Better Call Saul In The Media

[stewedsquash]

Thanks for the advice. I also loved that burning building in the background scene. I just was so meh on Cranston that I didn't put anymore effort into the show. When I get done with a couple more binges I may start from that scene again and give it another try. 

Back to media talk. I follow BSC on twitter: https://twitter.com/BetterCallSaul

 

 

[gallimaufry]

I think Cranston is deliberately very muted in the early episodes.  He's a lot more animated later on.  I find his character pretty repugnant, even when he was meant to be sympathetic, but I do find him watchable.  I went in not expecting to like him just based off my impressions of his "Malcolm" character and the first episode but his performances really are electric.

However, there are arcs especially in Season 4 focusing on other characters.  If nothing else at all, I recommend you watch 410, "Salud", which is primarily a Gus episode.

[peeayebee]

I thought Bryan Cranston was amazing and earned every single Emmy (though unfortunately not allowing for Jon Hamm to win until MM's last season). And Walter White was such a great character. But one of the joys of BB (as well as BCS) is the vast population of incredible characters. From major to very minor, I loved the interesting and unique characters and fantastic acting. 

[Irlandesa]

13 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I just was so meh on Cranston that I didn't put anymore effort into the show.

I think this is tricky.  If you had simply said you weren't sure about walt, I'd easily say to go forward because I never rooted for his character.  I was fascinated by the evolution of his character but I think a lot of that had to do with how he reacted to other characters and how other characters reacted to him. But Cranston is trickier because I'm not sure what is holding you back.  Performance? (which I think is great)  Or is it because this show has made him 100x more exposed as a personality than he was when this started?  He had a decent career with is run on Malcolm In The Middle but he wasn't THE Brian Cranston who is on many talk shows and skits.  I find it harder to not see him in the roles he has taken on since BB.  I still don't have a problem with BB or MITM but later stuff?  Kind of.

I liked Season 1 and 2 but Season 3 is where I felt it really locked in for me just what an amazing series this is.  (And even though I like BCS, I don't think it's as smooth or rewatchable for me as BB. )  I've definitely had friends say that's where it clicked for them. But that always surprises me because I think it's good before then even if it elevates to great in season 3. 

I do think Season 2 introduced characters that are going to be more familiar to you.  It's where Jimmy (Saul), Gus and Mike show up. And all of the characters start to take on more depth and are more than what they seemed in S1.  I liked Season 1 and wouldn't have called the characterization shallow, necessarily, but compared to later seasons?  It fits.

On 4/21/2022 at 4:40 PM, PeterPirate said:

An excellent series of interviews of the cast.  Giancarlo Esposito's answer to a question at the 26:30 mark is particularly noteworthy.

I haven't had a chance to watch all of the interviews but thank you for bringing it.  The interviewer asked terrific questions that aren't standard and showed a knowledge of the show.  I don't think all interviewers can know every TV show but the fact that he does elevated the discussion.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Irlandesa

[Ailianna]

18 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Okay I understand your thoughts about both shows and it makes sense to me. What do you (and anyone else inclined to weigh in) think about watching BB and just ignoring my disconnect with Walter/Cranston? Is there enough of the other characters to make the show worth it to watch while not getting into the main character? BCS works for me because I am interested in every single character on the show, not just Jimmy/Saul. I even wanted to know the backstory of why the young man at the Mexican compound garnered Lalo's contempt. 

 

I never really cared for Walt either, but there are a lot of other things to connect to in BB. I binged it while recovering from knee surgery right before the original finale, and I think it was easier to get through disliking him with that momentum. I ended up loving a number of other characters, and loving to hate still more.

[stewedsquash]

16 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

But Cranston is trickier because I'm not sure what is holding you back.  Performance?

Yeah there is just something in his performance that is taking me out of the scenes. I want to watch a spiraling character and enjoy it and I just see Cranston annoying me. Ha. 

4 hours ago, Ailianna said:

I never really cared for Walt either, but there are a lot of other things to connect to in BB. I binged it while recovering from knee surgery right before the original finale, and I think it was easier to get through disliking him with that momentum. I ended up loving a number of other characters, and loving to hate still more.

I love BSC enough to maybe get back into the BB show and I will see if I can figure out my Walt quandry.

[peeayebee]

I just went to AMCPlus.com to see if the new ep happened to be available. A message came up (I guess from my browser, Safari) "Do you want to allow downloads from this website?" I hit Cancel, and nothing happened. So I went to the site again, hit Allow, and got some doc download. I didn't open it.

