Better Call Saul (SPOILERS)

[KevShmev]

The Jimmy/Kim-together scenes continue to be boring as hell, but everything else was really good again. 

The early scene with Nacho and Lalo was really the first time it seemed like Jimmy was all Saul, rather than Jimmy acting like Saul, if that makes sense.  Even the many scenes so far where Jimmy is Saul the "criminal" lawyer, it still feels like he is just as much Jimmy McGill as Saul Goodman.

Cool to see Hank and Gomez again, although given that reports are that last night and next week's episode will be it for them, it feels a bit like window dressing and fan service. 

Cannot recall if this has been discussed, but for all of the talk about the drinking problem Mike has, it will be interesting to see where he licks it, since he seems to have no problem when drinking booze in BB.  Remember that he was in a bar drinking with no problem early in Season 4 of BB when Walt showed up and tried to float the idea of offing Gus which lead to Mike punching hit and kicking him a few times.

[DragonAttack]

Jimmy and Kim....I'm totally opposite.  I 'love' this couple.  We all know the relationship is building up to something bad, and they are taking their time to show all the ups and downs and the background that will lead to its eventual (sad) ending. 

Kind of like the ants and the ice cream cone at the beginning of this episode.  The simple joy and optimism of beginning life anew as Saul ended and disappeared during that car ride.

Just wish AMC would show the prior episodes just before the new ones

[The Walrus]

I agree with DragonAttack; the Jimmy and Kim scenes are great. I really dig them as individual characters but also as a couple.

I thought the new episode was great. Love the cinematography of the ants in the beginning. Still chewing on that visual metaphor. Loved seeing Hank and Gomez. Lalo is growing on me big time. He's charismatic and I just don't know if I love or hate him. It's so fun watching Saul get his feet wet and how he's working up to the point where he unceremoniously bursts into the room and takes over the conversation with gusto.

Also, can we talk about Kim's sob story to the old man? What do people think - was she being genuine (in other words, that's a real story from her childhood) or was she trying (and failed) to channel Jimmy's schtick? And if the latter, why did she fail? Is it because she doesn't see the person she's talking to for who they really are, or because she doesn't genuinely believe in what she's doing, or is it because she hasn't fully accepted the moral ambiguity of what she's doing the way Jimmy has, so she can't close the deal? I think that whole bit was fantastic, from her first encounter to her second attempt and then coming back to wordlessly smash beer bottles. Very human scenes no matter what the deal is, imo.

[axeman90210]

I took her story to the old man at face value. Doesn't make sense to me for it it be a con if there's no way of us knowing that it was a con.

[gmillerdrake]

I took her story to the old man at face value. Doesn't make sense to me for it it be a con if there's no way of us knowing that it was a con.

I think that's the beauty of it. You can make a case for it being sincere or it being a con. Maybe the reason the symbolism of her being uneasy with the beer bottle on the railing at the beginning of the episode and then throwing it off at the end is because she tried to con the guy and failed. Or, it's because she was sincere...he didn't believe her....so now she's like 'F' it.....

The difference between Jimmy/Saul conning someone and Kim is that we know 98% of what Jimmy/Saul is doing is a con to some degree. Kim, she's near impossible to read. And, I'm digging the Jimmy/Kim scenes as well. The slow deterioration of their relationship is brutal to watch. Especially when you know Jimmy can sense it yet despite that he's continuing down the Saul path.

[mike099]

When Mike was at the bar and insisted the bartender remove a picture/post card from the wall.  Was there some story about that picture or was Mike just being Mike drunk.

[gmillerdrake]

When Mike was at the bar and insisted the bartender remove a picture/post card from the wall.  Was there some story about that picture or was Mike just being Mike drunk.

I can't recall completely....but I want to say the German builder he offed last season had something to do with that building. I think it was the Sydney Opera house in the pic


****edit****

yep...just found this online:

The image of the opera house is a visual callback to a conversation that Mike had with Ziegler before the hit — one in which Ziegler revealed that his father was one of the engineers behind the famous landmark's construction. The sight of the postcard stirs Mike's guilt over the assassination

[The Walrus]

More people need to be talking about this season. It's so good but I forgot it came on last night so I'm catching up now. I usually have to catch it the next day anyway but I hadn't even thought about it all day. Here goes! 

[KevShmev]

I think the fact that it is not getting talked about a lot says it all. 

I feel like I continue to be too negative, but I am in it till the end despite being bored out of my mind at times, like with last night's episode.  This show always builds way too slowly, and the payoffs are rarely worth it.  It's like TV blue balls.

[gmillerdrake]

I think the fact that it is not getting talked about a lot says it all. 

