[Kim and Jimmy discuss the Acker situation after Kevin decides to keep contesting the land despite Jimmy's delaying tactics]
JimmyYou gave it all you could.
Jimmy
Yeah! You went the distance for the old SOB, above and beyond. You should feel good about that.
Jimmy
You gave Acker more than he deserved... and uh, let's be real. Putting me on this? That was bad. I mean, if anyone found out...? You risked a lot for this guy. [sighs] Look, by this time next week, Acker will be living somewhere else. Is that really such a big deal? Plus, Mesa Verde... that's your bread and butter. You can only push 'em so far. [pause] There's always another play... but the rational thing to do here is close the deal, get the guy a few bucks, pop the champagne with the other winners and smile like you mean it. You wanna beer? I'm gonna get one.
[Jimmy gets up]
Or? [Jimmy turns back] Jimmy?
Jimmy
...There's no reason on God's green earth to take this any further. It's not worth it.
Jimmy
Or... we go after Kevin Wachtell. It gets nasty, it gets personal, it gets dangerous.
[Jimmy opens the beers in the kitchen. Kim comes up to him.]
Jimmy
Okay!
[As Howard is having lunch with Cliff Main, two prostitutes hired by Jimmy walk up to his table]
I hear S&C are following the playbook?
Erin and the gang already had to jump on redrafting the complaint, but then another box of receipts was suddenly "discovered". What are you hearing from Kylie?
[notices the hookers] ...Uh, can I help you?
H1Hooker #1
Howie. You know.
I, uh...No, I don't know.
H2Hooker #2
Oh, don't try to play us like that, Howie!
Uh, this is--[to Cliff] I don't know them. Ladies, I don't know you. This is some sort of mistake--
H1Hooker #1
Yeah, we made a mistake alright! Joe-Dog ain't happy. You owe us.
H2Hooker #2
You can't take a ride on the Carnival Cruise and only pay for a tugboat, you know what I'm saying?
I can leave if you need--
No, no. Look, I don't know any Joe-Dog or Tugboat, so we can end this right now--
H2Hooker #2
We ain't leaving without our cash money!
I don't know you, and owe no money to you. That's it.
H1Hooker #1
[gasps] Don't touch her!
[The other hooker screams. Cut to Jimmy outside watching the altercation from his car]
Jimmy
"No, Cliff, these are not my hookers, they're somebody else's." "Howard, are you sure they're not your hookers? They seem to be." "No, no, Cliff, my hookers were taller than these." [chuckles] Oh God, I'm good.
[Jimmy presents the commercials for class-action lawsuits against Mesa Verde to the disgust of Kim and her law partners]
EMElderly Man
[in the commercial] My bank took my home over a technicality! And I never missed a single payment! It's not right, it's un-American!
DWDon Wachtell
[in the commercial] Yup!
Jimmy
[in the commercial as Saul Goodman] Hi, I'm Saul Goodman. Have you or a family member been wrongfully evicted from your home by Mesa Verde? Then you may be entitled to a large cash settlement. Call 505-503-4455 today!
None of that is true! It's defamation!
That's my father you're making a fool of!
Jimmy, turn it off! You know you can't do this!
Jimmy
[as another commercial starts] Shh, this is a good one.
DGDrama Girl
[in the commercial] I went into my bank to withdraw cash for groceries, and I came out with a rash. I–I can't stop itchin', it's everywhere!
DDon
[in the commercial] Yup!
Jimmy
[in the commercial as Saul Goodman] Hi, I'm Saul Goodman. Did you or a family member visit a Mesa Verde branch and come into contact with black mold? Then you may be entitled to a large cash settlement.
There's no way in hell you can legally run these!
Jimmy
Hmm, maybe. But, you know, we'll fight it out after they run in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Texas...
No. No, we will stop it before it ever gets that far.
Jimmy
Some might call that prior restraint. You know what? You could stop us. Some news outlet will pick it up, they'll run for free.
EWElderly Woman
[in the commercial] ...went into my bank to open my safety deposit box, and Mr. [bleep] was standing there with his pants down! Bare genitals!
DDon
[in the commercial] Yup!
