Better Call Saul...whatcha think?

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I decided to quit my otaku TV show binge that lasted 7 years since 2013, feeling burnout of Japanese stuff, instead, I decided to watch 5 seasons of Better Call Saul over the past week. Really proud of my "productivity".

Its a lot of fun. However, as I am watching Jimmy/Saul and other characters doing very bad choices while rooting for the characters to not be so stupid but they become increasingly stupid and I find that frustrating.



It's the first time with BCS I felt the first episode of the season was stronger than the season finale. Like Austruck and Sedai already mentioned 5x10 didn't feel like a cliffhanger at all but I also wasn't bothered by it. Still one of the best shows running, can't wait for S6.



My god. I was a big time Breaking Bad fan. Discovered it before it's last season I believe. Or maybe during season 4. Bought the first season on DVD just as a hunch at Wal-mart one late night. TV drama I am an especially hard critic on. I can just never maintain watching a show. Feels like it gets to far-fetched quickly. I've given up on shows like House Of Cards, Homeland (Season 1 is great), Ozark etc. I just lose interest at the first sign of ridiculousness. BB had it's moments but it always felt grounded and the attention to detail in the show was remarkable.

So you would have thought I would have ate up BCS. Not the case. I was super skeptical of them trying a spin off show. I watched like the first two episodes like only a year and a half ago and it just could not pull me in, even though they had a huge nod to BB. Well fast forward to the beginning of this year and I watched El Camino. Absolutely adored it. As a stand alone it's probably just meh. But for a BB fan it felt perfect. Felt like a 2 hour episode extension of BB. Everything I loved about BB squeezed into a movie. So I said I should give BCS another chance.

So glad I did. It's right up there in quality of BB. If they pull off this last season of BCS, which who knows when that will be , to me it's probably one of the best achievements in TV/Movie medium history if not the best. The fact I think they no doubt will nail it speaks volumes to Gilligan and the creative team on those shows. The fact Odenkirk hasn't won an emmy yet is stupid. I think Banks and Seehorn are worthy as well, Esposito as well (more so for BB). But I think that could change for Odenkirk and Seehorn this year and hopefully Banks. Between BB, BCS and El Camino it's simply the best writing, acting, cinematography and iconic characters I've definitely ever seen on television and rivals anything in movies. And it gets a bump up for being completely original and not based of any pre existing material.

As far as season 5 of BCS. "Bagman" episode 8 might be the best episode of BB or BCS I've seen. Simply beautiful. It was truly cinematic. The ending of episode 9 was some of the best acting I've seen on TV and one of the most suspenseful moments I've had watching something in years. Episode 10 was totally fine and didn't detract from the season at all, but wasn't as good as the two previous episodes, which was an extremely high bar. Lalo (played amazingly by Tony Dalton) and Kim are the MVPs of the season. I'm in love with Kim. One of the best written and acted characters on TV. It's just simply amazing how many great characters there are in this universe. I could gush on and on. But I'll be looking forward to whenever season 6 gets here, which is hopefully soon a lot of these actors are up in age.

Here are a few videos (with spoilers) that emphasize my point on how good the show is.





S'all Good Man!
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I'm still watching this show and have been since it aired...

I don't think it's operating at the same level of Breaking Bad - at least not at its highest point in the series run - but it certainly comes close at some points. I would also say that there are episodes in BCS that definitely rivals the greatness of BB in terms of writing, directing, cinematography and editing. However, the sheer scale and intensity of the best of BB hasn't really reached BCS... yet at least.

That said, it's also a very different show with a very different approach and the drama comes from different scenarios than it would be the case of BB. When BCS is at its peak, it is investing as hell, amazingly shot and with some killer dialogue and character moments. When it's at its worst, it's a bit too on the nose, a bit shallow and and just doesn't flow that well.

But at this point in the series, I really do feel like they seem to finally have found their footing. This fifth season is probably the most consistent as of yet and it builds perfectly from the also really good season 4... I've had some problems staying 100% invested in this show earlier on - even though the high production value, characters, acting and occasionally the writing made me stay with it. And I'm glad I did. This season has had me hooked and eagerly waiting the next episode.


