Better Call Saul (AMC - Potential Spoilers)

[C DM]

I did too, though Mike took a chance that a police car wasn't close by when he called.

Quite a few things that couldn't really be planned seemed to have been banked on and worked out in that scenario. I mean the thing could have escalated earlier and would have been all done before the cops came over. The cops could have been there way earlier (as you mentioned). Escalation might not have happened in the fashion that it did. Etc.

That said, it's entertainment, so we sort of expect things to work out or lead to something even if in reality it's a risky thing for most to even consider let alone try expecting it to work out exactly as planned/expected.

 

[balamw]

As a prequel, we know that Mike and Jimmy or any other crossover characters will survive so it takes some of the ambiguity out of things.

B

 

[JoshMKB24]

If Tuco has been arrested and gets sentenced to 5-10 years (or whatever Mike predicted), I wonder how much of his character we'll see throughout the rest of the series. He'll probably get off easy or even break out is my guess. I can't see Tuco having an even lesser role in the series than he does now. I think we'll see more of him, at least I hope so.

I'm not sure Tuco is 100% necessary for the show. I agree his scenes are all great, but he doesn't have essential ties to Mike/Saul or Gus, who I think we will start seeing.

 

[Mr. McMac]

I have the last episode on my DVR which I haven't watched yet. I'll do that tonight. Oh yeah, I love the show

 

[Renzatic]

As a prequel, we know that Mike and Jimmy or any other crossover characters will survive so it takes some of the ambiguity out of things.

It's the foregone conclusion that makes it so tense. Jimmy and Mike are basically good people. You want to root for them, but you know, YOU KNOW, things are going to south for them at some point.

The tension gained from waiting for their inevitable fall from grace more than makes up for any loss of ambiguity.

 

[Huntn]

I did not connect Jonathan Banks with, until I looked him up.

​

I recognize the actor, but not the movie. He's getting old, but still has it.

... from Designing Women

Oh yea, Beverly Hills Cop. Was looking for the scene where Eddie Murphy throws him over a table in the country club, but alas.

 

[Roller]

It's the foregone conclusion that makes it so tense. Jimmy and Mike are basically good people. You want to root for them, but you know, YOU KNOW, things are going to south for them at some point.

The tension gained from waiting for their inevitable fall from grace more than makes up for any loss of ambiguity.

I'm sure that some viewers are disappointed by the slow pace of the transformation. But I think that it would be a mistake for the writers and producers to let Jimmy and Mike turn into what we know they'll become too quickly.

It's fascinating to watch how each of them deals with their situation. Jimmy still can't understand why his law partners are so upset by his pushing and in some cases breaking the legal envelope - this week's preview has another example of that. He's also torn by his desire to be with Kim, and he's willing to give up everything for her to be reaccepted at HHM. And his offer to Chuck for Jimmy McGill to go away foretells what we know will happen when he becomes Saul Goodman.

I also liked seeing Mike make an on-the-spot decision not to buy from the gun dealer (the same character as in Breaking Bad). He still thinks that he can get the money he needs for his daughter-in-law and niece without killing anyone. But, as this last episode showed, doing it that way will exact a physical toll that's not sustainable, which will push him along.

 

[JoshMKB24]

It's the foregone conclusion that makes it so tense. Jimmy and Mike are basically good people. You want to root for them, but you know, YOU KNOW, things are going to south for them at some point.

The tension gained from waiting for their inevitable fall from grace more than makes up for any loss of ambiguity.

I think Mike is already there. He's already dealing with drug dealers and killers. Jimmy is still on the right side of the law for the most part as he's flirting with breaking the law he is managing to stay in the grey area thus far. I really do believe that this season we get an introduction to Gus.

 

[Renzatic]

I think Mike is already there. He's already dealing with drug dealers and killers. Jimmy is still on the right side of the law for the most part as he's flirting with breaking the law he is managing to stay in the grey area thus far. I really do believe that this season we get an introduction to Gus.

Mike is taking his first steps, skirting the edges so to speak, but still has yet to truly commit. He's taking...dramatic pause...half measures, and hasn't allowed himself to become fully engulfed into the cutthroat criminal world just yet.

I think Gus is still a ways off in the future. Jimmy isn't really dealing with any criminal enterprises himself just yet. He's merely flirting with some of the morally darker grey areas of the law. By the time he meets Gus, he'll probably have already established a name for himself as guy who can get things done, with decent connections, a little criminal network at his beck and call. Right now, he's just a loose cannon junior lawyer at a respected law firm.

 

[JoshMKB24]

Mike is taking his first steps, skirting the edges so to speak, but still has yet to truly commit. He's taking...dramatic pause...half measures, and hasn't allowed himself to become fully engulfed into the cutthroat criminal world just yet.

I think Gus is still a ways off in the future. Jimmy isn't really dealing with any criminal enterprises himself just yet. He's merely flirting with some of the morally darker grey areas of the law. By the time he meets Gus, he'll probably have already established a name for himself as guy who can get things done, with decent connections, a little criminal network at his beck and call. Right now, he's just a loose cannon junior lawyer at a respected law firm.