My dad never ever did anything like that!
None of this is true. This is all fantasy!
It doesn't matter. This trash airs, our reputation is in the toilet!
Stop! Stop it! That's enough of this horseshit! Jesus!
Jimmy
There's lots more. You know, I can leave you this one because I got plenty of copies.
What do you hope to gain with all of this?! We agreed to Acker's ridiculous demands, and you... don't run this garbage?!
It's illegal to do that. No lawyer can play one case off another. [to Jimmy] It is unethical and it is blackmail!
Jimmy
She's right. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. [turns lights on] Which leads me to my next topic. [opens photo book] This is...Olivia Bitsui. She is a photographer; in fact, she took this self-portrait. It's really lovely. [turns page to show a man on a horse] Here's another picture she took fifty-four years ago.
Kevin, I am strongly advising you...
...my dad bought it fair and square! I have a copy of it hanging in my office at home!
Jimmy
I think we all just heard Mr. Wachtell admit that he owns a copy of Olivia Bitsui's photo. A photo that looks remarkably like the official Mesa Verde logo!
Jimmy
You own a copy of the photo, you don't own the rights to it! That's copyright infringement!
You'll never be able to prove that!
Jimmy
Well, you know what? [walks back to the projection on the wall and holds the photo up to a still of the Mesa Verde logo] Wow. Looks like a mirror image there. So, I think I can convince a judge and probably a jury that Mesa Verde misappropriated Ms. Bitsui's intellectual property. [to Kevin] It's not your fault, sins of the father. But... we filed an injunction, so you're gonna have to take down all your horsey logos or throw a big tarp over them til we can get this thing settled. Shouldn't take more than... I don't know, a couple of years? We'll be seeing a lot of each other. Til next time.
[Jimmy whistles as he walks out of the conference room]
Jimmy
Hey, how'd it go? [pause] It was pretty perfect, right?
[Kim says nothing as she takes off her jacket]
Jimmy
[beat] Kim. Kim, look, apologies. Alright? I–I'm sorry... for sandbagging you with the old switcheroo. I... I should've warned you. But you know what? You being angry at me–that worked. You were concerned that Rich was suspicious. Did he say anything?
Jimmy
Great! See? That anger–real anger–it worked like a protective immunity shield, you know? I mean... Hey, emotion like that, you can't fake it.
Jimmy
Yeah, right? So, what did Kevin say?
Uh... He said he was tired of lawyers...
Jimmy
Wait, do the voice. You gotta do the voice.
[pause] Kevin is sick of lawyers, wants to be down with all of it. We explained that your agreement is non-binding, but he doesn't care. He's sticking with the handshake.
Jimmy
Boom! There you go! That's a plan cooked and served to juicy perfection. We should celebrate. Really! [Kim walks past Jimmy] We'll go to a steakhouse, get a couple bottles of red wine, some tiramisu. The whole nine yards! [pause] Okay, Kim. Look, I said I was sorry. And again, it worked! No way that Rich or Paige could believe that we were in cahoots, 'cause guess what? We worked! Acker gets to keep his home plus a nice chunk of change, Olivia Bitsui gets reparations for being cheated, and Kevin still gets his call center. Everybody wins!
Jimmy
What?!
Jimmy
Uh... yeah. But, I mean... Well, we win. Us.
Jimmy
What didn't you get that you wanted?
Jimmy
Why?
You played me! You made me the sucker! Again!
Jimmy
Again? What... Wait, how could you be the sucker? It was your plan.
Oh, fuck you, Jimmy! God! I...I–You know what? I can't do this anymore.
Jimmy
Kim, I was just...
No! You turned you and me versus the bank into you versus me! And it is not just this. It's the same thing over and over again!
Jimmy
No, I kept things from you to protect you! Look, if I got caught, and... God forbid you're questioned under oath, you have plausible deniability!
Jesus, Jimmy! You can excuse stabbing me in the back by making it about protecting me?! Is that... Is that really supposed to justify everything?!
Jimmy
Okay, Kim. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, alright? It–It'll never happen again.
Jimmy
I swear. I swear, it won't!
