# Better Call Saul S1:E02 - 2/9/15 "Mijo"



## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

Saul's brother has a mental illness in which he's afraid of electricity.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

Chuck thinks that electromagnetism causes him pain. He probably is against vaccinations, too.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I love All That Jazz!


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## bsnelson (Oct 30, 1999)

Not as strong as the first episode IMO, but still some great background. Odenkirk is carrying the show very well. 

Brad


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

I enjoyed it and anticipate enjoying Jimmy's transformation.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Turtleboy said:


> Saul's brother has a mental illness in which he's afraid of electricity.


Electromagnetism. I thought they made that clear in the pilot.

I suspect he hasn't thought it through, since the human body has an electromagnetic field (albeit small).

Regardless, there's no question in my mind that he's not ever going to get better.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

bsnelson said:


> Not as strong as the first episode IMO, but still some great background. Odenkirk is carrying the show very well.


I actually thought it was better than the first. Biz-snatch cracked me up. I hope those idiots make more appearances.


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## dwatt (Jan 11, 2007)

Will they be this series' Badger and Skinny Pete?


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

dwatt said:


> Will they be this series' Badger and Skinny Pete?


Ugh, I hope not. I liked Badger and Skinny Pete. These guys were not likable at all, just annoying. I wanted Tuco to kill them.

I like this ep much better than Uno. YMMV.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

I just posted this in the Pilot thread. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_hypersensitivity

Chuck thinks there is a cure and he will eventually be able to return to work. He's delusional. He will never be "cured," and will never return to work.

When they were all out in the desert and Saul was begging for his life, I was waiting for him to say, "I'm not their lawyer. I have no obligation to them. If YOU [Tuco] hire me, then attorney client privilege means I can't say anything about YOU. So, put me on retainer for $1." It looks like Saul's morals are still somewhat intact. He didn't betray Frick'nFrack and saved their lives. Likewise, he turned down the initial $100K deal from Tuco's #2 (can't remember his name). I'm waiting in anticipation of when Saul turns to the dark side. $100K must be pretty tempting.

Sort of looks like this may be the story of Saul's Breaking Bad.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

Ereth said:


> Electromagnetism. I thought they made that clear in the pilot.
> 
> I suspect he hasn't thought it through, since the human body has an electromagnetic field (albeit small).
> 
> Regardless, there's no question in my mind that he's not ever going to get better.


Yeah, at first when he said, "I WILL GET BETTER," I'm thinking as in recovering from the mental illness, but HE means losing the sensitivity to electromagnetism.

Jimmy: "TAKE OFF THE BLANKET."


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

What surprises me is that Jimmy McGill is from Albuquerque, where Saul Goodman becomes well known. I assumed that Jimmy was from somewhere like New York. Wouldn't there be a ton of people who know that Saul Goodman is Jimmy McGill?

We do know why Jimmy changes his name. Hamlin, Hamlin, & McGill and Chuck McGill, will make him.

Heh, look for the future when miscreants think that Saul Goodman is much better choice for a lawyer than HHM.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

justen_m said:


> Sort of looks like this may be the story of Saul's Breaking Bad.


Jimmy's Breaking Bad where he becomes Saul, just as Walter White became Heisenberg.

Possible Easter Eggs:
1. I wonder if the taped up new windshield on Jimmy's car will become a running gag as it was for Walter White's original vehicle.

2. The dented metal trash can in the Pilot episode is also reminiscent of the dented metal paper towel dispenser in the hospital in BB.

3. Was there a fuzzy pink teddy bear (from the plane crash ep in BB) in the stack of stuffed animals behind the court clerk's desk when Jimmy offered the little bunny?

I also enjoy the weird camera angles (like lighting the gas stove from the POV from beneath the burner looking up) which seems to be a Vince Gilligan trademark.

I was expecting Mike Ermentraut to show up at Tuco's Appolita's house as the "cleaner".


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## Marco (Sep 19, 2000)

getreal said:


> I was expecting Mike Ermentraut to show up at Tuco's Appolita's house as the "cleaner".


_abuelita_. Spanish for granny, obv.

The scene out in the desert lacked a certain suspense. The whole audience knows Jimmy/Saul/Gene isn't going to get killed.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

Marco said:


> _abuelita_. Spanish for granny, obv.
> 
> The scene out in the desert lacked a certain suspense. The whole audience knows Jimmy/Saul/Gene isn't going to get killed.


I knew Jimmy wasn't going to be killed, but I didn't know what was going to happen to dumb and dumber. I found the desert stuff to be quite entertaining. Even though I did get chills from the bone breaking!


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Marco said:


> _abuelita_. Spanish for granny, obv.


Gracias.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

getreal said:


> I was expecting Mike Ermentraut to show up at Tuco's Appolita's house as the "cleaner".


No way. Clearly Mike is at the bottom of his career. He's a ex-cop that got kicked out of the Phila PD. If he was a secret "cleaner" no way he's going to be a parking lot attendant for the city of ABQ.

Obviously, at some point, Saul approaches and asks Mike to get out of the box do some heavy, moonlighting work for him. It likely starts off small.

Also, that other guy with Tuco I think is above Tuco, and Tuco is the heavy for him. Tuco kept asking him what he thought. So I don't think he's Tuco's #2, but the other way around. He's the brains, and Tuco is the brawn.


