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!!!!

[Demonpenz]

The cut shot to a survalence white view gave me the impression that gus was watching a TV moniter or it was a signal that Gus has Survalence like dedection for bs. I am surprised Mike sent jimmy in there and surprised mike didn't figure out that they weren't doing shit with lwrup in there.

[Baby Lee]

The camera lingered on Gus in the parking lot as Jimmy's beater chugged away from Mike. What was everyone's sense? Was Gus registering Jimmy's exhaust note, the beater paint job, simply putting it all together, or was it an inadvertent linger?

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Really?

Up until the last 5 minutes, I thought that was the slowest episode yet.

The Gus reveal and the last 5 minutes led me to that statement.

There was a concern amongst some fans that the tape would be serve as a MacGuffin that wouldn't be revealed until the latter part of the season. Revealing it now accelerates the pace of Season 3 and sets up the pieces to fall on a much quicker timeline.

[Swanman]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Gus waived the guy off, IMO.

Gus was behind Saul for long enough he absolutely saw him 'spying' and when he went by the table, he gave some kind of signal to the guy to jet. Gus had Saul pegged early and that's how he got onto Mike.

Waving him off makes more sense. That also explains his linger when he sees Jimmy pulling out of the lot.

I loved how they had Mike looking in the binocs through the rearview mirror and the image was backwards as a result. The showrunners are some detailed MFers.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

That's some janky ass 'dress shoes' Jimmy was sporting in El Pollo Loco.

Hate those soft loafers with silver decorative buckles.

No complaints about the shoes. I know they can be expensive, and I even have an expensive pair [a pair like the pair pictured below, but I found them at a flea market]. But I can't stand how they look, ESPECIALLY with a suit. I ought to resell them.

[FTR, I stopped wearing mine when I saw McCain mincing around with them on in the 2008 campaign].

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

The camera lingered on Gus in the parking lot as Jimmy's beater chugged away from Mike. What was everyone's sense? Was Gus registering Jimmy's exhaust note, the beater paint job, simply putting it all together, or was it an inadvertent linger?

I think Gus already had his suspicious and had been observing the meeting between Mike and Saul (we didn't see it as the camera was on Mike and Saul). By the time Saul was driving away, he'd already looked back towards the storefront (didn't want to be observed) and we saw him make a mental note of everything.

That's when he put the wheels in motion to trap Mike. He brought in an obviously conspicuous 'runner' when I really don't think that's the kind of thing he'd otherwise do (I've only just met him in BB, but he's clearly extremely careful). He was intentionally trying to draw Mike's eye and get him chasing that SUV.

Gus is playing chess right now. And y'know, maybe Mike is as well, but Gus is playing it just a bit better. Saul's still playing checkers but this isn't his game.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

No complaints about the shoes. I know they can be expensive, and I even have an expensive pair [a pair like the pair pictured below, but I found them at a flea market]. But I can't stand how they look, ESPECIALLY with a suit. I ought to resell them.

There's no amount of money one can spend on that style of shoe to actually make them look expensive.

That could be a $5,000 pair of shoes and I'll still think they came from a discount rack at DSW.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I think Gus already had his suspicious and had been observing the meeting between Mike and Saul (we didn't see it as the camera was on Mike and Saul). By the time Saul was driving away, he'd already looked back towards the storefront (didn't want to be observed) and we saw him make a mental note of everything.

That's when he put the wheels in motion to trap Mike. He brought in an obviously conspicuous 'runner' when I really don't think that's the kind of thing he'd otherwise do (I've only just met him in BB, but he's clearly extremely careful). He was intentionally trying to draw Mike's eye and get him chasing that SUV.

Gus is playing chess right now. And y'know, maybe Mike is as well, but Gus is playing it just a bit better. Saul's still playing checkers but this isn't his game.

I believe Mike is still playing catch-up at the moment. He was like a chessmaster who was obliterating his unbeknownst "competition" on Club Penguin, getting outmaneuvered by a foe at an equal ability was not something Mike had anticipated.

[sedated]

This show is perfectly fine to watch if you haven't seen BB...until that episode. From Francesca coming to the interview, to Victor in the SUV, to Gus just wiping down tables looking like nothing is going on - there is so much backstory that I don't think non-BB people would understand the half of what was represented in that episode.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

There's no amount of money one can spend on that style of shoe to actually make them look expensive.

That could be a $5,000 pair of shoes and I'll still think they came from a discount rack at DSW.

They look just as cheap in person. The sad part is, they're made of some of the softest calfskin I've ever touched.

Edit: I took a glance at them just to make sure. They're a little different from Jimmy's. They have a black leather strip for a buckle, a hard leather sole and a heel. But otherwise the same.

You want? /jk

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

They look just as cheap in person. The sad part is, they're made of some of the softest calfskin I've ever touched.

Edit: I took a glance at them just to make sure. They're a little different from Jimmy's. They have a black leather strip for a buckle, a hard leather sole and a heel. But otherwise the same.

You want? /jk

I'll just stick with my $80 cap-toe cognac oxford's that could pass for a $1,200 pair of Edward Green's.

Some shoes look cheap no matter how much they cost. Others look expensive no matter how cheap they are. A nice pair of cap toed oxfords with a hard heel will look/sound like a million bucks if you just keep it polished.

[frankotank]

Originally Posted by B_Ambuehl

This series is awesome. I'd never even watched breaking bad til a couple months back. I binge watched that, loved it, and figured this would be a bad spinoff but decided to watch it anyhow, and WOW, I'll be damned if it's not better than breaking bad.

well....it's not....so.....

[notorious]

If you have never seen BB this show would be packed with awesome mystery.

I am really pissed at Walt for taking down so many people that were really good at their ****ing jobs.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by notorious

I am really pissed at Walt for taking down so many people that were really good at their ****ing jobs.

"We had a good thing, you stupid son of a bitch! We had Fring, we had a lab, we had everything we needed, and it all ran like clockwork! You could have shut your mouth, cooked, and made as much money as you ever needed! It was perfect! But no! You just had to blow it up! You, and your pride and your ego! You just had to be the man! If you’d done your job and known your place, we’d all be fine right now!"

[Pennywise]

Originally Posted by notorious

If you have never seen BB this show would be packed with awesome mystery.

Or unwatchable.