Look me in the eye, and tell me it'll never happen again. [pause] You can't. I don't believe you. You don't believe yourself. It is a lie! You lie! I lie! This... has to end! I–I cannot keep living like this!
Jimmy
No, no, no! No, just...
Jimmy
We can fix this!
Jimmy! You know this has to change! If you don't see it, I don't know what to say because we are at a breaking point!
Jimmy
Oh, God!
Either we end this now, or...
Jimmy
No!
Either we end this now, and enjoy the time we had, and go our separate ways, or...
Jimmy
Or what?
Or we're... We're... I mean... Or maybe... [beat] Maybe we get married?
Jimmy
Oh, that's my motto.
Jimmy
"Justice Matters Most." [Lalo chuckles] Okay, brass tacks, how solid is this "de Guzman" thing? Because if they find out you're not who they think you are, that could be a little...
It's not gonna be a problem.
Jimmy
Great. Um... First up, we're gonna get this murder wrap down to manslaughter. Now, I think that the DA is primed to cut a deal. So I say make them come to us, power move.
Jimmy
No?
Jimmy
Here's the thing about going to trial.
No, no, no. No trial, no deal.
Jimmy
Okay, sure. It's just... What did you have in mind?
You're gonna get me out on bail.
Jimmy
Bail? That's... Well, the thing there–I mean, I don't know how things work south of the border, but here, under these circumstances, it's uh... Well, that's a long shot.
¿Quieres ser amigo de cartel?
Jimmy
I'm sorry. I don't...
[pause] You wanna be a friend of the cartel? Time to get yourself a new motto: "Just Make Money."
Jimmy
[to Kim] I have a new client. He's connected. He's a cartel guy from Mexico. Pretty high up. Anyway, he's in for murder, and he wants bail, which... That's impossible. I mean... no way in hell this dude is ever seeing sunshine. But if I could, you know, somehow find a way, uh... He said I'd be a friend of the cartel.
Jimmy
[pause] You know what that means. It means money. "Ranch in Montana" kind of money. Like, private jet kind of money. Press conferences, TV news, the works.
But... do you want to be a friend of the cartel?
Jimmy
No. No, absolutely not. Anyway, it's a moot point, 'cause the guy's the definition of a flight risk, so... I'm gonna put up a fight, alright? Just for show. There's no judge on Earth that's gonna grant him bail. I just... didn't want to tell you, so... I thought I should tell you.
Jimmy
What?
Have you thought anymore about the job?
Jimmy
The job? Yeah, um... I'm still giving it some thought.
Jimmy
Yeah.
[pause] You know what? Don't bother. It seems I've upset you, so... offer's off the table.
Jimmy
You upset me? How did you upset me?
Jimmy
[pause; chuckles] This is getting weird, Howard.
You want to know what's weird? It's weird to offer a job to a man, and in return have bowling balls thrown at your car, and prostitutes sent to your business lunch. That's weird.
Jimmy
Are you listening to yourself? I–I don't know what you're into these days, Howard, but... prostitutes and... bowling balls? You sound unhinged.
[pause] Jimmy, I'm sorry you're in pain.
Jimmy
[scoffs] Sorry. You're sorry? You kill my brother, and you say you're sorry? Let me tell you something. The job offer, it didn't upset me. It amused me. Ooh... big job at the illustrious HHM. A chance to play at the palace! With little old me?
Jimmy
You have no idea what's going on! You're a teensy-tiny man in a teensy-weensy little bubble!
Jimmy
Oh, don't you fucking, "Oh, Jimmy," me! You look down on me, you pity me! [Howard starts walking away from Jimmy] Walk away. That's right, Howard! You know why I didn't take the job? 'Cause it's too small! I don't care about it! It's nothing to me! It's a bacterium! I travel in worlds you can't even imagine! You can't conceive of what I'm capable of! I'm so far beyond you! I'm like a god in human clothing! LIGHTNING BOLTS SHOOT FROM MY FINGERTIPS!
[During Jimmy’s visit, Lalo laughs at a newspaper headline about the fire that destroyed Los Pollos Hermanos]
Jimmy
What’s so funny?
Jimmy
O–Okay.
