Better Call Saul: Season 6

[Guest Lobo]

I think so.  That's what I'm planning on.  Order it the day of the premiere to take advantage of the first month free.  Then have to pay for a whole month to get the last 1 or 2 episodes.  Then cancel it.  then another free trial through another credit card on July 11 and then pay for a full month to get the last 1-2 episodes of the second bloc of the season.  

I gotta write this on my hardcopy calendar or I'll forget. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,507]

On 4/4/2022 at 10:39 PM, 4doorsMoreWhores said:

"biznatch" has become part of me and wife's lexicon 

Be careful using it as an insult to a stranger. You never know if you're directing it towards Tuco's abuelita.

[shadow_operative 15,932]

On 4/4/2022 at 5:23 PM, NorthLoop said:

Damn I've rewatched BB like 3 times. I don't think I could do that with BCS, and I love BCS.

BB is gripping television. BCS is a fine show. They aren't in the same league. the gamut of emotions that i ran through while watching BB is essentially unparalleled for me. maybe LOST comes the closest in that regard. my needle hardly moves at all while watching BCS, at least compared to BB. i enjoy the show, but watching it for me is like watching Texas beat Rice 48-14. BB was the goddamn 2006 Rose Bowl.

Edited April 6, 2022 by shadow_operative

[4doorsMoreWhores 107]

Well I like BCS better. To me Bob Odenkirk is more entertaining and charismatic and while BB was great, to me is was a little overrated and sometimes it seemed like it just tried a little too hard...if that makes any sense. Anyway, to each his own but I have enjoyed BCS more. Fight me, biznatches!

[Al_4_ISU 12,447]

3 minutes ago, 4doorsMoreWhores said:

Well I like BCS better. To me Bob Odenkirk is more entertaining and charismatic and while BB was great, to me is was a little overrated and sometimes it seemed like it just tried a little too hard...if that makes any sense. Anyway, to each his own but I have enjoyed BCS more. Fight me, biznatches!

No.  BB is the pinnacle of television up to this point.

It never over-stayed it's welcome, it was meticulous about keeping continuity and minimizing (if not eliminating) plot holes, everything that happened was at least theoretically possible (special effects never went to insane places), it's pacing was brilliant and closer to the way life would play out (as opposed to Ozark which is a never ending series of immediate threats that the main characters always weasel out of), it wasn't afraid to kill off beloved and important characters, and it ended perfectly.

I'll admit I'm very biased on this subject, but I have a hard time coming up with a criticism of Breaking Bad.  Maybe the only one is that the final "bad guys" didn't enter the universe until later on and weren't important throughout the show's development.  The show could have just ended at the end of Season 4 and it would have been a masterpiece.  However, Season 5 allowed Walt to go full evil (IE "break bad"), but slightly earn some redemption and that made for great storytelling.

[Al_4_ISU 12,447]

14 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

BB is gripping television. BCS is a fine show. They aren't in the same league. the gamut of emotions that i ran through while watching BB is essentially unparalleled for me. maybe LOST comes the closest in that regard. my needle hardly moves at all while watching BCS, at least compared to BB. i enjoy the show, but watching it for me is like watching Texas beat Rice 48-14. BB was the goddamn 2006 Rose Bowl.

Agreed.  It's the only work of art that's ever truly disturbed me.  The episode where Jesse is held hostage by the tweaker couple shook me to the point that I had to drink to fall myself to sleep that night just to shut my brain off.

[mchookem 16,318]

yeah... i'm not sure I could even compare them, it's kind of like... comparing Deadwood to Seinfeld or something lol.

BCS is so character- and dialogue-centric, 'a good guy has a crazy brother and a loyal girlfriend and becomes a lawyer despite being a bit of a con artist at heart'... doesn't sound like much on paper but it's just excellently executed with fantastic acting. 

the BB world is huge compared to that, so much grander in scope and scale despite being set in the same world, yet never gets into fantasy territory (like Ozark, as stated).

the overlap (Mike, Gus, etc) is masterful at tying the two shows together, and that's all in the writing for BCS...for me it's like we get these little BB vignettes dropped into BCS, with increasing frequency and importance, but still mostly separate from Jimmy's story...but they are eventually going to intersect and overlap.

or something like that lol.

