Better Call Saul: Is Revenge Enough?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- I kind of like the show Better Call Saul.
Support the channel & check out the bonus Better Call Saul video by becoming a UA-cam channel member, or by becoming a Patreon supporter at / whatstherapy
(This video contains season 6 finale details, of course.)
The other videos in this series: (no need to watch in order)
Part 1 ➪ Better Call Saul: Can People Change? - • Better Call Saul: Can ...
Part 2 ➪ Better Call Saul: Ethics Are Strange - • Better Call Saul: Ethi...
Part 3 ➪ Better Call Saul: Kim & Jimmy's Love - • Better Call Saul: Kim ...
Part 4 ➪ Better Call Saul: Nature vs. Nurture - • Better Call Saul: Natu...
Part 5 ➪ Better Call Saul: Wolves & Sheep - • Better Call Saul: Wolv...
Part 6 ➪ Better Call Saul: Real Redemption? - • Better Call Saul: Real...
Part 7 ➪ Better Call Saul: The Artist's Journey - • Better Call Saul: The ...
[2/4/23 update: I finally watched Breaking Bad! Check out my first thoughts here: www.youtube.co...]
The side channel: / whatstherapystreams
The Twitch: / whatstherapy
The Rock Stacking League: / @rockstackingleague
Check out the live streams we did before each of the last 6 episodes, and the post mortem streams: • UA-cam Streams!
*Learns that this is your last BCS video (for a while at least.) *
...........is revenge ENOUGH?
*learns there will be a pryce video*
…..REAL redemption???
@@wackyjim4160 What's Therapy: Can People Change?
His last? Dammit, I just found this channel 😞
Does What's Therapy deserve to have rocks thrown thru his window because he's stopping the BCS series?
Yup
Watching Breaking Bad before Better Call Saul makes you realize also that Los Pollos Hermanos debuted Spicy Curly Fries and then inexplicably took it off the menu in breaking bad and I wish spicy curly fries existed irl
Gus's worst crime was taking them off the menu fr
They do exist just have to make them
Jack in the box curlys with spicy good food sauce
I think it's important to notice not only how many people Gus harm to enact his revenge but also the extend of his revenge.
Letting Hector die of a heart attack is too merciful. But dying of a heart attack is much more excruciating than a single gunshot to the head, as was the case of Max. Max dies a "clean" death. But Gus puts Hector through hell, both physically and psychologically, by incapacitating him and then exterminating his entire family one by one.
In essence, Gus isn't avenging Max's pain. He is avenging his own pain.
Well killing somebody isn’t only wrong because of the pain. It’s wrong because you’re robbing them of their life. In Max’s case, Hector robber Max of possibly 50+ years of life. Gus robbed Hector of a few years (very possibly less) as a severely crippled man in a nursing home.
@N0TYALC That is not how any of this works, even because Max could have died much earlier from a disease or accident. Killing has to do with pain as well as ending another life without their desire. It is robbing people of their most precious possession, not years of time
What always bothered me was that Gus killed innocent people, just to torment one guilty one. In that sense, no, his revenge was absolutely not justified. So much so that you cheer when Hector takes both Gus and himself out.
Exactly! He shoulda just let Mike snipe him. That would have already been worse than a bullet.
@@orxy5316 There’s a reason why children are the first people saved during disasters. There’s a reason that most animals will gladly give up their lives to save their young, even when it’s not their offspring. A child’s life is inherently more valuable than the life of a dying old man. I don’t understand the defensiveness in your reply.
always appreciate that in all of your thumbnails every character looks disgruntled that they even have to be there
Profile Picture.
Like when Jack noir, had to wear different outfits he looked pissed, i had to since you have a Homestuck character pfp, and your comment makes me think of him.
Better call Saul is okay, Breaking Bad is meh, but Slippin Jimmy, that's true artistic genius. An analysis of that show would be amazing, the moral complexity and deep philosophical interrogation on display is leagues more advanced and nuanced than any other BB property. It's not only the best animated show I've seen, it's the best piece of art I've ever experienced.
