Better Call Saul S4 Ep 3 | Full Length Reaction!
Added 2024-06-11 20:15:01 +0000 UTCWe're continuing Better Call Saul with Season 4, Episode 3!!! π€πΊπ₯°
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The letter being undated suggests to me, it was before Jimmy became a lawyer and was in the mailroom. Chuck felt glad that he looked to be turning himself around on the straight and narrow, and told Jimmy how much he meant to the family, their mother especially; essentially saying Jimmy was the apple of her eye, which is hinted at in several sections of the show. Chuck states that though they are both very different people, they share the same blood and that perhaps one day they could become close. I think thats as cordial as things were ever going to get, then when Jimmy became a lawyer, it all went south. I love how Bob reads the letter though, like he's reading a recipe list; completely blanking it and emotionless. Kim though feels the weight of it all entirely. She I think feels guilty about her part in the way they fought the court battle with Chuck, by playing on Chuck's mental state, and feels ashamed. And she is seeing that Jimmy is switched off totally now with anything regarding Chuck, like he wasn't a part of his life, and it overwhelms her as I think she knows a part of him broke the way things worked out, and now it can never be fixed. Jimmy has come out of this affair a different, colder and meaner person. Also I love the title of this episode "something beautiful" aka Nacho's worst day! Now he literally has Salamanca blood flowing through his veins, while Gus has him on a leash. He's in this game deep, whether he likes it or not.
Saltire
2024-12-23 03:02:04 +0000 UTCChuck's letter, although undated, states that it was written while Jimmy was in the HHM mailroom. Chuck was fine, even proud, of Jimmy being in the mailroom, only became furious when he became a lawyer. It was written long before Chuck went out of his way, over and over again, to ruin Jimmy, so of course it would have no emotional meaning to Jimmy. Re the twins -- they didn't "care" for Nacho per se in any emotional way, but Nacho was on the Salamanco team, and they are very loyal to the Salamanca's.
Jeff
2024-08-11 08:14:15 +0000 UTCadios
neez duts
2024-06-29 08:38:41 +0000 UTCLove your reactions but unfortunately I'm unsubscribing from your patreon :( Better Call Saul once a week now isn't worth the price, wishing you all the best!
Ollie
2024-06-16 15:00:00 +0000 UTCI've heard you watch Always Sunny In Philadelphia not sure if you recognize the guy Jimmy robs that's staying in the office is Charlie's creepy uncle π€£
Matt
2024-06-14 04:22:14 +0000 UTCI have the impression that Jimmy always had some measure of integrity even when he was Slippin' Jimmy. But during the show, his integrity was intimately tied to being a lawyer and an upstanding citizen trying to make Chuck proud. But since Chuck took all that away from him, he's fallen back on his Slippin' Jimmy ways, but without the integrity he formerly clung to, so now as you pointed out he's committing outright crimes like theft. Footnote: If I'm not mistaken, the thief he hired was Ira, the guy from Vamonos Pest in Breaking Bad.
Thaddeus Winterson
2024-06-13 06:16:56 +0000 UTCOne thing we can all be certain of. The writers are geniuses for having the letter be undated. There is no way to know when it was written. We know Chucks feelings towards Jimmy have changed multiple times. We can't know if it was written when he was proud of Jimmy, and then his feelings changed, or if it was written to illicit a reaction from beyond the grave as a jab. From my seat, both are equally plausible and the letter being undated is the only reason we can even have this conversation!
Josh Noe
2024-06-13 03:47:11 +0000 UTCTo your 2nd paragraph, for sure. As demonstrated when he says to Kim in S2E9 "I understand you have great affection for Jimmy, a great many people do; BUT PLEASE, OPEN YOUR EYES HERE!" He is exhausted by how Jimmy is able to pull the wool over people's eyes so as not to reveal himself as the wolf he actually is, (eh get it :P) or at least as Chuck sees him as. Especially when he's generally correct in his assumptions about Jimmy being devious.
