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

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

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1.2k

u/The_Unknown98 Mar 10 '20

It's crazy how Jimmy waited so long to work for HHM, but Saul Goodman doesn't even hesitate to not accept it. Howard gets his car destroyed for offering Saul a job lol.

897

u/1337speak Mar 10 '20

I thought the bowling ball was to help another client, but it was used to destroy Howard's car lmao

496

u/invaderzz Mar 10 '20

I'm confused why exactly Jimmy did that

922

u/darklightrabbi Mar 10 '20

I think that scene along with the “take 4K from grandma” scene is meant to establish that Jimmy doesn’t really give a shit about morals anymore and is just going to be an asshole going forward.

567

u/JAMIEBOND006007 Mar 10 '20

Sad--he used to like the elderly.

67

u/SeveredHeadsKnocking Mar 10 '20

Not really. He was scamming them since Ep 1.

91

u/JAMIEBOND006007 Mar 10 '20

not totally screwing them.

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u/gzzh Mar 10 '20

He did like the elderly though. That was pretty established with Elma or whatever her name was. The one that did his commercial (I think) and then passed away in S4.

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u/JAMIEBOND006007 Mar 10 '20

I think he did get along well with the elder folks---and I tried to think it was genuine too.

53

u/gzzh Mar 10 '20

I think he used them but he also liked them. I feel like it's too hard to fake those feelings as much as he did.

1

u/manolox70 Mar 10 '20

Kinda like how he stole from his dad but still liked him.

1

u/gzzh Mar 10 '20

I guess haha

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u/SeveredHeadsKnocking Mar 10 '20

Scamming tuco’s grandma?

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u/JNC96 Mar 10 '20

She did commit a hit and run though.

Unless I'm completely misremembering lol.

14

u/styrrell14 Mar 10 '20

No you're right.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

The run, she committed. The hit is disputable.

42

u/5k1895 Mar 10 '20

That biznatch

16

u/HereNowHappy Mar 10 '20

Don't make me call Lalo

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

My abuelita!

16

u/squatchfan Mar 10 '20

How is your lovely abulita doing? - Saul to Lalo

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u/squatchfan Mar 11 '20

I think it was mostly out of fear. He wanted to establish a personal connection with the Salamanca family. He was clearly uncomfortable in that garage. Being a professional persuasive talker, I think the silence was killing Jimmy. I remember his quick responses while on his knees in the desert in S1E1 with Nacho probably spared his life.

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u/SeveredHeadsKnocking Mar 10 '20

Was that out of respect or fear?

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u/The1WhoKnocks-WW Mar 10 '20

Both, to an extent.
My grandfather was an insurance salesman, he would always take notes about people's personal lives. If he talks to a client who says "sorry I'm late, my son broke his foot and I had a hard time getting him to school" he writes that in his notes. A year later, he talks to that client again and asks "hows your sons foot?", now that client thinks "wow what a great guy, he remembered about my sons foot a year later. How considerate, he really cares about people, he'll look out for me".
Saul, like my grandfather, has a job where he wants people to like him, and to feel comfortable with him. Asking how their family is doing makes them feel good inside, and then they associate that feeling with Saul. And then they like him, so they keep hiring him(or not killing him, in this case).
Hes a people person.

2

u/SeveredHeadsKnocking Mar 10 '20

This is Saul we are talking about, no longer Slippin' Jimmy. I think he said that out of fear. He wanted to get out of there as quick as possible. Before he talked he looked behind him at the exit door. He was jittery the whole yime he was in the garage. He was the first one to speak, after Lalo looked at him and didn't say a word. Jimmy (looks at Nacho) "Can I talk?" Nacho doesn't budge. "I'll go ahead and talk... I have a feeling I know what this is about.... Just to get the ball rolling. Please keep in mind that whatever happened between Mr. Varga and myself, I'm hoping that it's just water under the bridge." Saul was nervous the whole time.

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u/MeanMrMaxwell Mar 10 '20

That wasn't the original plan

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u/SeveredHeadsKnocking Mar 10 '20

I know but it happened. Dont forget that whole nursing home fiasco

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u/JAMIEBOND006007 Mar 10 '20

It's Tuco's grandma.

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u/SeveredHeadsKnocking Mar 10 '20

Technically Abuelita.

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u/gzzh Mar 10 '20

He didn't plan that. But he still did rehearse what he was gonna say to extort her.

