Better Call Saul In The Media

[ByTor]

With Umbelina mentioning the AV Club, I visited the site and was so happy to see this!!

 

I frequently hear that Spanish-language version of Rockin’ Sidney’s 1984 zydeco hit “My Toot-Toot” at my favorite local Mexican restaurant. It’s “Mi Cucu” (1993) by the Colombian cumbia group La Sonora Dinamita.

[shapeshifter]

I was home sick today and caught Hollywood Today Live with an interview with Howard/Patrick Fabian. I realized he so owns the character that I never even thought of him as "an actor."

He just made a movie too that sounds fun.

[TVFan17]

Has anyone been receiving and paying attention to the emails from "Saul Goodman Esq" since this season began (and maybe before it began)? 

 

I've been getting them, and almost never looking at them.  Today's email from "Saul" said "Throughout Season 2 you've received letters from the desk of Saul Goodman himself, full of hints, clues and Easter eggs for each new episode.  Check back after the season finale to see if you've caught them all."

 

Was anything of interest or value in those emails?

Edited April 19, 2016 by Sherry67

[Umbelina]

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/19/better-call-saul-season-2-finale-klick-gilligan-gould

 

LONG interview with the showrunners.

 

Vince, you said earlier this season that you had planned a really big cameo appearance by a Breaking Bad cast member in the finale, but were rightly talked out of doing it by Peter. Now that the dust has settled, who was the actor and what was the context?

 

GILLIGAN: We talked about it at length in the writers’ room and I thought it would be a fun idea. Since Chuck was in the hospital and was about to get a CAT scan, I thought it’d be a fun for Hank’s wife, Marie, played by the gorgeous Betsy Brandt to be the one operating the machine, since as we know she’s an X-ray technician. I thought it would be a great and organic opportunity to bring back one of our fundamental Breaking Bad characters, and Peter and the other writers rightly talked me out of it. Not because they don’t love Betsy just as much as I do but it would have distracted the viewer in the moment. It was a big moment in which we wanted to stay squarely inside of Chuck’s head as he goes through the terror and the agony of the scan. If our attention was diverted by Betsy, it would sort of dull the moment as it were, dramatically.

 

AND bonus!  One with Odenkirk.  Looks like our guesses that Jimmy saw through Chuck are probably not true, as yet.  Although, to me, it's obvious it gives Jimmy wiggle room to negotiate.   (from things said in both interviews)

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/18/better-call-saul-season-2-finale-bob-odenkirk-klick-chuck

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There’s been a pretty intense game of sibling rivalry chess especially over the last few episodes. At the end of the episode, did we just see “Checkmate”?

BOB ODENKIRK: [Deep breath] Man, that’s a good question. I mean, I know [series creators] Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould like to put themselves in corners that seem impossible to get out of, but I kind of think we did. I’m not saying there aren’t any more moves to make, but as far as… I don’t know what can happen next. I don’t know how Jimmy keeps his law license. [Laughs.] I don’t know how he doesn’t get disbarred. He doesn’t, though, because Saul has a license, we assume. So I guess we haven’t, but I think what we’ve seen is like a place where you have to escalate beyond cleverness. Maybe clever moves aren’t going to get us to the next place, but blunt force [laughs], in some capacity. Jimmy probably can’t talk his way out of this one.

 

Well, we've already devised a probable way out of it, a few in fact.

 

I love the idea of blunt force though.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Umbelina

[hincandenza]

Aw, they totally should have done that!

[Umbelina]

They had to give McKean his emmy episode, mustn't take away from that!

 

I really love this one from that interview above too.  From your mouth to God's ears Bob.

 

You and I talked before about Jimmy getting closer to the edge of becoming Saul. We thought we were seeing the end of Jimmy McGill at the end of last season, so we ask again now: Is this the fall of Jimmy McGill, and will Saul rise from these ashes possibly next season? How close are we now to transformation?

Well, that you’d have to ask Vince and Peter for a definitive answer, but I do think we’re close. The thing you have to remember is everything I say is conjecture. I really don’t know, but I think it’s the characters in between these guys that are going to pay for their battle. I’ve said this a couple of times, so I don’t feel bad about saying that I think the journey from Jimmy McGill to Saul is like falling off a cliff. At a certain point, it’s not a gradual thing at all, so when people ask, “How long will it take?” I think that it’ll take a day. It’ll be one day where he goes, “Okay, that’s it. I’m going to be one of those lawyers, and the reasons for that are numerous.” You can imagine numerous reasons, one probably being I could embarrass the hell of out my brother….. I think people sometimes feel like it’s going to take forever at this pace, and I just don’t think that’s true. It’s more a matter of building up the building blocks and then they all fall down in one fell swoop.