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## sfenton (Feb 8, 2004)

Hank said:


> Also, that other guy with Tuco I think is above Tuco, and Tuco is the heavy for him. Tuco kept asking him what he thought. So I don't think he's Tuco's #2, but the other way around. He's the brains, and Tuco is the brawn.


No question Nacho is the brains but Tuco certainly thinks of himself as the boss. He was quite excited to hear about Jimmy's fake Operation Kingbreaker. He proclaimed himself King.

Nacho is also Vic on Orphan Black.


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

Hank said:


> Also, that other guy with Tuco I think is above Tuco, and Tuco is the heavy for him. Tuco kept asking him what he thought. So I don't think he's Tuco's #2, but the other way around. He's the brains, and Tuco is the brawn.


I thought that ruthless Tuco was portrayed as the boss of a still growing drug dealing business here and the other guy is clearly his well spoken and more level headed lieutenant. This was especially clear when the #2 guy came to Saul's office and said that Tuco didn't know he was there while he was trying to freelance that robbery in his spare time.


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## justapixel (Sep 27, 2001)

If you call the phone number on the matchbook you get a voice mail that cuts off. "Hi this is Nach......click" 

I liked the episode. Great show. The only thing I found a bit off about it was him throwing up in the bathroom at the woman snapping breadsticks. I don't know how long that scene was supposed to be from the leg breaking incident but you'd think he'd be over it.

I liked the way they showed the passing of time, with the court cases and the bathroom and his saying "It's showtime" etc. It must be hard to have a crazy brother who looks down on you.

How long will it be until he calls?


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MikeAndrews said:


> What surprises me is that Jimmy McGill is from Albuquerque, where Saul Goodman becomes well known. I assumed that Jimmy was from somewhere like New York. Wouldn't there be a ton of people who know that Saul Goodman is Jimmy McGill?
> 
> We do know why Jimmy changes his name. Hamlin, Hamlin, & McGill and Chuck McGill, will make him. Heh, look for the future when miscreants think that Saul Goodman is much better choice for a lawyer than HHM.


Jimmy said in the pilot episode that he was from Chicago. Surprised you didn't pick up on that, given your location.

As for the Hamlin guy making him change his name, that's ridiculous. Not saying that's not what's going to happen in the show, but if it does I'll be disappointed. That would be ludicrous if someone with the last name of Smith couldn't practice law under their given name if there was already another firm in town with a partner named Smith.



justapixel said:


> I liked the episode. Great show. The only thing I found a bit off about it was him throwing up in the bathroom at the woman snapping breadsticks. I don't know how long that scene was supposed to be from the leg breaking incident but you'd think he'd be over it.


I got the sense it was that very night after dropping the idiots at the urgent care, then he went to the bar to try and forget his trauma, but the guy snapping the breadsticks brought it all back. He was probably able to hold it all together while there was some sense of urgency (save his life, save the idiots' lives, get them to the hospital, etc.), but once all that stuff was taken care of and he had a chance to actually process it, that's when his body finally had the reaction you might have expected when he first saw the legs breaking.

I kept thinking the court/parking montage was going to end with Jimmy finally just busting out his wallet and paying the $5 and then we'd know that he was finally doing a little better financially.


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

Did anyone get the impression that Saul/Jimmy's older brother the attorney was actually sick with a real illness, specifically cancer, and that the whole thing of him being fearful of electrical currents is because he thinks that is what gave him the cancer in the first place, as opposed to just that he's simply mentally ill and fears electrical currents for no reason really? The reason I say that is because the partners in the law firm and Saul were talking as if the brother was actually sick with a potentially fatal illness and might really die soon, not that he simply went nuts.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Jim_TV said:


> Did anyone get the impression that Saul/Jimmy's older brother the attorney was actually sick with a real illness, specifically cancer, and that the whole thing of him being fearful of electrical currents is because he thinks that is what gave him the cancer in the first place, as opposed to just that he's simply mentally ill and fears electrical currents for no reason really? The reason I say that is because the partners in the law firm and Saul were talking as if the brother was actually sick with a potentially fatal illness and might really die soon, not that he simply went nuts.


Nope.


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## dtle (Dec 12, 2001)

So what's the deal with the parking stickers and Mike? Surely Jimmy would be smart enough to check his stickers _every time _he leaves the courthouse, to make sure that he has enough?


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

sfenton said:


> Nacho is also Vic on Orphan Black.


THANK you, it didn't register and I didn't look it up


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## Marco (Sep 19, 2000)

DevdogAZ said:


> That would be ludicrous if someone with the last name of Smith couldn't practice law under their given name if there was already another firm in town with a partner named Smith.
> 
> ...
> 
> I kept thinking the court/parking montage was going to end with Jimmy finally just busting out his wallet and paying the $5 and then we'd know that he was finally doing a little better financially.


1. I agree. Trademark law says you have a right to use your own, real name. Jimmy doesn't have the right, of course, to use a logo confusingly similar to HHM's - and MikeAndrews posted such a picture upthread. I think what's going to happen is Jimmy will decide to become Saul partly because he can't use that logo any more.

2. The easy $5 will probably coincide with the Cadillac we've been shown in the opening (with the "LAWYRUP" plates).


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

There are only so many lawyer logo possibilities. Do you want the scales of justice or a gavel?


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Turtleboy said:


> There are only so many lawyer logo possibilities. Do you want the scales of justice or a gavel?


