S01.E01: Uno

[Tabasco Cat]

Possibly.  But if Gilligan/Gould reach the point where they feel they've told the prequel story, they could always switch to the sequel.  Heck, we could even learn what happened to Jesse.

BCS would have to be a success, I think, before they'd consider a BrBa sequel. But if BCS goes 4 years... Aaron Paul will be 40 in 2019. He could play a 45-yo rehab counselor with a hot new 20-yo number just joining his group that turns out to be Holly White. The possibilities are endless! But I don't want to get too off-topic for this thread.

[millennium]

The question is, will Better Call Saul play the Hobbit to Breaking Bad's Lord of the Rings?   It's nice to visit Middle Earth again, but you can never recapture the magic of your first time.    I enter this series with low expectations.   The way I see it, it's something to watch on Monday nights and it's made by Vince Gilligan so even if it's not great it will probably be good in ways we can all appreciate.   Maybe he can work some magic again.   Maybe not.  My greatest hope is that this series doesn't somehow tarnish what's gone before.

[Tabasco Cat]

My greatest hope is that this series doesn't somehow tarnish what's gone before.

Caprica didn't tarnish Battlestar Galactica in my eyes.

Back to the skateboarders and the car... this was posted in another forum and sorta confirms that they just got the wrong car coming down the street. So Tuco's mom isn't the maid or the nanny for that couple with the guy facing an embezzlement charge. Maybe. Vince Gilligan likes to toss those curveballs now and then.

[Bryce Lynch]

I was very confused by two plot points:

1. What, exactly, the kids in the video were having sex with. I knew it was some sort of skull, but I didn't realize until I read it online that they went into a funeral home and sawed off a corpse's head.

2. How Jimmy/Saul ended up at the door of Tuco's relative. I figured he had gone to Betsy's house. How would he have tracked the woman down?

The skateboard scammers had told Jimmy that the hit and run driver was headed toward a certain area, but I'm not sure they were specific enough for him to find her.

[Bryce Lynch]

So Chuck is Jimmy's brother? I didn't get that at all. I just figured he was paying for cancer treatments and couldn't pay his electricity bill.

He also insisted on all his visitors "grounding themselves" by leaving their phones and other electronics in the mailbox and wanted Jimmy to contact someone doing research on the effects of electromagnetic fields.

[millennium]

Caprica didn't tarnish Battlestar Galactica in my eyes.

 

 

Ummmm ... it rang a bell that can't be unrung. 

[Bryce Lynch]

We don't know yet.

Was that the same house? At first I thought Tuco's mom might be her maid or nanny, and she called her to come take the car home. ?? I really need to watch this again, I was distracted for parts of it.

It was a different car and house. Tuco's grandmother (or whatever she is to him) happened to drive by in a similar car and the skateboarders mistook her for the intended victim and crashed into her.

[Bryce Lynch]

Just checked and Betsy did get into the station wagon in her driveway and drive off. So Tuco's grandmother must have been driving a different car.

I looked again and the cars are definitely different. Grandma's car had what looks like a Ford logo on the grill while Betsy's has none. Grandma's car also appears to be in better condition with a much better paint job. Perhaps Tuco had Olive Oil do it for her in Mexico. :)

I think hers is a Ford Taurus which was nearly identical to a Mercury Sable.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Bryce Lynch

[Bryce Lynch]

Horrible pilot. In the fast paced instant gratification society we live in, only on cable can you get away with having a one hour and ten minute pilot episode of boredom. This was made worse by airing so late at night. The pace of this series better pick up quickly, especially if it is going to air as a stand alone series on Monday nights. It won't have the benefit of having the Walking Dead as a lead in. I will be surrpised if many of the non- Breaking Bad fans stick with this show unless things radically improve.

I wouldn't say horrible. But you make a good point that having a slow moving and less than spectacular pilot may have squandered the TWD lead in.

With Tuco getting involved and Jimmy on his face in the desert tonight's episode looks much, more promising, but most TWD fans who watched last night probably won't give it a chance.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Bryce Lynch

[Bryce Lynch]

Pre-Saul Jimmy seems a bit pre-Heisenberg Walt. He is struggling and nothing seems to go right. Also, the way he rehearses his lies reminds me of Walt early on.

[DrSpaceman]

Possibly.  But if Gilligan/Gould reach the point where they feel they've told the prequel story, they could always switch to the sequel.  Heck, we could even learn what happened to Jesse. 

 

They never specified but I also thought Tuco's mom (or grandma?) could be the maid/nanny.  Jimmy pointed out the car to the kids but I'm wondering if he didn't actually know what they drove.  He just assumed that the car in the driveway was theirs. 

 

I liked the episode more than I thought I would.  The biggest hurdle this show has is its relationship to Breaking Bad.  Breaking Bad took a time to build but by the third season, it was at a very fast pace.  It also had a very distinctive hook--Mr. Chips to Scarface--while he was also being chased by death.  Better Call Saul doesn't have that very distinctive hook.  It was entertaining enough for me to watch to see what this show becomes.

 

 

So your first point got me thinking......I know during the BB story why Saul had to escape, that was when Walt was still alive.  But now pretty much everyone involved in that drug ring is dead, except Jesse.  Now Saul does not know all this, but we know it.  If he figures this out, could he try and return to his old life?  If so, maybe this does become a prequel/sequel.  I think if they wanted and run out of prequel story to tell, or timeline to tell it, they could easily do this.  Heck they could even have Jesse walk into a Cinnabon in Nebraska and find him (of all the Cinnabons in all the world.....)

 

I wouldn't mind a dual story going on present day Nebraska and in the past as well, some back and forth.  Could make it more interesting. 

 

I don't think Jimmy's brother has cancer.  I think we are all biased to think that because he seems to be the "good guy" in this scenario,  because of Breaking Bad, and when someone keeps saying they are going to "beat this" in these situations it usually means cancer.  My guess is though thats not it.  I bet he has a legal case against him.  That would be the reason why Jimmy has to be the go between for him and the firm and why there is no contact between his brother and the firm.  There likely can't be for legal reasons.  If he had cancer there would be no reason for Jimmy really being involved. 

 

I too was confused about the two women and the car, still not clear.

 

Suprised they are showing the two episodes back to back, sunday/Monday.  My guess is tonight's episode will be more exciting and likely the second half here of the premier will be when it takes off more. 

Edited February 9, 2015 by DrSpaceman

[Skyfall]

I never saw that scene! The episode ended when Jimmy McG was at the street corner plotting the faux-fall with the two skateboarders. Right after that, Talking Heads came on. I wuz cheated!

That was only a cut in, shouldn't had changed the channel!

[Skyfall]

They're both McGills, hence the question about how they're related. (Sure in RL two people can share the same last name and not be related but I think it's pretty safe to assume they're somehow related in the show.)

Brothers

[Constantinople]

The man that Saul was staring at from the Cinnabon wasn't Tuco, and couldn't have been Tuco, but resembled Tuco enough in his facial structure to give Saul pause.  I thought that was a nice touch, but perhaps I saw more resemblance than was there because I was spoiled about Tuco after reading the PTV recap a couple of days ago.

 

I believe Miriam Colon is now the third cast member from Scarface to appear in BB/BCS.

[Irlandesa]

BCS would have to be a success, I think, before they'd consider a BrBa sequel. But if BCS goes 4 years... Aaron Paul will be 40 in 2019.

 

Yes.  it would probably have to go 5 years and then maybe the last year of the show could serve as a "sequel" or afterward so to speak.

I bet he has a legal case against him.  That would be the reason why Jimmy has to be the go between for him and the firm and why there is no contact between his brother and the firm.  There likely can't be for legal reasons.  If he had cancer there would be no reason for Jimmy really being involved.

There is contact between the firm and the brother.  Jimmy's brother shows Jimmy a check for about 800 dollars that was brought to him by a partner in his old firm. I don't know why I think this but I'm wondering if Jimmy's brother has some sort of mental illness instead of a physical one. 

