When Mike is looking at his paycheck, he is at first happy about making some money. But then his face changes to his serious Mike grunting unamused face; and there is clearly something about the document that makes him worried about Madrigal security.
So... what exactly caught his eye?
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That look was after he gazed upon the amount. I think it was two things:
1. He's worried that such a large paycheck could arouse suspicion one day (He was right about this as Hank once grilled him about his job as a security consultant and asked "Does a fast food chain really need that much security?"). It gave Mike an alibi by actually working for that money. Plus, think about how he kept asking Lydia about the legitimacy of the money operation when he was filling his new hire paperwork out. Mike was a former cop. If the money thing irked him then he probably had a reason to worry. Considering his interview with Hank years later, Mike's misgivings were right.
2. He was bored. Mike needs to stay busy. He's a cop. He's used to always being "on the job".
I guess that makes sense. I just figured he would {edit->}know what his gross pay would be ahead of seeing the check. Maybe just seeing it as part of a paper trail made the alarm bells in his head go off.
And, of course, Hank was suspicious later on, busting Mike's balls about guarding the special sauce.
Two bald men with amazing instincts facing off in an interrogation room.
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Yeah, Mike already had his reservations and he's nothing if not thorough. When he saw all that money on a single check the reality of the situation became more apparent. That and I believe that Mike is the type to feel "guilty" about not earning that money. I believe that working was his way of absolving some of that "guilt". It's dirty money and Mike knows it. By working for it, he's "absolving" himself.
shareMy theory.
Mike has a strong blue collar work ethic. He has never done a job poorly. And he is very careful to make sure the job comes first. (Remember when Jimmy asked him why they gave back all the money that Craig Kettleman had embezzled? Mike said "I was hired to do a job, and that's exactly what I did.")
When Mike saw that big paycheck, he felt guilty about not working for it. So the obvious solution is "go to work, and do a good job."
Both of these explanations (yours and the above) are solid.
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That was my takeaway. Receiving the paycheck forced reality to set in. What had heretofore been a nebulous idea was now reality, and in his change of expression we saw a visual representation of Mike's inner voice, which seemed to be saying "well, now you have to start earning this paycheck."
shareAlso, let's remember that Mike is a pretty smart guy.
He set up this money laundering scheme with Madrigal, and now he needs to prove he has a real job in case the IRS ever questions all those big "paychecks." So Mike covers his own butt by showing up for work and actually doing a good job. With plenty of witnesses present, in case it is every challenged.
Forget my "work ethic theory." This might just be a case of Mike leaving nothing to chance. He always sees ahead, and is always careful to avoid any loose ends.
Something else that crossed my mind when I was watching: I wonder if he's doing this so he can assess the security of the company in which he's put his trust. Maybe he wants to see how easy it is for him to get in and snoop around so he can enact measures to make it harder for someone else to do so, someone who might unearth data that incriminates him.
shareI think part of it may be his desire to honestly earn the money, as others have pointed out in the thread. The other thing, if I noticed correctly, was that he had a large amount of deductions. Could this be when he first started really contributing to his granddaughter's trust fund? If so, as others have mentioned, he may be concerned about the legitimacy of what he is earning and wants a way to protect her money.
I wouldn't be surprised if Mike even considers going straight and trying to turn a blind eye and stay as far away from Gus's illegal activities. We all know he doesn't, but the next few seasons we'll see how he gets more involved in Gus's and Saul's shady dealings.
He shook hands with the devil. We got the close up of it last season.
Once you're in, you're in.
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!!! SPOILER ALERT !!! (for those locked away in a closet all these years from BB)
The other theme running throughout this neo-noir crime adventure is income tax evasion. This is the area of expertise for Saul Goodman in BCS. Maybe he hasn't demonstrated this so far in Season 4 BCS, but he will. From this and all the dirt that comes afterward, it costs Mike his life.
The hierarchy of payment for one's life is 1) your soul, 2) child support and 3) the IRS and state taxes. You cannot escape.
It was the lines that showed how much was withheld. His previous jobs were as a cop and as a parking attendant, both blue-collar type jobs where he came to expect a certain percentage of the gross to be withheld. This job puts him in a higher tax bracket with a lower take home percentage. The revelation leads him to think more about the tax situation (the whole reason for him to be laundering money), and how he believes he needs to do more to cover himself in case of scrutiny.
shareIf taxes brought down Capone, they could bring down Mike.
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