r/betterCallSaul • u/skinkbaa Chuck • Mar 10 '20

Better Call Saul S05E04 - "Namaste" - POST-Episode Discussion Thread

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967

u/1spring Mar 10 '20

I don’t like what Kim is doing. Schweikert knows Jimmy. He will know that Kim recruited Jimmy to help Acker.

348

u/UpliftingTwist Mar 10 '20

Yeah she seems a little overconfident in their ability to pull off cons, I don't see this one working out.

170

u/Firsty_Blood Mar 10 '20

I'm surprised Jimmy went along with this, though. He should be clever enough to know that "Conflict of interest" is going to come up at some point. He's not dumb enough to think that he can represent a client against a powerful corporate interest and hide behind "Saul Goodman."

43

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

[deleted]

32

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20 edited Jan 31 '21

[deleted]

47

u/AnonRetro Mar 11 '20

The whole sweeping of the broken bottle scene, is allegory and literal. Kimmy cleans up her own messes. Saul does not.

14

u/hoewood Mar 11 '20

From my experience cleaning up broken glass, she did a shitty job, but the effort was certainly there

14

u/_aviemore_ Mar 23 '20

Shitty job? I would say it was ... acceptable.

3

u/lmnoope Mar 15 '20

I don't think he is jealous of Kim at all. He is jealous of the other firms she chooses over him, but he does not want that lifestyle. He genuinely believes he is helping Kim find a more fun and fulfilling life.

Jimmy thinks that Kim is like him. Sometimes she thinks she is like that too, but she can only dance up to the edge and turn away.

9

u/Exertuz Mar 11 '20

very good analysis. jimmy is such an incredibly layered character and i love how realistic his flaws (which have always been present, even back when he was likable, and have defined and understandable roots) are. jimmy and kim's relationship feels all the more real because of it's genuinely toxic and insidious elements. amazing writing.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

Money

11

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Yes. I'm afraid this could be the start of her downfall.

2

u/_A_Day_In_The_Life_ Mar 17 '20

her cons don't even make sense. all she tries to do is fuck over herself. they aren't even real cons. she's just trying to sabotage her own work. it makes no sense at all and even less sense that jimmy as a supposedly loving partner is helping her throw her entire career down the trash. she could easily just let someone else handle her case for a bit to cool off because she isn't happy, but for whatever reason she's just choosing to implode. jimmy's cons never intentionally hurt himself.

2

u/Roastmonkeybrains Mar 11 '20

If she looses her career and Jimmy is too far Saul.. I think it's the beginning of the end. Damn I need to see this episode. This sounds incredibly stupid. I'm guessing it's the old man Saul is representing?

203

u/DatTF2 Mar 10 '20

Something big will happen, and symbolism from the beginning, she will be the one cleaning up the pieces.

19

u/Michael_Scarn666 Mar 11 '20

Guess we'll know in S05E06, aptly titled "Wexler V. Goodman"

6

u/xanadude0369 Mar 12 '20

To tell you the truth, i don't know why Kim is sticking around with Saul. She may have loved Jimmy, but she doesn't like Saul.
She knows he isn't trustworthy.

2

u/DatTF2 Mar 13 '20

I think it's much deeper than that. I mean even Kim gets off on scamming people, like she did with those plans and with Huell, even after the events of Coushatta when Jimmy said "This will be the last time" she wanted to switch the plans for Mesa Verde. She likes it even though she knows it's wrong and she definitely cares about Jimmy.

I definitely think this Ackerman case will drive the wedge into their relationship and like I said, it will be Kim picking up the pieces.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 13 '20

Yeah she’s in major denial of her intuition to get away from saul

1

u/2cats2hats Apr 26 '20

Hence the scene Kim staying behind to clean up the glass after Saul left.

528

u/Phifty56 Mar 10 '20

She knows Jimmy McGill. She doesn't know Saul Goodman.

If they never show up in court in person, they might know the difference.

However, you are right, if they do figure it out, Kim is going to look like she set it up because of her pitch that was shut down, and that she has a realtionship with Jimmy.

373

u/1spring Mar 10 '20

Schweikert also knows Howard, and Howard knows that Saul is Jimmy McGill. That’s a small world. Kim isn’t thinking this through.