 

That whole interview is wonderful.  I love Odenkirk so much.

 

Wow!  FINALLY!  Obviously most reviewers are kissing ass, or honestly do love this show, but here is one dissenting voice.  Much more at link of course.

 

Better Call Saul and the Edge of Boredom

Beautiful camerawork and ever-deepening characters do not excuse the repetitive storytelling of the Breaking Bad prequel’s second season.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/04/better-call-saul-season-2-finale/478839/
 

 

“We want to make a show that stands on its own,” Better Call Saul’s co-creator Peter Gould has said about his and Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad spinoff. Two seasons in, Saul has achieved many things, but this particular goal isn’t one of them. In fact, the longer the show’s been on, the more it’s felt powered by the lingering energy of the supernova that was Breaking Bad.

 

Cameos are a small part of why that might be; arguably the biggest source of suspense from last night’s finale was the fan realization that the first letters of the season’s episode titles make an anagram for “FRINGS BACK.” More important, though, is the fact that Saul’s creators clearly feel the luxury of built-in viewer interest. Its affiliation with one of the best shows of all time allows it to work at a pace that would doom an original series to quick cancellation.

 

 

It would be churlish to ding a show for deciding to shade more nuance in its characters. Better Call Saul’s recursive second season did, happily, have time to round out Kim by giving her goals, struggles, a code, and a personality—but ideally it would have done that in any case. It gave Mike a full arc of trying and failing to resist the pull of underworld violence—but many viewers sort of assumed that arc had already happened after seeing the first-season flashback to his time as a cop. Mike’s storyline was nevertheless the most exciting thing here, a reminder of the fact that though Vince Gilligan has a charming obsession with the peeling-paint banality of administrative offices and parking lots, his real talent is as a crime writer. Those talents went underused this season because all the work Better Call Saul did to deepen its world came at the expense of expanding it, or even playing around very much. One-off cases were not taken. New characters obviously worth seeing more than once were not introduced. The same battles that defined the first season were mostly just waged again and again. The best scene was a montage with an inflatable air dancer.

 

Saul, I’d argue, has made so many fine needlepoint stitches around the same delicate patterns for the past two seasons to approach its own kind of tackiness. We’re meant to admire the work, but at a certain point you start to wonder if there are better ways for all involved to be spending their time.

 

Edited April 19, 2016 by Umbelina

[AuntiePam]

I hope the show's writers don't take that review to heart.  If I want fast-paced action and new characters every week, there are plenty of other shows fitting that bill.  Let BCS take its time. 

 

The only problem with what they've done so far is Jimmy's near-angelic acceptance of Chuck's behavior.  Something's gotta give.

[Umbelina]

I don't think it has to be fast though.  I love the slow.

 

The main part I'm having issues with is that it's too damn repetitive, specifically with Chuck and his motivations for ruining Jimmy.  It had impact the first few dozen times.  Now, it's just old.

 

The issue I have with the finale is that, to me anyway, the writing was so very bad, so cliche'd and trite and you could predict what was going to happen between Chuck and Jimmy and the mom and the confession from the jump.  As a mid season?  OK, maybe, boring but OK.  As a finale?  Seriously lame.  If someone submitted this as a spec script they would be laughed out of an office.  Because we've already seen it all, and the mother scene?  Predictable to the point of parody.

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/19/better-call-saul-michael-mckean-on-coming-to-love-chuck-mcgill

 

Interview with McKean.

 

All in all, a pretty balanced and carefully worded review here:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/19/better-call-saul-klick-review

Though much of this episode was great, it fell short of being amazing by once again having Mike's storyline feel more like an afterthought in the larger tapestry being woven. Overall, this feels like it could have been a better way to kick off Season 3 versus end Season 2, though it will be interesting to see how Chuck moves forward on his quest to destroy his younger brother.

 

It will only be interesting if it's not the same old thing, IMO of course.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Umbelina

[Deanie87]

Most of the reviews that I have read (Sepinwall, EW, THR) have seemed very fair.  They liked it, but I didn't think that they were shamelessly gushing, and certainly not kissing ass. A few mentioned that they could understand why some people were disappointed, but then pointed out why they weren't.  I feel the same.  It wasn't a mind-blowing finale, but I liked it.  This is a really, really good show on the whole, and the acting is phenomenal, and so I expect that most of the reviews will reflect that.  

