Blue M. Hart

Hello, it’s morning and I spent the night waking up randomly just to think about Nacho Varga…

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I just rewatched the Better Call Saul episode "Bagman" and have these thoughts:

1. I would watch the SHIT out a Vince Gilligan-directed action movie. El Camino was not enough. That scene where the car flips off the road behind Saul... *chef's kiss*

2. Better Call Saul, AKA "If Only They Had Gone To Therapy: The Show."

Fall: ...and fall Kim does, asleep that is, leading to her car crash... and fall Irene does in the good standing of her friends. This is the only time in my rewatch when I've truly wanted to skip to the next scene, because the way Jimmy USES this poor old woman, just because he wants a cut of the deal, breaks my heart. I could hardly watch it the first time! I will say, as soon as I saw his sneakers, I did think "oh my GOD those look comfy af," and I laughed at him pulling out her exact size from among thousands of other boxes in his trunk- just how much money did he have to blow to make sure his scheme went off without a hitch? But the scheme itself... god... This isn't the first truly deplorable act that Jimmy has done- that would be gaslighting his brother into thinking he'd made a mistake with the Mesa Verde documents. But I still rooted for him then, because Chuck is a stuck-up prick and it felt like sticking it to him, plus Jimmy's intent behind it was to help Kim. This time, however, he isolated this poor lady from her friends and convinced them to turn on her just because it benefited him, because it was HIS money and he wanted it NOW. It was actually very satisfying to see Howard call Jimmy out on that- he's so precise and controlled most of the time that his anger was refreshing, especially since Jimmy well deserved it. Howard in general was great in this episode- I laughed when he assumed Chuck's letter was announcing his retirement and asked his assistant to plan the party, then he actually read the letter and his face just DROPPED. "Dammit, Chuck" was so perfect for that moment. As soon as I saw the letter I thought "Oh no, I bet Chuck's gone off the deep end and he's going to sue Howard." Next scene: "You're suing your own firm?!" I noticed Chuck and Kim are both overextending themselves to their detriment in this episode. Chuck, thinking so highly of himself, assumes that if he's made progress with his condition, he must be cured all the way, and so he forces himself into situations that he's not truly ready for. Kim, on the other hand, is practically driving herself into an early grave (almost literally!) due to a combination of pressure to look good for Mesa Verde, and guilt over what she did to Chuck, and determination to keep the firm afloat and pay for the office, just like Jimmy wants. The shadows under her eyes spoke for themselves. I will say, though, she looked AMAZING in that desert scene. The suit really flattered her. On a final note, Nacho and his dad reminded me of something... but I'm not sure what. Need to think. And... I realized in his penultimate episode that the reason Michael McKean's acting in this series is so good, is that it doesn't feel like he's acting. I've seen interviews with him and he talks almost exactly like Chuck sometimes, though he certainly doesn't say the same things Chuck says!

Lantern: I just finished watching this episode and I am Shook so it might be hard for me to formulate thoughts into words. I'll edit this post later with some more relevant/coherent thoughts. All I can say is... WOW the scenes with Chuck are every bit as powerful as I remember, I think they could be spliced together to make a short film. The music especially is PERFECT. It angers me and saddens me simultaneously to think that all he needed to do was talk to his doctor, but of course he never would rely on her counsel, he's a prideful man and he wants to figure out his own problems. Kim Wexler getting some R&R... we love to see it. Thank god Jimmy made things right for Irene, but he also made things EPICALLY wrong for himself- burned down every bridge entirely. He's really running up that hill right about now. And I honestly think Gus saving Hector is one of my favorite moments in the whole show, because of COURSE he would do that. He can't let Hector slip away when he's not the one to cause it. I really want to know what he was saying when he gave him chest compressions... was it "don't you die on me" in Spanish, or something like that?

This episode just straight up depresses me, until the very last scene. Jimmy's going through it, man. Interesting to compare his sad little post-community service self-care routine, with Kim's morning routine as she gets ready for the day. Both are at the end of their rope, working so hard... and for what? I'm dreading seeing what happens to Kim in a few episodes' time, and as for Jimmy... My god, if I didn't know his little crocodile tears moment at the end was all a ploy to punish Chuck (there is no way in HELL he ever would have said "I pretend not to care, but I do" because he does NOT care about Chuck at this point), that would have really hit hard. Poor dude is losing money like crazy. Have I mentioned before that Jimmy is the king of fucking himself over? Because he really, really is. And I feel like he might have some mental issues just like Chuck- not to Chuck's extent, but the way he starts to slip in the bar while he and Kim are people-watching, and his complicated love-hate relationship with Chuck... it all adds up. Y'know, I feel like I might end up writing a fic after I complete my rewatch, just to delve into Jimmy's psyche.

