I was initially wary, but then I remembered that these guys know how to make some quality fucking television.

This was not a good start for Trevor Philips Industries.

The whole time I was thinking about what Jimmy could have done to Howard to deserve this level of animosity, not realizing that it was his own brother that detested him so much. That's just painful.

This episode was the origin story of Trevor Philips. I kept laughing as Mike took gun after gun off of him. A Desert Eagle in his waistband? What the fuck. That guy was all bark.

Just a perfect scene in every way. The pacing of it, the back and forth nature, the sudden change from brotherly camaraderie to total betrayal was just incredible. Credit to Thomas Schnauz for writing and directing.

Yep, the one and only Trevor Phillips.

That was his supervillain origin story.

I dunno, maybe there's more sauce in the pot?

Gabriel could work in a pinch. He's got the deceptive warmth down pat.

This whole series is a master class in mounting dread that just builds and builds before delivering a knockout punch. That scene was a great example of that, and also probably a good example of why this show isn't a mainstream hit. There's just too much heartbreak.

I really loved that he played an Australian in Killing Them Softly, even though he's shown he can easily do an American accent. Adds a specificity to a character that would've been a typical junkie otherwise.

At least wear darker colors!

The flashback was great. I was totally expecting Jimmy to go berserk and kick some things after Hamlin left the room and was pleasantly surprised that they had Jimmy process the disappointment internally. These guys know when to be subtle.

Jimmy was so completely overdressed for the activity of dumpster diving. Maybe don't do it in the work clothes next time?

What I get from this episode is that he's been disaffected with law enforcement for a number of years, but despite that he still clings to rules and order as a guiding principle. Gus, if nothing else, had a similar affinity for order, while Walt was a constant force of chaos. I don't it has anything to do with morals…

If I had to guess, I don't think they're gonna appear until Jimmy turns into Saul. His recruiting them, however it happens, is one of the things I'm looking forward to the most.

It's one thing to say that the episode wouldn't affect people who hadn't seen BB as strongly, but it's another thing to assume that those people would see this episode as a transparent collection of cliches. It doesn't respect the storytelling ability of the people behind this show.

And it added resonance to his arc in BB by showing that he's never been above taking dirty money as long as it goes to the right people. It also adds another layer of sadness to his interactions with Kaylee.

Just like the Oscars tend to do, they awarded the guy who did the Most acting, instead of the Best.

I would be surprised if he didn't show up at least once during this show's run, though I'm assuming at this point he's already had his stroke.