Max Hassam
2024-06-12 18:43:44 +0000 UTCTaking credit for someone else's success is tricky ground. It's generally okay if the person that gave someone a chance just takes credit for the chance given but not for the progress and choices that individual made with that opportunity. And I wouldn't say that he was jealous of Jimmy's charm on his wife but that he feared his wife didn't understand how tricky Jimmy is and now Jimmy had a foot back in Chuck's life through his wife. You're absolutely right, I didn't see the lack of a wedding ring when Jimmy told Chuck about passing the bar. That is a huge message to the audience. Chuck's world wasn't going the way he intended. I think Chuck is a great lesson in having subtle bias and not seeking a therapist when he should've of, lol. This is a fantastic discussion, guys. Best I've had on this patreon. Thank you.
Raptor
2024-06-12 18:13:17 +0000 UTCI've always assumed Jimmy hasn't told Kim about any of it. The insurance or the last words they had
Max Hassam
2024-06-12 16:17:39 +0000 UTCI think the best way to sum up the letter in a way we can all fully agree on is that Chuck's pride in Jimmy turning his life around is genuine, but surface-level. We do have to remember though that he wrote the letter at a time where he wasn't suffering from EHS and so his mental state would've been far more reasonable. On a re-watch, the letter does seem more lawyery than I'd realised. And he does take credit for Jimmy's turn around: "you have taken this opportunity I gave you in the mailroom..." The writers are so deliberate. That "I gave you" is totally unnecessary unless Chuck wants to credit himself. Perhaps he's right to credit himself though. Jimmy tried to con his way into Chuck's heart in jail but Chuck didn't fall for it, almost leaving him there so Jimmy quickly realised where he was heading and put his faith in Chuck to get him on a new course, which he did. Chuck likely did this with hesitation and it was probably his mum that got him to do it: "*if* I do this, do not make a fool out of me." It's interesting to note that when Jimmy shows he passed the bar, Chuck is not wearing a ring which suggests he'd not long divorced (are we to assume that his envy of Jimmy's charisma had anything to do with this? I'm not sure. Seemed more to me like they just grew apart as she was constantly travelling). Imagine... you're freshly divorced by a woman you still love and then out of the blue, your ex-criminal brother whom deep down you resent and distrust becomes a lawyer, something you take great pride in being yourself... It's no wonder Chuck's brain began to broke. God, I could talk about this for hours. Should make a YT channel for it lol
Max Hassam
2024-06-12 16:16:00 +0000 UTCI couldn't agree more. This is Chuck's subconscious struggle. The man had so much pride that he wouldn't listen to that tiny voice we all have. His experience with Jimmy and his overall life experience were the very reasons he didn't listen to it. So, instead, the subconscious created real pain in Chuck's body for refusing to listen to it. I do not think Chuck ever did anything with bad faith except those last words. Chuck absolutely felt he was right in almost everything he did. When confronted with how fake his condition was in that board hearing, he committed everything to getting better. I think he got better because he 1. he realized he was wrong about something, something big, so he swallowed his pride and worked the treatment program (but he was only treating the symptoms not curing the problem), and 2. he let this stuff about Jimmy go. He dropped it and focused completely on his care and getting back his old life. But then Howard saw the problem, Chuck's ego getting the better of him. Sweeping the last 2-ish years and the incident in the board hearing under the rug. It was in the past, its over, let's move on. Chuck was really good at that as we could only imagine the things he did the same for Jimmy. But when you do this, you're not allowing yourself to process closure. I think Chuck did exactly what he thought he should be doing. He did what was expected of him without voicing his honest feelings, ever. The convo at the first dinner with Jimmy and Chuck's girlfriend. He asked