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[Grinchy]

Yeah Mike was literally watching the house the whole time. No way it's anyone connected to Hector or Nacho. They've already established that Nacho can't keep up with Mike and anyone from Hector would have just shot Mike.

I also think it's ridiculous to think Nacho was purposefully blocking the shot. He would have had to know PRECISELY where Mike was to block it that perfectly. He was just standing next to Hector because he's Tio's right hand man.

Only one person could be behind the note.

I actually don't think it's strange to think that Nacho was purposely blocking the shot. If you don't believe that, then you have to believe that Gus (or whoever left the note) somehow knew that Nacho would be blocking the shot.

If the person who left the note didn't know that, then they waited way too long to start honking the horn.

 

[Kickz]

I am guessing its his buddy Nacho that keft the note. No idea how.

Anyways I saw the confessional coming a mile away, honestly a bit underwhelmed by this finale.. Last ep would have made for a better finale

 

[triplestation]

i still like chuck a lot, he has a bitterness about him but no one is perfect

hes still a good man with integrity

after this episode and the episode where he won back mesa verde, ive grown to like him even more

it seems he shares his brothers ability to be manipulative, only difference is that for chuck to use that ability is like a "code red" backup plan whereas with jimmy its always open season

just because jimmy stays by his brothers side when he needs help doesn't change the fact that he planted doctored up evidence and embarrassed chuck to a degree that wasn't deserved, and im sure a part of chuck feels bad about bringing it down on jimmy but from his perspective, he's let jimmy slide plenty of times so its come to a point where enough is enough

both brothers have likable traits about them, but professionally they should steer very clear of each other, and this is where i really side with chuck especially since he's such a reputable person and im sure clifford main finally sees the difference and surely now understands chucks disapproval

so chuck "making him that way" really isn't the full story since jimmy himself says he's a square peg

 

[STILLethal]

Well see you next year Saul, enjoyed this season a lot, was super interesting and great to watch. Season finale wasn't as good as last week's episode but overall set up next season really nicely.

 

[The Reloader]

All I could think of is Kim's face.

 

[rekameohs]

Breaking Bad had: I Fucked Ted
Better Call Saul has: Chuck Fucked You

 

[Puppen]

God fucking damn it, Jimmy

Never trust a snake. Chuck is such a motherfucker, I knew he had a recorder lying around. It's so sad to see how good of a guy Jimmy was, only for his love for his brother to turn him into Saul. Hell, I bet anything that the tape is what creates Saul since we all know he's never actually disbarred.

i still like chuck a lot, he has a bitterness about him but no one is perfect

hes still a good man with integrity

He's not a good man and he has no integrity. He's a snake and has no morals, just because someone works within the confines of the law it doesn't make them good.

 

[Sweeney Tom]

What anagram is the AV Club review referring to?:

Every opening letter of each episode title this season can be combined and arranged to spell out FRINGS BACK

So glad. Gus <3

 

[TimeEffect]

Mike was pretty much tailgating Nacho. Are they damn blind? The stealth stuff with Mike really irritates me. It feels like a low quality scene almost every time, and the show is too good for it.

Would have liked to see Mike a lot further away. An episode ago, we saw Hector freak out about the lost money, and it was just so convenient that it was annoying. Hector freaking out by the window, in clear shot of Mike.

I hope the show doesn't get too goofy with scenes like that

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

Great season that improved upon an already great first season.

The wait is going to be brutal.

 

[rekameohs]

The use of the upside-down camera to make Chuck's ER trip feel like a horror show was soooo great

 

[Mariolee]

I love how slow this show is and this finale was fantastic but man, when the wait between seasons is so long I wish they would do something more conclusive.

 

[TheOddOne]

- A|V Club Review: Better Call Saul caps a near-perfect season with a chilling finale.
- Sepinwall: Review: How 'Better Call Saul' came into its own in season 2.
- Variety: Review: ‘Better Call Saul’ Coasts Across Finish Line In Low-Key Season Finale.
- NYTimes: ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 2 Finale: The Ultimate Betrayal.
- TVGuide: Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn Discusses Kim's Wavering Moral Compass.