I know this is satire but it hurts to read
@@John34bruh yeah I want to like but it hurts my soul
What
So true! I can't wait for the animated prequel coming out: Kid Named Finger!
honestly i'd be interested in seeing what's therapy struggling to find deeper meaning in slippin jimmy
Revenge is a key theme in sibling relationships. I speak from experience. Each sibling is mad about something the other did, which was revenge for something the other did, which stretches back to when they were small children. BOTH siblings feel like victims who are entitled to revenge and the circle never stops unless both sides decide to grow up and just let things go. Neither Jimmy nor Chuck was ever mature enough to do that, and so in that way, they are both equally to blame for everything that happened.
I feel remorse for throwing my big sisters teddy in the toilet before I could even form memories and the time later when I blamed drawing on the wall on my brother and hiding a game he liked to gain more screen time. I can not really comprehend how one could bare to hurt their siblings to avenge a slight.
@@JohnSmith-ox3gy I believe you would be in the minority in that regard. most of us go through at least a phase like that when we are young, and then we grow out of it.
@@JohnSmith-ox3gy bear
I grew up absolutely HATING my little sister. She was not only better than me at most things, but my dad would NEVER punish us despite the fact my little sister made me miserable. (He would threaten to never see her again but never spanked her or even give her a time out) It got so bad I began denying that she got beat (We live in separate homes as were half siblings with different moms.) and tried convincing my dad she was faking it. It’s like I couldn’t comprehend the idea of her being a human with her own struggles.
She then called me out on being a terrible big brother at a family reunion and I let my hatred bile out, and she just cried. I yelled at her to stop faking for sympathy but everyone looked at me like I was a monster, and then I realized what I have done.
My dad basically disowned her recently (Both her and my dad were in the wrong IMO) so I haven’t seen her much but I hope to make amends.
@@zacharyriley4561 Try talking to her, man. Maybe she won't want to reconnect but if you think she deserves an apology you should tell her before it's too late. Consider messaging her that you're sorry and if she wants to talk tell her you're open to it. She might take a while to respond or not at all but focus on her knowing how you feel about her and validating her experiences.
"this gets them in trouble because drugs are illegal" fantastic commentary as always, broski.
for real though, awesome video and I'm sad that these BCS videos are ending for a minute. Love your takes and in-depth analysis on the show, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!
27:25 they actually do mention this in BCS! When Lalo and Bolsa meet in America for the first time, Lalo jokingly says to Bolsa something along the lines of: "My uncle has this crazy idea that Fring might still hold a grudge after he shot his boyfriend through the head". (S5 E1)
28:30 the murder of max is mentioned a number of times in the show too. I believe Hector mentioned it and I remember Lalo mention Hector killing “his boyfriend”.
Its been a year where is the price video?
I want to make sure this is clear to you: Hector didn't just kill Gus's partner. Hector killed Gus's lover. They are gay. We can see evidence from this (aside from the acting) this because Hector kept making fun of them for being gay. Called them "butt-brothers." Gus went on a life-long revenge quest for his murdered love.
Is "partner" completely separate from "domestic partner"?. Seemed like he used one word to convey both lover and associate.
@@sonofabookkeeper8382 When someone says "partner" it is unclear if they are lovers or not. But the fact that they were lovers helps explian why Gus went on a life-logn quest for revenge over the murder. I think it's important to help understand the story,
@@William-the-Guy there is absolutely no necessity in concluding they were lovers. It's one way you can choose to interpret their relationship that is consistent with what the show tells you, but it's not the only one. People can have respect for each other and deeply care about each other without that connection being romantic or sexual in nature. I have friends and family members I care deeply about without there being anything sexual. Are you also concluding that Mike was sexually attracted to his son, since he went to such great lengths to avenge him?
As for Hector's comment - if indeed it's true, I do not recall it but it very well might be - it can easily be seen as him being derogatory and insulting them, as that would certainly be something a man like him would consider insulting. Them being a young pair of guys, it would come as a natural insult.
Personally I think it's rather clear Gus lacks emotional connection to others. I think he is a psychopath.
At any rate, I think the idea of getting into the drug business and cartels as a gay couple is pretty ridiculous and not in tune with the world in the shows.
But like I said, I think that there are several ways to interpret the relationship that are consistent with the material.
