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Better Call Saul Podcasts

ALenore

By ALenore
in Better Call Saul

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Quilt Fairy

Quilt Fairy

After reading all the posts in the "Marco" thread about how Jimmy drives off in the end and is now Saul, it was interesting to listen to VG explain that although it was his original idea to have that transformation in the 1st season, he (like us) got surprisingly invested in Jimmy and now he's considering how much wiggle room he has.

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SlackerInc

SlackerInc

I'm just catching up now on the second season (only the finale to go), and I've been listening to some of the podcasts.  I have a love/hate relationship with them.  On the one hand, it is really fascinating to learn about some of the filming techniques that go into the show, and I love it whenever Rhea Seehorn is on, as she is such an incredibly talented actor who is good at explaining her craft.  But I do also agree that the podcasts are unfocused and go off on tangents without actually discussing the episode itself as much as I might like (that could be okay, because the tangents are often interesting, if they just kept taping until they were done with the episode; instead, they get to a certain point and someone manning the boards tells them it's time to wrap it up).  And they spend too much time talking about how "wonderful"/"amazing"/"awesome" everyone is.  Can we just say this is stipulated?

As long as I'm being cranky: I know this sounds mean, but I'm so curious as to whether Kelley is some kind of savant or something (and I say this as the father of two autistic kids).  She has won awards for her editing, and we can see the results on screen.  But the things she says so often sound really dense ("Really?  I didn't know [basic plot point] is what you were implying there") and she not only asks stupid questions, but also in almost every episode, some variant of the same pointless question: "Who was it who came up with [random banal element of the script]?"  No one can ever remember, but she comes back with the same thing time after time!  Augh.

I would also like to be able to listen to, along with this "insider" podcast, a podcast on BCS that was totally "outsider", with smart TV fans reacting episode by episode to what they have just seen.  But I tried a couple of those types, and one was too amateurish in its sound, while the other ("BUZZ TV!") featured people with good "radio voices" but stupid/annoying opinions.

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kieyra

kieyra

41 minutes ago, SlackerInc said:

I'm just catching up now on the second season (only the finale to go), and I've been listening to some of the podcasts.  I have a love/hate relationship with them.  On the one hand, it is really fascinating to learn about some of the filming techniques that go into the show, and I love it whenever Rhea Seehorn is on, as she is such an incredibly talented actor who is good at explaining her craft.  But I do also agree that the podcasts are unfocused and go off on tangents without actually discussing the episode itself as much as I might like (that could be okay, because the tangents are often interesting, if they just kept taping until they were done with the episode; instead, they get to a certain point and someone manning the boards tells them it's time to wrap it up).  And they spend too much time talking about how "wonderful"/"amazing"/"awesome" everyone is.  Can we just say this is stipulated?

As long as I'm being cranky: I know this sounds mean, but I'm so curious as to whether Kelley is some kind of savant or something (and I say this as the father of two autistic kids).  She has won awards for her editing, and we can see the results on screen.  But the things she says so often sound really dense ("Really?  I didn't know [basic plot point] is what you were implying there") and she not only asks stupid questions, but also in almost every episode, some variant of the same pointless question: "Who was it who came up with [random banal element of the script]?"  No one can ever remember, but she comes back with the same thing time after time!  Augh.

I would also like to be able to listen to, along with this "insider" podcast, a podcast on BCS that was totally "outsider", with smart TV fans reacting episode by episode to what they have just seen.  But I tried a couple of those types, and one was too amateurish in its sound, while the other ("BUZZ TV!") featured people with good "radio voices" but stupid/annoying opinions.

I think we're on the same page here. I love Rhea's appearances, and she's the only person I've ever listened to who had made the craft of acting interesting to me. 

They describe people as awesome and amazing so often that VG often calls himself out on it (which doesn't help).

And yeah--Kelley, who ostensibly runs the podcast, can be a real head-scratcher sometimes. She comes across like a little kid. Presumably she's an editing wizard nonetheless.