[Bryce Lynch]

If anyone is wondering per his name tag, Saul (under the alias "Gene") is indeed the manager of the Cinnabon, meaning his "best case scenario" came true.

[Bryce Lynch]

I think Chuck's issue is his phobia of electromagnetic fields, which has turned him into a shut in.

Now that Tuco is in the story it will be interesting to see if any of he associates like Hector, Marco and Leonel, Gonzo, No Doze, Krazy 8 or Emilio show up.

I know Emilio was a client of Saul's. Maybe this is how they met.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Bryce Lynch

[Bryce Lynch]

So your first point got me thinking......I know during the BB story why Saul had to escape, that was when Walt was still alive. But now pretty much everyone involved in that drug ring is dead, except Jesse. Now Saul does not know all this, but we know it. If he figures this out, could he try and return to his old life? If so, maybe this does become a prequel/sequel. I think if they wanted and run out of prequel story to tell, or timeline to tell it, they could easily do this. Heck they could even have Jesse walk into a Cinnabon in Nebraska and find him (of all the Cinnabons in all the world.....)

I wouldn't mind a dual story going on present day Nebraska and in the past as well, some back and forth. Could make it more interesting.

I don't think Jimmy's brother has cancer. I think we are all biased to think that because he seems to be the "good guy" in this scenario, because of Breaking Bad, and when someone keeps saying they are going to "beat this" in these situations it usually means cancer. My guess is though thats not it. I bet he has a legal case against him. That would be the reason why Jimmy has to be the go between for him and the firm and why there is no contact between his brother and the firm. There likely can't be for legal reasons. If he had cancer there would be no reason for Jimmy really being involved.

I too was confused about the two women and the car, still not clear.

Suprised they are showing the two episodes back to back, sunday/Monday. My guess is tonight's episode will be more exciting and likely the second half here of the premier will be when it takes off more.

Regarding Saul returning to his old life, I think the DEA would be his biggest problem.

If Jesse's confession DVD was at the Nazi compound or Huell spilled his guts to the DEA when Hank and Gomey never returned or they found evidence of his connection to Walt, he would be in a ton of legal trouble.

Francesca or Kuby might also have ratted on him.

Skyler White also could have implicated him to get a better deal when she brought the GPS coordinates to the DEA. That might have been risky for her, though, as Saul could paint a much nastier picture of her than Walt's call when he kidnapped Holly.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Bryce Lynch

[Milburn Stone]

Seeing the present day in black and white and the past in color was a nice touch. 

 

I didn't realize (until I read it here) that that scene was post-Breaking Bad. I guess I didn't remember as much as I should have about the way BB ended. I mean, obviously the Cinnabon stuff was a different time frame than the rest of the stuff, and it obviously had to be later than "Jimmy McGill" because of the Saul Goodman commercials on VHS, but I didn't understand how much later than "Jimmy McGill" it was. (The timeline I made up in my head was Jimmy McGill->Early days of Saul Goodman->Cinnabon Era->Return to being Saul Goodman in the Breaking Bad era.)

 

I'm slow.

[DrSpaceman]

Regarding Saul returning to his old life, I think the DEA would be his biggest problem.

If Jesse's confession DVD was at the Nazi compound or Huell spilled his guts to the DEA when Hank and Gomey never returned or they found evidence of his connection to Walt, he would be in a ton of legal trouble.

Francesca or Kuby might also have ratted on him.

Skyler White also could have implicated him to get a better deal when she brought the GPS coordinates to the DEA. That might have been risky for, though, as Saul could paint a much nastier picture of her than Walt's call when he kidnapped Holly.

 

 

True, maybe. 

 

I think those are issues that could be written around/out of somehow though if the writers wanted to go that route.  Or he could cut a deal with the DEA, which is what he specializes in. 

