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 lcarus:
The way Howard handled Chuck in the finale was great. That was my favorite scene. "Let's all give him a big hand"
It's hard to call paying someone $9 million of your own money to go away a 'baller move' but Hamlin pulled it off.
Inside baseball that's probably not relevant, but there's a very real chance that buy buying out Chuck on his own, Howard is purchasing the interest. I have no idea what their partnership structure is, but you'd have to imagine that Chuck's ownership interest is probably in the 30+ percent (as is Hamlin's). And if that's the case, Hamlin would serve to own at least a 60% interest in the firm profits. Depending on the operating agreement, he may not have a true voting majority, but he could end up paid off in spades if the firm continues to thrive. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
I thought he said most of it was his own, with some loans from the firm. Seemed to me like he was taking a pretty big bullet there.
That's what he said, most of this is my personal funds with some loans. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BucEyedPea:
The show had the writer and two of the actors on talking about the episode afterwards. It was left at not sure Chuck escapes or lives or dies in his attempt, when asked.
I'd imagine that they want there to be some suspense surrounding Chuck, so they didn't want to give away the answer. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
Yeah, that pretty much seals the deal, as if the scene itself somehow didn't (and it did for me).
McKean was phenomenal in this role.
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. [Reply]
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.
Agree. Hated that dude early on. And how about Kim's butt last night in her jammies. Thong line was nicely visible as well. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
But man, Patrick Fabian has just killed it as Howard Hamlin.
Agreed.
But that said, there is absolutely no weak link in casting for BCS.
Everyone has just been phenomenal in their roles and it's mesmerizing to see all of the back stories of even tertiary characters like Lydia Rodarte-Quayle.
It's going to be a blast to binge watch Breaking Bad after Saul's run is over. [Reply]
Michael McKean, who plays Chuck, and Saul co-creator Peter Gould spoke with Vulture about Chuck’s fate — after all, if we don’t see a body then is there a crime? But according to the duo, Chuck is indeed dead. McKean (who saw it coming), said,
It seemed like this was kind of the end of Chuck’s chapter in the life of Jimmy McGill slash Saul Goodman. It’s almost like the rock and a hard place — they can’t be too comfy together for too long or else you have to ask, what is the point of having Chuck? If Chuck is the person that Jimmy cared for and took care of, and who transformed into his antagonist, and then transformed into this wreck — this person who has no choice but to try and fix himself and has no tools for himself — it seemed like a logical step.
As for Chuck’s final words to Jimmy, and telling him that he meant nothing, Gould clarified that:
He wants to hurt Jimmy; he wants Jimmy to feel bad, too. That’s just me; that’s just the underpinnings. And you know, not everything he says is wrong. Chuck’s argument to Jimmy essentially is that conscience is great, conscience is important, but, if it doesn’t change your actions, what’s the point of it?
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? There’s some total of people that are basically fine either way. Chuck is being very tough on Jimmy, and he’s not completely wrong! [Reply]