@@theWebWizrd Hector clearly called them gay. He said they were "butt brothers" and all the cartel guys laughed like it was an old joke. In theory it's possible that Hector was wrong, but Hector calling them gay is definitely in the show.
The official cannon is that the cartel killed Gus's business. partner, who is the other "chicken brother" that the business is named after and who the show explicitly had other characters say was Gus's lover. Then Gus went on to devote decades to avenge that guy's death. Seems like he was avenging his murdered love to me.
So sure, we never see them kiss or anything. But if you watch that flashback where the guy dies, it seems clear to me they were in love and that his murder is the reason Gus shut down his emotions in the first place. You mentioned how Gus's emotions are shut down like a psychopath, that was why we were shown that flashback, the murder of his lover is the turning point in his life when he shut down his emotions and devoted himself to revenge.
Sure, it's subtle and you could find other ways to interpret the facts, But That seems like the most likely interpretation to me.
@Will Menta There are two things I'll want to address - one is quite important, since you are missing an important part of Gus' personality.
In one scene, we are shown Gus telling a story to Hector about a coati that stole quite a bit of hard-earned fruit from Gus when Gus was 7 years old. The coati broke its leg when it escaped the snare Gus sat for it, and escaped into a hole. Gus waited for hours, single-mindedly waiting for the coati who had to come back out of the hole. He says 'The merciful thing would have been to kill it. I kept it. It lived for quite some time".
In other words, at age 7 Gus was chasing cold-blooded revenge against an animal that stole and tried to take advantage of the fruits of Gus' hard work. The animal was in pain, and he kept it, clearly either indifferent to or delighting in its suffering. Seven years old. And Gus remembers and recounts this story as a way of telling us and himself who he is. He didn't get that way after his partner was murdered. There was no point where he lost contact with his emotions. He was always like that.
Notice also that the story, which is to be taken as a very obvious analogy to Gus' fight against the cartel, is not about Gus taking revenge for the damage of a loved one. The story is about Gus taking revenge against someone coming to profit from and steal from the fruits of his hard and dedicated labor. That supports my second point - we don't know or even necessarily should believe that Gus is trying to avenge his partner due to the emotional loss. That might even be something Gus just tells himself that happens to align with his economic interests and his disdain for oppurtunists who seek to profit from him.
Amazing vid as always. Thanks for the content
Thanks so much Brad, love your work :D
"Man, this is a grown man and he can't stop himself from making more problems" would've been a great alternate title for the show.
I love analyzing media and watching analysis videos. However, your video essays on better call Saul are the only critical essays I’ve watched on the show. It’s not that I think others are bad or uninteresting, but your deep rooted connection with psychology and philosophy have amplified the quality your review/analysis. I’ve watched each video, loved it, and am looking forward to whatever you plan to put out in the future!
My personal opinion on revenge is that if someone wrongs you in a way where you want to seek revenge then they shouldn't be surprised. But then you also shouldn't be surprised of your act if vengeance incurs another act if vengeance from someone else. Its like the saying violence begets violence. Revenge begets revenge if that makes sense.
I do like a bit of good old fashioned revenge though.
it seems like everytime i have an urge to rewatch all of your previous BCS content there is another video just around the corner. this has happened 3 times now and im so excited. happy new years!
To see Jimmy argue for the skateboard twins and then know a few years later he becomes saul goodman who would just get out of dodge and leave them to die really makes you think
Mike told Manuel that the justice will happen to the Salamancas who killed Nacho.
But the point is…Nacho died because of Fring, who is Mike’s boss, and Mike was supposed to kill Nacho as planned if Nacho didn’t kill himself first so the Salamancas are less responsible to Nacho’s “trip to Belize” than Fring and Mike.
This might explain that Mike’s morality was so twisted at this point and he became too loyal to Gus that he’s willing to overlook Gus and his own sins (because for him, they are the “good” side of the cartel) and put the blames on Salamancas, whom he considers to be the “evil” side of the cartel.
Nacho crossed hector and lalo and gus crossed nacho.
At the end of thr day Mike knows he's just another hired gun. He's a valuable advisor but he's a strategist and chief of security for a drug lord plain and simple. It's just business. There's no sentiment to who dies when or how when big money is on the line.