 

Its no longer to the point where returning to his prior life will get him killed quickly, it would just create legal problems that he may be able to find a way around somehow

[pricklypear]

Hmmmm...watched it last night. Couldn't stay awake (it was on SO late!). Maybe it was my frame of mind (or perhaps I was in a fugue state ;-), but I wasn't loving it last night. I had to keep reminding myself that I almost bailed on Breaking Bad after three episodes, so I tried to stay patient. I watched the rest this morning and liked it a lot better. Maybe the second half moved faster than the first half, so that had something to do with it. I don't want it to move TOO fast, but I don't know how much more of mopey, put-upon Jimmy I can take. I loved Saul for his wise-cracking, snappy, whip-smart self. I didn't even like it when Walter intimidated him to the point that Saul couldn't look him in the eye. To me, something is lost in the character when that happens. But, I agree that he had to start somewhere, and I noticed that when he was explaining the plan to the skateboarders, he was much more upbeat and faster talking. So, maybe he's finding his niche, the place where he's comfortable.

 

Was unspoiled on the Tuco thing until this morning. Made the mistake of reading this board before I watched the rest of the episode. Won't do that again. lol

 

I think it's possible for Jimmy/Saul to come into contact with just about any of the criminals from Breaking Bad, so it will be fun to see who pops up (Krazy-8 was in a Dr. Pepper commercial on the streaming feed). Of the main BB characters, I can see Hank making the most sense to appear. Saul would definitely have good reason to interact with him. Wasn't Hank the first main character he talked to in BB, when he went to represent Badger?

 

Definitely going to give this a chance. 

Edited February 9, 2015 by pricklypear

[Bryce Lynch]

True, maybe.

I think those are issues that could be written around/out of somehow though if the writers wanted to go that route. Or he could cut a deal with the DEA, which is what he specializes in.

Its no longer to the point where returning to his prior life will get him killed quickly, it would just create legal problems that he may be able to find a way around somehow

When he went to the disappearer I think Saul was running from the law. IIRC, at that point the only who might have wanted him dead was Jesse and he and Walt would have assumed the Nazis had killed him as promised.

I suppose the Nazis might have wanted to kill him on behalf of Lydia to tie up loose ends, but I didn't get that impression.

If the DEA could connect him to Walt, Saul would be seen as the last living key player in a hundred million dollar meth empire that caused the deaths of 10 witnesses and 2 DEA agents.

Who would he get a deal to testify against? Skyler? Saul would seem like a much bigger fish, IMO.

Even if he somehow cut a deal, there is no way he is practicing law again. His best case would be managing a Cinnabon on Albuquerque instead of Omaha.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Bryce Lynch

[atir]

I never realized that Saul didn't make it out of ALQ with no money.

[Auroraborealus]

OK , but they showed the rich owner of the car driving away ... how was the switch to the housekeeper made ?

EDIT : OK , I see other people have asked this question also . Perhaps all will be revealed soon .

The twins accidentally jumped in front of the wrong car. We see Betsy getting in a brown Mercury wagon, the car that hit the twin was a brown Ford Taurus wagon. They are basically the same car models with the Mercury being slighly fancier. Tuco's grandma isn't Betsy's maid. She just happened to drive by with a similar car at the wrong time.

[DrSpaceman]

When he went to the disappearer I think Saul was running from the law. IIRC, at that point the only who might have wanted him dead was Jesse and he and Walt would have assumed the Nazis had killed him as promised.

I suppose the Nazis might have wanted to kill him on behalf of Lydia to tie up loose ends, but I didn't get that impression.

If the DEA could connect him to Walt, Saul would be seen as the last living key player in a hundred million dollar meth empire that caused the deaths of 10 witnesses and 2 DEA agents.

Who would he get a deal to testify against? Skyler? Saul would seem like a much bigger fish, IMO.

Even if he somehow cut a deal, there is no way he is practicing law again. His best case would be managing a Cinnabon on Albuquerque instead of Omaha.

 

 

Honestly I would have to go back and watch the breaking bad ending, I don't recall the details around him leaving, only that the whole thing was a miss and he was in huge trouble. 