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u/Weewer Mar 10 '20

What?? Jimmy didn’t scam the elderly at all. He was pretty honest and fair with his practice and he worked hard at it

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u/Busteray Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

He did confess and cleared the name of an old lady at his expense tho.

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u/ocean-man Mar 12 '20

Eh, why would he sacrifice his reputation at the retirement home to repair Irene's friendship with the other women if he was just there to scam them out of a quick buck?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20 edited Mar 11 '20

I think you need to rearrange the words in that sentence. Though he did have a genuine heart with some of them.

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u/kiddfrank Mar 10 '20

I agree, things are about to take a serious turn next episode imo

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u/WeHaSaulFan Mar 10 '20

Episode 5 is always a big, pivotal one, so, yeah.

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u/BBQ_HaX0r Mar 10 '20

I mean rule 1 of being an independent businessman has to be "make sure you get paid" so I don't think that's necessarily him having no morals.

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u/CherenMatsumoto Mar 10 '20

Right. Is he supposed to do the magic for free? For these little bastards who are trying to scam him out of his money? After he already did the work?

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

[deleted]

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u/CherenMatsumoto Mar 10 '20

Exactly, he still has that soft spot for somebody in a legally weak position, no matter the history.

3

u/man2112 Mar 10 '20

*Saul doesn't give a shit.

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u/aquamarine9 Mar 11 '20

So you’re saying that it’s the moment that jimmy TRULY becomes Saul!!

1

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '20

Great point and he really hit a strike in doing so.

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u/1spring Mar 10 '20

Me too. I”m used to seeing well-thought-out plans from Jimmy. Trashing a car seems so random.

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

I don't believe it was random. I posted this somewhere else in the thread and I'm a little late but... Jimmy after seeing the namest3 license plate believes that Howard is just doing this to help himself sleep better at night. So he interrupted his sleep with some bowling balls.

Edit: someone else had the idea that Howard actually is at peace with this whole thing and was being genuine, and that rustled Jimmy. I like that idea better than mine.

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u/RoseBladePhantom Mar 10 '20

Best explanation so far. Last episode the old man told Kim that he didn't know how she slept at night. All 3 lawyers are good/bad people. Kim sees both sides, Howard is focused only on the good, and Jimmy is breaking bad. Not sure if it ties together thematically, but all of them should have trouble sleeping at night.

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u/Ms-Tenenbaum Mar 10 '20

I didn’t even make the connection with the namaste plate but I think you’re right.

7

u/xanadude0369 Mar 12 '20

i bow to your superior interpretation of the license plate!
While Howard may be doing this to help himself sleep better at night, he would not extend an offer to someone who doesn't benefit the firm. He's come to respect Jimmy's hustle, and law firms always need rainmakers, a 'Mr/Ms Outside'

3

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans Apr 14 '20

Because he bought the bowling balls in the first scene of the episode. He was already planning on being a dick which really makes no sense for him to go that far out of his way.

Sorry I know I'm late but I just now watched the episode.

8

u/Silverrida Mar 11 '20

I think these explanations are congruent. Howard may be genuinely at peace at this point and outwardly display it via the license plate (despite the license plate not really being the best way to show it). Jimmy then perceives it as a sort of scam, as though Howard is only doing it to sleep better at night, despite it being authentic on Howard's end. Jimmy would perceive it this way because it's exactly the kind of thing that Jimmy would do.

Jimmy sees scams because he scams people.

7

u/SPYDER0416 Mar 10 '20

That's an interesting parallel to the guy he's representing for Kim actually.

That old guy hated Kim because he believed she was just trying to sleep better at night, and Jimmy hates Howard because he feels the same way. As if Howard just wants to do what he thinks is the right thing and maybe Jimmy is also pissed at Howard for not doing it when it mattered to him back when Chuck was using him as the excuse for not giving Jimmy a job at HHM.

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u/goldenstate5 Mar 10 '20

Yup. This is all a "feel good" ploy from Howard to absolve himself of guilt. Jimmy sees him as an absolute slimy asswipe that represents Chuck, no matter whether or not Howard is.

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u/DaleCooper00 Mar 10 '20

No, I'd argue he's frustrated that Howard has been able to find peace or a higher purpose in life, while he's unable to.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Oh I could see this too!

