Better Call Saul

[agrazela]

OK, so I see there is a long-running Walking Dead thread, and that there was a Breaking Bad thread, both of which mention good ol' Saul.

But I think Slippin' Jimmy deserves his own thread as much as his own show.

(And if you haven't watched yet, probably spoilers below)
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So, thoughts on the first three episodes so far?

One thought: this EMR-based "disability" or whatever that Jimmy's brother has, is that just mental illness / tinfoil hat (or suit!) stuff, or is there some actual known physical disorder?

Another thought: it's supposed to be what, 2002 or so? Did they even have those stupid family stick figure stickers for car windows then?


Also, predictions?

I figure Jimmy will offer a deal to the Kettlemans where he takes a big cut of the loot in return for representing them as innocent (he can't let the HHM law firm represent them, not if he wants the dough)...though I'm not sure how that explains the missing money. Jimmy will offer Nacho a cut to shut up and take the rap (and maybe a short jail stay) for a simple B&E on the Kettlemans' house; Nacho will take the deal, but demand more later...and certainly get Jimmy involved in some deeper **** over time. Mike will sniff this out and demand a cut, too, though Jimmy will surely want something from Mike for that, maybe to get rid of his Nacho problem. So Jimmy will have expended a lot of effort and broken a bunch of laws, ultimately for just a little bit of money (seems to be his MO at the moment).

(Maybe all of that is obvious...I kinda hope I'm wrong and the plot is NOT going to be so obvious!)

 

[robfar]

Jimmy's older brother is "hypersensitive" to EMR. There's a town in West Va. that has government radio telescopes and all EMR-generating is banned. No cell phones, combustion engines, flourescent lights, WiFi. People with this disorder (real or imagined) are flocking to this town.

We're all waiting for Jimmy the loser goofball to become the slick shyster we knew in BB. Will he take the Kettleman's payoff and start down the path? I feel this is quickly becoming "must watch."

 

[b-boy]

Great show so far. I'm going to have a hard time keeping the bad guys straight. I know they were all in Breaking Bad, but I can't remember which part of the series they were a part of. I'm sure it will get worse as the show progresses.

 

[Ridire]

I'm pissed that I watched those three episodes...I don't have time to have a "regular show" I have to watch every week...

 

[vanishingpint]

I also was not wanting another show I have to watch or dvr every week ,but dammit BCS is too good not to watch.Have to add it to Walking Dead ,Hell On Wheels and Archer.

 

[kpr121]

Eh, it wasn't the fly, but that's one of those classic gilligan standstill slow episodes

 

[A2HB]

This one definitely did not advance the plot in any meaningful way. I kept waiting for that something to happen to pull it all together, and it never came. Oh well I'll still be watching it next week

 

[drainbamage]

I've been watching and enjoying it so far, although I haven't seen this week's episode yet.

One thought: this EMR-based "disability" or whatever that Jimmy's brother has, is that just mental illness / tinfoil hat (or suit!) stuff, or is there some actual known physical disorder?

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS) is apparently a thing, at least in the sense that there is a broadly-defined set of symptoms that some people think is caused by our constant exposure to EMFs. So far the scientific community has been unable to positively link the condition with EMF exposure. Sounds like it could possibly be psychosomatic?

http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/facts/fs296/en/

 

[Pyg]

This is a brilliant, well made show.
And I am the only one that I know that watches it.
Gives me a reason to look forward to Mondays.

I dont think Jimmy is slimy or a "bad Guy". I think he is doing his best to be successful and will never be able to compete against the "Hamlins" of the world.
I think at some point he realizes that he thinks quick and exploits a niche that needs a lawyer like him.

 

[nutty_gnome]

I am really digging BCS. The first three episodes were amazing and engrossing. Then they downshifted to coast a bit with episode 4... but I think now that Saul has established he is going to fight to get his name out there and get clients, the pace will pick up again. I am looking forward to many more episodes!

 

[hunter_le five]

Better or worse than Breaking Bad?

 

[zach976]

Worse

 

[btbnl]

I'm having a disagreement with a friend about the "Hero" episode.