 

I agree that there have been slow parts, but I don't think that it has really been repetitive so much as one step forward, two steps back, and that is realistic to me.  Yes, the dynamic between Chuck and Jimmy is the same at its core, but I think that this season showed more about why they are the way they are, and, especially, how that dynamic ruins the relationships around them.  I don't know, I have enjoyed this dynamic and am fine with it being explored even further, so to have Chuck suddenly die or become Team Jimmy wouldn't seem right to me.  Mileage varies, but I am not surprised that most reviews are pretty positive and that people are enjoying the show for what it is, and not what they want it to be.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Deanie87

[Umbelina]

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/better-call-saul-creators-dont-automatically-expect-to-see-gus-next-year

 

Sepinwall's interview with the showrunners.

Vince Gilligan: I loved it, too, that he ran in to help his brother. No matter how bad Chuck is to him, he still loves his brother. I love that humanity, and I miss that in Saul Goodman. It's going to be a tragedy, ultimately, that this man will inevitably calcify into Saul Goodman. But I keep being reminded I'm not seeing it the way everyone else is. I got an email the other day from my Uncle Gary, who's a big fan of the show, and he said, "Please tell me Jimmy's not gonna do something stupid like run in to save his brother!" I thought, "Oh, crap."

 

Edited April 20, 2016 by Umbelina

[shapeshifter]

Not sure if this is where this post should go but thought it was worth viewing. 

 

  http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/04/22/better-call-saul-season-two-ballad-slippin-jimmy/

[Captanne]

OT:  How much do I love The New York Review of Books?

 

Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much.

 

Every issue -- cover to cover.  Cover.  to.  Cover.

[TVFan17]

I suppose I should put this in the Media thread for Breaking Bad as well -- even more so than in this forum, really -- but I wanted to mention it here.

Did anyone see the Jimmy Kimmel Show last night/this morning?  Bryan Cranston was one of the guests.   If you have ever seen him on one of the many late night talk shows, you know that he is always a great guest because he has a sense of humor and he is up for almost anything.  He plays along.  Whether it's sitting in a tub full of bubbles with Jimmy Fallon, or a skit involving him swinging in a harness opposite James Corden, Bryan is game for some fun.  In fact, I really wonder why he hasn't hosted Saturday Night Live more often in the past, because he would be perfect for so many skits.

Anyway, on last night/this morning's Jimmy Kimmel Show, there was an ongoing skit/series throughout the show.  There must have been 4 or 5 segments of it -- it was long -- but it involved Bryan having a party for his 60th birthday.

In addition to Bryan, there were cameo appearances from 3 other familiar faces -- but you have to watch all of the segments to see them, because they don't all appear onscreen together at the same time.  In fact, I have only seen two of the names pop up in articles today -- all of the writers must have skipped over the 3rd person, or didn't see him.

Anyway, search for "My Super Sweet 60" online.  There are way too many articles about it to link just one, but again -- they all seem to skip one particular cameo from the BB world.

Edited May 22, 2016 by Sherry67

[Ohwell]

I saw it while I was dozing off to sleep and then I woke up and said WTF is going on?  It was wild.  At first, I couldn't recognize anyone other than Aaron Paul because I was still in kind of a haze, but then Sisqo showed up.  Yeah.  It was wild.

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I saw it while I was dozing off to sleep and then I woke up and said WTF is going on?  It was wild.  At first, I couldn't recognize anyone other than Aaron Paul because I was still in kind of a haze, but then Sisqo showed up.  Yeah.  It was wild.

I wasn't even thinking about Sisqo, but his part in it was near the end - in the final segment.  There were several segments of this thing, scattered throughout Jimmy's show -- it was a whole evolving story of Bryan's birthday -- and the cameos were kind of spread out.  I wasn't going to mention any of them, but since you mentioned Aaron I will say (to anyone who hasn't seen it yet) that in addition to Aaron and Bryan there are 2 other cameos from "that same world" -- but I think that one of them got lost in the shuffle because he was kind of in the background, although he did speak.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Sherry67

[TVFan17]

I think this is the full video of My Super Sweet 60, from beginning to end (with the crazy lion suit).  It's a tad long, but it's good -- http://www.ew.com/article/2016/05/20/bryan-cranston-breaking-bad-aaron-paul-super-sweet-60-jimmy-kimmel

Edited May 22, 2016 by Sherry67

[Ohwell]

He's an ass!

