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Better Call Saul S06E10 Thoughts: Old Habits Die Hard for Gene

Welcome to our recap/random thoughts rundown on the sixth & final season of AMC, Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould's Bob Odenkirk & Rhea Seehorn-starring Better Call Saul. Last week saw what post-Howard (Patrick Fabian) & Lalo (Tony Dalton) life was like for Odenkirk's Jimmy, Seehorn's Kim, Ed Begley Jr.'s Cliff, Giancarlo Esposito's Gus, Jonathan Banks' Mike, Luis Politti's Don Eladio, and Javier Grajeda's Juan Bolsa. But without a doubt, the biggest narrative bomb-drop came with the shocker that Kim had resigned her law license and left Jimmy. And after that, there was no doubt…

Jimmy McGill is dead. Long live Saul Goodman…???

Which brings us to this week's episode, S06E10 "Nippy" (directed by Michelle MacLaren and written by Alison Tatlock), with the rumor mill picking this episode as the one that would see the first appearance of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). So were the rumors true? And what else did we learn with only four episodes remaining and the shadow of Breaking Bad looming larger than ever? Consider the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign on, and I'm throwing down a spoiler image buffer before jumping into our deep dive.

S06E10 "Nippy" Random Thoughts & Observations

Before we begin, something to keep in mind from last week's episode S06E09 "Fun and Games." Maybe I'm reading too much into the scenes, we don't know what Jimmy and Kim may have spoken about during the in-between moments that we didn't see? Could they have come up with an "out" that works? Or, more than likely, I'm engaging in "happily ever after" wishful thinking?

Hmmm… interesting that the description for the episode on the screen reads, "A new player gets in the game

Carol Burnett's Marion kicks things off in a supermarket, set during the "Gene Time," as she speaks with the deli guy. Gene finds Marion as her wheelchair/scooter is stuck in the snow while he's posting "Lost" flyers for his dog, Nippy.

Gene's back to his old ways, setting up the snow to stall her long enough for him to make nice with her, then cutting a wire to her chair so that she has to ask him for help. We see Gene pushing Marion along as she asks him if she's okay, and he lets her know he's fine. Yup, a con is on the way…

Wow, the videotape during the credits doesn't even run all the way through now. Now, it goes to blue with digital words "Better Call Saul" across and videotape/VCR sounds.

Jeff's (Pat Healy) mother is Marion!!! Well, it looks like Jeff is about to learn not to f**k with Jimmy, Saul, or Gene.

I need a show with Odenkirk and Burnett in it… like yesterday.

I still can't tell if Gene is looking to get back in the game or setting Jeff up for a really hard fall. But old habits die hard, as he keeps an ear to the police scanner. And then, just as we're getting all tense? That damn ring moment! Feels-crusher! But Gene is playing Jeff somehow, and the ease at which Gene slips back into "Saul" mode is downright scary (and impressive on Odenkirk's part).

Well, it didn't take long for "Gene" to go away (though was he ever really there?). Offering Cinnabon to the mall security head and the officer patrolling the lot. Once again, Saul is working a "long game" with the pastries and the sucking-up, but it's amazing how he's not shying from video cameras anymore. Scary and heartbreaking how Saul can still get people to fall for him and make them feel like family as he plays them in seven different ways. And having Jim O'Heir (Parks and Recreation) as the head of security and seeing how he's taken to Saul is even worse.

Side note? Did anyone think of Gus when they saw the bank of television screens in the mall security office?

Wow! Gene just dropped Walter White's story as a humble brag! And that mapping out of the department store in the snow was not just classic Saul but also very Walter White-like.

So Saul's running a "Trojan horse" scam on the mall, and once again, his "normal life" ends up helping out his shadier deals. Even being interrupted on phone by one of the Cinnabon folks made his phone scam sound more legit.

I f*****g knew that polished floor would come into play! Better Call Saul & Breaking Bad are constantly showing us how the littlest things (like an unexpected broken arm) can have epically tragic impacts on even the most orchestrated plans. But in that moment of attempting to distract security, Saul once again taps into his reality to make his lies more legit. But this time, he's wearing it hard.

That "I'm done" moment with Jeff and Ricky reminded me of Walter's "Say my name" moment when it comes to statement-making. Gene's not a physical dude, but he played them with his greatest weapon… his mind ("It's called mutually assured destruction, so if I go down, you go down"). But even when faced with the temptation to go back to being Saul full-time (damn, that shirt/tie scene was perfect), Gene's still able to walk away from it… for now. But it's clear that Gene liked letting Saul take control.

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