Better Call Saul

[rico]

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.

Thoughts?

DISCUS!!!!

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

In Chuck I see the guy that I'd really really LIKE to be some day.

So I put myself in his shoes and view pretty much everything he does from a strictly professional standpoint. And from that standpoint, there's an excellent explanation for every action he's taken as well as ample support that the guy is just outstanding at reading people and doing his job.

I suspected as much.

The brilliance of this show is that it can make Chuck come off looking so bad in front of Kim while still being right about Jimmy.

And I adore everything Kim said in that speech.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Kind of off topic: Who do you bill for your time on CP?

Contingency and associates FTMFW!

(and obligatory Bob Dole reference...)

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

"Sure, Chuck was right about Jimmy being a slimy-ass liar and a fraud based on their shared history....but what an asshole"!

#TeamChuck

And for the record, his evidence wouldn't be a single inversion, it would be the fact that he looked at at least 8 pages that all had the same number and even created a factual connection to hammer the number on that paper into his mind. He wouldn't have inverted the number on several different documents; all of the paperwork in his file contained that number and if it were just a simple vapor-lock, reviewing all of those papers in concert would've eventually straightened him out.

That's actually lawyer training (and probably basic memory skills); create a factual link for minute facts and you'll remember the facts well. His Magna Carta connection would've hammered that into his mind just as mnemonics are invariably used to memorize elements of crimes, defenses, etc...

Chuck's not just flying off here; he knows his own training, he used it and he knows what he had was manipulated. The Magna Carta thing is easily overlooked but it's actually the key point; he knows to use memory keys and mnemonics; he used one and it was never corrected. That's how he can be absolutely sure that what he had was altered.

Once again, Chuck is spot-on right because A) he's damn good at what he does and B) Jimmy's a crook and yet somehow you folks use it as ammunition against him. Same old tale every week with the pitchfork crowd...

Good points DJ, I had forgotten about the memory linking.

I fully admit my bias against Chuck because he's not once shown any real display of compassion. It’s less about the Jimmy- he's a **** up, that's a given. He’s also been the only person who cared enough to help care for Chuck.

I'm not justifying that Jimmy was devious. I'm simply looking at the totality of the circumstances and situation and in essence it would be the equivalent of jury nullification.

[jjjayb]

If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain.........

[Buehler445]

Good points DJ.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

Good points DJ, I had forgotten about the memory linking.

I fully admit my bias against Chuck because he's not once shown any real display of compassion. It’s less about the Jimmy- he's a **** up, that's a given. He’s also been the only person who cared enough to help care for Chuck.

I'm not justifying that Jimmy was devious. I'm simply looking at the totality of the circumstances and situation and in essence it would be the equivalent of jury nullification.

It would've been too much 'inside baseball' but had Chuck tossed back at Kim "what's MYLEGS or OCEAN mean to you?", it would've really emphasized the point. There's no way to relay that to the audience without losing the pacing of the episode something awful so it's obvious why they didn't do it.

Kim would've immediately recognized the significance of the Magna Carta thing. That approach gets absolutely burned into your brain.

[chiefzilla1501]

There are so many terrific parallels to Breaking Bad in terms of character development.

Jimmy = Walter White. A little looser connection, but generally a guy who doesn't mean bad, but ends up breaking bad... somehow (in this case, original Jimmy is more flawed than original Walt)

Chuck = Hank. A guy who is so hung up on doing the right thing that his pride gets in the way. Chuck's desire to take Jimmy down has turned into his obsession and it takes him overboard. Jimmy is Chuck's "White whale"

Kim = never thought this would happen. But by God, she might turn into Skyler

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Honestly, it's not personal experience that does it - it's professional experience.

My firms not silk-stocking but we've had extremely similar situations. Senior Partners that are slipping, family members with JDs that don't have the chops for the job, in-house politicking for partnerships, etc... I'm kinda uniquely qualified for this one so I'm going to play devil's advocate wherever I can.

And I've had my ass waxed by an old attorney that looks like he may have lost his fastball a time or two. I generally respect the hell out of the guys that have put in the grind in this game, especially the ones that can build something from nothing like Chuck appears to have done. It's a tougher gig than it seems sometimes and if you can make it out the other side with your health and a comfortable retirement, you've done something well.

This show and Mad Men are the only two shows I've ever seen where I feel there's a direct proxy in that show for me. It's why I'm probably the only person in the world that ever loved Pete Campbell; I'm honest enough with myself to know that there's a LOT of Pete to my personality. In Chuck I see the guy that I'd really really LIKE to be some day.

So I put myself in his shoes and view pretty much everything he does from a strictly professional standpoint. And from that standpoint, there's an excellent explanation for every action he's taken as well as ample support that the guy is just outstanding at reading people and doing his job.

So #CHUCKSTRONG!Teamchuck

Jimmy is Chuck's white whale. What Hank did in Breaking Bad was noble work. It doesn't justify going over the top. Chuck's original cause may have been noble, but it stopped being noble when he became singularly obsessed with taking Jimmy down. Chuck has been in a virtual coma and was leeching off of HHM for money. Nothing inspired him. Until he realized Jimmy was having any kind of success. His obsession to take Jimmy down is ultimately creating a monster.

Chuck isn't a bad guy. Neither was Hank. Ahab wasn't bad for wanting to take down a white whale. But it's like Greek mythology where excessive pride, hubris, was in itself a cardinal sin.

[notorious]

That's what makes this show so great. Most of the people in it operate in the gray area.

[Otter]

Anyone who enjoys the BB or BCS series looking for a different movie to watch might want to check out 'The Way of the Gun'. Very similar tone.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Otter

Anyone who enjoys the BB or BCS series looking for a different movie to watch might want to check out 'The Way of the Gun'. Very similar tone.

Netflix?

[Anyong Bluth]

Off topic, but a great miniseries is going to be starting on AMC.

The Night Manager.

I've already seen the entire first season, and it should premiere the week after the Saul finale. It's 6 episodes, and based off of the Le Cárre book, and has already been greenlit for another 2 seasons. It stars House and Loki.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

Off topic, but a great miniseries is going to be starting on AMC.

The Night Manager.

I've already seen the entire first season, and it should premiere the week after the Saul finale. It's 6 episodes, and based off of the Le Cárre book, and has already been greenlit for another 2 seasons. It stars House and Loki.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...=Night+Manager

But yeah. I'm damn excited.

[DJ's left nut]

Yeah, really looking forward to that.

LeCarre made some great stuff. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold may be among my favorite reads.

The Karla novels are just outstanding.

[Molitoth]

Just got caught up on this season.... this show just keeps getting better and better.
I love Vince Gilligan and his team.