Some of these behind-the-scenes podcasts (of anything, really) can leave you with a very different impression of things, and take away some of the magic. I say this as someone who listened to Ronald D. Moore bicker with his wife through a whole season of Outlander podcasts. 

One of the few celeb podcasts that hasn't left me disillusioned is RuPaul's. 

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SlackerInc

SlackerInc

1 minute ago, kieyra said:

I think we're on the same page here. I love Rhea's appearances, and she's the only person I've ever listened to who had made the craft of acting interesting to me. 

They describe people as awesome and amazing so often that VG often calls himself out on it (which doesn't help).

And yeah--Kelley, who ostensibly runs the podcast, can be a real head-scratcher sometimes. She comes across like a little kid. Presumably she's an editing wizard nonetheless.

Some of these behind-the-scenes podcasts (of anything, really) can leave you with a very different impression of things, and take away some of the magic. I say this as someone who listened to Ronald D. Moore bicker with his wife through a whole season of Outlander podcasts. 

One of the few celeb podcasts that hasn't left me disillusioned is RuPaul's. 

So well put.  I love the "ostensibly runs the podcast".  Whose idea was it to put her in charge anyway?

The potential for behind-the-scenes stuff (same with DVD commentary tracks) to, as you say, "take away the magic" is definitely there.  I wouldn't complain about that though, because that's basically what you are signing up for with one of those.  I've been sort of monitoring my own feelings on that, to see if it seems to be happening, at which point I'd definitely pull the plug.  So far though, it seems like I'm able to keep it segregated in my brain.

The Ronald Moore marital bickering actually sounds kind of hilarious.

kieyra

kieyra

13 minutes ago, SlackerInc said:

So well put.  I love the "ostensibly runs the podcast".  Whose idea was it to put her in charge anyway?

The potential for behind-the-scenes stuff (same with DVD commentary tracks) to, as you say, "take away the magic" is definitely there.  I wouldn't complain about that though, because that's basically what you are signing up for with one of those.  I've been sort of monitoring my own feelings on that, to see if it seems to be happening, at which point I'd definitely pull the plug.  So far though, it seems like I'm able to keep it segregated in my brain.

The Ronald Moore marital bickering actually sounds kind of hilarious.

(In case you don't know the backstory there, his wife is a costume designer, and I think she's the one who talked him into doing the Outlander series. (Can't fault her for that, pretty sure it's been wildly popular. But I don't see him choosing to do a time-travel historical romance series on his own.) But that's why she's on the podcast, and yeah, they bicker. And there are cats and dogs in the background.)

On topic, I've only tried a few of the 'aftershow' type podcasts (meaning by outsiders) and they don't do much for me--too many people talking at once or taking a very shallow view of things, or both.

For general TV, I like the Vulture TV podcast a lot. I used to love Alan Sepinwall/Dan Fienberg's podcast, but they had to stop due to legal reasons. 

  • Love 1
SlackerInc

SlackerInc

Yeah, it was a sad day when Firewall/Iceberg ended.  I like The Watch (even though they were negative on BCS, they usually have good taste), and every other Thursday, Dan Fienberg is on Nick DiGiglio's WGN show.  Dan's colleague at THR, Tim Goodman, does a podcast with Jason Snell called TV Talk Machine, and I enjoy that quite a bit.

SlackerInc

SlackerInc

Can someone explain to me the deal with "Mike Ehrmentraut"?  It's obviously not Jonathan Banks, and they don't seem to use the gag when Banks is on the podcast.  Is it even someone doing the podcast with them, or is it edited in later?  Because I've started trying to listen to whether they actually react to the things he says (as opposed to them name-checking him or asking him a question, and he reacts to them) and it's ambiguous.

Quilt Fairy

Quilt Fairy

On ‎1‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 8:12 PM, SlackerInc said:

Can someone explain to me the deal with "Mike Ehrmentraut"?

