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!!!!

[Dunit35]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Surprised the ratings for this show continue to go down. First season even after the initial 1st 3 episode bump still averaged strong at 2.6 million viewers per episode. Season 2 was around 2.1 million viewers. This season it's about 1.7 million viewers. Such a good show for dwindling viewership. Compare that to BB which continually gained steam and ratings every single season as it went ESPECIALLY by season 5.

How in the hell can rating be going down. It is a pure badass show. Right up there with BB.

[Demonpenz]

the ratings are going down because it is boring af

[notorious]

Huell!

I bet he put something on Chuck

[notorious]

Eat shit Chuck.

[notorious]

And Kim introduced "Saul Goodman" in the preview!

[Buehler445]

Wow. That was a hell of an episode.

That breakdown was amazingly acted and produced.

This show is amazing.

[chiefzilla1501]

I am still intrigued by the photo of the lamp on the newspaper. It was highlighted last week as a game changer. But it did little to advance Jimmy's case.

If Chuck checks the date in the newspaper, Chuck will try to remember what happened that day. He will remember he had a repairman show up. And when he calls the repair company up, not only will they say the appointment was canceled, they may recall that a woman canceled it. Hmm....

[kjwood75nro]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I am still intrigued by the photo of the lamp on the newspaper. It was highlighted last week as a game changer. But it did little to advance Jimmy's case.

If Chuck checks the date in the newspaper, Chuck will try to remember what happened that day. He will remember he had a repairman show up. And when he calls the repair company up, not only will they say the appointment was canceled, they may recall that a woman canceled it. Hmm....

The whole point of the testimony was to highlight Chuck as mentally ill; thus, discrediting him and giving justification for Jimmy's actions. The lamp on the newspaper was (seemingly) a piece of evidence to further that narrative.

They also made a big deal of the tape being duplicated, implying entrapment. It wasn’t the smoking gun of the case (assuming this episode wrapped it up), but it still helped paint a picture of Chuck being neurotic and able to use a self-diagnosed disease to manipulate Jimmy, and not the victim of a physiological condition.

[Pitt Gorilla]

As soon as he asked if the guy had to fit in tight places, you knew Huel was coming. Very cool callback.

[SBInfinity]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Surprised the ratings for this show continue to go down. First season even after the initial 1st 3 episode bump still averaged strong at 2.6 million viewers per episode. Season 2 was around 2.1 million viewers. This season it's about 1.7 million viewers. Such a good show for dwindling viewership. Compare that to BB which continually gained steam and ratings every single season as it went ESPECIALLY by season 5.

A lot of people got bored during season 1 and didnt tune in to season 2. more got bored in season 2 and didnt tune in for season 3.
I don't think the show is anywhere near interesting enough for a non-big BB fan to like. This season has been heavy on the BB tie-ins and I think very good. That's what people wanted. Extra-long scenes with Chuck and Kim are not They want Jimmy scheming and making wise cracks.

the first scene tonight was a good example of what bores people. twice as long as it needed to be and not really necessary in the 1st place.

[SBInfinity]

Jimmy is trying not to get disbarred. I'm not sure that planning a trick to have someone secretly plant something on Chuck is great way to impress the bar committee. yes it made Chuck go on a rant and look unstable. but it doesn't exactly make Jimmy look honest and trustworthy.
Clever scheme, but kind of a stretch for the writers I think.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by kjwood75nro

The whole point of the testimony was to highlight Chuck as mentally ill; thus, discrediting him and giving justification for Jimmy's actions. The lamp on the newspaper was (seemingly) a piece of evidence to further that narrative.

They also made a big deal of the tape being duplicated, implying entrapment. It wasn’t the smoking gun of the case (assuming this episode wrapped it up), but it still helped paint a picture of Chuck being neurotic and able to use a self-diagnosed disease to manipulate Jimmy, and not the victim of a physiological condition.

I get how it fits into Jimmy's story. But they prominently showed it last week as if it was gotcha evidence. It was only there to help set up a story. So why would they draw so much attention last week to that one photo? It's more than a little curious that the one photo they highlighted happens to be one with an obvious "time stamp".

[kjwood75nro]

Originally Posted by SBInfinity

Jimmy is trying not to get disbarred. I'm not sure that planning a trick to have someone secretly plant something on Chuck is great way to impress the bar committee. yes it made Chuck go on a rant and look unstable. but it doesn't exactly make Jimmy look honest and trustworthy.
Clever scheme, but kind of a stretch for the writers I think.

He didn't/couldn't contest any of the open-and-shut aspects of the case...that he committed the crimes, and that that was him on the tape. Too many witnesses and corroborating evidence.

His only option was to paint his actions as noble and necessary, and the only way to do that was to pull out all the stops in making the panel see Chuck as a total mental case.

[chiefzilla1501]

Also, the preview for next episode hints that Jimmy will begin to transform into saul Goodman starting next week. What led to that?

[kjwood75nro]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I get how it fits into Jimmy's story. But they prominently showed it last week as if it was gotcha evidence. It was only there to help set up a story. So why would they draw so much attention last week to that one photo? It's more than a little curious that the one photo they highlighted happens to be one with an obvious "time stamp".

It could very well carry on the story.

Chuck continues falling down the (entirely correct) rabbit hole, knowing full well what Jimmy is doing and how, but not having the credibility to do anything about it.

Or, it could just be how an episode-based series is paced.

That's what I love about all this...Chuck was absolutely right about everything..the billboard rescue, the childhood thefts, the photoshopping...everything. And he'll continue to get it right, but he'll be just a nutcase wrapped in a space blanket.