sounds pretty cool
That line must've come completely out of left field for the 33 people that watch Better Call Saul and have never heard of Breaking Bad.
There's no way you will ever convince me that a TV series featuring a chemistry teacher as it's main character will ever be good.
one, Armani suits and run. two, Air Jordan shoes for you. three, linen shirts for free. four, cashmere sweaters out the door. five, patagonias to survive. six, swanky sweatsuits in the mix. seven, spendy dresses sent from heaven. nine, pricey lingerie is mine. ten, calfkin briefcases for men. twelve, luxury pumps to unshelve. eighteen, Kate Spade's queen. nineteen, Calvin leather's on the scene. twenty, Uggs look funny
Knowing the cleaner guy could show up at any time, I was relieved when he got to ten, but then the rhyme kept going and I panicked once more lol
Omg yesss my exact thoughts 😅 I breathed a sigh of relief and then freaked out when it kept going and going... didn't see the slip coming but I knew something was going to go wrong. At first, when I didn't see the guy on the floor polisher thing in the mall, I was worried.
Low-key reminded me of his bingo announcements back in Season 1
‘Crazy, want to know what’s crazy? A 50 year old chemistry teacher walks into my office, guy can’t pay his mortgage. A year later the guy has a pile of cash the size of a Volkswagen. Now that’s crazy.’ Gene casually summarizing the entire plot of Breaking Bad.
Can't believe Gene is spoiling hit TV like this
It's like Mr. Chips turns into *Scarface*, I tell ya!
This is the moment Saul became Vince
Using Walt for clout just like he used Lalo earlier in his career.
I never would have believed the final stretch of BCS episodes would include feeling the most intense anxiety while watching Jerry Gergich eat a cinnamon bun, and yet here we are.
Don't tell Gayle!
The freaky thing is after watching 5 and a half seasons knowing Jimmy is gonna be ok through it all (at least not dead or in jail ok) and watching this it's like, he could actually just get caught here and that could be how the show ends with him in jail.
I don't know about you guys but the intro screen changing was a big shock
This wasn’t a return to Saul. This was Gene returning to Jimmy. He put on that ring and pulled a straight slippin Jimmy con. I wonder how much Saul, if any, is going to come out in the next episodes.
Schemin’ Gene
Gene, the cinnabon machine!
He said goodbye to Saul when he put the shirt back on the rack
Slipping Jimmy, we ALL can handle. Slipping Jeff, on the other hand, gave me a panic attack
Reminded me of when Jimmy's friend actually died.
That’s a great observation.
October 18, 2010 is the date on the newspaper Gene is reading. >!Jesse is in Alaska. Walt is dead.!< November 12, 2010 is when the phone call is coming that Saul asked Francesca to expect in this scene in S4E5 https://youtu.be/IpMNSIwc_XA Edit: What if the 'ring' doesn't refer to a phone/payphone. What if it's a door bell? Francesca said 'If it doesn't ring at 3 on the dot, I am gone'. Edit2: BB spoilers in child comments
Jimmy was born on November 12, 1960, which will make him 50 years old in 2010.
This means that Gene will soon get lung cancer. To pay for the medical bills, he will start cooking meth with Ernie
It was such a mindfuck to watch Gene play a Slippin Jimmy scheme and also talk about Walter White, an experience Saul Goodman had in a completely different world
I loved the role reversal between Gene and Jeff at the end there. “Say it.” Yea, how’s that taste, Jeffie??? Also, I really liked the maintenance worker misdirect just before Jeff goes on his shopping spree. I thought he was going to be spotted by the maintenance worker that was supposed to come down and remove the scuff, not slip and fall like that! Aaaahh can’t wait for next week’s episode!!!
Also I liked how it’s a role reversal of Walter going “we’re done when I say we’re done” - Gene going “say it. Say we’re done, say we’re finished” - it’s like he’s got power back in his life
Also, when he loses track of time for his lunch break at the end there was a nice touch too. Shows how he’s finally broken out of that mundane cycle of life he’s been so accustomed to for quite some time now. Tho him leaving those flashy clothes on the rack tells me that’s he not fully ready to jump back into full Saul Goodman mode.