her to not indulge Jimmy, but then she did because Jimmy was so charming. We clearly saw that eat away at Chuck. But he choked down his real feelings and just let the resentment build, and then they separated. What I'm getting at is this. Chuck never got closure on most things that bothered him. He never expressed himself fully because he felt he wasn't being heard or it was dismissed or shot down quickly. This caused severe resentment, which Chuck masterfully convinced himself to not acknowledge, subconsciously, that eventually manifested in a fake condition that caused real pain inside his body. That repression has to go somewhere if you don't let it out. Because of this and his refusal to deal with it, Jimmy never saw the real Chuck. The real truth within Chuck. None of us did until Chuck kicked that lantern over. Chuck saw the mess that he was, finally, but he had pushed away all the support he had by then while also feeling abandoned by his support network. And he was too ashamed of himself to ask for help again. Chuck was a role model to Jimmy. If Jimmy were to witness Chuck deal with his inner turmoil. I think we would've seen Jimmy allow himself to grieve over Chuck. But Jimmy is now doing what Chuck always did. Just sweep it under the rug and move on. After the last convo between Chuck and Jimmy, Jimmy sees that letter as hollow. When you go through treatment over resentment and repression, it becomes very clear that what you say and feel versus what you do are truly drastically different. But also how people interpret what you say versus what you do are also drastically different in how they are recieved. Those last words Chuck said to Jimmy changed the perspective of every single moment and conversation Jimmy had with his brother. Yes, it wasn't Chuck's truth and was completely spiteful. I agree. But this moment throws the rest of Chuck's moments into perspective too, for us. That the things Chuck said throughout the show were in fact kinda hollow. They were the proper things to say, they were the right things to say, but they weren't fully honest. Yes, because of the subconscious repression, i also fully agree. Chuck carefully chose his words so that they were the correct words to say but also so that his lawyer mindset could back them up. That's what I mean by the letter saving face. The lawyer mindset of wording everything you say very carefully comes from the countless cases they study and handle that could've been avoided or had a better outcome if those individuals just didn't say what they did. Also a lawyer's licence and practice can be in jeopardy for various big and small slights. So when Chuck wrote the letter, his lawyer training controlled what he wrote. That's what I meant. Chuck didn't write the letter, Charles McGill wrote it. I do think Chuck was proud of Jimmy but Chuck also has 4 decades of experience with Jimmy. I think that pride in Jimmy was surface words only and he has probably said things similar multiple times before because Chuck's actions are counter intuitive to those words. When you have a black sheep in the family, you get exhausted and bored with their behavior and the trust in them doing the right thing is nearly impossible to rebuild. Family will support the good decisions that a black sheep does but they will always have background thoughts of "they'll screw it up somehow". Self-fulling prophecy. And when you carry self-fulfilling prophecy, you actually take actions to make sure those prophecies come true. Like preventing Jimmy to be a lawyer at HHM. Like not giving Jimmy the satisfaction of having a brotherly moment when Chuck plastered the walls with space blankets. Chuck cared for his brother but I think Chuck had been burned enough for caring for Jimmy over the years that Chuck could never stop seeing Slipping Jimmy behind everything Jimmy did and said. That's what I mean by Chuck never being honest. Chuck wouldn't allow his perception of Jimmy to stray far from the Slipping Jimmy he knew. That's why I say the words in the letter are hollow. They are the best Chuck could muster, I believe that. But he wasn't honest in it. Chuck said what was right to say in that letter, but he didn't say what he wanted or needed to say, imho. Lol.
