Better Call Saul finally returns

[LennG]

I thought that was all going to be revealed before the series ends. So He becomes Gene at the end of BB? Not before BB?

 Oh no, Gene is after BB and was the end of Saul Goodman as we know him.

Here is a short blurb on how it all came to be

"In the first half of Breaking Bad season 5, Saul became aware that his partnership with Walt and Jesse was falling apart. Walt intentionally poisoned Brock (Ian Posada), and Jesse's erratic behavior was getting worse. As the dominos continued to fall, Saul's life was put in danger. Not only were all parties turning on each other, but the DEA was closing in on the truth regarding Walt's associates during his time as Heisenberg. For that reason, Saul contacted Ed Galbraith (Robert Forster), aka the "Disappearer," for a new identity. With the chance at a new life, Saul fled to Omaha, Nebraska, and became Gene Takavic. Odenkirk didn't appear in the series finale, but that almost wasn't the case. According to Gilligan's alternate Breaking Bad endings, there was an option featuring Saul's death, but then he asked himself: why bother?"

[Ed Vette]

Oh no, Gene is after BB and was the end of Saul Goodman as we know him.

Here is a short blurb on how it all came to be

"In the first half of Breaking Bad season 5, Saul became aware that his partnership with Walt and Jesse was falling apart. Walt intentionally poisoned Brock (Ian Posada), and Jesse's erratic behavior was getting worse. As the dominos continued to fall, Saul's life was put in danger. Not only were all parties turning on each other, but the DEA was closing in on the truth regarding Walt's associates during his time as Heisenberg. For that reason, Saul contacted Ed Galbraith (Robert Forster), aka the "Disappearer," for a new identity. With the chance at a new life, Saul fled to Omaha, Nebraska, and became Gene Takavic. Odenkirk didn't appear in the series finale, but that almost wasn't the case. According to Gilligan's alternate Breaking Bad endings, there was an option featuring Saul's death, but then he asked himself: why bother?"

Ahh, thank you.

[LennG]

Better Call Saul's Next Episode Is Titled 'Breaking Bad'


https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/better-call-saul-s-next-episode-is-titled-breaking-bad/ar-AA104XZl?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9db827d5d8304ecfbf94045106daffce

[LennG]

Well, there you go, the return (sort of) of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman to BCS. I was very disappointed that we see them in a flashback instead of the modern-day Saul, who seems to have vanished. I was hoping the connection would be made between the modern-day Saul and when Walter White and Jesse Pinkman came into his life. But, instead, we get the modern-day Gene reminiscing about the 'good old days of Saul Goodman.

Anyway, the episode was, as usual, superb. Gene seems to have lost a bit of money when he contacts a former employee and is told most of it is gone. So he springs into action with a new, ingenious, plan. I would assume this is the new Saul, oh, I mean Gene. I just loved the part with the quarters and how he wanted to continue the call as he just put a couple of quarters in the phone.
 

We did discover that Kim is alive and well, and does inquire about Jimmy/Saul/Gene. We also learned Huell is well and several others who were part of the world of Saul Goodman, are still out there.

Two more episodes left

[Ed Vette]

Well, there you go, the return (sort of) of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman to BCS. I was very disappointed that we see them in a flashback instead of the modern-day Saul, who seems to have vanished. I was hoping the connection would be made between the modern-day Saul and when Walter White and Jesse Pinkman came into his life. But, instead, we get the modern-day Gene reminiscing about the 'good old days of Saul Goodman.

Anyway, the episode was, as usual, superb. Gene seems to have lost a bit of money when he contacts a former employee and is told most of it is gone. So he springs into action with a new, ingenious, plan. I would assume this is the new Saul, oh, I mean Gene. I just loved the part with the quarters and how he wanted to continue the call as he just put a couple of quarters in the phone.
 

We did discover that Kim is alive and well, and does inquire about Jimmy/Saul/Gene. We also learned Huell is well and several others who were part of the world of Saul Goodman, are still out there.

Two more episodes left

Something happened in that call to set him off in anger and frustration.
It lead to him going back to scamming. He has money so it's not about that. I even wonder if the person on the phone either wouldn't let him talk to Kim because she didn't want to or maybe she's dead or committed suicide. I dislike this slimeball character as I did Walter White and the viewers are all hoping somehow they will redeem themselves. There was at least integrity in Gus and Mike even though Gus was a sociopath and Mike justified it as his job and the business. When Todd killed that kid, Mike and Jesse were deeply disturbed so they at least had a faint scent of a moral compass. Just as Negan justified what he did and had remorse and regret upon reflection years later. "Nobody thinks they're the bad guy".

[LennG]

 I'm not going to go back and rewatch, but I thought the lady told Gene that the money he had stashed, something like $500Gs, was given back or turned over to the police.

Why do you think Gene has money? I just never got that impression.

In your post, were you saying that Walter White was the slimeball, Pinkman?

Jesse maybe, he really was, but Walter, even though he turned to the dark side, was doing whatever he was doing, for his family, so when he passed they would be taken care of. I don't believe he ever really was in it for money for himself.

[Ed Vette]

I'm not going to go back and rewatch, but I thought the lady told Gene that the money he had stashed, something like $500Gs, was given back or turned over to the police.

Why do you think Gene has money? I just never got that impression.

In your post, were you saying that Walter White was the slimeball, Pinkman?