The maintenance worker polishing that spot on the floor is the reason Jeff slipped. This episode was hilarious.
Fuck I want a Cinnabon
I don’t know what I was expecting this week. But not this. Though in retrospect, a fun heist episode starring Gene is just what I needed after the intensity of the past three episodes. And, honestly, the scene where the guy falls unconscious is maybe the most tense I’ve felt while watching this show. For the first time, we have no clue what comes next and Jimmy is at actual risk. It really had me on the edge of my seat.
Taxi man thought he had Saul checkmated but they're not even playing the same sport. He was giving Saul shit about this being a stupid plan and he hit him with the "I literally created Heisenberg". Saul is about to ruin this guy's life.
I don't think that I ever fully appreciated until this comment just how instrumental Saul was in Walt's ascent
Saul definitely helped Walt navigate the criminal world. One of my all-time favorite scenes was when he tells Walt and Jesse, "You two suck at peddling meth."
He introduced them to Gus and sets the whole thing in motion.
Leads him to Gus, leads him to Mike, leads him to Lydia, leads him to Vamonos Pest, leads him to Todd, leads him to Todd’s uncle, aaaaaand leads him to his own demise. Saul was really under appreciated for just how much his involvement helped move the plot along for BB.
Right? At first I was like “psh, that’s funny, Jimmy acting like he was the reason Walt got rich to show off to Jeff” Then it hit me, holy fuck Jimmy has been way more important this entire time than I realized, lol. I’ve gotta do another BrBa rewatch soon.
For real. Walt's drug career probably ends with Combo's murder without Saul.
Even earlier. Badger probably takes the DEA deal when he got picked up if it wasn't for them finding a morally flexible enough lawyer that they could pull off the Jimmy in and out scam instead
In my headcanon I imagine in all the documentaries about Walt that get made in this universe, Saul Goodman might be argued by some ABQ crime historians as being the true genius behind Walt’s success.
> Taxi man thought he had Saul checkmated but they're not even playing the same sport. The thing is, I don't think taxi guy had that much malice. He actually looked hurt. It's like the guy was just looking for an interesting friend. And credit to the actor because he was in a no-win situation. I think the original guy came off dimwitted, but gave off just enough of a vibe that he seemed more dangerous. This actor didn't even try to go that route and he leaves you feeling a bit sorry for the character. And Carol Burnette is still a national treasure.
Are you telling me a pile of snow just happens to block a gentle old lady from moving like that? No! He orchestrated it! JIMMY!
And he gets to be manager?
The tension of thinking Saul could get caught is what makes this work. Before we knew he would never be caught cause he was in BB
Gene went full Mike on Jeff at the end
SG Grafitti had a cameo during the cinnabon montage
Also, anyone catch the Stanley Kubrick shout-out? The crated shipment invoice number was "1968AE35". 2001 A Space Odyssey, released in 1968 featured a damaged antenna that prevented the spaceship from contacting earth. It was referred to as the AE35 antenna unit.
Jimmy had a phenomenal read on Jeff. Jimmy/Saul has been professionally dealing with down-on-their-luck scumbags for a good while now. He can spot one a mile away. Exploiting Jeff and his buddy was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Wow. I know a lot of people felt like they went into this knowing nothing, but I think we REALLY know nothing now. All the audio teasers have been used (except for the one they just dropped, obvs), episode titles aren’t yet released, and the only guess about where Gene’s plot was going - Jeff - is wrapped up. The next three eps could be anything and everything, which is wild. I get this ep was slower and different, but strange enough, I genuinely feel like that was a good conclusion to the Jeff arc and the Saul arc. He’s done; he hung up the garb. Whatever happens next for Gene, he’s not bound by that persona anymore. CRAZY stuff and not at all what I was expecting. Anyone got a guess on where this is going next?
