Better make a spin-off! - Better Call Saul

[on:]

So what did people think of the pilot? Personally I thought it was incredibly solid. Definitely felt in the vein of Breaking Bad, with the drama elements taking the forefront and the comedic elements sneaking in. There was a bit of an issue in balancing the different tones, but I'm hoping that's simply due to it being a pilot and that we'll soon be engaged by the continuation of well-written plot threads.

I have no idea if the cold open is supposed to stand on its own as simply an intro for the show (which I'd be okay with, it was very well-executed), or if they're setting us up to see more of post-BB Saul. And if so, will we see more this season or will they save that for the end of the series...assuming this runs for, what, three or four seasons? Maybe even more?

[Reply #1 on:]

Really strong pilot, I got so engrossed with Jimmy/Saul and the other charaters that Breaking Bad wasn't even on my mind. I love Bob Odenkirk, he nails the crummy/shifty lawyer character. I laughed a few times during the episode, too!

Also:

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Tuco! I wasn't expecting that.

[Reply #2 on:]

I loved it.

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The final shot of Tuco felt a bit too "Hey! It's a character from Breaking Bad!"

...for my liking, but that's my only complaint about the entire 53 minutes. I can't wait to see how it continues.

[Reply #3 on:]

Episode 2 was great, as well. I think episode 1 was slightly better and felt more in-line with Breaking Bad, whereas episode 2 felt more like the show was beginning to carve out its own identity. I suppose that's probably a good thing.

[Reply #4 on:]

Really, really loving this show already.

For those gaming fans, you may or may not already know that Nacho is portrayed by Michael Mando, aka Vaas from Far Cry 3:

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[Reply #5 on:]

Just saw the first two episodes earlier today and was pleasantly surprised , even if hy cameo character had a few over the top moments

[Reply #6 on:]

I'm really liking BCS so far. The highlight of the first two episodes is Mike, for me. Easily my favourite BB character, and so far, my favourite BCS character too.

[Reply #7 on:]

I finally watched the first two episodes last night, and I really enjoyed it. This show could've gone a few different ways (some of which would have been a complete disaster), but Gilligan and his team are handling it perfectly. It's exactly what I hoped it would be, and is more than worthy of the Breaking Bad name.

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The final shot of Tuco felt a bit too "Hey! It's a character from Breaking Bad!"

...for my liking, but that's my only complaint about the entire 53 minutes.

It didn't feel forced to me. We already know that Saul is quite familiar with the cartel and a lot of their major players, so this works just fine as an origin story for how he came to be involved with them.

For those gaming fans, you may or may not already know that Nacho is portrayed by Michael Mando, aka Vaas from Far Cry 3:

He also has a recurring role in the excellent science fiction series Orphan Black.

[Reply #8 on:]

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I didn't have a problem with Tuco showing up; it was the way in which he was presented - i.e. "Who's holding the gun? Surprise; it's a Breaking Bad cameo!". The camerawork just felt unnatural and lingering - I don't think they would have shot it that way had it not been a familiar character and that took me out of the episode.

[Reply #9 on:]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/11/raymond-cruz-s-journey-from-the-gang-violence-of-east-l-a-to-better-call-saul-s-tuco-salamanca.html

Pretty cool interview with the guy who plays Tuco, also on his growing up watching real examples of gang/drug violence at a very young age

[Reply #10 on:]

First two episodes are great, all we need now is Huell and we've got ourselves a party.

[Reply #11 on:]

We may have to wait for that one 

[Reply #12 on:]

I love this show.

[Reply #13 on:]

What turnip said; everything has been pretty solid so far. Really loving the characters and the development of Jimmy/Saul.

The main theme and the end credits theme are both really great.

[Reply #14 on:]

Arg. I thought for some reason that episode five had aired last night. I spent a good half hour wondering why it wasn't available to watch today. Then I checked the date.



Now I'm trying desperately to speed up time until it airs, using only the power of my mind. I need my fix!

[Reply #15 on:]

Mike's backstory was pretty neat, I enjoyed the

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brief stand-off with Hoffman & Fensky towards the end, despite knowing that

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Mike is killed by Walter in BrBa.

Apparently, Bob Odenkirk gives a "heartbreaking" performance in the penultimate episode of this season, so that should be interesting.

Also, have they made an error with the timeline? Mike's granddaughter, Kaylee, looks roughly the same age in 2002 as she does during BrBa, which is set around 2008 and beyond.

[Reply #16 on:]

Damn, Mike is a badass, great performance in that episode.

[Reply #17 on:]

Apparently, Bob Odenkirk gives a "heartbreaking" performance in the penultimate episode of this season, so that should be interesting.

So, does that mean that Chuck will die? I'm hoping not, but I'm guessing so.

[Reply #18 on:]

Not necessarily. He might just have a hard time being sectioned or something of that nature.

Everyone seems to be loving this Mike episode. I really enjoyed it, too, but I missed Saul. I kind of wish that they'd chopped up Mike's back story and dropped it in through the other episodes as various flash-back sequences rather than getting them all in one go.

[Reply #19 on:]

I'm guessing that since Chuck is still employed at HHM and his printing code was used to get the evidence for the case, Jimmy will lose it to Hamlin, hence why ep 9 is probably so sad for Jimmy.

[Reply #20 on:]

I'm guessing he and kim will have a falling out

[Reply #21 on:]

That was a devastatingly phenomenal episode.

[Reply #22 on:]

Man, everyone hates Chuck now. What a douche.

[Reply #23 on:]

Now I am hoping Chuck will die. I want to see how far that pushes Jimmy down the road to becoming Saul, as well as wondering how that would affect the dynamic between Jimmy and Howard.