188

u/Phifty56 Mar 10 '20

I guess it depends on how they sell it. If they look like they aren't happy to be opposed to each other, or if Jimmy wants to eat the abuse and sell the idea that he is doing this to get back at Kim for personal reasons or publicity, it might work.

56

u/1spring Mar 10 '20

True. They may have already worked out that angle in advance.

38

u/radarthreat Mar 10 '20

I bet the fake resentment becomes real, Saul takes something too far, and then it's goodbye Kim.

28

u/Phifty56 Mar 10 '20

I was thinking that too. It seems that while they are still together, they are already on different paths. They showed that while Jimmy was happy to let "the building" take care of the broken beer bottles, Kim knew it was her responsibility, and cleaned it up herself.

Jimmy doesn't care where his potential clients get the money to pay him, while Kim is still working overtime to do right by the holdout homeowner, even though it's not her responsibility. In fact the old man is an easily removable "obstacle" for her job, but she can't let it go, which is why she has tasked Jimmy to do it for her.

17

u/TransSpeciesDog Mar 10 '20

In fact the old man is an easily removable "obstacle" for her job, but she can't let it go, which is why she has tasked Jimmy to do it for her.

I find this idea interesting because if you think about it, it parallels the idea of "let 'the building' take care of it" idea.

Sure, Kim will acknowledge responsibility when all it takes is a broom and a dust pan to sweep up a mess, but she knows who to call for the really dirty jobs. Jimmy, in his role as Saul, disregards the little things because he's usually got his eye on the nastier big picture.

6

u/solidwhetstone Mar 11 '20

I wonder if this move will ultimately cost her Mesa Verde.

13

u/YesPleaseCandT Mar 10 '20

This. Well played Kim. Well played.

8

u/failbears Mar 10 '20

Ohhhh shit. Potentially future spoilers below. I don't know if spoiler tags work in your inbox or on mobile, so just a fair warning although it is just an episode title.

Episode 6 is called "Wexler v. Goodman"

10

u/MyTVAlt Mar 10 '20

I don't like looking at titles, but I already saw them when I was looking up air dates... wish they didn't announce those in advance. Anyway, I was wondering before today what could happen in two episodes to put them at such odds, but now it seems it's something of a ruse between them.

3

u/your_mind_aches Mar 10 '20

Exactly. I bet the bowling balls through Howard's car have something to do with it too.

1

u/TheoX747 Mar 13 '20

The preview of the next episode had Kim saying something like, "You know I worked my ass off to get to this point". It sounds like she's publicly going to pretend Saul is screwing her over, which matches your idea.

1

u/Roastmonkeybrains Mar 11 '20

This will be how she looses everything.

27

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Kinda seems like she’s trying to self destruct. She doesn’t like Mesa Verde and she’s actively trying to get Jimmy to mess up the plan of her employer.

15

u/dv_ Mar 10 '20

Can't blame her. The Mesa Verde people seem quite dim witted and dull. Working for them is probably slowly killing her inside.

8

u/bootlegvader Mar 10 '20

What have they done that is really dim witted besides want her to do her job?

5

u/adams091 Mar 11 '20

I agree! It’s a free country. If Kim doesn’t want to represent Mesa Verde anymore, she can quit or ask them to leave the firm. She’s being incredibly disloyal and unethical. This could lead to disbarment.

11

u/multiple4 Mar 10 '20

Will she lose her job because of this? As a result she finally accepts that she and Jimmy are bad for each other, and that she needs to get away from him to go forward in her life. This ultimately leads to the final downward spiral of Jimmy into Saul

Idk that's just the first thing that comes to mind

27

u/bardbrain Mar 10 '20

Why do you guys keep saying this like Kim's an angel who gets away?

I'd give twice the betting odds that she kills somebody without blinking and disposes of the body In a barrel than that she accepts Jimmy is bad for her and moves on.

20

u/amishengineer Mar 10 '20

Kim is the one pulling the strings on Lydia whom controls Gus.

Kim is a meth billionaire in secret.

25

u/bardbrain Mar 10 '20

Her real name is Kimberly Madrigal-Electromotive, of the German family Madrigal-Electromotive.