I googled to see if anyone else was having this problem, and apparently so. People getting error msgs and just being unable to watch anything.

Not happy.

ETA: Whew! It's fixed.

Edited April 25, 2022 by peeayebee

[chick binewski]

Michael Mando had an AMA scheduled this morning but posted an apology a few hours ago that he wont be able to attend due to a personal emergency.😦

I'm hoping it was just Gilligan & Gould stopping him bc they're afraid of spoilers.  

[sunbum51]

3 hours ago, chick binewski said:

Michael Mando had an AMA scheduled this morning but posted an apology a few hours ago that he wont be able to attend due to a personal emergency.😦

I'm hoping it was just Gilligan & Gould stopping him bc they're afraid of spoilers.  

he did say on one podcast that episode 3 was the last time we would see nacho this season (or hear him on a bcs podcast) so there's that :-)

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Unusually good interview with key cast members.

Rhea gives a bit of a hint, imo, as to Kim's fate.

https://www.emmys.com/news/features/better-call-sauls-final-bow?utm_campaign=social2022&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

[Constantinople]

On 4/8/2022 at 7:58 AM, PeterPirate said:

 

I only found out about this today. It's funny and doesn't give any Season 6 spoilers.

I hope they have a follow-up after Season 6 ends.

[PeterPirate]

5 minutes ago, Constantinople said:

I only found out about this today. It's funny and doesn't give any Season 6 spoilers.  

There is one tidbit in the video that might be spoilery:

Spoiler

At the very end they play an audio clip of Lalo asking Saul to carry the $7 million.  But the audio is distorted as if it was a surreptitious jailhouse recording.  

Now that I think about it, maybe the DA will use that recording to flip him from Friend-of-the-Cartel to Rat.  Saul has to do something to engender Lalo's wrath.  

 

[stewedsquash]

Okay an update from previous posts above: I have just finished season 2 of BB and whoa. Thanks for nudging me towards watching. 

Gathers snacks and iced tea, heads back to bedroom to binge some more while all alone in the house. Chores will still be there in 36 hours, lol.

[Cinnabon]

2 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Okay an update from previous posts above: I have just finished season 2 of BB and whoa. Thanks for nudging me towards watching. 

Gathers snacks and iced tea, heads back to bedroom to binge some more while all alone in the house. Chores will still be there in 36 hours, lol.

36 hours, lol. When I watched BB for the first time on Netflix, I frequently ended up watching all night long, and was surprised when the Sun started coming up 🤣. I wouldn’t do it differently, though. Watching all 5 seasons on Netflix a year after the show ended enabled me to watch them all without any long breaks between seasons.

[SailorGirl]

1 hour ago, Cinnabon said:

36 hours, lol. When I watched BB for the first time on Netflix, I frequently ended up watching all night long, and was surprised when the Sun started coming up 🤣. I wouldn’t do it differently, though. Watching all 5 seasons on Netflix a year after the show ended enabled me to watch them all without any long breaks between seasons.

I was just preparing to say the same thing -- 36 hours -- that's cute. I only stopped watching because I fell asleep, and I'm glad I ended up watching it all on Netflix because there are some episodes where I couldn't imagine having to wait a week to find out what happened next. 

I didn't believe/buy into the whole "OMG this is the greatest show ever" when it was airing in real time, and honestly, I didn't watch in part on some weird sense of principle.

I have rarely been more wrong in my entire life. Truly brilliant and definitely absolutely one of the best tv shows ever. 

3 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Okay an update from previous posts above: I have just finished season 2 of BB and whoa. Thanks for nudging me towards watching. 

Gathers snacks and iced tea, heads back to bedroom to binge some more while all alone in the house. Chores will still be there in 36 hours, lol.

What Cinnabon said. You're going to be in that bedroom for longer than 36 hours. It just keeps getting better. 

Edited May 13, 2022 by SailorGirl

[peeayebee]

46 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

I was just preparing to say the same thing -- 36 hours -- that's cute. I only stopped watching because I fell asleep, and I'm glad I ended up watching it all on Netflix because there are some episodes where I couldn't imagine having to wait a week to find out what happened next. 

Kids these days. I watched it in real time and had to wait the week betw episodes. And THEN months between seasons. 

[SailorGirl]

45 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Kids these days. I watched it in real time and had to wait the week betw episodes. And THEN months between seasons. 