 

[Einchy]

It was a great episode but just like season 1's, it felt more like the penultimate rather than the finale.

Oh well, at least season 2 was much better than the first and so was the finale.

The wait for season 3 is going to suck.

 

[greatgeek]

Eh, not that impressed by the reveal at the end. I think it will be fairly easy for Jimmy to spin his admission of guilt as a lie to protect his brother's obviously fragile psyche. I don't see the recording being consequential.

 

[Mariolee]

Here's my guess: the person who left behind the note WORKS fot Gus but isn't Gus (Vince mentioned Gus casting a long shadow). They left it somewhat ambiguous because they haven't actually signed a contract with Esposito yet. That way of things fall through they can somehow write around that.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

So Chuck's butthurt because his mom's last words were "Jimmy" instead of "Chuck."

Seriously, fuck this guy.

 

[Einchy]

So Chuck's butthurt because his mom's last words were "Jimmy" instead of "Chuck."

Seriously, fuck this guy.

I assume there's a lot of jealousy there that goes beyond just that. Just like how he was jealous that he was able to have such a good time with his wife, he probably resents Jimmy for being so likeable. I bet all throughout his life his mother loved Jimmy more than him so now he's a jealous piece of shit.

 

[Veelk]

So Chuck's butthurt because his mom's last words were "Jimmy" instead of "Chuck."

Seriously, fuck this guy.

....*sigh*

Like I said, I can't post all my thoughts, but this is an aspect of BB/BCS fandom that has always disappointed me. Whenever people decide that a given character is a hate sink, all their arguments become structured around how pathetic they are, for any reason.

They were both in a hospital room with their dying mother, and all Jimmy could think was to get some food while he was in the grips of such despair that he couldn't even think to eat. Then the moment Jimmy leaves, he breaks down in tears. And when his mother utters her last words, it's about Jimmy. And he's out getting food. He tries to communicate with her, get her to acknowledge him, but she doesn't.

Yes, Chuck has issues, yes, not all of them are justified, yes, he can be a prick, and no, Jimmy didn't actually do anything wrong buy wanting to go get food, but putting the pieces in context, it's pretty clear how this would be a crucial moment in Chuck's life and how it would feed his resentment toward Jimmy, and it's painful to watch because it's so tragic for him. It doesn't make his viewpoint of Jimmy right, but it's totally understandable how he came to it when shit like this happened to him.

This is fiction, where people have a lot more freedom to be unempathetic to human pain. That's obviously how it should be, real people are more important. However, fiction is an odd little area in our lives where we are supposed to treat the fake as if it were real. We may be allowed to react in ways that are horrible to fictional people, but I don't think that makes how we act irrelevant. And if someone really made a thread that essentially described the exact same situation, and you said to them what you're saying about Chuck, you'd be banned, and that should tell you something about the nature of trying to use the death of someone's mother to belittle them. It's something only a complete asshole would do.

There is no part of the BB/BCS fandom I dislike more than when people become so enthralled with their personal dislike of a character that they shut down all attempts to sympathize with a character out of hand. It's an intentional simplification of a complex character, it adds nothing to the discussion, and is just a distasteful act in general.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

snip

Its kinda weird how invested you are defending a fictional character.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

i still like chuck a lot, he has a bitterness about him but no one is perfect

hes still a good man with integrity

after this episode and the episode where he won back mesa verde, ive grown to like him even more

it seems he shares his brothers ability to be manipulative, only difference is that for chuck to use that ability is like a "code red" backup plan whereas with jimmy its always open season

just because jimmy stays by his brothers side when he needs help doesn't change the fact that he planted doctored up evidence and embarrassed chuck to a degree that wasn't deserved, and im sure a part of chuck feels bad about bringing it down on jimmy but from his perspective, he's let jimmy slide plenty of times so its come to a point where enough is enough

both brothers have likable traits about them, but professionally they should steer very clear of each other, and this is where i really side with chuck especially since he's such a reputable person and im sure clifford main finally sees the difference and surely now understands chucks disapproval

so chuck "making him that way" really isn't the full story since jimmy himself says he's a square peg

Chuck is a little shit that cannot stand anyone being equal to him. Everything that he has done to Jimmy is beyond unreasonable and beyond justifiable.

