Better Call Saul Discussion Thread [Possible Spoilers]

I tried watching this, but I couldn't get into it for the same reason that I can't get into any other shows revolving around lawyers - I notice all the legal shit these shows just get flat out wrong. Plus, I don't need yet another show that portrays lawyers as a bunch of unethical/incompetent/ruthless asshats. I'm already dreading the spate of clients that are going to come into my office and make some cheap Better Call Saul joke.

Same thing happened in BB a lot though. Vince loves using the "Flash forward for the opening scene and spend the rest of your time explaining how you got there". It didn't take any of the drama out of it though.

They need to find their new Jesse - a side character who the audience grows to love but doesn't know their fate before hand. They kind of struck it lucky with Aaron Paul (Jesse was originally going to be written off very early, but people loved him so much that they shaped the story to keep him in it longer). If they can create another dynamic like that then this show will be great.

Or it will make a ton of money and be awesome either way. I'd literally watch a pile of dog crap for an hour if you told me it took place in the Breaking Bad universe.

With most forms of art/media you are required to suspend disbelief in some fashion in order to actually enjoy it. In this case it should be really easy for you if you follow mainstream tv and movies in any sense. It is incredibly rare for any main characters to get hurt, killed, or be in a bad position at the end of the movie. I knew going into The Avengers that all our heroes were going to come out OK in the end, but I still was on the edge of my seat for various parts of the movie because it was executed well.

Another way you have to suspend disbelief is for certain "logical" fallacies a movie may have. As a computer programmer with a foot in cyber security I constantly have to ignore how movies and TV shows employ computers and programming basically as a form of magic.

Obviously as a viewer you aren't required to do this or even have a high tolerance for it. For example my girlfriend and her roommates used to watch a show called Criminal Minds. I to this day can't watch the show because of how dreadful the "computer" lady is a portrayed. (Note: The show is also fucking horrible in its own right).

Anyways to bring this back around to Better Call Saul, I had the exact thought of "I know he will get out of this situation OK because I have seen Breaking Bad" during the second episode. I immediately shut that shit down and let the show take me to where it wanted to go. Needless to say it was incredibly tense and enjoyable because the people behind this show clearly know their audience and know how to make a great show.

EDIT: I just noticed I was replying to the one and only Bisonhero. Hi Bison!

@ssully: Hello, Monsieur Président. Yeah, I'm aware that the main character has pretty thick plot armour (to borrow a TV Tropes term), but at least with Walt there was always the worry that this might be the episode that someone comes close to finding out what he's up to, or there is a serious threat to his family, or something. I guess Saul starts off so rock bottom that since I know he isn't going to be killed or thrown in prison for ten years, right now there don't seem to be a lot potential consequences to his actions when he's all sad and alone.

Totally understandable. I went into the show just to see the kind of fucked up situations Saul will get into and how he will worm out of them. I am actually surprised by the amount of tension and drama they packed into the first two episodes.

@ssully said:

Yeah, seeing Saul with a conscience is making for a great start. I'm wondering if at some point he is going to break off from Chuck and any other family when he becomes Saul Goodman, or if Chuck is going to be in like every season of this show.

This show has Bob Odenkirk, Vaas, AND David St. Hubbins. That's incredible.

I really enjoyed the first two episodes.

So great to see that guy playing Vaas gets this show he is just as great here as we was in Farcry 3.

I knew the name "Micheal Mando" was familiar when I saw it in the pilot's opening credits. Nacho seems to be much smarter than Vaas.

@bisonhero said:

Well, if future Saul kills himself in Season 1, Season 2 could still work. It would just be all prequel.

Liking what I've seen so far!

But if Walt or Jesse make any appearance at all, I'm done.

I loved the court-room style that the desert scene with Tuco had. That was hilarious, intense, and just so god damn great.

It seems pretty good so far, I like the new characters and I'm intrigued to see what happens next. The conspiracy theory or whatever it is with Chuck is kind of weird though and not something I would expect from the show but I'm sure there is a good reason for it.

Wow. I really wasn't expecting I'd like a Breaking Bad spin-off centered on Saul this much. This show is cool as hell.

J.A. Steel (I dunno if this was an intentional reference or not, but it was funny nonetheless), over-the-top leg-breaking, "YOU MUSS HAV THE STIKATHS". So good. Cool to see Vaas in this too.

I thought it was OCD.

@theht said:

As I said on the previous page, it is definitely a portrayal of electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The Wikipedia article tries to be real nice and not call it hogwash, but in short, no study has ever supported its existence, and anyone who claims to suffer from it probably has some other undiagnosed condition, either psychiatric or physiological. I think they just want Chuck to seem like he's still wise, but also imply that his life working for a big fancy law firm eventually gave him some kind of psychosis.