What… so nacho was going to die no matter what!??😢 why does fring needed to kill nacho😮
i binged all of your videos after finishing better call saul, it gave me a lot to think about and made me really fall even more in love with the show. thank you for all of it!!
So if this is your last Better Call Saul video, can this be your chance to make an 8 part series on Breaking Bad?
The one person that truly was the embodiment of good, aka ethical, in this entire show was Nacho's dad and he clearly told mike he doesn't want more bloodshed by taking "revenge".
A slap on the face of all the people that pretend to be really ethical and defend murder in the name of justified revenge.
I don't think revenge is necessary to justify hanging the guys up. It's not even really a punishment, more of a threat. You could argue it's self defense or something, but needs to be extreme for him to go about his business in peace.
I think Mike was wrong to kill the cops who killed his son. It was vigilante justice. It's understandable, but it doesn't make it right.
Needed this. The videos title, it’s significance and timing could not have come better for me. This show always heals it seems. Thank you
I hope you know I'm eagerly anticipating that pryce video. I know you mostly meant it as a joke, but I think there's something to look at there as far as someone jumping into a world of crime seemingly without any knowledge of what they're getting themselves into. Like how he got that embarrassing car and didn't even think that he'd look suspicious to the cops when reporting his stolen baseball cards
I love that opening edit.
My opinion to around 8:00 Killing someone, ending someones life is never & should never considered to be a "good thing" or in any way justified.. Mike killing these bad cops is as morally bad as them killing his son. I think BB & BCS perfectly shows how his revenge path lead him downwards. The existence of moral relativism can be the downfall of many of us
Mike absolutely didn’t think/care about the future when he killed the cops, at that point I think he hardly had a will to live and didn’t really care what happened as long as he got revenge.
What happens in BCS kind of restores his will to live, but before then I think his mindset was “if I die at least I take them with me.”
I think revenge is basically mandatory, until random people start getting hurt along the way. People that are innocent and had nothing to do with what you’re trying to get revenge for. I know nacho isn’t entirely innocent, and he works for Gus’ enemy, but…it’s a stretch to say he’s one of them considering he is actively trying to get out and tries to kill hector. Gus using him the way he did was wrong.
After binging all your better call saul videos, I just gotta say, I love your work so much. You do absolutely fantastic analysis of this amazing show, and I can't believe you only have 23k subs. I hope you do more videos on breaking bad and such, I also recommend shows like Mr. Robot, which many have described as being therapy in a way. I'm just a huge fan and I REALLY appreciate this sort of long form content for such a fantastic tv show.
"It was the best television" Never have truer words been spoken
So grateful for your Better Call Saul series - legitimately some of the toppest tier BCS content around. I'll definitely stick around to see what else you dig into!
If/when you watch breaking bad it would be amazing if you could do some psychology based videos linking the themes of the two shows. If you enjoy breaking bad, of course. Your work is so good
The Better Call Saul therapy never ends, and god damn I hope it never does. I will certainly stick around for future analysis
So if no more BCS videos for a while, do you think you’re gonna watch Breaking Bad and make thoughtful videos on that show? Would love to see how you analyze Walt, Skyler, and the other characters
I hope so too
Justice is crowd sourced revenge.
Jimmy deserved consequences for falsifying the documents, true. But did he deserve the consequences Chuck wanted him to have, which was disbarment? To do that, Chuck set up a situation that went beyond the document issue, which maybe would have resulted in a short suspension. He induced Jimmy to commit a real felony breaking and entering, which got him arrested. That was enough to get him disbarred, a consequence that did not fit the original "crime.'
Mike is one of my favorite characters, and I'm understanding and sympathetic towards his decision. However, when you consider the road that choice put him on, that's when you have to ask if it was the right move. Don't forget, killing those cops ended with Mike in a barrel. So maybe while it was an UNDERSTANDABLE decision, it wasn't a healthy decision, or the best one. Maybe he coulda done something different. Gotten them arrested instead. Mike's smart, he coulda done it. He could've stayed in Philly, and started his new chapter on a better note.
