SQUAWKING DEAD

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

[Better SQUAWK Saul: E4] Season 6, Episode 5 of Better Call Saul, "Black and Blue"

↑↑↑Click the above graphic↑↑↑
to listen to this episode
in your favorite Podcasts App

Originally Recorded: 2022/05/14

This episode includes both the reaction to and full episode breakdown of Better Call Saul's 5th episode of its 6th and final season titled, "Black and Blue".

Don't want to wait for these episodes to release via the audio podcast? They're already up on our YouTube Channel, here:

As always, you can get the inside baseball on our podcast by creating a free account on Ko-fi.com and following us on Ko-fi.com/SQUAWKINGDEAD. It's the only place we post our upcoming recording sessions, so that you can lend us your thoughts in the real-time chat during our episode breakdowns; the unedited episode recordings to stream for your enjoyment (in the event you can't make our recording sessions); and it's the platform we use to develop and experiment new ideas, schedule our Jackbox Games live streams and watch parties, and a whole host of other fun things we reserve for the select few who send us a signal that their invested in our journey (none of which we post on social media). When you're ready to take your support to the next level, you can always buy us a coffee for 30-days of supporter-backed access or take the plunge and join a membership tier for as little as $1 /month!

Sherrandy Swift:
Rachael Burt:

🎖SURVIVORS TIER MEMBERS:

Bridget:

INITIAL REACTIONS

Bridget: I have never been so worried for a character I didn't know (referring to Margarethe Ziegler).
What was the purpose of Howard Hamlin's desire to box Jimmy McGill?
Sherrandy: "Finally I got something right!" in reference to her prediction that Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca was going to travel to Germany to seek out Werner Ziegler's men.
Did we really need to watch Gustavo Fring walk around for eight minutes?

FULL BREAKDOWN: BLACK AND BLUE

The title of this episode, Black and Blue, mirrors/is a translation of the title of season 2, episode 7 of Breaking Bad, Negro y Azul.
Sherrandy: 4 out of 5 of the opening sequences, this season, do not feature an actual character, rather a thing. The significance of that thing remains a mystery until it is revealed later on in the episode.
The song that plays during the opening sequence, In Stiller Nacht by Brahms, is a eulogy for Werner Ziegler.
Rachael: They need to take Michael Mando's name out of the opening credits!
The alarm clock on Kim's nightstand reads 3:17, but because of the camera angle, it's reflection on the surface encourages the watcher to read this as the word lie.
Is Kim Wexler lying awake because she is genuinely worried or feels bad about withholding from Jimmy the fact that Lalo is still alive?
Should Kim tell Jimmy that Lalo is alive?
How do you think Jimmy will discover that Lalo survived?
Could Erin Brill be romantically interested in Howard?
When you really stop to think about it, who is the actual villain of this series?
On the Better Call Saul Insider Podcast, they mention the following: if Saul Goodman created Heisenberg and Kim Wexler created Saul Goodman, then Kim Wexler defacto created Heisenberg.
Saul's relationship with Francesca Liddy starts and ends with him handing her a wad of money.
After working with Kim for so long and knowing Jimmy, can Viola Goto truly be that oblivious to their shadiness?
According to the Better Call Saul Insider podcast, Patrick Fabian (who plays Howard Hamlin) is a trained athlete and Bob Odenkirk (who plays Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman) had just trained for the movie Nobody, so both men had to tone down their respective training to make their boxing match look more believable.
Does Howard think Kim is even involved in whatever schemes Jimmy has in store for him?
Does Howard dislike Kim?
Is Jimmy going to try and dress up as Rand Casimiro?
What is Gustavo's plan for Lalo Salamanca?
Were you more scared for Margarethe Ziegler or her dog?
What is Lalo's plan for when he encounters Werner's men?

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Friday, July 1, 2022

[Better SQUAWK Saul: E3] Season 6, Episode 4 of Better Call Saul, "Hit and Run"

↑↑↑Click the above graphic↑↑↑
to listen to this episode
in your favorite Podcasts App

Originally Recorded: 2022/05/05

This episode includes both the reaction to and full episode breakdown of Better Call Saul's 4th episode of its 6th and final season titled, "Hit and Run".

