FILMMAKER REACTS to BETTER CALL SAUL Season 4 Episode 1: Smoke

[@owenyoung9915]

Chills man. It was like Jimmy put on the Saul persona to deal with what Howard was saying, because Jimmy in fact knows it was himself that got his brother’s insurance cancelled. A trauma response perhaps.

[@JonH611]

Dissociation is a helluva drug

[@jculver1674]

The lesson: never open up to Jimmy emotionally.

[@elheber]

All the guilt Jimmy had been holding onto from the start of the episode, he was finally able to hang it onto someone else. On Howard, a person he already hates anyway. It was liberating.

[@Brendissimo1]

Although the malpractice insurance company would have found out about the Bar Association hearing and complaint eventually. That proceeding would be a matter of public record and it would be standard due diligence for them to check if their clients were involved in any personal litigation (e.g. on their own behalf) or disciplinary action against another attorney. By testifying in that hearing and allowing the issue of the Mesa Verde address being mixed up to be entered into evidence, Chuck essentially did it himself. Jimmy just sped up the process. And as Kim says to Howard earlier in the season, he and the rest of the partners at HHM have a duty NOT to conceal any kind of mental illness that could be impacting Chuck's performance in representing clients. The whole thing is messy because Chuck could have just taken some time off and then recovered and returned to practice, but real mental illness is rarely so clean, and his issues persisted after he came back to taking on cases for the firm. Which inevitably would have resulted in his malpractice insurance rates spiking or his policy being cancelled.

[@WholeFnShow1]

I respectfully disagree and have a different interpretation. I believe that he truly did feel guilty and that he was the reason Chuck relapsed/off'd himself...but when Howard revealed that it was actually him and the loss of his career that caused it, Jimmy realized that what Chuck said was true when he told him 'You've never mattered to me that much'...so Jimmy basically said fuck feeling guilty and fuck Chuck, that was the last straw. I think that makes more sense based on what we saw and the crux of him and Chuck's relationship.

[@andresgrfxd]

Small detail people tend to overlook: Howard probably had to see and recognize Chuck's body. Then stops Jimmy from getting close to the coroner van to spare him from seeing it too.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Damn!

[@CoRLex-jh5vx]

I mean, with how burned down the house was I can't imagine there was much left to ID

[@codypavy]

Thank god for the Mike shenanigans to balance out how heavy everything else was this episode. And seeing Howard so vulnerable like that is rough. Love the chemistry between all the actors in this show

[@jmwild1]

It's rare but great when we get Patrick, Bob, and Rhea in the same scene. The three lived together in Albuquerque during each season's production and got very close, and I feel like you can see that in their on-screen interactions.

[@Dagenspear]

PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord. Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it! I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died. God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him. Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil". LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

[@tortoiseoflegends4466]

Damn I only just realised that Jimmy is wearing a University Of American Samoa sweater when he goes to Chuck's place. The place Jimmy got the law degree that exacerbated the rift between them so much further.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

"Season Five is the last season, right?" There is another...

[@MrHartApart]

for real. don't blow the candle out at the end of season five. shoot for season six, really. it'll blow your mind.

[@SteveNathn]

@@MrHartApart Nah bruh 💀💀

[@asdfasdf5695]

Fun fact: the music playing at Chuck's funeral is the same that he was playing on the piano in the cold open to S2E2: Cobbler.

[@pkleo73]

the 'Rebecca' song

[@tunasub7727]

"well I guess thats your cross to bear" is such a brutal line

[@swissb00m96]

100% ... i was like "WHAT?" when i saw it the first time. At that moment it leaves Howard with guilt and not with support (as it should because he opened up). And Jimmy is just like "oh yeah well hey let's feed the fishes... oh hey look how cute they are looking"

[@MLennholm]

@@swissb00m96 A good reminder that this show is portraying the emergence of Saul Goodman

[@swissb00m96]

@@MLennholm let's avoid spoilers for the others but the journey through better call saul for me was more like "ah THIS is why he becomes Saul Goodman" ... but then it wasn't ... so I waited for the next possible reason he becomes Saul ... and then it wasn't again... and so on :D Great show and peak of writing... still a big shame they were robbed from the well deserved Emmy

[@felixshaddowhammer]

The logo hanging from the rear view mirror in the cab during the intro is for the Albuquerque Isotopes. They are the minor league baseball team in New Mexico and they were named after an episode of The Simpsons where the owner of the Springfield Isotopes threatened to move the team to Albuquerque. Fun fact, I met Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Jonathan Banks at an Isotopes game when they were filming the final season of Breaking Bad. People were coming up and talking with them throughout the game and they were all super friendly and generous with their time.