You seriously think that he keeps moving the goalpost whenever someone calls him on his bullshit because he's just smarter than everyone?

No. He does it because he thinks that being wrong is a statistical impossibility, and and that the other person is just stupid.

When he was defending himself to Kim, what does he do? He dumbs down his language and all but calls Kim mentally retarded for trusting Jimmy.

When Jimmy presents an actual, honest-to-God good job at work, in a meeting? Chuck literally stops the meeting twice to try to shit on his own fucking brother.

Whenever Hamilton does something on his own or doesn't do "the right thing"? Chuck handles him.

Let's not forget Chuck's genius line of thinking of using his brother's work to get back into his old firm, and then using every trick he can to get Jimmy fired.

And the EHS? I have no doubt that it is real, but it's also psychological. Chuck needs to be the victim. He needs others to see him as a victim.

Oh, and the cherry on top? He's pissed at his mom for loving Jimmy more than him, because how fucking dare his own parents not see that he's the King Shit and that his brother is lesser? And how dare his mother maybe say the wrong brothers name while she is under drugs?

Chuck is an asshole.

And if you don't think people like him actually exist in reality, oh boy, are you in for a treat.

EDIT: And just for the record, I completely understand where Chuck is coming from, what his mindset is. I just can't sympathize with that bullshit. Chuck needs to get diagnosed as he is exhibiting bipolar disorder up the ass.

 

[Einchy]

Guys, remember that time Chuck wasn't an awful waste of a person? Because I don't.

https://gfycat.com/ElaborateFearlessBoto

If I'm ever having a bad day I just look at that and I cheer up.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

I'm sorry for the rant, but I know far too many Chucks.

 

[Veelk]

Its kinda weird how invested you are defending a fictional character.

It's no less weird than you being invested in insulting a ficitonal character.

Like I said, fiction is a strange area of life where we are MEANT to treat the fake as real. Having empathy and compassion for a person that doesn't exist isn't anything new here, people have been doing it since stories have been around. Similarly, it's nothing new to have hatred for a ficitonal character, which is what your doing.

That's why we enjoy fiction in the first place. It lets us feel stuff about things that never exist. So don't try to dodge the utter shittiness of belittling someone for the death of their mother under this bullshit excuse that it's somehow strange to care for characters which we have been specifically designed to have emotions toward.

 

[Tom Nook Sawyer]

Me thinks VG has been watching a little too much Zootopia

 

[GotchaForce]

Here's my guess: the person who left behind the note WORKS fot Gus but isn't Gus (Vince mentioned Gus casting a long shadow). They left it somewhat ambiguous because they haven't actually signed a contract with Esposito yet. That way of things fall through they can somehow write around that.

It's gotta be this. Gus's Nacho will be the guy who left that note. I think there's a lot to explore with Fring's background and his organization and how he got things done. He could come across as a proto-Walter White in that at least Mike gets around to being an associate and he hates Salamanca.

 

[Dominican Power]

Chuck is the biggest piece of shit on television. He can't stand Jimmy being his parent's favorite.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

That was a really good finale that capped off a really good season. Bring on season 3!

Lol Ernestbro and Bromar

yes :3

 

[Nelo Ice]

Fuck Chuck. I hope Jimmy goes full Saul now.

 

[Puppen]

....*sigh*

Like I said, I can't post all my thoughts, but this is an aspect of BB/BCS fandom that has always disappointed me. Whenever people decide that a given character is a hate sink, all their arguments become structured around how pathetic they are, for any reason.

