• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Better Call Saul S2 |OT| The Truth Is Just A Point Of View - Mondays 10/9c

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mdk7

Member
I'm sorry because I loved Breaking Bad and absolutely adore Saul as a character (and Bob Odenkirk as a performer!), but after six episodes this second season is a pretty big disappointment to me.
It's just slow as hell, nothing ever happens and I feel like characters have been stuck in the same situations for so damn long... to the point I almost lost interest in them.
Thank god there's Mike, at least he's doing something (apart from stealing the show, but that kinda happened in S1 as well).
And what's weird is that they still have A LOT to potentially tell, considering that Saul is still Jimmy at this point and that he still has to go a long, long way to become the character we got to know in BB.

BTW, do you know if they already renewed it? Will there be a Season 3?
 
O

Officerrob

Banned
Mdk7 said:
I'm sorry because I loved Breaking Bad and absolutely adore Saul as a character (and Bob Odenkirk as a performer!), but after six episodes this second season is a pretty big disappointment to me.
It's just slow as hell, nothing ever happens and I feel like characters have been stuck in the same situations for so damn long... to the point I almost lost interest in them.
Thank god there's Mike, at least he's doing something (apart from stealing the show, but that kinda happened in S1 as well).
And what's weird is that they still have A LOT to potentially tell, considering that Saul is still Jimmy at this point and that he still has to go a long, long way to become the character we got to know in BB.

BTW, do you know if they already renewed it? Will there be a Season 3?
Click to expand...

Renewed for a ten episode third season:

http://deadline.com/2016/03/better-...d-season-amc-breaking-bad-prequel-1201720867/
 
J

JoeNut

Member
Mdk7 said:
I'm sorry because I loved Breaking Bad and absolutely adore Saul as a character (and Bob Odenkirk as a performer!), but after six episodes this second season is a pretty big disappointment to me.
It's just slow as hell, nothing ever happens and I feel like characters have been stuck in the same situations for so damn long... to the point I almost lost interest in them.
Thank god there's Mike, at least he's doing something (apart from stealing the show, but that kinda happened in S1 as well).
And what's weird is that they still have A LOT to potentially tell, considering that Saul is still Jimmy at this point and that he still has to go a long, long way to become the character we got to know in BB.

BTW, do you know if they already renewed it? Will there be a Season 3?
Click to expand...

from reading back on a lot of the comments it seems you're in the minority here, i think the slow pacing makes it better than if it tried to be all action and rush through. I'm enjoying getting to know each character.
 
M

Mdk7

Member
JoeNut said:
from reading back on a lot of the comments it seems you're in the minority here, i think the slow pacing makes it better than if it tried to be all action and rush through. I'm enjoying getting to know each character.
Click to expand...

I don't want action, of course this is not a show about thrills and explosions and whatever.
But I honestly wished something more would happen, there's almost no sense of progression and the rhythm of the narration is too bland for my taste in this S2.
I mean for example let's consider Jimmy for a second... He's been sick of that new job in Santa Fe for what, two/three entire episodes? I got that. I got that despite being a great opportunity for everyone that place is just NOT for him. And I wished they'd move on and keep on telling his story, instead of insisting on him being fed up with the situation at his firm.
 
F

Freewheelin'

Member
Love the show. Every actor knocks it out the park, it looks and sounds gorgeous, it has the same level of confidence in every decision made as BB S3/4/5 did. It's better than S1 and 2 of BB for me.

Is there some tension missing? Sure. But the heartache when Jimmy loses Kim and falls in with Gus is going to be a worthy substitute.

It's a show where its absolutely glacial pace works in its favour.
 
M

MightyHedgehog

Member
Mdk7 said:
I don't want action, of course this is not a show about thrills and explosions and whatever.
But I honestly wished something more would happen, there's almost no sense of progression and the rhythm of the narration is too bland for my taste in this S2.
I mean for example let's consider Jimmy for a second... He's been sick of that new job in Santa Fe for what, two/three entire episodes? I got that. I got that despite being a great opportunity for everyone that place is just NOT for him. And I wished they'd move on and keep on telling his story, instead of insisting on him being fed up with the situation at his firm.
Click to expand...
But something more is happening even if you don't care for it. Becoming Saul has to feel earned, so you can't just get out the Cliff's Notes in place of the road that led him to committing to breaking away from being Jimmy and creating this whole new persona. The pacing in BB often deliberately held things to a crawl in order to give us the full weight of consequences when things did happen. It's totally a 'are we there yet?' thing that ceases to be a problem once we get there. The writing is so good and the performances are so pitch-perfect, why would you want to rush to where you already know the destination is?
 
U

UrbanRats

Member
Langdon Alger said:
Sick burn, but hopefully you didn't bring up anime because you thought my avatar was from an anime. That would be sad.
Click to expand...

tumblr_l3tnwkS1OG1qc8evbo1_500.gif


GavinGT said:
Would you guys watch this show if it weren't for the Breaking Bad connection? I honestly don't think so.
Click to expand...

If you haven't watched BB it's a weird show to watch.

