# Better Call Saul 2.03 "Amarillo" 2/29/16 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505 "2016-02-29T15:09:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/81 "2016-03-03T21:51:26Z")
From the insider podcast, re what is motivating Mike’s daughter-in-law: Kelley Dixon, the host of the podcast and an editor on the show, had basically the same question we have… was she faking it, was she deluded, etc. She asked Vince Gilligan, and he avoided the question. Obviously a non-answer, but at least it means they’re aware of the ambiguity… it’s not like they thought they were making it clear that she was lying, and we all just missed it, or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/82 "2016-03-03T23:41:47Z")
I hope that Michael McKean gets an award out of this show. He’s always been a good comedic actor, even when he was Lenny, but his dramatic talents are a revelation. He’s brilliant as Chuck. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/83 "2016-03-04T00:15:24Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Although I have no idea how they arrived at this date, the [BB Wikia](http://breakingbad.wikia.com/wiki/Jesse_Pinkman) lists a specific birthdate for Jesse as 9/24/89. That would make him only 19 in '08 when the series started, but they also list his “age” as “27 (at the end of the main series)”. The text also says “In his mid-20s, Jesse became Walt’s business partner in the meth trade.” > > So there’s a bit of discrepancy there, but it would put him somewhere between 13-18 in our current BCS timeline in '03. Wow, sure that’s not a typo? Aaron Paul was born in '79, and I always thought Jesse was closer to my age (1982) than my little sister’s age ('89). Actors are always playing wildly different ages than their own, though, so I shouldn’t be too surprised. Was there any clue at all during Breaking Bad to Jesse’s age? Besides just “pretty young compared to Walter”? I’m wondering where the Wiki got that birth date. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/84 "2016-03-04T00:52:52Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Wow, sure that’s not a typo? Aaron Paul was born in '79, and I always thought Jesse was closer to my age (1982) than my little sister’s age ('89). Actors are always playing wildly different ages than their own, though, so I shouldn’t be too surprised. Was there any clue at all during Breaking Bad to Jesse’s age? Besides just “pretty young compared to Walter”? I’m wondering where the Wiki got that birth date. Definitely not a typo. I got the impression at the beginning that Jesse had not been out of high school long at all, so ~19 at the start makes sense. I looked a little deeper in the Wiki and they mention that: > [@Wikia](#): > > Jesse is 5’ 7" according to his mugshot. Gus’s doctor says that Jesse has A- blood type, is 25 years old, 70 kg (154 lbs), 180 cm (5’11"), and is allergic to erythromycin (a common antibiotic) (“Crawl Space”). “Crawl Space” is S04E11. I believe there was supposed to be a 2 year gap in the show’s timeline between S3 and S4 (and possibly more time between the first and second half of S5?), which explains how he supposedly ends up being 27 at the end, and no older than 20 at the beginning. The numbers are still slightly fuzzy without knowing the exact timeline (if it was ever even established), and I still can’t find the cite for how they got that exact birthdate, but it roughly adds up. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/85 "2016-03-04T01:34:43Z")
OK even weirder, [Wikipedia’s entry on Jesse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Pinkman) gives a specific b-day of 9/14/84, and in fact has the same opening line about him but with a different date: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Jesse was born on September 14, 1984 into an upper middle-class family in Albuquerque, New Mexico. > [@Wikia](#): > > Jesse Bruce Pinkman was born on September 14th, 1989 into an upper middle-class family in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Very strange, since neither gives a specific citation for that info. Also, the body text and the little summary blurb are in direct conflict on Wikia, since the summary says Sep. 24th rather than the 14th. I did check the episode “Crawl Space”, and there’s a shot where there’s a [shelf with labeled blood packs](http://i.imgur.com/q9ZCOP9.jpg) for Gus, Mike, and Jesse, but I can’t make out any DOB. A few seconds later he picks up one of his own blood packs and on the flip side there’s a bigger label with even more info, but at least to me it’s impossible to read anything besides A negative. Anyway, we can assume he was born somewhere between the dates given from '84-'89. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/86 "2016-03-04T02:18:15Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I wondered if the Hummer driver might be who Nacho wants taken out. Seems like overkill. You could threaten him and he’d likely leave the state and shut up for life. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/87 "2016-03-04T02:43:41Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Definitely not a typo. I got the impression at the beginning that Jesse had not been out of high school long at all, so ~19 at the start makes sense. I looked a little deeper in the Wiki and they mention that: > > “Crawl Space” is S04E11. I believe there was supposed to be a 2 year gap in the show’s timeline between S3 and S4 (and possibly more time between the first and second half of S5?), which explains how he supposedly ends up being 27 at the end, and no older than 20 at the beginning. > > The numbers are still slightly fuzzy without knowing the exact timeline (if it was ever even established), and I still can’t find the cite for how they got that exact birthdate, but it roughly adds up. Walter was turning 50 in S1 premier. He was turning 52 when he came back to New Mexico from New Hampshire at the end of S5. Two years. Re: Jessie’s age and Mike’s granddaughter. It’s really not that important. Obsessing over minutiae. What ever happened to “suspension of disbelief”? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/88 "2016-03-04T02:51:42Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Re: Jessie’s age and Mike’s granddaughter. It’s really not that important. Obsessing over minutiae. What ever happened to “suspension of disbelief”? I agree - just got curious after seeing the oddly specific birthdate and then later, the discrepancy between Wiki and Wikia. I think somebody probably tried to read the label off the blood pack in that episode to come up with the date and possibly misread it. The doctor definitely says in his dialogue that Jesse is 25 at that point, though. Ultimately though no, it doesn’t really matter. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/89 "2016-03-04T07:28:39Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I hope that Michael McKean gets an award out of this show. He’s always been a good comedic actor, even when he was Lenny, but his dramatic talents are a revelation. He’s brilliant as Chuck. And lest we forget David St. Hubbins in Spinal Tap. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/90 "2016-03-04T07:32:10Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Walter was turning 50 in S1 premier. He was turning 52 when he came back to New Mexico from New Hampshire at the end of S5. Two years. > > Re: Jessie’s age and Mike’s granddaughter. It’s really not that important. Obsessing over minutiae. What ever happened to “suspension of disbelief”? Hey, I’m impressed with all the research, man! ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/91 "2016-03-04T15:35:10Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > And lest we forget David St. Hubbins in Spinal Tap. I love Michael McKean, and this is not sarcastic in the least : I thought he was fantastic in the movie “Clue” with Tim Curry and Leslie Ann Warren. He played a nervous, accident prone, bumbling idiot kind of guy until the very end : Until it was revealed that he worked for the FBI and wasn’t really gay ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/92 "2016-03-04T16:30:46Z")
Well, Jesse died in Colorado at age 29 in 2014 after the legalization of marijuana: [Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado On First Day of Legalization](Crime Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado On First Day of Legalization Jan 02, 2014) Jan 02, 2014 > [@](#): > > One of the those victims was 29-year-old Jesse Bruce Pinkman, a former methamphetamine dealer from Albuquerque who had recently moved to Boulder to establish a legal marijuana dispensary. > > Pinkman was partying with friends when he suffered several seizures and a massive heart attack which ultimately proved to be fatal. Toxicology reports revealed that marijuana was the only drug present in his system. > > “This is just a terrible tragedy,” says his friend Peter. “Jesse was trying to go legit and now this happens? I guess drugs really are as dangerous as they say.” The police chief of Annapolis, MD actually cited this article to the State legislature: [Like, wow: Police chief hoaxed on pot perils](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/like-wow-police-chief-is-hoaxed-on-pot-perils/2014/02/25/42bd0592-9e94-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html) > [@](#): > > Annapolis Police Chief Michael A. Pristoop thought he came prepared when he testified before a Maryland state Senate panel on