Better Call Saul

[rico]

As I am sure many of y'all already know, a spinoff of "Breaking Bad" titled "Better Call Saul" will be airing in 2014. This is going to be a prequel to Breaking Bad and will be based on the character of Saul Goodman from "Breaking Bad."

I, for one, will be watching. I'm sure the majority of all of you other "Breaking Bad" fans will be as well. Might as well get the discussion going sooner rather than later.

So... what are your hopes, expectations and/or concerns with the show? Here are some of mine:

Hopes: I hope to see Saul do his thing in the courtroom. I hope to see strong, unique supporting characters. I hope to see Breaking Bad foreshadowing. I hope he has an intriguing paralegal and/or assistant. I hope to see Breaking Bad characters such as Fring, Mike, etc...whoever. I hope the show kicks ass.

Expectations: I don't expect it to be as good as "Breaking Bad" (because nothing else is, really), but I expect it to be good since Vince Gilligan is writing. I somewhat expect it to have an even balance of comedy and drama...since Saul undeniably provides a substantial amount of comedic relief in "Breaking Bad." I expect to see "courtroom Saul." I expect the "Breaking Bad" references and character cameos to be less than what I hope. If it isn't even a fraction as good as "Breaking Bad," I expect it to be better than 95% of everything else on TV, since there is some shitty shit on TV these days.

Concerns: I'd be a liar if I were to say that I didn't think this show has potential of flopping and certainly failing to meet the presumed high expectations of the audience. Don't get me wrong, I think it will be good... but I think it COULD suck if not executed properly. My main concern is Saul ultimately proving himself to be a "little dab will do ya" type of character, which would lead to a show centered around his character not working out. I am hoping that the character of Saul will not be so over-used and constantly over the top, that he becomes annoying to me, thus ruining his character for me altogether... Not saying I think this will be how it goes down...just saying I think there is a CHANCE of this being the case, which prompts me to believe that a strong supporting cast is VITAL in terms of the amount of success/quality this show will accumulate. All in all, I don't think VG will steer us in an unfortunate direction though...I think they'll pull it off.

Thoughts?

DISCUS!!!!

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

Then why didn't Chuck step foot in the office for many years prior to Jimmy showing up? He didn't seem to care about gaining or losing clients this deeply before.

There is no other plausible explanation other than trying to stick it to Jimmy. His desire to stick it to Jimmy is the only thing powerful enough in his mind to overcome his "illness" and attend the meeting with the lights/cell phones/other electrical obstacles.

This is just incorrect as I've already stated. First, the show tells us that he left HHM in early/mid 2001 and we know that BCS picks up in early/mid 2002. So at most, he'd been gone for about a year (Howard alludes to a similar period of time when talking about trying to get Chuck to take the buyout). And Jimmy quit HHM before Chuck had his issues so those aren't related at all.

And he DID go back into the office with Jimmy to help him get one hell of a deal on the referral for Sandpiper. He did Jimmy a MASSIVE solid there. You rarely see referral fees that high from the general pool.

At this point in his career, he's a rainmaker. He's not a front-line grunt that bothers with the day to day shit. He nails down clients and coordinates massive multi-state litigation efforts.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

So let Mesa Verde walk and he's out of Chuck's hair.

Why let a massive revenue source walk if you don't have to? That's not how successful firms stay successful.

Those firms are like sharks - they have to be constantly looking for food and if they aren't growing, they're dying. If a firm starts letting clients like Mesa Verde walk, they're simply withering and dying.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Well I can't get in her head, but it seems unlikely. We get along well and she's a doctor so not really in my sphere of influence anyway.

If that's the extent of your takeaway from this show, you're missing some damn good television. If you're still putting white hats and black hats on people this far into this series, I think you're missing some pretty complex stuff going on under the surface.

I also think you're assuming a great deal many things not actually in evidence right now. Let's not forget that his first journeys back into the office were WITH Jimmy and in so doing he is the one that put together the RICO action and got Jimmy one hell of a sweet deal on the Sandpiper referral; a class action suit that he could never have managed on his own.

Yeah. The beautiful thing about BB and BCS is there is no good guy or bad guy. It's a whole lotta gray. Even crazy assed Tuco has some redeeming characteristics.

[jjjayb]

Originally Posted by raybec 4

Again, I disagree with the issue that Chuck was trying to stick it to Jimmy with Mesa Verde. They were Kim's clients, not Jimmy's and in practice Chuck was really trying to keep a valuable new revenue source from being poached.

He wasn't interested in saving them until Howard mentioned Jimmy. Once he mentioned Jimmy, Howard got very interested in saving them. Enough so that he managed to go into the office without the space suit. It had EVERYTHING to do with Jimmy.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by raybec 4

Again, I disagree with the issue that Chuck was trying to stick it to Jimmy with Mesa Verde. They were Kim's clients, not Jimmy's and in practice Chuck was really trying to keep a valuable new revenue source from being poached.

Hurting Kim hurts Jimmy though.

[Gonzo]

Originally Posted by frankotank

the previews for next week seem to support this....
they pretty clearly seem to indicate he got caught. I'm sure the shit storm will spill over onto Kim.

Yep, I just hopped over to AMC's site and checked them out. Shit hits fan at Kinkos for sure.

[Rausch]

So far I've only watched season 1 but it's much better than I thought it would be...

