BETTER CALL SAUL

[Wojo 2,453]

Didn't Saul know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy? There is history there between all three. I assume that Mike just did the cleanup for Saul as a favor to keep the drug business quiet with local law enforcement, though Mike was on Gus' payroll at the time. One doesn't become the #2 guy in such a large international business like Gus' overnight. 

[Alex 2,833]

Hopefully Better Call Saul will explain all of this, Mike must have had to earn Gus' trust somehow

[Jay 37,302]

I think what will happen is Gus will only show up on the show once or twice, but Mike will do a lot of work for him for a while on the show, reporting to some intermediary between him and Gus.

[nightscape94 965]

10 hours ago, alextrombone94 said:

Did he ever technically "work" for Saul? He always seemed very much in charge haha. I think Saul was just a useful person to have on his side.

 

In the episode "Better Call Saul" from Breaking Bad, when Saul sees Walt at the school he refers to Mike (anonymously) as his "P.I." and says he charges him by the hour.  So I didn't really think he was under his permanent employ

[Jay 37,302]

Makes sense

[Wojo 2,453]

I missed the first twenty minutes tonight lost in a South Park marathon. 

 

Call 911...Call 911...

[crumbs 14,304]

Wow, amazing episode. Surely one of the best yet.

 

I love the way Gilligan and co. are sinking Jimmy into a mess of lies and deceit. Very reminiscent of Walter White's descent into Heisenberg.

[Alex 2,833]

Yep last nights episode was great

[crumbs 14,304]

There's actually a lot of parallels between Walter, Saul and Mike. The way Gilligan explores actions and reactions is second to none, and to have the courage to spend two whole seasons building up the conflicts and relationships between characters only to bring them crashing to the ground? Perfection.

 

Putting Jimmy in such a vulnerable position by the end of tonight's show was truly cruel. It's all a direct result of his deceit, yet we still root for him. He could well be the reason for Chuck's incapacitation or, worse, death. That we all know where Jimmy ends up by series close makes the journey that much more rewarding, because there's a sense of inevitable tragedy about the events unfolding.

 

If only all TV drama was this good.

[Alex 2,833]

Yeah I love the way Gilligan makes us root for characters even know we know what they're doing is wrong. The way he makes us "dislike" characters like Skyler or Chuck.

[crocodile 7,984]

This series is finally starting to get interesting. And, surprise, a lot of that has to do with fleshing out of Kim's character. Really like her.

 

Karol

[Thor 7,474]

Ha, I was right about the nail mat!

 

Another great episode last night.

[Jay 37,302]

Better Call Saul 2x09 Nailed

 

Wow!  What a perfect blend of plot advancement and character development this week!

 

Chuck sure is smart, and figures out what Jimmy did almost immediately.  But man, that court room scene beforehand was nice and squirmy!  You had to basically feel bad for everyone in the room.

 

The showdown in the middle of the episode where Chuck confronts Kim and Jimmy with what he knows to be true was a fantastically done scene.  The best part was how silent Kim was as Chuck explained what Jimmy must have done.  When she finally started talking, I literally had no idea what she would say, and when she sided with Jimmy it was nice.  She was so convincing at saying Chuck must have messed up... it was only in the car when she punched Jimmy that you knew she believe Chuck completely.  What a powerhouse sequence.

 

In bed that night, her knowledge is further shared with Jimmy as she essentially tells him to go to the copy machine place, without using so many words.  I thought it was a bit odd that Jimmy wouldn't have thoguht of that ahead of time, but whatever.  The whole sequence there was terrific too.  If there is any logic gap, its simply this: Why wouldn't the copy shop employee simply take Jimmy's money, then ask Chuck for more money to reveal the truth?  Instead, he really stood up to Chuck after a prolonged interrogation that he had nothing to gain from (since he'd already been paid).  I wonder if it would have made more sense to intersect Jimmy and Mike's stories here and have Mike put a scare into the guy or something, but oh well.

 

The shocking moment of the episode and season is Chuck's Million Dollar Baby fall onto the counter. OUCH!  That moment made me shoot up on the couch!  Jimmy immediately has the right idea ("Call 911!")... why in the flippin' world don't Ernesto, the employee, or the two ladies using the copiers have the same idea?  Crazy.  Too bad Jimmy isn't using burner phones by this point and can't call himself.

 

I have no idea what happens next week but can't wait to find out!  Then another year's wait after that... bah!

 

Mike's storyline this week was just as good as Jimmy's!  His take-down of the money truck was pretty cool (Albeit a bit confusing:  Aren't the drugs coming into the USA, and the money is going back to Mexico?  Why would the money need to be so well hidden going across the border the other way?)