They were both in a hospital room with their dying mother, and all Jimmy could think was to get some food while he was in the grips of such despair that he couldn't even think to eat. Then the moment Jimmy leaves, he breaks down in tears. And when his mother utters her last words, it's about Jimmy. And he's out getting food. He tries to communicate with her, get her to acknowledge him, but she doesn't.

Yes, Chuck has issues, yes, not all of them are justified, yes, he can be a prick, and no, Jimmy didn't actually do anything wrong buy wanting to go get food, but putting the pieces in context, it's pretty clear how this would be a crucial moment in Chuck's life and how it would feed his resentment toward Jimmy, and it's painful to watch because it's so tragic for him. It doesn't make his viewpoint of Jimmy right, but it's totally understandable how he came to it when shit like this happened to him.

This is fiction, where people have a lot more freedom to be unempathetic to human pain. That's obviously how it should be, real people are more important. However, fiction is an odd little area in our lives where we are supposed to treat the fake as if it were real. We may be allowed to react in ways that are horrible to fictional people, but I don't think that makes how we act irrelevant. And if someone really made a thread that essentially described the exact same situation, and you said to them what you're saying about Chuck, you'd be banned, and that should tell you something about the nature of trying to use the death of someone's mother to belittle them. It's something only a complete asshole would do.

There is no part of the BB/BCS fandom I dislike more than when people become so enthralled with their personal dislike of a character that they shut down all attempts to sympathize with a character out of hand. It's an intentional simplification of a complex character, it adds nothing to the discussion, and is just a distasteful act in general.

A villain being understandable doesn't make them less of a villain. No one is shutting down attempts to understand or sympathize with him, we all watched the show and understand the character development that's been going on with him.

Chuck is a little shit that cannot stand anyone being equal to him. Everything that he has done to Jimmy is beyond unreasonable and beyond justifiable.

You seriously think that he keeps moving the goalpost whenever someone calls him on his bullshit because he's just smarter than everyone?

No. He does it because he thinks that being wrong is a statistical impossibility, and and that the other person is just stupid.

When he was defending himself to Kim, what does he do? He dumbs down his language and all but calls Kim mentally retarded for trusting Jimmy.

When Jimmy presents an actual, honest-to-God good job at work, in a meeting? Chuck literally stops the meeting twice to try to shit on his own fucking brother.

Whenever Hamilton does something on his own or doesn't do "the right thing"? Chuck handles him.

Let's not forget Chuck's genius line of thinking of using his brother's work to get back into his old firm, and then using every trick he can to get Jimmy fired.

And the EHS? I have no doubt that it is real, but it's also psychological. Chuck needs to be the victim. He needs others to see him as a victim.

Oh, and the cherry on top? He's pissed at his mom for loving Jimmy more than him, because how fucking dare his own parents not see that he's the King Shit and that his brother is lesser? And how dare his mother maybe say the wrong brothers name while she is under drugs?

Chuck is an asshole.

And if you don't think people like him actually exist in reality, oh boy, are you in for a treat.

EDIT: And just for the record, I completely understand where Chuck is coming from, what his mindset is. I just can't sympathize with that bullshit. Chuck needs to get diagnosed as he is exhibiting bipolar disorder up the ass.

 

[Veelk]

A villain being understandable doesn't make them less of a villain. No one is shutting down attempts to understand or sympathize with him, we all watched the show and understand the character development that's been going on with him.

The guy is calling him pathetic for being highly affected by his dying mothers last words.

If that isn't shutting down understanding and sympathy, I don't know what is.

I'm really trying to stay out of the 'is chuck really a bad guy' debate because it's beside the point, but even you are falling into the trap that if Chuck is an asshole, it's okay to not care about his pain. The fact that you defacto designate him the villain itself is evidence of that. That's not even what I'm talking about. The point of the post wasn't "Hey, lay off Chuck". The point was "I don't give a fuck how much you hate someone, belittling them for being affected by their dying mother is fucking awful."

