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.
It was weird to have an entire post-BB episode. What purpose does it serve?
Possibilities:
a) Ties up the loose end of having been made.
b.) Shows us that after running a little scam, his former life is pulling hard on his psyche. That loud shirt and tie combo was really calling his name.
c.) Establishes that Jeffie fell in with a bad crowd in ABQ - perhaps he will blab to an old running buddy. Loose end re-loosened.
d.) Or just becoming involved with Jeffie could end up being his downfall when Jeffie gets caught wearing the stolen goods. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois:
It was weird to have an entire post-BB episode. What purpose does it serve?
Possibilities:
a) Ties up the loose end of having been made.
b.) Shows us that after running a little scam, his former life is pulling hard on his psyche. That loud shirt and tie combo was really calling his name.
c.) Establishes that Jeffie fell in with a bad crowd in ABQ - perhaps he will blab to an old running buddy. Loose end re-loosened.
d.) Or just becoming involved with Jeffie could end up being his downfall when Jeffie gets caught wearing the stolen goods.
I'm going with a clear answer of b/. This show was always about subtlety and that episode was a good one to lay out where Gene/Jimmy was in his life.
Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois:
It was weird to have an entire post-BB episode. What purpose does it serve?
Possibilities:
a) Ties up the loose end of having been made.
b.) Shows us that after running a little scam, his former life is pulling hard on his psyche. That loud shirt and tie combo was really calling his name.
c.) Establishes that Jeffie fell in with a bad crowd in ABQ - perhaps he will blab to an old running buddy. Loose end re-loosened.
d.) Or just becoming involved with Jeffie could end up being his downfall when Jeffie gets caught wearing the stolen goods.
I think it ties up the lose end with Jeff potentially ratting him out and blowing his cover. He told the vacuum man he would take care of it himself and he did.
More than anything I think it showed that he hated his life as Gene and missed his coping mechanism as Saul. Him seeing the outfit at the end appeared to be an admission that he wanted to be Saul but could not put on the jersey again. I think that signified that he finally retired Saul for good. Remember in Omaha he’s had one thing he hasn’t had in his life: time to think about his life and his choices (Kim, Chuck, Howard) and how his life affected people. He appears to finally be maturing somewhat.
This is just my opinion, but I was surprised the shirt and tie was not in color. When Gene watches the Saul tapes you can see in the reflection of his glasses that it was in color. That made us believe that the color in his life signified his time as Saul Goodman. But if that’s true why was the shirt and tie not colored?
Makes me believe that the color (aka happiness) in his life was Kim. But then again the cover for this season is Gene in black and white putting on a colored red jacket so who knows [Reply]
I don't know why, but leaving the suit reminded me of Walt leaving the glass on the bar at the end of Breaking Bad.
At first thought the episode felt out of place. But it seemed to masterfully pull together the full Gene storyline in one episode. He was a lonely, anxious guy who got his high again pulling cons. There's not much work to do on this timeline anymore. I suspect whatever is left here will be handled swiftly (I'd have to think Marion and Nippy will play a part in it....).
Unless they plan to spend the rest of their time in black and white, it seems they've cleaned this timeline up so we can spend most of the time on the color timeline. Which is where there's still lots of work to do. [Reply]
Originally Posted by cosmo20002:
Also, a different actor.
Apparently, they had to alter the shooting schedule when Odenkirk had a heart attack and the original actor was no longer available when needed. But yeah, the persona was very different as well.
Originally Posted by cosmo20002:
Also, a different actor.
Apparently, they had to alter the shooting schedule when Odenkirk had a heart attack and the original actor was no longer available when needed. But yeah, the persona was very different as well.
e.) When Gene stalls the cinnabon eating Security man, he tells Saul's actual sense of futility in his life/plight. His dead parents, his dead brother, his meaningless existence - no one would miss or remember him if he died. That is all his real feelings being used to manipulate another man from turning around to look at the monitors. He explained the penance he is currently paying.
Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois:
Another issue this episode addressed.
e.) When Gene stalls the cinnabon eating Security man, he tells Saul's actual sense of futility in his life/plight. His dead parents, his dead brother, his meaningless existence - no one would miss or remember him if he died. That is all his real feelings being used to manipulate another man from turning around to look at the monitors. He explained the penance he is currently paying.
This is a really good show.
Right. Great scene. I listened to The Watch podcast that talked about it and articulated it really well. [paraphrasing] it can be both horribly manipulative as means for insidious ends AND emotionally true.
And the scene at the end with the loud shirt and tie is a throwaway scene in the hands of anybody else, but the nuance and gestures come through beautifully that he feels the calling for Saul, knows he can't and, steps away, despondent. That is a difficult thing to convey without being over the top.
Originally Posted by notorious:
I can't believe Kim just gave up her law license like that.
That was a reach if you ask me.
I thought the same but it might have been the only way to immediately get out of her current client obligations. Of course...did she really need to immediately get out of those obligations? A bit dramatic and not all that realistic. [Reply]
She was really shook by the event. We, the viewers, have come to accept a few murders. This was her first exposure to real violence of this kind.
Sure, she got a kick out of running scams, but she never wanted to physically hurt anyone. Then Howard is executed right in front of her. She might have been willing to hurt him professionally, but I think she had some amount of respect for him. Then Lalo sent her to kill Gus, with the knowledge that Jimmy was in mortal danger. She appeared to be ready to do it.
The whole experience took her to an emotional place she had never been, not even close. She views herself as culpable in Howards death. She wanted to run away as far and as fast as she could - but she also feels a professional duty to not leave her clients totally in the lurch. Resigning her license, keepng within the procedures of the legal system, was her way to do that.
If she had taken a week to think that through, she might not have done it. In the emotional Now - she felt she needed to get away fast [Reply]
