Monthly Archives: May 2017

“They could come back. They could all come back” one of Laurie’s patients.

In the cold open flashback, Laurie is treating the woman who lost her baby in the opening scene of the series premiere. Laurie listens to her bust doesn’t say anything. The woman gets frustrated and says that if she sought counsel from the two members of The Guilty Remnant in front of the building they would at least write something down.

Laurie, unable to offer any advice to her patient and completely lost in her own issues decides to commit suicide and swallows a ton of pills. She writes a suicide note and lies down on her couch. But then she suddenly opens her uses and makes a different decision. She rushes to get her first aid kit , swallows a bottle of something that makes her throw up. She then dresses in all white leaves her office and approaches the two members of the Guilty Remnant standing outside her office.

“Tell me what to do.”

So began Laurie’s time with The Guilty Remnant.

The episode jumps back and forth in time between Laurie’s attempts to assist Nora and Matt and rejoining the others at Grace’s ranch.

HELPING NORA

I assume Laurie and Matt went to the hotel and found Nora and Nora explained what happened. Laurie helps Nora track down the two physicists that turned Nora down. They find where they live and stake out the house in a Volkswagen van. Nora is as prickly as ever. When Laurie lends Nora her lighter Nora refuses to give it back. “You said you quit” Nora says. Laurie wants it back and a scuffle in the car breaks out leading to Nora inadvertently giving Laurie a black eye. Of course, Laurie wants it back, it’s the lighter that Jill gave her that says ‘Don’t Forget Me’.

Nora shows Laurie the videos that people made before they went into the ‘Sudden Departure’ machine.

“It sure seems like an elegant way to kill yourself,” Laurie says.

“If I was going to kill myself, I’d just go scuba diving,” Nora tells her. So many things can go wrong underwater that it wouldn’t look like a suicide.

When the two physicists start to drive off they follow them and by morning they watch as a large truck loads what seems to be a large machine which appears to confirm that they were not lying about have created such a device. When Laurie asks if Nora will call the authorities Nora decides against it. I don’t think she intends to try and persuade them to let her ‘go through’ but she needed to know that they weren’t fakes and that the possibility actually existed.

Nora tells Laurie that she can take the van and go find Kevin and the others. Matt decides to stay with Nora. If something is going to happen then you should be with family. Nora hands Laurie the Book of Kevin, burned but not completely destroyed.

“Tell Kevin Sr. I’m sorry I didn’t put him in the fucking book and tell Kevin Jr. that I’m sorry that I did” Matt tells Laurie.

Nora asks Laurie not to tell the others about what they did. Laurie asks her for a dollar (see Better Call Saul) but since she only has hundreds, Laurie accepts her pack of cigarettes as payment.

“Nora Durst, you are now officially my patient”
“Same time next week?” Nora jokes.

Will there be a next week? It seems clear by the look in their eyes that they know that they will never see each other again.

FINDING KEVIN

“Tell us we’re lunatics.” Kevin Sr.

“Well, these are crazy times, huh?” Laurie

Laurie arrives at the farm with the black eye. Kevin Sr. greets her warmly, “Hello Lorelei”. She gives him the charred remains of Matt’s new gospel. He tells her that Kevin is on a ‘think’. He took off on horseback to think about what the group is asking of him.

 “We’ve asked him to die. Again”

 Whatever is happening here? I want to be a part of it.” Laurie tells him. I don’t think she buys into any of this but she’s treating them all as she would one of her patients. When someone is having a breakdown you don’t tell them that they’re crazy.

She comes into the house and meets Grace and they tell them they’re plan. Kevin will drown and go back to the place he went before. He’ll find Christopher Sunday, learn his tribal song and come back so Kevin Sr. can stop the great flood. Grace would also like to know where her children hid their shows and John would like Kevin to tell Evie that he loves her.

“Well, so everybody wants something. A brain, a heart, courage. Kevin’s in the Emerald City. He’s the one who’s going to give it to you.” Laurie says.

The body of the police chief Grace killed is still hidden on the property so naturally his deputy comes looking.  As John and Laurie talk at the window they watch Kevin Sr. whack the deputy in the head with a shovel. He figures if their plan doesn’t work nothing will matter anyway and if it does he’ll happily go to jail once he saves the world.

That evening at dinner, Kevin Sr. kids that this is like The Last Supper. Laurie kids that she should be Mary Magdalene but Kevin Sr. corrects her and says that Nora is. Laurie is doubting Thomas. Laurie then says she should be Judas. We all know Judas hung himself after betraying Jesus. Then all of a sudden Kevin Sr. passes out in his food. Michael passes out too and just as John realizes what Laurie has done he stands, staggers a few feet and keels over.

Laurie drugs everyone’s dinner so she could have a chance to speak to Kevin alone when he returned.  When Kevin rides back to the house he sits down on the steps and they share things with each other that they never told each other before. He admits he never liked their house but he never said anything because she liked it and he wanted to make her happy. She tells him that she was 16 weeks pregnant on the day of the Sudden Departure.  She was getting a sonogram, she was looking at the baby and then it was gone.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“At first I didn’t want to. Then I didn’t have to.”