 

But the big show-down scene with Nacho was EXCELLENT (after that fun bar scene takes place in the middle).  I just loved the way the different morals of these guys (Mike, Nacho, Hector) play into each other.  Nacho truly doesn't care that Mike ripped off Hector and the cartel, but is seemingly ready to kill the moment Mike brings up the cops.  Mike meanwhile made sure to leave the driver unscratched, but is visibly unnerved by the revelation a good samaritan was murdered directly as a result of the heist he pulled.

 

In the end, I'm not terribly sure what's motivating Nacho to let Mike live, it sure seems like he's become too much of a liability to his personal agenda.  Like Jimmy's story, I can't wait to see where it goes next week.

 

Finally, I hope this commercial Jimmy is building will be worth the multi-episode buildup of hype!

[Glóin the Dark 1,219]

On 4/13/2016 at 10:56 PM, Jay said:

If there is any logic gap, its simply this: Why wouldn't the copy shop employee simply take Jimmy's money, then ask Chuck for more money to reveal the truth?

 

I was wondering if he was going to do that too. I wouldn't necessarily call it a flaw in the logic, though; Jimmy was just gambling on the guy sticking to his end of the bargain, which he did...

[Jay 37,302]

Yea it's a minor issue that doesn't really matter - it's all just  means to get to the end: Chuck's life endangered by the combination of Jimmy's methods, his ire towards Chuck, Chuck's righteousness, and Chuck's quest for the truth.

[A24 4,326]

Holy sh!t! It's Better Call Saul time! Finally!

[Jay 37,302]

Season 2 is unbelievably good.

[A24 4,326]

Loved the first episode already! 

[Jay 37,302]

You can read my review of it on the last post of page 15!

[Kühni 485]

Is it just me, or was the season finale rather underwhelming (with a great opening, though)?

[Barnald 365]

I don't know about that. We have the very obvious Gus hint but I think they realized that showing him would completely overshadow everything in the Jimmy arc, which, lest we forget, is the primary aspect of the show. I look forward to them teasing Gus out over a few episodes when season 3 comes along (presumably we'll see Victor first). And I'm very glad Michael McKean is sticking around. He very much deserves a supporting nomination or two for his work this season.

[Thor 7,474]

Where's the Gus hint?

[Jay 37,302]

This:

 

On 4/10/2016 at 11:30 AM, crumbs said:

If you take the first letter of each episode title this season you'll discover it's an anagram for...

FRINGS BACK

 

 

Credit to Reddit for the discovery. That sneaky Gilligan!

 

 

Confirmed by Gilligan & Gould

 

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/04/better-call-saul-gus-frings-back-title-anagram-finale

[Barnald 365]

Well, the note can only be from Gus, either by his hand or a lacky (Victor?). It was rather apparent, and Gilligan and Gould have confirmed this in new interviews.

[Jay 37,302]

I literally just said that

[A24 4,326]

 

Almost finished S2 of BCS. I just want to say that Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler is some kind of a revelation. I'm not going to look it up but surely she got nominated for a best performance award, right? 

 

 

Alex

[crocodile 7,984]

She's fantastic. Yet completely understated.

 

Karol

[Jay 37,302]

I'm glad the world is finally catching on to the greatness of Rhea Seehorn, I've liked her since Whitney premiered in 2011

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

I KNEW IT

 

Spoiler

I knew he was fucking recording the confession

 

[Jay 37,302]

That was obvious the moment Saul started confessing

[Richard Penna 3,673]

It was obvious to me when Chuck got out those tongs.

 

Someone at work claims they knew as soon as he went into his garage that he was retrieving a tape recorder. I somehow don't think so.

[KK 3,307]

It was kind of predictable early on. But what made this season so interesting was its nuanced characters and their relationships.

[A24 4,326]

Yes, very disappointing for a finale. I felt let down when the end credits appeared. 

 

Overall, S2 is on a par with S1. It's consistently good but never really, really peaks. In fact, I regularly felt the show was making attempts to make Jimmy more likeable. Highlights for me are Kim Wexler (which I already mentioned), the overall writing, the dead-on casting of every character, the locations/filming/style/etcetera.

 

 

 

Alex

 

 

 

 

 

[Jay 37,302]

Betsy Brandt almost cameo'd as Marie as the CAT scan operator for Chuck in the season finale

 

Thank god that didn't happen, would have been too forced

 

 

[Alex 2,833]

I think that only Jesse could possibly make a cameo out of the main 6 (Walt/Skyler/Jesse/Walt Jnr/Hank/Marie) without it seeming too forced

[Jay 37,302]

What?  That's insane!  The character would be a high school student at the time the show is set, and Aaron Paul is 36 years old!

