Better Call Saul thread (Spoilers)

[Giff]

Little help!

[+] spoiler

Ok, so that scene with Walter and Jesse seemed pointless and shoehorned into the episode. What did I miss?

I think it was a great way to tie it back since it was the first place we were introduced to Saul. Had to start somewhere to get to the point to show that Gene is ignoring good advice and doing something he really shouldn't (going to visit Walt v. going to see the guy with cancer).

[brian]

Little help!

[+] spoiler

Ok, so that scene with Walter and Jesse seemed pointless and shoehorned into the episode. What did I miss?

I think it was a great way to tie it back since it was the first place we were introduced to Saul. Had to start somewhere to get to the point to show that Gene is ignoring good advice and doing something he really shouldn't (going to visit Walt v. going to see the guy with cancer).

Jimmy/Saul may very well have considered not getting involved with Walt BECAUSE of guilt about "exploiting" someone with terminal cancer, but his experience there leading to his banishment to Omaha instead of getting to be Saul Goodman has directly led to not feeling the same kind of empathy that may very well lead to his downfall now that he's Gene. So like Giff said, it's connecting the dots between the evolution of Slippin' Jimmy of Cicero, IL becoming Jimmy McGill, Esq, the younger brother of Chuck McGill, becoming Saul Goodman becoming Gene Tackovic, etc.

I have a feeling there's a LOT of fireworks to come in the last two episodes. Odenkirk was on The View today and admitted there's a lot more of new scenes with Walt and Jesse to come.

[sancarlos]

Little help!

[+] spoiler

Ok, so that scene with Walter and Jesse seemed pointless and shoehorned into the episode. What did I miss?

[+] spoiler

It connects with Mike’s conversation with Saul and illustrates that it was Saul alone who really broke them (and himself) bad in a much bigger way.

Another thing to ponder:

[+] spoiler

At the end of the episode, Saul breaks the window of the target's home, even though he's been warned that the drug might have worn off. Is he trying to get caught on some level because he doesn't want to live this anonymous, sad sack life anymore?

And, some fun casting.

[+] spoiler

some fun casting among the marks for Saul’s scams. The cancer patient guy was the comic book shop owner from Big Bang Theory, and the first, obnoxious guy was played by the guy who played Buzz, the older brother of little Kevin in Home Alone.

[Johnnie]

Little help!

[+] spoiler

Ok, so that scene with Walter and Jesse seemed pointless and shoehorned into the episode. What did I miss?

Hopefully this helps:

[+] spoiler

It was the night that Saul was abducted by them so he could be their 'criminal' lawyer.



Breaking Bad Season 2, Episode 8 was titled 'Better Call Saul'
Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 11 was titled 'Breaking Bad'

Vince Gilligan has admitted in interviews that Saul asking about a dude named Lalo was a total throwaway line.

The scene has another level though: it's Jesse and Walt being the comic relief in a show about Saul much as Saul was the comic relief in the show about Jesse and Walt.

It also shows that there's a significant amount of 'Slippin' Jimmy' in Saul because when he has Mike do some oppo research on them, he learns that they're amateurs trying to make a name, but Saul wants the $$$ because 'Heisenberg' is the 'blue meth' guy.

[Johnnie]

These last 3 episodes are going to be Gene's 'last hurrah' much the same way the first 3 episodes of this season were Nacho's.

My guess is that Jimmy is going to forgo living as Gene because he can't stand living in purgatory the same way Walter couldn't in New Hampshire. (Internet overthinkers think that he'll eventually be extradited to ABQ and be defended by...William Oakley. The advertisement was probably a Checkov's gun.) Even the subtle change in the intro hints at this with there being 'no more tape' on Saul.

Also, the next episode is titled 'Waterworks.' Kim is working at a place called Palm Coast Sprinklers.

[Johnnie]

🤣🤣🤣

[+] spoiler

[tennbengal]

Yeah...no.