 She doesn’t try to talk him out of it. She sees that he’s made his choice and he’s unafraid. She just wanted to say goodbye. She decides to leave right away.

“Is Nora gone? Kevin

“We’re all gone” Laurie tells him.

Kevin and Laurie says their goodbyes. Laurie tells Kevin to keep the lighter that Jill gave her.

She leaves.  The next day she’s on a boat and going scuba diving. It’s the day of the 7th anniversary. I see where this is going.  She’s made her choice.  She’s said her goodbyes. She’s about ready to go into the water when she gets a call from Jill and Tommy.  They have a nice moment and tell each other ‘I love you.’

Now the goodbyes are complete. She finishes putting on her gear and goes over.

SIDE OF LEFTOVERS

This is a very sad episode. You really feel like this could be the end of the world. If anything, they believe it is. For all these characters it will be an end, it has to be. They all seek resolution, finality, closure. One way or another they are going to get it.  Laurie has chosen her way.

With all this happening in Australia I’m reminded of the 1959 film On The Beach starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. There has been a nuclear war and Australia is the last place to feel the effects of the radiation spreading over the planet.  It’s depressing as hell but it stuck with me. No one survived in that film.  Who will survive in this? Nora, we know does.

“We can make it zero,” Community Service supervisor

Jimmy starts doing his community service. Picking up trash underneath the freeway. He tries to conduct business on his cell phone the entire time and even though he collected twice as much trash as everyone else the supervisor docks his time for being on his cell phone.

He’s also having trouble selling off his pre-bought commercial time. He manages to cover the office rent for another month but he had to drain his savings and is rapidly running out of options. It gets so bad that he shoots a commercial for free for ABQ In Tune in hopes that when they see increased business they’ll buy the next spot at full price.

One of his video team actually tries to give him back her pay for the shoot but Jimmy refuses to take it. Saul would have taken it so Jimmy is still with us at this point.

MIKE

Mike gets help paving the steps of the children’s playground and meets Annie (Tamara Tunie). A love interest for Mike? Mike returns with Stacy to her support group meeting and hears Annie tell her story about losing her husband. He went hiking 8 years ago and never came back. His body was never found and she never learned how he died.

Nacho reaches out to the dork with glasses, Pryce, a call back from the first season (Squat Cobbler) Nacho will give him $20K to get him a supply of empty nitroglycerin capsules, Hector’s medication. Pryce is afraid of Nacho and asks Mike to be his security again but Mike refuses and tells him to find a way out of the deal with Nacho. For some reason, after speaking with Annie, Mike calls the dork and tells him that he’s in. When they meet to make the deal Mike gives him some good advice. “If you switch the pills then you need to switch them back.” . He tells him there’s more to worry about than Hector and he means Gus Fring.
He also asks for one more favor. We don’t get to hear the favor but I’m guessing he asks nacho to locate a body.

KIM

Kim meets with her friend from Mesa Verde. She tells Kim that she read the transcripts of Jimmy’s hearing and took great glee in how thoroughly they destroyed Chuck. Kim snaps at her during their meeting for which she immediately apologizes for. Kim obviously feels guilty for what they did to Chuck.

“As far as I’m concerned all we did was tear down a sick man” Kim says.

Jimmy and Kim decide to take a break from the worries of their worlds and head to a bar where they size up customers for assorted con games they could play on them. This is a nice call back to season one when they actually duped some guy. This time Kim has no intention of doing anything but Jimmy needs money. His particular scheme for some asshole chewing out a poor waiter over his sub par drink gets very dark.

“That guy’s a real asshole,” Jimmy says. “He needs to go down, hard. I’m gonna sell him a worthless credit card for five thousand bucks.”

The look on his face changes, he sneers as he tells Kim how they’re going to take this guy down. His voice is low and serious. There is no sense of harmless mischief in his manner. Kim looks at him with concern.

“We’re just talking here. We’re not really going to do this, right?” Kim says.
Jimmy, as if coming out of a trance responds weakly, “Yeah, yeah, we’re just talking.”

JIMMY

“Everything that happened was his own fault. Everything. You put him in the rear view mirror. He is not worth thinking about. Done.” Jimmy to Kim about Chuck

Jimmy goes to the insurance company to try and get a refund on the malpractice insurance he bought but no matter what angle he tries they won’t do it. On top of that, once he’s reinstated his insurance will go up by 150%. This seems to really break Jimmy and he starts crying. He starts in on how bad things have been, how his gal is disappointed in him and how he just needs a break. At this point I believe Jimmy is being sincere but when he starts talking about Chuck and how mentally ill he is and directs the insurance agent to check the transcripts of his hearing I knew he was setting Chuck up. Chuck also bought his malpractice insurance with this company, the agent let him know that earlier. He begs the agent not to take any action and that he doesn’t want Chuck to get in trouble on account of him. When he leaves the office his face turns hard and we know he wanted to hurt Chuck. This was all spite and hatred.

We’re losing Jimmy, everyone. Kim is going to be heartbroken!

SIDE SAUL

Some nice call backs in this episode.

The opening shot of Jimmy leaning against the wall mirrored a similar scene from Season Two episode Amarillo.

Mike checks the gas cap on Nacho’s car to see if he’s being followed.