[Alex 2,833]

Saying that, I don't have any desire for just random Breaking Bad cameos. All the ones so far have made sense.

[Jay 37,302]

Yup all the callbacks to BB so far have been completely fine

[Richard Penna 3,673]

If they do a Walter cameo, I think it needs to be really subtle. I feel this is a show that shouldn't resort to fan service, and having him suddenly appear will be a major distraction.

[Alex 2,833]

If part of the show takes place during Breaking Bad, then a Walt cameo would make sense. Other than that I can't really envisage a scenario where he could appear 

[Jay 37,302]

Better Call Saul 2x10 Klick

 

Loved the switcharoo of the opening scene... you think it's Jimmy waiting for Chuck in the hospital, but its a flashback to the two on them when their mom was in the hospital!  The whole scene was well done.  Enjoyed the touch that their mom's last words was to ask for Jimmy, not Chuck.  Just another little thing for Chuck to resent Jimmy for.

 

Man, loved how after that, it picked up right where it left off.  Is Jimmy deciding whether or not to run into the copy place to help with Chuck or not actually the biggest and most important decision he's made so far?  Funny how the Jimmy in the BB era would have had a burner phone on his person he could have used to call 911 (its still nutso that nobody in the copy place was calling 911 until he arrived).

 

Big props for the return of Clea Duvall as Chuck's doctor in the hospital!  Where you been, Clea?  She's very good in this part.  Smart Chuck immediately asks how Jimmy knew to be there so early, which was expected, but what I didn't expect was Ernesto lying for him and telling Chuck he called Jimmy!  Wow!  I think they subtlety have been setting up that he prefers Jimmy over Chuck in recent eps, and that him and Jimmy had a good relationship when they were both in the mailroom.  Good stuff.

 

When Chuck went into the garage, I had no idea what he was up to.  When Hamlin called Jimmy because Chuck had quit, I thought it was a bit odd that Jimmy immediately rushed over.  The level of Chuck's foil barrier-ing shoudl have tipped Jimmy off that something wasn't quite right, I think.  I wasn't sure what Chuck was up to though, until the moment Jimmy started confessing, so clearly and explicitly.  I knew Chuck had to be recording him.  I like the fact that this is Chuck embracing electronics to prove what he knows.  I also quite liked that the episode immediately ended there, letting us to ponder for a year what could happen.  There are so many possibilities:

 

1. Chuck immediately turns it into the authorities.

2. Chuck tells Jimmy he has it, essentially blackmailing Jimmy with it to get what he wants.

3. Chuck bides his time, waiting to spring it on Jimmy when he feels he has to.

Fascinating stuff.  Can't wait to see how it goes next year!

 

I found Mike's storyline line to be confusing and kinda.... meh this week.  I swear last week, Mike told Nacho he was done with Hector - now that he had the $250,000, he wouldn't go after Hector again, basically implying Nacho and him wouldn't hear from Mike ever again . All of a sudden this week Mike is planning on killing Hector in the desert?  Did I miss something?  

 

Of course the interesting part is the note on his car / horn honking that prevented him from taking a shot (if he got another one that Nacho wasn't blocking).  Sadly this would have been a more intersting moment if the internet hadn't figured out the FRINGS BACK thing.  The odd thing is - Gus hates Hector; Would he really have minded if Mike killed him?  Eh, I suppose this will all be explained next year.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Random thing I stumbled upon just today:

 

[Jay 37,302]

Anybody besides me want to spend some time writing about how great season 2 was?

[Quintus 5,399]

I already did. But it wasn't unconditional gushing, is that an issue? 

 

When does season 3 come out? This is still one of my 2 or 3 flagship watches. 

[Alex 2,833]

I am very enjoying this series, season 2 was much better than season 1 and I can't wait for season 3.

 

That's about as much writing as I can do.

[Jay 37,302]

Yes and I thank you for it, I'm just hoping for more discussion, because I think its a really great, great show!

I'd love to have some back and forth as each episode premieres week by week next year.

 

They haven't announced a premiere date for Season 3 yet, but Season 1 premiered in Feb 2015 and Season 2 in Feb 2016, so probably February again?

[Quintus 5,399]

The trouble is, Netflix makes them all available at once, which is great for binge watchers, but rubbish for week to week debate and discussion. Steef and I were only saying recently how the same approach will undermine uptake and episodic chat about the upcoming return of Man in the High Castle. 

 

They should make people wait each each week for the entirety of the season run!

[Jay 37,302]

I thought Better Call Saul DID show up one episode at a time in your country too?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It did for season 1. Lee is talking bollocks

[Jay 37,302]

I thought so!

Pretty sure it premieres worldwide one episode per week.