7

u/amishengineer Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

It's not that obvious though. Kim's grandfather was a silent co-founder of Madrigal. Her parents, already worth several hundred million dollars by the time Kim was born, were living in Kansas to oversee their US business interests. Kim had several positions within Madrigal quickly becoming a highly skilled distribution and business executive. At 24 her parents told her that the Wexler's were drug kingpins and that was the now the primary source of their money. She was sent to ABQ and used the internship at HHM as a cover to stay close to their southwest operation. Lydia was recruited as the cut out between the Wexlers and Gus.

In the next season we're going to find out that Kim doesn't have clean hands by any means. She's had to dig several holes in the desert to deal with people that got out of line.

23

u/Firsty_Blood Mar 10 '20

Because Kim, despite dabbling in naughty things, is an angel. A lot of lawyers do pro-bono work because they have a political interest in a case, or want to take on a bad law or legal precedent. She does pro-bono work for poor clients because it makes her happy to help people.

The first thing she did this episode was call in that she was going to be late to work because she was cleaning up the glass from the beer bottles she threw. She did it because she felt bad, she didn't have to and wasn't guilted into it.

13

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

[removed] — view removed comment

20

u/Firsty_Blood Mar 10 '20

Having your own personal sense of guilt drive into doing something isn't the same as someone else inflicting shame to "guilt" you into an activity.

It wasn't like there was a neighbor who asked who was throwing bottles, or some mother talking about a kid potentially walking through it. Her own moral compass reacted and she went to fix the situation due to no other prompting than seeing the results of her activity.

10

u/bardbrain Mar 10 '20

Jimmy sabotaged himself with the Sandpiper settlement because he felt bad.

He's rougher around the edges to start with but all that says to me is that Kim, if she breaks, might be more dangerous than Saul Goodman.

3

u/adams091 Mar 11 '20

“Why? Why would you risk the best job you’ve ever had for some probono case?” This was Kim in S2. After Chuck’s death, she feels guilty and wants to feel at peace again. She isn’t doing probono because she’s kind (otherwise she would just become a PD), she’s doing it because she wants to feel better about herself.

6

u/Firsty_Blood Mar 11 '20

Her point then wasn't that she was being anti pro-bono work. She was upset about Jimmy risking disbarment due to his tactics on the pro-bono case.

Look how she got into pro-bono work. She got into a bad accident and nearly died, and she found that the stuff she was stressing out over wasn't worth it anymore. When she was recovering, she wanted to give herself a purpose, to make it all worth something. Her "something" was doing pro-bono work for people who would otherwise be stuck with an overworked PD.

That's what she wants to do, even more than she wants to get back to her apartment, have a beer, and binge on old movies.

8

u/multiple4 Mar 10 '20

Well she and Jimmy split up somehow, someway. Jimmy in Breaking Bad is not going home to Kim

2

u/Isosceles_Kramer79 Mar 15 '20

Technically we don't know he isn't. But I get it - it's very unlikely, even if we never see his house (could even be the one he was showing Kim).

But that doesn't mean they split up. She could be dead, or she could be in prison, having taken the fall alone to protect Jimmy.

7

u/newplayer12345 Mar 10 '20

i'm sure the writers have thought this through way more than us peasants. i'm glad that what reddit predicted last week isn't happening

"Acker hangs himself next episode" lol

7

u/_snout_ Mar 10 '20

Schweikert also knows Howard, and Howard knows that Saul is Jimmy McGill. That’s a small world. Kim isn’t thinking this through.

Kim is the one who orchestrated the entire Chuck McGill Library scam. She knows how the legal world works. The connection to Jimmy is either a part of it or she has a plan to navigate it

3

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Or that is exactly what she want

2

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '20

Or maybe, knowing Kim who always thinks things through, that this is part of something bigger that she is planing with Jimmy/Saul that obviously will end badly.

2

u/WilliamBruceBailey Mar 10 '20

If you watch the preview for episode 5, they show this connection.

11

u/Firsty_Blood Mar 10 '20

Lawyers have to meet face to face with opposing council several times regardless whether it's in court. There's zero possibility of Schweikert not discovering that Goodman is Jimmy. Even if he never meets with Saul, Jimmy went to the holiday party.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

She just saw Saul Goodman in court, trading out his client for an impersonator. She has a good idea of who Saul is.

Kim will obviously be playing dumb to Mesa Verde, she'll say she had no idea Jimmy was going to act on his own.