Don't hate the player . . . .   😎    🤣   😎

[Constantinople]

1 hour ago, SailorGirl said:

I didn't believe/buy into the whole "OMG this is the greatest show ever" when it was airing in real time, and honestly, I didn't watch in part on some weird sense of principle.

I have rarely been more wrong in my entire life. Truly brilliant and definitely absolutely one of the best tv shows ever. 

I try not to say things like "it's the best show ever" because who really knows? But I do think it's one of the best shows ever.

52 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Kids these days. I watched it in real time and had to wait the week betw episodes. And THEN months between seasons. 

As did I. It's one of the few shows I watched in real time from the very first episode. And if you think we had it bad (Breaking Bad spoiler since stewedsquash hasn't seen the entire series

Spoiler

Poor Hank! He was on the toilet for almost a year between the end of the first half of Season 5 and the start of the second half.

 

[PeterPirate]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

Kids these days. I watched it in real time and had to wait the week betw episodes. And THEN months between seasons. 

And we liked it.

I for one do not regret not watching BB in real time.  I would not have been able to tolerate the vitriol directed at Skylar.  

[Cinnabon]

1 minute ago, PeterPirate said:

And we liked it.

I for one do not regret not watching BB in real time.  I would not have been able to tolerate the vitriol directed at Skylar.  

Same. It was bad enough hearing and reading about it years later. I would’ve been banned from any and all social media accounts for saying what I really thought, lol.

[scenario]

24 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Same. It was bad enough hearing and reading about it years later. I would’ve been banned from any and all social media accounts for saying what I really thought, lol.

I always liked Skylar. She was putting up with a jerk for a husband who wanted his own way and refused to compromise. Of course she got a little testy at times. 

[Cinnabon]

2 minutes ago, scenario said:

I always liked Skylar. She was putting up with a jerk for a husband who wanted his own way and refused to compromise. Of course she got a little testy at times. 

IKR? And it wasn’t just wanting his own way about minor things, lol. 

[Scout Finch]

I am only partly joking when I wish that there was some way to erase just the part of my memories of watching BB for the first time! I've watched it several times since and it's interesting to have picked up on nuances and also, characters that I despised the first time around, i.e. Hector, I've really enjoyed during subsequent viewings. However, there is nothing like taking that wild ride the very first time and I am so envious of those who are just now climbing on board and securely fastening themselves in! I'm trying to get a close friend to watch it with me just so I can somewhat live that first viewing vicariously through her. 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Scout Finch

[peeayebee]

12 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I put BB/BCS up there with Fargo in my "best shows" list. 

Except for the Chris Rock season. Bleech.

 

Quote

eta I still stand by my dislike of Cranston for Walt. I can't figure out who I would have play him but I do think there is someone who would have compelled me to watch when it originally aired instead of waiting what, 10 years to dive in?

I just read that network execs wanted John Cusack or Matthew Broderick. Hard for me to imagine. I think Cranston was perfect.

 

[stewedsquash]

Lol, I was looking forward to the Chris Rock season. I haven't watched it yet, just seen bits and pieces when it was on in the background. What I saw didn't seem to be interesting. Was the story good? Because what I saw seemed to be gorier than the other seasons and that is what turned me off. If I could go in knowing the story was good I might get around to it.

I didn't realize how big a part Saul played in BB. I thought he was just a couple episode throwaway character. Huh, now I see why they did a spin off. I haven't watched the last season of BCS yet. I am waiting I guess for the first break and then might do a binge. I am recording it, just haven't watched it yet. 

Media topic question. Has there been any talk about Vince Gilligan doing any other shows? Not necessarily BB/BCS but a new series? What else has he done? 

eta Oh jeez. I am looking at IMD or whatever it is called and see that he did X Files? Another show that I had no interest in. Please tell me it is horrible...I can't just sit around and watch tv.

Edited May 18, 2022 by stewedsquash

[Irlandesa]

10 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Please tell me it is horrible...I can't just sit around and watch tv.

Not my preferred genre but I know people liked it.  Especially the original seasons.

But he didn't have control over that show that he had in Breaking Bad or BCS.

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by Irlandesa

[sistermagpie]

11 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

eta Oh jeez. I am looking at IMD or whatever it is called and see that he did X Files? Another show that I had no interest in. Please tell me it is horrible...I can't just sit around and watch tv.

Well, I was a fan--but you could always just watch his eps. Including "Drive," which starred Brian Cranston. I always assumed VG wrote BB with him in mind after that ep, which was very different from what BC had done on Seinfeld and Malcolm in the Middle.

