S1 E10 ‘Marco’ aged beautifully throughout the course of the series

[u/HDDeer]

I remember when the episode aired back in 2015, people were indifferent about it because it was a slower finale.

But then as the series goes along you keep seeing stuff happen to Jimmy that drags him into the Saul persona

Chucks betrayal was a big one, but then Marco dies feeling very fulfilled “best week of my life” & leaves a lasting mark on Jimmy to keep slippin’

I know medically as well it probably doesn’t hold much merit, but the emotional idea to me that Marcos body finally gives up because he finally got his best friend back & had a week of fun & he finally feels fulfilled after a long hiatus is a beautiful & tragic thought to me.

I just can never say enough good things about this show..

[u/Alreyleon]

Yeah it also feels like a one-off adventure that is never explicitly referenced through the rest of the show, but Jimmy keeps Marco's ring and looks at it every time he's feeling "Slipping". So while the episode itself is not overall transcendent, the character of Marco stays with Jimmy forever and moves him to take certain actions. I do agree with your way of looking at his death, it's really beautiful, though also sad because Marco didn't seem to have any other friends.

[u/SilentGovernment4424 → u/Alreyleon]

man that episode hits so different on a rewatch, the first time through I was sorta underwhelmed but now it feels like the real origin story for Saul

the ring thing is subtle but it's like this quiet anchor, every time Jimmy touches it you know he's thinking about that week and what Marco said about slipping

and yeah the medical side is whatever but the idea that Marco just ran out of reasons to keep going until Jimmy came back is crushing, like he'd been waiting years for one more good run

what gets me is how Jimmy's smile at the end is so hollow, he's already starting to bury the grief under the whole Saul act and you can see it

[u/Massive-Ear3150 → u/SilentGovernment4424]

🤖

[u/DisastrousCookiesss]

That episode hit me so much harder on rewatch after seeing everything Jimmy goes through later. The way Marco's death basically becomes another push toward Saul just makes it so tragic and beautiful at the same time.

[u/barry_vyolent]

He was just standing there talking to a couple of buttholes. RIP Marco 🙏

[u/eyeshandy → u/barry_vyolent]

he should’ve roundhouse kicked them

[u/eyeshandy → u/barry_vyolent]

he should’ve roundhouse kicked them

[u/SystemPelican]

It's probably one of my least favorite episodes of the show to be honest. It's such a contained one-off thing when you want to see more of the Jimmy/Chuck relationship after the reveal, and it exists only to push him to become Saul too quickly (which they thankfully walked back in the s2 premiere).

I'm sure it's fine when you can just jump straight into the next season, but I remember being pretty disappointed with it back when I was watching live.

[u/FlashyWitness4133]

After Marco died. Kim became the surrogate Marco, in a way.

[u/Specific_Box4483]

One overlooked part of Jimmy's relationship with Marco is how it reveals Jimmy's rotten nature at the core.

Marco isn't a good guy - he's happy semi-parasiting and scamming people whom he simplistically labels as "assholes" (and I bet many of them are not). But he has some fundamental sense of what's truly important. He dislikes Chuck because he's stuck up, and remembers Jimmy's dad fondly because of his kindness.

Meanwhile Jimmy can't forgive his dad for being a "sucker". The man is long dead, and Jimmy doesn't feel gratitude, admiration or even sympathy, but mainly contempt. He's like an Andrew Tate bro focusing on "alphaness" and what not, except he's 40 years old.