Could always go with a guy chasing an ambulance.

Tuco was much more mellow back in 2002. Tuco from BB wouldn't have bargained with Jimmy over how many legs to break.


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## Jstkiddn (Oct 15, 2003)

Marco said:


> _abuelita_. Spanish for granny, obv.
> 
> The scene out in the desert lacked a certain suspense. The whole audience knows Jimmy/Saul/Gene isn't going to get killed.


True, but was I the only one wracking my brain trying to remember if Saul was missing any digits?


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

I like this one twice as much as the first one and I like the first one a lot.

I think maybe he ends up changing his name when his direction takes a turn so as to not tarnish his brother's reputation

I also was trying to remember if he had all his fingers in BB


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## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

I can count on one hand the number of shows where a main character has lost a finger. Most of those, the character had it reattached either the same or next episode and it was never referenced again.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

Part of me thinks he changes his name in the final episode to represent the transition.


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## Jstkiddn (Oct 15, 2003)

zalusky said:


> Part of me thinks he changes his name in the final episode to represent the transition.


Maybe. That would be the artsy thing to do. Yet, I can't help but feel since the name has already been mentioned, that it is being set up for a name change fairly soon.


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

Jstkiddn said:


> Maybe. That would be the artsy thing to do. Yet, I can't help but feel since the name has already been mentioned, that it is being set up for a name change fairly soon.


This is what I think.

I also don't remember him being particularly concerned that anyone knew he used to be Jimmy McGill in BB. He told Walter without a second thought and I think all he cared about was attracting clients, not keeping the old name a big secret.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Marco said:


> 1. I agree. Trademark law says you have a right to use your own, real name. *Jimmy doesn't have the right, of course, to use a logo confusingly similar to HHM's - and MikeAndrews posted such a picture upthread.* I think what's going to happen is Jimmy will decide to become Saul partly because he can't use that logo any more


Do we know where that image came from? I don't think it's been shown on the show. I don't think the Jimmy we've seen so far can afford to put his name on a billboard, and the only logo we've seen him use is that ultra-generic one with the scales of justice on the matchbook.



Jstkiddn said:


> Maybe. That would be the artsy thing to do. Yet, I can't help but feel since the name has already been mentioned, that it is being set up for a name change fairly soon.


I suspect that it won't take too long, probably toward the end of S1, for him to change his name and open the office in the strip mall that we know from BB. Then they can spend the rest of the series telling us about how Saul came to be the go-to lawyer for the Albuquerque underground and ultimately I expect the end of the series will show Saul meeting Walt and Jesse for the first time.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

zalusky said:


> Part of me thinks he changes his name in the final episode to represent the transition.


IMO, No way. The show is called, "Better Call Saul." I can't imagine we don't get to see a lot of Saul.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

Turtleboy said:


> There are only so many lawyer logo possibilities. Do you want the scales of justice or a gavel?


 My lawyer buddy was amazed when he went to get a cable address for his firm, that nobody had it: JUSTICE


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

DevdogAZ said:


> Jimmy said in the pilot episode that he was from Chicago. Surprised you didn't pick up on that, given your location.
> ...


Jimmy McGill is practicing law somewhere where Tuco and his crew could take him in a van into the desert. I don't think they drove from Chicago and the Indiana dunes aren't that big.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MikeAndrews said:


> Jimmy McGill is practicing law somewhere where Tuco and his crew could take him in a van into the desert. I don't think they drove from Chicago and the Indiana dunes aren't that big.


The show is set in Albuquerque. Jimmy grew up in Chicago. We don't know how long he's been in NM.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

DevdogAZ said:


> The show is set in Albuquerque. Jimmy grew up in Chicago. We don't know how long he's been in NM.


So back to my point that anybody in Albuquerque that knows Jimmy McGill will know that he's Saul Goodman.


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## jgickler (Apr 7, 2000)

The story about slippin Jimmy was in Cicero, IL. When Jimmy told the story, he didn't come out and say that he was slippin Jimmy, but it was pretty obvious that the story to the skaters was autobiographical.

I like that they picked Cicero with its rich history of criminal activity as opposed to just saying Chicago.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MikeAndrews said:


> So back to my point that anybody in Albuquerque that knows Jimmy McGill will know that he's Saul Goodman.


I guess we'll just have to wait and see why he changes his name. For the reason you suggest, it probably won't be because he's trying to hide from anyone.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

jgickler said:


> The story about slippin Jimmy was in Cicero, IL. When Jimmy told the story, he didn't come out and say that he was slippin Jimmy, but it was pretty obvious that the story to the skaters was autobiographical.


He didn't say that he was Slippin' Jimmy when he told the story to the two idiots, but he more or less admitted that he used to be Slippin' Jimmy when he was talking to Chuck and trying to explain the Urgent Care bill.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

DevdogAZ said:


> He didn't say that he was Slippin' Jimmy when he told the story to the two idiots, but he more or less admitted that he used to be Slippin' Jimmy when he was talking to Chuck and trying to explain the Urgent Care bill.


More to the point - He seemed to be promising his brother that he wasn't going to fall back into that part of his life.


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## jgickler (Apr 7, 2000)

DevdogAZ said:


> He didn't say that he was Slippin' Jimmy when he told the story to the two idiots, but he more or less admitted that he used to be Slippin' Jimmy when he was talking to Chuck and trying to explain the Urgent Care bill.


