(no subject)

I'm currently catching up on the Better Call Saul episodes I've missed. I signed up for a free trial of YouTube TV and have two weeks instead of the usual one week to watch... this will leave me having seen 6 episodes, with 4 remaining to be viewed another time (hopefully before the season ends, but what can I do?). I just want to say... ugh... Kim Wexler, man... I love her so much. She is everything to me. She inspires me and captivates me when she's onscreen. Her generally cool demeanor is appealing, but when she gets angry and speaks firmly or yells, telling someone off, telling them that they're not in charge here, SHE is... I love that even more. I want to be that assertive, that defiant. And I love that even though she has the confidence to behave in such a way, her confidence is fragile. She's insecure about her choices. She realizes she might have made a mistake and tries to correct it. I thought it was very telling when, in episode 3, she spilled some of her life story to the man who she'd asked to give up his land- revealing more about herself than she's ever revealed to anyone on the show (at least not that we the audience have seen... but I did get the feeling that she might not have even opened up to Jimmy about these things. I feel like Kim knows so much about Jimmy and he doesn't know much about her, but he probably wants to keep it that way. There's a certain sense of unbalance in their relationship- Kim will drop everything to come to Jimmy's aid, time and time again, but she won't let Jimmy get close enough to help her). And the man believed she was playing him and had made up the story to win him over, and closed the door in her face. But her face before the door closed... This is the most vulnerable she's been with anyone, the most open and forthcoming, and it must have been hard for her, and now this guy doesn't believe her? The last scene between her and Jimmy was also very telling. Both have had long, troublesome days, but they don't talk about it- they behave in an unproductive manner, throwing bottles off the balcony and sharing a cigarette without saying a word, just to avoid the unpleasantness of the working day. When the man called Kim out for being a tool for the Mesa Verde bank, it clearly hit a nerve, and I fear that she's going to do something to jeopardize her job. (I just can't stand that Kim is so unprofessional when it comes to avoiding her job. I understand that she prefers courtroom work but to blow off an engagement she's made to Mesa Verde? I would NEVER do that.)

Jimmy's storyline reminds me SO much of Breaking Bad, and brings back the season 1 BCS vibes that I didn't realize I'd missed. Hank and Gomez were a nice surprise- I love how Hank immediately saw through Jimmy's preferred moniker. "S'all good, man!" Mike's storyline is really intriguing and maybe even better than last season so far- I would have never expected him to yell at his granddaughter, and the scene of him in the bar spoke volumes about where he is mentally. I idn't realize how far he had to fall to become the same man we meet in Breaking Bad, and it hurts knowing that he's not going to be redeemed. As for Nacho... I can never seem to keep his storyline straight from previous seasons, but man he's got himself in a bind right now, informing on Lalo while trying to earn his trust... I have no idea where he's going to end up.

(no subject)

I'm fully caught up on Better Call Saul now (episode 5, halfway through the season), and. Hm. Some things to note:

-The scene with Kim doing an impression of her boss while Jimmy did an impression of her was hysterical. I feel like Kim rarely gets in on the humorous aspects of the show, so it was great to see her do comedy for a second. If she refined that accent, she could absolutely be Sadie Adler from Red Dead 2 (she is in my dream cast anyway). Also, the fact that Jimmy got turned on by that was just great. Kim is a gal after all our hearts.

-Speaking of which, I really loved the intimacy and vulnerability of the scene in episode 4 where Jimmy and Kim are lying naked in bed together. Just the fact that they showed Jimmy fully naked while Kim was covered by the sheets as if she'd stolen them in the night, resting her hand on him as they slept... It was so much more realistic than the stupid "woman wearing a bra and man in his underwear" thing that shows usually use to portray couples post-sex. It wasn't gratuitous or exploitative at all, it was purely realistic.

-I was SO excited when I saw Steven Ogg was starring in the fifth episode, and even though he was only in one scene it was nice to see him (although I found it strange that they brought that character back... it was a role that I felt any criminal character could have filled). I thought Jimmy's remark that he'd hired him from "the same place I found Huell" was hilarious, and I also got a kick out of how quietly he was speaking- maybe Mike's blow to his throat permanently damaged his windpipe. (Although he seemed to be speaking normally by the end of their conversation, so maybe he was just trying to be quiet for fear of being overheard. If that wasn't to imply he'd suffered permanent damage, then I wish that he had spoken with gusto like in the season 1, or was it 2, scene featuring him. I just love Steven Ogg being over the top and explosive.) Love how Kim was immediately skeeved out upon meeting him, too.

-I wish Gus would be a little more vulnerable and human sometimes. When he was taking to Mike by the memorial fountain at the end of episode 5, I almost wished he'd open up about Max. Also, there is absolutely no reason why his relationship with Max can't be explicitly spelled out. I fully believe the two were lovers, and the showrunners have even said that one can interpret the relationship romantically.

-I feel like there are some weird out of character moments in this season so far. Like, I didn't think Mike would ever yell at Kaylee (though I also thought that was an intriguing look at how PTSD affects someone), and Saul chucking bowling balls at Howard's car felt extremely mean-spirited and petty- although, this is the same guy who took a shit through someone's car sunroof as a form of revenge, so... Anyway, the out of character moments made me appreciate Hank and Gomez's appearance so much, because they were written so perfectly, it was like Breaking Bad never ended. I hope they appear again in the next few episodes. I also feel like any mention of Walter would be gratuitous fanservice, but at the same time, I'm really interested to hear what Hank thinks about Walter and Skyler, since we never got many scenes in Breaking Bad where he mentioned them that they weren't in.