Better Call Saul

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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by l82start » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:01 am

dualstow wrote:
l82start wrote: i think the scene where they crossed the street to film the flag commercial had Beatles album cover Paul is dead elements as well.. neat stuff.
Interesting. How so?
Saul is out front in his light colored suit his film student friends are lined up behind him as they cross the street paralleling Abby road.

he is on the way to do his first add as a private practice, i suspect it has "Jimmy  McGill, is dead" this is the beginning of his decent into becoming Saul foreshadowing/connotations

edit to add -- found clip from show (with a snip of Beatles music added - not in original airing )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sLHKWNKY50
Last edited by l82start on Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:48 am

ha! That's great!
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by curlew » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:33 pm

Was very surprised to learn that the last episode was the season finale. Can't remember another series with only 10 episodes per season.

At least I still have "The Americans". Anybody else watching that?
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Xan » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:48 pm

curlew wrote: Was very surprised to learn that the last episode was the season finale. Can't remember another series with only 10 episodes per season.

At least I still have "The Americans". Anybody else watching that?
Vince Gilligan was on Jeopardy not too long ago as a celebrity contestant, and he said they didn't believe they would be able to keep the quality as high as they wanted it with more episodes in a season.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Thu Apr 21, 2016 7:50 am

Xan wrote:
curlew wrote: Was very surprised to learn that the last episode was the season finale. Can't remember another series with only 10 episodes per season.
Vince Gilligan was on Jeopardy not too long ago as a celebrity contestant, and he said they didn't believe they would be able to keep the quality as high as they wanted it with more episodes in a season.
I think that's something I appreciate about British shows- just a few episodes, and no filler.

Even Breaking Bad, without which Saul would not exist, was running the risk of putting in some filler because of the heavy demand from advertisers. I'm glad Vince & Co largely resisted. I still remember the things that did make it in: the Dodge Challenger (or some damn car), Equal sweetener, 5-hour energy...

Also, the pacing of 'Saul' is slower than that of B.B, which I'm fine with. But, it kind felt like it was time to wrap up the season, even though I'll miss it. Those who get into it later and get to binge watch are lucky!
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Sat Apr 15, 2017 10:18 pm

Season 3 began on Monday. looks like we're in for another incredible run.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Xan » Sun Apr 16, 2017 3:38 pm

It looks like Mike had (and tore apart) a Chevy Caprice wagon, which is almost exactly like the '85 Oldmobile Custom Cruiser we had when I was a kid. So many memories just from watching that scene. I know how that car smelled. The instrument panel was a little different, but everything else other than the front grill (and the badge) seemed to be the same.

So Mike then bought a gas cap for an "'87 Caprice". Which, if I followed everything correctly, was a duplicate one for his own, normal sedan. Does Mike drive an '87 Caprice Sedan normally, and then use (perhaps) an '87 Caprice Wagon for his assassination attempt? Use what you know, I guess...
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Sun Apr 16, 2017 3:41 pm

Ha! Might be the case. I don't own a car and think of his regular car as "the black one." O0
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Xan » Sun Apr 16, 2017 4:07 pm

That's how I thought of his car too, until I tried to figure out which car the "gas cap for the '87 Caprice" was for. Plus my interest in his wagon. That's how I ended up concluding (well, pretty much) that they're both mid-late '80s Caprices.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Sun Apr 16, 2017 4:34 pm

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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by farjean2 » Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:15 pm

dualstow wrote: Also, the pacing of 'Saul' is slower than that of B.B, which I'm fine with.
Sometimes the pacing is so slow I have to wonder what is the point? I can't think of a specific example right now but it's something I've been noticing lately in a few shows like this, including "The Americans". I mean something like 30 seconds of somebody doing something completely pointless like painting a wall or sitting on a park bench which ends up having no bearing whatsoever on the story line.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Xan » Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:52 pm

Good call. So the gas cap was for the station wagon, not his daily driver. ...Except, why would he need a duplicate gas cap for the car he was abandoning?
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Sun Apr 16, 2017 11:31 pm

That's a good question. Most people think both cars had beacons in their gas caps.
Maybe the writers made a mistake when they had Mike ask for a Caprice one. Did he?
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Xan » Mon Apr 17, 2017 9:49 am

Definitely both cars did. I guess Mike was ascertaining whether or not the '87 Caprice cap was readily available when he asked whether the guy had one. Then he's shown running out to the wagon to check the cap. Perhaps, unseen, he then went back in and actually bought a different cap: the one for his '88 Chrysler.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Mon Apr 17, 2017 9:51 am