Jesse maybe, he really was, but Walter, even though he turned to the dark side, was doing whatever he was doing, for his family, so when he passed they would be taken care of. I don't believe he ever really was in it for money for himself.

In his call with his former assistant she mentioned the money he took with him and suggested it was a lot. He said nothing.

Walter was not in it for his family. His motivation was all about him taking 5K and walking away from a multibillion dollar enterprise. He even said it at the end that it was the power and glory and it was all about him. He was going to get 5 million to walk away when all he needed was 750K for his family and he didn't. Instead he stole the Methylamine so they couldn't sell it on him.

The man was a total pos. Hank was off the trail of Gus and his ego had to take credit so he told Hank the chemist was a hack. He poisoned that kid to get Jesse to react so he would partner to kill Gus. He did it with the poison from the Lilies in his back yard. 

[MightyGiants]

Len,

Walter may have been a beaten-down man and one of life's losers, but when he was given the chance for wealth and power, he showed that being beaten down doesn't make one a good person.  He was ruthless when he was given a chance.

As for Saul, he has been miserable since escaping to Nebraska.  Wake up go to his dreary job, go home, heat up dinner, drink a bit, go to sleep, wake up repeat.  Talk about a miserable existence.  No way Saul would keep on going that way.  He didn't truly come alive until he had a chance to slip back into his slippy Jimmy role.  That's when he came alive and started living life again.

As for Kim, unless she is willing to give up her life and identity as Jimmy did, there is no way she can get back with Jimmy.  I mean if the feds are monitoring Jimmy's secretary, you can sure as hell bet they are watching his wife.  I am curious as to what angered Jimmy as I would have thought being hurt would be the natural reaction.

I was talking to Ed about Jimmy going after the cancer guy.   I thought it was out of character for Jimmy, who seemed to have a bit of Robinhood in him as he usually targeted the jerks and seemed to care about the little guy.   Ed pointed out, and I think it's a good point, that Jimmy is still put off by Walter White and that's why he had no sympathy for the man with cancer.

[MightyGiants]

@Jolly Blue Giant now that BCS is in the post BB timeline your out of order viewing is now a problem

[LennG]

When Walter heard of the cancer diagnosis, he enlisted Jesse to make meth. This was all his plan to provide for his family when he passed. This was the theme throughout most of the first years of the show. He had the money stashed in his house and he kept adding to it. He said it several times, especially when he and Skyler were having their problems. When she learned of his drug involvement, he implored her to believe it was all done to provide for him and Walter Jr and then the baby, when he passed. Granted he started getting power and power leads to other things. Call it what you want, but his initial goal throughout most of the series was to garner as much money as he could so his family will be provided for later on. For sure, he did devious things to accomplish this and he had to sink to a lower level later on, but, as long as I watched BB, I would never refer to him as a slime ball, just never. Jesse Pinkman, maybe. but never Walter White.

I will grant you, Hank was an honorable man, but Gus? Gus was about as slimiest as they come. he would kill his mother if it helped him. He had that German killed for basically no reason and that death really weighed on MIke and others. In BB he killed an entire group of people at a pool party by poisoning the wine which he himself drank and was just able to get the antidote before he died also. Sorry, but when Gus had his face blown off, most people were thrilled by it.

I will agree about Gene/Jimmy. He does seem to have revitalized his life. But he was never a criminal, in the sense of robbing people or just doing those sorts of things. He was a guy who knew how to maneuver the system and launder money, but he really never did the crime.

And I'm going to go back and listen to the phone call between him and his former employee. I am sure she told him that she gave a huge amount of money, that he had hidden, to the government. I just do not believe he has a lot of money right now.

[MightyGiants]

Gus Fring: Scarier Than We Thought
1,306,224 views  Apr 13, 2022  One thing Better Call Saul has done really well is give us a new way to think about some of what we saw in Breaking Bad. For example, although Gus Fring's origins are still somewhat mysterious, Better Call Saul has given us a fresh, unsettling look at his psyche which we dive into in this video!

[Ed Vette]

Gus Fring: Scarier Than We Thought
1,306,224 views  Apr 13, 2022  One thing Better Call Saul has done really well is give us a new way to think about some of what we saw in Breaking Bad. For example, although Gus Fring's origins are still somewhat mysterious, Better Call Saul has given us a fresh, unsettling look at his psyche which we dive into in this video!

What a great character. Revenge was his downfall but that day at the pool created that motivation. Intelligent, cunning, great instincts and professionally meticulous. Unlike the moron Walter White who was free and clear but his stupid ego kept Hank back on track after he packed it in thinking he found his Heisenberg.

[MightyGiants]

What a great character. Revenge was his downfall but that day at the pool created that motivation. Intelligent, cunning, great instincts and professionally meticulous. Unlike the moron Walter White who was free and clear but his stupid ego kept Hank back on track after he packed it in thinking he found his Heisenberg.

For all his faults, Walter always managed to come out on top, at least until the end

[Ed Vette]

For all his faults, Walter always managed to come out on top, at least until the end

Destroying the lives of his family in his wake. He did save Jesse who he loved like his son who had cunning and street smarts Jr. never had. 

[LennG]

Better Call Saul Finally Resolves One Of Breaking Bad's Greatest Cliffhangers

Nice article

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/recaps/better-call-saul-finally-resolves-one-of-breaking-bad-s-greatest-cliffhangers/ar-AA10gHsJ?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=f0a0f58ffdec42c498bde2f231d442fd