Better Call Saul 4x02 Reaction

I think part of it was seeing the $8000+ in tax withholdings that weren't coming out of his pocket and feeling that he needed to do something to earn it.

hbk314

If not for Jesse, Walt and Gus almost certainly would have still had a solid business relationship going at that point. If not for Jesse leading Hank to the RV, Walt wouldn't have involved Jesse in the Superlab at all. Walt and Gale would have still been cooking away. If not for Jesse's involvement, he doesn't have a way to steal blue meth to attempt to sell to the support group and may not have met Andrea. He may never have connected Combo's killers to Gus's operation. If that doesn't happen, Walt doesn't kill two of Gus's men to save Jesse. All that said, it's possible that Walt's ego was always going to find a way to get out from under Gus's control, so perhaps it was inevitable. The way it played out, Walt's life only needed saving because he saved Jesse in the first place.

hbk314

But it could also be explained away as a random, public place to meet. I think that was actually his intent. He saw Jesse and didn't want to work with Walt, so he left Walt thinking his contact just didn't show up. It wasn't until Walt went back and saw Gus staring at him in the reflection on the window that he guessed correctly who the contact was.

hbk314

I shouldn't have said scammed, I meant his Saul persona got him the job whereas his Jimmy persona did not

Romacci

But he didn't scam them. He showed off his skills as a salesman, which is the job. Nothing he said was untrue. It's just self loathing which causes him to sabatoge himself.

Shadoe Price

I think Jimmy pulling the shenanigans he did in the printer shop was because he realized how easily he could scam those two gentlemen and it angered him realizing how "slipping jimmy" act was so effective whereas his normal interview "regular jimmy" was not. How is he meant to act good when its so much easier to be slippery? On top of that, he seems to dislike people who are easily scammed.

Thomas Mims

Just some details after just finishing the full length reaction: -Milena was correct about Victor, he is the one that got his throat cut. -Not sure if you gals noticed that it was Gus himself who put the bag over Nacho's partner's head. -IIRC you haven't recognized Tyrus, the guy with Victor. He's the one in BrBa that came in after Victor died, the one who was with Gus when Hector detonated the bomb

XanderWhat

In bird culture, such comments are considered a dick move

Tomáš Polák

Why couldn't you just wait until next episode instead of spoiling that such a scene is coming...

Camzeee

You should delete that comment. Mentioning those names are spoilers since they would know who survived until Season 6.

MaxVSTheGames

David Caine

Mohammad Issa

Yeah this has always been my interpretation. I understand where people are coming from about Jimmy's dad, but right now the biggest motivation for Jimmy's actions is Chuck's death and how his brother viewed him.

Shadoe Price

The copy shop incident reeks of self hatred projected onto others. Jimmy loved and respected Chuck, and Chuck's opinion of what he had made of himself was very important to Jimmy. But Chuck never let Jimmy escape the image of the cheap con who he was in his youth, so I think that view of himself is really ingrained into Jimmy now, and it has very little chance of getting undone because of Chuck's death. Especially because Chuck's death seems to confirm everything he said about Jimmy. I think this scene is showing one of the really toxic, long-lasting effects that Jimmy's relationship with Chuck will have on him: Jimmy will never be able to accept traditional success because he thinks that the only way anyone will ever accept him is by tricking them. This is particularly bad because we know as the audience that Jimmy actually is a genuine guy and Chuck was mostly just jealous that Jimmy was able to connect with people in a way that he never was. The little moment when Kim tells Jimmy about how anyone who hired him would be lucky to have him is such a sweet and sad moment. That's kind of a comment that you might expect anyone to say in those circumstances, but she says it in such a genuine way because she is really the only person who is clued in to Jimmy's insecurities about his worth. But you can tell by the look on his face that Jimmy doesn't believe her. He thinks that, just like Chuck predicted, he will hurt and drag down anyone who is stupid enough to fall for his ticks and hire him. Jimmy nails that job interview in a totally legitimate way by being excited, happy, and likeable, but Jimmy just can't let himself be anything more than a con man. He hates who he is, and deep down he was hoping that they would call him out on his antics, shut him down, and kick him to the curb just like Chuck might have. But, as usual, everybody loves Jimmy!