In the bar, Jimmy is wearing a green shirt. Green is the color Walter White favored as well.

I was filled with anticipation for the premiere of the new Twin Peaks. I had re-watched many of the original episodes and was still freaked out by the final episode. The last episode of Twin Peaks was filled with cliff hangers, the most shocking was that Agent Cooper was trapped in the Black Lodge and that his doppelganger had exited carrying the spirit of Bob with him. The final scene had Agent Cooper slam his head against the bathroom mirror and repeating “How’s Annie?” several times before breaking out into maniacal laughter. That was it! That was how the show ended! In horror!

I sat and watched the new episodes with some friends and was enthralled. The pacing was deliberate, sometimes almost trance-like but this is what you should expect from David Lynch. Some might find it slow. It is. But just relax, sit back and fall into his world. Watching David Lynch is like engaging in a meditation. Just breathe and let it all in. When it was over I didn’t realize it. I was expecting another hour! My friends pointed out that it was almost 11pm! I was in the trance and I wanted more.

It was classic Lynch. It was like watching his greatest hits. Parts reminded me of the show and other parts reminded me of his films, especially Lost Highway. There is always sound in the background, not always music but sound. The camera lingers on moments longer than feels comfortable. There are times you keep wanting someone to say something or something more but what do words matter? It’s all a riddle.

How do you recap something like this? You can’t explain it. You may never understand some of it. You saw some familiar characters and were introduced to many more new ones. The story starts in The Black Lodge where Agent Dale Cooper is still trapped and leads all across the country and beyond.

THE BLACK LODGE

“Is it future or is it Past?” the one armed man.

Cooper is still trapped in this creepy place. But as Laura Palmer told him, she would see him in 25 years and lo and behold she was right! Laura doers appear to him and her message was as ominous as ever. “I am dead yet also I live.” She also whispers something in his ear which makes him recoil in fear. Then she screams flies away as if summoned.

Coop also has a conversation with the Giant. “Remember: Four, three, zero. Richard and Linda. Two birds with one stone.” OK.

He is also introduced to a tree with a talking brain that the one armed man calls ‘the evolution of the arm”. This is believed to be what the finger snapping dwarf has evolved into. The tree tells him that his doppelganger needs to return to The Black Lodge in order for him to go free. But something happens. The floor gives way beneath Cooper and he falls through.

“Non Existent!” the tree shouts! He falls through space and time and lands on a glass booth sticking out of a building. He gets sucked into the booth and floats in it being shrunken and reformatted to normal size before disappearing again and falling helplessly into nowhere.

NEW YORK

“Let’s not over think this opportunity.” Traci

This segment felt the most like typical David Lynch. A young man sits on a small couch watching an empty glass booth surrounded by cameras. He is being paid to wait and watch and see what happens. It’s very methodically shot and paced. A young woman comes to bring him coffee in the hopes that she can come in and hang out with him. She is told by the stoic security guard that she is not allowed. The next night she comes back with two coffees again. The security guard is not at his desk so the young man allows her in. It isn’t long before they start making out, getting undressed and making whoopee when something appears in the glass box. They watch transfixed as something takes shape. A woman? An alien? What is it? Whatever it is, it comes through the glass and starts to rips these two kids apart like they were logs being put in a wood chipper. Blood was squirting all over the place! Shocking scene.

It is revealed that while the young man stepped out to greet the young woman with the coffee Cooper appeared in the glass box. When they return they see the creature that kills them appear. Did this creature follow Cooper from The Black Lodge or is it from somewhere else?

BAD COOPER/BOB

“I don’t need anything. I want.” Bad Cooper/Bob

Bad Cooper has been running free and committing atrocities for 25 years now and he looks terrible. His hair is long and greasy like the soul that possesses his body, Bob. He has a menacing stare and talks low and threateningly. He kills one person by just massaging his face and another more conventionally, pillow over the face and a bullet.

The company he keeps is gutter trash. He knows he is supposed to re-enter The Black Lodge in 24 hours only he doesn’t want to go back. He has a secretary named Chantal (Bad Diane?) plated by Jennifer Jason Leigh. I don’t know what his plan is but how can Good Cooper stop him if he is just a free floating spirit?

BUCKHORN, SOUTH DAKOTA

This storyline reminded me very much of the first half of Lost Highway (1997). A dead body is discovered in an apartment building. That is to say, a dead body and a severed head belonging to someone else are discovered (two birds with one stone?). The fingerprints in the apartment lead the police to mild mannered high school principle Bill Hastings (Matthew Lillard). His wife is stunned but more worried that they have dinner guests coming over later. His wife is allowed to visit him in his cell later and he confesses that he dreamt about being in that woman’s apartment but he wasn’t actually there. She tells him she knows about his affair and he counters that he knows she’s been sleeping with his friend and lawyer, George. It’s a vicious scene shot in a tight close up. It’s both funny and frightening.

When the wife comes back home she is greeted by Bad Cooper who shoots her using George’s gun. What the hell does he have to do with all this?

LAS VEGAS

“You don’t want a man like that in your life”

This was a short scene but I’m sure we’ll see more of this character later. A man hands a stack of money to his young assistant. He could be the one that was paying to have Bad Cooper killed. Cooper caught on to that.  I’m assuming this man is in debt or in business somehow with Bad Cooper/Bob.