[Not a cat 5,652]

Watching season 5.  Nacho has perfected the facial expression of you've got to be fucking kidding me.  Just conveys his thoughts perfectly.

[Lurch 5,922]

Agreed.  It's the only work of art that's ever truly disturbed me.  The episode where Jesse is held hostage by the tweaker couple shook me to the point that I had to drink to fall myself to sleep that night just to shut my brain off.

Season 2, Episode 2 with Tio and the burrito fucked me up. I think we sat in silence for 30 solid minutes after that episode finished

[Al_4_ISU 12,447]

14 minutes ago, Lurch said:

Season 2, Episode 2 with Tio and the burrito fucked me up. I think we sat in silence for 30 solid minutes after that episode finished

That one is so god damn intense.

[Al_4_ISU 12,447]

What made Breaking Bad (and Better Call Saul as well) so good were the episodes that developed character more than they advanced plot.  There would be little moments that were significant to the plot, but it wasn't always just this rush of action and adrenaline.

[Augustus 3,061]

Breaking Bad had some of the best cold opens I've ever seen.

Jesse's car bouncing up and down, which we hear before we see, riddled with bullets, shell casings everywhere...

Disturbing as hell.

[shadow_operative 15,932]

started the series over this morning, and while it's all coming back to me as i watch it, i really have no memory of the details of these earlier seasons. i'd forgotten how good the first few episodes were. great scene/line just now, from when jimmy found the kettlemans in the woods:

mr.kettleman: "can we talk about this?"

jimmy: "no, we can't, cuz we're done here. pick up your stuff, bury your scat, cuz we're heading back."

[aggie08 21,481]

I just started watching Season 5 and remember very little about the previous 4. Can someone explain Nacho's living situation to me in 3 sentences or less?

[Tom 2,959]

I like both shows, but the whole BB vs BCS boils down to this for me.  I watched BB as a stand-alone show and it was as close to a perfect series as you could get.  I really enjoy BCS, but I don't know if I would have made it through the first three seasons of McGill vs McGill if I wasn't already acquainted with several of the characters and their future storylines.  BCS doesn't get 6 seasons if BB doesn't already exist.

[Wade 464]

9 hours ago, 4doorsMoreWhores said:

Well I like BCS better. To me Bob Odenkirk is more entertaining and charismatic and while BB was great, to me is was a little overrated and sometimes it seemed like it just tried a little too hard...if that makes any sense. Anyway, to each his own but I have enjoyed BCS more. Fight me, biznatches!

I don't know if I'd phrase BB like that, but I get what you're saying.  Just did a rewatch, and found myself wishing Gilligan had spent more luxurious time (as he did with BCS) on mundane matters.  For instance, the period where Walt is living alone in the apartment, happily cooking for Gus with Gabe in that awesome creation, was one of my favorite periods of the show.  I think it only lasted for one episode or so, maybe less.  It's like we didn't need constant life of death drama to enjoy the show.

[GTX Horn 1,707]

It’s hard to compare the 2 because they’re both great in their own right. I will say after rewatching season 5 after it dropped on Netflix, it can definitely hold its own against the best seasons of Breaking Bad. Now that I’m more or less refreshed on what happened in season 5, I’m interested in where they go from there. I suspect Kim is going to fail badly in her attempt to take out Howard and that will ultimately be the end of her and Jimmy which is why she’s not in the picture in the Breaking Bad timeline. I’m also curious how many Gene-centric episodes we’ll get

[NorthLoop 14,180]

Kim either dies or has to go witness protection (or the cleaning guy).. I think we'll see her and Gene meet up in Kansas or Nebraska (she's originally from around there right?)

[Wade 464]

In BB Saul is concerned about Lalo.  Means he survives season 6?  As for Kim, what would set Jimmy off more than have her run off with Lalo?  Just a thought.