Tuesday about the perils of legalizing marijuana. > > In researching his testimony against two bills before the Judicial Proceedings Committee, Pristoop said, he had found a news article to illustrate the risks of legalization: 37 people in Colorado, he said, had died of marijuana oversdoses on the very day that the state legalized pot. > > “When he said it, everyone in the room dropped their laptops,” Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery) said in an e-mail. > > Trouble is, the facts were about as close to the truth as oregano is to pot. After a quick Google search on his laptop, Raskin — the sponsor of the legalization bill that was the subject of the Senate hearing — advised the chief that the Colorado overdose story, despite its deadpan delivery, had been made up for laughs by The Daily Currant, an online comedy magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/93 "2016-03-04T18:44:23Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Well, Jesse died in Colorado at age 29 in 2014 after the legalization of marijuana: > > [Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado On First Day of Legalization](Crime Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado On First Day of Legalization Jan 02, 2014) > > Jan 02, 2014 > > The police chief of Annapolis, MD actually cited this article to the State legislature: > > [Like, wow: Police chief hoaxed on pot perils](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/like-wow-police-chief-is-hoaxed-on-pot-perils/2014/02/25/42bd0592-9e94-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html) Never let the facts get in the way of a good story! ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/94 "2016-03-08T21:31:15Z")
Part of what I like about the show is that James McGill really isn’t Saul Goodman at the time of the show. He was Slippin’ Jimmy and keeps slippin’ (pun intended) back into that role a bit, but he’s definitely got a moral compass. It may not always point right, but he really seems to care about a certain brand of justice - putting in a ton of effort for those $700 public defender checks isn’t required, he seems to really care about the Sandpiper residents, and of course returning the county money from the Kettlemans. He has no problem ripping off the obnoxious rich guy or faking evidence to get Hummer guy out of trouble, but there’s a clear logic to those being OK to him (rich guy is an asshole who needs some cumuppance, no one’s getting hurt by Hummer guy). But we can see how his attempts to be mostly legit keep blowing up, and him losing more and more patience with not being a con man. > [@hajario](#): > > Chuck isn’t even that bad. He knew, and he was completely correct, that Jimmy would cut corners and be an embarrassment per the fancy law firm culture. He’s being kind of a dick about it and we all like Jimmy but he is right. I don’t agree - Jimmy idolizes Chuck, and put in a lot of work to become an actual lawyer. He didn’t just get a fake cert, he did correspondence courses and passed the bar while holding down a regular job and not making a living from scamming. That took some serious time and effort over the course of years, that wasn’t just a one-time quick thing. And Jimmy clearly shows a talent for law and unusual thinking, like the way he got into elder’s heads. Jimmy with Chuck helping him reign in the scam side and learn what’s not OK could be great, and he wouldn’t really need to understand being legit to do it, he could just follow Chuck’s lead. I think Chuck has pretty much set Jimmy up to fail - he saved him from the charges in Chicago, got him started leading a legit life, but artificially kept him from succeeding while keeping the interference secret. IMO if Chuck had bailed Jimmy out of Chicago and gotten him a job, but then told him essentially ‘you’re on your own’, or at least been honest about him working at the law firm, we would not be looking at Saul Goodman - we’d be looking at Elder Law guy who breaks rules he can get away with, and scams expensive tequila from rich jackasses for fun. It’s the betrayal by his brother that seems to be really pushing him to the _criminal_ lawyer business. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/95 "2016-03-09T02:38:46Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I think Chuck has pretty much set Jimmy up to fail… It’s the betrayal by his brother that seems to be really pushing him to the _criminal_ lawyer business. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/96 "2016-03-09T03:09:50Z")