TWIN PEAKS

“I’ll bring the coffee and donuts.” Hawk

Mixed in with all this other business we get snippets of some of our favorite characters from the original show. The Log Lady calls hawk to say that her log had a message for him, “Something is missing”. He heads out into the woods and finds the spot where the entrance to The Black Lodge is and the red curtains willowy amongst the Douglas Firs.

Andy (Harry Goaz) and Lucy (Kimmie Robertson) are still together and as loopy as ever!
We get to see Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) and his brother Jerry (David Patrick Kelly) discuss marijuana and business. Lonely Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriske) watching lions rip apart a water buffalo on TV and totally transfixed and drunk. We also see Dr. Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn) now living out in the woods and receiving a special delivery of some shovels. He’s still wearing those multi colored 3-D glasses! What is he digging up? Or burying?

The episode ends in The Bang Bang Bar where we find a band (The Chromatics) with a lead singer that sounds very much like Julee Cruise singing a hauntingly happy song. James Hurley (James Marshall) walk in with a younger guy. A group of women sitting in a booth spot him. It’s Shelly (Madchen Amick)! One of the women says that he’s creepy but Shelly explains that he’s just quieter now after having a bad motorcycle accident. Their eyes meet and they smile at each other.

“James is still cool,” Shelly says with a big smile. “He’s always been cool.”

Much of the first two hours was new and disturbing and may not be the way you remember the show. But this final scene really felt nostalgic. It felt like being with old friends again.

SIDES OF CHERRY PIE

Cooper runs into Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) in The Black Lodge who tells him to find Laura.

Balthazar Getty shows up at the end in The Bang Bang Bar making eyes at Shelly. Getty starred in Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997).

I didn’t even recognize Ashley Judd! She shows up as Ben’s new secretary.

When the detectives search Bill Hasting’s car they find a piece of human flesh in the truck. Shades of Blue Velvet’s human ear found by Kyle MacLachlan’s character.

“Goodnight, Margaret.” This episode was dedicated to two cast members: Frank Silva (who played Bob, and died in 1995), and Catherine E Coulson, who played Margaret “The Log Lady” Lanterman.

The phone call between Hawk and Log Lady as he walks through the woods is bittersweet. When they say ‘Goodnight’ to each other we know it was really goodbye as we know that Catherine E. Coulson was very sick when she shot these two brief scenes and died soon after.

Here is the song from The Chromatics!

Each episode we see Jimmy slowly becoming Saul and it’s sad. In Breaking Bad we witnessed high school teacher and family man Walter White become ‘Scarface’ but Walter White was already kind of a schmuck, right? Jimmy is a loveable loser whose biggest flaw is that he cares too much about other people. He cares so much that he’s willing to bend the rules. It’s never been about him or getting rich. It’s been about doing right by his sick brother, getting Kim the client she deserves, helping his elderly clients get what they deserve and be treated with respect. Poor Jimmy has paid a price for his good deeds and I’m afraid he’s becoming cold and cynical which is where Saul Goodman resides.

CASE CLOSED

“He’s still your brother,” Rebecca
“Not anymore, he’s not.” Jimmy

Jimmy gets a one year suspension which is worth celebrating! Jimmy and Kim are having champagne when they get an unexpected visitor. Rebecca, Chuck’s ex, is worried about him. She went to his house and he won’t come to the door so she wants Jimmy to come with her to try to get in the house. Jimmy refuses to go with her. He’s had it with his brother. Kim looks on helpless. Rebecca looks betrayed.

“Chuck was right about you,” Rebecca says. “He’s mentally ill. What’s your excuse?”

Jimmy is starting to think of himself now. No more Mr. Nice Guy!
CHUCK

Chuck is very depressed about being outed in front of Rebecca and Howard. Howard comes over and convinces Chuck to let him in. He brings Chuck a bottle of 25 year old McCallan’s! Nice! Howard tries to convince Chuck to let it go and move forward. “Jimmy isn’t worth it”, he tells Chuck. But we know Chuck by now. He can’t let Jimmy win. It seems like Chuck is going to try to heal himself from his allergy to electricity. He takes a battery from the tape recorder and holds it in his hand like holding his hand over a fire. He then puts on a space blanket hoodie and walks down busy streets lines with neon signs and buzzing with dreaded electricity. He makes a call at a pay phone. I didn’t know there were still any pay phones! He calls a doctor that had treated him before and seeks help.
NACHO

Mike is pretty much sidelined in this episode in order to make some room for nacho, Hector Salamanca’s main henchman and money collector. Its obvious Nacho does not like Hector. How could anyone? When Hector tells Nacho that he wants to start using Nacho’s father’s legit business as a cover to bring his drugs in from Mexico, Nacho seems to draw the line. When Hector has a coughing fir and struggles to take his medication, one of his pills falls on the ground. Nacho picks it up. Could it be that nacho will be the one that puts hector in that wheelchair? Ding! Ding! Ding!
GUS AND THE NEW PARTNER

Gus scouts out an industrial laundry, the place that will be Walter White’s work place in the coming years. When he walks out he gets in a car to be greeted by Lydia!
“Well?” she asks
“It could work” Gus says.
JIMMY

Jimmy bought all this air time to run commercials for his elder care business but now that he’s suspended from practicing law for a year he has to take them down. He also rejects Kim’s idea of trading in their office for a smaller and cheaper one. So he come sup with a great idea, as Jimmy is want to do! He decides to sell his already paid for TV spots to businesses. They will pay him to make a commercial and he throws in the air time for free! Jimmy bending the rules again. So he gets his ‘film crew’ together and they make a commercial. He can’t be Jimmy McGill offering to do this so he using a pseudonym that’s he’s used before.