[wlu_lax6]

[L-Jam3]

That was utterly heartbreaking.

[Giff]

I thought I was about to absolutely despise this show for the rest of time for a second there. Jesus.

[Nonlinear FC]

Yeah, geez louise.

[bfj]

I thought I was about to absolutely despise this show for the rest of time for a second there. Jesus.

Twice

[Nonlinear FC]

[+] spoiler

I mean, is there a more beloved actress than Carole Burnett? She's pretty close to Dolly Parton in terms of being America's matriarch/meemaw, right? That would've been some dark fucking shit.

[sancarlos]

Prescient

… I also think Jeffy’s mom is much more savvy than Jeffy and maybe going to realize something’s going on and could complicate matters.

[tennbengal]

holy shit

[sancarlos]

I wonder if Saul will have time to grab the diamonds/cash from his apartment before the cops descend?

[tennbengal]

that acting job by Rhea Seahorn was one for the ages

[brian]

Kim looks to enjoy living in Florida about as much as I would.

[Giff]

Kim looks to enjoy living in Florida about as much as I would.

YUP...YUP...YUP

[Nonlinear FC]

Prescient

… I also think Jeffy’s mom is much more savvy than Jeffy and maybe going to realize something’s going on and could complicate matters.

Yeah, this was a great call at the time... You had to wonder how they were going to use Burnett, and the sweet old meemaw angle was just too one note.

I thought she was going to walk in them scheming, but this was way way better.

[Nonlinear FC]

Kim looks to enjoy living in Florida about as much as I would.

One of the things this show does so incredibly well is the documentary-style look at the mundane. I forget which series showed Erhmentraut going through his daily routine working the parking lot booth, but it had that similar vibe to Kim working at the sprinkler company. It's mesmerizing.

[Johnnie]

Prescient

… I also think Jeffy’s mom is much more savvy than Jeffy and maybe going to realize something’s going on and could complicate matters.

Yeah, this was a great call at the time... You had to wonder how they were going to use Burnett, and the sweet old meemaw angle was just too one note.

I thought she was going to walk in them scheming, but this was way way better.

It was. Jimmy McGill was using senior citizens in the beginning of the series and now a senior citizen gets back at him towards the end of it.

It wasn't necessary, but I liked that Kim met Jesse. Pretty cool tie-in there. And her flying back to ABQ to set the record straight with Howard's wife was definitely getting all the guilt off of her shoulders. That scene of her breaking down on the bus was Emmy level acting. Rhea Seehorn needs more roles, man.

[Nonlinear FC]

I mentioned up thread that the Emmy nomination was for her work on the 1st half of the season. Obviously, not to diminish that acting, but some of her stuff to close this out has been (arguably) better than the early stuff.

I don't know how the deadlines work, but hopefully she gets another nod for this second half work.

[L-Jam3]

I mentioned up thread that the Emmy nomination was for her work on the 1st half of the season. Obviously, not to diminish that acting, but some of her stuff to close this out has been (arguably) better than the early stuff.

I don't know how the deadlines work, but hopefully she gets another nod for this second half work.

After doing a little searching around, the deadline for episode air date has to be from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022. So since they split the season before and after those dates, both halves of those seasons would potentially be separately eligible. I feel like AMC did something similar with the last seasons of both Mad Men and Breaking Bad as well.

[brian]

I mentioned up thread that the Emmy nomination was for her work on the 1st half of the season. Obviously, not to diminish that acting, but some of her stuff to close this out has been (arguably) better than the early stuff.

I don't know how the deadlines work, but hopefully she gets another nod for this second half work.

After doing a little searching around, the deadline for episode air date has to be from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022. So since they split the season before and after those dates, both halves of those seasons would potentially be separately eligible. I feel like AMC did something similar with the last seasons of both Mad Men and Breaking Bad as well.