I haven’t seen the next episode, “Gloves,” yet so I don’t know what new light it sheds on Chuck’s character. I did think it was interesting that this episode showed (again, I suppose) that Chuck isn’t wrong about Jimmy. He most certainly did set Jimmy up to fail on many occasions, but he also knows his brother. The problem is that he doesn’t _want_ to be wrong about Jimmy. His greatest fear is not that Jimmy will embarrass him or ruin the case against Sandpiper or discredit the law firm, but that he _won’t._ So instead of helping Jimmy change, he undermines him and sabotages him just for the satisfaction of being proven right about what a loser his brother is. ---
**Author:** ![soonerblue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soonerblue/32/3302_2.png) [@soonerblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soonerblue)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/97 "2016-03-09T11:54:57Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > I haven’t seen the next episode, “Gloves,” yet so I don’t know what new light it sheds on Chuck’s character. I did think it was interesting that this episode showed (again, I suppose) that Chuck isn’t wrong about Jimmy. He most certainly did set Jimmy up to fail on many occasions, but he also knows his brother. The problem is that he doesn’t _want_ to be wrong about Jimmy. His greatest fear is not that Jimmy will embarrass him or ruin the case against Sandpiper or discredit the law firm, but that he _won’t._ So instead of helping Jimmy change, he undermines him and sabotages him just for the satisfaction of being proven right about what a loser his brother is. Exactly. Anyone figure out who Rebecca Bois is? The name on the sheet music that Chuck gently brushed with his finger? ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/98 "2016-03-09T15:13:23Z")
> [@soonerblue](#): > > The thing is, Jimmy is truly a good lawyer, and works his heart out for who ever hires him. In the beginning of Season #1 when he was a public defender, remember how he chased that prosecuter down hallways and up stairs, pleading to make a deal for his client, and all the guy would say was “Petty with a prior.” Jimmy would say, “Come on. Meet me halfway.” … “Petty with a prior.” … “Petty with a prior.” Working hard for 700 bucks a shot. > > Remember what he said to the Kettlemans last season - that if they hired him he would be there for them 24/7. “What are you gonna get from me that you’re not gonna get from those other guys? Passion, commitment.” > > And look how hard he worked for the elders, dumpster diving to build a case against Sandpiper. > > He just takes creative shortcuts to get to the same place, dances right at the edge of gaming the system … maybe because it’s more fun, or maybe like you said, he thinks he can talk his way out of trouble if his results are spectacular. I have to say, if I were in legal trouble, I probably would call Saul. Wouldn’t hurt to have Mike as your attorney’s investigator, either… ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/99 "2016-03-26T17:41:17Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Which means Jesse Pinkman would have been at best in junior high, and Kaylee wouldn’t have existed yet in the BCS universe. > [@Casey1505](#): > > Walter was turning 50 in S1 premier. He was turning 52 when he came back to New Mexico from New Hampshire at the end of S5. Two years. > > Re: Jessie’s age and Mike’s granddaughter. It’s really not that important. Obsessing over minutiae. What ever happened to “suspension of disbelief”? Since I’m re-watching _ **“Breaking Bad”** _ Each week on Sundance I finished Season 5, Episode 2, _Madrigal_ today. You know, the episode that opens with Herr Schuler killing himself in the Men’s room. In the timeline of the Series, in this episode, Walt is 51. So we’ve gone about a year and a half into the BB story. In this episode (where Mike talks to Lydia, the first time we meet her in the series, in the same diner that Salamanca meets with Mike in _“Gloves Off”_ ) when Mike is being grilled by the DEA we not only find out that Mike used to be a cop in Philadelphia, but that his granddaughter is 10 years old. So we can guess that Kaylee is at least 8 1/2 years old at the beginning of BB. Because Kaylee looks to be about 4 years old in BCS, I think we have about a window of 4 years prior to BB when all we’re watching happens. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505/100 "2016-03-26T17:45:39Z")
> [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](#): > > So we can guess that Kaylee is at least 8 1/2 years old at the beginning of BB. Because Kaylee looks to be about 4 years old in BCS, I think we have about a window of 4 years prior to BB when all we’re watching happens. BCS is explicitly in '02/'03 and BB starts in '08. The granddaughter’s age doesn’t fit exactly, but that’s how it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-2-03-amarillo-2-29-16/747505.md?page=6)