Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad spin-off TV series)...

[sandorg]

Love it but do we really need that talk show afterward to discuss BCS?

[JDP]

Love it but do we really need that talk show afterward to discuss BCS? They only do it for the season premiere and finale episodes, not for every episode. BCS is not as popular as AMC's zombie shows, so it does not pay to make a talk show for it.

[ProfessorChaos]

yeah, love how quickly things are moving along already in season 3. unlike a certain sacred amc show, they don't fuck around with a handful of unnecessary filler episodes to milk the hell out of the storyline and work in as many tie-in products and commercials, they just keep putting pieces in place to move the plot along. it's great to see old faces from breaking bad show up, whether it be a new receptionist for jimmy and kim, or one of fring's many business associates. really interested to see what becomes and jimmy and kim, how things end up between them, and how it affects the man who becomes saul. and, like mz, i think we need some resolution about gene from cinnabon and what the future has in store for him.

[MinionZombie]

To be fair, BCS and TWD are based in different storytelling styles - their origins, too, are different, with TWD the show being birthed from TWD the comic. Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul both tend towards more deliberate pacing in a meticulous manner, with a more focused story on a handful of characters - whereas TWD is an increasingly broad cast of characters (too many at the moment, so hopefully a bunch of extraneous characters will get dispensed in the coming war) in a much broader story which leans towards epic action and spectacle. In Breaking Bad a mid-season cliffhanger can be someone sitting on a toilet reading a handwritten inscription inside a book that has particular meaning, while in TWD a mid-season cliffhanger can be a massive swarm of the undead invading Alexandria and chowing down on people ... so they're two very different stories and ways of pacing things. I do greatly appreciate the amount of time that the writers (Gilligan, Gould, & Co) put in to making sure their episodes have air tight logic (something which TWD needs to buck up its ideas on, to be honest). It's one of the things I most enjoy about BB and BCS - e.g. Mike trying to find a tracker in his car, and all the logical and meticulous steps he takes afterwards in episode 2 to get some new info. I love BB, BCS, and TWD. I'm glad to see that BCS Season 3 is now injecting some more propulsion into the story (something which was a bit lacking in Season 1, it must be said) after Season 2 gradually turned up the dial. TWD does need to regain control over itself - logic (plotting, story, and character decisions) needs a good boost, consistency in the writing (at times TWD Season 7 felt like some of the writers were in an entirely different room to the rest of the writers) could use some work to get everyone on the same page, and better pacing/structuring in general. Hmmm ... this post has kind of become a BB/BCS/TWD mini critique.

[kidgloves]

Is anyone else finding the constant use of montages a bit tedious.? Yes, its part of BB, but they're way overused in this. Chucks a right tosser. Horrible human being.

[MinionZombie]

Is anyone else finding the constant use of montages a bit tedious.? Yes, its part of BB, but they're way overused in this. Chucks a right tosser. Horrible human being. Never had a problem with the montages, but didn't notice them being "constant" either, so... Chuck ... yeah, the more they peel the layers on him the nastier he gets in some ways. It's an interesting one because Jimmy's done plenty of things to earn a bad reputation with his brother, but at the same time Chuck preaches about wanting to do what's 'right' to 'help' Jimmy, but his motives aren't that pure. He wants to get Jimmy's license to practice law taken away - the one thing that Jimmy earned through legitimate hard work which elevated him out of the gutter of "Slippin' Jimmy". Sure, it wasn't on the same level as Chuck and not from as prestigious a place, and his methods aren't always by the book or inhabit a bit of a grey area, but he knows his stuff quite well and genuinely cares about his clients (most of the time). He worked for that case with the old folks' home and then it was taken away from him by a bigger entity, and so the one thing that made him a better person (for now, pre-Breaking Bad, at least) Chuck wants to take away. And then, at the same time, Jimmy's done some really shitty things to Chuck - so they've both wronged each other, although I'd say the balance of abuse tips more towards Chuck as the older brother. They make a fascinating pair of characters. I like the little details or quirks they put into the show - like the nerdy guy with the lairy car.

[ProfessorChaos]

anyone still watching this? this show had me hooked pretty much from the start but i'm amazed by how well the story has unfolded. really looking forward to seeing the last 6 episodes and seeing what becomes of the characters still standing that aren't around during the breaking bad timeline and find out what becomes of jimmy/saul/gene after he relocates to nebraska.

[MinionZombie]

Aye, still watching and still loving it. It can occasionally get a little long-winded at times, as if it's showing off a bit during scenes like the cold opens, showing so much of whatever process is going on, but other than that I've got nothing to gripe about. Richly drawn and complex characters who are well written and well performed, plus the style and substance of Breaking Bad in its making. What's not to love? Hopefully Kim survives, but I'd imagine the events of the mid-season break will drive a wedge. Even though Kim has bent various rules along the way, she'd never stick around with someone like Saul Goodman for very long once he really gets up and running.

[ProfessorChaos]

saw this the other day and was blown away. it would be awesome if they had the budget to make this happen for the whole series.