Kevin's Watch

Well, we're three episodes in for the Breaking Bad prequel series. What does everyone think? I thought it started a bit slow, but it's getting interesting. Nowhere near as good a Breaking Bad, but it has potential.

Loving it. Love the opening scene, love where it's backed up to, love the feel of it.

BB took a while to get into. BCS has the benefit of the BB backstory (futurestory?), but I think it started much stronger.

Prequels are problematic at best, but BCS looks like it could buck that trend and be a great show on its own.

I am loving Better Call Saul.
I loved Breaking Bad and have been really looking forward to the spinoff series with very few concerns. So far I've been rewarded with 3 strong episodes that have instantly drawn me in.
For me this is rare. I generally have no enthusiasm for spinoff television and am guilty of negatively pre-judging programs for that reason. With BCS that has not been the case and I'm thrilled.

I watched the first couple of episodes over the weekend, seems interesting. Hasn't quite pulled me in the way Breaking Bad did yet.

I'm sure I had something else to say earlier but I haven't been able to access the Watch all day and can't remember now.

I'm liking it. There's enough stuff tying it to BB in sly ways, but it's a good story on its own as well.

It's so great seeing Mike as a parking booth attendant... just knowing how much he must hate it and just waiting for the day when he can shed that job and become "Mike"

This week's episode was great. We finally got to see a glimmer of Saul Goodman ["t's all good, man!"] and why he turns to the dark side ["You're the kind of lawyer that guilty people hire"].

The Sunday/Monday/Tuesday combo of Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, and Justified has made for some great evening viewing lately. All three series are getting better (after some very boring Walking Dead episodes).

It's making me wonder about how Mike got where he was. How's he go from cop, to parking attendant, to enforcer and hit man?

We know how he left the police force, but the parking lot doesn't seem like the most obvious next step.

I'm Murrin wrote:It's making me wonder about how Mike got where he was. How's he go from cop, to parking attendant, to enforcer and hit man?

We know how he left the police force, but the parking lot doesn't seem like the most obvious next step.

The obvious link to his next step seems to be Saul himself. He must do something to earn his respect, grudging though it may be.

Zarathustra wrote:The Sunday/Monday/Tuesday combo of Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, and Justified has made for some great evening viewing lately. All three series are getting better (after some very boring Walking Dead episodes).

You need to add The Americans on Wednesday. Arguably the best show on TV at the moment.

Wow, what a fantastic episode. So that's Mike's back story!


It's good to see Banks have a chance to stretch his legs a bit as an actor.

Yeah, great episode this week.

Zarathustra wrote:Wow, what a fantastic episode. So that's Mike's back story!


It's good to see Banks have a chance to stretch his legs a bit as an actor.

I was blown away by that episode. Banks should definitely get an Emmy for that. What a powerful story.

Do you think there's any significance to the fact that episode 5, "Alpine Shepherd Boy", is the only one that doesn't follow the pattern of two-syllable titles ending in "o"?

It was a strange title, on the face of it referring only to a figurine one of Jimmy's clients was looking for. I can't think of any alpine shepherds' names ending in O. Otto?

I am loving how character-driven this show is. You never know where the hell it's going to go, because the plot really isn't important. It follows the characters.

At the end of this last episode, Jimmy is walking toward his interview with the new law firm, about to be hired and have his dream fulfilled (i.e. being a "real" lawyer), and as he is whistling/shuffling towards his destiny like a man without a care in the world, I thought in that moment, what makes him turn? What could go wrong at this point, when his dream is coming true? What I didn't realize was that the turn had already happened [see below].

And just as this question was in my head, Jimmy stops, turns back, and leaves before his interview. He asks Mike why they didn't take the money (earlier episode). Mike says it's because he does his job, that's it. Jimmy says he knows why he didn't take it, and he'll never let it stop him again.

So the answer to the question of what made Jimmy turn into Saul was right in front of us: it was his brother telling him he wasn't a real lawyer, and he never would be. Jimmy was Saul (or "Slippin' Jimmy") all along, but he was trying to be something else for his brother's approval. The problem with that plan is that he was never going to earn his brother's approval, because he was a judgmental prick. Once Jimmy realizes this, he realizes that becoming a "real" lawyer isnt' his dream ... it's his brother's.

So the episode ends with Jimmy being authentic, being himself, ushering in the Saul we know.

Awesome. The writing on this is just stellar. They know what our expectations are, and are able to manipulate them precisely. I can't imagine that my question in that moment was unique. I'm sure lots of people were watching the back of his head as he goes to that interview and were wondering how he goes from top of the world to sleezy, dirty lawyer.

What got me was where he stopped—right at the edge of the shadow of the court house. Refusing to step into his brother's shadow and being his own man (and ironically staying in the light). Damn. I was pretty sure the show was going to be good but didn't think until right there that it would be as good as Breaking Bad.

Also, the bit with Hamlin reminded me so much of things I've experienced myself. You think someone's the bad guy but don't see the one close to you is actually pulling the strings. In retrospect you feel guilty, not only for your blindness, but how we go about fulfilling our need to create villains and lay blame.

Again, I love how they're playing with irony (since we already know what happens, it's a brilliant move). For a show about a guy with no class, it's f'n classical.

And has anybody else watched Franklin & Bash? I can't stop thinking of Kim as Swatello

Weird. I saw something that this series was cancelled after 4 episodes. Now I can find nothing about cancellation, so I guess what I saw was a hoax. Regardless, since you lot have been so positive about the show, I thought it was weird that it was cancelled so quickly.

Nope. It was a shortish season (10 eps), but it had its second season greenlit long before the first aired.

The writing and cinematography of this show is off the charts. I think it's the best show on right now.

I'm surprised how long they're playing out the "good lawyer" aspect of his character. Sure, he's not exactly conventional or ethical, but he's not Breaking Bad level yet, either. His evolution is a bit slower than I expected, but I think it's the better for it.

Agreed, though I think The Americans is the best show on at the moment.