[AMC] Better Call Saul

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:06 am

Trailer and air date officially announced:

Two-night series premiere of Better Call Saul starts Sunday, Feb 8 at 10/9c with second episode to air Monday, Feb 9 at 10/9c.

Website here.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:49 am

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:19 pm

Looking forward to it. I know Jonathan Banks (Mike) is in. Anyone know if Huell will be back?

Incidentally, if you're looking for a chuckle, check out the website AMC put up a few seasons back.

Captain Caveman · Post by **Captain Caveman** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:38 am

Two episodes in and this looks to be a winner!

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:29 am

Haven't watched the second one yet but they had me after the first. I love how it opens in the post-Breaking Bad period with witness-protected Saul having an extended flashback. It's obviously going to close some years from now with Saul popping the tape out of his VCR. Or is it?

Daveman · Post by **Daveman** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 9:09 am

Kraken wrote:I love how it opens in the post-Breaking Bad period with witness-protected Saul having an extended flashback.

It's a small point and maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Saul is hiding with a fake identity he and Walt bought at the end of Breaking Bad, not in witness protection. It is nice to see he's accomplished his immediate goal of managing a Cinnabon though

The trial at the beginning was so wrong. He gives that hokey speech and you figure his defendants had just committed trespassing, maybe some vandalism and then

JSHAW · Post by **JSHAW** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 9:11 am

I watched both episodes, like it, like it alot.

I did think it moves at a slow pace. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but when
you're kinda tired and watching can cause drowsiness.

The thing with the parking validation ticket is a hoot.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 9:24 am

Haven't watched the second episode yet but I absolutely loved the first episode. Greatly exceeded my expectations. I was afraid they'd skew more comedic than dramatic, but judging from the pilot they found the perfect balance. The whole Cinnabon sequence was just mesmerizing.

Breaking Bad spoiler:

Spoiler:

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:52 am

Daveman wrote: The trial at the beginning was so wrong. He gives that hokey speech and you figure his defendants had just committed trespassing, maybe some vandalism and then

The silent, matter of fact, methodic manner in which the prosecutor rolled out the tv, inserted the VHS tape and then stood there throughout the presentation had me laughing out loud.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:37 am

Maybe my favorite character from BB. This is so awesome.

He was so damn good in BB that I feel the urge to look him up on Rotten Tomatoes, and track down and watch everything he's been in. High praise on the CPO-meter since I might have done that once or twice before...

Apparently he is most well known for Mr. Show, and a late night (SNL, Conan, et al) writer? Never seen Mr. Show. Heard good things. Must watch now.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:51 am

Mr. Show was phenomenal. I bought the series on DVD when it was offered years ago and still revisit them on occasion.

Doomboy · Post by **Doomboy** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:43 pm

The second episode was just awesome. Back to that feeling on Breaking Bad of not knowing what the hell is going to happen next, even though I know Saul is alive later.

Spoiler:

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:12 pm

Question for the lawyers (or anyone else that may know): in the first episode Saul got $700 as the public defender. Is that really a typical amount for each case? It seems crazy low to me, but I have no idea.

Scraper · Post by **Scraper** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:48 pm

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:Question for the lawyers (or anyone else that may know): in the first episode Saul got $700 as the public defender. Is that really a typical amount for each case? It seems crazy low to me, but I have no idea.

It's close. It varies by state, but in Ohio $3000 is the cap for regular non-capital felony cases like the one in the show. BUT, you would have to provide a full bill with an hourly breakdown to earn the cap.

Here's the Ohio fee breakdown, keep in mind you get $60 per hour of in court time and $50 per hour of out of court time:

Offense/Proceeding (continued) Fee Maximum
Felony with Possible Life Sentence/Repeat $ 5,000
Violent Offender/Major Drug Offender
Felonies (degrees 1-3) $ 3,000
Felonies (degrees 4 & 5) $ 2,500
Misdemeanors (degrees 1-4) $ 1,000
Contempt of Court $ 300
Parole, Probation, and all other proceedings
not elsewhere classified $ 500

As for the show I am really loving it, the camera angles, imagery, story telling, all of it make the show feel like Breaking Bad Part 2. Which is awesome.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:49 pm

What if your client is over 6 foot tall? Do you get time and a half?

theohall · Post by **theohall** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 6:21 pm

JSHAW wrote:The thing with the parking validation ticket is a hoot.