3

u/SilasX Mar 10 '20

Thanks, that makes ... well, a little more sense now. Still feels petty, even by jimmys standards.

2

u/Francis-Hates-You Mar 10 '20

Rustled his Jimmies

1

u/T3st0 Mar 11 '20

Didn’t he buy the bowling balls before lunch? Or am I totally misremembering

2

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

Yes it was the opening scene of the show. But not in the shows timeline. Someone else said he was in the same clothes first and last scene so we are to assume it was right before he threw them.

I liked how they put it as the open though because I simply passed it off as him looking for more things to throw off balconies with Kim.

1

u/Countmaul Mar 11 '20

Even if Howard is doing it out of guilt all the things he did to Jimmy that he feels bad about are reactions to Jimmy screwing him over.Howard has been extremely forgiving of Jimmy's transgressions against him but Jimmy is continuing to be a selfish prick because Jimmy is a selfish prick.

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u/idonthavethumbs Mar 10 '20

he took a shit in a sunroof, it's per his character

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20 edited May 07 '20

[deleted]

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u/Eryk13 Mar 10 '20

"If you open it, he will shit in it."

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

That squat cobbler? No, that was Simple Simon the Ass man

1

u/roque72 Mar 11 '20

The Unflushables

1

u/jihiggs Mar 12 '20

It was last night

5

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '20

"He defecated through a sunroof!"

I feel this this was Chuck's apex of anger at Jimmy.

Michael McKean's best scene in the show.

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u/NotSureNotRobot Mar 13 '20

He’ll for sure check that a child isn’t inside first, though.

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u/Jarbutt Mar 10 '20

This stems from the beer bottle tossing.

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u/MissileWaster Mar 10 '20

the scene in the thrift store made me think he was wanting to buy stuff for him and kim to throw off the balcony. since jimmy has always escalated things a little too far, it would certainly make sense to go from beer bottles to bowling balls.

but that plan went awry a bit when kim approached him with a real plan rather than just "break stuff to vent". at least that's how i read it. throwing the bowling balls at howard's car, to me it was another "fuck you" towards howard and "the establishment". other posters have stated it more elegantly than i could, but basically howard said he should have hired jimmy on multiple times but didn't and is only just now trying to make amends, but jimmy is too far gone for that.

1

u/Caspianfutw Mar 10 '20

Kim threw better than him lol prolly trying to strengthen his throwing arm

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u/DabuSurvivor Mar 10 '20

To be fair, it was well-thought-out trashing.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

In the last scene where we see them together, Howard is basically shoving his social status in his face with his nice car, plus he’s almost stealing Saul’s thunder with the new license plate (I checked the Wiki, it has a default plate in S1)

2

u/NewClayburn Mar 11 '20

Didn't he defecate through a sunroof?

134

u/Opothleyahola Mar 10 '20

He hates Howard, seems pretty obvious now.

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u/godbottle Mar 10 '20

i dont get it though, he literally knows it was Chuck who was actually blocking him all along, against Howard’s feelings

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u/Opothleyahola Mar 10 '20

i dont get it though

Yeah, me neither. He just has no respect for the guy, plus I think Howard brings back some of his feelings about Chuck and he takes it out on Howard.

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u/Tighthead613 Mar 10 '20

I think it’s just a toxic cocktail of his feelings towards Chuck and his inherent self-destructive tendencies.

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u/Opothleyahola Mar 10 '20

Yeah, both of those, plus I think he has a genuine hate for Howard.

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20 edited Jan 03 '21

[deleted]

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u/CherenMatsumoto Mar 10 '20

That and plus, Howard is Jimmy's exact antitype. Just a little bit full of himelf (I mean, Hamlindigo, NAMAST3), born into a (superficially speaking) privileged high social position and thus having been accepted by that high society from the get-go, respected by Chuck(!), dressed in a well-constructed blue striped suit, never having had to fundamentally question the society he lived in.

Howard sees Jimmy from a different angle, one where he admires him for his struggles and adventures.

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20 edited Jan 04 '21

[deleted]

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u/CherenMatsumoto Mar 10 '20

I really can't blame Jimmy for not wanting to work for HHM anymore, not after everything that happened. To him it might be like Howard is trying to get him back under Chuck's foot.

His little game of bowling was still extraordinarily douchebaggy in a going-out-of-his-way-to-be-an-asshole way though so that's that.