When he shows the commercial to Kim he seems a little embarrassed. When Kim sees Jimmy wearing a fake beard and moustache and calling himself ‘Saul Goodman’ she looks a little shocked.

“Saul Goodman? That guy has a lot of energy” She says
“It’s just a name” Jimmy tells her.

SIDE SAUL

The only glimpse we get of Mike this week is when he accompanies his daughter in law to a grief counseling meeting at her church. She volunteers his help to fix up the children’s playground. This will probably be the playground we see him take his granddaughter to when the Feds come looking for him. Poor Mike!

So we’re going to see Lydia and how she and Gus became a powerhouse partnership! I wonder if we’ll get to see Gale Boetticher, too? David Constabile who played Gale is currently starring on Showtime’s Billions but I’m sure he’d make time to visit Better call Saul and maybe bust out another song!

This was one wild episode. It was maybe the strangest episode of the entire show so far and that’s saying a lot! It was also the third and final episode of the Matt Jamison arc. Season 1 – “Two Boats and a Helicopter. Season 2 – “No Room At The Inn. Now we have “It’s A Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World” which is a play on the 1963 all star zany comedy It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”.

Matt Jamison can be infuriating with his zealous belief in God’s plan. He’s paid some hefty prices for his belief including losing his wife and child due to his fanatic faith. He believes that something special is going to happen on the 7th anniversary of the Sudden Departure and that Kevin Garvey must be in Miracle, Texas in order for this special something to happen. Unfortunately, Kevin is stuck in Melbourne, Australia. No problem! Matt…er…God…uh Matt has a plan!

EXPLOSION

“Oh, it’s me again. I don’t know if you’re getting my messages, but there’s been a nuclear incident in the South Pacific. I’ve secured transportation. I’m coming to get you, Kevin.” Matt Jamison

The episode opens with a submarine. A man strips down with only a key around his neck. He knocks out another man and takes the key from around that man’s neck and starts running, naked down the corridor being chased by other men. What the hell? It’s a French nuclear sub and this guy is going to shoot off a nuke! He locks himself in the room and by some amazing physical ability is able to turn one key with his hand and the other on the opposite side of the room with his toes! This illustrates the madness that is bubbling up over the upcoming 7th anniversary and fears of the end of the world. This is the explosion that was talked about at the end of the last episode that caused all flights to be cancelled.

THREE KINGS

Matt is not to be denied. He finds a member of his flock that is a pilot and offers him $20K to fly him, John and Michael to Melbourne on a ‘rescue mission’ to bring Kevin back to Miracle in time for the 7th anniversary. When they arrive at the airport Matt is upset that John brings along Laurie. Unable to convince her to stay behind off they go!

Laurie believes Kevin is delusional and the only one that would be able to reach him and get him to come home. Matt of course doesn’t think Kevin is delusional at all. He thinks Kevin is a prophet. Which is true? Could they both be true?

THE FERRY TO TASMANIA

The plane is forced to land in Tasmania and the only means of transport to Melbourne is the ferry. Only it’s been bought out by a cultish group who worship a virile lion named Frasier and who plan to have a massive orgy for the eleven hour boat ride. They’ve even brought along one of Frasier’s descendants who are being transported to a Melbourne zoo to spread Frasier’s seed. Matt gets the leader of the group to allow them on board by telling the dirtiest joke he knows.

“What’s the difference between a pimple and a priest? A pimple waits until you’re 12 to come on your face.”

Welcome aboard! But she issued a warning: “If you utter his name after midnight you will become him”

The four of them settle in at a table in the bar when Matt’s suddenly has a serious nose bleed. He had taken some pills on the plane which he told Michael was for ‘allergies’ but it looks much more serious. Michael tells matt to tell Laurie that he’s sick but Matt won’t do it. Perhaps he believes he will be healed and that Kevin can somehow accomplish this but he needs to be in Miracle. After all, his wife, Mary was healed in Miracle.

LAURIE

“You used to burn men’s houses down for pretending to be what they’re not. What happened to you, John? What happened to your wrath?” Matt
“He found peace.” Laurie
“He thinks his daughter is still alive. That’s not peace.” Matt

Matt and Laurie really get to spar with each other in this episode. If this were an episode of LOST, Laurie would be Jack (Man of Science) and Matt would be Locke (Man of Faith). They seem to have reached some type of mutual respect when they both acknowledged they believed each other to be good persons but Matt breaks his promise to her not to tell John that Kevin thought he saw Evie and that was what made him call Laurie. Matt, like all fanatics, is very selfish. He will do or say anything to convince himself that he is right.