Can you provide some context?  Because I listened to the podcasts, but it's been 8 months and I can't recall them in detail.  I know Jonathan Banks was on a few of them, but I don't remember any on-going joke regarding Mike Ermentraut.

SlackerInc

SlackerInc

7 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Can you provide some context?  Because I listened to the podcasts, but it's been 8 months and I can't recall them in detail.  I know Jonathan Banks was on a few of them, but I don't remember any on-going joke regarding Mike Ermentraut.

Unless I've gone full-blown schizophrenic without realizing it, complete with auditory hallucinations, in any of the podcasts in the back half of the season (at least) in which Jonathan Banks does not appear, they will occasionally throw some snarky question over to "Mike Ehrmentraut", who then responds.  He has a very low, gruff voice, much moreso than Banks himself.  It's not clear if this is happening live, during the conversation, because although his comments clearly respond to theirs, there is generally no specific acknowledgement of anything he said.  So it might get edited in later.

No one else has heard this?  Bueller?  Am I really crazy?  I don't feel psychotic...

Irlandesa

Irlandesa

On 1/16/2017 at 1:44 PM, SlackerInc said:

So well put.  I love the "ostensibly runs the podcast".  Whose idea was it to put her in charge anyway?

IIRC, it wasn't so much that she was put in charge of it but rather that she had the idea of doing a podcast on Breaking Bad and took charge to make it happen.  And I think she does a decent job.  

And yes, they do ramble at times but my only real issue with that is that they want to keep the podcasts at around an hour so it means they quickly rush to the end at times.  Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it were a two hour podcast.

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Quilt Fairy

Quilt Fairy

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

IIRC, it wasn't so much that she was put in charge of it but rather that she had the idea of doing a podcast on Breaking Bad and took charge to make it happen.  And I think she does a decent job.  

And yes, they do ramble at times but my only real issue with that is that they want to keep the podcasts at around an hour so it means they quickly rush to the end at times.  Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it were a two hour podcast.

Plus, they're doing these podcasts on their own time (usually on a Sunday, IIRC), and they're doing it strictly for the fans. 

  • Love 1
editorgrrl

editorgrrl

(edited)
On 1/23/2017 at 10:32 AM, SlackerInc said:

Unless I've gone full-blown schizophrenic without realizing it, complete with auditory hallucinations, in any of the podcasts in the back half of the season (at least) in which Jonathan Banks does not appear, they will occasionally throw some snarky question over to "Mike Ehrmentraut", who then responds.  He has a very low, gruff voice, much moreso than Banks himself.  It's not clear if this is happening live, during the conversation, because although his comments clearly respond to theirs, there is generally no specific acknowledgement of anything he said.  So it might get edited in later.

No one else has heard this?  Bueller?  Am I really crazy?  I don't feel psychotic...

That's Mike Bearmantraut. 

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Edited by editorgrrl
editorgrrl

editorgrrl

(edited)
On 4/6/2017 at 6:02 PM, SlackerInc said:

Aha!  Thanks.   So the real identity of the voice is secret? 

The voice of Mike Bearmantraut on the BCS Insider podcast might be Chris Sullivan from This Is Us and The Knick:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1701252226756120&id=1419028928311786

ETA: They thanked Chris Sullivan at the end of the Insider podcast for episode 301. He definitely voices Mike Bearmantraut.

Edited by editorgrrl
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SoMuchTV

SoMuchTV

14 minutes ago, BC4ME said:

Where did you find this ep? I listen to these but don't see episode 3.

I'm subscribed to it and it just showed up for me yesterday.  I'm using Overcast on an iPhone, but I just checked and it's available on the default Apple podcast app as well.  Other that that, I don't know.  Maybe it doesn't load to all platforms at the same time?

BC4ME

BC4ME

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

I'm subscribed to it and it just showed up for me yesterday.  I'm using Overcast on an iPhone, but I just checked and it's available on the default Apple podcast app as well.  Other that that, I don't know.  Maybe it doesn't load to all platforms at the same time?

Thanks! I hunted it down. I'll use this source next time.

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