 

He was part of the team for Walt but I don't recall him being directly involved in any of the deaths.  I guess it depends on what was confessed and how much of him was mentioned.  He managed walt's money and gave him some advice, but then most of the money was lost or stolen, I don't recall where it ended up either, I assume with the Nazis mostly but it may have been recovered when he they killed and the DEA showed up.  Saul made money off all that but does he even have access to that money now, or was it seized already?  Do we know the details of the confession mentioned details on how Saul specifically was involved?  Those are all things either I don't recall the answer to or weren't explained in detail.

 

I am not sure how much of a "win" he would be for the DEA.  The biggeer targets and those more directly involved with the production and distribution are all dead, except for Jesse.  Would be symbolic for them more than anything, I think, not much else. 

[shelley1234]

I DVR'ed the episode because I was a big BB fan and hoped I would like it, even though I had a feeling that I wouldn't.  I was right.  I was absolutely bored out of my mind.  I fell asleep mid-episode and had to go back and watch the rest this morning.  I'll give it a few more episodes and hope it pulls me in, but so far...no bueno.

 

I don't think Jimmy's brother has cancer.  I think we are all biased to think that because he seems to be the "good guy" in this scenario,  because of Breaking Bad, and when someone keeps saying they are going to "beat this" in these situations it usually means cancer.  My guess is though thats not it.  I bet he has a legal case against him.  That would be the reason why Jimmy has to be the go between for him and the firm and why there is no contact between his brother and the firm.  There likely can't be for legal reasons.  If he had cancer there would be no reason for Jimmy really being involved. 

 

 

When Jimmy is talking to him in the bunker or whatever that was...his brother doesn't say he is going to "beat this", he says that he is going to "get better."  So while it would be an interesting theory, I don't think the scene between the two brothers plays that idea out.  

 

I don't think he has cancer, but I do think he got sick and believes that electricity is the culprit so that is why he know lives in the bunker and can't make it to the bank.  

[PrincessSteel]

It was not until the third ep of BrBa that I fell truly, madly, deeply in love, so I am giving BCS at least that long. Since I am completely STEEPED in BrBa, I have no idea how the pilot plays to someone completely unfamiliar with the Breaking Bad-iverse, but I liked it. The little throw away, background bits (like the woman and the battered trash can) are what I live day for. The show runners have set themselves a mighty task to both draw in new viewers and satisfy the ravenous, hyper-invested fans of the original series, but my money is on Gilligan.

Edited February 9, 2015 by PrincessSteel

[markus99]

If what some people here say is true and those were two different cars and the skateboarder hit the wrong car , then all I got to say is really ? I mean that is just absurd . Things that happened in Breaking Bad were also crazy but at least plausible . Also , you hit a car hard enough to break the windshield and you are not in the hospital ? Seems to me the writers are going into a whole new direction , much more comedy element than in Breaking Bad .

 

If the writers needed to go that far to make the plot move a long then the writing is just plain bad , sorry .

 

I could say the same thing about the beginning and the 3 19 year old defendants . I thought it was totally unnecessary to go that far .

But ok I can let that one go but I didn't find it very funny just disturbing .

 

What made breaking bad work was the tension . Every episode was extremely tense because you didn't know if Walt was going to be discovered by the DEA , his wife , rival mobs , will he and Jessie be successful etc. . With BCS , there is not going to be that same intensity , you know Saul will be alright . But we will see .

Edited February 9, 2015 by markus99

[Spartan Girl]

So Saul really does wind up working at a Cinnabon in Omaha, LOL.  I loved the flash forward to Saul's future; I almost felt sorry for him, in that gloomy Fargo mustache watching his commercials out of nostalgia.

 

Boy, Jimmy did not have Saul's magic.  I guess we'll have to wait for his own "Heisenberg moment." 

 

And holy crap, Tuco!  Talk about the worst mix-up ever: you do NOT want to scam his grandma.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

In the fast paced instant gratification society we live in, only on cable can you get away with having a one hour and ten minute pilot episode of boredom.

According to the listings, they're chopping this episode down to fit into an hour for tonight's replay. That should help if they make the right cuts.

[Dev F]

If what some people here say is true and those were two different cars and the skateboarder hit the wrong car , then all I got to say is really ? I mean that is just absurd . Things that happened in Breaking Bad were also crazy but at least plausible .