Loved the portrait of him in his tighty whities.

[peeayebee]

On May 21, 2016 at 10:01 AM, Sherry67 said:

In fact, I really wonder why he hasn't hosted Saturday Night Live more often in the past, because he would be perfect for so many skits.

You'd think so, but the show he hosted was terrible as I recall.

Here, he was fantastic! Give him another Emmy. Honestly, he was fantastic. Were those his real parents? They were great too.

I absolutely loved this. Just hysterical. Is this based on a real show?

[TVFan17]

11 hours ago, Ohwell said:

He's an ass!

Loved the portrait of him in his tighty whities.

That portrait was hilarious.  And it wasn't like everyone pointed at it and said, "What a great portrait!"  You just kind of had to notice it when Bryan stepped aside.  Lol.

 

8 hours ago, peeayebee said:

You'd think so, but the show he hosted was terrible as I recall.

Here, he was fantastic! Give him another Emmy. Honestly, he was fantastic. Were those his real parents? They were great too.

I absolutely loved this. Just hysterical. Is this based on a real show?

Bryan's dad passed away a couple of years ago, but the man they used for this skit looked like he could have been related to him.  They picked a good actor for that role!

I don't think it's a real show.  Just one of Jimmy Kimmel's crazy skits (much like what he does on Oscar night), with actors doing wacky things.

I loved it when Bryan made his big entrance at the party (in his lion outfit) and started clawing the air and growling!  Lol.  Too funny.

[peeayebee]

Actually -- answering my own question -- it IS based on a real show called My Super Sweet Sixteen. John Oliver happened to make a passing reference to it tonight.

[King of Birds]

At a PaleyFest event in February, Gilligan and Gould stressed repeatedly that they don’t have as much of a grand plan for the show as fans and critics would like to believe.

[RCharter]

On 5/22/2016 at 8:45 PM, peeayebee said:

Actually -- answering my own question -- it IS based on a real show called My Super Sweet Sixteen. John Oliver happened to make a passing reference to it tonight.

Oh yes, that show was on MTV for a while.  It was ridiculous.  Bryan Cranston was hilarious.

[peeayebee]

Thanks so much for posting that, King of Birds. I think this Paley event was streamed live, but they don't provide video after that.

I found the below quote interesting. I had no idea:

Quote

“There’s a real underbelly of the drug trade,” says Banks of the real Albuquerque. “A couple of retired police officers I talked to said that when Castro emptied out his prisons, and they all landed in Miami, the Catholics sent a bus for them and brought them to Albuquerque. Put them to work in the Octopus Car Wash for a month, got them a room. They had taken over the drug trade in 60 days, and I mean brutally.”

[thuganomics85]

Emmy nominations are in.  Got Best Drama, Best Actor (Bob Odenkirk), and Best Supporting Actor (Jonathan Banks) again, but no Writing or Directing this time.  Also disappointed that neither Michael McKean and especially Rhea Seehorn got in.  I thought Rhea in particular was a stand-out this season.  Maybe it will happen on day.  If I remember correctly, it took Anna Gunn a few seasons before she started getting nominated alongside Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, so hopefully her moment will come.

[Umbelina]

yay for Banks and Odenkirk!  The writing wasn't that great this season, honestly, I thought it was boring with the never ending Chuck story.   I'm thrilled that Banks got the nod over "Chuck."

Some tough competition in this!

[peeayebee]

LOTS of tough competition. There are so many formats for "TV" programs that very deserving people and shows are going to be left out. I wanted Rhea to be nominated, but I'm very happy with what we got.

[Captanne]

I agree with these nominations from the show.  It's high time Banks got All the Recognition.  (I've been watching him since Wiseguy days....I'm old.)

The writing wasn't as good this season, 'tis true.  I am utterly over the brother storyline.  Just over it.  Which is too bad because I think it's the main one -- so, to explain, I'm sticking around for everything ~else~ in the show but the brother storyline.