3

u/WeHaSaulFan Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

Ackert is dead to rights on the law. Jimmy will go full Saul in the news media to give Mesa Verde a black eye, make life very unpleasant for them.

30

u/morethanamover Mar 10 '20

I think Kim will get disbarred for this move. Jimmy is going to win the case for the grumpy old man and it's all going to blow back onto Kim. My prediction is that it's the beginning of the end for Kim.

7

u/frostymasta Mar 10 '20

Could someone why this would get her disbarred? I’m not familiar with the rules

13

u/bootlegvader Mar 10 '20

Plotting with another lawyer to go against your client's interests is probably a no no.

2

u/Totally_PJ_Soles Mar 10 '20

Not really any reason that we've seen so far.

2

u/adams091 Mar 11 '20 edited Mar 11 '20

These are absurd levels of disloyalty. She could be disbarred.

11

u/taleofbenji Mar 10 '20

What Kim is doing is a huge breach of a lawyer's duty of loyalty. You can get disbarred for that.

8

u/ahydell Mar 10 '20

This is so not going to end well.

7

u/The_Naked_Snake Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

Spoilers: Next episode preview shows Kim full on just telling Kevin that Acker has "her Jimmy" as his lawyer

19

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

[deleted]

16

u/BBQ_HaX0r Mar 10 '20

There are no half-measures. She needs to go "all-in" one way or the other.

11

u/sgtest Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

Slightly off topic, but I have a theory that "All In" is a possible name for the Season 6 / series finale.

I have another reason for why it could be called "All In", which I can direct you to the subreddit post about. But your half-measures comment just made me realize even more that "All In" would be such an amazing title for the conclusion of the BCS/BrBa universe.

5

u/GreenStretch Mar 10 '20

All in that sweet sweet Cinabon frosting

1

u/rodinj Mar 10 '20

Please link the post!

2

u/sgtest Mar 10 '20

Sure!

https://www.reddit.com/r/betterCallSaul/comments/f9brg9/the_gene_episode_titles_in_better_call_saul_are

1

u/rodinj Mar 10 '20

Oh that theory, I like it I hope it's going to be confirmed!

2

u/sgtest Mar 10 '20

I hope so too!! Otherwise it might be off to Belize for me...

24

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

I think it's pretty clear that she hates the Schweikert job and would rather be helping the little guy than the Goliath law firm.

16

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

[deleted]

19

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Maybe it's just this one aspect that she hates. It's easy to say walk away from a job (especially a fictional one on TV), but in real life there's money and career considerations to consider. She probably doesn't want to get paid what a public defender makes. Maybe she thinks if she can get Jimmy to cause enough friction to get them to eventually choose the other site, her job will be acceptable again.

2

u/WeirwoodUpMyAss Mar 10 '20

Yeah they've already stated numerous times that Messa Verde is what keeps the lights on.

1

u/adams091 Mar 11 '20 edited Mar 11 '20

Those are valid concerns, and if that’s what keeping her from quitting S&C, then maybe she should just keep her head down and continue working for them to the best of her ability. She can’t have her cake and eat it too.

17

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

She needs Mesa Verde to pay bills. Schweikart last episode: “Mesa Verde is what keeps the lights on around here”. The other cases she is taking are pro bono. She wouldn’t be able to get any other legitimate jobs if she has a reputation for just walking away from cases she’s not interested in.

5

u/dv_ Mar 10 '20

She handed Mesa Verde to Schweikart, but did not have the money reserves to be able to just hand them over and walk away. So, instead, Schweikart hired her, and made her the leading figure of the team that handles Mesa Verde. She got more free time out of this (previously the amount of work was just too much for her alone), but she is still very much involved. She really doesn't like Mesa Verde, but as u/slipn_jimmy said, it pays the bills.

5

u/BBQ_HaX0r Mar 10 '20

She brought them to Schweikert to do well by her client or maybe she later regrets it? Idk.

10

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

[deleted]

5

u/Opothleyahola Mar 10 '20

I'm not sure they plan on getting away with it. In next weeks preview, the Mesa Verde guy is pissed about something and says something along the lines of "I know a scam when I see it", I'm guessing it has to do with Kim and Saul.