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Eh, not that impressed by the reveal at the end. I think it will be fairly easy for Jimmy to spin his admission of guilt as a lie to protect his brother's obviously fragile psyche. I don't see the recording being consequential.

Yeah, while it's damning, I think it could be a reasonable defense. "Yes, I insisted I was telling the truth because I needed him to believe me in order to calm him down and make him feel better".

We all know he's not going to get disbarred, so... That said, I think the consequences will probably be more severe with regards to Kim.

Chuck is the biggest piece of shit on television.

Hyperbole much? He's a petty jerk, but I can think of far worse...

 

[Sane_Man]

The guy is calling him pathetic for being highly affected by his dying mothers last words.

If that isn't shutting down understanding and sympathy, I don't know what is.

I'm really trying to stay out of the 'is chuck really a bad guy' debate because it's beside the point, but even you are falling into the trap that if Chuck is an asshole, it's okay to not care about his pain. The fact that you defacto designate him the villain itself is evidence of that. That's not even what I'm talking about. The point of the post wasn't "Hey, lay off Chuck". The point was "I don't give a fuck how much you hate someone, belittling them for being affected by their dying mother is fucking awful."

You're getting way too worked up over this. The show is clearly presenting Chuck as the antagonist, albeit one with many layers and a definite amount of sympathy. It's not surprising that people have grown to dislike him after the way he's treated Jimmy and Kim. And it does come from resentment. It's not pathetic to be upset about your mother dying, but it is pathetic to harbor years of resentment towards a sibling because your mother loved them more than you. If someone on Gaf made a thread about this exact issue (the point you made earlier) nobody would be banned for telling the dude he needs to get a grip.

 

[Puppen]

The guy is calling him pathetic for being highly affected by his dying mothers last words.

If that isn't shutting down understanding and sympathy, I don't know what is.

It's pathetic because we know who this character is, and that he uses that grief as weird justification to be resentful of Jimmy (one of many unjustified resentments) and not tell him what his Mom's dying words were. If that was our introduction to Chuck, it would be completely different, but it isn't. For 2 seasons he's been generally painted as an understandable snake, and the finale doubled down on that to an extreme degree. It's fairly brilliant, actually, because there's plenty of people who don't see him as being in the wrong or a villain at all since he does everything legally. As if morality is defined by what is legal and what isn't.

 

[Veelk]

It's pathetic because we know who this character is, and that he uses that grief as weird justification to be resentful of Jimmy (one of many unjustified resentments) and not tell him what his Mom's dying words were. If that was our introduction to Chuck, it would be completely different, but it isn't. For 2 seasons he's been generally painted as an understandable snake, and the finale doubled down on that to an extreme degree. It's fairly brilliant, actually, because there's plenty of people who don't see him as being in the wrong or a villain at all since he does everything legally. As if morality is defined by what is legal and what isn't.

That's not an inaccurate (if subjective) reading of his character, but it is a highly incomplete one. There's so much more to chuck than merely being 'unlikable'. He's also completely right in his assessment of Jimmy thus far. Every terrible thing he's said about him has been entirely true. He's also been painted as genuinely wanting to serve the law because he views it as an ethical responsibility, one that Jimmy has indeed abused. In the case of losing Mesa Verde, he's the only one that is constantly bringing up that Jimmy has hurt the clients. Mesa Verde isn't just a resource, they're people, and Jimmy has defrauded them and cost them a great deal of money in his persuit to please Kim. Chuck has been the only one who has given attention and concern to the actual victims here, the people who have tangibly been hurt by Jimmy's doctoring of the documents. The resentment and inferiority complex and all that, I agree that's part of whats going on here, but what makes this conflict so interesting is that those aren't the only things going on here. Gilligant has a beautiful talent for writing multilayered characters and conflicts that are utterly ignored whenever someone tries to reduce whats going on into "fuck chuck"

But, again....

