Television Better Call Saul | Includes Breaking Bad Spoilers

ArmchairCritic

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Just watched and thought it was a pretty decent start. Hopefully we won't get too many character appearances from BB and we get to see some new ones develop.
we have already had Mike and Tuco in the first episode
I guess they will be kind of unavoidable but they've already established a serious and compelling storyline focussing more on Saul's career path, there are already several interesting layers and it's not a case of 'here's a classic Saul one-liner' and 'oh look remember this guy from Breaking Bad' ad infinitum.
 

Rado_N

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Thought that was great, really set things up nicely and made it clear it's going to stand on its own well.
 

saivet

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I was a little disappointed. Maybe it's because it wasn't what I expected. Looking forward to see how it goes though.
 

Revan

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Loved it and thought that it was quality.

From the moment I saw the old lady, I knew who will be on the house.
 

Jev

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Just watched and thought it was a pretty decent start. Hopefully we won't get too many character appearances from BB and we get to see some new ones develop.
we have already had Mike and Tuco in the first episode
Mike is a regular on the show.

I liked the two opening episodes a lot. Wasn't overly optimistic going into it but I think if you disregard the weight of expectations and all that, it starts just as promising as BB did.
 

Rado_N

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Mike is a regular on the show.

I liked the two opening episodes a lot. Wasn't overly optimistic going into it but I think if you disregard the weight of expectations and all that, it starts just as promising as BB did.
Two? Only one has been shown, no?
 

ThierryHenry

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Think it's the sort of show to wait for all the episodes to come out and then binge on?
 

MikeUpNorth

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Intrigued by the first ep. Thought it set up the show quite nicely but I felt like it spent a lot of time clearly it's throat. Wait and see I guess.
 

Solius

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First episode was good. Interested to see where it goes.
 

Henrik Larsson

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In breaking bad there's a shot of Saul having a law diploma from the University of American Samoa (which doesn't have a law faculty I think). Wonder if they are going to explain that one in this series :lol:

Liked the first episode, didn't know the second was airing today otherwise I would've waited a little longer.
 

Sylar

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Really fun episode and a good set up. The ending was nice and im glad its a bit more serious than a comedy with one liners here and there. Interested to see where it goes. Have they said it will most likley have a time shift and start before BB but possibly go past the BB timeline? Would be nice if they do.
 

Kazi

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Think it's the sort of show to wait for all the episodes to come out and then binge on?
I think it's better to watch it weekly. Thought the same with Breaking Bad too. It was a bit too slow for binge watching IMO.

Hope there are more new characters rather than relying on old ones.
 

RexHamilton

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Just watched and thought it was a pretty decent start. Hopefully we won't get too many character appearances from BB and we get to see some new ones develop.
we have already had Mike and Tuco in the first episode
Mike's going to be a regular cast member, so you had to expect him. Tuco was a surprise though. :)
 

Shane88

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The writing is great but Odenkirk's delivery makes it ten times better.
 

Lynk

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First episode was good, but I hope they ditch the cameos and callbacks to Breaking Bad. It should be it's own thing, not a show basking in the legacy of another one. It feels like unnecessary fan service. That's always the issue with prequels, you know whats about to go down, therefore it takes the sting and the surprise from the show.
 
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MUFC07

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First episode was good, but I hope they ditch the cameos and callbacks to Breaking Bad. It should be it's own thing, not a show basking in the legacy of another one. It feels like unnecessary fan service. That's always the issue with prequels, you know whats about to go down, therefore it takes the sting and the surprise from the show.
I actually like that we're given context of other characters as well. If you look at it, you'll know what kind of character Walt and Jesse deal with in their starting runs because you're seeing a bit more of him; also, they're using them as introduction to other characters. Tuco's pal looks like he's going to be a great character in this show. We get to know how Saul gets involved with Mike, too. In the end, it's about the Breaking Bad universe, so if Saul is in the business, you'll surely gonna meet the people in the criminal business, they're in Albuquerque...
 