Can't BELIEVE Pryce is back. Ugh. Although I cracked up at one his lines, when he asked if Nacho was here to steal his baseball cards. Mike's subplot here was very strange- I don't see the point of it so far. His interaction with Anita... something about it felt so uncomfortable, but I can't put my finger on it. And I still have no idea what to make of Kaylee's mother.

That 5 minute nap Kim took in her car... I've been there, and I HATE it. Her guilt over what she and Jimmy did to Chuck also shapes her character significantly- I need to look out for that in the upcoming season.

The moment with the makeup girl trying to give her money to Jimmy got me emotional. Someone help this man, he won't help himself.

*clears throat*

YOU THINK THIS IS BAD? THIS- THIS CHICANERY?

HE DEFECATED THROUGH A SUNROOF!

AND HE GETS TO BE A LAWYER? WHAT A SICK JOKE!

Even if this episode wasn't a fantastic one, it would certainly be memorable JUST for the memes it's provided. Though the memes really haven't extended past the BCS fandom, but nonetheless... Just call it Chuckposting.

There's a reason that speech is so quoted, though- it's delivered so well! And the camerawork is so good, man... you hardly even notice the slow zoom until the camera is right up against Chuck's face, demonstrating just how absorbed he is in his own world, how obsessed this feud with Jimmy has made him. You love the law so much, Chuck? Why don't you marry it?

(Speaking of Chuck & marriage, I still don't understand why Jimmy invited Rebecca to the hearing. My first thought was to humiliate him, but I don't think Kim would have been on board if that was the reason.)

Also, hey, this episode had no interference from Mike's storyline whatsoever! I must say I'm happy about that.

Ever notice how the fifth episode of each season opens with a flashback (or, in season 5's case, a flashforward)? And every premiere opens with a flashforward, and every finale opens with a flashback.

Fuck Chuck. Couldn't let Jimmy share a nice childhood memory for two seconds before reminding him how much he resents him. Where's Gus? For that matter, where's Nacho? I'm getting impatient. Mike's storyline is only interesting to me when those two are involved. Kim's character is developing beautifully- this season was the one where I felt genuinely scared for her the most. I think Los Pollos Hermanos comes back in the next episode, so I better be prepared to feel hungry.

For those who aren't aware, I've begun my Better Call Saul rewatch and have been regularly blogging it on Tumblr. Now that the weekend is over, my blogging shall proceed here. I didn't review last night's episode because I was falling asleep during it, so here are two writeups to make up for it.

Inflatable: I'm left wondering what Kim's life was like before BCS. She says she came from a tiny Midwestern town, and with the way her life was headed before she decided to go to law school, she would have ended up as a cashier at a supermarket or married to the guy who ran the gas station. In a flashback scene, she's shown being treated unfairly by her careless mother, and in another scene she admits that she and her mother moved around a lot because they got evicted frequently. What I want to know is, did she ever commit crimes? Did she pull scams like Jimmy did and is that why she loves what she does with Jimmy? I think that aspect of her character feels odd throughout this season because it was only hinted at once in the first season, so that would go a long way in explaining it. Anyway, Kim makes me want to wrap my arms around her and just... cover her face in kisses. She's GORGEOUS. And Rhea Seehorn is a masterful actress. Her silence speaks louder than anything. The other standout aspects of this episode were the "inflatable" montage- I actually ended up hating Jimmy so much, whereas the first time I saw it I think I was more amused than cringing. I know he only took the job because he thought he'd have a better chance with Kim if he did, and it was never going to work out for him. But YIKES, man. I feel so sorry for Cliff, who really is a good guy. And Jimmy really is an asshole. (Speaking of good guys, Omar is the BEST. I wish we'd seen more of him later, I can't remember how much of a presence he ends up having.) Honestly, though, I understand that Jimmy leaving Davis and Main is pretty much in line with his entire character, starting from when he was a kid stealing out of the till. He just can't stop himself- if people have low expectations of him, he'll meet them, because he doesn't think he can do any better. When the grifter told him "there are wolves and sheep in this world, decide which one you're gonna be," he thinks FINE... my dad is a sheep, and I don't ever want to end up like him... so let me be a wolf if that's the only other way. (I also want to believe he stole the four dollars back because he believed his father didn't deserve that dirty money, but idk.) Speaking of the grifter, I was so shocked to learn that was Stephen Snedden- AKA, Jimmy Bond from The Lone Gunmen! Looks like Michael McKean wasn't the only TLG actor whose number Vince Gilligan hung onto after the show wrapped. Also... he's straight up hot now... Dude was always fine, but he aged VERY well.