But I think it's to the 'good' side of the spectrum. It's how I felt with 'Mr. Robot'. We talked about that show in the thread a bit but for the most part it was just such a good show and so well done that you are kind of just in 'awe' a bit. Like....unable to talk about it. It's so layered and so well constructed that it's near impossible to 'get' it all at once.

I love how Mike intentionally walked the same route again just to get his butt whooped....maybe even wanting to be killed? I'm fearful of where Kim's heading because unlike Jimmy....she's betraying her nature as she looks to use 'alternate' methods to get what she wants. It's tough to speculate why we don't see her in BB....she may not be dead but I get the feeling her story doesn't end well.

It's interesting to see Fring so flustered....although you know he has a plan.

[SoundscapeMN]

Kim and Howard 

https://twitter.com/BetterCallSaul/status/1237528690830917632

[The Walrus]

I think the fact that it is not getting talked about a lot says it all. 

I feel like I continue to be too negative, but I am in it till the end despite being bored out of my mind at times, like with last night's episode.  This show always builds way too slowly, and the payoffs are rarely worth it.  It's like TV blue balls.

Respectfully, I can't disagree with this post more. It constantly gets critical acclaim, and it's the third highest rated show on AMC behind the TWD shows. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/amc-network-tv-show-ratings-33643/ Plus it's been nominated for tons of awards and won plenty.

(Also I don't really think anybody ever talks about AMC other than The Walking Dead, Mad Men, or Breaking Bad, and two of those have ended and the other is somehow still going 10 seasons in, so at least it's not tanking)

I think the payoffs are always worth it personally. The slow burn is wonderful. I think it's a shame you aren't all that excited by it but I'm happy you're still watching.

[DragonAttack]

BCS is even more of the ...'put the ribs in the smoker, and let 'em cook for twelve hours' instead of the microwaved burger....compared to BB.  I expect the slow satisfaction. 

Last week was a great episode.  Even more fan service.  My wife and I are now doing shots of Dos Hombres tequilla in our Twisters cups before each episode. 

There are fewer people on the board than when BB was around, thus the fewer comments.

[KevShmev]

Respectfully, I can't disagree with this post more. It constantly gets critical acclaim, and it's the third highest rated show on AMC behind the TWD shows. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/amc-network-tv-show-ratings-33643/ Plus it's been nominated for tons of awards and won plenty.

(Also I don't really think anybody ever talks about AMC other than The Walking Dead, Mad Men, or Breaking Bad, and two of those have ended and the other is somehow still going 10 seasons in, so at least it's not tanking)

I think the payoffs are always worth it personally. The slow burn is wonderful. I think it's a shame you aren't all that excited by it but I'm happy you're still watching.

With all due respect, critical acclaim means nothing to me.

What awards has it won? I am genuinely asking because I know it has been nominated for a few Emmys over the years, but I don't recall any winning.  I will say that the fact that Michael McKean was never nominated for Best Supporting Actor for any of the first three seasons (before his character's death) was an utter travesty.  The acting and cinematography and whatnot are all top notch on this show, no doubt about it.  The storytelling is just too slow and plodding. 

There are fewer people on the board than when BB was around, thus the fewer comments.

I am pretty sure there is a reason for that.  Call it anecdotal, but the majority of family members/friends/co-workers who started the show from the start (all of whom were huge BB fans) have stopped watching it altogether because they were so bored with it, and those who are still watching are like me in that they are gutting it out till the end because they are so invested at this point. 

It's not a bad show by any means; it's just not a great one.

[gmillerdrake]

I'll stay firmly in the camp of BCS is just as good if not better than BB. They're two different types of shows. BB needed the intensity and weekly anxiety of Walt's story. BCS is just beautiful storytelling with some incredible acting.

I've enjoyed the heck out of BCS......and love BB as well.

[ariich]

I'm in the camp of BCS being better than BB. I get that there was more tension in BB, which is possibly what made it more exciting and warranted more discussion/speculation, but I never much liked Walter and so his downfall just didn't have much emotional resonance with me. BCS may not have the same high points but I find it much more consistently engaging.

[gmillerdrake]

I'm in the camp of BCS being better than BB. I get that there was more tension in BB, which is possibly what made it more exciting and warranted more discussion/speculation, but I never much liked Walter and so his downfall just didn't have much emotional resonance with me. BCS may not have the same high points but I find it much more consistently engaging.

Yeah....that's pretty much what I was trying to say also. There HAD to be tension/drama etc etc with BB given the story that was being told. And, I'm the same way....i was never drawn to Walt as a character. I thought he was a selfish dick. At first I 'kind' of got it and sympathized a bit but once he chose to turn down the offer to go back to work for Grey Matter Technologies strictly based off of his massive ego.....i was pretty much done with him as a character and enjoyed watching his world crumble around him. It was just a shame he took so many down with him.