[Reply #24 on:]

Yeah, that ending was a major gut punch. You've gotta feel bad for Jimmy (although I must say, everything Kim said to him was right - I know he's emotionally attached to the case, but clamouring to work at HHM when you're guaranteed a major payout is a bit irrational) - and as TNUK mused, I think this has definitely set the wheels in motion for Jimmy's ultimate transformation into Saul.

Plus, we got to see Mike share a scene with Trevor from GTA V!

[Reply #25 on:]

Easily the best episode so far. Saul was heartbroken that his own brother betrayed him. His transformation to Saul truely begins from here onwards.

[Reply #26 on:]

I'm guessing part of the reason he starts going by Saul Goodman might be that he chooses to disown the name McGill after what Chuck did to him.

[Reply #27 on:]

I know he's emotionally attached to the case, but clamouring to work at HHM when you're guaranteed a major payout is a bit irrational.

Up to this point, he's still been trying to follow a dream. He wanted to be a lawyer, work with his brother, make people proud of him, and make a difference in the world. He believed that his brother was on his side, he believed that doing the right thing was a noble aspiration that would eventually be rewarded, and he was trying to leave his past as "Slipping Jimmy" behind him. Mostly.

He had a major emotional investment in the idea of being seen in the same way that Chuck is, especially by Chuck himself, at HHM. He wanted that more than he wanted the money. He wanted that, he wanted justice for his clients, and he wanted to impress Kim, too. He wanted to show everybody he'd made it to the top from the bottom. He wanted some respect.

Now he's been shown just how far away that is for him, he's possibly going to be more invested in the "take the money and run" approach that we see in Saul from Breaking Bad.

Poor Jimmy was something of an idealist. I think this is the first step towards truly squashing his idealism and turning him into Saul Goodman, and I'm hoping that if Chuck dies or otherwise leaves the picture, that'll be another major influence on Jimmy's eventual direction in life. He's already been betrayed by Chuck. As heart-wrenching as it will be to see, I think that he'll see Chuck's death as being abandoned, and it could make for some TV with a surprising amount of emotional depth.

I'm guessing part of the reason he starts going by Saul Goodman might be that he chooses to disown the name McGill after what Chuck did to him.

This seems pretty damn likely. But it might also be something that he does because he wants to make a clean break with his own previous identity, as he progresses further away from the person who he was.

[Reply #28 on:]

It's also worth bearing in mind that we don't know if Chuck is dead during the events of Breaking Bad. It's quite possible that they're just simply never on speaking terms again after the events of Pimento. I'm much more worried about what happens with Kim, to be honest. She doesn't seem like someone who would ever betray or abandon Jimmy, and vice-versa, which leads me to believe that, if someone's going to get killed off, she's the front runner.

I'm also guessing that the season will end with Jimmy entering into some kind of arrangement with Nacho, much like the way season 1 of Breaking Bad ended with Walt and Tuco. Nacho hasn't had very much to do since the first few episodes but he's technically been a "main" character since the start, so I'd imagine the finale will likely bring the two back together in a big way.

[Reply #29 on:]

Yeah, my money is on Saul and Chuck not being on speaking terms throughout Breaking Bad (at least, what little we saw of Saul during Breaking Bad - we hardly followed enough of his life to know if he wasn't seeing these other characters off-screen) and they'll probably include Chuck in some sort of post-Breaking Bad stuff.

I expect this show to largely switch gears from prequel to sequel in its last season or two.

[Reply #30 on:]

I loved the Kevin Costner callback

[Reply #31 on:]

I loved the Kevin Costner callback

There were quite a few other callbacks too, such as Marco mentioning Jimmy driving around in a white Cadillac & Jimmy talking about Belize.

It was a decent finale, I'm looking forward to season 2. Very pleased with the quality & direction this show took.

[Reply #32 on:]

I thought the Costner callback was the cheapest part of the episode, really. I preferred hearing about that story rather than seeing how it went down.

That said, it was a good episode, though, surprisingly, one of the show's weakest to date. That just goes to show how wonderful a show this has been so far. I can't wait for season 2.

[Reply #33 on:]

I liked the mention of Belize, myself.

And yeah, it was probably one of the weakest installments, if only for how high the bar has been set for this show. Given all the fan speculation following the devastating revelation at the end of the previous episode, I don't personally believe we needed an entire episode confirming that Jimmy/Saul is back to his "Slipping Jimmy" ways... I was hoping the plot would be advanced a little further, particularly in regards to Mike and Nacho, both of whom remain only loosely tethered to the main story right now.

Having said that, I did very much enjoy Odenkirk's scenes with Mel Rodriguez. The two have excellent chemistry together, which I presume may come from their background in comedic acting (the latter has been in The Last Man on Earth, Enlisted and Running Wilde, among others). And Jimmy's monologue/breakdown at bingo may be Odenkirk's finest acting to date - that was truly painful to watch, in the best possible way.

[Reply #34 on:]

If Bob Odenkirk doesn't win an Emmy for this show I'm going to jump out a window.

[Reply #35 on:]

[Reply #36 on:]

*bump*

Decent return to the show! Glad to have it back. We got 2 characters from Breaking Bad returning, even if they were the most minor characters ever. Exctied to see more.

[Reply #37 on:]

I did love that

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Ken got fucked over again

[Reply #38 on:]

That was a fun surprise cameo. And the super-expensive tequila was the same brand Gus used to poison the cartel, too!

Anyway, I thought was a very good season premiere. Jimmy and Kim's relationship is a sheer joy to behold, and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go this season.

[Reply #39 on:]

Perfectly good episode. Nothing special compared to what we got last season, but I'm glad to see the quality hasn't gone down at all. I absolutely love this show so I'm excited for the remaining episodes of season 2.