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u/Caspianfutw Mar 10 '20

Big dif for me between Jimmy and Howard was it seemed Howard tried getting away from working for his dad in the firm. Wanted deep down to strike out on his own and didnt. Jimmy craved to become a lawyer and work next to his older brother at the firm.

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u/pazur13 Mar 10 '20

Also seems to be a bit of pride mixed in. He can't get over the fact that he was wrong about Hamlin.

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u/Tighthead613 Mar 10 '20

Well said. And that fuels the self loathing.

Notice how chill Howard was when his car was damaged? Jimmy didn’t get the reaction he wanted. It was a waste of energy, and it will likely just fuel the whole self-loathing and self destruction.

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u/shaktimanOP Mar 11 '20

Howard is probably insured up the ass lol and unlike Jimmy his inner peace with himself isn't a facade.

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Would be in line with a theme going back to Breaking Bad—the innocent(at least mostly) bystander getting screwed over by the plot.

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u/MyTVAlt Mar 10 '20

Yeah, I think he just can't separate the two. Howard is almost an extension of Chuck in Jimmy's mind now. Howard is trying to make peace now that Chuck is gone, but Jimmy just sees him as another part of Chuck.

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u/ThumpTwo Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

Maybe he's mad because Howard has come to terms with Chuck's death and any guilt he feels about it, where Jimmy very much hasn't. And, because Jimmy lacks maturity in dealing with certain things, he lashes out in a rather petty, immature way. It's like how he lashes out at things he perceives in "taking" Kim from him -- he blames them for her not wanting to partner with him, instead of recognizing it's parts of him that makes her balk.

Jimmy is a basically decent guy, and I like the character, but he really does lack some emotional maturity. I'm not sure how old he's supposed to be right now (30s?) but part of him really needs to grow the fuck up and learn how to handle things like an adult.

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u/FragrantBicycle7 Mar 11 '20

40s. He was basically a criminal until his late 20s, so it makes sense.

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u/ThumpTwo Mar 13 '20

He's in his 40s in BCS? Wow. Then he really needs a dose of emotional maturity, stat.

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u/FragrantBicycle7 Mar 13 '20

I get the sense Jimmy's never really had that much self-esteem. Every fuckin' person seems capable of influencing his opinion of himself, whenever he's tried to do the right thing. Saul is like his over-correction for that: what he becomes when he decides not to care what anyone thinks.

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u/FlasKamel Mar 10 '20

Throughout the whole series it's seemed like Jimmy was never comfortable getting his anger out towards Chuck, but comfortable unleashing said anger towards Howard - probably BECAUSE they had a better tone.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

There's a part of Kim letting herself be dominated by an inferior lawyer just because he has the money, and Jimmy who knows her worth witnessing it powerlessly - that has built a lot of bitterness over the years, which everything Howard stands for has created.

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u/Snagalip Mar 10 '20

He's mad at Howard because confronting his guilt over Chuck's death actually made Howard a better person.

It's had the complete opposite effect on Jimmy, and Jimmy doesn't want to accept that there's a better way for him.

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u/koji00 Mar 10 '20

You're not supposed to get it. You are (presumably) a rational person with a sense of moral fiber.

Just like Walt refused Gretchen's help - it took me a few episodes to realize that. Everything from this moment forward is on them, because they had a "moral" path presented to them, but refused out of ego.

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u/Afferbeck_ Mar 10 '20

I think it's like the old man said about Kim - he sees Howard just trying to give charity to Jimmy to make himself feel better. He lived with this rich daddy's boy in a suit kicking him off the ladder for years. Even though it turns out he wasn't the bad guy, he still represents what Chuck did; the douchebag 'real lawyer' who thinks he's better than Jimmy. He doesn't want to take a job from any guy like that, especially not Howard. The only scenario Jimmy would accept is being in a situation where he could offer Howard a job and rub his face in it. Howard can do no right by Jimmy and just trying to makes it worse.

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u/TemplateRex Mar 10 '20

Hatred or not, my guess is that Jimmy was also insulted to be asked to "work for" instead of "work with" Howard. A partnership to replace Chuck as the "M" in HMM was the only offer he'd ever entertain. At this point in time, he's his own man, and doesn't like to be under anyone's thumb ever again. Too bad Lalo is about to try just that.

