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.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
It's hard to grade folks for a job they've done playing characters that they created, so I can't compare the 'new crew' to guys like Odenkirk and Esposito.
But man, Patrick Fabian has just killed it as Howard Hamlin. He's had just enough nuance to his performance that you can see the occasions of guilt and betrayal. His sheen of arrogance is exposed as pride and duty on occasion as well.
Hamlin, against all odds, has become one of the most likable characters in the show, IMO.
Originally Posted by Baby Lee:
I'm just really glad that Rhea is getting this opportunity to be lauded for both her beauty and her talent.
She's always been attractive, but her particular look has typecast her as the bitchy WASPy friend. She was in a string of dire sitcoms bitching about her ex-boyfriend and her painful shoes for laughs. Then she came in as the foil in the last season of Franklin and Bash.
She's one of those you see and say 'I HATE this show, but I hope she gets better work later.'
Yeah. She trips my trigger.
Beyond that though, her internal identity crisis is a pretty big deal in the story. It's obviously not as overt as Chuck offing himself, But it is a big plot piece. Kim has always grounded Jimmy. Given him a glimpse of a life to strive for. Now that she's going off the rails a bit, his moral compass is going to be gone and lead further down the road of Saul. Good writing too, something as innocuous as a completely unrelated car accident subtly but dramatically changes 2 characters lives.
Par for the course. The writing has been largely excellent.
Originally Posted by mdchiefsfan:
Is it just me, or do you feel the kicking of the table was too drawn out? I fail to see the purpose. Maybe if Chuck's condition had created ticks and spasms before (it always seemed to paralyze him), could I see the purpose behind the drawn out scene, but it felt like it was filler and served no other true purpose.
Bash away.
Meh. Looked to me like he was getting up the nerve to do it. Happens a lot with suicides. People half ass it and chicken out before they do it for real.
Besides, have you watched the show? The producers love to work towards an event rather than stuffing it down your throat. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BucEyedPea:
I was surprised at how big her butt was. :-)
Her butt is not big. Hip to waist ratio is a common means for men to judge a woman's ability to spawn superior children, hence, it's natural for a man to pop a boner when they see a woman with plump bottom and a small waist.
Healthier offspring + More cushion for the pushin' = win, win [Reply]
Originally Posted by Buehler445:
Yeah. She trips my trigger.
Beyond that though, her internal identity crisis is a pretty big deal in the story. It's obviously not as overt as Chuck offing himself, But it is a big plot piece. Kim has always grounded Jimmy. Given him a glimpse of a life to strive for. Now that she's going off the rails a bit, his moral compass is going to be gone and lead further down the road of Saul. Good writing too, something as innocuous as a completely unrelated car accident subtly but dramatically changes 2 characters lives.
Par for the course. The writing has been largely excellent.
Meh. Looked to me like he was getting up the nerve to do it. Happens a lot with suicides. People half ass it and chicken out before they do it for real.
Besides, have you watched the show? The producers love to work towards an event rather than stuffing it down your throat.
I have. I don't know. It just feels like they did it to do it. I guess it wouldn't be as much of a conclusion to season without some dramatics. Just made me disconnect from the moment for a bit. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Baby Lee:
I'm just really glad that Rhea is getting this opportunity to be lauded for both her beauty and her talent.
I'd give her no higher than a 6 on neck up, but her body is an easy 8. No problems with her acting in this.
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Neither Jimmy or Chuck are sociopaths. They both walk a grey line but they're not engaged in criminal activity.
Manipulation? Sure.
Chuck wasn't evil. He was an asshole. Jimmy isn't evil but he's often very self serving although he's shown more compassion than Chuck ever did by helping Kim.
But in the end, neither are sociopaths.
Agree with all of this.. well said.
Originally Posted by mdchiefsfan:
Is it just me, or do you feel the kicking of the table was too drawn out? I fail to see the purpose. Maybe if Chuck's condition had created ticks and spasms before (it always seemed to paralyze him), could I see the purpose behind the drawn out scene, but it felt like it was filler and served no other true purpose.
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Neither Jimmy or Chuck are sociopaths. They both walk a grey line but they're not engaged in criminal activity.
Manipulation? Sure.
Chuck wasn't evil. He was an asshole. Jimmy isn't evil but he's often very self serving although he's shown more compassion than Chuck ever did by helping Kim.
But in the end, neither are sociopaths.
I didn't say they were sociopaths though. I merely answered the question that was asked in the writer's room, which I quoted.
Originally Posted by :
Something we’ve discussed in the writers room is: What’s really the difference between a person who does bad things and feels bad about it, and someone who does bad things and doesn’t feel bad about it?
I've seen Jimmy feel bad after he does some bad things. He actually made amends for what he did to Irene. Though, I haven't seen it as much remorse with Chuck, but he doesn't do the kinds of things Jimmy does either.
You do not have to be a criminal to be a sociopath though. Some of them live amongst us.
Originally Posted by Baby Lee:
All his efforts backfired and in the end he was left with nothing to control or conquer.
No battles with Jimmy
No relationship with him to dispense judgment
No battles with Howard
Bluff called on the ouster suit, at personal expense to his partner, demonstrating just how unwelcome his continued presence was.
No battles with malpractice underwriters
No battles with the electricity coursing through his house.
Every connection had been severed [literally and figuratively] and no one was left to battle, judge or defeat.
Makes sense...wasn't sure of seeing Jimmy again was the only reason. Now I'm curious how Kim exits since they killed Chuck. [Reply]
