Better Call Saul

I think the average no of scenes/sequences per ep is decreasing

lol wins

i'd watch a single-shot BCS ep

this was pretty great; as with Americans, it's most interesting when it moves slowly and stays focused

So psyched to watch this. I've been priming the pump by rewatching X-Files and realizing that Gilligan's episodes were often the best.

at this point, i consider Saul to just be an extension of Breaking Bad in terms of quality. Considering Gilligan's starting his eighth season at this level, i can't think of anyone else in television who's been able to sustain this greatness this long.

i'm rewatching breaking bad right now, and just got to the first few episodes in season 2 where saul is introduced. obviously BCS is a prequel and there are connections to the breaking bad universe, but it'll be interesting to see how much they try to connect the two stories, especially saul's personality. in breaking bad, of course, he's introduced as this kind of dirtbag lawyer who only cares about making money. it's kind of jarring to see the scene in breaking bad where he gets kidnapped by walt and jesse - just before they nab him late at night as he's walking out of his office, saul is hitting on his secretary and asking if he can follow her home. that fits in with his breaking bad character (at least how he's first portrayed), but after the first two BCS seasons, it doesn't really seem like something he would do.

I haven't watched yet but in general BCS seems like its plotting the arc of Jimmy just totally giving up and going full dirtbag/ie becoming Saul and that the showrunners are fully aware of this

There was a brief Odenkirk interview in the NYT where he confirms we'll see the first overt shift into Saul-dom this season and mentions that reading the script in question made him really sad.

at this point, i consider Saul to just be an extension of Breaking Bad in terms of quality. Considering Gilligan's starting his eighth season at this level, i can't think of anyone else in television who's been able to sustain this greatness this long.

― Bobson Dugnutt (ulysses), Tuesday, April 11, 2017 12:31 PM (two hours ago)

it's always sunny and the simpsons come to mind, but those are half-hour comedies rather than hour-long dramas

also imo BB was pretty patchy

Unless you're talking about the inimitable Al Jean (which I suspect you are not), The Simpsons didn't have a single showrunner carrying them through nearly a decade of amazingly-solid TV so I'm not sure the comparison applies.

this "single showrunner" thing is a relatively new phenomenon

ah good point xp

xpost Eh, kinda, but you did at least have big name producers/creators back in the day who presumably maintained some degree of quality control.

always sunny seems like the gold standard for this with comedies, yes... they've actually been consistently good longer than the simpsons imo!
but simpler times

Loved all the Mike scenes this week, although took me a while to work out what he was up to.

So this has aired already in Murica? Must stop clicking bookmark!

Already on UK Netflix too

^ Yeah

It airs in the US on the Monday night and is then available over here on Netflix on the Tuesday

Oh fuck I thought it was next week for some reason. Nice surprise.

So did Chuck intend for Ernesto to hear the tape?

On Mike's espionage, wouldn't they have just replaced the battery in the old bug rather than taken it away? Wasteful.

I was also thinking that, but I suppose when you trying to discreetly plant a tracker on someones car - speed and stealth will be more important. And the tape recorder being on play and the ott reaction deffo seemed contrived and part of some cunning plan.

Not to mention his smug move with the tongs once Ernie left

ulysses otm; the inching forward of the gene timeline (omg this has different timelines, how mindbending lol) is more impactful than any number of EXPLOSIVE season openings

I like the way Mike shows his ex-cop stakeout craft to perfection. Like he has the discipline to sit in a darkened room for hours (with just some pistachios for company!).

I suppose part of the reason Fring ends up employing him is that he realises Mike has skills way beyond any of his happy amateur goons.

Well, the full reason I should have said.

I just want to say how much I appreciate that the mechanics of the tracker switch-off were shown in loving detail but never overtly explained. It's so refreshing to have to actually think about what characters on a TV show are doing and why they're doing it rather than having the writers hammer it all into the brains of their half-engaged viewership. Mike is a smart and skilled dude, so I enjoy feeling like he's at least a step or two ahead of me, a decidedly less smart and skilled dude.

yep, it takes a strong creative team to trust that they're a little in front of you and show not tell

https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/1dkcej/never_eat_pistachios_in_the_dark/

protein

I think chuck's plotting will end up being like the ricin thing, one of those schemes that rely on everyone involved reacting in exactly the way the schemer predicts they will - I really have no idea where they're going with it though, apart from a vague idea that he's trying to foment discord between Jimmy & Kim.

Yeah. Agreed.

I am intrigued by what Chuck is planning. Suppose Ernesto does tell Jimmy about the tape--as Chuck and Howard already discussed, Jimmy will know that the tape wouldn't be useful in court. So other than having further proof that his brother is out to get him, why would Jimmy even be stressed about it?

Kim

I noticed there appears to be a companion Talking programme to this now. Is that new. Is that just becoming standard to everything remotely intriguing these days?
Things not cheapened by the gossip level?
Did Dr Who get one yet?

I've only noticed it with AMC shows (Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul... I think Preacher may have had one?)

Game of Thrones has one as well. Or maybe that's just in the UK?

Talking Dead and a few others too

Doctor Who has one in Australia now. The host opened the first episode by introducing the panel, then saying "Forget about the episode we just watched, [SCREAMS SPOILER ABOUT NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE], let's talk about that!"

The real eye opener is the accompanying podcast

For B.B./BCS I mean

The podcast is great

Are they doing one this season?

premiere was okay, obviously a slow burn w a specific focus. I did wonder what the point of all those shots of Kim deciding on whether or not to use a period, a semi-colon or an en-dash was though.

presumed it was playing on (and, not incidentally reminding the audience of) her obsession with doing things properly

a mountain that can be a rising line graph... or falling
the fuckup of the paint as jimmy veers away from his brother's method of patient methodical tape rolling
thug in the car circling "trajectory" on the word search
the tip off of just why the tape was made at the start of the episode leading to payoff IN THE SAME EPISODE so that we don't get in front of the story
the mirrored plots of mike and jimmy on opposite sides of the law
the obvious but teasing reveals of the Pollos Hermanos sign and of Esposito sweeping up
so many lengthy silent sequences, brilliantly framed with such an eye to detail... the out of focus spider running on the tarmac as mike's head breaks the rounded horizon line
just bravado work front to back

Gilligans direction was incredible this ep. I love that they're not afraid to be corny or obvious (trajectory, a little crooked) but with such panache

Saul's secretary! That was bigger than gus for me

I know! So unexpected.

There must have been, what, a full thirty dialogue-free minutes between the first two episodes of the season? That takes chutzpah. And to make it work takes serious skill.

I loved his oh so covert staking out of Pollos Hermanos, for a bit of comic relief. But overall, yeah that was a technically stunning and perfect ep.

My favorite little detail this week was the fact that Jimmy has a velcro wallet. That just seems so perfectly Jimmy.

"this guy REALLY doesn't want to talk about cracker barrel" got a belly laugh out of me