I'm guessing Mike deals with Gus before Jimmy. Mike was like Gus's right hand man......remember in BB when Saul says he knows a guy who knows a guy? I feel Gus and Saul is probably way off, but I think Mike's dealing with Gus starts soon. I'm guessing with Tuco gone and the Salemanca(sp?) cartel knowing what happened and Gus's involvement. I think he likes what he sees with Mike and starts working with him.

 

[JoshMKB24]

Kind of disappointed in that one. Easily the slowest of the season. I didn't get what Kim was doing that whole time. I thought she was actually looking for a new job haha.

The end was good with Hector, but I'm wondering how it fits as it never seemed like Hector and Mike had any connection really besides Gus. I noticed in the preview for next week and those cowboy boots the showed, I'm wondering if its the twins again.

My guess at this point is Mike meets with Hector and tells him he has another way this can work and employs Jimmy to help get Tuco's charges reduced or thrown out in exchange for not getting killed by the cartel or having to cop to the gun charges himself.

 

[C DM]

Looks like the 3rd season is a go: http://deadline.com/2016/03/better-...d-season-amc-breaking-bad-prequel-1201720867/

 

[mscriv]

I'm enjoying season 2 a lot. The dynamics of the show are both interesting and entertaining.

 

[Roller]

Kind of disappointed in that one. Easily the slowest of the season. I didn't get what Kim was doing that whole time. I thought she was actually looking for a new job haha.

The end was good with Hector, but I'm wondering how it fits as it never seemed like Hector and Mike had any connection really besides Gus. I noticed in the preview for next week and those cowboy boots the showed, I'm wondering if its the twins again.

My guess at this point is Mike meets with Hector and tells him he has another way this can work and employs Jimmy to help get Tuco's charges reduced or thrown out in exchange for not getting killed by the cartel or having to cop to the gun charges himself.

I agree that this episode was slower than expected. They spent too much time showing Kim making calls with her Post-it notes, though I did get what she was doing. You may be right about what Mike does next to get out of the situation without himself going to jail. And I suspect you're right about the twins - I also noticed the boots.

The part that still puzzles me is the meaning of the opening with Chuck and Rebecca. There's got to be more to it than just a bit of family history, especially given how long the scene was and that "Rebecca" was the episode's title. I don't recall her being mentioned before. Did Jimmy have something to do with the end of Chuck's marriage?

It was also interesting to hear Chuck explain to Kim the role that Jimmy had in their father's loss of his business and death. It helps explain why he resents Jimmy so much.

 

[JoshMKB24]

I agree that this episode was slower than expected. They spent too much time showing Kim making calls with her Post-it notes, though I did get what she was doing. You may be right about what Mike does next to get out of the situation without himself going to jail. And I suspect you're right about the twins - I also noticed the boots.

The part that still puzzles me is the meaning of the opening with Chuck and Rebecca. There's got to be more to it than just a bit of family history, especially given how long the scene was and that "Rebecca" was the episode's title. I don't recall her being mentioned before. Did Jimmy have something to do with the end of Chuck's marriage?

It was also interesting to hear Chuck explain to Kim the role that Jimmy had in their father's loss of his business and death. It helps explain why he resents Jimmy so much.

Apparently there have been references to her throughout season 1 and 2...........I was reading a review of the week on Variety I think it was and they were saying something like "We finally found out what the sheet music was about" when Chuck was playing the piano when Howard came in 2 weeks ago I believe it was. I'm also guessing/hoping it had a bigger meaning, but honestly they could have just been trying to fill time and just showing another case of when Jimmy steals the room from Chuck and Chuck resenting him.

Was anyone else confused about Kim's post it note thing? Like I said earlier...........I just thought she was searching for a job or something. At no time at least that I can remember, did they indicate she was trying to land a big account for the firm.

 

[S.B.G]

I just thought she was searching for a job or something. At no time at least that I can remember, did they indicate she was trying to land a big account for the firm.

Yeah, I thought she was job hunting as well and didn't figure out she was searching for a big lead until the end when she scored it.

 

[JoshMKB24]

Yeah, I thought she was job hunting as well and didn't figure out she was searching for a big lead until the end when she scored it.

Yeah it was really confusing as there was no lead in and she was trying to be all secretive when someone walked by her. I actually went back in my DVR that was recording it and watched to make sure I didn't miss anything. The fact she kept saying how she "thought they hit it off at a mixer" made me think she was networking for a job because she also mentioned a few times she was an "attorney" and not a secretary.

I really want Kim to be here through the series, but as BB has taught us........people can be sent on extended trips to "Belize"

I don't think there can be full "Saul" though without the tug of Kim to bring him back to the "right" side of the law, which makes me think she might be important to get rid of before he really gets let off the leash.