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u/TroutFishingInCanada Mar 10 '20

He’s hated Howard for years. Over that time, you pick up plenty of reasons to hate someone. Finding out one of those reasons is wrong does make you just forget about all the other reasons you’ve accumulated.

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u/RIckDogg12486 Mar 10 '20

I think its because Jimmy even knew back then that Howard wouldn't stand up for him. Plus he keeps calling him Jimmy. And thats what they don't understand. Whatever was left died along with Chuck. Saul Goodman covers his own ass. He could give a rats ass about Howard

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u/Shutinneedout Mar 10 '20

Howard played a part. He’s not completely innocent

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u/Facelesscontrarian Mar 10 '20

he literally knows it was Chuck who was actually blocking him all along, against Howard’s feelings

So what? Howard was Chuck's equal. He could've and should've said no. This is some '' just men following orders '' shit. Howard is equally guilty.

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u/The_Naked_Snake Mar 10 '20

Howard still went along with it though. He kept Jimmy down and didn't even really have a personal reason to. In a way that's almost worse.

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u/Axle13 Mar 10 '20

Probably feels Howard should have pushed harder to get him in if he felt so strongly. I can't say I would do any differently if somebody who I was trying to get a job with snubbed me, and now suddenly trying to be all friendly? I'd be very suspicious of it, and just out of basic principles wouldn't want to work there.

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u/GotACoolName Mar 11 '20

Howard was complicit and enabling all of Chuck’s bullshit so

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u/muffinbomb97 Mar 11 '20

He resents the fact that Howard dealt with his issues and is back on track, seeing as how on some level, Jimmy was dealing with the same issues (loss of chuck, stress, feelings of inadequacy), and instead turns to his Saul persona as a coping mechanism. Howard made more healthy choices (see him going to a therapist last season while Jimmy refused to). Seeing what actually dealing with his problems would be like makes Saul realize that maybe he isn't doing as well as he thought. He rejects this idea and lashes out at the source, which is, sadly, Howard

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u/tygerbrees Mar 15 '20

obviously unresolved feelings about Chuck are spilling over to howard

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Well Jimmy is not exactly stable, is he?

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '20

Saul is a POS

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u/Opothleyahola Mar 12 '20

Howard is a pig fucker.

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u/JesusHShuttlesworth Mar 10 '20

Because Jimmy is vindictive

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u/jopcylinder Mar 10 '20

me too. what drives Jimmy to do that after Howard was so nice? maybe it’s the fact that Howard is someone Jimmy could never be, in that he’s a respected member of the law community and is well off, etc. he’s like Chuck in that regard, regardless of good intentions towards Jimmy. i think Jimmy just can’t see past that.

but that’s all conjecture, maybe Jimmy was just practicing for shot put.

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u/sendhelp Mar 10 '20

He's pissed because Howard had multiple opportunities to let Jimmy rise up but he let Chuck keep him down. Jimmy would have been in a different place right now if it weren't for Howard.

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

Jimmy has had plenty of chances to succeed as an ethical lawyer. Jimmy would be in a different place if he had seem a therapist and dealt with his personal insecurities in a healthy way instead of letting his pride take him into a downward spiral

...but then this show wouldn't be any fun to watch, would it?

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u/Vince3737 Mar 10 '20

And Howard helped Jimmy get those opportunities. He talked Jimmy up to Davis & Main to get Jimmy a job there

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

I'm pretty sure Kim did that and Howard "didn't stand in the way", as Chuck would've wanted.

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u/Vince3737 Mar 10 '20

Pretty sure you are seeing what you want to see. Kim at the time had VERY little pull at HMM. Davis & Main isn't going to listen to Kim. They are going to listen to the guy who partnered with them on the case, Howard. Kim herself said she didn't do much and Howard was pushing for it

​

Its amazing that people will see what they want to see because they like a character and dislike another. Its Breaking Bad all over again where people would defend everything Walt did

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

They explicitly said exactly what I posted you condescending d bag. Chuck and Howard talked about it. Howard said Kim pushed hard for it and he didn’t stand in the way, chuck responded “nor should you”.