But then again i watched Fargo without ever watching the movie.
Though this seems to be more directly connected.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
Mdk7 said:
I'm sorry because I loved Breaking Bad and absolutely adore Saul as a character (and Bob Odenkirk as a performer!), but after six episodes this second season is a pretty big disappointment to me.
It's just slow as hell, nothing ever happens and I feel like characters have been stuck in the same situations for so damn long... to the point I almost lost interest in them.
Thank god there's Mike, at least he's doing something (apart from stealing the show, but that kinda happened in S1 as well).
And what's weird is that they still have A LOT to potentially tell, considering that Saul is still Jimmy at this point and that he still has to go a long, long way to become the character we got to know in BB.

BTW, do you know if they already renewed it? Will there be a Season 3?
Click to expand...

I agree. Show is dragging. It's very well produced of course but the only character progressing is Mike.

Saul hates his job, Kim hates her job... So what?
 
M

Mdk7

Member
MightyHedgehog said:
But something more is happening even if you don't care for it. Becoming Saul has to feel earned, so you can't just get out the Cliff's Notes in place of the road that led him to committing to breaking away from being Jimmy and creating this whole new persona. The pacing in BB often deliberately held things to a crawl in order to give us the full weight of consequences when things did happen. It's totally a 'are we there yet?' thing that ceases to be a problem once we get there. The writing is so good and the performances are so pitch-perfect, why would you want to rush to where you already know the destination is?
Click to expand...

It's not a matter of rushing things, I wouldn't want them to rush or to speed up the narration for the sake of it.
It's just that I'd personally like to see more things happen, since certainly there is a lot to tell regarding how Jimmy turned into Saul.
And there's just 4 episodes left now, so in a way I'm a bit sad because I expected (and wanted, as I love the characters!) to know more in this S2.
 
T

Triggerhappytel

Member
ApatheticDolphin said:
I think it'll probably end with Jimmy becoming Saul
Click to expand...

Yeah, I thought the final episode in Season 1 was going to result in him full-on becoming Saul, but I'm glad they've stretched it out so he's had to really deliberate over what he should do, and what he wants to do. I guess not much is really happening, but the writing is so good and the characters so well-realised that I find it absolutely compelling anyway. I'm glad Mike is sharing a lot of the limelight too, as he is fantastic and probably the most badass OAP ever :)
 
U

UrbanRats

Member
Flo_Evans said:
I agree. Show is dragging. It's very well produced of course but the only character progressing is Mike.

Saul hates his job, Kim hates her job... So what?
Click to expand...
You have to bring characters from point a to point b.
For example if they want Kim to fuck her job over, especially after all the pep talks she gave to Jimmy, they have to show WHY she would risk it all.
It's character development, and it's what makes you give a shit when the bigger, more dramatic story elements hit, because they feel earned, instead of having plot twist after plot twist, getting you desensitised.
 
T

Triggerhappytel

Member
Mdk7 said:
I'm sorry because I loved Breaking Bad and absolutely adore Saul as a character (and Bob Odenkirk as a performer!), but after six episodes this second season is a pretty big disappointment to me.
It's just slow as hell, nothing ever happens and I feel like characters have been stuck in the same situations for so damn long... to the point I almost lost interest in them.
Thank god there's Mike, at least he's doing something (apart from stealing the show, but that kinda happened in S1 as well).
And what's weird is that they still have A LOT to potentially tell, considering that Saul is still Jimmy at this point and that he still has to go a long, long way to become the character we got to know in BB.
Click to expand...

The thing is, I felt like Season 1 of BB was very rushed and I didn't feel like Walt 'became Heisenberg' convincingly enough, so this slower pace and more deliberate internal issues feels more authentic and believable IMO.

GavinGT said:
Would you guys watch this show if it weren't for the Breaking Bad connection? I honestly don't think so.
Click to expand...

I wasn't a huge fan of BB and I'm enjoying BCS a lot more, so I think I would still enjoy it. I think the callbacks with returning characters are clever, but they're not necessary.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
UrbanRats said:
You have to bring characters from point a to point b.
For example if they want Kim to fuck her job over, especially after all the pep talks she gave to Jimmy, they have to show WHY she would risk it all.
It's character development, and it's what makes you give a shit when the bigger, more dramatic story elements hit, because they feel earned, instead of having plot twist after plot twist, getting you desensitised.
Click to expand...

I feel like all of that was pretty much established in season 1. I'm just not that interested in Kim's career. Im sure there will be a payoff but I guess I am already thinking she is going to get screwed by jimmy so why get so invested.

I just want to see Saul in the courtroom being a slimebag. I'm sure we are getting there but the last few episodes have been a drag.
 
S

SolidChamp

Banned
scabro said:
i love how slow this show is

it just revels in the characters

i always find myself looking at how much of the episode is left and being surprised that its almost over. the hour flies by quicker than almost any other show.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with you on this. Was watching the latest ep with my friend last night and after it ended I said pretty much the same thing.

Just leaves you wanting more, even if it is deliberately paced (which I like).
 