When Jimmy puts up the billboard, I argue that he knows that it won't pass muster and it's a set-up for the hero-lawyer scam all along, whereas he says the scam was Jimmy thinking on his feet once he'd been told to take the billboard down. Thoughts?

Also, is anyone else having issues streaming on the AMC website? I have to turn adblocker off to get it to play at all, and then the show keeps playing for 10-15s under a blank screen while the ads are being downloaded. It also freezes for the last 2 minutes of every episode.

 

[hunter_le five]

Worse

Think I'll pass then.

 

[LakeErieMonster]

Better or worse than Breaking Bad?

To soon to tell. Definitely different and definitely very good.
It will be hard to be better than Breaking Bad...

 

[lstorie1971]

Betsy is A-OK.

 

[Ridire]

I'm having a disagreement with a friend about the "Hero" episode.

When Jimmy puts up the billboard, I argue that he knows that it won't pass muster and it's a set-up for the hero-lawyer scam all along, whereas he says the scam was Jimmy thinking on his feet once he'd been told to take the billboard down. Thoughts?

Also, is anyone else having issues streaming on the AMC website? I have to turn adblocker off to get it to play at all, and then the show keeps playing for 10-15s under a blank screen while the ads are being downloaded. It also freezes for the last 2 minutes of every episode.

You are correct, in my opinion. He is clearly distraught after the judge orders him to remove it. There is nobody watching him at that time to be played, so I think he came up with it as he was sitting in the courthouse, fuming over the ruling.

 

[Pyg]

Better or worse than Breaking Bad?

Not as good as BB, but miles ahead better than most of what is on TV these days!

I'm having a disagreement with a friend about the "Hero" episode.

When Jimmy puts up the billboard, I argue that he knows that it won't pass muster and it's a set-up for the hero-lawyer scam all along, whereas he says the scam was Jimmy thinking on his feet once he'd been told to take the billboard down. Thoughts?

Also, is anyone else having issues streaming on the AMC website? I have to turn adblocker off to get it to play at all, and then the show keeps playing for 10-15s under a blank screen while the ads are being downloaded. It also freezes for the last 2 minutes of every episode.

I dont think he had the entire plan when he put the billboard up, however I think he knew putting the billboard up it would lead to something as it would not be able to stay. He went into get a suit and rattled off all the colors he wanted, knowing that it was just like Hamlins.
He wanted to advertise but annoy Hamlin at the same time. When that failed he tried to call all the media outlets and get his name out there as a victim and thereby get free advertising.
When the media did not care he came up with the Hero scam.

 

[btbnl]

You are correct, in my opinion. He is clearly distraught after the judge orders him to remove it. There is nobody watching him at that time to be played, so I think he came up with it as he was sitting in the courthouse, fuming over the ruling.

Actually you're agreeing with my friend, but I still disagree. The only time he's alone and stressing is when he's phoning the press, and he needs someone to cover the story for the scam to work.

I think it's set in motion when he's sat at the table with the money saying "this is the rock on which I build my church" (or some such). Potentially blowing it all on a nose-thumbing gesture isn't building on a rock.

 

[hezagenius]

So does everyone think him rescuing that guy was planned before he fell? I didn't get that sense as it played out but maybe I missed something. When the guy who fell said "Took you long enough", I didn't read that as a pre-planned thing. But maybe it was. Hmm...

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

Didn't he slip the worker some cash? To me, that clearly shows that the crisis was made up.

As for the relative with the sensitivity to EMF, only one country in the world recognizes it as a real disorder (Sweden, Norway, or Finland....I forget which exactly), and no one has successfully completed a blind test for sensitivity. It would be huge news if people feel low levels of harmless radio and microwave (cell phone) radiation. The guy is nuts.

 

[kpr121]

Definitely think he had at least some of it planned out. Maybe the whole thing. That’s going to be the premise of the show I believe. Slippin Jimmy has some wild convoluted plan to get what he wants, sometimes it works out perfectly, other times something goes sour along the way and we get to watch him squirm his way around/out of it. A lot like Breaking Bad in that sense.

