...reminds me of Chuck's typewriter.
You could just read it as the court reporter typing away, but they clearly emphasized the sound over everything else in that moment, even the judge's voice. Jimmy has just looked over at Fred Whalen family, crying silently, knowing full well Lalo cares so little, he literally forgot the name and existence of the man he murdered.
I think it's at this exact moment Jimmy realizes where his Saul Goodman experiment is going. Unlike all the pranks with Howard, or trying to 'grease the wheels of justice' by hussling Suzanne, there is no way to justify helping release Lalo from prison. He is helping a high ranking cartel member escape charges for first-degree murder, of a man who did literally nothing to anyone. And yet, Jimmy has no real choice; if he doesn't do this, Lalo will have him killed, too.
It's the final stage of Slippin' Jimmy: a born survivor. A cockroach, as per Lalo's later description. Stripped of everything else, he will do anything to stay afloat. And that's why we hear the typewriter. Jimmy is accepting what he hated for years: the idea that Chuck was right. To distrust him, to sabotage him, and to hate him.
And suddenly, they cut to him standing up. He's even a ways into his testimony already. What happened? Saul.
Saul is what lies beyond Slippin' Jimmy. It's the identity he escapes to when there's absolutely no way to justify his actions. An invented personality. To avoid the pain of his past, Jimmy puts on the mask, and scams like his life depends on it. Which, here, it does. Except, because of the guilt and hesitation in his voice and presentation, his magic doesn't work to its fullest. The judge grants bond, but doesn't buy the story of Lalo's Albuquerque family.
So, the only way to success from here is deciding what the title of the episode, JMM, means. Justice Matters Most, perhaps, but to Just Make Money is what allows the Saul magic to shine brightest.
That's also what seals his fate when Howard shows up. Jimmy had a chance to walk over to the family, own up for what he did. He waited too long, and had to watch them leave, their opportunity for justice denied forever. As Jimmy, he's a coward who doesn't have what it takes to do what he knows is right. But as Saul, he is a magic man who can solve any problem. A clear choice.
It's a Foustian bargain. A man gains the world, but loses his soul. Saul the omnipotent, with his empty smile.
Submitted October 23, 2020 at 09:29PM by FragrantBicycle7 https://ift.tt/2TnMdWd
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