I hope you realize who the parking attendant is. That's what makes it even funnier to me.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 7:07 pm

I'm definitely in. Can I get it on Hulu or something similar?

theohall · Post by **theohall** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 7:11 pm

AMC.com

mori · Post by **mori** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 7:20 pm

I am enjoying it. Like that it has humor, something that was almost completely missing from Breaking Bad after the first 2 seasons.

JSHAW · Post by **JSHAW** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 8:30 pm

theohall wrote:
JSHAW wrote:The thing with the parking validation ticket is a hoot.
I hope you realize who the parking attendant is. That's what makes it even funnier to me.

YES, I watched every episode of BB when it was run, plus I've sat through 2 marathons on AMC.

The parking attendant, being who he is on BB, is what makes it even funnier if you know who
he is and what his future holds for him.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:28 pm

We just watched the second hour and it was so much better than the first it was like a different show.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:38 pm

tgb wrote:We just watched the second hour and it was so much better than the first it was like a different show.

Was the first hour considered a "pilot?" If so that might explain the difference.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:00 pm

Scraper wrote:As for the show I am really loving it, the camera angles, imagery, story telling, all of it make the show feel like Breaking Bad Part 2. Which is awesome.

Agreed (emphasis mine). I love the style and photography. The brother's situation feels a little gimmicky, but I trust they will make that pay off at some point. Also, Suzuki Esteem, lol. It is certainly in the same zip code as a crappy Pontiac Aztek.

Remus West · Post by **Remus West** » Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:41 pm

tgb wrote:We just watched the second hour and it was so much better than the first it was like a different show.

This. Totally hooked now. Loved the second episode after thinking the first was well above average but missed my lofty expectations.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:08 am

The lawyerin' montage was worth the price of admission alone.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 2:24 am

Apparently if you call the number written on the matchbook you get a voicemail recording from "Nacho." Now that's attention to detail.

Redfive · Post by **Redfive** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:54 pm

Anyone watching this that has not seen BB? Or watching it with a loved one that hasn't?

I'm curious what their reactions are because, obviously, they won't get the significance of several things that BB veterans do.

I think it can stand on it's own but I wonder. Trying to decide if I should sell it to my wife to become one of 'our shows.'

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:06 pm

My wife (who has never seen BB) watched a bit of it last night. I had to give her a quick synopsis of Breaking Bad and Saul's character because she was utterly confused why I was watching this at first.

She seemed fairly indifferent to it, but I'm not sure if it was because it didn't stand well on its own or if she was just half asleep.

Nightwish · Post by **Nightwish** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:33 pm

Slightly offtopic, but I have no idea where to post this.

I'm re-watching Babylon 5 and was surprised to find Brian Cranston on the 5th episode of the 4th season. Sadly, it's a very minor role, so he didn't get to out-shadow anyone.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:12 pm

Nightwish wrote:Slightly offtopic, but I have no idea where to post this.

I'm re-watching Babylon 5 and was surprised to find Brian Cranston on the 5th episode of the 4th season. Sadly, it's a very minor role, so he didn't get to out-shadow anyone.

I vaguely remember that. I think he was a ship's captain of some sort, or something along those lines.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Feb 11, 2015 11:54 pm

Remus West wrote:
tgb wrote:We just watched the second hour and it was so much better than the first it was like a different show.
This. Totally hooked now. Loved the second episode after thinking the first was well above average but missed my lofty expectations.

It's another surefire hit for AMC and it will do for Odenkirk what BB did for Cranston. The lawyering in the desert was LOL funny.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:17 pm

They are having fun with us with Better Call Saul for sure. Check out some of the "callbacks" and fun stuff noted here.

tiny ogre · Post by **tiny ogre** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:32 am

Anonymous Bosch wrote:
Nightwish wrote:Slightly offtopic, but I have no idea where to post this.

I'm re-watching Babylon 5 and was surprised to find Brian Cranston on the 5th episode of the 4th season. Sadly, it's a very minor role, so he didn't get to out-shadow anyone.
I vaguely remember that. I think he was a ship's captain of some sort, or something along those lines.