BCS is telling a similar story with Jimmy....but, in a much more apathetic way.....where I feel more sorry for Jimmy than anything. While I know his nature has always been to take the 'easy' way out or to hustle his way into getting what he wants......at least there's been some set up as to why he is the way he is. I don't know, I just think the storytelling is beautiful in BCS.

[MinistroRaven]

What about the offer to work with Howard Hamlin?

Do you think Howard is setting something up to screw Jimmy?

[gmillerdrake]

What about the offer to work with Howard Hamlin?

Do you think Howard is setting something up to screw Jimmy?

It’s awfully tough to think he made that offer for the reasons he stated. I think Jimmy sees through it also.

[Chino]

I'm all caught up with the season. I'm absolutely loving it. I know I've mentioned it feeling more like an intro to Breaking Bad rather than a spin off, but I can't get enough of it. It's so well done, and nothing feels cheap or forced despite so many of the Breaking Bad cast making appearances.

[gmillerdrake]

I'm all caught up with the season. I'm absolutely loving it. I know I've mentioned it feeling more like an intro to Breaking Bad rather than a spin off, but I can't get enough of it. It's so well done, and nothing feels cheap or forced despite so many of the Breaking Bad cast making appearances.

They’ve done a fantastic job of making the BB characters and their individual stories not feel like a cheap trick....or like you said, they aren’t forced. Everyone ‘fits’ into the story being told naturally.

[The Walrus]

There was one thing that me and my dad didn't quite understand and I had to look it up to figure it out. It's Gus's behavior to his employee in the last episode. We just couldn't figure out why Gus kept making the kid scrub the fryers clean. According to the Wikipedia summary, it was literally just Gus taking out his frustration on him (the frustration at his hand being forced to fork over just shy of a million bucks to the DEA because of Saul's guy). That's kinda weird to me, I was thinking Gus was keeping him there as distraction for some big climax that we'd maybe get... but nope.

[ariich]

I wondered if Gus's behaviour might have been to ensure he had an alibi while also being able to keep abreast of what was happening.

[The Walrus]

I wondered if Gus's behaviour might have been to ensure he had an alibi while also being able to keep abreast of what was happening.

Oh man, I hadn't even thought of that. That's great. I told that to my old man and he thinks that's a possibility too, and Lyle (the kid) would've been his witness. Now I feel stupid for not getting that as I was watching.

[gmillerdrake]

I wondered if Gus's behaviour might have been to ensure he had an alibi while also being able to keep abreast of what was happening.

This is what I thought.

[gmillerdrake]

I think we witnessed the beginning of the end for Kim tonight. And, all Jimmy had to do was keep his mouth shut and ever mention the other ‘option’

[KevShmev]

My reactions to this show are so bipolar. 

Last week's episode bored me to death, while I thought last night's was great.

[The Walrus]

I think we witnessed the beginning of the end for Kim tonight. And, all Jimmy had to do was keep his mouth shut and ever mention the other ‘option’

Totally. Kim unfortunately didn't anticipate her boss's tenacity and now she's in deep. Next week's episode is gonna be a good one.

My reactions to this show are so bipolar. 

Last week's episode bored me to death, while I thought last night's was great.

I love how comfortable Jimmy has become with playing Saul. They're almost one and the same now.

[DoctorAction]

I'm not eloquent enough to get into detail but I absolutely love this show. Very different but as good as BB for me, and remarkable for following that show and becoming its own special thing.

Jimmy and Kim are incredible together and the key special part to this show for me is the acting, pace and under statement. I could watch Kim silently mull something over or internally react to someone all night. The slowness and intensity is so unusual and just reeks of class.

I have no idea what Howard is doing but love watching him too.

[DragonAttack]

It was nice to escape for an hour plus on Monday.

Howard is still....Howard.  The semi likeable semi antagonist, who did take Jimmy's words to heart last year and quit feeling sorry for himself.  Still don't know if he is married, divorced, gay, asexual.....  There has to be something from the past that could bite HHM in the future, where for some reason he needs Jimmy's help.  Or he wants to set him up in a bad way.

Kim......absolutely no idea why she went all 'Gisele' with the lead partner out in the hallway.  She's always been the 'smart' one, but that move certainly was not.  We paused and saw the picture that made her smile, but we couldn't exactly tell what IT was that caused the 'aha' moment.

Mike is still the happiest while working with his hands fixing something.

Gus is now plainly unhappy with everything, except for revenge.

[DragonAttack]

That ending was quite the surprise.  Thought Kim was going to grab her cello (if she still has it) and walk out the door.

This was a 'top ten' episode.

[gmillerdrake]

Fantastic episode

[Chino]

Another solid one in the books.

[MinistroRaven]

Last episode was pure gold.

[The Walrus]

Finally saw it.

Jesus, Jimmy, what were you thinking. Oh my god.