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I just read that network execs wanted John Cusack or Matthew Broderick. Hard for me to imagine. I think Cranston was perfect.

Steve Zahn was also allegedly in the running. 

[Cinnabon]

14 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

Well, I was a fan--but you could always just watch his eps. Including "Drive," which starred Brian Cranston. I always assumed VG wrote BB with him in mind after that ep, which was very different from what BC had done on Seinfeld and Malcolm in the Middle.

Tim Watley!

[sistermagpie]

3 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Tim Watley!

...and his schtickle of fluoride.

[nodorothyparker]

Bob Odenkirk winds down his journey as Jimmy McGill, uh, Saul Goodman, no, Gene Takavic

Nice interview with the LA Times.

Quote

“This is not a spoiler, what I’m saying here,” Odenkirk adds. “It’s weird, because it sounds like maybe I’m pitching that Saul becomes this goodhearted, generous, caring person. I can’t tell you where he ends up, but it’s not like he has some revelation of humanity. I think he gets to …” Odenkirk pauses. “I think I’ve said all I can say. But I like where his journey ends. And I think you’ll like it too.”

 

[Scout Finch]

On 5/17/2022 at 5:40 PM, sistermagpie said:

Well, I was a fan--but you could always just watch his eps. Including "Drive," which starred Brian Cranston. I always assumed VG wrote BB with him in mind after that ep, which was very different from what BC had done on Seinfeld and Malcolm in the Middle.

Yes, that's what Vince has said as to why he knew Brian could easily handle a dramatic role.

[SoMuchTV]

Okay, regarding Giancarlo Esposito. On the Insider podcast, where he’s presumably present, his last name is pronounced es-POS-ito. On Talking Saul, they’re pronouncing it es-po-SEET-o. Do we have a definitive answer on that?

[all fall down]

3 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Okay, regarding Giancarlo Esposito. On the Insider podcast, where he’s presumably present, his last name is pronounced es-POS-ito. On Talking Saul, they’re pronouncing it es-po-SEET-o. Do we have a definitive answer on that?

I wondered that myself. I found a tweet from Giancarlo where he pronounces it es-POS-ito, so I guess that's it. I've been wrong all these years!

[nodorothyparker]

Vanity Fair interview with Patrick Fabian about Howard's end.

“My Mother’s Going to Be So Mad”: Patrick Fabian Reacts to Howard Hamlin’s Big Moment on Better Call Saul

Quote

I wasn’t sure Howard was going to come back in the episode, but then he does. And he has this incredible moment where he’s able to tell Jimmy and Kim what he really thinks, and demand that they explain themselves in a kind of a lawyerly way. Tell me about that scene.

Well, it’s a big scene, completely driven by Howard. It’s a giant cathartic monologue. It’s the whole, “I know who you are, and I’m going to let you know who I am.” And I think it’s also probably written to allow the audience to say some things to [Jimmy and Kim] that maybe they’ve been thinking. Why are you like this? What are you doing?

[peeayebee]

Great interview. Thanks for posting that. Love when he's talking about the boardroom scene, that he's speaking the truth but everyone sees him as crazy. "He's like a prophet." Exactly.

[PeterPirate]

There is also this from that article:

Quote

Vince Gilligan came to me in the very first episode, back in season one—because I’m set up as Lord Vader. I’m set up as the heavy. Jimmy says so, right? I guess I was leaning into that, like, I’m the evil corporate overlord, and Vince leaned down to me in between takes and said, “Hey, we don’t know if Howard’s good or bad. We don’t know yet. But we hired you. And we hired you because you had a decency about you.” And that word decency really stuck with me.

[nodorothyparker]

4 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Love when he's talking about the boardroom scene, that he's speaking the truth but everyone sees him as crazy. "He's like a prophet." Exactly.

I like the obvious parallel he makes between the doomed boardroom meeting and Jimmy's disciplinary bar meeting that resulted in Chuck also melting down spewing a lot of truths about Jimmy that were largely taken as the ravings of a mentally ill person. The truth about Jimmy essentially broke both of them. 

[gallimaufry]

Quote

But somehow you are with them for the ride, and I feel like I'm laughing with them, watching Howard fall apart.