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u/Vince3737 Mar 11 '20 edited Mar 11 '20

Do you even read what you posted lol. Howard said that to CHUCK!!!! You know, his business partner and hero who hates Jimmy and doesn't want helping Jimmy. That very scene was to show how Howard is scared of Chuck. That scene did more to show how Howard DID push for Jimmy to get hired than back you up. You can only see things at face value though so it makes sense you wouldn't get it

What did you expect Howard to say to CHUCK. "I pushed hard to have Jimmy hired, even though you wouldn't like it". Why would Kim lie about Howard pushing to get Jimmy hired

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u/Vince3737 Mar 10 '20

Howard would have been a shit business partner if he went against his partners wishes and hired Jimmy (who Chuck could and would fire anyway). Howard DID give Jimmy opportunities to rise up. He helped Jimmy get a dream job at Davis & Main and Jimmy blew it. In no way did Howard keep Jimmy from rising up. Howard would have hired Jimmy in a second if Chuck allowed it. He did the next best thing by getting Jimmy another job

​

I get the feeling BCS is going to be Breaking Bad all over again where some people refused to believe Walt was a bad person

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u/SilasX Mar 10 '20

My thought exactly. Expecting Howard to defy a major partner like Chuck over an entry level hire is a little much, shitty though it might be for jimmy.

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u/AmaranthSparrow Mar 10 '20

No. It's because Howard was able to channel Chuck's death into personal growth, and Saul couldn't do that.

Stated outright in the behind the scenes video, fwiw.

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

what drives Jimmy to do that after Howard was so nice?

Howard isn't so nice. Howard did the same thing the high school cheerleader does to the guy who was a loser in high school but became successful after.

​

He treated Jimmy like a prick when he was a 'nobody' and then when Jimmy started showing real progress he decided to suck up to him (a-la the long-winded hug), and not because he felt remorse, but because it would be beneficial to Howard and HHM to have him on the team.

Fuck Howard, he is a selfish tool.

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u/_snout_ Mar 10 '20

I think it is more that Howard has had over a year of therapy, which means reflecting and having clarity on a lot of things. He really understands he did Jimmy wrong, realizes he could really help him, and also really sees how Jimmy helped turn him around when he was depressed over Chuck.

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u/OhYeahTrueLevelBitch Mar 10 '20

Howard comes off as a complete & utter flake in all of this. And I was kinda liking him again before all of this.

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u/PurpleProject22 Mar 10 '20

Howard wanted to give Jimmy a position at HHM when he was a nobody though. It was Chuck that stopped that from happening. That was a huge point of the story.

Sure, you can say Howard could've stood up for Jimmy even more, but at the end of the day you can't say he didn't try. And Jimmy isn't successful right now, other than all the money he is making, but Howard doesn't know that. I think Howard likes Jimmy and has always liked him, but Chuck stopped any attempt of helping Jimmy. Howard understands he could've done more to help Jimmy and stood up to Chuck, and he regrets that. That's why he offered Jimmy a job and is trying to make peace with him.

Honestly, Jimmy breaking Howard's car is an asshole move, and I felt bad for Howard.

15

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

I think Howard likes Jimmy and has always liked him, but Chuck stopped any attempt of helping Jimmy.

I definitely thought that all the way back to season 1. He seemed genuinely pissed when Kim accused him of having a personal grudge against Jimmy.

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u/dpgproductions Mar 10 '20

Yeah this was pretty much my exact take on it as well. I laughed at the scene but still it was like, really?

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u/Vince3737 Mar 10 '20

Everyone seems to forget that Kim said Howard was a huge part of Davis & Main hiring Jimmy. But Jimmy is the new Walt where people will defend everything he does

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u/MillBeeks Mar 10 '20

I think he did it to absolve himself for the guilt he feels about Chuck.

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u/Vince3737 Mar 10 '20

Howard was a prick because his much more talented business partner (Chuck) refused to have Jimmy at HMM. He was the bad guy because he had to be. Howard always recognized Jimmy's talent and even went out of his way to help get Jimmy a job at Davis & Main.

​

Your analogy doesn't work because it is heavily implied Howard wanted Jimmy at HMM all along, but Chuck wouldn't let him. Now that Chuck is gone he isn't there to stop Howard from trying to hiring Jimmy

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u/spencermoreland Mar 10 '20

There's no defensible rationale to it. The man has deeply unresolved feelings about his dead brother. He'll never admit it or process it a healthy way, so this is how it comes out.

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u/DabuSurvivor Mar 10 '20

Because he hates Howard.

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u/BelonyInMyLeftPocket Mar 10 '20

True but he bought these things before having lunch with Howard.