And didn't he say something about getting him out of Cicero in that conversation as well?

I think it would be fun to see some flashbacks of Slippin' Jimmy back in Cicero.

I would also like to know how Saul ended up with what in BB he called his "best case scenario" being the manager at a Cinnabon in Omaha. When it was said in BB, I figured it was just a throw away line, but does he some how have a connection to Omaha, or did the travel agency he used to go to Belize send him there as some sort of karmic joke.


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## Marco (Sep 19, 2000)

DevdogAZ said:


> I guess we'll just have to wait and see why he changes his name. For the reason you suggest, it probably won't be because he's trying to hide from anyone.


For everybody - do we think the reason he switches to Saul will be more than what he said on BB, i.e. that pretending to be Jewish gets him more business?

I bet he changes to Saul at the same time he goes over to the Dark Side, criminally speaking.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I think he'll have to change his name in order to "hide in plain sight" when he eventually moves to ABQ. Maybe he fakes his own death after dealing with more sinister and ruthless sorts of lowlifes.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

getreal said:


> I think he'll have to change his name in order to "hide in plain sight" when he eventually moves to ABQ. Maybe he fakes his own death after dealing with more sinister and ruthless sorts of lowlifes.


Wait, what? I thought he was already IN Albuquerque..?


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Wait, what? I thought he was already IN Albuquerque..?


I often wonder if I'm watching the same shows as people in these threads.

As he's driving through these neighborhoods, I keep waiting to see him drive past a house with an Aztec in the driveway.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

MonsterJoe said:


> I often wonder if I'm watching the same shows as people in these threads.


Yeah, totally.

Random thoughts on all the above posts:

Of course it's set in Albuquerque.



> Did anyone get the impression that Saul/Jimmy's older brother the attorney was actually sick with a real illness, specifically cancer, and that the whole thing of him being fearful of electrical currents i


No, it's clearly a mental disorder where he has psychosomatic symptoms of (let's all say it together now): Electromagnetic radiation. Not "electricity" or "electric currents". _Electromagnetic radiation._



> n I say that is because the partners in the law firm and Saul were talking as if the brother was actually sick with a potentially fatal illness and might really die soon


No, the partners believe (or hope) that Chuck gets better and returns to the firm, which is why they're keeping his office and secretary on the payroll. Only Jimmy thinks it's over for Chuck only because Jimmy knows that Chuck won't get over his ailment.



> So what's the deal with the parking stickers and Mike? Surely Jimmy would be smart enough to check his stickers every time he leaves the courthouse, to make sure that he has enough?


Agreed. That's just lazy writing. Of course Jimmy would/should check the stickers before he leaves the court. But it makes for good setup with the tension with Mike.



> I kept thinking the court/parking montage was going to end with Jimmy finally just busting out his wallet and paying the $5 and then we'd know that he was finally doing a little better financially.


Whenver I see a montage on TV, I can't help but to think of this:











> 2. The easy $5 will probably coincide with the Cadillac we've been shown in the opening (with the "LAWYRUP" plates).


In the show so far, we've only seen the caddy briefly, but not the plates. I'm assuming that Saul gets the LAWYRUP plates when he gets the caddy later in the series.



> Part of me thinks he changes his name in the final episode to represent the transition.


Nah.. that's way to late for a series called "Better Call Saul".. they're not going to wait that long. It's happening pretty fast already with the request not to use the McGill name..



> I would also like to know how Saul ended up with what in BB he called his "best case scenario" being the manager at a Cinnabon in Omaha. When it was said in BB, I figured it was just a throw away line, but does he some how have a connection to Omaha, or did the travel agency he used to go to Belize send him there as some sort of karmic joke.


I think this was just a fun callback for BB fans. I doubt we'll see any more of Saul in a post BB universe.



> For everybody - do we think the reason he switches to Saul will be more than what he said on BB, i.e. that pretending to be Jewish gets him more business?





> I bet he changes to Saul at the same time he goes over to the Dark Side, criminally speaking.


Yes, it's for both/multiple reasons. Switching to the dark side, better name for his clients, etc. I think they're all going to converge at the same time which makes sense.



> I think he'll have to change his name in order to "hide in plain sight" when he eventually moves to ABQ. Maybe he fakes his own death after dealing with more sinister and ruthless sorts of lowlifes.


But he's not like Walt or Gus.. he doesn't need to hide in plain sight,and just assuming a different name isn't hiding. If anything, he's very well out in the open representing these people on the other side of the law. For all we know now, "Saul Goodman" could just be a d/b/a name.

In other comments, I'm damn glad they didn't use this "Better Call Saul" theme song they released a few months ago:









And also, here's the clip from "Network" that Jimmy is refering to in the HHM conference room that nobody there seems to get (skip to 1m/46s)


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Hank said:


> In the show so far, we've only seen the caddy briefly, but not the plates. I'm assuming that Saul gets the LAWYRUP plates when he gets the caddy later in the series.


The white caddy with the LWYRUP plate is featured prominently in the opening credits of the show.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

DevdogAZ said:


> The white caddy with the LWYRUP plate is featured prominently in the opening credits of the show.