This post is hilarious to me because I just finished watching episodes 1 and 2 of Better Call Saul, both of which were damn near masterful, and now the wife has flipped on Criminal Minds. The difference is night/day. Criminal Minds is just an awful show. Between the extremely annoying know-it-all kid who can apparently cite every word from every bit of literature in history, the computer chicky (whose character is basically a carbon copy of Pauley Perrette's NCIS character) with her magical database that can pull any information in 1.5 seconds, the tall, dark, and handsome field agent who apparently has a crush on the computer chicky who's leagues below him, Greg from Dharma and Greg trying (and failing) to be a badass, etc., it's all terrible.

Worse yet, the episode that was just on was supposed to be set in Austin (my hometown), and they didn't even try to make it remotely realistic in any respect. I must have missed the desert and mountains that are apparently just outside the city. Also, we of course all wear cowboy hats. And hilariously, the episode centered around anti-homosexual "conversion camps", despite Austin in reality being just about the most gay-friendly city there is. I don't expect them to film every episode on location or anything, but it's clear they did zero research, or worse, didn't care and just decided to run with stereotypes. It sure was nice to see another portrayal of Texas featuring tumbleweeds, cowboys, and homophobia.

Enough on that shitty show, though. Better Call Saul looks great. The gate attendant scenes were cracking me up, because Mike was being such a stickler about the stickers (I know; sorry) and that was a perfect representation of lowly government employees on a ridiculous power trip. Also, playing catch-up on Michael McKean's character's weird-ass phobia was fun, and it was nice to see a more likeable version of Saul scrapping away to try and get ahead. I agree they need to cool it with the cameos. It's all well and good as a hook for the first episodes, but if that continues too much, it's just going to feel a bit lazy. I'm confident they'll tell their own good story, though. Also, I'd like to point out how much I appreciate the way Gilligan does some of his scenes. The little things like the Cinnabon food service opening sequence, the dented trash can, the coffee as part of the daily routine for "Jimmy", etc. are all top-notch. I'm excited to see where they take it.

Just watched the first two episodes and while I was really skeptical about this whole thing, they totally hooked me. The desert scene in episode 2 was fucking master class and the exact kind of scene that lets you know this show is in good hands. Most importantly, I'm just happy that Bob Odenkirk is (presumably) getting paid because anyone who had anything to do with Mr. Show deserves eternal happiness.

I'm just bummed I don't have other AMC now, so their 2 episode tease certainly did its job.

@milkman: I read somewhere but the scene is actually sorta a call back to Saul first interaction with Jesse and Walt. Kinda funky that every scene sort has some sort of purpose or call back to Breaking Bad.

When was that?

It feels like Saul is just a more likable version of Walter if that makes any sense.

@dfl017:

Oh shit I didn't realize that Nacho = Vaas. That's fucking great.

Been liking the first two episodes a lot in Better Call Saul. Also, pretty pumped that Michael Mando (Vaas from Far Cry 3) is in this show! Can't wait to see what kind of plot develops with him involved. And am I the only one who thinks Tuco looks like an angry Reggie Fils-Aime?

@expensiveham: Ha, maybe they decided to add more of the explanation in after they shot it cause it would be hard to believe those kids would be smart enough to pull that off.

I've looked at this for a long time and I have no idea what I'm suppose to be seeing.

@expensiveham said:

@dfl017:

@xanadu: It looks like the scene was shot in front of a green screen. You usually can tell from the shadow and lighting off the characters. The second shot looks like it was shot outside while scene 1 and 3 I'd assume were post production shots after possibly a re-shoot. I could just be possibly wrong and Vince Gilligan pulled the ol' switch a roo to fool us illuminati style.

I really liked Breaking Bad and Saul was probably my favorite character. I just got done watching the first two episodes. I was excepting this series to be a lot more light-hearthed than Breaking Bad, maybe be a comedy. I feel that this series is going to easily fill the void Breaking Bad left in my TV watching habits.

I knew that guy was familiar!

I'm glad there will be more than one season, the story so far has been really entertaining and obviously leads somewhere. I would be glad to see the whole story arc of Saul, then when this show finishes enough time will have passed so I can watch Breaking Bad all over again.

I do wonder when he will actually become Saul Goodman, whether it'll be at the end of this season or not until future seasons.

The thing that I like about this show is that it has the same elements and style from Breaking Bad, but it does not completely rely on them while simultaneously having its own identity that fits the situation.