Forrest

Milena is right, Kim is in full protect & defend Jimmy mode. She doesn't care about all the bad things he's done. She doesn't care about Howard's feelings. She's single-minded in her support for Jimmy. She also keeps things close to her chest. She was shocked by his "cross to bear" statement and she knows that something is very wrong, but she keeps it to herself. She doesn't get on his case about it. She just quietly observes him, and offers him affection & support instead of poking at him. (I think this is the right way to treat someone who is grieving... in the short term. if it's long term though, open communication is gonna have to happen at some point)

Taya

Kim is the best female character ever written for TV. I don't even think it's close. And it only gets better from here too. That speech was cutting and so well acted.

Camzeee

Well the EMT would also somehow have to know that Hector is part of the cartel. That seems like a very small risk. In BrBa Gus literally has Walter come to his restaurant for their first meeting. That seems far riskier than anything he does in BCS.

Shadoe Price

I think it's important to keep in mind during season 4 that Jimmy hasn't shared with Kim or anyone that Chuck said "You've never mattered all that much too me". I feel like that last conversation has such a heavy impact on Jimmy's state after Chuck's death and Kim as an outside isn't aware of it. Side Note: If you guys finish a show soon I highly recommend reacting to Arcane hahah

Suhhh Dude

Regarding Jimmy's blowup at the copier guys, at first I thought he was projecting his anger over Chuck. But then I was reminded how Jimmy has a disdain for "sheep" like his father, who fall for any song & dance and deserve to be ripped off. He saw the same gullibility in the copier guys and because of that offense, he had no problem deciding to rip off that Hummel from them, maybe something he wouldnt have done had he been hired (traditionally lol). Couldve even been a combination of the two, too lol

Julian San

I might've missed something, but I didn't think he had identified himself or even had contact with any of the EMTs

Serodin

Nacho ran from the evil drug lord and jumped right into the arms of the devil

Danny

it was actually Jesse that told Saul about Hector, so Jesse basically saved Walt's life.

BNJ

Gus seems like a neurotic to me. He's possessed by the desire for revenge for which he's dedicated his entire life to accomplishing. He's practically invincible were it not for his only weakness - Hector. The chink in his armor. I mean, Walter was definitely lucky there as he would've died if Saul didn't tell him about tio.

I think that Lydia is 100% correct here. Mike didn't just do the job of a security consultant, he went to an employee's home, stole his badge from his briefcase, and then tampered with his car. That's not how the job works. And when Mike first went to Gus about laundering his money he mentions just doing a paper transaction. So is this really about Mike strengthening his cover story, or is it because just like Jimmy he can't stay home alone all day with his own thoughts?

Shadoe Price

I think that you can't really choose one character from BB/BCS universe and call them the smartest. There are many flavors of intelligent. For example, when it comes to book smarts, I think that Walter is probably the smartest. He's a literal genius when it comes to chemistry. He's also very quick to come up with solid plans and an expert manipulator under pressure (at least when he's not lying to Skyler, lol). The close second when it comes to being smart academically is probably Chuck - he's another genius. A legendary lawyer. His knowledge and experience when it comes to law is unmatched. I do agree that Gus is the smartest schemer and a genius at logistics. He's also very calm and can control himself very well. A perfect kingpin, his criminal operation was next to flawless. He's excellent at manipulating people and being ten steps ahead of them. He started as a nobody and in the end, wiped an entire cartel. Mike is amazing when it comes to street smarts. He's extremally capable and constantly finds clever ways to outsmart his opponents. A criminal McGyver who always has a plan. Jimmy has both book smarts (he put himself through law school and passed the bar) and street smarts. He has an amazing level of social intelligence, he's very eloquent and a natural showman/salesman. I also think that Kim is one of the smartest characters in the entire BB/BCS universe, but I will keep my reasons to myself. For now.

Nikodem

Which is different from how he's in BB. Even riskier, I would say. I don't know why he was present when the ambulance came to pick up Hector. He should've hid with Bolsa. A keen observer would probably ask, "what's the owner of the friendly chicken joint doing with a cartel mob boss at night?"

Gus is a very hand-on boss. He sweeps up garbage at his restaurant and he murders his competitors by suffocating them with a plastic bag.

BNJ

Lola was spot on. Those guys at the copy shop reminded Jimmy of his dad. Like them, his dad would fall for any grifter's song and dance and give them free handouts. Jimmy always looked down on his father for this and vowed never to be the same so he definitely wouldn't want to work for people like that.

Dante