As far as comparison to BB, I don’t think it will be as good of a series but could be just as enjoyable to watch. To me the humor that Jimmy/Saul brings to the table is far more entertaining than every third episode seeing four guys out in the desert wondering whose going to get shot.

I’ve been meaning to try to catch some of the BB episodes where Saul was first introduced to see if there’s any foreshadowing (backshadowing?) to give hints of where Saul’s been in his life. Clearly at times during BB it seemed like Saul was very uncomfortable with what WW was doing, which makes you think if WW was the worst character Saul’s ever had to deal with (obviously at the end of BB, Walt was a monster, I’m talking about earlier in the show).

 

[firerat]

Of course it was a plan to have the worker fall. That seemed pretty obvious. Whether or not it was planned before the billboard was to come down is debatable. But it was definitely planned out.

That's what this show will likely center around. Jimmy's crazy schemes and the people they put him into contact with. Because of his skater twins idea, he met the Mexican drug dealer guy. (forgot his name)

Which in turn got him "connected" so to speak with Mike. (the old parking toll dude)

The we see a younger Jimmy pulling a drunk guy passed out in the alley scheme.

BTW, did anyone catch what Saul Goodman actually means?

 

[nutty_gnome]

No worries, it'S ALL GOOD MAN!

 

[btbnl]

Nacho and Tuco are clearly going to be back, but I think it would have been a mistake to jump too heavily into that from the get go.

It's no BB, nor should it try to be.

 

[hezagenius]

Didn't he slip the worker some cash? To me, that clearly shows that the crisis was made up.

I missed the cash exchanging hands. When did that happen?

The more I thought about it, it was pretty obviously a setup. That was the whole point of the flashback to when he tricked that guy at the beginning.

 

[vanishingpint]

I kind of agree with Pyg.When he couldn't get any media coverage so he set up the hero scam ,but I could be wrong.I thought I was wrong once but found out later I was right.So I've never been wrong.Except that time .

 

[Barley_Bob]

I think he planned the billboard stunt from the beginning. Why else would he put so much effort into matching it, and why would he have such a laissez faire attitude when he absolutely knew it would cause legal action and he knew he would lose. This is his first purchase with ill-gotten money too, so it can certainly be viewed as the beginning of his path to corruption (or a relapse to corruption). It was criminal to take the money in the first place, so what the heck? May as well use it in some kind of scheme.

As far as backshadowing goes, I can think of a little. It's pretty clear he'll start laundering his money through the nail salon and it explains why he pushes a nail salon as a laundering tool in BB.

I'm not ready to commit to whether or not the show is better than BB. It is pretty good so far. There have been some intense moments and some big laughs. At the line "This is the rock on which I build my church," I was hooked. Awesome moment. Very much in the style of BB, but certainly given a different texture by Saul Goodman. I'm trying to temper my expectations, but this is worth watching.

 

[btbnl]

I think he planned the billboard stunt from the beginning. Why else would he put so much effort into matching it, and why would he have such a laissez faire attitude when he absolutely knew it would cause legal action and he knew he would lose. This is his first purchase with ill-gotten money too, so it can certainly be viewed as the beginning of his path to corruption (or a relapse to corruption). It was criminal to take the money in the first place, so what the heck? May as well use it in some kind of scheme.

Exactly! He even talks about the money as the rock on which he'll build his business.

I did like the scene where he writes an invoice for the bribe ... not sure if that's just for accounting purposes, or he's trying to convince himself too.

 

[firerat]

Breaking Bad is going to be damn hard to beat.

I like this show so far. I don't see the need to compare.

 

[Barley_Bob]

I did like the scene where he writes an invoice for the bribe ... not sure if that's just for accounting purposes, or he's trying to convince himself too.

He's trying to bill it so he doesn't get slapped with tax fraud or investigated for taking bribes. Same deal Walter went through in BB. But then Walter had Saul to rely on. One way or another, you need to get the cash to a place where you can spend it without drawing attention. Slippin' Jimmy knows the game.

 

[Ridire]

Didn't he slip the worker some cash? To me, that clearly shows that the crisis was made up.