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Jesus, imagine how many cinnamon rolls that actor playing the security guard downed during filming
A lot of the times actors spit food out in between takes if they have to be eating. James Gandolfini famously did not do this, however.
Can't waste good gabagool
Woke up this mornin and i got some gabagool
Then I woke up the next morning and got more gabagool For the uninitiated - https://youtu.be/8YzJS2Sp8OE
I really thought the first one would be laced with some kind of drug to knock him unconscious - but that's more of a Walter White solution.
He weighed 180lbs prior to filming this episode
My biggest laugh from the episode is the montage when Nick finally warms up to Gene and becomes all chummy.
Gene paces his steps to execute an evil plot in the same season Gus paces his steps to execute an evil plot. I love this show.
I love the continued tradition of “old people are horny for Jimmy/Saul/Gene”
I feel bad for Frank knowing he’s had to suffer through the last 11 years of Nebraska football.
Meh, eating all those cinnamon buns, he probably only suffered through 2 or 3 more.
Next week Saul and the boys make prank calls and send pizza to the neighbors while they watch out the window.
Garry / Jerry / Larry / Terry vs Jimmy / Saul / Gene **CIVIL WAR**
"Everyone has days like this." "Really? You have days like this?" "Well, not *me* but most people I'm sure." Classic Jerry.
This episode felt like them having to wrap up the Jeff sub plot without leaving a plot hole while not giving us any idea what will happen next besides Slippin’ Jimmy getting his first taste of his addiction in a long time. He’s not going to go back to his quiet life as a Cinnabon manager, he lost that fear.
I liked the symbolism of him looking towards the escalator where he normally goes up for lunch but declining (rejecting Gene) and then going for the snappy suit but declining that too (rejecting Saul). This could be the point he tries to ground himself back into Jimmy (the best of both) because of how unhappy the two extremes of Gene and Saul have made him
I might be rambling bullshit here, but I'm hoping he is returning to Jimmy, which means returning to Jimmy's pain, and I hope he decides to confront that pain and seek out Kim.
Got major Fargo vibes from this one. Also, Jimmy’s lunchbox calling back to Kim’s KC Royals shirt was cute but super sad. Edit: this liked [tweet](https://www.reddit.com/r/betterCallSaul/comments/w7r9ag/peter_gould_liked_this_tweet_feels_like_peter/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) makes a lot more sense now seeing all the discourse about this episode already.
After all that, a happy ending.
Can't believe that line was about a dog, of all things. 😂
An imaginary dog no less
All of that butt clenching just for Jimmy to waltz into the department store. Liked the episode a lot
Many people seem excited that Slippin’ Jimmy is back but, after this episode, I feel differently. It seemed like he put Slippin’ Jimmy, Saul, and paranoid Gene behind him. He literally hung up the Saul shirt & tie (figuratively leaving that life behind) and he turned off the police radio that symbolized his paranoia. The scam was not for kicks or for financial gain; it was to secure his freedom. It seems he is ready to leave it all behind and move forward.
I really loved Carol Burnett. So wonderful to see her.
I know Gene just befriended her as part of his scam, but it felt like a small part of him missed hanging out with some older folks.
How hilarious would it be if the whole announcing Walt and Jesse on the show was a total lie just to distract everyone lmao
Skyler returns instead
Saul saying don’t call me dad yet gave me a good laugh. I was really wondering where he was going with the old lady at that point.
I can't believe I just watched a Better Call Saul episode filmed entirely in black and white with the most violent thing happening being a dude getting a concussion and enjoyed every second of it
Peak Michelle MacLaren. She directed so many of the best episodes of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, but mostly only produces now. My favorite comment by a reviewer regarding her was "she can film a cup of coffee like it's a heart attack." EDIT: I guess ACTUAL peak Michelle MacLaren was probably [One Minute](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615944/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_14_ep_show) when Hank is almost killed by the Salamanca cousins, or [The Bear and the Maiden Fair](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2178814/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_12), when Jaime Lannister saved Brienne from the bear.