[@tovbyte]

I think Jimmy knowing he played a hand in Chuck’s death with the Malpractice insurance really pushed him over the edge. He was sad all through the episode after learning of Chuck’s death, but once he learns this horrific truth, he goes into complete denial. He feeds his fish, makes coffee, whistles a song. He can’t deal with this situation at all

[@asdfasdf5695]

I always thought that he was just fulfilling Chuck's last wish: to stop apologizing and just move on when he hurts people. It's probably a little of both.

[@scaf5363]

No Jimmy definitely feels guilty, but once Howard immediately comes in and blames himself, Jimmy literally feels better because he knows the guilt is shifted off of him. He’s a sick man lmfao

[@pkleo73]

Jimmy whistling away like that, reminded me of Walt in the last season of BrBa when he tells Jesse to leave and stays behind in the 'tent' ..after Drew Sharps' death

[@deanpoole4458]

The taquila bottle kim and jimmy drank in this episode is a fictional bottle that they made for the show Zafiro Añejo it is the brand that kim and jimmy ordered in the restaurant while they scammed the buisnessman and also the bottle gus used to poison don Eladio,another fun little tie-in throughout the BB/BCS universe😊so many fun things in these shows

[@EvHervey]

"I hired you for a no-show job!" - "The Isotopes lost, I got bored."

[@joeyboogenz]

That was cold of Jimmy to pin this on Howard. Howard is actually a good dude . Better than we think .

[@LupusLifestyle]

That jazz song playing is "The Shadow of Your Smile". I used to play that in my musician days.

[@dnllrnt]

Mike knows the strategy of: "Look like you belong and nobody asks questions."

[@pkleo73]

just as folks have told me over the years. When you go on vaca, dont look like a tourist.

[@MrSqurk]

@@pkleo73Damn, I have been wondering for years why everyone assumes I am a local most places I go. I think you just solved it.

[@Broski8137]

The side eye just seemed like genuine curiosity, I think Nacho staring ahead avoiding Gus' stare aroused his suspicion.

[@Jaker788]

Something closer to what Mike did is a pen (penetration) test. It's a real job of intentionally trying to break into a building and then make a write up of failures and fixes. Then go to a defcon and do a 2hr talk on just elevators and all the security vulnerabilities they can bring to a building.

[@heron619]

Season 5 last season!? My good sir, Season 6 is the last one which only came out last year. It's also 13 episodes instead of the regular 10.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Yoooooo you are correct!!

[@traceyreid4585]

@@JamesVSCinema Season 6 is off the filmmaking charts!

[@ethanbrock5453]

Wtf why is this comment 8mo old ?

[@atmadja19]

@@ethanbrock5453Cause these are released early on Patreon 👍. That threw me off too first time I noticed haha

[@ethanbrock5453]

​@atmadja19 that's strange because his description says patreon is only 2 eps ahead, if it took 8 months for 2 more episodes that makes no sense, im guessing an error in the description

[@jwoodard29]

I love how Mike insinuates with his new (fake) co-workers by participating in a typical sports debate and then signs a greeting card for someone he doesn't know.

[@-38-8]

did anyone notice that on 10:02 you can hear music from the moment Chuck was destroying his home? trurly beautiful.

[@depechetoi]

Saul whistling at the end of the episode actually reminded me of Walter whistling while cooking after the death of the boy in the train robbery - The reactions of Kim and Jesse also seem very similar

[@mcm4point2o]

Jimmy definitely knows how his slippin around the past few seasons on Chucks metaphorical HHM floor was the trigger of his relapse and ultimate demise. The whole episode he is more guilt-stricken than grief-stricken, then Howard gives him someone else to blame and he snaps right out of it

[@justin555666]

In honor of Chuck you should watch This is Spinal Tap and Air Heads! Two of my favorite Michael McKean movies.

