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"Better Call Saul" series finale Monday, August 15 (new Odenkirk show on AMC)

I think there's a difference between a show not knowing what it wants to be and one that offers up a lot of diametrically opposed episodes, characters, and themes. Saul waded through the Breaking Bad world of murder, betrayal, and risk with the same kind of levity you get in bigger doses here. I think the show's use of color, humor, and even some of its stereotyping is pretty intelligent. You've got the rich lawyer, the crazy relative, the embittered philly cop... Then you have the path of Slippin' Jimmy. I think having the talking toilet scene one day and a dark murder the next is what makes the show work. And when the two angles collide it's been pretty great so far.

You ruin the show if you dump the levity or the drama. When I heard they were doing a Saul spin-off I didn't think it would work - why take a goof instead of someone like Gus? But I think they're pulling it off, and until GoT arrives it's topping the weekly list of stuff to watch for me.

YES. I actually think the show has been pretty fun so far. Breaking Bad, for all its greatness, could be really dark and heavy. It's fun to watch a show that has the potential to go there (like the Mike ep) but can also be a bit lighter. I've been pleasantly surprised at this season so far.
 
Townie, I think the showrunner is in charge. He was in charge of BB and is one of the people in charge here. The tone and pace are similar. He gets credit. He hires everybody who executed his vision.

And showrunners are in charge. Period. Other people may make other decisions, but at the end of the day, the show is the showrunner's executed vision.
 
i like mrs kettleman

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She also played the wife of the sheriff who killed in the Fargo series.
 
I remembered her from Line of Fire, an early 00s TV show that I'm pretty sure nobody except me watched.
 
http://www.hngn.com/articles/78648/20150319/breaking-bad-spinoff-better-call-saul-is-worth-watching.htm

"Through the first few episodes, some critics and Breaking Baddicts panned "Saul" for its slow pace. Yet it was the show's unhurried stride that treated fans to small, human moments that saw Jimmy McGill attempt to be a better person. These attempts provided a handful of sobering, sweet, serious and humorous moments and gave viewers a glimpse into who Saul was long before Heisenberg ever started cooking. How he takes care of his brother, his relationship with Kim, his moral test with Tuco and the teenage twins. All of these painted the picture of a real character, not just the caricature he was in the show's predecessor."
 
Did the people who complain about the pace watch Breaking Bad? The first 50 episodes took place over only one year.
 
doubt it. he's drawn a bizarre line in the sand on this one.
 
I'm often wrong. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There's not nearly the emotional resonance for me yet. I really like Michael McKean's character. The episode where he went to the hospital was my favorite yet. He's a really strong character and I'm emotionally invested. I like the humanizing aspects of Jimmy, what he's doing for his brother, how he's trying to outpace the shit he used to pull back home, how he won't take the easy money from BIGLAW and sacrifice his brother's career. Good writing as always, great pacing and cinematography. It's just that none of it feels new and interesting anymore now that we've had Breaking Bad. Saul and Mike were not two characters that I necessarily needed to get the emotional backstories of their lives after watching the series. To me it's like the second album from a band that had an unbeatable debut, just not as satisfying unless you're a fanboy willing to forgive some mistakes.

I'll let y'all slobber over it in peace. I like it ok, I just haven't been hooked yet. By the end of episode 2 of Breaking Bad, I thought I was watching what could end up being the best television series of all time. Most of the way through this season, I feel like, heh this is good fun.
 
Other notable times I've been very, very wrong:

When I said RGIII was gonna be better than Andrew Luck.
When I said Mad Men was gonna get canceled in the first season because Jon Hamm and January Jones are terrible actors (they are, but the show is incredible).
When I thought there was no way "ladling cheese into [my] beard" was gonna stick as a board meme.
When I totally went for it with Madison White in 7th grade (lesbian).

So it happens.
 
I was afraid they'd lean too heavily on the levity side but they are blending it nicely with the drama so far
 
To me it's like the second album from a band that had an unbeatable debut, just not as satisfying unless you're a fanboy willing to forgive some mistakes.
If you compare BCS to BB it's going to suck

BB focused on Walter White, one of the greatest TV characters of all time
 
Other notable times I've been very, very wrong:

When I said RGIII was gonna be better than Andrew Luck.
When I said Mad Men was gonna get canceled in the first season because Jon Hamm and January Jones are terrible actors (they are, but the show is incredible).
When I thought there was no way "ladling cheese into [my] beard" was gonna stick as a board meme.
When I totally went for it with Madison White in 7th grade (lesbian).

So it happens.

to be fair, the cheese ladling thing is more making fun of when RJ thought he was being clever (to me anyway).
 
If you compare BCS to BB it's going to suck

BB focused on Walter White, one of the greatest TV characters of all time

exactly

"well band X isn't as good as led zeppelin therefore they suck" is the argument here
 
There is plenty of room below great, or GOAT, to appreciate something else.
 
Yea, so like I acknowledged, I have to stop comparing the two shows. Which is really hard when the look, feel, and characters overlap so much. But I'll try. For this thread.
 
There's an 80% chance that anything townie says is wrong or a lie, I guess
 
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