[billfromlaketravis 11,445]

As I’ve said before, Jimmy can’t become Saul with a good woman like Kim by his side. I think they end badly, and she tells Jimmy she never wants to se him again. Jimmy respects her decision because if you love something set it free, and he doesn’t want her to get killed. 

[RPM 26,315]

2 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Kim either dies or has to go witness protection (or the cleaning guy).. I think we'll see her and Gene meet up in Kansas or Nebraska (she's originally from around there right?)

She's a Royals fan, so somewhere midwest. I never thought to look at the license plate of her Mom's car in the flashback when she's a kid waiting on her Mom to pick her up from school in S5.

[Al_4_ISU 12,447]

Kim is from Nebraska. She’s stated it in dialogue

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,507]

11 hours ago, aggie08 said:

I just started watching Season 5 and remember very little about the previous 4. Can someone explain Nacho's living situation to me in 3 sentences or less?

You mean his 2 drugged girlfriends? I believe we’re left to guess what is happening there. I did notice that one of the girls disappeared when Nacho’s dad showed up. 

Spoiler

Just finished season 5, and I’m surprised that Mike didn’t clean up Sauls car in the desert. He and Fring’s guys knew to clean up the massacre site but not haul the car out of the ravine? Sloppy work Mike. Of course, the car needed to be there for Lalo to discover.

I find belief gaps with the massacre scene. Mike just happened to know exactly where that would occur? Perhaps it was a possible location but low odds Mike would be in the right spot. Poor writing.

 

[Guest Lobo]

20 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Kim is from Nebraska. She’s stated it in dialogue

I think I remember this.  Which may explain why Jimmy/Saul/Gene escapes to Omaha...perhaps a desperate attempt to blend in, let the shit blow over, and eventually find Kim again when it's safe to do so.  Hard to tell from the trailers what the final season has in store for us.  But I'm sure some 'flash-forwards' will occur.  Obviously, Kim moves on in some way, hopefully not killed.  From the two main trailers, one thing that stands out to me is not much Mike.  Obviously he doesn't die, but perhaps he takes some time off before getting drawn back in?  

[NorthLoop 14,180]

Yeah the whole her being from Nebraska and Gene being in Nebraska seems like too much coincidence for these writers. 

[miguelito 11,250]

Well according to Kim's pajamas ... I forget where I was going with this.

 

 

1

[Guest Lobo]

And the cleaner puts Jessie in Alaska and Walter in New Hampshire.  But Omaha, even though it's still 800 miles away is uncomfortably close to NM...even for Saul.  And it's a well-known hub for drug distribution to the four corners of the nation. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,507]

Is there some underworld Crimestoppers but in reverse where cartels can put out the word to look for a particular person?

[NorthLoop 14,180]

Crimestarters

[Al_4_ISU 12,447]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

You mean his 2 drugged girlfriends? I believe we’re left to guess what is happening there. I did notice that one of the girls disappeared when Nacho’s dad showed up. 

  Hide contents

Just finished season 5, and I’m surprised that Mike didn’t clean up Sauls car in the desert. He and Fring’s guys knew to clean up the massacre site but not haul the car out of the ravine? Sloppy work Mike. Of course, the car needed to be there for Lalo to discover.

I find belief gaps with the massacre scene. Mike just happened to know exactly where that would occur? Perhaps it was a possible location but low odds Mike would be in the right spot. Poor writing.

 

That whole bit bugged me too.  How did Mike know?  Why leave the car?

The most believable angle here is they explicitly renounce the mistakes in season 6 and it's a lesson learned, because BB Mike isn't that sloppy.

[Texzilla58 4,731]

I don’t want Kim to die. Through BCS the mystery of her fate has been the driver for many of us. Why is she not in BB? Dead? On the lam. Or maybe just not thought about in the writers room. Can’t wait to find out.

