Better Call Saul - Season 2 (Feb 15th 2016)

[Geosaddler]

Very slow start to this series which nearly put me off (in fact epiode 1 was absolutely dire). Glad I stuck with it though. Really enjoyable. I know it puts some people off for a 'lack of direction' but I like the balance it strikes between the mike/saul storylines.

 

[Krazy8]

Like a few others on here I thought the start of this series was a real drag, glad I didn't give up on it though as it's really picked up these last couple of episodes.

 

[Whitechapel]

I simply love this show. When you think about it not much actually happens, but the way the show has that ability to tell the story in such a gripping way is incredible.

I don't mind the odd slow episode to a series now and then, as sometimes they're needed to set up certain plot points.

 

[Bluebird_Dai]

Chuck is a massive prick.

 

[SaddlerJonny]

Bit of a flat finale, felt like a normal episode

Still enjoyed this season a lot though. Not excellent but still very good and enjoyable.

 

[Bobbin']

I simply love this show. When you think about it not much actually happens, but the way the show has that ability to tell the story in such a gripping way is incredible.

I don't mind the odd slow episode to a series now and then, as sometimes they're needed to set up certain plot points.

Know exactly what you mean, the scene when Mike was just watching that assassination, went on for a good few minutes yet I was still utterly gripped.

 

[Jockney]

Chuck is a massive prick.

They're both pricks.

 

[Captain Scumbag]

Is it okay to watch this before Breaking Bad? I know it's a prequel, but does knowledge of future events (i.e. those that occur in BB) enrich one's viewing or detract from it?

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

i don't think it makes a difference tbh, i'm watching it with my mum and she never saw bb

 

[Jockney]

Is it okay to watch this before Breaking Bad? I know it's a prequel, but does knowledge of future events (i.e. those that occur in BB) enrich one's viewing or detract from it?

I think watching BB straight after this would largely make more sense (a lot of it is fan service back story for fans of the original show), but some scenes only really work if you've seen BB (the occasional nod, wink and self-indulgent flourish but nothing particularly egregious).

They're both v different tonally -- to the point where it almost feels like they don't, and shouldn't, exist within the same universe -- but a lot of the themes are similar, notably ordinary people and their capacity for moral self-delusion, psychotic breakdown of traditional domestic and familial relationships, etc.

i honestly think watching either before the other is valid. I think you'd have two very different experiences.

 

[Captain Scumbag]

^
I asked because I thought season 2 of Fargo, though mostly excellent, was weakened by it being a sorta spin-off prequel to season 1, which is what BCS seems to be vis-à-vis BB. I think the problem with handling chronology that way is that knowledge of certain characters' fate (or near future) can suck the dramatic tension out of certain scenes, especially those in which characters are placed in danger. For that reason, I tend to advise Fargo novices to watch season 2 before season 1. I was wondering whether people who'd watched BB and BCS had a similar opinion.

Anyway, I've started with BCS (only about five episodes in) and I'm glad I did. I suspect about a billion BB nods and references have gone wooshing over my head, but I also suspect that's good because stuff like that can seem a bit gimmicky and distract from the main narrative. Also, I have no idea how many of the characters (aside from Saul/Jimmy, obviously) were in BB, which avoids the problem I mentioned above. I have no idea if Mike turns up in BB. If I did, I'd probably be less intrigued by his story, care less about his survival, etc.

Thanks for the advice. I like the show so far.

 

[Bluebird_Dai]

We're back on the 11th of April, looking forward to it.

 

[last request]

Just watched the first ep of season 3. I just love watching this, it's so well made.

 

[.V.]

What a great series this has been. Such a shame it won't be back on until next year.

 

[SALTIRE]

What a sad ending to that series.

 

[Gilly?]

I've got so much of this to catch up on, think I've been two episodes into season 2 since series 2 came out.

 

[G.B]

What a sad ending to that series.

meh, dude was a prick

 

[Bluebird_Dai]

Aye this season showed just how much of a thundercunt he really was.

 

[SALTIRE]

meh, dude was a prick

Spoiler

He was, but you could clearly see his illness getting the better of him and though he was spiteful and manipulative to Jimmy and others, I couldn't help but feel for him when he started babbling in the courtroom (it reminded me of The Caine Mutiny with Bogey as a mentally ill captain who is court-martialled by his fellow officers), and when he started tearing his house apart looking for a single electrical wire to stop the meter spinning, and subsequent suicide attempt.

 

[G.B]

Spoiler

He was, but you could clearly see his illness getting the better of him and though he was spiteful and manipulative to Jimmy and others, I couldn't help but feel for him when he started babbling in the courtroom (it reminded me of The Caine Mutiny with Bogey as a mentally ill captain who is court-martialled by his fellow officers), and when he started tearing his house apart looking for a single electrical wire to stop the meter spinning, and subsequent suicide attempt.

he was (possibly still is) an interesting character and mckean played the roll brilliantly. upstanding and cares deeply about doing the right thing but an utter c*** to his loved ones. more concerned with being better than/having power over jimmy (who's also a prick tbf), selfish and malicious. he may be right on many occasions, but does he have to be such a knob about it? it's his holier than thou shtick that gets to me.

couple of interesting scenes with regards to his condition. the copy place. he was fine with all the electricity until he didn't get his own way with the staff member. similarly at the hearing. no problems until it all went tits up then the exit sign was a huge problem. though i do get that his electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a product of his mental illness, still found it interesting all the same.

interested to see what happens with kim and how francesca ends up the way she did in breaking bad.

 

[Darlo On Tour]

Sarah Barnett, former head of BBC America and now president of AMC's entertainment networks group, has confirmed that the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul won't return until 2020.

The delay is said to be happening to give the writer's room more time to develop the next season. The fourth season ran from August to October 2018.