You're getting way too worked up over this. The show is clearly presenting Chuck as the antagonist, albeit one with many layers and a definite amount of sympathy. It's not surprising that people have grown to dislike him after the way he's treated Jimmy and Kim. And it does come from resentment. It's not pathetic to be upset about your mother dying, but it is pathetic to harbor years of resentment towards a sibling because your mother loved them more than you. If someone on Gaf made a thread about this exact issue (the point you made earlier) nobody would be banned for telling the dude he needs to get a grip.

This is entirely missing the point. Again, this isn't about chuck himself. It's about how someone is using their dislike of a character to disregard any sense of basic human decency and empathy. This is something I see often, and it was especially frequent in the Breaking Bad era and it bothers me. People have constantly dismissed various character's pain and suffering out of a sense of competitiveness of rooting for #TeamWhatever. It doesn't matter if the person is suffering from severe injury, or death of a loved one, or even fucking torture, people would go on and on about how they 'deserve it' or are pathetic for being sorrowful about it simply on the basis that they don't like the character.

The guy in question didn't say "Chuck needs to get a grip" as in such a way that he's hopeful that he'll improve his life from here on out. That's what most gaffers would do with a real person. They'd be empathetic, understanding that what he is feeling is emotional pain and try to feel with them, not just tell them they're wrong to feel those things. And anyone who told that hypthetical poster "So you're butthurt because your mom's last words were your brothers name instead of your name? Seriously, fuck you." would be banned, which is what the poster actually said. He shouldn't be banned for it because it wasn't directed at a real person, so there was no harm done, but there should be no contentions of whether it's an unbelievably shitty thing to say on principle.

 

[iFirez]

I wish Chuck had died.

Spoiler

Seriously, what a fuckhead... god I've never loved to hate a character this much... ever!

 

[Ursn]

I think Chuck is crazy and making it up. What an asshole. The note was Gus.

 

[Hesemonni]

Fucking Chuck.

 

[Puppen]

That's not an inaccurate (if subjective) observation, but it is a highly incomplete one. There's so much more to chuck than merely being 'unlikable'. He's also completely right in his assessment of Jimmy thus far. Every terrible thing he's said about him has been entirely true. He's also been painted as genuinely wanting to serve the law because he views it as an ethical responsibility, one that Jimmy has indeed abused. In the case of losing Mesa Verde, he's the only one that is constantly bringing up that Jimmy has hurt the clients. Mesa Verde isn't just a resource, they're people, and Jimmy has defrauded them and cost them a great deal of money in his persuit to please Kim. Chuck has been the only one who has given attention and concern to the actual victims here, the people who have tangibly been hurt by Jimmy's doctoring of the documents. The resentment and inferiority complex and all that, I agree that's part of whats going on here, but what makes this conflict so interesting is that those aren't the only things going on here. Gilligant has a beautiful talent for writing multilayered characters and conflicts that are utterly ignored whenever someone tries to reduce whats going on into "fuck chuck"

But, again....



This is entirely missing the point. Again, this isn't about chuck himself. It's about how someone is using their dislike of a character to disregard any sense of basic human decency and empathy. This is something I see often, and it was especially frequent in the Breaking Bad era and it bothers me. People have constantly dismissed various character's pain and suffering out of a sense of competitiveness of rooting for #TeamWhatever. It doesn't matter if the person is suffering from severe injury, or death of a loved one, or even fucking torture, people would go on and on about how they 'deserve it' or are pathetic for being sorrowful about it simply on the basis that they don't like the character.

The guy in question didn't say "Chuck needs to get a grip" as in such a way that he's hopeful that he'll improve his life from here on out. That's what most gaffers would do with a real person. They'd be empathetic, understanding that what he is feeling is emotional pain and try to feel with them, not just tell them they're wrong to feel those things. And anyone who told that hypthetical poster "So you're butthurt because your mom's last words were your brothers name instead of your name? Seriously, fuck you." would be banned, which is what the poster actually said. He shouldn't be banned for it because it wasn't directed at a real person, so there was no harm done, but there should be no contentions of whether it's an unbelievably shitty thing to say on principle.