Raptor
2024-06-12 11:33:59 +0000 UTCI see what you're saying Raptor, but I tend to be more on Max's side. I think the main difference in your points of view is whether or not Chuck consciously did these things in bad faith or not. I tend to think Chuck was sincere in what he was saying but that the points Raptor brought out came through from his subconscious. I don't think the letter was an active falsehood by Chuck, just said to secure his reputation. That doesn't really make sense since the letter was supposed to be private anyways. I think that Chuck thought he was being genuine. But of course, Chuck did feel superior to Jimmy. I think the timing of the letter is very important because he wrote it at a time when he probably was sincerely proud of Jimmy, working an honest job in the mailroom. But as they talked (or yelled) about in their confrontation at the end of season 1, Chuck was only satisfied as long as Jimmy wasn't his peer because he couldn't accept the world seeing both of them on the same level. But so much of that is subconscious. I think Chuck genuinely thought that he loved Jimmy. And at some point you have to ask yourself if there is an actual difference between believing you love somebody and actually loving them. The difference isn't clear cut. I think Chuck did love Jimmy in his way even though his feelings were marred by resentment and feelings of superiority. And I totally agree with Max that that final confrontation between the brothers was a total lie on Chuck's part. At least subconsciously. Chuck did care about Jimmy, that much was very clear in my opinion. You could even see in that last scene, after Chuck says he doesn't care about Jimmy, and Jimmy walks away, Chuck looks up after he's gone (while before purposefully looking down at his work, pretending he doesn't care whether Jimmy had already left or not) and maybe you could see a twinge of regret for his harsh wording. I also disagree with you on this part: "Every time Chuck did something negative to Jimmy, his condition got worse or he had a flare up." I think it's kind of the opposite, it was anytime that Chuck thought that Jimmy did something wrong, something slippy, that his condition got worse. Or in general, anytime Chuck's ego got wounded. That was basically anytime Jimmy did something that Chuck thought was an insult to the law profession but also more general, in that scene where he was humiliated in the courtroom with Mesa Verde or with the confrontation with Howard after their meeting with the insurance reps; he doesn't like being talked down upon or being made to feel lesser, and that's when he felt his condition more.
Christophe
2024-06-12 07:12:57 +0000 UTCSummed up my thoughts on Kim perfectly. I also wanted to say that I think in hindsight, it's pretty clear what goes through her head when she's in that model room. And the hints are already there like you said. But it's a bit of a spoiler to analyze it more, I think at the moment it's just good character building for what's to come. Also completely agree with you on her reaction to Jimmy reading the letter.
Christophe
2024-06-12 06:54:55 +0000 UTCDang how have I watched both shows multiple times and never noticed that? I thought I was aware of all the actors and characters they brought back
Christophe
2024-06-12 06:48:10 +0000 UTCHi, just a heads up, be careful reading chat, a user is posting spoiler for this show there.
Leeland
2024-06-12 05:11:10 +0000 UTCHere's why I disagree with your disagreement, lol, which is valid for you to have but I've brought this up a few times. Chuck was a man that cared very much about the reputation of integrity that he had built for himself. He had a lot of pride in himself, well earned. I think this letter was the best Chuck could muster but I don't think it was genuine. I think the letter was yet another way for Chuck to do what was expected of himself towards a family member. Here's why. We know Chuck carried a very deep resentment towards Jimmy about the family store. And Chuck had seen Jimmy be a conman for pretty much their entire lives. That view of someone, for that long, doesn't go away. Chuck did give Jimmy a chance. And was proud of Jimmy's life change (which Chuck most likely took credit for since he gave Jimmy that chance. Jimmy's success was Chuck's success). But Chuck also made sure Jimmy couldn't be a lawyer at HHM. Then, Chuck came down with his disability. A psychosomatic condition. Psychosomatic conditions occur when a person is presenting falsehoods in their life so strongly repressed that it manifests into a physical disability. Every time Chuck did something negative to Jimmy, his condition got worse or he had a flare up. Chuck loved his brother but his integrity and his dedication to the ideals of the law wouldn't allow him to forgive his brother. That letter was too professional. That letter was written by Charles McGill attorney at law, co-founder of HHM, not Chuck McGill, Jimmy's brother that read him bedtime stories. Charles McGill gives his hustling, somewhat estranged, brother a second chance in life by offering him an honest job. I would say partially because of the fear that a lawbreaking sibling might sully his rep, especially when that brother is trying to turn his life around. Chuck McGill is embarrassed to have Jimmy as a brother and disgusted with him getting a law degree from an online school so much so that he sabotages his chance at advancement. Angered by the idea that Jimmy thinks himself a lawyer. Chuck used his lawyer skills to convince himself into saying something nice to Jimmy in that letter. I believe it to be the best Chuck could do but it was from Charles's ego, not Chuck's heart. A private letter from beyond the grave from a brother that resented the family falling apart because of Jimmy's choices and not a single gripe anywhere in it, that no one else would see. These are 2 brothers that definitely had some struggles over the years. But then that letter reads like a speech given at a wedding or obituary. Jimmy and me would've believed that letter to be more genuine if Chuck was more honest in it. But even in a private letter from beyond the grave, Charles was still worried about his rep so much that he couldn't not be the professional so that his rep isn't ruined even after he died. That letter was for Chuck by Chuck to save face. That's my theory on how Jimmy sees that letter.