[@Dagenspear]

PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord. Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it! I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died. God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him. Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil". LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

[@ondrejvasak1054]

It's crazy that "You've never mattered all that much to me" were basically Chucks last words to his brother. Or ever. I would say fair enough, if it was actually true. But I think he did actually care about Jimmy, he just couldn't get past his jelousy towards him. It is more tragic because he was actually getting better and there was a chance for reconciliation down the road, but Jimmy sabotaged all that with the insurance thing, which was entirelly unnecessary. That was just him lashing out.

[@EvHervey]

I LOVE Mike walking through Madrigal. Reach for the stars! -Barry H

[@LittleMakwa]

14:33 IVE BEEN SAYIN THIS😭

[@JamesVSCinema]

I’m dying even replaying this 😂😂😂

[@scotaku4531]

Mike doesn't look like the dude on the name tag, but the dude on the name tag looks at a glance like that could have been Mike 30 years ago. You wouldn't second-guess it.

[@DarkNeon27]

18:28 "They see me rollin' They hatin'"

[@MLennholm]

More like "They see me mowin' My front lawn"...

[@drawden]

easter egg at 9:17 !!! Beneke Fabricators! One has to wonder if Saul ever came into contact with Ted Beneke

[@chrisnorden8043]

That single ding of a bell @ 16:01

[@pinkninja1410]

just wanna say that fit is fire bro love the sweater

[@3XLDave]

I don't mind you being on the road; that is a pretty cool room. And a damn fine shirt, too, btw.

[@brettcraigie6976]

love the shirt my guy

[@tovbyte]

I think this might be my favourite season of BCS, if not my favourite season of anything ever

[@MLennholm]

Same for me, though for some reason that I can't even remember I didn't care for it that much on first watch. I especially love how it's bookended by two of the biggest "WTF" moments in the show, the _"That's your cross to bear"_ in this episode and then the thing that happens with Jimmy in the season finale.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Jimmy..god damn..!! Better Call Saul & Mr. ROBOT & Succession on Patreon! Click here: www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Much love!

[@neno539]

@JamesVSCinema Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai

[@deya8329]

The only thing I could think of after watching Jimmy saying "that's your cross to bear" to Howard is you, James, are such a good man. Greetings from Peru.

[@sheentell]

The Albuquerque Isotopes are the minor league baseball team here in Albuquerque. They are the seed team for the Colorado Rockies

[@benf1111]

I had no idea that was a prize from the arcade until you said something. The details in this show are off the charts

[@Mason32800]

Even if it wasn’t true just thinking about the fact that the last words Chuck ever said to Jimmy were “the truth is: you never mattered all that much to me” I don’t think Chuck truly believes that but I think Jimmy thinks he did which is a huge influence in his path going forward in Breaking Bad.

[@HaloOfSun]

Watching that opening scene gave me so much anxiety. It just gets worse and worse from the wrong ID number to the taxi driver... Ugh... Seeing you watch it just reminded me of how tense that opening is.

[@chris_player2995]

i may be reaching here but the hospital assistant having trouble with the number reminded of the Chuck scandal (the 1216)

[@ThePyroSquirrel1]

i love how from the moment Jimmy gets to skirt the blame for chucks death onto Howard he goes into full Saul mode. That moment where howard shows how true of a person he is i think fundamentally changed Jimmy for the worse and the new Jimmy now begins to change Kim as she's made her point that she will support him no matter what.

[@banzi403]

"Slapshot!"1977-the most accurate real life, fictional film ever made. Paul newman's favorite movie. Considered by many the best sports movie ever.

[@nolanhenshallentertainment]

this was such a fun reaction

[@Jared_Wignall]

The beginning of Season 4. More Gene and he’s more paranoid than ever and now with very good reason, seeing the aftermath of what happened at the end of season 3 and seeing how Jimmy deals with the death of Chuck is quite something. He’s essentially acting how Saul Goodman acts in situations such as this. And the cartel stuff gets even crazier now that Hector is in the hospital and Nacho believing he’s got away with the whole pill thing, but Gus and his people know he’s responsible for what happened. This premiere is fantastic and the story keep getting more interesting and fascinating from here. Great reaction James, I hope you’re doing well. Keep up the great work and take care!