 

[Huntn]

Apparently there have been references to her throughout season 1 and 2...........I was reading a review of the week on Variety I think it was and they were saying something like "We finally found out what the sheet music was about" when Chuck was playing the piano when Howard came in 2 weeks ago I believe it was. I'm also guessing/hoping it had a bigger meaning, but honestly they could have just been trying to fill time and just showing another case of when Jimmy steals the room from Chuck and Chuck resenting him.

Was anyone else confused about Kim's post it note thing? Like I said earlier...........I just thought she was searching for a job or something. At no time at least that I can remember, did they indicate she was trying to land a big account for the firm.

I was not confused. For whatever the reason, I did not think she was job hunting, but trying to redeem herself, pulling in a new client.

 

[anonymouslurker]

I was not confused. For whatever the reason, I did not think she was job hunting, but trying to redeem herself, pulling in a new client.

Exactly. There was even one point when she was speaking with someone about Intel, and asking if they were happy with their current legal representation. That confirmed what she was doing.

 

[Roller]

Apparently there have been references to her throughout season 1 and 2...........I was reading a review of the week on Variety I think it was and they were saying something like "We finally found out what the sheet music was about" when Chuck was playing the piano when Howard came in 2 weeks ago I believe it was. I'm also guessing/hoping it had a bigger meaning, but honestly they could have just been trying to fill time and just showing another case of when Jimmy steals the room from Chuck and Chuck resenting him.

Filling that much time would seem odd, especially since the episode was named after her. There's gotta be more to it. But Vince Gilligan, et al have been known to mess with viewers' minds.
[doublepost=1458173971][/doublepost]

Exactly. There was even one point when she was speaking with someone about Intel, and asking if they were happy with their current legal representation. That confirmed what she was doing.

I think at one point she asked someone about outside counsel, which suggested to me that she was trying to score one for HHM. I don't think that a stairwell is the best place to do stuff like that because her voice would have carried, unless she didn't mind if people overheard. I loved the overhead shot of Kim after Hamlin told her she was still in the basement after the new client left.

 

[JoshMKB24]

Filling that much time would seem odd, especially since the episode was named after her. There's gotta be more to it. But Vince Gilligan, et al have been known to mess with viewers' minds.
[doublepost=1458173971][/doublepost]

I think at one point she asked someone about outside counsel, which suggested to me that she was trying to score one for HHM. I don't think that a stairwell is the best place to do stuff like that because her voice would have carried, unless she didn't mind if people overheard. I loved the overhead shot of Kim after Hamlin told her she was still in the basement after the new client left.

The ultimate time filler episode ever? When Walt was trying to kill the fly in the lab for an entire episode..........jesus, that was a brutal episode.

I don't think it was necessarily all filler, but I mean is I think the scene could have been a bit shorter as well as the scenes of Kim calling all the other companies looking for a new client. Its not a bad thing, I mean every show besides probably Game Of Thrones has a few episodes here and there that are filler. The reason I think it's filler is because if it was to have some larger meaning like Jimmy somehow ended his marriage, I don't think Chuck ever forgives him and never even invites him back right? I could be wrong on that obviously, but if I had a brother who ended my marriage, I would never speak to them again.

The last episode I see is slated for April 18th so we have 5 more episodes, so definitely a lot can happen. If there isn't some serious progression to him being "Saul" I will be very disappointed.

 

[AustinIllini]

The ultimate time filler episode ever? When Walt was trying to kill the fly in the lab for an entire episode..........jesus, that was a brutal episode.

Widely considered the worst episode of Breaking Bad, too. It was awful.

 

[JoshMKB24]

Widely considered the worst episode of Breaking Bad, too. It was awful.

Agreed! I can't think of honestly another "bad" episode of BB. If there was, I'm sure it would be in season 1...........

Lets hope there aren't too many filler episodes in BCS.

 

[pachyderm]

Apparently there have been references to her throughout season 1 and 2...........I was reading a review of the week on Variety I think it was and they were saying something like "We finally found out what the sheet music was about" when Chuck was playing the piano when Howard came in 2 weeks ago I believe it was. I'm also guessing/hoping it had a bigger meaning, but honestly they could have just been trying to fill time and just showing another case of when Jimmy steals the room from Chuck and Chuck resenting him.

Was anyone else confused about Kim's post it note thing? Like I said earlier...........I just thought she was searching for a job or something. At no time at least that I can remember, did they indicate she was trying to land a big account for the firm.

I understood the post its. She was saving herself just like she told Jimmy she would. Knew it wouldn't phase the pr*ick in charge though.

Rebecca and Chuck: I wonder if something happens to her that sends Chuck into his current nut job state? She gets electrocuted? Pretty simple I know but still. And is Jimmy somehow the cause of her demise? The "Not enough concrete..." joke was gold. That was good stuff.

 

[Roller]

Widely considered the worst episode of Breaking Bad, too. It was awful.

I'd forgotten about that one. It was especially painful in a series where so much happened in almost every episode.