[editorgrrl]

How 'Better Call Saul' Used Code Names to Keep Its Characters a Secret http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/emmys-how-better-call-saul-919031

Quote

The whole cast and crew got involved, using code names for the characters on the call sheets, booking travel for the actors under pseudonyms and creating cover stories to explain what they were doing in New Mexico.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Watching the Cubs/Dodgers baseball game at Dodger Stadium?  Guess which favorite Chicago Sunroof expert was in the Cubs' owner box?  He was dressed casually with a Cubs cap adorning his head.  the Cubs announcer spotted him immediately, exclaiming, "Better call Saul!"

I didn't see Kim. :(

[Umbelina]

Wow.  Odenkirk and Banks shut out at the Emmy's.  I'm sad about Jonathan.

[shapeshifter]

At least they were nominated.

[Ohwell]

I don't even think they expected to win; I think they were just glad to be nominated and for the show to get some press.

[Quilt Fairy]

How did no one catch this? Bob Odenkirk won the 2016 Critics Choice Award for Best Actor in a TV Drama Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlGP3VOjPfs

Also, no firm date on Season 3 except "Spring 2017" which could be as early as February.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It would be a shock if the new season started sooner than 8 weeks after filming/production begins.  So, rule of thumb, look for reports that they've begun and add two months for a probable season debut.

[Quilt Fairy]

There is a video of Odenkirk on Jimmy Kimmel dated sometime in August and he mentions specifically that they were going to start filming in ABQ in 3 weeks. So they've been filming since September, they should be close to winding up the season soon.

[ByTor]

So sad Bob Odenkirk didn't get the Golden Globe :(

http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/best-performance-actor-television-series-drama

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Set your countdown clocks!  Some spoilers in the article, too.

http://www.tv.com/news/better-call-saul-season-3-premiere-date-revealed-14844400330016020/

[peeayebee]

April!? Man. Oh well. I guess there's plenty to watch before then.

[car54]

Interview about the return of Gus Fring

http://www.amc.com/shows/better-call-saul/talk/2017/01/better-call-saul-qa-giancarlo-esposito-gustavo-fring?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=gus-fring-is-back-for-season-3-of-better-call-saul&utm_campaign=better-call-saul

[Ailianna]

For those who want the premiere date without the risk of spoilers, it's Monday April 10.  

[ByTor]

Did they say how many episodes this season is going to be?

[car54]

AMC posted this sneak peak of the new season.

 

http://www.amc.com/shows/better-call-saul/video-extras/better-call-saul-season-3-sneak-peek?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=sneak-peek-can-jimmy-and-kim-survive-their-chuck-problem&utm_campaign=better-call-saul

[Jextella]

I love Better Call Saul.  With Breaking Bad, Walter was facing death.  In BCS, Saul doesn't have the same dire fate.  He navigates life like the rest of us.  It's slower, more muddy, and less extreme.   Both are interesting but for different reasons. 

[pastafarian]

7 hours ago, Jextella said:

I love Better Call Saul.  With Breaking Bad, Walter was facing death.  In BCS, Saul doesn't have the same dire fate.  He navigates life like the rest of us.  It's slower, more muddy, and less extreme.   Both are interesting but for different reasons. 

 

IDK, managing a Cinnabon might be a worse fate than death? 

[Jextella]

3 hours ago, pastafarian said:

IDK, managing a Cinnabon might be a worse fate than death? 

As said, "like the rest of us".

Who has it worse is questionable :)

Edited January 22, 2017 by Jextella

[car54]

I didn't see this date posted but the show account tweeted today that the return is 4/10.

 

Better Call Saul ‏@BetterCallSaul  38m38 minutes ago

More

Jimmy and Kim are ready for more clients when #BetterCallSaul returns on April 10.

[SnarkyTart]

6 hours ago, car54 said:

I didn't see this date posted but the show account tweeted today that the return is 4/10.

 

Better Call Saul ‏@BetterCallSaul  38m38 minutes ago

More

Jimmy and Kim are ready for more clients when #BetterCallSaul returns on April 10.

That's about 9 weeks too long!  I'm going to have to re-watch season 2 to remember what's going on.

[car54]

Me Too!   I usually do that to get warmed up for a new season!

[Ailianna]

AMC ran a commercial for Los Pollos Hermanos today!! (It was a Better Call Saul commercial, but played out as a Los Pollos!!)  I squeed like a school girl!  I was on the treadmill and rewound it to watch (which I never do--I go to the end fo the recording, so I don't usually try to make it take longer!)

[millennium]

 

It's amazing how easily Giancarlo Esposito picks it right up again.

Edited February 22, 2017 by millennium