[@natecloe8535]

I couldnt place the look on Kims face when Howard says ge thinks he caused Chucks suicide. It became clear in a couple episodes after a one on one with Howard and she. Its my FAVORITE scene with Kim and a huge reason why she is my favorite character. Watch for it. You wont miss it.

[@BertonMelch]

I just caught back up to these vids… holy heck bro I can’t believe chuck actually died lmao I thought it was just gonna be his house but no wtf 😂

[@The_Phantasm]

I know you've seen this way in advance, but I still can't wait to see your reaction to Lalo.

[@jwoodard29]

The jazz song is "The Shadow of Your Smile."

[@JamesVSCinema]

Correct!

[@slackstarfish8133]

Oh I can’t wait for the second half of this season

[@soundofnellody262]

Since you mentioned the Fallout 4 Soundtrack at 04:55 - May I aks, if you plan to react to the Fallout Amazon Show? As a gamer and a filmmaker it would be treat for you and your audience

[@DuquesGallery.artwork]

That shirt is fire

[@VivyTheHuntress]

The shots of Gene on the stretcher mirror similar scenes we see of Chuck.

[@mlgamings6110]

This is truly the beginning of Jimmy's transformation into Saul. Seeing Jimmy being sad and down because of Chuck's death was already depressing, but it was a million times worse seeing him push the blame onto Howard and then acting like everything was ok.

[@Yourmanjeff]

the ABQ Isotopes are the minor league team in New Mexico. They had some overlap with the Simpsons, as did Bob. Universes colliding.

[@papl20]

People like to compare jimmy whistling after the delivery of the brutal 'that's your cross to bear' with walter whistling after the murder of the kid. Kim and Jesse's expressions are virtually the same.

[@Dane33602]

Love you content James. Btw, Bruce Lee knew Ali would have killed Bruce Lee.

[@mauro5831]

This man Mike

[@franklynjackson7359]

14:31 two Far Cry main villains in the same shot

[@sadclown7340]

There was a large gap between the release of the last season... I'm not sure why exactly. ( maybe strike?) I forget. Anyway I'm just wondering if your aware of that. It was almost left without closure. As far as I remember the gap didn't effect writing or directing quality at all. But I wonder if you could notice any differences

[@WatashiMachineFullCycle]

At the risk of over sharing I have to say that Howard's performance in this episode and moving forward is so realistic that it was initially hard for me to watch. I've unfortunately watched a close friend pass away and harboured a lot of guilt for a long time (I am doing better now) and the "that's your cross to bear" line cut crazy deep, Howard's actor really sold it to me. This show is so good man

[@stefanlammer3439]

Hey, nice background, man. Not too shabby.

[@JamesVSCinema]

It’s a really chill town on the countryside :)

[@chaost4544]

It's amazing Mike is making Gus's legitimate business run more effective and efficient.

[@youstinkk6453]

your shirt is fire

[@chris_player2995]

"the pain begins" oh boy

[@batmanvsjoker7725]

Howard doesn't realize he just set himself up to be Jimmy's scapegoat

[@bobkilla430]

I still think that once Howard said those things, jimmy sought a chance to put whatever guilt sadness etc he was feeling inside onto Howard. If me and my bro had a falling out as bad and jimmy & chuck. And the last thing my brother said to me was I never reslly mattered to him, I'd wall the f up after that.

[@morpho5539]

I love your shirt

[@JamesVSCinema]

Fresh from Italy! Or at least an H&M one in Italy lmfaoo.

[@petresko1041]

Mike just acts like he belongs everywhere, and every workplace has their own old, senile "Minding my own business" person, who just does the job and goes home with minimal interaction. That's why nobody bats an eye.

[@Anonimus693]

Even though I totally agree that Mike did that whole thing because it's fun to him, I always felt like there's an other, much more serious reason to it - he did that to reinforce his identity. He's just laundering money there, right? Don't even have to go and actually do this job, but he does - and now there's a whole bunch of people that saw him, knew he is a real person, and really is a security consultant, will most likelly remember him and will - if ever needed - confirm all of that in court...)