 

Why is that absurd? Lots of people have similar-looking cars. I've had days when I've been walking around my neighborhood and passed three identical orange Honda Fits in the span of fifteen minutes. (And I only noticed because one of them was my friends' car; I'm sure I pass identical cars I don't recognize all the time without even registering it.)

 

Also, I definitely thought the scene between Jimmy and his brother was implying that Chuck has some weird sensitivity to electromagnetic fields -- or, more likely, that he has some mental disorder that makes him think he's sensitive to electromagnetic fields, since I don't think there's a real physical ailment that would require his visitors to put their electronics in the mailbox and discharge any static electricity before entering his house.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Dev F

[Mya Stone]

I made the mistake of watching this right after TWD infuriated me. I wasn't really focusing on the details of the first 25 minutes or so.

I snapped to when he hit the skateboarder, and I found it funny. I loved the delivery, and the little kick he gave at the end.

I actually squealed when Tuco opened that door.

I think that this show has potential. It isn't Breaking Bad, you're all right. I don't know if anything will ever be that to me again. But I distinctly remembering myself struggling with the first season of Breaking Bad (at least until the end of Krazy 8). To me, VG has earned a certain amount of leeway. I have faith, especially if this show continues to bring in smaller BrBa characters in new and exciting ways.

Plus...MIKE.

[markus99]

Why is that absurd? Lots of people have similar-looking cars. I've had days when I've been walking around my neighborhood and passed three identical orange Honda Fits in the span of fifteen minutes. (And I only noticed because one of them was my friends' car; I'm sure I pass identical cars I don't recognize all the time without even registering it.)

 

Well , I am glad you are able to rationalize it . I can't . I hardly ever see a station-wagon . Let alone two nearly identical ones on the same street in the span of a minute .

Edited February 9, 2015 by markus99

[carrps]

Holy crap!  I wasn't expecting Tuco!

 

Me, either. I felt like I should have! Though I recognized him before I saw his face; I knew as soon as I saw his shirt sleeve. My sister (she only watched "Felina") was watching it with me, and was all "What? What?" when I yelled "Tuco!"

 

I knew something weird was going to happen at that house, but I wasn't expecting Tuco. That woman is probably Tuco's mother and Tio Hector's sister.

What's up with Chuck? Is he Jimmy's older brother? Father? And what is he hoping to recover from? Sounds like some sort of phobia about electricity. He seemed rational enough, but Jimmy's sure he's never going back to work at HHM.

First, it's obviously Tuco's grandma. He calls her abuelita.

 

Chuck is Jimmy's brother, former partner in HHM, and obviously mentally ill. The only thing that would have made it more obvious was if they'd lined the walls of his house in aluminum foil.

 

I did think the pilot was a little slow, but I could see it building. I'm in.

[bluebonnet]

Well , I am glad you are able to rationalize it . I can't . I hardly ever see a station-wagon . Let two nearly identical ones on the same street in the span of a minute .

I hardly ever see station wagons where I live.  But two neighborhoods over, they are all over the place.  Different sorts of people, different sorts of cars.  

[Uncle Benzene]

Well , I am glad you are able to rationalize it . I can't . I hardly ever see a station-wagon . Let two nearly identical ones on the same street in the span of a minute .

 

On the other hand, 9 out of 10 cars in my town are white minivans that are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Mileage varies.

 

I do often get really pissed about how quickly they get from point A to point B, however. Takes me right out of real life. Grrrrrr.

[nowandlater]

I never realized that Saul didn't make it out of ALQ with no money.

 

If Saul is broke, how does he live in such a nice big apartment on a Cinnabon salary? (I'm assuming Cinnabon isn't a lucrative company to work for at the front counter.)

[Nashville]

Also , you hit a car hard enough to break the windshield and you are not in the hospital ?

• Skaterboi was wearing a helmet and pads.
• With practice, it is possible to learn how to take a fall without getting seriously hurt. In my younger days when I did a lot of rock climbing, I didn't even worry about taking a drop so long as it wasn't much more than fifteen feet or so. It's all in the roll. :)
• Stunt men do it all the time.