Yeah, in the opening credits... But not in any episode we've seen yet. It's not like the caddy already has those plates on it... Surely Saul gets those plates when he gets the car. Which hasn't happened yet.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Hank said:


> Yeah, in the opening credits... But not in any episode we've seen yet. It's not like the caddy already has those plates on it... Surely Saul gets those plates when he gets the car. Which hasn't happened yet.


Correct.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Which is exactly what I said in the first place.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

In the pilot episode we see the Caddy. I am a bit vague, but I think Jimmy is coming out of the courthouse after getting the lousy $700(IIRC) check and heading to his car. It looks like he is heading to the white Caddy, but he ends up veering to his right, and the Hyundai Esteem.

I had thought, at first, as we were probably being led to believe, that the broke lawyer was driving a car he couldn't afford, to impress people. I laughed when he got into the Hyundai. I think the White Caddy to the left (Jimmy-wise) of the Esteem is what he eventually buys and drives and had the lwyrup (or whatever) license plates. Were the plates on the Caddy in episode one of any significance? I can't recall what was on 'em.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

We only saw the caddy from the front... No plates visible.

Eta: I think the placement of the caddy was just for astute BB fans to notice, like an Easter egg. I'd guess most people wouldn't really notice it there.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

justen_m said:


> In the pilot episode we see the Caddy. I am a bit vague, but I think Jimmy is coming out of the courthouse after getting the lousy $700(IIRC) check and heading to his car. It looks like he is heading to the white Caddy, but he ends up veering to his right, and the Hyundai Esteem.
> 
> I had thought, at first, as we were probably being led to believe, that the broke lawyer was driving a car he couldn't afford, to impress people. I laughed when he got into the Hyundai. I think the White Caddy to the left (Jimmy-wise) of the Esteem is what he eventually buys and drives and had the lwyrup (or whatever) license plates. Were the plates on the Caddy in episode one of any significance? I can't recall what was on 'em.


The Esteem was made by Suzuki, not Hyundai. Apparently the model Jimmy is driving is a 1998, and given that this show is taking place in 2002, that car seems abnormally beat up for only being four years old.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

DevdogAZ said:


> The Esteem was made by Suzuki, not Hyundai. Apparently the model Jimmy is driving is a 1998, and given that this show is taking place in 2002, that car seems abnormally beat up for only being four years old.


Ooops, my mistake re Hyundai vs Suzuki. That is quite a bit beat up for a four year old car. I wonder if it had been involved in lots of "accidents," requiring replacement body panels. I didn't notice (but nor was I looking for) any rust, which is normal on cars from Illinois. I didn't see sun bleach fading, either, like we get in the desert.


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

Hank said:


> Yeah, totally.
> 
> No, it's clearly a mental disorder where he has psychosomatic symptoms of (let's all say it together now): Electromagnetic radiation. Not "electricity" or "electric currents". _Electromagnetic radiation._


Well, you have a pretty pedantic point there, but it's akin to saying that it's not guns that kill people it's bullets or that it's not certain snakes that can kill you it's their venom.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

And the "it's showtime folks" movie reference:






All That Jazz is a great movie BTW.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Jim_TV said:


> Well, you have a pretty pedantic point there, but it's akin to saying that it's not guns that kill people it's bullets or that it's not certain snakes that can kill you it's their venom.


I'm not so certain that's pedantic. Electricity and magnetism were combined into a single entity, electromagnetism, well over 100 years ago, yet a surprising number of people don't realize that they are just forms of the same thing.

What is commonly called electricity is electric current, and is dangerous to all of us. Stick a fork in an electric socket, we get shocked (and killed, so don't try that at home).

But electromagnetic radiation exists all around us. Radio waves travel through the air and through our bodies. The earth itself has a detectable magnetic field. Chuck may have eliminated what he can, but I see no evidence he built his house into a Faraday Cage, so he's not avoiding electromagnetic radiation, only the most obvious forms of it. My guess would be that Chuck doesn't even know what a Faraday Cage is (nor would most watchers of the TV show). If he HAD built his house into a Faraday cage, then the cell phone wouldn't work inside it. (Maybe he has, and they just haven't shown us that yet).

The sufferers of this condition seem to be only affected by electromagnetic fields of which they are aware. While the symptoms are certainly genuine, the cause is clearly not what they believe it to be. You'll note also that the Space Blanket has minimal affect on electromagnetic radiation. Its design is for thermal reflection, heat from your body, or an external source. Its visual similarity to aluminum foil is why Chuck uses it, but that's not what it is for. (I used one when camping in Alaska, they are interesting, but it's not going to help Chuck in the least).


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Thanks, Ereth.

I'll admit my comment was a tad pedantic, but like yourself, I wanted to point out the "electricity" or "electric currents" are not the same a EM radiation. And like you said, we are all bombarded by all kinds of EM radiation all day, everyday. Chuck is even afraid of the latent static electricity in the body, which is why he wants everyone to ground themselves before entering the house. 

I was also thinking, when Chuck suddenly felt some symptoms of his ailment, and went searching for Jimmy's cell phone.. had he *not* found it in the pants pocket, Chuck could have just as easily blamed his symptoms on the possibility that Jimmy didn't ground himself on the way in. So it's a lose/lose scenario. 

And good catch on the space blanket -- that didn't even occur to me. 