[Guest Lobo]

To keep her safe(r), Jimmy/Saul vows to her, to himself, and to his employers not to mention her.  You know that tired trope in movies where the protagonist says to the loved one, "Don't tell me, it's safer for you if I don't know..." and we all roll our eyes?  In this case, Jimmy actually means it and Kim can see it on his face.  She just moves on.  Jimmy makes some deal where nobody touches her if he keeps doing his deal.  And just like you don't google or facebook connect with ex-girlfriends in middle age, Jimmy abstains from even so much as a cursory google search.  He only does so while waiting for the exfil ride to Omaha...

[NorthLoop 14,180]

6 minutes ago, Lobo said:

To keep her safe(r), Jimmy/Saul vows to her, to himself, and to his employers not to mention her.  You know that tired trope in movies where the protagonist says to the loved one, "Don't tell me, it's safer for you if I don't know..." and we all roll our eyes?  In this case, Jimmy actually means it and Kim can see it on his face.  She just moves on.  Jimmy makes some deal where nobody touches her if he keeps doing his deal.  And just like you don't google or facebook connect with ex-girlfriends in middle age, Jimmy abstains from even so much as a cursory google search.  He only does so while waiting for the exfil ride to Omaha...

I doubt that happens. Whatever happens will be much darker than that. 

[Augustus 3,061]

11 hours ago, Wade said:

In BB Saul is concerned about Lalo.  Means he survives season 6?  As for Kim, what would set Jimmy off more than have her run off with Lalo?  Just a thought.

I don't think so.  When Walt and Jesse kidnap Saul, he asks them if they're "Lalo's guys."  That doesn't necessarily mean Lalo is alive, it could mean Jimmy thinks they're coming after him for retribution, after Lalo got whacked somehow.

Gus makes a point of letting Hector know that all of his family is gone.  Lalo's another nephew of his, isn't he?

[NorthLoop 14,180]

Just now, Augustus said:

I don't think so.  When Walt and Jesse kidnap Saul, he asks them if they're "Lalo's guys."  That doesn't necessarily mean Lalo is alive, it could mean Jimmy thinks they're coming after him for retribution, after Lalo got whacked somehow.

Gus makes a point of letting Hector know that all of his family is gone.  Lalo's another nephew of his, isn't he?

Good points there

[Jive Turkey 12,592]

the two TV death scenes that shook me the most:

1.  the Red Wedding in GOT  (aired June 2, 2013)

2.  when Todd killed Andrea on the porch and forced Jesse to watch (aired September 22, 2013)

they aired within a few months of each other.  totally fucked up.  Todd killing Andrea messed me up for a few days.  it was just so cruel.

[Augustus 3,061]

31 minutes ago, Jive Turkey said:

the two TV death scenes that shook me the most:

1.  the Red Wedding in GOT  (aired June 2, 2013)

2.  when Todd killed Andrea on the porch and forced Jesse to watch (aired September 22, 2013)

they aired within a few months of each other.  totally fucked up.  Todd killing Andrea messed me up for a few days.  it was just so cruel.

Jesse Plemons deserved an award for that role.  To be that terrifying without ever showing even a hint of any hostility was amazing.  The soft spoken, seemingly harmless absolute psychopath was really disturbing. I can't recall ever seeing a character like that played that way.  

 

And, goddammit Game of Thrones was so awesome before it went south.

Edited April 7, 2022 by Augustus

[mchookem 16,318]

49 minutes ago, Augustus said:

Jesse Plemons deserved an award for that role.  To be that terrifying without ever showing even a hint of any hostility was amazing.  The soft spoken, seemingly harmless absolute psychopath was really disturbing. I can't recall ever seeing a character like that played that way.  

who expected Jesse Plemmons to be the one member of the young cast to have had the most post-FNL success? well, I guess Michael B Jordan has become an action star...but still, Landry has been a surprise.

[Dutch 4,465]

Supposedly Gilligan regrets this line of dialogue in BB season 3:

“I caught my second wife screwing my stepdad. OK? It's a cruel world, Walt. Grow up."