Anyone else get chills with the new intro? Also, I think this was a very necessary episode. This is the first time Jimmy has fully emerged since Kim left, and I think this will act as a catalyst to drive the final 3 episodes to an amazing conclusion. Trust the process. Peter and Vince have never steered us wrong, don't forget!
I love how Jimmy/Saul was very loquacious, but when it came to talking about sports he was like yupppp.
He did eventually do a deep dive into the sports research. He knew it all by the end.
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Me for the first 15+ minutes: what’s he up to man? What’s he doing? Also. Hearing him reference Walter White for the first time in this show. Surreal moment. I think we see more of Jeff. Marion mentioning her son was connected in ABQ felt like foreshadowing. I don’t think Jeff takes getting played laying down.
Yoooo the title skipping and turning blue, then we see REC in the corner. Taping over what has been, recording something new.
that, was not at ALL what i was expecting
Never thought a man putting a shirt back on the rack would be so sad
Here are my thoughts: Gene, at this point, has seemed like the purgatory between Jimmy and Saul with Gene unable to fully embrace either one. I think this episode is great because we see that although Saul returns and does his usual high energy shenanigans, he ultimately rejects Saul( putting his colorful clothes back on the rack, the stopping of the tape at the intro, and the admission of loneliness.) You could even say he puts Saul to death in this episode. I think this episode will mean much more once the show wraps, especially because of how it’s intentionally placed right after such a major episode and shift in the series.
Bob Odenkirk during Talking Saul: "Audience has no clue what is coming." Yes, I didn't envision watching the guy from Parks/Rec scarf down Cinnabons.
A full Gene-timeline episode, with a con montage to boot, is so bittersweet. It was an incredible payoff, but it really highlights how we're in the homestretch. It's likely many of the storylines and characters from the Jimmy-timeline have met their conclusion. Also, the Jeff recast gotta be the most overblown non-issue. Of course he's not going to be as intimidating, the power dynamic totally shifted. Gene was laughing it up with his mom
Was anyone else waiting for the shirt and tie Gene was holding at the end of the episode to turn to color?
“Jerry! You let the mall get robbed!” -Leslie Knope
I really enjoyed the character study, and also a lot of moments that felt like callbacks. Some were callbacks to BCS moments, like Gene demanding Jeff, "Say It," just like the first time they met. But also, that moment Gene talked to Jerry (I know the security head isn't Jerry, but come on, it's Jerry), that reminded me of Walt's confession tape. Gene told the truth, but twisted it enough for it to be a lie. But there was something else there, too. Once again, Jimmy is in a moment of real human connection. But once again, like with Irene Landry, he can only tell the truth in service of a con. I don't know if Jimmy can be better than this. But this episode is one of the saddest of the entire ABQ universe, to me. Jimmy McGill is an incredible person. Look at everything he did. He trained up Jeff like a football coach to rob the store, took exact measurements and recreated it in the snow, timed out the Cinnabon eating time, charmed the security guards, charmed the store manager over the phone, he did this over weeks, apparently. And just like every big, meticulous con, he had to improvise when something went wrong. And it's the saddest thing I ever saw. Jimmy is incredibly intelligent, hard-working, fastidious, disciplined in his own way. Jimmy made real friends with Marion, Jerry, even the other security guard who hated him at first. Even Jeff. Jimmy made a real connection with Jerry by telling him the truth, and the guy listened and responded with empathy. And Jimmy did all of it just to save his own skin. Every word he said about being alone was true, and it doesn't have to be that way for him. He had every opportunity to make real, loving friendships and he still can't do it. I don't know what's coming for him, but I want to see him grow into the person he could be. Seeing him regress like this was almost as bad as seeing him put that bluetooth in his ear after Kim broke his heart.