I feel like what is left unsaid in that discussion is that the two dirty cops clearly were willing to kill to silence anyone who would threaten them. They drove Mike out to try to kill him, after all. Are we really to believe that the best thing for the world would be to let them go on like that, killing whomever they feel like threatens their operation and lifestyle and certainly taking advantage of people as cops? Is that really in any way best for the world? There clearly wasn't a way to have them face repercussions or stop them inside the boundaries of the law, which I think is a point the show is making with the whole story. Yes, their families suffer for their deaths. But how many families are saved future suffering that they would have caused? We can't just ignore who they are and what they would have brought to the world if left alive. I actually think Mike's killing of them is one of the morally least ambiguous acts in the show.
A Chicago Sunroof is NEVER just revenge. It is art.
Love these series of videos. You bring so much to the 'table' beyond a simple recap/overview of episodes and character arcs, it's such a breath of fresh air. Exciited to see what's next :)
I love these videos so much. I love how deeply you think about the story and characters and their motivations, conscious and unconscious
love to listen to these while on my overnight shifts - makes the last hour fly by
YEET IS PERSONAL EURRPPP *DIES
I don't believe Mike's outburst in therapy was actually motivated by him not being unable to move on. What Mike and Gus have in common is that they have accepted they will never move on.
What made Mike so angry was that the moment Stacey got to express to him that she would be able to move on was shared with someone who was lying about having experienced what the people in that group have experienced. I don't think Stacey getting to move on bothered him at all, quite the opposite, what bothered him is to have this dishonest element which disgusted him speak to her about it. It made me personally feel so disgusted when this poor woman was opening up about this horrible thing she's had to process and there he is jumping on that to selfishly gain gratification. That is what I think caused Mike to lash out, which is why when he apologized to her, the first thing he said was that no one expects her to mourn forever because he worried that was her takeaway, which was not his intent. She then told him he doesn't have to mourn forever but that flat expression on his face is just saying "I already know that I will."
It was again, the same drive for vengeance that caused him to do what he could against that man in the group therapy.
Vengeance is not merely about making up for a wrong, or making up for a loss, it is saying "you have created such a monster within me of anger and rage that will never go away, so the least i can do is make you have to suffer the consequences of it, nothing will ever make up for it, I will still die alone and miserable, but at least I won't be alone in this fact." Vengeance is merely an expression of hatred. It's not about justice at all, in fact when you hate someone you actually want them to suffer injustice.
It is an admission that good is impossible.
The sad thing about this show is that those of us who have watched "Breaking Bad" already know that most of these characters are doomed, but we cheer when their lives improve and we delude ourselves into thinking that they can change their fate.
If we hold Jimmy accountable for misconduct then Chuck and Howard should be held accountable for lying by omission to the insurance company about Chuck's degraded mental state. Suppose we hold Jimmy and Kim accountable for their revenge on Howard. In that case, we should hold Howard and Chuck accountable for the damage to Kim's reputation and standing in the firm because of their punitive actions aimed at Jimmy.
Just commenting on the "compulsory revenge" ethic section. I like that topic.
In the Hagakure it is an integral part of a warrior, but still calls on your subjective opinion in the context. On the other hand, just being rude and violent (unprovoked) in public was a good enough reason to decapitate someone. That would be a great improvement to most cities, actually.
"Cutting a man down in revenge is honorable, if the crime committed against you warrants it."
10:47 He could torture them for decades and I believe it would be justified. They tortured him for the rest of his life. Murder is too merciful.
This series is not going to end, because he didn't even watch Breaking Bad.
The edit at the end with characters' responses is so cool! Outro has improved :)
"I have a sort of non-killing-people aesthetic; it's sort of my brand."
😂😂😂
This was a terrific UA-cam video. It’s the first video of yours I’ve seen, and I’ll certainly be checking out the rest. Thanks
Gus's reason for wanting revenge against Hector is explicitly mentioned in one of Lalos first episodes. You don't need to watch Breaking Bad to know
After a really tough 2 days at work and being hella depressed... this video will be a brilliant ray of light
"What about you Hector, what do you think of my decision?"
"I need to see your balls"
"Thanks wow I appreciate that"
"Revenge is a fools game" -Arthur Morgan
Some people are really good at Gustificying their actions.