Seems to me the writers are going into a whole new direction , much more comedy element than in Breaking Bad .

 

I'm certain you're right. :)

[Nashville]

If Saul is broke, how does he live in such a nice big apartment on a Cinnabon salary? (I'm assuming Cinnabon isn't a lucrative company to work for at the front counter.)

I'm sure Saul was a lot smarter (and a LOT more paranoid)with his money than either Walt or Jessie; on the other hand, though, I'm certain he has to be circumspect in how much of it he spreads around, lest he be perceived to be living WAY beyond his means. A relatively nice house or apartment? Explainable: Mom&Pop died and left him some insurance money, or a small inheritance. A McMansion? Not so much.

[RadiantAerynSun]

Remember this show is set in 2002 (? the video the boys in court took was dated Sept 2001). Could be those older style wagons were more common then. I drive a Honda Pilot and there are 5 or 6 just in my company's parking lot (which is not that big or full). 3 of them are the same color as mine and 1 is the same model year. Even I walk towards the wrong one sometimes when going home or parked at the mall.

 

So far I will stick with it... I found BB kind of dull for the first season or so. I mean I guess it had its moments but I wasn't really sucked in until season 2-3 and that was with watching them "all in a row" without ads on Netflix. I stuck with it because so many people said how great it was, and by the end i agreed. So I will give this show a try. Most of the charm of the pilot would be lost on non-BB fans, as evidenced by the friends I watched it with who had never seen (or finished) BB and found the premiere dull. I thought they might try harder to hook NEW fans but maybe they are counting on keeping much of the BB audience and maybe sucking them in so they recommend all their friends watch it because it's "worth it in the end" - something I have to tell people trying out BB for the first time.

 

I appreciated the touches that reminded me of BB and the "cameos" (Mike, Tuco). I TOTALLY MISSED that the opening sequence was "present day Saul" though. I guess the hair/make up was just that good (or at least I tell myself it's not that I'm slow!) I even wondered aloud "how does that guy have a flat screen TV in 2002?" DUH... :/

[bluebonnet]

If Saul is broke, how does he live in such a nice big apartment on a Cinnabon salary? (I'm assuming Cinnabon isn't a lucrative company to work for at the front counter.)

He's in Omaha.  Very low cost of living.  You can get a 1000 square foot apartment for $600/month.  Buy a townhouse for $50k.  Fleeing to Omaha would be the smart place to lay low because you can pick up a quick min wage job without having to really dip into your emergency funds.  

[Nashville]

Remember this show is set in 2002 (? the video the boys in court took was dated Sept 2001).

 

That, and the credit card number he was giving the florist over the phone (before he "hit" the skater) had a 2004 expiration date. So we're definitely in the 2002-2004 time frame.

[Lizzing]

The $700 check Jimmy picks up for defending the 3 corpse defilers is dated 5/13/02, so I'm guessing that's about as close as we're going to get to an exact statement of the start of action in this tale.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Lizzing

[TVFan17]

I thought the episode was really good in parts, and slow in other areas.

 

First off, you can tell that this show is willing to go to some dark and twisted places early on, when Saul/Jimmy enters the courtroom to wax poetic about being 19 years old again, only for the revelation to come that his clients were having sex with a decapitated head.  I think the term that one of the boys used was "...wang down the throat hole..." 

 

So if the show went there once, it can go to that dark place again -- and it will get even darker, I think it's safe to say.

 

I also think that, while this show is supposed to stand on its own and break free from the "Breaking Bad" ties, it was important to show various, subtle references and nods to BrBa in the first episode.  There are other people out there (I'm not alone) who are probably uncertain about watching a Saul-centered show, and I think the tips of the hat to BrBa help bring us in and make us feel like we are still part of that world.

 

I think that Tuco was particularly important to show early on, as we know that he is a maniac who can suddenly get extremely violent at the drop of a hat.  The fact that the skateboarders ended up with Tuco is an ominous sign of things to come, and we know that it won't end well for some of the parties involved.

