I tend to rarely be harsh with my opinions but this finale was garbage.
For all of the build-up this season, Jimmy completely drops his morale compass and sense of logic on a whim in the last two minutes for no good reason or explanation. I seriously doubt being partner at a major law firm is horribly less lucrative(could be, but I doubt it’s enough for it to truly matter in the long run) than dealing with criminals in an under-the-table fashion, so that isn’t a good reason. In BB Saul clearly didn’t love all the drama and life threats that came with dealing with drug lords and such, so that isn’t the reason. What he was doing as Saul didn’t seem any more exciting that his work here, it was just with shadier characters(which is what he was already doing in the beginning of this series).
He basically said to Mike “I gave away all of that money for the sake of being a good guy, I won’t make that mistake again, so i’m going to give away all of this money thrown into my lap by this big law firm, a stable future, the respect and admiration of my love interest, and a chance to make a honest name for myself and prove my brother wrong.”
It’d be different if the law firm was like “we know your past, we appreciate what you’ve done for us, but we can’t hire a criminal.” and Jimmy was all like “If I can’t cut it as a honest lawyer, i’ll find my own way with people who do trust me, criminals.”
All that aside, the main story of this episode was boring. It’s about Jimmy’s shitty boring friend who lives a shitty boring life and is desperate to pull the same lame cons he was doing before Jimmy left.
I felt very similar to you. I expected something bigger with the finale, instead of that about turn he gave us.
However, I think really what it boiled down to was this:
He had one friend, who really appreciated him for who he was, and spent a week with him getting back in touch with his roots, getting one over on people, and generally feeling alive.
Then he had his brother, who hated him for who he was, and would never accept him for what he was trying to become, while living this life of boring servitude.
And in his internal struggle – perhaps kindled by seeing Mike as he pulled into the courthouse – he realized that Jimmy McGill was not worth it. He would always be looked down on as the “Online Degree” Lawyer by his colleagues. He was also super paranoid about just being handed things; he wants to earn it. He was afraid Hamlin handed him this other job, and that he didn’t earn it himself. He, like walt, wants to feel like he EARNED what he has, even if it didn’t come legally. And in that moment, he realized he could have made more money, via stealing that couples money, then he could have just busting his ass and helping to win the class action case.
He’d been back to his roots, and Slippin Jimmy was tired of being caged. Tired of living a hollow existence to repay his brother, whom had made it clear he would never respect him as a Lawyer. He was going to embrace what he loved the most – outsmarting people – and use it to both make money, and be happy.
He still could have done it at the job he was offered.
Also, there’s a contradiction with that money, as he wouldn’t have earned that. He didn’t work to get it or even sucker anyone out of it, he just got Mike to nab it for him.
I also feel like they missed a step or two on the evolution from Jimmy to Saul.
I know he took a “vacation” and reverted back to Slipping Jimmy. They did a pretty good job of showing how lawyer James McGill really isn’t his true self with his breakdown at Bingo as well as the whole purpose of going back to Chicago. But that scene with Marco in his house shows Jimmy wanted to go back to being a lawyer. It seemed that Marco truly pushed Jimmy into that last con.
I don’t really get the whole point with the reference to the cash. What it seems like, is Jimmy believes being a shady lawyer is more his style. He doesn’t have to deal with Bingo and old people. He could get rich faster than having to duke it out in court with Sandpiper. He could also con people, something that’s in his bones. He’s essentially Slipping Jimmy again. But the problem is that I don’t see Saul Goodman = Slipping Jimmy. While Slipping Jimmy would have happily taken that money Mike stole, the Saul we’ve seen in Breaking Bad wouldn’t have stolen it. Unless I’m missing something, there’s got to be more to the story.
What I think could have been a little more convincing is if the guy they conned with the coin happened to be one of the partners for Davis & Mane, so now Jimmy can’t be a partner with them. But this makes it less like Jimmy actively deciding his own path and more of a reactionary/limited options type of thing.
According to the creators, he’s not Saul yet. He still has a transformation to come. They originally intended for him to be Saul by the end of season 1, but they liked Jimmy too much and felt it would take longer for him to get there, so thats why the season went like it did. And he implied that Whatever he came up with at the end of the season, it was not becoming Saul Goodman yet.
BCS is the shit, The way Chuck refuses to accept Jimmy being an actual effective and excelling lawyer perfectly mirrored when Heisenberg calls Jesse 's blue meth an inferior product.
And as for the finale, Jimmys friend explains why Jimmy leaves the big firm job. He was doing work with fire hydrants living a life of stability given to him by his brother in law he did no more cons. But when Jimmy shows up they go back to their old ways of what they are having fun, not to “just” make a living and grind it out.
The need to pull one last fake Rolex con even though he didn’t need the money slammed the point even more. His last words to Jimmy were, “this was the best week of my life.”
That hit Jimmy, work a boring unfulfilled life emotionally and spiritually but making a financially safe life. Or like his friend said, “Man if you’re not rolling in dough as a lawyer you’re doing it wrong Jimmy.”
Now I’m not saying that cons satisfy everyone, Chuck gets wet memorizing cases and being anal and screwing over his bro, to each his own.
But why can’t slippin Jimmy reach his pinnacle of con by stretching the law to his will, ambulance chase, and never have risk some b.s. case of indecent exposure accusations for giving a Chicago sunroof. instead he can capitalize off of airplane accidents and hike up fees for money laundry and nail salon fronts, and other shenanigans we know Saul will get into. he makes a lucrative living and gets the rush and satisfaction of getting the upper hand.
You want a 200k a yr job w/ benefits cleaning basements and attics.
Or 150k job working on video games or whatever your passion is.
The finale left me underwhelmed but I will say that I like how theyre easing into things and how it can make a show that possibly would have gotten tired after one season some reasonably achieved longevity. (im hoping for a solid 3-4 seasons). Hes not Saul yet and he might not be Saul for a little while within the next season. It doesnt mean hes turned on a dime at this point. Hes just had a wake up call into who he really is. Some people in this thread are expecting “BB” moments. Saul wasnt one who got his hands dirty himself youre not going to have him offing people like Heisenberg and shouldnt expense regular intense high stakes scenes of action/violence.
After the first coughing fit Marco had, I knew where they were heading. One final score… I only wished Marco didn’t regain consciousness temporarily for dramatic effect, that seemed rather tacked on. it would’ve been more dramatic if he had just died. I did like the trippy conman montage though, that was very well done.
Regardless, it was a beautiful way to tie in how Saul got his ring. IMO, Jimmy’s epiphany into eventually becoming “Saul Goodman” near the end didn’t feel random or tacky, because realistically people do encounter crossroad epiphanies and change. Not everything is a slow burn into life altering decisions a la Walter White.
This season was great overall, and I’m glad they ended without a hard cliffhanger or anything BB~esque, as it’s rather representative of Jimmy’s overall life. If anything, it saves more material for some real escalation in season 2.
It must be interesting being an obese actor precariously typecasted for roles as a heart attack victim or suffering related maladies. It’s funny how shows need fat actors to represent the real world, but at the same time these actors are literally walking a dangerous path staying in these roles. If I was an obese actor and kept having to fake a heart attack take after take, I’d be spooked into a diet and exercise regimen immediately.