I'm looking forward to season 6 for sure. To see how it all ends. Hopefully they can bring it up those last few notches and be remembered as something really great - even for some of the misfire episodes and the wobbly start.



This is the best season I've seen so far, I don't recall being as nervous as I was in the 9th episode, for a long time...!



I don't think it's operating at the same level of Breaking Bad - at least not at its highest point in the series run - but it certainly comes close at some points. I would also say that there are episodes in BCS that definitely rivals the greatness of BB in terms of writing, directing, cinematography and editing. However, the sheer scale and intensity of the best of BB hasn't really reached BCS... yet at least.
Better Call Saul is like a light version of Breaking Bad. It lacks the raw intensity of Breaking Bad because it is more focused on the low key aspects of that "cinematic universe", instead of showing a hyperdramatic trajectory of a character (Walther White) it is doing a more low key and mid-paced thing. That is nice because it gives a deeper perspective on this universe and these characters.

My issue with the show is that the characters here appear to be rather irrational in their decisions (except, perhaps, Mike).



Agreed on that final episode not feeling like a season finale. No big cliffhanger (plot-wise). But that's okay. I think I prefer the type of cliffhanger they chose: wondering how Kim and Jimmy split up, how far Kim will go with Howard, whether Jimmy will go along with it, etc. I can envision several scenarios/pathways ... and none of them feel very good to me. But, oddly, in a good way.

I love this show.
But, do we know that by the time of Breaking Bad that they had actually split up? The fact that she never shows up in Breaking Bad, is well, maybe because Saul in that show managed to not mix up his professional criminal lawyer life with his personal life? Maybe they are still married in BB.



But, do we know that by the time of Breaking Bad that they had actually split up? The fact that she never shows up in Breaking Bad, is well, maybe because Saul in that show managed to not mix up his professional criminal lawyer life with his personal life? Maybe they are still married in BB.
It's going be super interesting what they figure out to do with Kim. You know what happens with Mike, Hector, Gus and Sal through Breaking Bad (and they literally show what happened to Sal after BB in glimpses so far). The impressive thing the show does is mix the inevitable paths (Mike, Sal) with the unpredictable paths (Kim, Nacho and Lalo). Especially Kim though. She is the MVP of the show because you want to know what becomes of her in BB. If Sal was just on his own it would be a duller show because you know the end.



BCS has 2 distinct disadvantages to BB. One is that it's a prequel series, and anyone that has seen Breaking Bad know which characters will make it to this series final. Imagine how much more intense many of these events would have been if that "no risk" factor wasn't there. In Breaking Bad we never saw black and white flash forwards to the present showing Walt alive at a Cinnabon outlet, and so possibility of many white knuckle moments are undone because it's a prequel series.

Secondly, and I might catch some flack for this opinion, but I feel Bob Odenkirk just doesn't have the same level of acting chops that Bryan Cranston, or even Aaron Paul. He's not bad but for me the gap is noticable.

Aside from these 2 observations the show is maybe even more well written than Breaking Bad, and I enjoy it thoroughly. If it wasn't a prequel series and had a stronger lead actor it would easily be considered at least as good as BB, if not better.



The Adventure Starts Here!
Oh see, I LOVE Odenkirk as Jimmy/Saul. He's believable, he's hilarious, and especially when Chuck was still around, he elicited empathy for his little-brother status. With any other actor in this role, I'd be constantly asking, WHY would Kim stay with this guy? She's too good for him. And yet, with Odenkirk in the role, I can believe that she would stay with him and even love him.

Cranston had an amazing character to play, larger than life in a lot of ways. Odenkirk's role is so much more nuanced. Both were perfectly suited for their roles, IMHO.



