I thought that happened after Mike’s comment on Lydia. I must have seen the episodes out of order on the original run (which is odd, because I’m pretty sure we watched S1-4 on Netflix), because I distinctly remember thinking ‘there has to be a story behind this’ when I heard the statement.
I recently watched the Better Call Saul episode of Breaking Bad and it was interesting in light of four seasons of this show. I think Jimmy/Saul is about to go through some dark, dark shit to fully become Saul Goodman. The Jimmy McGill we know wouldn’t casually and repeatedly advise killing Badger as the most logical solution. Something bad is coming and the most obvious casualty is Kim.
We lay-people react with our guts, not our heads, we’re conditioned too well from countless similar scenes that almost always end with an explosion. Clever Gilligan was playing on this. The scene was so intense that I actually held my breath… and could’ve sworn that somebody else was down there, gasping. It seemed that Werner thought so too, peeking around corners … turns out it was only him.
No, we first see Lydia among the other Madrigal officials in the episode Madrigal when Gus’s relationship with the company is being investigated after he is killed. Then she meets Gus at his diner, where she exasperates him with her efforts to be secretive which just attract more attention to them. He refuses to consider eliminating his guys, as she suggests. Later in the same episode, he discovers she’s offered Chris $30,000 to whack him.
I wouldn’t say Jimmy knocked it out of the park; his little lecture on constitutional law (in response to the “how have you been keeping up with the field” question) seemed rehearsed and painfully phony to me. I could imagine it pinging the board members’ bullshit detectors.
My take on that scene is that the board wanted some assurance that Jimmy’s document forgery was purely the result of his dysfunctional relationship with Chuck, and not a symptom of general ethical impairment. His refusal to mention Chuck denied them that assurance. Sure, he firmly said “it will never happen again,” but he sidestepped every opportunity to address why it happened in the first place.
He should have said something like, “My lousy relationship with my brother, and his animosity toward me, sent me into some dark places. Now that he has passed on, I’ve gotten some perspective, and I don’t recognize the person I was then,” etc., etc. Sure, it would have been bullshit, but it would be the bullshit the board needed to hear.
I think they also wanted him to mention the name of the victim of the crime he’s claiming to be remorseful for. It’s hard to believe that he’s really repentant if he won’t even say the victim’s name. It’s easy for a viewer to look at this as the end of a long-running feud where both sides have treated the other badly, but that’s not what the panel sees. And it’s easy for a viewer rooting for Jimmy to ignore that the panel is actually correct in finding him insincere, that while he regrets losing his temper and getting in trouble, he really thinks that he was in the right in what he did to Chuck.
Also his ‘go land crabs’ answer was just a complete and utter failure.
While it is obviously rehearsed, it’s actually a fairly realistic depiction of how lawyers would talk about a recent precedent which they just read about and have not had occcasion to use, especially if it’s not an area they have recently dealt with
General overview, boilerplate talk of the main features of this area and how the case dealt with them.
Season Finale Tonight, S4 E10 Winner
Jimmy turns the page on his reputation; Lalo tracks a loose end in Gus’ operation; Mike is forced to make a difficult decision.
Will there be a Gene scene with the season finale? Or is that only on the first episode of the season? I forget.
I think it would be too predictable to have Mike kill Werner. I’m hoping the “difficult decision” isn’t exactly as simple as “kill him or don’t kill him”, I hope there is more nuance to it.
I’ve said it every season and been wrong, but: I predict we’ll see ASAC Hank Schrader tonight!!!
He will, sometime in the next few seasons or so. 
I really do like this show but am I a cretan for saying WTF about Saul not being a lawyer for at least another year?
I understand why the board dinged him, it’s not that. I wondered during the scene, don’t they know (of the famous lawyer) Chuck McGill, including what finally happened to him, aren’t they going to be put off that Jimmy won’t even mention the name of the victim of his crime given that? I guess they were.
I’m sure the show will continue to be worth watching as it meanders on. But wow. And after a brief speed up sequence (in calendar time) earlier this season.
I’m about to watch the finale, but my prediction is that Jimmy does get reinstated. Guess we’ll see if I’m right in the next hour or so
'sall good, man.
After the scene of him crying in the car, Jimmy had me fooled alongside Kim. I really thought he was being sincere during his speech.
Maybe part if him was. But just as quickly he wants to divorce himself if any feelings of tenderness toward his brother. I guess he was burned that badly.
Well at least you’re consistent!
Who paid for the library? Does Jimmy have that much money from selling phones?
I think he was sincere at the hearing. The “look at those suckers take the bait” afterwards was the insincere part. As is, probably, his entire tenure as Saul Goodman. Gene at least seems to be back to a normally emotive human, if miserable.
I thought Jimmy would have at least kept up the act until he was out of the building though. I cringed the whole time he was talking about the panel eating it up, hook, line and sinker while he was mere steps away from them in the hall.
Here’s Peter Gould, breaking down the writing process a bit, by explaining how they got Huell out of his predicament.
“If we can’t figure out how the characters are going to deal with this problem, then maybe the audience can’t either.” I always thought these shows with multi-season story arcs had to have some well-planned outline ahead of time, but it really does seem like Vince and Peter are winging it. I’m surprised at how good a show can be made that way.