I certainly enjoyed the season, and it's still a top notch series, but I agree with Kev that this season was something of a letdown. I don't think it was really the absence of Chuck, though. They just took a different approach, I think. Lalo is an interesting guy, and I think he's going to be fantastic in season 5. My kind of badguy.
Yes indeed, I will scoff at that claim.
A better ensemble of actors? Well, in the sense that Better Call Saul is more of an ensemble than a show with a true lead character (Odenkirk is a far better supporting actor than lead), it could be debatable, but pound for pound, BB wins easily, IMO. Not counting the characters who were on both shows (since that can be considered a wash), BB had Bryan Cranston, who gave what some, including both Anthony Hopkins and myself, would call the greatest acting performance ever. His performance alone elevates it. And then of course there is Aaron Paul, who was brilliant as well; I would say he was the 2nd best from either show, so already BB has, IMO, by far the top 2 performances from either show. Moving forward, I would say Anna Gunn and Rhea Seehorn were equally good, although I suspect many who disliked Skylar for some bizarre reason would not give Gunn props for her performance as a result. And let's not forget Dean Norris, who turned what could have been a stereotypical tough guy cop/DEA agent character into a complex one. Michael McKean was awesome as Chuck, and Michael Mando and Patrick Fabian are really good in their roles, but Breaking Bad just seemed filled with once in a lifetime performances in a once in a lifetime show.
I'm one of those people who hated Skylar, but that wouldn't have been the case if Gunn didn't do such a fine job with the character. I really dig Wexler, but not really because of Seehorn's portrayal (tight-fitting lawyer pants excepted). I generally agree with your assessment here, but I think McKean's performance is right up there with Walt and Jesse. I never felt particularly emotionally involved with Walt. Every week NcKean had me alternatively despising and empathizing with Chuck. Culminating with his death that hammered home that duality in a big, big way.
Howard looked like a total mess at the end, too. Did Kim scolding him mess him up that badly? Wow.
I was figuring on "wracked with guilt." He certainly blamed himself for Howard's death (as did I), and he handled the whole thing pretty poorly after the fact. I also gather he'd turned into a hapless drunk.
It's not just me, though! Several co-workers are totally bored with the show, to the point where one has all but given up on it, and the other takes the "I guess I'll watch it since I'm already invested" attitude. A friend texted me yesterday, "Wow, Saul kinda sucks now." And my cousin texted me the other day saying he and his wife finally started watching this season and are not liking it either. At this point, literally every single person I talk to on a somewhat regularly basis (at least) who watches the show is incredibly disappointed with it it.
Not just you. I was never bored with the show, but this season was definitely less than the previous 3. It wasn't bad, and it had scenes that rivaled any from the series, but overall it was slower and had less actual content. Even the ending was a letdown for me. I know everybody has been waiting for the "Transformation," and there you got it. To me it was nothing more than the DBA he requested from the woman.
The Babineaux thing was...quite funny, but very improbable. Why would Kim even want to start helping Jimmy for keeping Huell out of jil? She has basically no interest whatsoever. Huell is a minor character and pretty much a nobody at best, so for her to get into serious trouble over this makes no sense at all to me. The stint they (Kim & Jimmy) pulled was pretty good though, but Kim saying 'Let's do it again' at the end has me worried for her. Saul's going to drag her down with him, which is not what I would like to see.
The girl's an adrenaline junky and never knew it. Danger turns her on (literally). I never really had much question about her motivation, which started as soon as she became Giselle. We see it reflected in her growing boredom with the law. As Judge Neelix pointed out she's looking for something to restore her passion in it. Working PD certainly helps, but working the system has a better payoff.
It hadn't occurred to me until now, but Giselle is Saul. While people have been clamoring for some mystical transformation from Jimmy to Saul, it's Kim who's undergoing the transformation from good girl to criminal lawyer.
At this point, I will be shocked if we do not see Kim in Jimmy's post-BB life. Heck, she could have been in his life the whole time during BB; it's not like they ever showed any aspect of Saul's personal life.
This was my prediction from the get-go. There's a reason he went to Omaha. I'm hoping she just randomly decides she wants a cinnamon roll. He'd have one helluva story to tell her.
Now, it's clear that Werner didn't know the full scope of who and what he was dealing with, otherwise Mike's original warning (after he shot his mouth off in the bar) would have sunk in and stuck.
Yep. I felt bad for Werner, as in the end he was simply naive. He really didn't understand who he was dealing with.
Mike choosing to do it himself was his way of letting Werner go out with a quick death, instead of Gus' guys doing it (and that would not have been quick).
That was part of it. I think Mike was accepting responsibility. He liked Werner, he was a good guy, so while giving him a quick out was certainly one aspect, penance was another, and being the responsible party was a third.
yeah the Mike and Gus Web Series videos are a hoot.
which btw, I was watching an episode of Deep Space 9 last night and who was in the guest cast, none other than Jonathan Banks. A few weeks back, I saw another episode with the actor who plays Tuco.
Breaking Deep Space Saul
Never made either of those connections. With Banks I just don't recall the episode well. Not one I've seen in ages. As for Tuco, I never made the connection, but as soon as you mentioned it I thought there was really only one episode he would have fit into, and I was right.