I just watched the first 2 episodes, and it's... a bit slow, but still interesting. So far, the acting is great, and Odenkirk is still getting humor out of his character, even if the show is a tad bit darker than expected, a lot of the humor is pitch black. Saul starts out a younger, not at all exceptional lawyer called James McGill. He's getting beaten down by a run of bad luck, running public defender cases to barely make ends meet, and dealing with a father/older brother/ father figure who is having some sort of nervous breakdown in the form of sensitivity to electronics.
The fault I'm having with it: It's the same basic story as Breaking Bad, the story of a decent guy turning bad. One of the wonderful things about Saul in Breaking Bad is that he had no illusions about his job - he was a lawyer for criminals, and he did his job well and enjoyed the perks while he could. I suppose everybody has an origin story, but I was hoping for something - else.
I've been watching it. Mike as a parking attendant is great. Jimmy/Saul turned an ethical corner in the very first episode and it turned bad, but he managed to talk his way out of it, which give him new confidence in court.
I liked the opening sequence of the first episode: Saul Goodman, Cinnabon manager in Omaha.
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I've watched the first three episodes now. So far, I would say it's not as good as Breaking Bad, but as BB was probably the best TV program ever that's not saying much.
I think it's a must-see anyway, and I'm hoping it will get even better once there's been time for a bit more character development.
Mike got a bigger part in the third episode - I guess in the next episode or so he will graduate from parking lot attendant to being Jimmy's investigator/enforcer.
I don't know how long they'll be able to string out Chuck's EMI-phobia thing - that seems a weak story line to me.
I've only seen the first 2 episodes; the third is sitting on the DVR now. So far, I've liked this show unequivocally. For me, it's hitting all the right notes for this character and justifying why he was worthy of a spinoff show. We'll see if that continues.
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"Her eyes in certain light were violet, and all her teeth were even. That's a rare, fair feature: even teeth. She smiled to excess, but she chewed with real distinction." - Eleanor of Aquitaine
I've only seen the first 2 episodes; the third is sitting on the DVR now. So far, I've liked this show unequivocally. For me, it's hitting all the right notes for this character and justifying why he was worthy of a spinoff show. We'll see if that continues.
I'm liking it as well. I guess I was hoping for, "Saul is doing his day-to-day best to keep his life from falling apart" than a big story arch, "this is how Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman." I suppose that's because I was expecting it to be funnier--more of a comedy, rather than a drama infused with humor. Once I got past that mild disappointment, I've been very happy with the show.
It's not very clear when exactly this is happening, but it seems like it's set not very long before the events of BB. That surprised me a bit. I thought Saul's practice was more settled.
So, I've now seen Breaking Bad. I started watching an episode a day while on the treadmill but binged on the rest of it over the past week. I just finished the finale and I feel a tremendous sense of relief. Talk about an emotional ringer! The trip from sympathetic toward Walter to begging the gods to make him suffer and die was a wild ride. I agree with a lot of what has been said in this thread but not with cep saying Jane was "bad" because she got Jesse on heroin; she would've still been sober if not for Jesse's influence.
Donald, Jane's dad, says that he's tried kindness and understanding for over ten years, so we know she's relapsed previously.
You also have to consider her dishonesty in the first episode we see her - she knows Jesse doesn't have the necessary papers - she may even suspect from the outset that he's a drug dealer - but she accepts his false name and is prepared to hoodwink her dad in exchange for cash. She charges an extra $100 per week ( or month, I forget ) and I think two extra months in advance - she's obviously not going to pass any of that cash on to her dad.
She's also over-eager to get her hands on Jesse's drug money, talking about it as though it's her own, and blackmails Walt into delivering it.
I think many viewers, men especially, forgive her moral failings too easily. I think we're biased towards her because she's so beautiful and sexy.
The probability of her having relapsed previously doesn't seem relevant. She was sober for 18 months before Jesse came around, and it was pretty clearly her affection for him that led her to relapse this time. As far as the rental situation, it seemed to me she wanted to cut him some slack by letting him rent without the proper papers (or her father's approval) and charged him extra for the risk she had to assume. I don't think that makes her a bad person. By the time Jesse's money comes into play she's fully in the throes of addiction, so it's hardly surprising that she would jump at the chance to get a suitcase full of cash. In fact she suggests using the money to run away with Jesse and start a new life, which is a sight better than running out on him and using it for drugs.
Hey! So I started bingeing this and I'm up through season 5, ep 2. So exciting! Omg that season 4 finale?
DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!
I'm not gonna read this thread until I'm done, but I wanna say the post above is part of why I started watching, it seemed very compelling. But by the time I got to those episodes I couldn't remember where I had read it, was it TV tropes or Reddit or what? How happy am I to have found it here? I can come back and talk about it with people whose opinions I actually care about.
It occurred to me I could read this thread through the air date of the most recent episode I watched, but it looks like most of us caught this on DVD or Netflix or Euro-delay, so no good.
You've only got a few more episodes to go now, so you might as well finish watching them all. Then read the thread and comment and/or re-watch as appropriate.
The second series of Better Call Saul, the prequel to Breaking Bad, has just finished airing on Netflix. It mainly concerns Saul Goodman (nee Jimmy McGill) and Mike Ehrmantraut - but there have been appearances by other BB characters: Tuco, Hector, Crazy-8 and others. There was a teaser at the end of series 2, plus a clue in the series episode names that Gus Fring will be appearing in Season 3.
Better Call Saul has a slower pace than Breaking Bad, but I'm enjoying it almost as much. BB required slightly too much suspension of scepticism to believe in the actions of some of the characters (for example Hank not suspecting Walt much earlier, despite numerous clues and 'near misses'). The characters in BCS don't face such extreme circumstances as those in BB, and as a consequence their actions are generally more believable.
Trust me, I would much rather be wrapping up the season right now than reading about it on the internet doing my day job.
My friend said I have to watch Better Call Saul next, and I figured I probably would, but then she said it features Mike a lot and I fucking luv Mike so yeah, I'm all over it.
I'm pretty sure I've been spoiled for Mike's demise so no worries that I'm going to have my heart broken in the near future. I already have.
FYI, I finished Breaking Bad last week, then started and finished Better Call Saul this weekend. It's a lot to digest.
The further I got into the final season, it became harder and harder to stomach, because it was way too real for me. I have had the "my tax situation is none of your business" conversation with a business partner more than once, as well as "I swear everything is going to be ok" from someone who had absolutely no way to back up that promise, complete with the complete anger and rage of "how can't you not trust me?" and "How many times do I have to tell you?" as if loud and angry repitition is all it takes to make something true. Watching that same fucking bullshit spew out of Walt's mouth to anybody and everybody in his life was painful to watch and listen to, as I took it very personal.
I wanted nothing more than to see Walt get what was coming to him, and I really, really wanted Hank to be the one to pull the trigger. C'est la vie. (c'est la mort?)
I'm loving the shit out of Better Call Saul, but now I'm all caught up with realtime viewers and this sucks! I couldn't believe it when I read there was nearly a year between the first and second halves of season 5 of BrBa (as the cool kids apparently call it on the forums). After that cliffhanger? I would have literally died.
People are apparently waiting for Hector to have a stroke, but I'm pulling for something more like a bullet in the brain or sommat. Possibly from Mike?
Next season of BCS due to start April 11th. Now is the time to rewatch the last couple of episodes of season two, as a reminder of the plot lines before season three begins.
Re: Breaking Bad
...........
I can come back and talk about it with people whose opinions I actually care about.
Foiled!
luv 
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