"Revenge is like a two-headed rat-viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself - avatar aang : the last airbender *from nickelodeon*
The show is so strange. Both series are lamentations on revenge, maybe before they can reasonably be labeled any other way. Almost every move by all the principals is motivated first by revenge. And the ultimate product of all of it - From Boston Sunroof, to Walt first seeking out Jesse and everything after those two points - is desolation, horror, disgrace, and ruination. The message seems simple enough: avoid revenge, kids. It’s bad!!
Then, at the very last, and after the entire adventure leaves us in a bleak, black and white wasteland of angst and recrimination, the revenge lesson is abandoned for an entirely different kind of conundrum. We know what revenge brings, but now we’ve got to consider redemption. Specifically: what does it look like? Who deserves it? What does that person have to do to get it? Here I think the answer is far more open ended.
It’s interesting that Jimmy, on top of being the only criminal left around to answer for the conspiracy and its mayhem, is also given the opportunity to be the judge of his actions AND the arbiter of his own punishment. We know what he choses, but what any of it means there’s simply no time left to consider. Should Jimmy have engineered a more lenient sentence? What part did Kim play and is it justice that she avoids legal recourse? How about Howard? Jimmy didn’t pull the trigger and he never invited Howie or Lalo to his house, nor did he wish Howard dead. Is it justice that he assumes responsibility? Or is it a useless martyrdom designed to look good in Kim’s eyes? If Jimmy’s only options were bargaining for a few years in a minimum security farm, or signing the rest of his life away, which option hews closer to true justice and why?
I don’t know the answers, but a show that so deftly and artfully posses the questions is one we probably won’t see again for a long long time.
The lesson i learned from your video is people dont change if they dont want to, and no one wants to, we like being sedated, it keeps the head voice quiet (the reasonable part of our brain)
“How much does that justification justify”? Beautiful words
When im in dark places i struggle with my morality, i pray and read the bible but living in this godless country with conmen living amongst us really makes a person wanna lash out ynow, feels like some people cant be reasoned with
White people in america
I been to some places in america, i was accepted in new mexico, because i look mexican, and i was constantly happy, empty but happy fufilling life, without people looking at me like im about to take over their bloody walmart or sumn
Lived in a trailer there, 95 degrees if lucky, and no ac (trailer) and i was still happy
I'll miss these videos. I'll miss this franchise.
On the topic of Gus's motives and how much of it was based in financial gain vs revenge, are we just going to forget the fact that he blew up his own restraunt?
Yes but he was opening two more later in the timeline, not to mention the insurance he probably got from it.
@@unusualusername8847 plus, it's worth remembering just how much money cornering the meth drug trade would net Gus and how adamant he is about having the foresight to accept short term losses in exchange for longterm gains. That's kinda the great thing about Gus as a villain. There's always a financial angle. Which is why so many of his enemies convinced themselves he was willing to let bygones be bygones.
“There’s something you don’t know about me Joe Rogan… I like Rocks” lol
I’m more pumped than a cobbler squatter on banana creme pie for this video 😤
"an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". "well a blind world is preferable to one where in people feel like they can dig my eye out"
I don't like measuring the tragedy of someone's death by how many other people would be sad for them, because if we accept that yardstick, then lonely people are implied to have no value. Someone dying who nobody cares about is in a way even more sad.
Damn these are excellent points. 👍👍💪💪
Thank you so much for everything you did with this BCS series. I learned so much from you and this awesome comment section 🙌🏻
i think when comes to revenge it largely depends on not on the person but the moment
talk is talk but as soon as you actually genuinely get the chance... THEN we can see the person have a "make or break" moment (cant really explain properly)
I did not pick up on Gus torturing the animal. I thought he took it as a pet, which is kind of like what he had done with Hector.
I verbally exclaimed in excitement when I saw this video on my recommended - Bless your existence What's Therapy
I disagree with many things you said but you surely gave me a lot to think about. Great video, im subscribing!
I've heard before that the rights of the living, their wants, their needs, all outlive those of the dead.
It's an agreement with that notion, even if partial, which makes it so, for instance, people's bodies' destinations, here in Brazil, are first and foremost up to their families, and the secondly, up to them.