They did (and the Sopranos on HBO as well), but those (and this) was for contract reasons and not to hit both awards seasons (if it's called a "new" season everyone involved gets a big pay bump. By calling it all one season, that's negated).

[tennbengal]

wow.

[L-Jam3]

In the end

[+] spoiler

Broke Good.

[Giff]

Are conjugal visits with your lawyer allowed?

[Shirley]

I get that Saul wanted to own up to his mistakes. He can't actually go back in time, so he saw the courtroom as his chance to finally be honest. Particularly in front of Kim. He wanted to admit his culpability with Walt, his harassment of Howard, and most of all, his guilt at what he did to Chuck.

But ... man, was that really the only way to do it? Was it worth trading 7 years in prison for 84 years? I can't wrap my head around that. Who did that help other than his guilty conscience?

(And frankly, I think he took way too much credit for the death of Hank. That wasn't even Walt's doing, at least not directly.)

[tennbengal]

It helped Kim. If he didn't do that, her life was ruined financially forever. He took full responsibility, which takes the civil heat off Kim, and allows her to do what she wants with the rest of her life. He turned back into Jimmy McGill in doing so.

[tennbengal]

Also, re: Hank - he's right. IF he didn't enter Walter White's classroom in his first breaking bad ep and literally tutor Walter in money laundering and the rest of the nuts and bolts of shielding a criminal enterprise, none of what White became happens. He really is likely dead in a month. Saul's machinations enabled all that followed - including Hank's death.

[Johnnie]

Great series close. But for a second I thought it was a fever dream of sorts because a bunch of inmates chanting your name on the way to a supermax doesn't make sense to me.

I really liked the transitions in this one. Him being woken up in a cell, but it's actually him with Walter White and the bread making made you think they went back to Cinnabon for a moment.

Just an excellent cinematic universe coming to an end overall. I really, really enjoyed it.

Edit:

Reading some internet things:

The Time Machine was in the cold open in episode 1.

Also in that cold open, the cardboard cutout of Saul Goodman was...thrown into the dumpster.

It's stuff like that that made me appreciate the series more. And I'm very glad that every little detail gets noticed by someone on the internet and they tell about it.

[sancarlos]

Great series close. But for a second I thought it was a fever dream of sorts because a bunch of inmates chanting your name on the way to a supermax doesn't make sense to me.

I’ve read that Bernie Madoff had a relatively easy ride in prison because the the other cons looked up to him. Similarly, they chanted his slogan because “Saul” was the kind of guy the other criminals admired.

[brian]

Great series close. But for a second I thought it was a fever dream of sorts because a bunch of inmates chanting your name on the way to a supermax doesn't make sense to me.

I’ve read that Bernie Madoff had a relatively easy ride in prison because the the other cons looked up to him. Similarly, they chanted his slogan because “Saul” was the kind of guy the other criminals admired.

Yeah that part rang kind of true to me.

[tennbengal]

I had no problem believing that Saul had that kind of cred.

[Shirley]

I had no problem believing that Saul had that kind of cred.

Agreed. He'd been working with and for those guys for years at that point.

I'm still not clear on how his brief statement about Kim and Howard somehow let her completely off the hook when she'd written a long and detailed affidavit already. But I'll let that go.

I do like the parallel to Walt intentionally taking all the blame to try to free Skyler from trouble with the FBI.

[A_B]

I didn't keep watching after season one, but I hope the payoff was as good as Breaking Bad. Kinda jealous of you guys, actually. Will eventually get to it.

[tennbengal]

Payoff in my view was even better.

[sancarlos]

I really liked the payoff on Gene’s arc in the finale.

The payoff on Saul’s arc going into Breaking Bad was a little less satisfying for me, because it seemed a bit rushed. In one scene, Kim is leaving him, and we then cut to the next ace wher we see scuzzy Saul from BB. Imho, it could’ve used a bit more transition. (But I quibble. Still enjoyed it immensely.)

[Nonlinear FC]

She is really attractive.