Raptor
2024-06-12 01:10:46 +0000 UTCSo it definitely seems like repression. Also he doesn't know if the letter or their last conversation are chucks true feelings. Also Vicky idk if you ever dealt with serious trauma but if you shut down as a trauma response nothing really shakes you out of it. The more emotional the stimulus the more your shut down
Dale Diaz
2024-06-12 00:23:14 +0000 UTCYeah, fair enough, I can see her worrying about Jimmy but she also feels guilt over what happened to Chuck. I'm only wondering if she's aware of Chuck's not so warm last words he told Jimmy.
Joe Lazarus
2024-06-12 00:15:16 +0000 UTCI personally think Kim's tears are more to do with Jimmy's coldness than any genuine feelings she may have about Chuck. In that scene she's just hoping Jimmy will react rationally to such a warm letter. But he's broken and that really upsets her. That's my perspective at least.
Max Hassam
2024-06-11 23:14:25 +0000 UTCI disagree with your perspective on Chuck's feelings. I believe he did care about Jimmy and that it was his final scene with Jimmy that was the lie. Chuck was angry about being coerced into retirement and he blamed Jimmy for setting that path with the hearing stunt and so he lashed out. I think he was a cold individual and so his lashing out was particularly brutal. The fact that after he severed that tie with Jimmy he started to unravel suggests that his relationship with Jimmy and his mental state are deeply connected, which to me says it did bother him what he said. He even expresses regret immediately after Jimmy leaves the house. The letter was definitely written in Jimmy's mailroom days and I think Chuck was genuinely relieved that Jimmy turned his life around. I agree with your 2nd paragraph. While Jimmy is certainly suppressing true emotions about Chuck's passing, he also feels very hurt by him so there is real resentment.
Max Hassam
2024-06-11 23:12:22 +0000 UTCIf you think about the very last conversation that Chuck had with Jimmy, you can understand why Jimmy doesn't feel any emotion. Jimmy just really doesn't believe Chuck ever loved him. He thinks the letter is a facade, one last lie to make Chuck feel obsolved of his actions.
panacamanana
2024-06-11 22:55:58 +0000 UTCYeah...this undated letter left by Chuck mentions Jimmy being a valued member of the HHM family, so it was written when Jimmy was still in the mailroom and way before everything that happened between them. So unfortunately, Chuck's last words to Jimmy were "You've never mattered all that much to me"!! Chuck murdered Jimmyβs soul with that quote. The look on Jimmyβs face and the way he stands there for a moment before turning to leave the house evokes the way a family member might react after hearing a relative say, βYouβre dead to me.β Kim's tears and guilt are understandable since Chuck really didn't do anything to Kim directly. However, Jimmy's coldness is DEFINITELY VALID!!!