GOD

“Ta-da. You’re saved.” God/David Burton

The best scene in the episode though has to be Matt’s conversation with God. That is to say, one David Burton (Bill Camp) an Olympic bronze medalist turned sportscaster. The story goes that Burton fell while mountain climbing and broke his neck. His friend moved him into a cave while he went for help. When he returned he found Burton alive and well. Ever since then Burton has been under the delusion that he is God. He had little calling cards made up that tell his story. Of course, Matt is offended by this and calls it ‘blasphemy’; This from the man who wrote a gospel about his friend Kevin who he believes to be the messiah.

When Matt witnesses Burton toss a man from the ferry he tries to alert the captain and his friends but no one seems to believe him. The boat is a state of chaos and sex and he’s been acting strangely so why would they? He takes it upon himself to confront Burton. He knocks him out, ties him up and with the wheelchair he borrowed from the infirmary, he wheels him over to the storage area and parks him right next to the lion. Matt’s conversation with Burton quickly turns into his own personal conversation with God and the questioning of his life’s work and very existence.

Matt: The Sudden Departure was you.
Burton: Uh huh.
Matt: Why?
Burton: Because I could.
Matt: You’re gonna have to do better than that.
Burton: Why?
Matt: Because there has to be a reason.
Burton: Why?
Matt: Everything in my life, I’ve done for a reason.
Burton: Why?
Matt: To help people, to guide them, to ease their suffering, even though I suffered myself. I sacrificed my happiness. I let my family abandon me.
Burton: Why?
Matt: FOR YOU!!!
Burton: Everything you’ve done, you’ve done because you thought I was watching because you thought I was judging. But I wasn’t. I’m not. You’ve never done anything for me. You’ve done it for yourself.
Matt: Is that why you’re killing me?

Burton, as crazy as he is, is right. If Burton really is God then he’s the God of the Old testament; Cruel, vengeful, arbitrary. Matt unties him and lets him go. The Captain later tells Matt that a man’s body had been recovered in the sea and that authorities will be waiting in Melbourne to arrest Burton.

ARRIVAL

John, Laurie and Michael find Matt on the upper deck looking solemnly. Laurie asks if he’s alright. Matt turns to her and simply tells her, “No, Laurie. I’m dying.” But before anyone can respond they witness the death of God. The police board the ferry to arrest Burton.  Burton sees this and starts running. Meanwhile, some animal rights activists release the lion. The lion chases down David Burton and mauls him. Matt turns to the others and says “That’s the guy I was telling you about.”

Has Matt lost his faith? It sure seems that way. When he says ‘that’s the guy I was telling you about’ he may have been saying that to his flock back in Miracle. Now that ‘guy’ is dead.

SIDE OF LEFTOVERS

Bill Camp appeared in the Season 2 episode International Assassin. He is the man on the bridge that Kevin asks directions of and also as the man who ran the karaoke show in the hotel lounge. Could he have been David Burton then? He could have been though during the time he had supposedly died from the mountain fall. I doubt it will be explained, though.

Matt says the name ‘Frasier’ at one point and is immediately mauled by the lion worshipers who strap him down and appeared to be about to be raped. Somehow he managed to break free. This was a scene right out of Caligula!

John tells Matt that they will not get back to Miracle in time for the 7th anniversary and that whatever is going to happen it’s going to happen here (Australia). It seems like they will eventually find Kevin and Nora by the finale but what in the world is going to happen? This last season has been filled with surprises and shocking twists. I can’t wait for the next one.

Wow. Jimmy and Chuck face off at Jimmy’s disbarment trial. The entire episode sets up their final confrontation. Special kudos to Michael McKean for his incredible performance. He deserves an Emmy nomination. We also get to see a glimpse of Jimmy’s future tactics in the legal arena with the sighting of an old friend.

COLD OPEN

“The bigger the lie the hardest it is to dig out.”  Jimmy

We see Jimmy and Chuck in better times. Jimmy is helping him set up his house for a visit from Chuck’s ex-wife Rebecca. The lawn gets mowed, a new stove and oven gets brought in but only for show. Chuck has already developed his electricity allergy. Jimmy advises Chuck to be honest with Rebecca about his malady but Chuck can’t.  Instead, when Jimmy brings Rebecca over, Chuck comes up with a phony excuse about his electricity being turned off over a clerical error and borrowing some camping gear from his neighbor so he could cook dinner.  Jimmy plays along.

Things go well, all the candles sets a romantic mood but when Rebecca’s cell phone goes off and she answers it Chuck goes into a tizzy. He grabs her phone and tosses it.  He still can’t bring himself to tell her his problem and claims he found it rude for her to answer her phone during dinner.  Rebecca is taken aback and decides to leave and so sets the scene for what’s to come.

KIM

Kim is scoring points with Mesa Verde who are more than happy with her.  But Kim tells them about Chuck’s claim that Jimmy doctored documents in order to lure their business from HH & M. She’s upfront with them and is rewarded with their complete support.

It also seems that Kim and Jimmy are still mixing business with pleasure.  We seem them getting ready for their big court appearance, brushing their teeth in front of the bathroom mirror and looking at each other with great affection. Something tells me things will not turn out well for Kim. The foreshadowing is too painful. But that is not for this episode.