Makes sense. By the way, I was happy when I saw on Reddit last week that someone said they didn't understand Mike's plan until the final five minutes of the show. Same here.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Mon Apr 17, 2017 8:26 pm

Xan wrote:Definitely both cars did. I guess Mike was ascertaining whether or not the '87 Caprice cap was readily available when he asked whether the guy had one. Then he's shown running out to the wagon to check the cap. Perhaps, unseen, he then went back in and actually bought a different cap: the one for his '88 Chrysler.
Just saw the replay. Maybe, since it's not his normal car, he was just realizing that the cap was different than the original. But you basically got it.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Tortoise » Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:26 am

farjean2 wrote:
dualstow wrote: Also, the pacing of 'Saul' is slower than that of B.B, which I'm fine with.
Sometimes the pacing is so slow I have to wonder what is the point? I can't think of a specific example right now but it's something I've been noticing lately in a few shows like this, including "The Americans". I mean something like 30 seconds of somebody doing something completely pointless like painting a wall or sitting on a park bench which ends up having no bearing whatsoever on the story line.
Agreed. I think Better Call Saul's story, acting, and directing are all very good--as they were for Breaking Bad as well--but the slow pace is starting to become a little distracting. I think they could tell the same story in a more engaging way by cutting a lot of irrelevant fat from the episodes (long, drawn-out scenes without any dialogue, etc.).

What made Saul such a great character from Breaking Bad was his witty banter--his humorously sleazy, street-smart, and battle-hardened quips about the drama surrounding the criminals who sought his help and advice. He was the show's comic relief. His scenes in Breaking Bad were not slow and devoid of dialogue. So why is the spin-off show like that?

The heavy, emotional story of how Jimmy became Saul should have, and could have, been told completely in Season 1. The rest of the series should have been dedicated to chronicling the wacky adventures of Saul Goodman in the criminal underworld--a potentially endless source of engaging, fast-paced, hilarious storylines.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:59 am

I get how Better Call Saul is not for everyone, not even all Breaking Bad (BB) fans, but
Tortoise wrote: the heavy, emotional story of how Jimmy became Saul could have, should have been told ...in Season 1

Noooo! This is exactly what I was worried would happen when I first heard an inkling of a possible spinoff. Do you know how quickly that would fizzle out?

BCS is a work of art, standing on its own and perhaps even better than BB. The quiet scenes are not "fat", but rather balance out what is already a talk heavy show. The character of Kim is a wonder, as is evil Chuck.

I won't gush further, just my opinion of course, but it is amazing to me that they didn't ruin this show by turning it into a parody of itself. Most spinoffs are the sprinkles without the ice cream and don't last. I'm afraid this could be the last season of Saul, but I'm going to relish it.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Thu Apr 20, 2017 8:28 am

Oh no, whatever shall I do? O0
Listen, my wife doesn't care for it either. Fine with me.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by farjean2 » Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:56 pm

Tortoise wrote: Agreed. I think Better Call Saul's story, acting, and directing are all very good--as they were for Breaking Bad as well--but the slow pace is starting to become a little distracting.
Sorry, but I can't help but see the irony in someone named "Tortoise" complaining about the slow pace (although, as I said, I do agree).
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Thu Apr 20, 2017 2:45 pm

hahaha! O0
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Tortoise » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:07 am

In keeping with the Breaking Bad theme, I also go by the Spanish translation "La Tortuga." ;)

BCS is a great show, to be sure. They've taken it in a very different direction than I thought they would. It gets major points for originality and character development.

I just think they've left so much on the table so far, and we're already in Season 3.

My hope is that after Jimmy transforms completely into Saul, we'll get one final season that showcases some classic BB-style Saul Goodman. I think the writers can pull it off.
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by dualstow » Mon Apr 24, 2017 10:46 pm

All I can do during these dialogueless scenes is think of yoy guys. O0
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Tortoise » Thu Apr 27, 2017 1:49 am

Image
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Re: Better Call Saul

Post by Don » Sat May 20, 2017 7:16 pm

Sabrosito was my favorite episode so far (may 1st). We see the inside workings of the cartel with Don Eladio emasculating Hector, see Hector and Gus go at Los Pollos Hermanos (Gus even offers psychological counseling to his workers there!), and we see the diabolical duplicity of Jimmy's brother Chuck. This episode puts the show into fifth gear. Mike even does some dirty work for Jimmy in this episode at Chuck's home.
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