Interesting interview with Tom Schnauz on the AMC site.  But on the above quote, I have to say, I totally disagree and from the comments here, I feel like they completely misread the sympathies of the audience.  Certainly for my part, I don't think any of the Howard prank stuff was funny at all, and a lot of it was really quite cringey to watch.  I did, to be fair, think the Huell and Mesa Verde scams were really funny though.

[PeterPirate]

Talking Saul for this episode.  Apparently YouTube will not allow this video to be embedded.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ljQ3kLzKss

It's mostly fluff, but there is a pretty big spoiler at the 16:05 mark.  

Bob Odenkirk also says this starting at the 4:13 mark, with some edits to make it more readable:  

(Saul) is completely from trying or caring about anything.  Jimmy's been a guy who's done all kinds of scams.  He's got a conscience, though, and it kicks in all the time.  He's always a little unsure of it.  He feels like he's slowly becoming Saul, and then these huge things happen and then he surrenders and goes "I'm just going to be awful."  

Edited May 28, 2022 by PeterPirate

[peeayebee]

Thank you for posting that. I really enjoyed it. Funny how a lot of what was said had been in interviews I've read. I don't know if it's just a matter of the actors and Gould repeating themselves (after doing interview after interview), or if blurbs from this ep of Talking Saul were put into articles online.

I hope I like the ending. Bob said that it's good and satisfying just like BB's finale, but I actually was disappointed in that.

[Irlandesa]

9 hours ago, peeayebee said:

but I actually was disappointed in that.

Ooh someone else was?  I don't know if we share the same disappointments but it's rare for me to find someone else who doesn't think they stuck the landing even though I think the show is almost perfect in any other way.

[peeayebee]

I'm sure we both posted about our disappointment in the BB forum. I think there were a few more people who said they didn't like the ending either.

[peeayebee]

Re the Talking Saul show, there was a quick shot of something on the table on the set that I wondered about. I took a screenshot. There's the topper from the tequila, the cast of Casmiro (not to be confused with the Cask of Amontillado), something, then... Howard?, then the boxing glove. What are those other two items?

Oh, I think the center one is the flickering candle?

[qtpye]

This is one of the funniest things I have seen in my life.  I used to love watching American Greed.

[PeterPirate]

Quick reminder:  Today is the last day to watch the first four episodes of the season at AMC+.   

All of the episodes are still available for viewing at the regular AMC site.  I don't know what happens after today.  

Sidenote:  IIRC, last year the episodes were available at AMC for only a week or so.  So in the end I have been paying $9 a month for the privilege of watching without commercials. 

Edited May 31, 2022 by PeterPirate

[peeayebee]

Really pisses me off that AMC doesn't just leave the eps on their site for a long time, at least until they go to Netflix or wherever the previous seasons are.

[PeterPirate]

Jonathan Banks has his own YouTube channel, apparently.  He posted this compilation of his scenes with Michael Mando.  It spans all six season so it's just a nice way to reminisce.  

[gallimaufry]

23 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

Jonathan Banks has his own YouTube channel, apparently.  He posted this compilation of his scenes with Michael Mando.  It spans all six season so it's just a nice way to reminisce.  

That was really well put together. Does make me wonder how they're going to tie up Tuco.  He's surely going to come after Mike and there's a very good chance given his personal relationship with Nacho that he comes after Manuel too.  The oath Mike made to Nacho, the whole reason Nacho agreed to sacrifice himself, surely has to come into play before the end.  And there's a strange inverse symmetry between Mike and Manuel.  One persuaded his son to go along to get along when he wanted to stand up for what was right; the other told him to stand up for what is right when he wanted to go along to get along.  Where that goes, I don't know, but if there's not a Manuel/Mike scene in the back six, I'm going to feel shortchanged.

[Lalo Lives]

1 hour ago, gallimaufry said:

That was really well put together. Does make me wonder how they're going to tie up Tuco.  He's surely going to come after Mike and there's a very good chance given his personal relationship with Nacho that he comes after Manuel too.  The oath Mike made to Nacho, the whole reason Nacho agreed to sacrifice himself, surely has to come into play before the end.  And there's a strange inverse symmetry between Mike and Manuel.  One persuaded his son to go along to get along when he wanted to stand up for what was right; the other told him to stand up for what is right when he wanted to go along to get along.  Where that goes, I don't know, but if there's not a Manuel/Mike scene in the back six, I'm going to feel shortchanged.

Wow. Forgot about Tuco and the Tuco/Mike dynamic.. Great points here.

I think Gus will want Mike to bite his tongue and/or still his trigger finger.