Joe Lazarus
2024-06-11 22:51:39 +0000 UTCHere is some perspective on Jimmy. That letter sounds like it was written a while ago, especially with the part of how he has made himself into something at HHM. And I wouldn't consider that letter to be the honest feelings of Chuck. That sounded like Professional Boss Chuck, to me. It had an air of arrogance for appearing genuine, something Chuck was great at. The kind of wording that Chuck would pat himself on the back for writing. That's probably what Jimmy hears too. Chuck was great at saying the right words but with that last convo Jimmy had with Chuck, Jimmy probably sees his brother as a better conman than himself. After all, he fooled Jimmy into thinking he cared about him. Jimmy's last talk with Chuck probably made him question everything he has done over the entire time he gave Chuck care. As if the only reason Jimmy tried to do the right thing was because of him building a life with the help of Chuck (with Chuck getting him that job at HHM) then giving care to Chuck when Chuck got ill. The only reason Jimmy was trying to be the "good guy" seems to be because of Chuck's effect on him, or rather how Jimmy wanted Chuck to see him. Without Chuck, especially after that last convo, Jimmy doesn't seem to have a reason to have higher morals than this now. Also, he is shut down. Jimmy can't feel anything deeply right now. Definite repression. But its probably got a dose of the idea that Jimmy might be treating the whole world as a con, now. As in he would be conning himself if he allowed himself to care deeply about anything ever again. Jimmy doesn't like being a sucker and that's how Chuck made him feel before he died. A sucker born every minute is based on the idea that people care about others or things more than they are getting in return. Conmen see that idea practically as scripture (this isn't the right way to see things btw, the biggest lies Conmen tell are the lies they tell themselves). Jimmy is beginning to see suckers everywhere again, just like the ol' days.
Raptor
2024-06-11 22:23:07 +0000 UTCA quick spitballing conjecture about Mike. If in some alternate reality he had actually said yes to Jimmy, he probably wouldn't have done the job anyway. Not that night at least. He would have been more careful than Ira, and scoped the place out long enough to see that the office guy was there for some reason. He wouldn't have gotten caught inside.
MertzRocks
2024-06-11 22:17:34 +0000 UTCIra, played by Franc Ross. He's in SO many shows! He's Victor in Weeds who sets up the grow house in S2, and he's Monty in Firefly (without the beard!) another one of Saffron/Brigette/Yolanda's 'husbands' LOL. I can't recall what else I've seen him in but def SOMETHING...
MertzRocks
2024-06-11 22:13:06 +0000 UTCI didn't even catch that. Good eye!
WarriorPoet1980
2024-06-11 22:03:16 +0000 UTCThe man Jimmy hires for the heist is Ira who is the head of Vamonos Pest, the crew that Walt and Jesse use for their lab setup in BB S5. Have to say I certainly didn't recognise him upon first watch. Mike can tell Jimmy isn't quite right. Until now, their jobs have had a point/a sense of justice. Jimmy says about the job "let's do something beautiful here" (the title): Quite a Saul-esque expression if you ask me... Mike can see that Jimmy's slipping and sums it up with the "I'm sorry about your brother" which Jimmy instantly bats away. He absolutely is running from his feelings. Why wouldn't he? He knows that he initiated Chuck's self-destruction. I couldn't imagine living with the knowledge of responsibility for the suicide of someone I cared about. As a result, Jimmy shoves the blame on to Howard and totally detaches himself from any feeling about Chuck so he isn't weighed down by that guilt. He didn't even realise that he was meant to emotionally react to that letter until he saw Kim's face. In that final scene, if you watch Kim: the whole time she's looking at Jimmy just praying to see some emotion register on his face and I think it's that he shows nothing is what upsets her. The bit with Kim & Mesa Verde will become clearer so I won't say too much on it. The key is a line she said in S3E10: "I'm changing the world by helping a mid-size local bank become a mid-size regional bank. Yay me." She wants to do something meaningful and doesn't see this as it. Finally, poor Nacho. Last episode he tells his Dad that he's working on his out and 1 episode later he's under Gus' thumb and being almost killed in order to sell Arturo's death as a hit. His attempt to get him out got him even further in. :(
Max Hassam
2024-06-11 21:59:47 +0000 UTCaw man the ending of this episode makes me so sad. Jimmy showing absolutely no emotion while reading the letter and slowly seeing Kim break as he reads. π’ Oh btw the guy Jimmy hired to steal the figure was the guy in Breaking Bad that set up the houses to be bug bombed so Walt and Jesse could cook.
LadyFinger
2024-06-11 21:07:06 +0000 UTCwoot woot! thanks V! π
LadyFinger
2024-06-11 20:17:32 +0000 UTC