Chuck created Slippin' Jimmy, so his accusations being accurate is tantamount to crocodile tears. He never gave a shit about being a good brother, he only wanted to feel superior and knock him down. His "ethical responsibly" to the law is only evident in the show when it interests him, he'd have never tried to retain Verde if it didn't involve fucking with Jimmy. Jimmy on the other hand is the only one who's ever truly taken care of him. The dude is scum of the highest order.

 

[Veelk]

Chuck created Slippin' Jimmy, so his accusations being accurate is tantamount to crocodile tears. He never gave a shit about being a good brother, he only wanted to feel superior and knock him down. His "ethical responsibly" to the law is only evident in the show when it interests him, he'd have never tried to retain Verde if it didn't involve fucking with Jimmy. Jimmy on the other hand is the only one who's ever truly taken care of him. The dude is scum of the highest order.

The first bolded unlikely, atleast insofar as his childhood is concerned. What Chuck did was prevented Jimmy's advancement on what we can count is 2 instances in his adulthood and he's had a long career of conning by then. That is hardly shaping Jimmy's life from the shadows. Kim wasn't being literal when she said that chuck made him that way, she only meant it in the sense that Chuck not supporting Jimmy helped encourage his tendencies in his legal career. But at the same time, he only found out Chuck wasn't supporting him late Season 1. Jimmy wasn't pushed into anything, he was simply prevented from advancement. If he just defaults into pulling some kind of con every time he hits a wall, then that's not Chuck manipulating Jimmy into conning, that's Jimmy's way of problem solving, and he'd have done so whether the wall was made by chuck or someone else. Every flashback we've seen has shown that Jimmy has an innate talent and desire for the con and it's only once he did the Chicago Sunroof and had to beg chuck to help him that he made the first and only identifiable effort to turn his life around. Chuck didn't create Slippin' Jimmy. It's more that he potentially the creation of Steady Jimmy. Potentially, because even when Jimmy tries to do the right thing, he can't help himself and pulls his cons. It's quite possible that Chuck is simply right and that Jimmy just can't stop Slippin', and he prevented some giant legal catastrophe from happening by doing so. You can't use a potential future as proof of wrongdoing because the opposition can counter with their own potential future that is equally likely if not more so.

And the second is completely unsupported. We have no idea how chuck would have reacted if Jimmy wasn't mentioned, and your interpretation that he's only out to get Jimmy here is undermined by the fact that he genuinely seemed concerned when Howard announced they lost Mesa Verde (before mentioning Jimmy/Kims's involvement, and then later excited when he thought he was going to 'run a victory lap' at the meeting where the documents were outed. By then, he already nabbed MV away from Kim and Jimmy and his victory lap only had to do with him patting himself on a job well done for actually just doing his job, which he's long been established to love. All we can say is that he seemed to be more interested when Howard mentioned Jimmy. But at the same time, it could also be that he's just shocked once again at what his brother pulled, but did what he was going to do anyway, even if Jimmy wasn't a part of it. Chuck's most defined characterization, even moreso than his resentment of Jimmy, is that he is one of the best lawyers of all time. Is it so hard to believe he would have done his utmost to keep as significant a client as Mesa Verde even if Jimmy hadn't been there and then showed up at the council meeting out of a sense of pride for being a bitchin' ass lawyer?

Again, trying to pin down an entire fucking character something as singular and one dimensional as Chuck being an asshole inaccurate to his character as a whole, it's a disservice to the fantastic writing that the show has given us. It's not to say chuck didn't have a hand in Jimmy's life, he most certainly did, or that Jimmy being involved wasn't a factor, it probably was, but this shit of exaggerating his effects as though Jimmy had no life or will or agency outside of Chuck is an extremely lazy reading of the character. As though Chuck was right there, in the shadows, all of Jimmy's life, fucking him over, every single time, out of a single minded vindictiveness, since boyhood. Literal cartoon villains aren't this exaggeratedly, stupidly evil.