Say you want to give your body up for science - if any of your family would rather you be buried and have a "proper" funeral, that's what's happening.
unfortunate that the series is ending the week I find it and the day after I finish watching the others, but thank you for the excellent analysis!
Midway through and loving this one.
Based on what you are talking about here I have to highly recommend an episode from the fourth/final season of the show Atlanta called ‘The Homeliest Little Horse’. Touches on the consequences of using spite as a sort of fuel or motivation and the way a lot of people, unfortunately, prematurely view one realization in therapy as an indication that they are ‘cured’ and decide to stop when they clearly have a lot of work to do on themselves.
Atlanta is an amazing show that I highly recommend watching all the way through, but, as is the case with this episode and most episodes of the show, it can totally be viewed and enjoyed out of context as a stand-alone episode of tv.
Anyhow, it’s an exploration of a similar topic and, in my view, does a pretty good job of honoring what therapy is actually like.
22:51, bruh when Jimmy slips on the drumstick fits perfectly with you saying DEBT!
That camera flash at 0:35 is a perfect way to subtly cut off the music. Don’t think I didn’t notice
Honestly, the only character in the entire BB/BCS universe who I'd say transforms from genuinely good to genuinely bad is Mike. All the other characters were either already deeply flawed by their introduction or stayed more or less the same.
Personally, i feel like BCS Is a show about parallels, everything has a parallel that makes you think about something from another angle, although some of them are only found in BB
Great Video👍🏾
every time i watch one of your videos, my interest in better call saul is fully renewed
Sometimes revenge is all that is left.
I LOVE your BCS videos - your thought processes are very intelligent and always make me appreciate the show even more. Your analyses go into the kind of detail that I really appreciate as a fan - great videos!! And you are an actual Therapist - I suspected as much from your ability to analyze characters.
Make more dammit, MORE! MOAR!
man there’s a point where you ask what mike calls jimmy and that got me thinking
i don’t think he’s ever said his name, usually referring to him as the lawyer or just ‘you’
i know the 8 parts are over but if you revisit better call saul content. a video about how others perceive you and self perception would be very interesting
25:45 to add more to that we know mike was a soldier during the vietnam war and then went onto becoming a cop... he quite literally has never experienced a life outside of danger so to speak
This is the greatest analysis video I've ever seen and it just so happens to be on one of my favorite TV shows of all time. ❤❤❤ Thank you for this
"I am not in danger everyone. I AM the danger."
If it is revenge that you seek, you must first dig two graves
Ethics depends on the road and the road depends on the ethics
Gustavo Fring should’ve called the DEA, for whom he is great friends with.
Wow, 30 mins break after the phone glitched and you only drank a quarter of your beer. You have better willpower than I do haha
I like to brag to my friends about the quality of the show and it's discussion worthy themes, that I've watched BB & BCS close to 10+ times each, then watched the several hour long analysis videos 10+ times each.
"Revenge...
Is great! Do it hard. Do it fast.
Do it twice."
- Al Bundy ;)
Your failure in understanding the harm reduction motive is that you're only thinking about it systemically. Individual actions matter regardless of the bigger picture. Those cops would have almost definitely killed more innocent individuals full stop. By letting them live and doing nothing, more people would have died at their hands. Which basically puts mike into a 'trolly problem' where the "one man strapped down" also happens to be a murderer. Mike's revenged gave him the motivation to do it, but the harm reduction gave him moral license to do it.
You would have a point if they were source of police corruption, but they aren't. It doesn't matter in the slightest that those two were removed. There was no harm reduction because multiple more will rise up and continue to kill innocents in their place. Ironically this might even make the problem worse because whoever put them up to it will now try and corrupt more people, and if those people are like Matt they may also end up getting murdered. In the end all Mike did was harm their families for his own personal revenge.
@@FreyjaYngling How much more murderous and dangerous do these two have to be? First of all, they are a source of corruption, look what happened with Mike's son they tried to corrupt him. But moreover, a drop in the bucket is still a drop. A small amount of good is still good. By that logic why fight any crime if it all just gets replaced anyway? I'm not saying the harm reduction is substantial, it just needs to be enough to vindicate Mikes actions of removing them. And what of the families of all theor past and future victims. In an ideal society they'd face trial and go to jail, but that's super unlikely considering cops never get convicted.