HOWARD

Howard and Chuck meet at the courthouse to make preparations for his testimony. The court will shut off all the lights except the bright red Exit signs (fire laws and all). Howard tells Chuck his testimony is not necessary, that they have enough proof and he doesn’t need to show up for the hearing. Chuck sees that Howard is more concerned about PR and the reputation of the firm. Howard tells him that it was because of Chuck’s illness that Jimmy was able to doctor those documents. He should have never had those sensitive documents at his house. But Chuck is determined to testify.

“Let justice be done though the heavens fall.” Chuck tells Howard.

He wouldn’t miss seeing his brother’s demise for the world.

CHUCK

The scene of Chuck rehearsing his testimony by himself at home was both funny and pure evil. He practices being sincere and showing affection for his brother. It was awful. He has no love for his brother. He is filled with vindictiveness and jealousy. No matter how successful and respected he’s become no one likes him. Everyone loves Jimmy.

JIMMY

“You know she’s going to hate you after this.” Kim

“Yup.”  Jimmy

Jimmy takes his goldfish to the vet but not just any old vet.  This is Mike’s vet. Jimmy needs a guy with a ‘light touch’ for a job.

“You got to fit him in a tight space? The vet asks.

“I don’t think so.” Jimmy answers.

“I got just the right guy then.”

When Chuck shows up at the court house he gets bumped into by a familiar face. It’s Huell!!! The beginning of a very special relationship is born.

The prosecution lays out a very solid case. No question that Jimmy broke into Chuck’s office and destroyed that cassette tape. Kim argues that behind this act was bad blood between two brothers.

Howard is a solid witness but I was impressed that, under cross examination by Kim, Howard was pretty forthright and honest. Deep down I think he likes Jimmy.

They play the tape. I assume this is the first time Kim is hearing it.  I wonder how she felt hearing Jimmy defend her so vehemently. Meanwhile, Jimmy asks Francesca about something – “Flight’s delayed” she tells him. Jimmy is having someone flown in for the hearing, but who? He and Kim have to stall a few times to slow down the hearing to give this mystery person more time to show up.

Chuck takes the stand and explains why he recorded his brother, his suspicion that Jimmy had doctored legal documents and even explains his illness – EHS – Electromagnetic hyper sensitivity. He seems very calm describing it and his testimony was solid.

“Do you hate your brother? the prosecutor asks Chuck.

“Absolutely not. I love my brother. There’s nothing malicious in Jimmy. He has a way of doing the worse things for reasons that sound almost noble.  But what I know for sure is that the law is too important to be toyed with.

The way my brother treats the law, it breaks my heart”  Chuck says.

Then, Jimmy’s mystery guest arrives. It’s Rebecca! Chuck is stunned. He asks for a break and goes over to speak with his ex. he learns that Jimmy has told her about his illness.  He sent her the photos that Mike had taken inside Chuck’s house.

“Oh, you here to help.” Chuck says.

Rebecca senses Chuck is uncomfortable having her there and offers to leave but Chuck convinces her to stay.

“You’ve been sold a bill of goods, Rebecca.  I want you to see whats what.” Chuck tells her.

When the hearing continues, it’s Jimmy that does the cross. It’s awkward and uncomfortable. Jimmy tries to set the scene, having Chuck describe how he had covered all the walls and ceiling with aluminum and ‘space blankets’.

“It comes down to this. In order to understand what I was thinking, you need to see Chuck through my eyes. You need to know if I believed that tape was evidence. And I say it was evidence of only one thing: my brother hates me. Chuck claims that lied to me to get me tell the truth and I’m telling you I lied to my brother to make him feel better. Which of us you believe depends on how we all understand the mind of Charles McGill.”

Jimmy tries to establish that his illness started when Chuck got divorced. He gets Chuck to describe how he is physically affected by electricity. The closer the current is to him the more painful it is. Jimmy tries to trick him, having kept his cell phone on him but Chuck is on to him.  Chuck takes the cell phone and sees that there was no battery in it.

“What do I have to do to prove it to you?”

 “I don’t know Chuck.  Can you reach into your breath pocket and tell me what’s there?”

Chuck pulls out a cell phone battery.  He quickly tosses it.  Huell had planted it there when he bumped into him earlier. Chuck had no idea it was there and he felt no pain. This is when Chuck loses it.  He becomes Captain Queeg on the stand.

“You think this is bad? This, this chicanery? He’s done worse. That billboard: are you telling me that a man just happens to fall like that? No, he orchestrated it. Jimmy. He defecated through a sunroof, and I saved him. I shouldn’t have. I took him into my own firm. What was I thinking? He’ll never change. He’ll never change. Ever since he was nine, always the same. Couldn’t keep his hands out of the cash drawer. But not our Jimmy – couldn’t be precious Jimmy! Stealing them blind, and HE gets to be a lawyer? What a sick joke! I should have stopped him when I had the chance. And you, you have to stop him!”

He realizes that everyone is looking at him in shock and pity. Jimmy has proven to everyone that Chuck’s illness is all in his head. The court couldn’t possibly disbar him now.

SIDE SAUL

The episode ends with Chuck alone on the stand, the red exit sign emanating electrify above him.