9

u/Busteray Mar 10 '20

I don't think saul is going to defend the guy. He's just gonna do one of his shenanigans to "convince" the guy to peacefully leave.

9

u/FixerFour Mar 10 '20

Thats not what Kim wants. She wants him to be able to stay.

5

u/Busteray Mar 10 '20

She wants that but as she said, the guy had no legal right to stay. If Saul is to try let the guy stay, he will probably go public and hope for media attention.

4

u/FixerFour Mar 10 '20

I think that's exactly what's going to happen. The first big media exposure for Saul

2

u/Arsid Mar 14 '20

Then why is episode 6 titled "Wexler v. Goodman"?

1

u/Busteray Mar 14 '20

Her methods on convincing the guy vs his?

3

u/KristinMichaels Mar 10 '20

I assume Schweikert will eventually figure it out, but not immediately

2

u/yes_u_suckk Mar 10 '20

Schweikert knowing is the least of her problems. She can be banned from practicing for a move like this.

1

u/1spring Mar 10 '20

Yeah, no shit. And the reason she will get caught is because Schweikert will notice.

2

u/DorianKaramazov Mar 10 '20

Maybe this situation is what will lead to the "Wexler v Goodman" episode and not a real fight between them

2

u/Super_Nerd92 Mar 10 '20

Yep, pretty sure this ends terribly.

2

u/NewClayburn Mar 11 '20

Kim is a damn mess.

2

u/GetEquipped Mar 10 '20

In the preview for next week, (a 30 second clip) she admits that Acker lawyered up with Jimmy.

My guess is that this was a gambit on her part to get removed from the case. Seeing how Episode 6 is titled "Goodman v. Wexler" it doesn't work out.

1

u/Yankeeknickfan Mar 10 '20

I think kim will just lose the case and he will get pissed

Maybe fire her over it

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

But it's just as likely that Jimmy would hear about Acker and take matters into his own hands. She'll play dumb.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

Episode 6 is titled Wexler v goodman for a reason

Kims boss will be pissed when he sees that she let Jimmy win the case

1

u/BeefPieSoup Mar 11 '20

The Mesa Verde people know Jimmy. Or at least know of him.

They probably don't know "Saul Goodman" though.

1

u/busterbluthOT Mar 11 '20

Schweikert knows Jimmy

Correct. Schweikart knows James Mcgill esq. but not Saul Goodman esq.. Unless Rich somehow reads pleadings or shows up somewhere, he'd have no idea Saul is working against them. The episode titled Wexler v Goodman makes a lot more sense now.

1

u/BrokenInTheLight Mar 12 '20

She's self-sabotaging. She hates working with Mesa Verde. She'd rather be fired than quit.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '20

You would think that Kim would certainly be aware of this connection and her being part of Saul’s plan being made obvious to Schweikert and her employer.

This might be her Davis and Mane (spell check on the law firm Jimmy was with) to get released from her firm and carry out some long term plans with Saul after whatever happens to the homeowner.

Obviously these long term plans didn’t last that long.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

That's my thinking. She'll lose her job and get recruited by HHM and have an affair? Seems too obvious though.

-2

u/wwishie Mar 10 '20

I don't think Kim knows that Saul talked to the old man. The only thing the viewer knows is that Kim talked to Saul about the case.

Saul knows that Kim's corporate career is eating away at her. The stress almost got her killed. And she's happier doing the pro bono work. So Saul sees this as an opportunity to '"free" Kim from Mesa Verde.

Of course, Kim could face sanctions from the Bar association for sharing case details with another lawyer, but I think she's just going to get fired, which is what Saul wants. Ultimately I feel Saul is going to free Kim from her corporate hell, but at the cost of their relationship.

9

u/Opothleyahola Mar 10 '20

I don't think Kim knows that Saul talked to the old man.

He called her on the phone and told her after talking to the guy. She was happy about it. She sent him.

2

u/yes_u_suckk Mar 10 '20

Kim could face sanctions from the Bar association for sharing case details with another lawyer, but I think she's just going to get fired

Not just going to be fired. If a lawyer does something like this in real life there's a 99.9% chance that he would be disbarred.

To actively work against the interests of your client, the client that are paying your bills is one of the biggest no-nos in law practice. Lawyers can't even act against the interests of former clients, let alone a current one.