Episode 3 is airing on the east coast!

Another excellent episode. So many great lines, and Mike is as badass as ever. Interesting seeing the bit in the beginning with Chuck and Jimmy.

@turtlebird95: I think the biggest mystery right now is how did Jimmy become a lawyer?

• Was he just a quick witted guy who used his street smarts and stuff he learned from his brother to become a lawyer ala' the guy from the show Suits?
• Did he get his law degree before going down the wrong path?
• Did he get his law degree after his time in jail?

I always assumed Jimmy was just a two bit who used his street smarts to fool the system into believing he was a lawyer like the dude from Suits. I forget but in Breaking Bad didn't they show him having a law degree in Samoa or something?

@turtlebird95: I agree. I have a feeling that we may be seeing those Chuck and Jimmy origins sprinkled throughout the season, kind of like the bear from Breaking Bad's second season. Here's hoping there's something as mind blowing as the "Seven Thirty-Seven" "Down" "Over" "ABQ" revelation

@i_stay_puft: Yeah I think he had some kind of official looking degree, but who knows if it's legit or not. He seems way too skilled and smart to be an attorney who didn't go to school, though I suppose that could be the thing with Jimmy/Saul: He's so tricky and witty. (I'm suddenly having flashbacks to Walt in Breaking Bad, in how he was able to fool and outsmart so many people)

@i_stay_puft said:

I assume Chuck got him off and he did not, in fact, go to jail. I think it would be difficult for him to practice law with a criminal record, especially when it is established that the prison scene was in New Mexico and so is Jimmy's law office. I assume he got his law degree through like a bunch of night classes while working crappy jobs.

My running timeline is that he got in a bunch of trouble in his 20s and early 30s (though man, they are really stretching how young I am willing to believe Bob Odenkirk can look), then finally straightened up and worked some crappy day jobs while getting a law degree at night school SOMEHOW IN A MANNER THAT DIDN'T TAKE LIKE A DECADE. Not sure how that one went down, but they're kinda nebulous on when he started his education.

I'm fairly positive he went to a law school of some sort and more or less understands the law (except that part in the desert where he said "Ask me anything about law! Except contract law, I always hated that"), but didn't really pick up the ethics part of it.

Does the show work if you haven't really seen any Breaking Bad? I love Bob Odenkirk, but don't really have any real interest in watching Breaking Bad before watching this.

It definitely rewards the people who have watched the series with references here and there, but the last episode didn't really rely on any of that. The opening of the first episode is going to be complete nonsense, but other than that I think the show is still good without any Breaking Bad knowledge.

@jeff: At the moment, yes, it definitely works; the brief prologue in the first episode takes place after the Breaking Bad finale and there are a few blatant fanservice tie-ins and "hey, it's that guy from the other show!" moments, but it's been doing a very good job so far of being its own standalone thing. I've found it very easy to disassociate from Breaking Bad and it's perfectly comprehensible and watchable without prior character knowledge.

You'll be fine there hasn't been too much reference to Breaking Bad except for 2 support characters who appeared on the show. Other then that they are really doing a good job making the show its own thing.

@bisonhero: That 20 something toupee was pretty good when his bro visited him in jail.

@i_stay_puft: I mean, yeah, the shaggy wig made him look like a younger dude stylistically, but Bob Odenkirk does not have the face of someone younger than 40.

@jeff: You will not know who the hell Saul is.

@jeff: Definitely, Bob Odenkirk is great in it. Just watch the entire first episode at least. I think it could be even better than Breaking Bad. Here is an article about it :

Breaking Bad Diehards: Your Clueless Friends Can Still Watch Better Call Saul

Chuck is such a neat character with such a strange condition. The preview for next week's episode looks insane. Can't get enough of this show.

That scam he was running earlier bugs the hell outta me cause it pretty much depends on the mark to want the watch. What if the mark didn't give a shit about the watch and just ran off with the cash? Then they would be out $500 worth of beer money.

@i_stay_puft: And there is also the possibility the mark doesn't want to investigate the body when they see the legs sticking out from behind the dumpster. Seems like a lot of possible scenarios where the mark could just walk away with the ~$1000 in the wallet.

That part with Chuck at the end was extremely well done. The lady looking through her window at the end was the cherry on top.

This show is a lot of fun.

Holy shit I never got Saul's name until now... I feel stupid.

If it makes you feel better, none of my friends did either until I told them to say his name slowly. It usually went something like "Saul Good Ma- Ohhhhhhh."

Maybe the cash in the wallet was fake like the watch?