Okay, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna take 25 south to Las Cruces, then you're gonna pick up 10 west from there. Hey, write this down, man! Es complicado!
Jimmy
Alright, 10 west at Las Cruces.
Little past Deming, there’s a state road—it’s 146. Uh... Follow the signs to Antelope Wells until mile marker 223. Turn off at the dirt road, and take thirty miles south.
Jimmy
Thirty miles down a dirt road?
Fewer eyes out in the desert, you know? Actually it’s 31.6. So, make sure that you use the little, uh, trip meter thing on the odometer or whatever. Anyway, once you get there, you’re gonna see a well. It’s really old, broken down.
Jimmy
What does this well look like?
It looks like a well. It’s the only one out there.
Jimmy
C—Can you see it from the road?
You’ll see it, don’t worry about it! My cousins are gonna meet you there with the money. 9 A.M. You’ll like them, they’re good boys!
Jimmy
[sighs] I’ll bet. Um… Hey, I have an idea. Why not have these cousins of yours bring the money all the way here? Cut out the middle man.
Yeah, see the thing is… This whole thing has to be very low profile. There are people, let’s say competitors of mine—people who want to keep me in here—and so, my cousins come into town. Those people will notice.
Jimmy
What about Nacho Varga? Would your competitors notice him? He seems like he’s got a pretty good head on his shoulders.
Ignacio? Yeah, sure. I mean… He’s good for a lot of things. But with seven million? A guy like that could get real dumb real fast, you know? Hey, you’re the right guy for this. You’re nobody! I mean, no offense, but nobody’s gonna look twice at you!
Jimmy
Yeah, sure.
Hey, look. Maybe this isn’t your thing, you know? I mean, that’s okay, I get it. Y—You did good in court. We’ll leave it at that.
Jimmy
Oh, thanks. I appreciate that.
Don’t worry about it. I’ll find somebody else.
Jimmy
Yeah, so… I guess we’re done here?
Jimmy
Alright. Uh… I’m gonna shred these. And if there’s anything else you need, any legal services…
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got your number.
[Jimmy stops himself as he walks to the door]
Jimmy
A hundred thousand.
Jimmy
Yeah.
Jimmy
To bring back seven mil? And I’m the best guy to do it? That’s actually less than two percent commission. I think it’s right.
So, 100K for a little drive through the desert, huh?
Jimmy
That’s the price.
Jimmy
I have some business news.
[pause] You're a friend of the cartel? Is that it?
Jimmy
Not exactly. Maybe.
Jimmy
Some evidence fell into my lap. I was kinda obligated to use it, you know, for my client.
When you said you couldn't do it, I knew you'd find a way.
Jimmy
There's a...complication. Remember that time you had a PD case with the kid whose parents kicked him out because he got caught with a joint?
Jimmy
And you had to drive all the way out to the uncle's house–I think it was in Moriarty–to pick up the bail? Well...
Wait. So, you're saying you're gonna pick up Salamanca's bail?
Jimmy
Yeah. Only it's a little further than Moriarty and a little bit more money.
Jimmy
Seven.
Jimmy
Million.
Jimmy
Yeah.
You're going to pick up seven million dollars of cartel money?
Jimmy
I know what you're thinking, but it's safe. Completely. I'm just a quick drive down by the border...
Jimmy
...and I'll drive back.
Jimmy, you are an attorney, not a bagman! There's no amount of money that is worth this! Can't his people do it?!
Jimmy
He trusts me. I'm his attorney, that's it. You're making a bigger deal out of this than you need to.
Jimmy
I will pick it up in the morning, I will be done, and I'll be home before you will!
Okay. Then I'm going with you.
Jimmy
They're only expecting me. You know, one guy. I mean, that's kinda the whole point, you know? Security through obscurity.
Jimmy, this is insane! I don't even–
Jimmy
No, listen! It's just little old me and my little old Suzuki Esteem. And there has never been more than fifty bucks in an Esteem in the history of Esteems, so no one's gonna look at me twice.
You sound like you're talking yourself into this.
Jimmy
I will be okay. [pause] I swear. If I smell even the faintest whiff of anything wrong, I'll be outta there like a shot.