Don't want to wait for these episodes to release via the audio podcast? They're already up on our YouTube Channel, here:

As always, you can get the inside baseball on our podcast by creating a free account on Ko-fi.com and following us on Ko-fi.com/SQUAWKINGDEAD. It's the only place we post our upcoming recording sessions, so that you can lend us your thoughts in the real-time chat during our episode breakdowns; the unedited episode recordings to stream for your enjoyment (in the event you can't make our recording sessions); and it's the platform we use to develop and experiment new ideas, schedule our Jackbox Games live streams and watch parties, and a whole host of other fun things we reserve for the select few who send us a signal that their invested in our journey (none of which we post on social media). When you're ready to take your support to the next level, you can always buy us a coffee for 30-days of supporter backed access or take the plunge and join a membership tier for as little as $1 /month!

Sherrandy Swift:
Rachael Burt:
David Cameo:

🎖SURVIVORS TIER MEMBERS:

Bridget:

INITIAL REACTIONS:

Does Kim Wexler think that Jimmy McGill is weak?
Was this episode lighter due to the heartbreak of the last episode?
This episode saw the return of Wendy and Spooge from Breaking Bad!
We see Kim and Mike Ehrmantraut meet for the first time!
This episode is directed by Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler)!
Rachael briefly thought there was a possibility that Ignacio "Nacho" Varga survived the last episode!
Does Nacho's death leave a void in the series?
Betsy Kettleman was right, Jimmy is the kind of lawyer guilty people hire!
What kind of asshole moves a cone?!

FULL BREAKDOWN: HIT AND RUN

Can we please get an Emmy for Rhea Seehorn?
How long has Gustavo Fring been preparing this secret tunnel?
The Rymans, played by Kirk & Joni Bovill, are a couple in real life!
Continuing the theme of "integrated" couples (real-life and on the show), the song playing during The Rymans' bike ride is sung by The Dreamliners, who were one of the first integrated bands in the 1960s!
Is Gus irritated by his protective measures: the bulletproof vest & ankle holster?
Is Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca going to seek out Werner Ziegler's men?
Both Lalo & Nacho are mentioned, for the first time, in the same Breaking Bad scene.
Will there be more spin-offs set in the Breaking Bad universe?
This is the first episode where we hear about Howard Hamlin's home life and that he has a wife.
Does revealing Howard's broken marriage highlight the compounding damage Jimmy & Kim intended to inflict upon him by integrating prostitutes into their schemes?
To that effect, Wendy returns to take part in Jimmy & Kim's grand plan.
Sherrandy: Kim is wearing a very Lalo-esque shirt.
Is there anything Jimmy and Kim won't do to Howard?
Might Kim stop or pump the breaks on their schemes in light of Cliff Main's generous offer?
Would Jimmy accelerate their grand plan if Kim decides to back away from it?
How does Jimmy mend his working relationships at the courthouse before Breaking Bad?
Did ADA Suzanne Ericsen spread the rumor in the courthouse that Jimmy knew De Guzman was Lalo when he was fooling the court into getting him off?
Will there be consequences for Ericsen's actions?
Is everyone else in the courthouse disappointed that he lied or furious that he got away with it?
It turns out that the notebook with the coded messages found during the opening sequence in the season premiere might be Kim's, as we see her with it in upcoming scenes for the next episode.
The Contract Counsel Administrator is played by Nadine Marissa, who plays Nabila on The Walking Dead!
Will Kim ever quit and walk away from this life, or will she be sucked in further?
Does Kim feel as though Jimmy cannot handle knowing that Lalo is alive?
At what point do you think Jimmy fully embraces Saul Goodman?
Considering the time period (2004), flat screen monitors were rare and expensive. Just another example of how wealthy Fring really was to have several of them in his monitoring station.
Why did they leave Michael Mando's name in the credits (taunting Rachael)?
Will we see a Nacho flashback before the season comes to a close?
Do Jimmy & Kim want Howard to discover their plot?