I'm digging it myself! No, it's not Breaking Bad and I didn't expect it to be, but it's got the same quality writing and acting. It's an interesting account of how our "hero's" priorities gradually get turned around from the curveballs life can tend to throw at all of us. Which was a prominent theme in Breaking Bad too, come to think of it.
Anyway, just wondering what you folks think of it so far.
I can take it or leave it, so far. Some of the more colorful story lines are pretty compelling (the skateboard kids, the stolen money family), but others are not and I often find myself bored within an episode. The Mike story is pretty deadpan. I'm still trying to stick with it though.
It's at least as good as Breaking Bad.
I like it a lot, and Odenkirk over the years has done some fine acting for basically a stand-up comedian/comedy writer.
However, Breaking Bad is a hell of an act to follow. I'll be interested to see where Gilligan goes with this, and I hope it's not on a 3 hour tour.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
I watched the first episode of Better Call Saul, and somehow, I wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be.
Then I watched the second, third and so on, and I was!
The Gilligan "touch" is all over BCS. Beautiful photography, just like BrBa. And some great performances, by Odenkirk of course. And some old friends are tearing it up. (Mike Ermantraut)
And some new (old) friends are also tearing it up. Michael McKean as Slipping Jimmy's brother has been superb. Some funny shit here.
Better Call Saul is still knocking it out of the park. Got to love the opening title sequence, it changes every week. This week it was classic, the Better Call Saul ad on a book of matches, at the bottom of the urinal, right next to the "cake".
(copied my comments from the TV group)
“Where words fail, music speaks.” - Hans Christian Anderson
Enjoying it- I'm just very impatient and want it to all play out faster so we get to where we know it's going! I almost wish I could have just waited like I did with most of BB and marathon it. Next week it should start hitting the fan.
There are times when I think it's excellent and others when I think it drags (though is still interesting enough to watch). The first two episodes, for example, were straight out of Breaking Bad. With a bit of editing they *could* have been incorporated into the main show. The plot involving the Kettleman's money was very good, I thought, but it stalled after those first couple of episodes, only to be revisited later. That kind of editing/storyboarding is one of the main problems of the show, though. IMO, they had some good ideas for various things to happen within the show, but the whole has added up to less than the sum of the parts so far. The overarching theme of the season has been how a guy who had somewhat of a misspent youth is doing his darndest to completely turn himself around and gain the trust and admiration of his older attorney brother who he looks after (he has had somewhat of a mental breakdown and is on indefinite leave from his law firm practice). That being the case, the first couple of episodes seem to take events out of sequence, as the "Saul" of the first two episodes is almost a carbon copy of the Saul from Breaking Bad. Maybe they felt that they needed to do it that way to grab the BB audience early on, but nevertheless it's only as the season progresses that you find out that, at this point in his career, he's actually not that guy at all, but much more of an earnest (though occasionally snarky/sarcastic) do-gooder. The Kettleman's plot was the best way to start the season, as it ably demonstrates one of the recurring themes, which is how this guy is trying to be good, but the world is practically begging for him to become corrupt. However, it probably needed to be extricated from the skateboarders story for everything to be thematically consistent. You find out later on in the season that it's *really* about the dynamic between "Saul" and his brother, but I fell that the chemistry between Odenkirk and McKean isn't all that great. I don't even buy that they're brothers often, but I don't know if that is the writers, the actors or the Gilligan's fault.
Anyway, first seasons can often be about finding legs, and I think that the show is mostly pretty good, so I'll be continuing to watch.
^ Yes, the first two episodes seem really detached from everything that came after in the season so far. The college kids who raped a corpse, the skateboard guys, the Rolex watch scam, were pretty in line with the Saul from BB. Everything since has been pretty tame and drawn out, and he comes off pretty earnest.
Have you seen the most recent episode?Originally Posted by Facelift
It goes a long way into explaining how Slippin' Jimmy's transition into the more upstanding James McGill Esq. gets ruined and he ends up as Saul.
Love it!
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
Yes, I did. And I found that his brother's betrayal of him kind of came out of nowhere and was pretty out of line with how the dynamic between them had been previously established. I thought that this plot resolution from last week was one of the problems with the first season.
I wasn't too absorbed with that, but last episode, he reminded us again that he's a badass and that he has an interesting code of ethics within the criminal mindset.
Jeez, I just now realized that he's David St. Hubbins from "This is Spinal Tap!"Yeah, that guy's a great actor!
I don't see it as a problem. BB used similar techniques, where storylines weaved in and out; sometimes you'd think they forgot about a particular plot, but it would come back and make sense later on. Personally, I think it's fairly brilliant how they do that, but you do have to keep track of everything that has gone down.
It was a twist, but not if you think about all of the interaction they've had, like Charles discovering the "hero" newspaper article that his brother tried to block him from.
I think it helps to leave expectations at the door and just go along for the ride.
I watch it and enjoy it. Tough act to follow BB, even if it's the same crew. Like someone said, I'd prefer to watch the whole series as complete works rather than a weekly dose. And those fucking commercials! Even recording and FF through them is still a pain! Thought the part where Saul was in the garbage container was a little over the top and piecing the shreds together was even more ridiculous. I'm into characters and BCS has quite a few.
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
I am really enjoying it. I think it carries on the Breaking Bad tradition quite well. The acting is great, the writing is strong, and I have enjoyed it all. Yes, it does occasionally drag, but overall I think it has worked. I also love the little references to Breaking Bad that they throw in here and there such as the diner where Mike eats his breakfast is the same diner where quite a bit of Breaking Bad activity took place. In this last episode showing Mike’s first meeting with Nacho who will and up becoming one of his main rivals in breaking bad. It’s all cool.
Have you seen the Ben Affleck movie Argo?
That aside, I'm enjoying BCS as much as I enjoyed BB. Particularly getting to see Mike's evolution into mobster fixer...
Mike's "I broke my son" and Chuck's "You're not a real lawyer!" - both devastating.
-=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-
To expand on my previous post, actually imho, BB is the best hour long drama series in the history of television. So for me, while I'm really getting into Jimmy, Chuck & Mike, it would take quite a show/plotline to make me think anything could favorably compare to BB.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Love it!
[QUOTE=-=RTFR666=-;393593]Have you seen the Ben Affleck movie Argo?
Yes I have, and as a Canadian, I find it lacking in facts....
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
Couldn't agree more. It will be very difficult to top BB!
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
I was referring to the practice of re-assembling the shredded documents, not the overall veracity of the movie itself
should've been more clear about that, sorry...
-=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-
Anybody think Gus Fring will make an appearance in the season finale? He becomes such a big player in Mike’s life he almost has to show up at some point, assuming the actor (can’t remember his name) agrees to do it. Maybe it is too early in the story.
I'd hazard the guess that it's still six degrees of separation @ present. Mike's just met Nacho, who works for Tuco. Tuco was a distributor for Fring IIRC before he met his demise. Seems like we'll still be a few episodes away from Mike's skillset attracting the attention of Los Pollos Hermanos...
-=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-
Yeah, I think that will happen next season. We'll see...
I'd love to have a scene with people eating at Los Pollos and Walter White in the background somewhere.
This is pretty cool talking about some of the Breaking Bad Easter eggs in Saul: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gal...5-next-gallery
I love this show! I find it highly entertaining and well written. Sucks that the first season is over already.
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks