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 Gadzooks

My wife and I discussed world events throughout the majority of this episode. because it...was...very...slow...
I'd forgotten the pace of these shows. We almost stopped watching BB in season 1 because of that.
When something big happens, you go "whoa, this is the best show ever", then it's back to the same old grind of watching people do things that are far more boring than what you could actually be doing yourself.
Just the scene where we're forced to watch Mike do surveillance is almost unbearable as a viewer of a "show".

Vince Gilligan needs to get this story moving to a point that it's a "show" as opposed to a visual art piece that represents New Mexico.

I thought that was far and away the best part of the episode. I found it fascinating trying to figure out what Mike was doing.

[MahiMike]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

I thought that was far and away the best part of the episode. I found it fascinating trying to figure out what Mike was doing.

Yeah me too. That was pretty clever.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Gadzooks

Just the scene where we're forced to watch Mike do surveillance is almost unbearable as a viewer of a "show".

I loved that scene. I commented to my GF that, while it was kind of quiet, the filming and music were fantastic.

[Molitoth]

Originally Posted by Gadzooks

My wife and I discussed world events throughout the majority of this episode. because it...was...very...slow...
I'd forgotten the pace of these shows. We almost stopped watching BB in season 1 because of that.
When something big happens, you go "whoa, this is the best show ever", then it's back to the same old grind of watching people do things that are far more boring than what you could actually be doing yourself.
Just the scene where we're forced to watch Mike do surveillance is almost unbearable as a viewer of a "show".

Vince Gilligan needs to get this story moving to a point that it's a "show" as opposed to a visual art piece that represents New Mexico.

I can see why you think like this, but I totally disagree with it.
The attention to detail that VG creates is what is intriguing about his work.

[notorious]

Best character development ever.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by sedated

I loved that scene. I commented to my GF that, while it was kind of quiet, the filming and music were fantastic.

Guy said, like, seven words in the entire episode and kept my attention every second he was on the screen.

[mr. tegu]

I couldn't quite tell what was played on Chuck's tape, but I do believe it was in purpose. What was it that we heard?

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[Gadzooks]

I see my post didn't strike a chord with most of you and, perhaps, my reaction was based on watching after just coming off resolving a major issue at work, along with recently suffering through a weak and slow season of The Walking Dead.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...al-speed-it-up
Even Bob Odenkirk has expressed frustration at Better Call Saul’s glacial pace, recently promising the Radio Times that things would be “picking up speed” over the next 10 episodes, admitting: “It’s an incremental journey, and it’s a little too slow for some people.”

The same could be said for BB, but by season 3 of BB Walter White had begun to make things very interesting. This show has been a much slower burn.

I've really enjoyed the interplay between Jimmy and his brother and the Mike spin-offs but at some point this show has to hit the road and get going.

All I can say is that it was a disappointing debut and I hope things pick up the pace in future episodes.

[kjwood75nro]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

I couldn't quite tell what was played on Chuck's tape, but I do believe it was in purpose. What was it that we heard?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Jimmy confessing to switching the address numbers to sabotage HHM's application and their credibility.

I would agree it was intentional. Chuck had to rewind the tape, stop it right before the juicy part, take the batteries out, and leave the "play" button pressed, all while enduring the pain of handling an electronic device.

[Demonpenz]

It is slow and I have wonder if people just buy it as good because of breaking bad.

[stumppy]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

It is slow and I have wonder if people just buy it as good because of breaking bad.

It stands on it's own just fine.

[Baby Lee]

I assumed someone would

[Baby Lee]

Weird piece of trivia that's more about the vagaries of production than anything.

This past week's Cinnabon footage was filmed with the real Cinnabon employees at a mall that was closed in the early morning hours. For the footage while Jimmy/Saul was out in the mall eating his lunch, most of the proprietors agreed to open their storefronts so it looked like the mall was open and occupied. Except for Dillards. The Dillards at the end, they had to photograph during open hours, then print a huge banner to put over the gated entrance.

[notorious]

Is the mall in Omaha?

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by notorious

Is the mall in Omaha?

Not sure, but that would be some anal detail to haul the entire unit up to Nebraska just for a few minutes of generic mall footage. I assume it's something in the QQ area.

imdb lists the cottonwood mall.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C9GNfuyUAAAWkd1.jpg