Better Call Saul Season One Starts Tonight

[Gamerforlife]

That third episode was the best so far. I still feel like some parts can be a bit overwritten, but this episode had better pacing and was more engaging to me than the first two.

It's still not as awesome as Breaking Bad though. I should probably stop expecting it to be.

I enjoyed it though. I also wonder if part of the reason I'm not enjoying this show as much as Breaking Bad is that I'm not able to binge watch a bunch of episodes like I did with Breaking Bad on Netflix. Waiting two or three weeks to get to the really good stuff versus just three back to back hours.

[Gamerforlife]

The pay phone scene though, reminded me of the desert scene. This is what I mean about parts being overwritten.

It's like, "Okay, I get it, he's worried". Do we really have to watch him make like TEN phone calls? Again, it just got silly after a while. The show lingers on some scenes longer than it really needs to.

[Nemoide]

So I just watched the third episode and thought it was another excellent episode.
I felt like the payphone scene worked because it gave the viewer time to reflect more fully on Jimmy's situation. In Breaking Bad, Walter White constantly hides behind a veil of "I'm only doing what I have to do for my family" and excuses himself from being the destructive force that he is. Jimmy/Saul can't hide his wrongs from himself in the same way. It's never really explored too deeply in Breaking Bad but his character is responsible for a lot of reprehensible people getting away with some truly awful things and he is completely aware that this is his role. This awareness makes Saul's progression a lot different from Walter White's and the time spent in the pay phone scene really lets that sink in.

Like beatnix, my gut feeling is that by episode three, I'm thinking BCS is better than BB was in episode 3. BUT I think BCS has the unfair advantage of using a character that's already well-established from the previous series. I think it's probably not worthwhile pointing to which series is better: I'd rather just say that so far, BCS is clearly a worthy successor.

[Jrecee]

I don't think it's better than Breaking Bad, and probably never will be, but I agree that it has had a stronger start than Breaking Bad. Chalk that up to the team having worked together before, running on all cylinders from the beginning, and having a much clearer vision for the season as a whole (I say that because certain pieces seem more clearly placed than the plot points of Breaking Bad, which often felt more organic or made up on the fly. I suppose that can be seen as a negative as well though)

[Gamerforlife]

I think the show has found its mojo. I've quite enjoyed the last two episodes

The TV commercial incident was great. The relationship between Saul and the blond girl is interesting, and already feels more engaging than Walt/Skylar did early on. The stuff with Saul's brother getting the paper and his new clients was hilarious. And they're hinting as some interesting back story for Mike.

BCS is also starting to display that "coolness factor" for lack of a better term that Breaking Bad had.

I just would like to see a few more characters now.

Apparently, there's been some discussion (but no firm decisions made) of eventually having Jesse on the show.

[Ziggy]

I wouldn't mind seeing Jesse, if it was done right.

What I really want to see is Walter White in the background of scenes in a few random episodes out of the entire series. I want Saul to be in a convenient store or something, and for a few seconds in one shot you see Walter White shopping in the background. I want Saul to be using the payphone at a gas station and see Walter White drive up in the background and start pumping gas. I want Saul and Mike to be talking outside of a strip of stores or something and have Walter White walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. And I want it to be done so it's not purposely noticeable. I want Walter to just appear as an ordinary extra.

[dsheinem]

Wow. Can we just have a show that focuses on Mike instead?

[Jrecee]

The number of easter eggs on this show is amazing on its own. The fact that they work them in and that they work even without prior knowledge is even more amazing.

Oh, plus it's the best show on TV. #$#&@'n Vince Gilligan!

[Nemoide]

^I'm not 100% sure what "easter eggs" you are referring to. Care to elaborate?

I think that season one was "good TV" but... I generally don't really watch TV. While I found Breaking Bad super-interesting due to its strong rooting in tragedy, Better Call Saul felt more like a general drama. It's not bad and I'll most likely watch the second season. But it didn't ignite my mind the way Breaking Bad did.

[Gamerforlife]

I definitely wouldn't call it it the best show on television. It was much easier to try and give Breaking Bad that accolade. I like it though, kind of sad that we won't get any more episodes for a while. It seems like things were finally going Saul's way...and then he sort of turned his back on it all.

Makes me think of Walt, and how pride always made things worse for him than they needed to be. I'm seeing that now in Jimmy/Saul too. He probably should have went for that interview, but he decided he's going to "break bad" instead. The look on Mike's face at the end was great. He adds a LOT to this show.