Also, I can't remember, did Chuck and Jimmy use long wooden matches to light those lights, or did they use one of those butane lighter-wands? If the latter, there's a big spark generator in every one of those.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

jgickler said:


> ...I like that they picked Cicero with its rich history of criminal activity as opposed to just saying Chicago.


I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago (Elmhurst) during the days of the original Mayor Daley....criminal activity and Chicago go hand in glove...especially when it comes to politics.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

When I was taking a class at the FAA facility I was rather surprised that my cell phone didn't work, until one of the employees there pointed out that the FAA DID build the facility as a Faraday cage. Employees must go to the parking lot to use their cell phones. There's a significant expense to that, but I'm assuming Chuck would be able to cover it, given what they've shown his value at. Thinking more about it, it's possible he's had his house retrofitted, but the extent of that work would be rather involved, and if you can't use power tools to do it, it'd be a difficult project. I wonder if the show will simply ignore that aspect of it, assuming most people won't understand or care?


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## goblue97 (May 12, 2005)

MonsterJoe said:


> I often wonder if I'm watching the same shows as people in these threads.
> 
> As he's driving through these neighborhoods, I keep waiting to see him drive past a house with an Aztec in the driveway.


Not sure if that was sarcastic or not but I found myself doing that exact thing. I had to dig deep to remember what kind of car Walter White started the series with. I knew it was something out of the ordinary though.


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## jgickler (Apr 7, 2000)

Bierboy said:


> I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago (Elmhurst) during the days of the original Mayor Daley....criminal activity and Chicago go hand in glove...especially when it comes to politics.


I lived in La Grange Park for a few years, worked just west of the Kennedy. So I actually drove through Cicero fairly regularly when the Eisenhower was at a stand still and I would take Ogden, Cermak or Roosevelt.

When I think of Cicero, the first thing that comes to my mind is Cicero's connection to gangs, and specifically Al Capone. Cicero was know to be the place where you go if you were a criminal and needed to get out of Chicago proper. So I think it is pretty fitting that Slippin' Jimmy was invented in Cicero.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Hank said:


> Thanks, Ereth.
> 
> I'll admit my comment was a tad pedantic,


Don't forget to chastise yourself for it.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Whatever.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

goblue97 said:


> Not sure if that was sarcastic or not but I found myself doing that exact thing. I had to dig deep to remember what kind of car Walter White started the series with. I knew it was something out of the ordinary though.


Not sarcastic - I was paying attention to the driveways, looking for an Aztec.


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## goblue97 (May 12, 2005)

Or a pizza on the roof of the garage.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

goblue97 said:


> Or a pizza on the roof of the garage.


:up:


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

Ereth said:


> When I was taking a class at the FAA facility I was rather surprised that my cell phone didn't work, until one of the employees there pointed out that the FAA DID build the facility as a Faraday cage. Employees must go to the parking lot to use their cell phones. There's a significant expense to that, but I'm assuming Chuck would be able to cover it, given what they've shown his value at. Thinking more about it, it's possible he's had his house retrofitted, but the extent of that work would be rather involved, and if you can't use power tools to do it, it'd be a difficult project. I wonder if the show will simply ignore that aspect of it, assuming most people won't understand or care?


The first time we see Jimmy/Saul entering Chuck's house there's a shot of a wall with wiring ripped out and a fuse box on the floor. The "retrofitting" seemed pretty crude.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I liked this second episode a lot more than the first.


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

Hoffer said:


> I liked this second episode a lot more than the first.


I fully expect it to get better. Pilots are chocked full of exposition by necessity and I almost always cut them a break because of it.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Cearbhaill said:


> I fully expect it to get better. Pilots are chocked full of exposition by necessity and I almost always cut them a break because of it.


And often (although probably not here), the series is retooled after the pilot, but the pilot not re-shot to reflect that.


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## justapixel (Sep 27, 2001)

MonsterJoe said:


> More to the point - He seemed to be promising his brother that he wasn't going to fall back into that part of his life.


And during that conversation, he kept urging his brother to take off the space blanket. Made me think that the blanket not only wards off evil electricity (or whatever) but also somehow protects him from Jimmy. Or Jimmy interpreted it like that.

I think their relationship is going to be interesting. You have a highly successful (formerly) brother who is now not living in reality and who is not making a wage. He looks down on you for past criminal activity and wards you away with space blankets and doesn't even want your name associated with his. At the same time, you must protect him from the real evils out there - the practice he built that now wants to take all his money, you have to pay his bills, keep him "grounded" as much as you can, and he totally looks down on you while that is going on.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

I feel like the whole space blanket thing was just Jimmy knowing that his brother is nanners, and feeling like the space blanket was going too far...or not wanting to believe that he is that far gone.


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## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

MonsterJoe said:


> I feel like the whole space blanket thing was just Jimmy knowing that his brother is nanners, and feeling like the space blanket was going too far...or not wanting to believe that he is that far gone.


That's how I took it as well.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

What's wrong with a space blanket? Doesn't everyone have one?


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## Marco (Sep 19, 2000)

Ereth said:


> You'll note also that the Space Blanket has minimal affect on electromagnetic radiation. Its design is for thermal reflection, heat from your body, or an external source. Its visual similarity to aluminum foil is why Chuck uses it, but that's not what it is for. (I used one when camping in Alaska, they are interesting, but it's not going to help Chuck in the least).


This writer suggests that the space blanket could act as a Faraday cage.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Marco said:


> This writer suggets that the space blanket could act as a Faraday cage.