Maybe its a throw away line from Saul. Maybe it's true.  Either way... as tightly as Gilligan has controlled the continuity within the BB/BCS universe, he's going to have to answer it this season.

22 hours ago, Not a cat said:

Watching season 5.  Nacho has perfected the facial expression of you've got to be fucking kidding me.  Just conveys his thoughts perfectly.

Yup.  Mando is killing it in this role.

[Not a cat 5,652]

1 hour ago, Jive Turkey said:

the two TV death scenes that shook me the most:

1.  the Red Wedding in GOT  (aired June 2, 2013)

2.  when Todd killed Andrea on the porch and forced Jesse to watch (aired September 22, 2013)

they aired within a few months of each other.  totally fucked up.  Todd killing Andrea messed me up for a few days.  it was just so cruel.

Meth Damon killing that kid during the great train robbery was all sorts of fucked up too.

[NorthLoop 14,180]

7 minutes ago, Dutch said:

Supposedly Gilligan regrets this line of dialogue in BB season 3:

“I caught my second wife screwing my stepdad. OK? It's a cruel world, Walt. Grow up."

Maybe its a throw away line from Saul. Maybe it's true.  Either way... as tightly as Gilligan has controlled the continuity within the BB/BCS universe, he's going to have to answer it this season.

 

Meh... Can just pass it off as jive talk from Saul to get his point across. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,507]

And if it was a mistake, so what. Saul wasn't a fully fleshed out character in the beginning. The "Lalo's guys" comment was just to show that Saul might have other enemies but they figured out how to write it into the BCS story.  Having a second wife (before Kim) and a stepfather in the picture would add too much to BCS.

[Deej 76,750]

Kim ended up a raging alcoholic, drinking Smirnoff Ice Screwdrivers and posting the most random shit on Surly. 

[NorthLoop 14,180]

Also some throwaway line where Saul mentions Kim being his 3rd wife would take care of the whole thing. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,507]

12 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

Also some throwaway line where Saul mentions Kim being his 3rd wife would take care of the whole thing. 

Actually in looking back at the marriage license scene, the clerk asks Saul about evidence of his 2 previous dissolutions.  S5E7

[NorthLoop 14,180]

4 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Actually in looking back at the marriage license scene, the clerk asks Saul about evidence of his 2 previous dissolutions.  S5E7

 

Ok now we can discuss something else. 

[GTX Horn 1,707]

Basically a Dateline-like promo for Season 6. Pretty well-done and worth the watch for a decent recap of Seasons 1-5:

 

[aggie08 21,481]

On 4/7/2022 at 5:37 AM, Nice Guy Eddie said:

You mean his 2 drugged girlfriends? I believe we’re left to guess what is happening there. I did notice that one of the girls disappeared when Nacho’s dad showed up. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Just finished season 5, and I’m surprised that Mike didn’t clean up Sauls car in the desert. He and Fring’s guys knew to clean up the massacre site but not haul the car out of the ravine? Sloppy work Mike. Of course, the car needed to be there for Lalo to discover.

I find belief gaps with the massacre scene. Mike just happened to know exactly where that would occur? Perhaps it was a possible location but low odds Mike would be in the right spot. Poor writing.

 

Ok, just making sure I didn't miss an explanation for why Nacho lives like a low rent Hugh Hefner, using Stockholm syndrome to his advantage.

 

[lateshow 1,304]

6 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Ok, just making sure I didn't miss an explanation for why Nacho lives like a low rent Hugh Hefner, using Stockholm syndrome to his advantage.

 

I mean...why wouldn't he?

[notre dame joe 186]

On 4/7/2022 at 6:07 AM, Lobo said:

And the cleaner puts Jessie in Alaska and Walter in New Hampshire.  But Omaha, even though it's still 800 miles away is uncomfortably close to NM...even for Saul.  And it's a well-known hub for drug distribution to the four corners of the nation. 

Hey the plan is brilliant because no bounty hunter would search in a busy shopping mall, especially the guy seen by every shopper.