[pause] I don't like this. I don't want you to do it!
Jimmy
[beat; hugs Kim] Kim, I swear, okay? I'll be fine.
[Mike and Jimmy decide to camp out in the desert as they try to evade the cartel gunman who escaped during the shootout]
Jimmy
I should have been home hours ago. This’ll be tearing her up.
Oh, she’s just gonna think you’re out catting around.
Jimmy
No, she won’t. She’s gonna think I’m chopped to pieces, dead in some ditch.
And why is she gonna think that? You saying she knows what you’re doing?
Jimmy
Not, you know… the details. Just… She knows I’m picking up money down by the border. That’s all.
You told your girlfriend what you’re doing.
Jimmy
My wife.
Jimmy
Yeah, wife.
[sarcastically] Congratulations. And what’s your wife gonna do with this information, do you think? Call the cops?
Jimmy
No.
No? People get scared, they call the cops. Pretty standard.
Jimmy
No, she’s not calling any cops.
Then what? Girls at the book club, gonna call her boss, tell him about her missing husband?
Jimmy
She’s not doing any of that, okay? She knows better. She’s just gonna be… scared out of her mind is all.
Huh. Really? Let’s hope you’re right. [scoffs] She knows. She’s in the game now.
Jimmy
What?! No, she’s not in the game! Alright? She’s not even game adjacent. I just told her the truth—a little slice of the truth. That’s all.
Jimmy
She’s not in the game!
[sighs; long pause] Well, can’t make a fire. Our guy may still be out there. [takes out a space blanket from his bag] I got two of these. You want one?
Jimmy
No, thanks.
Jimmy
I’m fine! Thanks!
Jimmy
That's it, I'm done. DONE! DONE!
Jimmy
Why?! I'm quiet, I'm loud, I'm gonna die in this dirt one way or the other! Let's get it over with!
Jimmy
No! I'm not going. I'm done. Everything hurts! God, I'm so thirsty!
Jimmy
What's the point? So they can find a corpse with a mouth full of piss?!
That's not going to happen. Now, get up. Come on.
Jimmy
[tries to lift himself up] Oh God! I don't know how. How the hell are you still going?
Because I know why I'm out here. That's how. I know what it's for. I can't drag that money out of here by myself. So, you... You get up, and you get up now.
Jimmy
What it's for. What... is it for?
I have people. I have people waiting for me. They don't know what I do. They never will. They're protected, but I do what I do so they can have a better life. And if I live or if I die, it really doesn't make a difference to me as long as they have what they need. So that when it's my time to go, I will go knowing I did everything I could for them. You ask me how I keep going? That's how.
[Lalo finds Jimmy outside the MDC building after being released from jail]
Well... You must have a story.
Jimmy
Car trouble. Broke down about six miles from the pickup site. You know there's no cell reception up there, right?
Jimmy
Yeah. Just kaput.
So... why so long? It's not that far back to the main road. You didn't just hitchhike?
Jimmy
I thought of that. But, you know, with seven mil in cash I was kind of afraid of who might pick me up. I didn't think it was worth the risk. I walked north. Probably not the smartest move, but after a night lost in the desert... I made it.
Well, that was the right call. Hey! Hey, you did good out there!
Jimmy
[winces in pain as Lalo lightly punches his arm] Anyway... Listen, I wouldn't be too happy. The seven mil, it really set up a huge flare. They're looking into you. I–I don't know how long "Jorge de Guzman" is gonna hold up.
Hey, listen. By the time these dipshits figure it out, I will be long gone, man. Back home in Mexico, you know?
Jimmy
Yeah.
Hey, but don't worry. You and me, we're not done. We're gonna do things. Big things. Friend of the cartel, right?
Jimmy
Right.
Right. [sees Nacho park on the curb to pick him up] So, hey, my cousins. They pay you?
[Jimmy lifts the duffel bag with the $100,000 in cash]
Perfecto. So, make sure you buy something nice for the wife. Man, she's a looker, huh?!
Jimmy
M–My what?
Yeah, the güera, man! She came by to see me! Hey, nice job, eh? I mean, for somebody who marries that far up... Bien hecho, man. Respect, you know?