Wowi

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Have they explained what exactly is going on with him?
Not exactly, but I guess he's had a mental break down of some sort. In the first episode they talked about him maybe coming back to work at some point.
 

Mockney

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Have they explained what exactly is going on with him?
Not overtly, but it's heavily implied he has some kind of phobia of electricity.

Thought the second was slightly better than the first, and both of a high enough quality to keep me intrigued. Both Odenkirk & McKean are great. The only problem so far is that you know the principle character (and indeed anyone who shows up from BB) is in no actual danger. The desert scene was great, for example, but the stakes were low for anyone we cared about.

Likewise anyone who doesn't show up in BB,
like Tuco's lieutenant
we know implicitly not to get too attached to.

But it's a built in flaw so that was always going to be the case.
 
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kps88

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Not overtly, but it's heavily implied he has some kind of phobia of electricity.

Thought the second was slightly better than the first, and both of a high enough quality to keep me intrigued. The only problem so far is that you know the principle character is in no actual danger. But that was always going to be the case.
I actually thought it was some sort of disease that meant he couldn't be around electricity; but I just realised how stupid that sounds.

I never understood what people mean by the bolded part. We already know no show would kill off it's principle character anyway (at least not until the end). Apart from killing him or hacking his limbs off, all forms of danger are on the table.
 

Mockney

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I never understood what people mean by the bolded part. We already know no show would kill off it's principle character anyway (at least not until the end). Apart from killing him or hacking his limbs off, all forms of danger are on the table.
True (and I've edited my post to elaborate a bit) but there's more than just Saul in this, and more to danger than death. We know Mike's in no danger. We know Tuco's in no danger, and we know other, smaller things like..

Tuco wasn't going to cut his fingers off.

..for example. We know both who is and who isn't capable of being trouble. But as I say, it's just how the show works, so it's nothing they're doing wrong. It's up to the writers and directors to work within those confines. And so far I think it's pretty good.
 

kps88

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True (and I've edited my post to elaborate a bit) but there's more than just Saul in this, and more to danger than death. We know Mike's in no danger. We know Tuco's in no danger, and we know other, smaller things like..

Tuco wasn't going to cut his fingers off.

for example.
Yeah good point on the supporting characters. It might have been a better idea to just get a new Tuco.
 

Wowi

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Knowing the main character is safe is a weakness of pretty much all shows in fairness. But yeah, knowing that certain characters from BB won't die is a bit of weakness, but that's why they'll introduce new ones.
 

Mockney

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Yeah good point on the supporting characters. It might have been a better idea to just get a new Tuco.
Yeah, they probably should have. I expect that's what Tuco's lieutenant (who I liked btw) is there for, but even by his association with Tuco we know his story options are limited. He can't, for example, take over the business. And if he goes against Tuco in anyway, we know how that'll end, 'cos he's not in BB.

That's not to say they can't make him a great character, or do something unexpected with him. It just limits the options a fair bit.
 

Donut

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I didn't think they could make a whole show about Saul, but so far so good, I'm loving it.

Is it the same creator as BB? Because it definitely feels almost exactly like it, which of course is a good thing.
 

Adam-Utd

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I didn't think they could make a whole show about Saul, but so far so good, I'm loving it.

Is it the same creator as BB? Because it definitely feels almost exactly like it, which of course is a good thing.
Yes, Vince Gilligan.
 

RexHamilton

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Really enjoying this. Another really good episode. The scene in Tuco's house was very Breaking Bad.
 

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Love it so far. It's like continuing breaking bad without the risk of ruining it, and with one of the best characters.
 

Sally Cinnamon

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I know Mike's going to have a bigger role to play but his scenes so far make me laugh. Reminds me of that bit in Fargo when Buscemi loses it.

"Here's your four dollars ya pathetic piece a shit."