Deleting what I posted earlier...

Further reading on the site linked to from the article shows them selling aluminum mylar tents, saying Aluminized Mylar is well known for it's RF shielding capabilities. The Space Blanket IS aluminized Mylar. The only places I can find saying Aluminized Mylar shields RF are sites that cater to people with this condition. But maybe it's true. I don't know for sure.

Thanks for the link!


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## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

I have to assume no one noticed the scene where his brother said ,'Jimmy you have to make a name for yourself'. 

I'm also confused by how the chair is always wedged up against the door on the inside of the room when you can't get out without moving it out of the way.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

JohnB1000 said:


> I'm also confused by how the chair is always wedged up against the door on the inside of the room when you can't get out without moving it out of the way.


YES!! I thought of this as well and it makes no sense unless there's another way to get out of that office, which we haven't seen.


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## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

DevdogAZ said:


> YES!! I thought of this as well and it makes no sense unless there's another way to get out of that office, which we haven't seen.


I'm embarrassed but I actually had a similar issue with my first office, so this didn't seem impossible or weird to me - it made me chuckle. It's just that there's not enough space for the door to swing open because the chair is in the way, in the space between the door and the desk. You can move the chair around and pass through the door to exit, but the door will still hit the chair when you come back in.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

JohnB1000 said:


> I have to assume no one noticed the scene where his brother said ,'Jimmy you have to make a name for yourself'...


Why would you assume that?


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## wouldworker (Sep 7, 2004)

> > So what's the deal with the parking stickers and Mike? Surely Jimmy would be smart enough to check his stickers every time he leaves the courthouse, to make sure that he has enough?
> 
> 
> Agreed. That's just lazy writing. Of course Jimmy would/should check the stickers before he leaves the court. But it makes for good setup with the tension with Mike.


She only gives him enough stickers for the time he is in the building but the clock is still running as he leaves the building, gets into his car, and makes his way to the exit. By the time he reaches the exit enough time has passed that the stickers no longer cover it. It _is_ unlikely that it would happen to him so often unless he always spends the same amount of time in the courthouse. And, of course, we don't see the times he leaves without it being a problem.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

wouldworker said:


> She only gives him enough stickers for the time he is in the building but the clock is still running as he leaves the building, gets into his car, and makes his way to the exit. By the time he reaches the exit enough time has passed that the stickers no longer cover it. It _is_ unlikely that it would happen to him so often unless he always spends the same amount of time in the courthouse. And, of course, we don't see the times he leaves without it being a problem.


What "clock"? You're reading too much into it....it's simply provides a source of interaction between Mike and Saul. Nothing more...


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Bierboy said:


> What "clock"? You're reading too much into it....it's simply provides a source of interaction between Mike and Saul. Nothing more...


He's not really reading anything into it...Saul himself has pointed it out.


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## wouldworker (Sep 7, 2004)

Bierboy said:


> What "clock"? You're reading too much into it....it's simply provides a source of interaction between Mike and Saul. Nothing more...


Yes, it's a device to get them to interact but the point I'm making was addressed in the show. It's not something I made up on my own.

Mike: You're light on stickers.

Jimmy: Come on.

Mike: $5.

Jimmy: You serious?

Mike: You got four. You need five. There's four 90-minute stickers there. You've been here 6 hours and 5 minutes.

Jimmy: It takes 10 minutes to walk down here!

Mike: $5, or you go get another sticker.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

does club soda really get out a salsa stain?


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## bsnelson (Oct 30, 1999)

It would definitely help. It'll get a salsa stain out of a shirt, this I know 

Brad


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> does club soda really get out a salsa stain?


Would granny really have club soda?


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## MacThor (Feb 7, 2002)

MonsterJoe said:


> I feel like the whole space blanket thing was just Jimmy knowing that his brother is nanners, and feeling like the space blanket was going too far...or not wanting to believe that he is that far gone.


I took it as him wanting his brother desperately to recover, and the first step to recovery was to "take off the space blanket."


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## MacThor (Feb 7, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> does club soda really get out a salsa stain?


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

wouldworker said:


> She only gives him enough stickers for the time he is in the building but the clock is still running as he leaves the building, gets into his car, and makes his way to the exit. By the time he reaches the exit enough time has passed that the stickers no longer cover it. It _is_ unlikely that it would happen to him so often unless he always spends the same amount of time in the courthouse. And, of course, we don't see the times he leaves without it being a problem.


Good point.

And we think Saul has been going to this courthouse for many, many days. And how many sticker incidents have we seen? 2? They imply there are more, but it's certainly not every time.

In some parking decks I've used, they don't stamp the time on the card. Well they do, but it's in code. You can't read it.

So you've been in the building all day, and the person giving you stickers just slaps on several. You get to the booth and they say it's not enough. It happens.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Ep 3 REALLY escalates the sticker fiasco....it's great.


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## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

Bierboy said:


> Ep 3 REALLY escalates the sticker fiasco....it's great.


Why is that posted in the episode 2 thread ? Ahh yes, the rules don't apply to you.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

JohnB1000 said:


> Why is that posted in the episode 2 thread ? Ahh yes, the rules don't apply to you.


Wow....I'm impressed you made the effort to insult yet another person in these threads. Nice job! Welcome to my IL....