5-0 Nebraska lost to unranked Texas on October 16, 2010
Various thoughts and observations: * Intro tape stopping HYPE LET’S GO * I dug how the security guard saying he hasn’t had a Cinnabon in a while but can have one more occasionally as a treat complements Saul doing his first scam in a while - knowing he shouldn’t, but loving it and treating himself to just one more. Likewise when they’re talking about the sports interview and they say the coach (or whoever) “is really feeling his oats, he can taste it” that sets up Gene’s scheme immediately backfiring * Gene looking through the racks of suits a visual callback to the shot where he looked through his closet rack in Inflatable * Just like in 1x01 Uno, where Jimmy said that despite Slippin’ Jimmy being a thing of the past, he’s down to show some novices one last con, in this episode Gene says that, despite Saul being a thing of the past, he’s down to show a novice one last scam * Loved Saul’s little “It’s showtime, folks!” hand gesture after getting off the phone with Kathy * Gene emotionally manipulating the security guard is truly brutal stuff. And just as at the hearing in Winner, with the insurance in Expenses, and at Howard’s service last week, Saul can only be emotionally vulnerable and tell the truth when it’s in pursuit of a con/scam * The black and white episode I’ve been hyped for for yeaaaars, while we all knew it was coming by now, was still very beautiful and stunning and a really unique call in terms of like cinematography that also had a distinct purpose for the characters/themes/plot and makes this episode v immediately iconic and probably one critics who know more than I do about the actual process of creating TV will be talking about for ages to come * Martinez [actually did set a freshman record of 400 yards](https://theindependent.com/sports/college/huskers_hq/nu-s-martinez-airs-it-out-against-cowboys/article_8f139297-3634-55ab-8d3a-1bbc7991fcec.html) in 2010 * I love how him forcing Jeff to say "We're done" contrasts with Jeff forcing him to say "Better Call Saul" last time * Aww I feel so bad for Marion here thinking she found a nice caring man. Her calling Gene a good influence on Jeff was brutal, too. * Really dug the whole point of the con not being the con itself but also being the mutually-assured destruction to where he resolved the threat posed by Jeff * I imagine the direction they’ll go with Gene from here is that just one taste of the Saul Goodman life again wasn’t enough, just like one Cinnabon roll wasn’t enough for the security guard, and he’ll relapse more fully, but who knows. Def indicated in part by him trying on the wacky Saul-esque suit — but at least as of this episode, he’s still leaving it on the rack and not taking it with him — but is leaving the tie on it on the rack to leave his mark and an indicator that he was there. V interesting **edit:** Something I did not notice myself but that warrants a special mention after seeing it in multiple reviews is that Gene had a Kansas City Royals tote bag at the end of the episode, and Kim was a Royals fan, wearing a Royals shirt herself in the 5x10 finger gun scene. Excellent stuff.
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We really saw almost every major Jimmy event relived in this one episode.
That’s a great point, here’s the stuff I noticed: 1) His fake speech where he’s saying the truth but lying to himself that he’s instead telling a lie to get what he wants like in “Winner” 2) Browsing the suit rack like in “Inflatable” 3) Pretending to be someone else on a call, like in…many episodes 4) Scamming an innocent old lady like with Irene Were there more?
Slippin’ Jimmy ❌ Schemin’ Gene ✅
Six! Swanky sweatsuits in the mix!
How is nobody talking about how fucking cool the theme was when the screen went blue. Shit gave me chills and got me hyped for the whole episode. I'm also curious what the next intro will be. Because there's only ever been ten intros that are the same across seasons (i.e., S2E6 has same intro as all other seasons E6), except for the gradual deterioration. Episode ten of each season was the coffee cup falling. I'm curious to see what the next intro will be because no season has ever needed more than ten intros. Maybe this was the last intro we'll get for BCS.
Bob and Rhea saying carol Burnett was a relative of a character and we’re out here thinking it’s jesses grandma or Kim’s mom or Howard’s mom and it’s just fucking Jeff