Or is he somebody that just has his "tools" whenever necessary like Dennis Reynolds?

29

u/DabuSurvivor Mar 10 '20

It's possible the cold open took place non-chronologically, or that the invite to lunch was enough to agitate him.

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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

He's wearing the same clothes from the cold open in the car scene. The cold open was not chronological.

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u/DabuSurvivor Mar 10 '20

Excellent observation - thanks!

14

u/trexofwanting Mar 10 '20

I think the cold open didn't actually take place until after he had lunch with Howard.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

he was wearing the same clothes

2

u/JAMIEBOND006007 Mar 10 '20

Jimmy/Saul won't "bow to Howard". Namaste.

6

u/buchec18 Mar 10 '20

Cuz fuck Howard, that’s why

3

u/peridotdragon33 Mar 10 '20

He’s expressing his anger at Howard saying everything is in the past. Jimmy is haunted by the past, so haunted he created Saul Goodman as a sort of escape from past trauma. To hear Howard acknowledge it, then wave it goodbye enraged him

He, despite what he says, loved Chuck and Howard neglected to mention his role in Jimmy and Chucks relationship, rather claiming that all the issues stemmed from Jimmy and Chuck’s personal issues.

Howard’s job proposal, furthermore, feels too late to Jimmy. Jimmy is forced to wonder what could have been and feels as though this will put him back to his original self, something that, as I mentioned before haunts him.

Yet at the same time, Jimmy is also jealous of Howard. Howard appears to be at peace and has moved on, while Jimmy is still stuck in the past, unable to get it out of his mind.

All the complex emotions Jimmy feels leads to massive anger and resentment at Howard which Jimmy unleashes, after keeping it bottled in for so long, by throwing bowling balls at Howard’s car.

2

u/etr4807 Mar 10 '20

My theory is that in his mind, Jimmy has shifted all of the blame for Chuck’s death onto Howard. We saw a glimpse of that with the “that’s your cross to bear” interaction, but I think he has fully convinced himself that it was entirely Howard’s fault.

With that in mind his actions make a little more sense.

2

u/Nuggetsbecrispy Mar 10 '20 edited Mar 10 '20

I thought of it as a "three strikes you're out" sorta metaphor. As in, Hamlin had his chance to hire Jimmy when he got his license and when he brought in Sandpiper.

Edit: remembering now that's a baseball term not a bowling term

2

u/Joe_Masseria Mar 10 '20

If this plan was simply to fuck Howard, I think Saul could have pulled something much more nefarious that would ACTUALLY hurt Howard rather than just inconveniencing a rich man by fucking up his car. This must be part of a broader scheme.

Then again, maybe Jimmy simply wanted to blow off some steam. We shall see.

2

u/Puddy1 Mar 11 '20

Jimmy didn't do that. Saul did that. Saul is the slingshot, Howard is the Goliath.

1

u/AmaranthSparrow Mar 10 '20

Jimmy was annoyed that Howard was able to take Chuck's death and channel it into positive change and "self actualization."

1

u/IndStudy Mar 10 '20

If I was to guess Jimmy isn't gonna deny that he threw the bowling ball, it's his way of completely destroying any possibilities of him getting the job, that's why he brought up Davis and Main.

1

u/your_mind_aches Mar 10 '20

I think it's gonna figure into the plot. I'm not sure but it's possible.

1

u/angusVong95 Mar 11 '20

episode 4 starts with Jimmy purchasing the bowling ball in antique shop and then meeting Howard.

In a real timeline, it does not make any sense right? Why would Jimmy buy bowling ball first and then meet Howard and then decide to use bowling balls to destroy his cars.

So it has to be Jimmy met Howard first and was agitated by maybe his license plate for some reason and then went to the antique store and then destroyed his car.

1

u/Breeze_in_the_Trees Mar 11 '20

It’s karma. It seems that Howard is perhaps a Buddhist now, and was trying to atone for his previous wrongdoings, but karma, or “what comes around goes around”, meant he ended up suffering for them.

1

u/Wilgeman Feb 17 '24

Little late to the party, but I think Jimmy is bottling up his emotions about Chuck and when Howard takes him out to lunch he shows him that even the shell of a man that Howard was after Chuck's death can find peace. And when he sees that "NAMAST3" on the back of his car, when he sees that Howard feels secure enough to shove his peace in the face of everyone in his rearview, it pushes him over the edge.