The Adventure Starts Here!
But, do we know that by the time of Breaking Bad that they had actually split up? The fact that she never shows up in Breaking Bad, is well, maybe because Saul in that show managed to not mix up his professional criminal lawyer life with his personal life? Maybe they are still married in BB.
True enough. But, from the perspective of the show writers, there is NO way they won't wrap up Kim's story with Jimmy *somehow* by the series' ending. It doesn't make sense to just end it with things as they are now... only to go into the Breaking Bad universe with NO mention of her WHATSOEVER throughout the entire series.

So, something must end between them. Either she leaves, he leaves, or she dies. Those seem like the most likely three options for the end of this series. Anything else would feel like a huge loose end.



True enough. But, from the perspective of the show writers, there is NO way they won't wrap up Kim's story with Jimmy *somehow* by the series' ending. It doesn't make sense to just end it with things as they are now... only to go into the Breaking Bad universe with NO mention of her WHATSOEVER throughout the entire series.

So, something must end between them. Either she leaves, he leaves, or she dies. Those seem like the most likely three options for the end of this series. Anything else would feel like a huge loose end.
I don't think it's an accident Jimmy/Saul is hiding out in Nebraska where Kim is from



BCS has 2 distinct disadvantages to BB. One is that it's a prequel series, and anyone that has seen Breaking Bad know which characters will make it to this series final. Imagine how much more intense many of these events would have been if that "no risk" factor wasn't there. In Breaking Bad we never saw black and white flash forwards to the present showing Walt alive at a Cinnabon outlet, and so possibility of many white knuckle moments are undone because it's a prequel series.

Secondly, and I might catch some flack for this opinion, but I feel Bob Odenkirk just doesn't have the same level of acting chops that Bryan Cranston, or even Aaron Paul. He's not bad but for me the gap is noticable.

Aside from these 2 observations the show is maybe even more well written than Breaking Bad, and I enjoy it thoroughly. If it wasn't a prequel series and had a stronger lead actor it would easily be considered at least as good as BB, if not better.
Flack caught. Odenkirk is aces in this show. Cranston was incredible as Walter White but I think a lot more people could bring White to life than could bring Saul to life. Walter White's character is just an amazing role. I think Odenkirk could have done Walter White better than Cranston could have done Saul .

Also have you seen the Bagman episode? I was on the edge of my seat that whole episode even knowing Mike and Saul make it out. I also think being a prequel show is actually a strength of the show. They use the BB timeline to their strength inside of a crutch. You learn a lot more about Gus, Hector, Saul and Mike that lead them to their path while Lalo, Nacho and Kim you are setting here wondering how they are going to incorporate them into the BB timeline if at all. Season 6 is going be bat sh*t crazy figuring out where all this pieces fall. It's going have to fit all these puzzle pieces into BB.



I don't think it's an accident Jimmy/Saul is hiding out in Nebraska where Kim is from
That's a possible happy outcome: Jimmy retires from being a criminal laywer after his heinsenberg business through changing identity and goes to live in nebraska with kim.



The Adventure Starts Here!
That's a possible happy outcome: Jimmy retires from being a criminal laywer after his heinsenberg business through changing identity and goes to live in nebraska with kim.
Except that we haven't seen Kim in any of those B&W flash-forwards with Gene. In fact, Gene has seemed particularly sad and lonely in those scenes.

Perhaps he goes back there *hoping* to find her, but does not.



Except that we haven't seen Kim in any of those B&W flash-forwards with Gene. In fact, Gene has seemed particularly sad and lonely in those scenes.

Perhaps he goes back there *hoping* to find her, but does not.
That's what I'm thinking. Either Kim is dead. Split it off with Saul before she gets too deep (seems too late), or she get relocated and Saul is hoping by going to Nebraska he will run into her.



It's a good show so far, but I've always felt that Breaking Bad was easily better; for me, that one was a 10 out of 10 show overall, while BCS is more like... an 8.5. It's still very good, but it just isn't as gripping as its predecessor, and I think any sequel show in the "Badverse" would be destined to be BB's shadow, since that show was pretty much as close as possible to perfection, so any sequel was inevitably going to be lesser to a degree, since telling a similar story with a lot of the same characters can't help but make it feel a bit repetitive. Still, it is a good show.