 

[Mdk7]

I still need to see the final episode, but episode 9 finally delivered.

 

[Frost_Ace]

I still don't understand why Mike wants to kill the Salamancas. Is it because they treathened Kaylee?

 

[stenbumling]

I still don't understand why Mike wants to kill the Salamancas. Is it because they treathened Kaylee?

Well yeah, pretty much. Kaylee and Stacey is all he's got left since his son died.

 

[giancarlo123x]

I still don't understand why Mike wants to kill the Salamancas. Is it because they treathened Kaylee?

Yes. Good enough reason.

 

[Veelk]

Well yeah, pretty much. Kaylee and Stacey is all he's got left since his son died.

Of all the characters in Breaking Bad, I often think Mike might be the only one they mishandled, and they might be doing it here as well. They characterize him as this hyper-rational person who barely ever loses his reason or rationale.

But here, his acting only makes sense if he is taking his L from Salamanca personally like Walt would. Nacho told him himself: Good old Tio forgot that Mike exists, so while he was out muscled via threat to his family, that threat is over now that he complied. If this was about keeping his family safe, then he's doing the most counter productive thing possible by risking him being put in the spotlight of their attention. Even if he succeeded in shooting Hector, what about the twins? What about the rest of his family (which as of Breaking Bad might have just been Tuco and the Cousins, but might be more as of now)? They'll seek retribution for Hectors murder, and they find out about mike, then Kaylee will certainly be in danger.

So the only thing that makes sense to me is that he doesn't like the fact that he had to take shit from the Salamanca's, which goes against the most fundamental aspect of his character. He's a booth ticket guy at the law office because he doesn't give a shit about how crappy his life is. He doesn't care about suffering the casual indignities of the common working man. But no other reasoning here makes sense except the idea that he doesn't want to take Salamanca's shit.

 

[MrBadger]

I think the only way that note could have been more blatant is if it said "pollos" instead of "don't".

I'm still kind of on team Chuck. I feel similar to how I felt when watching Breaking Bad, when Hank was

Spoiler

right every step of the way but couldn't prove it because Walt was silently sabotaging him, ending with Hank getting humiliated/injured and becoming secluded.

The key difference is that I like Hank.

 

[Monocle]

One of the many impressive things about this show is the sheer discipline of the writing. Better Call Saul's story is absolutely commited to following the lead of its characters. They are given real agency, as well as the narrative slack to set events into motion and experience their unfolding at a natural pace. There's no forced dramatic payoff, no blatant interference from an authorial hand playing tricks with time or slinging sensational moments at the audience to provoke responses.

This finale was not at all what I expected. Conventional story beats conditioned me to look for some sort of grand crescendo that feels like a final chapter. Instead, the episode was true to Chuck, true to Jimmy, true to Mike, and it left us at a point that crackles with dramatic potential—an understated moment whose tension arises purely from our understanding of the characters as we the audience have come to know them over the past two seasons. This is exceptional storytelling.

 

[Veelk]

One of the many impressive things about this show is the sheer discipline of the writing. Better Call Saul's story is absolutely commited to following the lead of its characters. They are given real agency, as well as the narrative slack to set events into motion and experience their unfolding at a natural pace.

No, Monocle. Don't you see that it's chuck diabolically pulling the strings on everyone? Jimmy has no choices in his life, it's all Chuck making his decisions for it through his maliciousness.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Mike is still a cop at heart and likely believes having the cartel operate there is ruining his town.

 

[MrBadger]

Its kinda weird how invested you are defending a fictional character.

I think it's a fair argument, though. Many of the audience haven't tried to see Chuck's perspective because they've not moved on from the "not a real lawyer" scene. I think he's a much deeper character than just a foil for jimmy wrapped in foil.