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by Rausch

So far I've only watched season 1 but it's much better than I thought it would be...

It's fantastic, and such a gear change from Breaking Bad, yet in the same world, but examined in a totally different viewpoint.
What has made it so strong I think is the evolution of BOTH Mike and Jimmy, because you get a twist of the legal drama, and a bit of a police procedural with Mike. Both are such grey characters, but it rings as more authentic to me, at least.

Either way, it's a pretty amazing testament to the Breaking Bad crew to completely tackle a very different perspective of known characters and episode after episode being so good.

By season 4, it's going to get into the thick of things and be crazy when Gus comes around. I've been keenly looking for when we're going to get a Pollos Hermanos reference - even something subtle like a brief glimpse of a restaurant sign in the far background of a scene. It's a perfect means of cueing that Gus is hovering in the periphery and about to come into the storyline.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

It's fantastic, and such a gear change from Breaking Bad, yet in the same world, but examined in a totally different viewpoint.
What has made it so strong I think is the evolution of BOTH Mike and Jimmy, because you get a twist of the legal drama, and a bit of a police procedural with Mike. Both are such grey characters, but it rings as more authentic to me, at least.

Either way, it's a pretty amazing testament to the Breaking Bad crew to completely tackle a very different perspective of known characters and episode after episode being so good.

By season 4, it's going to get into the thick of things and be crazy when Gus comes around. I've been keenly looking for when we're going to get a Pollos Hermanos reference - even something subtle like a brief glimpse of a restaurant sign in the far background of a scene. It's a perfect means of cueing that Gus is hovering in the periphery and about to come into the storyline.

I love it...very enjoyable show. Feels like BB a bit. I honestly thought I wouldn't like it when I heard it was announced and wasn't sure Saul could be good being all over episodes. Wrong.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Gonzo]

I personally thought that season 1 felt a lot like BB but this season has steered away from that into its own type of personality. The camera angles and everything like that are similar. Especially lighting. The storytelling is very different to me. Not better and not worse. Just different. I tend to forget all about BB when watching now. When Jimmy becomes Saul, it'll be more like BB I'm sure.

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by Gonzo

I personally thought that season 1 felt a lot like BB but this season has steered away from that into its own type of personality. The camera angles and everything like that are similar. Especially lighting. The storytelling is very different to me. Not better and not worse. Just different. I tend to forget all about BB when watching now. When Jimmy becomes Saul, it'll be more like BB I'm sure.

I think that's the part I'm amazed by. On some level, yes, BB is in the background because of the characters, but I very much enjoy this as its own separate entity. It doesn't feel like some Joanie Loves Chachie spin-off. At the same time, I totally like these tiny appearances by previous characters, in part because they are brief and don't force a bunch of extra exposition on them. They remain periphery characters who we see within the scope of the show's main characters.

To me, that's where the writing is so tight. Not a lot of primary scenes of the crossover characters in an attempt to illuminate all their back story instead of keeping focused on the main characters and the supporting cast of Better Call Saul.

We're almost through 2 seasons into a show named for a character who hasn't had 1 second of screentime, because Jimmy isn't Saul - not yet.

[notorious]

Just like BB, this show is flawless.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Why let a massive revenue source walk if you don't have to? That's not how successful firms stay successful.

Those firms are like sharks - they have to be constantly looking for food and if they aren't growing, they're dying. If a firm starts letting clients like Mesa Verde walk, they're simply withering and dying.

Chuck was in a virtual coma to begin the series. Jimmy had to BEG Chuck to get involved and he wouldn't budge. Chuck didn't seem to care about the company when he was leeching paychecks from HHM. He suddenly cares when Jimmy is somehow involved. Maybe his intentions were good originally. But it has turned into an unhealthy obsession to the point where he will exact revenge on an innocent victim, Kim, including throwing her into doc review for Jimmy's misdeeds.

You yourself said that Gilligan creates a lot of gray in his characters. But won't acknowledge the grayness in Chuck. We already know Jimmy's broken. While Chuck is on a higher moral ground than Jimmy, he's broken too. He reminds me a lot of Hank, actually. Hank wasn't a bad guy. But his obsession drove him to lengths he shouldn't go.

[Anyong Bluth]

So, some people have quite a bit of time on their hands...

From a website, but I forget which, I just copied the interesting tidbit.

I don’t typically like anagram theories, but this one is too hard to resist. A Redditor, cassieboy81, rearranged all the episode titles this season, and came up with a mind-blowing possibility:

Fifi
Rebecca
Inflatable
Nailed
Gloves Off
Switch
Bali Ha’i
Amarillo
Cobbler
Klick


“Fring’s Back.”



Back from the dead.

https://media.giphy.com/media/bafSI5Ob1z0L6/giphy.gif

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

So, some people have quite a bit of time on their hands...

From a website, but I forget which, I just copied the interesting tidbit.

I don’t typically like anagram theories, but this one is too hard to resist. A Redditor, cassieboy81, rearranged all the episode titles this season, and came up with a mind-blowing possibility:

Fifi
Rebecca
Inflatable
Nailed
Gloves Off
Switch
Bali Ha’i
Amarillo
Cobbler
Klick


“Fring’s Back.”



Back from the dead.

https://media.giphy.com/media/bafSI5Ob1z0L6/giphy.gif

Nice.