Fifi: The last two episodes were missing Mr. McKean something bad. (I love the man, also his performance as Chuck is OUTSTANDING, almost as good as Ms. Seehorn as Kim.) So I was very satisfied with the office meeting scene where Chuck uses his classic passive-aggressiveness to win back his client. The whole time I was going "oh NO" because it meant Kim was losing her client, and "oh my god oh my god oh my GOD" because the acting was SO GOOD! I feel like I lost my entire mind over that. I'm not sure what to think of Chuck's statement at the end- when he thanks Jimmy for spending the night and says he would've done the same were their positions reversed. I think that's true... I want to believe it... because I think Chuck loves Jimmy as a brother and hates him as a lawyer... but WHEN does Chuck ever SHOW that he cares about Jimmy?? WHEN?! Besides that... the only thing that really stood out to me here was that Mike's subplot this season is boring AF. I can't wait until Gus shows up next season. He improves the entire story with his mere presence. Love that evil man. I will say about Mike's story, though, it's always adorable to watch him and Kaylee together. Hope Kaylee never grew up to realize what she was actually helping him make that day. I also can't wait to get more Nacho (next season is when his story really amps up, I think). Lastly, Jimmy's document switch is the first truly awful action he takes in this series, and although I don't like Chuck, this never sat right with me.

I just thought, you know what I want to see? I want to see Mike Ermantraut (no idea if I spelled that right) meeting Kim Wexler. I feel like he would really respect her, but probably also have a few words of wisdom for her.

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.

AND SHIT IS GOING DOWN. The train finally crashed, Jimmy & Kim are done, and it's all because of Chuck, sticking it to Jimmy even from beyond the grave... (Sort of, I might explain what happened later.) It was actually a little relieving to see them fight, because I didn't realize until then just how badly the tension between them had been building. God this season has been a MASTERPIECE in storytelling so far. I have somewhere to be in a few minutes but I absolutely NEED to watch the next episode.

I wasn't expecting to see the origin of Hector's bell, though I like it- very chilling but suited to his character. Loved Lalo's comment, "He's just like the old Hector, wants to kill everyone!" I also wasn't expecting that the origin of the methmaking superlab would be such a huge subplot this season, and I'm honestly questioning why it's even relevant- I would have preferred something based around Lydia and Madrigal Electromotive, but I'll take what I get. (In a way it still is based around Madrigal Electromotive and it explains why they had support from Germans, I guess.)

Calling two things now: The Salamancas discover that Nacho is informing on them to Gus and murder him in response (which is why he doesn't appear in Breaking Bad), and Werner doesn't have a wife/his wife is in on it and they used codewords in their conversation. Something about the way he acted when Mike brought up his wife in the bar tipped me off. Plus I didn't trust him when he said that he wanted Kai to take over for him, and insisted on keeping him around. (Side note, Kai reminds me so much of my OC Damon Lassiter from my Kingsman fic Prelude to Knighthood, it's a little weird. Also, that reminds me- rewatching Breaking Bad, I realized that Walt and Jesse remind me of Dutch and Arthur from Red Dead, who reminded me of Basil and Harry from my aforementioned fic... it goes so deep!)

This show is definitely the best one I've seen since... well... Breaking Bad. But I mean that in terms of the quality of its storytelling and its acting/cinematography, not in terms of how fond I am of it. (In that case, I haven't seen any show I've loved as much as Twin Peaks, which I watched after I saw Breaking Bad- the original series, fuck the revival.)