He was just barely on an episode of Seinfeld too. There's an outtake floating around where he repeatedly gets Jerry to crack up without even saying a word, just facial expressions. It's fantastic. I think it's in this video somewhere

Better Call Saul is off to a great start. The look of the show, the pacing, everything is like Breaking Bad 2, but still its own thing. We both loved it. Odenkirk is just so great as Saul too.

I've been an Odenkirk fan boy since Mr. Show. It makes me really happy to see him doing so well (don't forget he was on Fargo too!) after so many years in relative obscurity. I rewatched most of Mr. Show last summer, and it holds up well. It's all on YouTube these days (I think there was only one episode I couldn't find there), but do watch whole episodes, not clips, you'll miss a lot with random clips. Doesn't matter if you watch the episodes in order.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:48 am

tiny ogre wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:
Nightwish wrote:Slightly offtopic, but I have no idea where to post this.

I'm re-watching Babylon 5 and was surprised to find Brian Cranston on the 5th episode of the 4th season. Sadly, it's a very minor role, so he didn't get to out-shadow anyone.
I vaguely remember that. I think he was a ship's captain of some sort, or something along those lines.
He was just barely on an episode of Seinfeld too. There's an outtake floating around where he repeatedly gets Jerry to crack up without even saying a word, just facial expressions. It's fantastic. I think it's in this video somewhere

He's the dentist that throws great parties.

I had to look up his name; Tim Whatley.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:22 am

Archinerd wrote:
tiny ogre wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:
Nightwish wrote:Slightly offtopic, but I have no idea where to post this.

I'm re-watching Babylon 5 and was surprised to find Brian Cranston on the 5th episode of the 4th season. Sadly, it's a very minor role, so he didn't get to out-shadow anyone.
I vaguely remember that. I think he was a ship's captain of some sort, or something along those lines.
He was just barely on an episode of Seinfeld too. There's an outtake floating around where he repeatedly gets Jerry to crack up without even saying a word, just facial expressions. It's fantastic. I think it's in this video somewhere
He's the dentist that throws great parties.

I had to look up his name; Tim Whatley.

He was possibly one of the most common re-occuring character outside of Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George (Newman would be the most common, I think). Off the top of my head, here are some episodes he was in: the Macy's parade party. The one where he regifts Elaine's gift. The anti-dentite one. The one where he makes his dentist office for adults only.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:37 am

Archinerd wrote:
tiny ogre wrote:
Anonymous Bosch wrote:
Nightwish wrote:Slightly offtopic, but I have no idea where to post this.

I'm re-watching Babylon 5 and was surprised to find Brian Cranston on the 5th episode of the 4th season. Sadly, it's a very minor role, so he didn't get to out-shadow anyone.
I vaguely remember that. I think he was a ship's captain of some sort, or something along those lines.
He was just barely on an episode of Seinfeld too. There's an outtake floating around where he repeatedly gets Jerry to crack up without even saying a word, just facial expressions. It's fantastic. I think it's in this video somewhere
He's the dentist that throws great parties.

I had to look up his name; Tim Whatley.

Jump to 4:11 in the video for when Cranston shows up.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 7:33 pm

Back on topic, I read some interesting commentary elsewhere on the biggest mis-step of the second hour - the attempt to generate tension where none really existed.

I'm talking about the scene in the desert where Tuco is threatening to cut off Jimmy/Saul's finger - or worse. Clearly nothing is going to happen, and if the only point was to set up Jimmy's long defense of the two knuckleheads, it could have been done with a little more subtlety.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 7:39 pm

tgb wrote:the attempt to generate tension where none really existed.

That's going to be a chronic problem for the writers since we know that Saul makes it all the way to Cinnabon intact. Of course *he* doesn't know that, so physical threats can still be a great motivator. But the audience knows that he's effectively immortal.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 8:32 pm

Kraken wrote:
tgb wrote:the attempt to generate tension where none really existed.
That's going to be a chronic problem for the writers since we know that Saul makes it all the way to Cinnabon intact. Of course *he* doesn't know that, so physical threats can still be a great motivator. But the audience knows that he's effectively immortal.

The only real unknown other than the minutia of Jimmy's transformation is the fate of Chuck. Perhaps the writers will focus some of the tension they want to include around that.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:59 pm

Isn't the star of any show pretty much immortal? Unless it's Game of Thrones.