[Lalo walks to Nacho's car. Jimmy stares at him in horror.]
You can start talking any time.
Jimmy
You said this goes away, so what's the time frame on that?
It's different for different people, I suppose.
Jimmy
For me. When will this be over for me?
Well, here's what's gonna happen. One day, you're gonna wake up, eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, go about your business. Then, sooner or later, you're gonna realize you hadn't thought about it. None of it. And that's the moment you realize you can forget. When you know that's possible, it all gets easier.
Jimmy
But what about you? Like... what happened out there doesn't bother you?
Them wanting to steal the seven million didn't work for me. Not to mention they wanted to shoot you in the head. It was them or it was us, cut and dried. They were in the game.
Jimmy
[pause] What about Fred? From TravelWire. Was he in the game?
No. There was a lot wrong with what happened there.
Jimmy
Yeah. Lalo. Lalo killed that guy. And for what?! He killed that guy, and we're helping him. [sighs] All this shit, just to... So he can get out of jail and just... get away?
It's not the end of the story.
Jimmy
Wait a minute. What does that mean? Uh, "not the end of the story," what–what are you saying? Are you saying what I think you're saying? Is something gonna happen to Lalo?
Jimmy
Oh, Jesus! What have I gotten myself involved with here?! Look, just tell me what are you saying is gonna ha–
Look. We all make our choices. And those choices, they put us on a road. Sometimes those choices seem small, but they put you on the road. You think about getting off... but eventually, you're back on it. And the road we're on led us out to the desert, everything that happened there and straight back to where we are right now. And nothing–nothing–can be done about that. Do you understand that?
Jimmy
[pause] I can't believe... [sighs] I can't believe there's, like, over a billion people on this planet, and the only person I have to talk about this to is you.
[Kim tells Jimmy she quit Schweikart & Cokely and left Mesa Verde with them]
Jimmy
What happened? Did somebody say something about what we did?
Jimmy
Was it Rich?
Nobody said anything. Uh, it just, it... it felt right.
Jimmy
“It felt right”? Wha–How?
I- I just keep pushing Mesa Verde away to do my pro bono work and then when you were gone, I didn’t know what happened. I mean, I... I thought you were dead. So, that was, um... all of it helped me to see what’s important and what isn’t.
Jimmy
[checks his ringing phone and puts it away] So, you’re just gonna throw it all away? I mean, you busted your ass for all of it.
I’m not throwing it away. I did S&C, I did Mesa Verde, I did that. I-I achieved that, I had that experience, but... it doesn’t make me happy.
Jimmy
...Look, it’s been a rough couple of days, so why don’t you just hold off on a final decision. Call Rich, tell him you’re thinking it over.
I already talked to Rich, and I called Paige. We had a nice, very long conversation, it’s done... then I spent the afternoon in the courthouse with pro bono clients without Mesa Verde hanging over my head. Best afternoon I’ve had in a long time.
Jimmy
Alright, pro bono is wonderful, it is, but... pro bono means no money. So, what’s the plan here?
I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.
Jimmy
Okay... leaving Schweikart, I get that: it’s a bunch of stuffed shirts, but uh, Mesa Verde? Hey, that’s like leaving the Yankees to play amateur ring toss.
No, it’s not! I’m–I’m leaving something that makes zero difference in the world to help people who are actually in need.
Jimmy
[muttering] This is a bad idea.
Jimmy
Look- we all make choices, right, and those choices, they put us on a road. And the road has good choices and it has bad choices, and this is a bad choice road!
What are you even talking about?
Jimmy
I’m– [silences his ringing phone] saying that bad choices lead to bad roads that lead to bad places!
When you decided to be Saul Goodman, I didn’t get it–still don’t, really–but I stood by your decision... and I’m not changing my identity, I’m just leaving a job!
Jimmy
What I did was completely different!
Jimmy
‘Cause I was leaving failure for success!
It’s not different! You believed it was right for you, give me the courtesy of believing this is right for me.
Jimmy
And I’m giving you a reality check: this is too far, too fast!
And I’m giving you a reality check: this is really none of your damn business.
Better Call Saul · 283 quotes