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Bierboy said:


> Wow....I'm impressed you made the effort to insult yet another person in these threads. Nice job! Welcome to my IL....


Why are you getting offended and lashing out at him rather than looking in the mirror and realizing that he was correct and that you shouldn't have posted a spoiler about E3 in the E2 thread?


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

DevdogAZ said:


> Why are you getting offended and lashing out at him rather than looking in the mirror and realizing that he was correct and that you shouldn't have posted a spoiler about E3 in the E2 thread?


How in the hell is that a spoiler? I said nothing more than the parking sticker issue was re-visited....


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Bierboy said:


> How in the hell is that a spoiler? I said nothing more than the parking sticker issue was re-visited....


Seriously?!? Do you really need someone to explain to you how talking about something that happens in E3 is considered a spoiler in the E2 thread? Doesn't matter if you provided intricate plot details or just a general overview.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

DevdogAZ said:


> Seriously?!? Do you really need someone to explain to you how talking about something that happens in E3 is considered a spoiler in the E2 thread? Doesn't matter if you provided intricate plot details or just a general overview.


I said nothing specific at all about something that "happens". Seems the spolier police are out in force today....


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

If y'all would stop quoting him, this wouldn't be a problem at all for a lot of us...


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## KyleLC (Feb 6, 2002)

Bierboy said:


> I said nothing specific at all about something that "happens". Seems the spolier police are out in force today....


Add me to the police list. What you posted was a spoiler, and I would have preferred not to have seen it.


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

While I understand the spoiler rules, and he broke them, who thought that after showing the parking ticket business in both the first episodes, not resolving it, and a BB character being involved, that we would never see it again? Come on, guys.


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## Numb And Number2 (Jan 13, 2009)

Bierboy said:


> How in the hell is that a spoiler? I said nothing more than the parking sticker issue was re-visited....


LOL @ you!


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

stellie93 said:


> While I understand the spoiler rules, and he broke them, who thought that after showing the parking ticket business in both the first episodes, not resolving it, and a BB character being involved, that we would never see it again? Come on, guys.


If he had used the word 'continue' it would have been acceptable. But using the word 'escalates' is definitely a spoiler.


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## mrdbdigital (Feb 3, 2004)

And I thought my smeek drew fire.......


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

I knew it would blow up in here the moment he posted that.

_If I think happy thoughts, it will be ignored. _


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

stellie93 said:


> While I understand the spoiler rules, and he broke them, who thought that after showing the parking ticket business in both the first episodes, not resolving it, and a BB character being involved, that we would never see it again? Come on, guys.


Agreed.

Wait until you see what hot water Saul gets into in Episode 6. Whoa!


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

uncdrew said:


> Agreed.
> 
> Wait until you see what hot water Saul gets into in Episode 6. Whoa!


:up:


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

uncdrew said:


> Agreed.
> 
> Wait until you see what hot water Saul gets into in Episode 6. Whoa!


Literally!!!!


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

uncdrew said:


> Agreed.
> 
> Wait until you see what hot water Saul gets into in Episode 6. Whoa!


Spoiler on the name change timing!
Spoiler on the name change timing!


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Cearbhaill said:


> Spoiler on the name change timing!
> Spoiler on the name change timing!


D'oh, my bad. Sorry.

That doesn't happen until episode 8.


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## teknikel (Jan 27, 2002)

Hank said:


> We only saw the caddy from the front... No plates visible.
> 
> Eta: I think the placement of the caddy was just for astute BB fans to notice, like an Easter egg. I'd guess most people wouldn't really notice it there.


I bring a perspective most here won't have.

I just started watching this yesterday. Having only watched the 1st ep of BB, I thought the Caddy was his car as he walked toward it. When he went to the Esteem, I figured the Caddy had some significance from BB.

I'm not sure if Mike was in the 1st ep of BB, but I had a feeling he was in the show. I may just recognize him from other shows but I know his fate is not to be a parking lot attendant forever because of his stature as an actor.

And also, I have planned to watch BB. This thread seems to be Spoiler City.


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## goblue97 (May 12, 2005)

teknikel said:


> And also, I have planned to watch BB. This thread seems to be Spoiler City.


Yeah, I'm not sure on the spoiler rules but it seems like you could very easily be spoiled on BB if you haven't seen it yet and plan on watching Better Call Saul first. I know I mentioned a pizza earlier in a thread but I'll try to be more thoughtful on what I post in these threads as it relates to BB.


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## SoBelle0 (Jun 25, 2002)

teknikel said:


> ...
> 
> And also, I have planned to watch BB. This thread seems to be Spoiler City.


Agreed. I'm sure it's next to impossible for the people who've watched BB, I do wish there were fewer of those posts or maybe if they were in spoiler tags. It's hard to find solutions to keep everyone happy...

I didn't get into BB early on, and haven't yet gone back to watch it all. 
This show sounded intriguing so I've started it, but decided I just can't read these threads, unfortunately.


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## teknikel (Jan 27, 2002)

goblue97 said:


> ...I'll try to be more thoughtful on what I post in these threads as it relates to BB.


I appreciate the thought but I understand it's hard not to reference BB, so...


SoBelle0 said:


> Agreed.
> I didn't get into BB early on, and haven't yet gone back to watch it all.
> This show sounded intriguing so I've started it, but decided I just can't read these threads, unfortunately.


... sadly, I'll have to do the same.


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