In the end, the only good argument against mikes actions are a practical stance against vigilantism (and its draw backs) in general. Otherwise, this is just a cut and dry case of harm prevention and justice.
@@grey-spark We're not talking about justice or fighting crime, we're talking specifically about harm reduction.
In this case there is no harm reduction at all. Literally at all. Mike would have to murder tens of thousands of pawns before he could dent the kind of operation the two corrupt officers represented. Harm reduction would involve tackling the system they're a part of which Mike has no interest in because it's purely about revenge for him. This would be completely different if we were talking about a lone serial killer, or some other solo operation. In that case removing that singular person or handful of people would put an end to the crime, but in the case of police corruption it's going to continue regardless of two dead pawns.
Killing them is not going to save any lives, it's not like all of the other corrupt police are going to be like "Oh shit we better behave now and stop killing clean cops". They're totally irrelevant. Taking two drops of water out of a bucket being filled by a tap isn't going to work. You have to destroy the bucket or plug the tap.
@@FreyjaYngling "In this case, there is no harm reduction at all" Yeah something tells me you wouldn't be saying that if they said their next victims would be your loved ones. Again, this is about substance, not quantity. A small drop of water is still water. Quantity has nothing to do with it. Let's change the metaphor to acid. Drops of acid leaking on innocent workers on like a factory floor. Imagine acide dripping onto your work station and the boss saying "well it makes no difference there's tons of acid drops".
Harm reduction is about reducing harm in all forms and sizes.
@@grey-spark You're not reducing any harm though. It doesn't matter if I kill them for targeting my loved ones because the next guys are going to target them anyway. It doesn't matter if you clean up two drops of acid because the drops are going to keep falling. You need to cut it off at the source, you know, fix the leak? Mike did what he did out of pure vengeance. He did not do it for harm reduction. Pretending like he's somehow morally justified because he removed two goons who are just going to be replaced tomorrow and pick up where they left off is silly. You can say he's justified because he got vengeance for his son, or because he brought two criminals to justice, but not because of some "harm reduction" nonsense. There is 0 harm reduction happening when he kills them.
I think you'd benefit a lot in analyzing Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul through the lens of hatred, rather than through the lens of justice.
There is no such thing as justice. It's merely a construct we strive toward and the closer we get, the better everyone's lives has gotten, and this is what makes it's pursuit worthwhile. Even if it's a lie. We will never ever arrive at a world of justice.
The whole working against his financial interests point is all sort of moot. It's something you missed by not watching Breaking Bad but it's made clear how Walt quickly makes far more money than he could ever launder and spend.
I think this would also be an interesting conversation to have about the kill bill movies
I'm not gonna lie, hearing that this video series is ending is almost as bittersweet as when I knew Better Call Saul was ending
It is DISGUSTING that this guy has 38k subscribers. My man deserves AT LEAST a million. These videos are incredibly made and written.
Sub count is definitely low compared to the quality of work. I’m gonna guess as to “why:” This is a topic that’s WAY over-satured. On the surface, it seems that this would bring a huge audience, & that the “best” content on a popular topic would equal many, many subscribers.
What some people (like you and I) enjoy about this channel is a turnoff to others.
There’s a lot of information, in the form of raw stats, which tells us what the most popular length for a video is. It’s much shorter than these; a lot of people simply don’t click on content that’s longer than… I’ll just say a half-hour.
These videos also implore the viewer to think, it asks questions, it highlights ambiguity. Believe me, lots of people don’t wanna be compelled to think critically, consider opposing viewpoints, anything like that.
Many people wanna watch shorter videos with straight-forward, click-bait titles. “This is the moment Walt became Heisenblarp.” Then people run to the comments to share their own opinion, “I agree/disagree with the single point this video makes.”
More than anything, it’s length. I’ve noticed this trend more and more on cooking channels/blogs. EVERY recipe has to be “easy and done in _____ minutes or less!” I’m sure creators have learned they’re more likely to get clicks on that type of content than “the recipe will take you six hours but it’s worth it.”