[@AManIsNoOne67]

It took me a long time to finish the series after Chuck kicked the lantern. For some reason it felt like I lost a family member. MK was great.

[@RayAkuma]

Ayy, i finally caught up

[@ronrago2696]

Chuck really lit up Jimmy saying that Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun, did Chuck regret that , I dont think so. Jimmy will not forgive him & now feels no remorse... Howard had nothing to do with it in my mind...

[@John_Locke_108]

The episode where I switched to team Howard. Jimmy absolutely sucks. He's the reason why Chuck killed himself and yet he lets Howard shoulder the blame.

[@domskillet5744]

Idk Bruce Lee would have a shot. He had freakish strength for his size and absurd speed and trained for a massive variety of moves. In 100 fights I'll give Bruce 25 of them

[@Easy_Skanking]

If it's just striking, your odds are good. If ground game is included, it's Bruce every time.

[@kimwexler9393]

Ngl, I have some GILF feelings towards Mike.

[@friedporchetta]

I’m straight as an arrow but 😩👌🏽💦😮‍💨

[@kimwexler9393]

@@friedporchetta HAHA

[@Batt-man]

Next time lie 😟

[@kimwexler9393]

​@@Batt-manYou're in DENIAL

[@TheUniversalninja]

when i read this I forgot GILF can refer to both genders 😭😭😭😭😭

[@dayman152]

Only a few episodes til Lal o Then shit gets real

[@NextHitchcock15]

Bro forgot Ali died lol

[@MrHartApart]

what the fuck is up with the new YT layout? they even have comment post dates all over the place. I'm seeing days ago, months ago, just now; what the hell YT?

[@neezduts69420]

just do the sort by date :)

[@scooterjones303]

The least*

[@danielperry6921]

😎

[@capsdude4838]

The Chuck character was very well written/acted and was integral to the story, but I felt like the overall pace of things picked up considerably once he was out of the way. The best is yet to come.

[@neezduts69420]

yeah we thoroughly enjoyed it! we hope you enjoy the reactions!

[@xotmatrix]

Hate to disagree, but when they were both alive, Bruce Lee would have kicked Mike Tyson's 7-year-old ass.

[@JamesVSCinema]

I love both but NAH. Hahaha!

[@Bighhead]

bruce lee would win

[@JamesVSCinema]

We need a Gladiator Fight simulation of this

[@transformersrevenge9]

What Chuck did was one of the more malicious acts in the show. To take his own life, and put all the weight on an empathic person like Jimmy. Brothers fight, but no brother should put his own death on another's heart. Goddamn it Chuck, Jimmy did not take away anything Chuck needed to live. He was strong armed out of his law firm, and Jimmy will get to be a lawyer again in a year. But no, Chuck deals with defeat, by ending his own life. He could have given lectures at university, moved to a quiet cabin somewhere in the woods, if only he let go of his hate for Jimmy. My mom is a religious person, and when we watched BCS, she likened Jimmy and Chuck to the parable of the lost son. You know the one where one son stays loyal to their dad and works his ass off by doing honst work, while the other takes his share and spends it all. And when the lost son comes back, his father is happy to see him, but the brother who stayed loyal, is hurt and bitter over their father celebrating his return. Same can go for Jimmy and Chuck. I'm guessing Chuck's anxiety and inferiority comes from the fact that he always tried to make his parents proud. And yet they loved the trouble making, smooth talking and corner cutting Jimmy more. As I have said before, Jimmy stealing money from their dad's store, is an open ended plot point. Chuck says he did, Jimmy says he only took quarters, and scammers took the rest. Yeah, I know Chuck was mentally unwell, and his anxiety might have driven him to taking his own life, but a lifetime of bitterness and being petty, all built up to that. And his action causes the empathic Jimmy to close his heart.

[@j.prt.979]

It was Jimmy’s choice to react the way he did. Blaming Chuck for that is insane.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

I might agree with you, but I'd argue that suicide isn't a choice people make. Chuck's ignorance and mental illness, along with outside factors, was what caused him to lose everything. He destroys all he had as his insane anxiety increases, and he literally can't feel anything anymore. Chuck has done plenty of bad things, but he wouldn't take his own life just to spite Jimmy