 

I can only hope that Tuco's cousins appear at some point!

 

I thought the Chuck-related scenes were a bit dull, but there has got to be more to his story that will unfold over time.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Sherry67

[bmoore4026]

I didn't realize (until I read it here) that that scene was post-Breaking Bad. I guess I didn't remember as much as I should have about the way BB ended. I mean, obviously the Cinnabon stuff was a different time frame than the rest of the stuff, and it obviously had to be later than "Jimmy McGill" because of the Saul Goodman commercials on VHS, but I didn't understand how much later than "Jimmy McGill" it was. (The timeline I made up in my head was Jimmy McGill->Early days of Saul Goodman->Cinnabon Era->Return to being Saul Goodman in the Breaking Bad era.)

 

I'm slow.

 

Oh, you're not slow.  We just associate black and white with flashbacks that's ingrained in our psyches that it would be the past.

[markus99]

Yeah , I looked back at the recording and it is indeed two different vehicles . Different license numbers . Mercury vs Ford . 

I guess I have to accept that it is possible even if not probable .

[Bryce Lynch]

I thought the episode was really good in parts, and slow in other areas.

First off, you can tell that this show is willing to go to some dark and twisted places early on, when Saul/Jimmy enters the courtroom to wax poetic about being 19 years old again, only for the revelation to come that his clients were having sex with a decapitated head. I think the term that one of the boys used was "...wang down the throat hole..."

So if the show went there once, it can go to that dark place again -- and it will get even darker, I think it's safe to say.

I also think that, while this show is supposed to stand on its own and break free from the "Breaking Bad" ties, it was important to show various, subtle references and nods to BrBa in the first episode. There are other people out there (I'm not alone) who are probably uncertain about watching a Saul-centered show, and I think the tips of the hat to BrBa help bring us in and make us feel like we are still part of that world.

I think that Tuco was particularly important to show early on, as we know that he is a maniac who can suddenly get extremely violent at the drop of a hat. The fact that the skateboarders ended up with Tuco is an ominous sign of things to come, and we know that it won't end well for some of the parties involved.

I can only hope that Tuco's cousins appear at some point!

I thought the scenes with Chuck were a bit dull, but there has got to be more to his story that will unfold over time.

I am also hoping Tuco will bring some of his BB associates into Jimmy's world.

There were only brief clips, but I got the sense from the previews that 2002 Tuco is not quite as crazy as circa 2008 Tuco (after years of snorting meth off a bowie knife) . He seemed calmer.

That would fit the BB story line as I always thought Tuco was too crazy and too much of a loose cannon to be trusted by the cartel, especially north of the border. If he had been less crazy as he rose to power it would make more sense.

[Nashville]

I am also hoping Tuco will bring some of his BB associates into Jimmy's world.

There were only brief clips, but I got the sense from the previews that 2002 Tuco is not quite as crazy as circa 2008 Tuco (after years of snorting meth off a bowie knife) . He seemed calmer.

That would fit the BB story line as I always thought Tuco was too crazy and too much of a loose cannon to be trusted by the cartel, especially north of the border. If he had been less crazy as he rose to power it would make more sense.

Crazy = part of the corruption of power, maybe?

Hey - it worked in Scarface. :)

[Tabasco Cat]

That, and the credit card number he was giving the florist over the phone (before he "hit" the skater) had a 2004 expiration date. So we're definitely in the 2002-2004 time frame.

 

 

The $700 check Jimmy picks up for defending the 3 corpse defilers is dated 5/13/02, so I'm guessing that's about as close as we're going to get to an exact statement of the start of action in this tale.

 

Good observations. I was wondering about the timeframe. The hardest part of keeping up appearances in BCS exterior scenes is going to be the automobiles on just about every street in Albuquerque. Nitpickers will jump on every single instance where a 2008 vehicle is shown in a shot supposedly taking place in 2002.

[Nashville]

The $700 check Jimmy picks up for defending the 3 corpse defilers is dated 5/13/02, so I'm guessing that's about as close as we're going to get to an exact statement of the start of action in this tale.

Good pick-up there! :D