As for the relative with the sensitivity to EMF, only one country in the world recognizes it as a real disorder (Sweden, Norway, or Finland....I forget which exactly), and no one has successfully completed a blind test for sensitivity. It would be huge news if people feel low levels of harmless radio and microwave (cell phone) radiation. The guy is nuts.

Clearly the worker was a plant. The question was, did he plan that before he even put the billboard up. I say no, for the reasons I stated earlier.

 

[vanishingpint]

I agree with Ridire but won't argue with Barley Bob. Krieger's too damn scary.

 

[Barley_Bob]

You are correct, in my opinion. He is clearly distraught after the judge orders him to remove it. There is nobody watching him at that time to be played, so I think he came up with it as he was sitting in the courthouse, fuming over the ruling.

I disagree... That's not to say you can't be right, but I think he's good enough of a con man that he can pull it off. I also think that he can still be pissed off he has to take it down, and believe the situation is unjust, but also know that it's part of the plan.

His anxiety after the ruling could easily be due to the fact that he can't get a news outlet to cover it. I wondered, as I was watching him make the calls, why he was doing it in such a public place. He could even be making the calls in his car. But he chose to do it in the courthouse - I think to add credibility to the incident. If he showed up at the billboard with a kid and a camera, having never called another news agency, let alone several, it all looks more staged. His public embarrassment at being turned down makes his story seem more authentic. Sure, it would have been better had a news agency showed up, but he had to go through the motion, and he had a backup plan (or he at least came up with one).

 

[Barley_Bob]

I agree with Ridire but won't argue with Barley Bob. Krieger's too damn scary.

I've got nothing. Every time I try to think of an answer to this, I just start laughing.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

I have nothing meaningful to add other than this is my new favorite must watch show. The only other person I know who watches it is my wife, and she really doesn't like it.

She didn't like breaking bad until almost the end of the first season, the. She was hooked like a fiend. I predict the same thing to happen again with this show. It is simply too good and too dark not to.

 

[agrazela]

I think Jimmy planned the whole worker rescue from the moment he took the money.

We already know he's good at planning out cons. He berated the Kettlemans to Kim as "not being masterminds," and he asked the Kettlemans what their plan was (which they did not have)--implying that Jimmy is a "planner." His evening discussion with Kim about how he was going to war with Hamlin was too ominous to just be about the billboard alone. As Barley Bob says, he treated the hearing before the judge as if he didn't really care one way or the other what the ruling would be, and he did have his long checklist of news outlets ready the very moment the hearing was over.

 

[Ridire]

I disagree... That's not to say you can't be right, but I think he's good enough of a con man that he can pull it off. I also think that he can still be pissed off he has to take it down, and believe the situation is unjust, but also know that it's part of the plan.

His anxiety after the ruling could easily be due to the fact that he can't get a news outlet to cover it. I wondered, as I was watching him make the calls, why he was doing it in such a public place. He could even be making the calls in his car. But he chose to do it in the courthouse - I think to add credibility to the incident. If he showed up at the billboard with a kid and a camera, having never called another news agency, let alone several, it all looks more staged. His public embarrassment at being turned down makes his story seem more authentic. Sure, it would have been better had a news agency showed up, but he had to go through the motion, and he had a backup plan (or he at least came up with one).

It is also possible, I suppose, that his panic after the hearing wasn't about losing. Maybe it was because his plan relied on a third party he couldn't control (the media), and the fact that he needed their cooperation ASAP. Pretty much as you said. I can buy that explanation.

I think we are WAY over analyzing this.

 

[agrazela]

I think we are WAY over analyzing this.

I think a sign of good storytelling is that we can analyze it. That's what keeps us coming back for more!

 

[agrazela]

OK three things:

1) What kind of police department has the time and manpower to investigate "The Case of the Stolen Newspaper?"

2) Jimmy's been looking for a good case, why not "The Case of the Cops Tazed my Bro Just Because he has some Camping Gear?" (Other than the fact I guess that Bro wouldn't do well in a courtroom...CCTV maybe?)

3) Does that Kim character get hotter every week or what?