Chuck has all but ruined his reputation.  Howard may try to convince him to retire for real this time.

Jimmy wins but at what cost?

Kim is also a winner but as Chuck warned her last season, Jimmy will end up ruining her, too.

The show is a showcase for the writers as much as for the actors.  The dominoes are being carefully and artfully placed for the big fall.

The first half of this episode felt like the Gus Fring Show. He’s back in a big way!

COLD OPEN

The cold open welcomed back Don Eladio (Steven Bauer). He dives into that famous swimming pool and the shot is a call back to the last time we saw him in the Season 4 episode ‘Salud’ falling dead into said pool after being poisoned by Gus. But here he is alive and well! Hector shows up with tribute from his drug running operations which he is laundering through a string of ice cream shops. His lackey hands Don Eladio a bag of money rolled up in rubber bands, It was a good haul but not as good as the three bags of nicely piled and wrapped stacks of green backs that Don Bolsa brought courtesy of Gus Frings’ smooth run chicken operation plus a Los Pollos Hermanos t-shirt.

“More like the culo hermanos.” Hector says.

Don Eladio teases Hector saying ‘Gus’s is bigger than yours’. Hector did not take this well.

GUS FRING

He shows up at Los Pollos Hermanos with a bunch of goons, including Nacho, looking for Gus. They scare off all the customers and the young supervisor on duty is forced to call Gus. Gus was meeting with a group of fireman doing some community networking. This was the same firehouse that Walt leaves the baby in the great Breaking Bad Ozymandias episode.

Gus shows up at the store and tells all his employees to go home and come back the next day. He plays nice with Hector who tells him that he needs Gus to start transporting his drugs across the border as well as his own. Gus pushes back and asks if Don Eladio agreed to this.

“I am the cartel and from now on you are my mule. You are going to bring my product north.” Hector tells Gus.

The next day Gus reassures his employees that nothing like this would happen again. These guys were criminals who followed him from Mexico and trying to shake him down but he refused. He even gives them 24 hours of Overtime pay! What a great guy!

But how will Gus actually refuse Hector? Will he need Mike to help him? Oh, I think so.

MIKE

Mike’s sabotage of Hector’s ‘ice cream truck’ last week has sent the Feds searching Hector’s ice cream stores and investigating him. Mike seems satisfied with that and spends the evening eating his daughter in law Stacey’s lasagna and being with his granddaughter, Kaylee. Stacey (Kerry Condon) sees something is bothering him but he just says he’s tired.

One night while Mike is at his post in the parking lot a car pulls in and it’s Gus’ main henchman, Victor. Victor hands him a bag of money. Mike throws it back at him and says to tell Gus that we’re square.

The next night Gus himself drives into the lot to speak with Mike. Mike explains what he did he did for himself not for Gus and he didn’t want to be paid for it.

“Would you like to know why I didn’t let you kill Hector?” Gus asks.
“Like you said, it wasn’t in your interest.”
“A bullet to the head would have been far too human.” Gus tells him.

“Perhaps one day you will consider working for me.” Gus says.
“Could be.” Mike says.

Oh, Mike, the deal with the devil is just around the corner.

JIMMY

Kim makes a ton of calls trying to the find the repairman that Chuck has hired to fix the door that Jimmy broke down. Once she finds them she cancels the appointment Chuck made.

Jimmy then hires Mike to show up at Chuck’s as a repairman in order to take photos. Mike, obviously coached by Jimmy, uses a battery operated drill to keep which drives Chuck crazy with pain and he stays clear of Mike which was the idea.

Mike meets Jimmy in the diner, the one we have seen Mike in many times. Jimmy loves the photos and calls Mike ‘the Ansel Adams of indoor photography’.
Mike also hands him a piece of paper with some info taken from Chuck’s address book. Jimmy plans to use these against Chuck somehow, maybe to support a claim that Chuck is mentally incompetent?

Jimmy also wanted to make sure that Mike actually did a good job with the door. Mike assures him he did.

“Nice to fix something for once.” Mike says.

Mike doesn’t know how much fixing he has in store for him.

Jimmy and Kim faced off against Chuck and Howard with ADA Hay. Jimmy had to write a letter confessing his crimes. Chuck nitpicks and is petty at this meeting but Jimmy keeps his cool. When Hay presses Jimmy to apologize to Chuck then and there Jimmy comes through with an apology that is both sincere and cutting.

“Chuck, I’m very sorry. I lost my temper and I did some things, so many things that I regret. I shouldn’t have broken down your door. Doesn’t matter how I was provoked, I shouldn’t have done that. There’s no excuse for that, or for the things that I said. I regret it all, all of it, more than you can imagine. Because, you’re my brother, and no one should treat his own brother like that. Ever.”

The next step is Jimmy facing the Bar and possibly losing his law license. After the hearing Kim spars with Howard and Chuck and gets Chuck to admit that Jimmy destroyed the duplicate tape and that he still has the original. When Kim meets Jimmy a minute later he anxiously inquires, “Well?” and Kim simply replied “Bingo!”

What do they have up their sleeves? I have a feeling that disbarment hearing is going to be fireworks! Perhaps this might be the moment that sends Chuck into full meltdown?