C

Cloud Strife

Member
Show should be called "Better Call Mike". An absolute badass and his plot is overall very compelling to watch.

I love how Jimmie was barely in this episode but I never noticed a dip in quality at all. Great characters all round.

I hope Kate leaves Hamelin, fucking can't stand him.
 
P

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
The show is never going to be a sleazebag Saul in the courtroom procedural. You are literally never going to get that. That's not at all what this show is about. At all.

(While I love the show I do agree that Jimmy's arc has basically not moved at all from the day he got in trouble for making that video. Was that 3 or 4 episodes ago now?)
 
U

UrbanRats

Member
PantherLotus said:
The show is never going to be a sleazebag Saul in the courtroom procedural. You are literally never going to get that. That's not at all what this show is about. At all.
Click to expand...
Yup, and I think folks are overestimating how actually entertaining that would be, without a larger plot and stronger characters beneath, which you build with episodes likle those we've had so far.

I think Jimmy's plot is going to resume next week.
They just needed a bit of time to show Kim and Mike, while also giving you the idea that Jimmy gets more and more frustrated with the legit lifestyle, but that he at least tried for a time.
Having him immediately fuck something else up after the video snafu, would've been absurd for the character.
 
A

Arkeband

Banned
The thing is, we have so much left for Jimmy to do before he becomes Saul. Something probably catastrophic happens between him and Kim, he changes his identity, he meets Huell and Bill Burr, he deepens his ties with Mike, he comes into some amount of wealth.

I think the show is hitting all the right notes this season by involving the Salamanca clan. We know how dangerous they are and what they become, but establishing them so prevalently in this universe helps us see that Walter White really stumbled into an active hornet's nest.

We will eventually meet Gus since we know he and Saul know of each other.
 
A

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
PantherLotus said:
The show is never going to be a sleazebag Saul in the courtroom procedural. You are literally never going to get that. That's not at all what this show is about. At all.

(While I love the show I do agree that Jimmy's arc has basically not moved at all from the day he got in trouble for making that video. Was that 3 or 4 episodes ago now?)
Click to expand...

(I think two, and second-to-last ep was that blowing up in his face, and last ep was brooding over it)
 
M

minor effort

Banned
Aureon said:
(I think two, and second-to-last ep was that blowing up in his face, and last ep was brooding over it)
Click to expand...

Yeah, and watch how quickly he bolted on his assistants/minders at the firm when Kim called saying she had someone on the hook. Plus the opening montage of him going back to the nail salon just to get some sleep.

The plot hasn't really moved, but they're showing the character is reaching a breaking point with his work environment.
 
J

jett

D-Member
GavinGT said:
Would you guys watch this show if it weren't for the Breaking Bad connection? I honestly don't think so.
Click to expand...

Yeah I really doubt it. At this point I'm wonder if I should give it up altogether. It feels really slow (and no, you don't need to be an anime fan to notice this, as someone here suggsted LOL), and often it just feels like I'm watching dead air on screen. Been abandoning several shows lately, like Vikings and Daredevil. The golden era of amazing TV might be at an end for me. God knows HBO is in the shitter.
 
T

Tansut

Member
I know Jimmy's plot hasn't really progressed much in the last couple of episodes, but I think that's actually the point. Dude is in this rut, even though to everyone else he's living the high life. But one man's paradise and all that...

How many episodes are left? Two or three?
 
N

Niraj

I shot people I like more for less.
Tansut said:
I know Jimmy's plot hasn't really progressed much in the last couple of episodes, but I think that's actually the point. Dude is in this rut, even though to everyone else he's living the high life. But one man's paradise and all that...

How many episodes are left? Two or three?
Click to expand...

There are still four left.
 
M

minor effort

Banned
ridley182 said:
I'm wondering if we'll see a Badger/Skinny Pete/Combo cameo before Jesse.
Click to expand...

I still think I'd prefer if they kept the core Breaking Bad characters out of the show, even for cameos. No White family, no Jesse, no Hank.

There's an argument to be made for Gus Fring's inclusion in the show, so I look forward to that. But otherwise, I hope they don't get too ridiculous in the cameos.
 
S

Sami+

Member
Not too happy to see the Crazy Twins, I never really liked them in BB to begin with. Otherwise tho I'm loving where we're at in this show.
 
S

Saty

Member
A reminder how bad Breaking Bad was at times. They fucking needed an entire episode to set-up Mike agreeing to the deal when all whats-his-name had to do last episode at the restaurant is to say to Mike: 'Look, don't force me to do the old song and dance. You say no, i say i'm going to kill your granddaughter and then you begrudgingly accept. Shocking right?'.

Get the fuck on with it.

I'm here to watch Kim and for lesser degree Jimmy. I don't care much for the Mike stuff because since Ep1 of S1 they are trying way too hard to make Mike's parts 'resonate' with Breaking Bad viewers and to have meaning\impact from that POV. Oh, here's Tuco. Oh, this guy wanted him dead and our Mike was gonna do it! But he had a plan to send him to jail. But how come Tuco was free when we watched BB? Here comes the explanation. Oh, and here are The Twins!
 
triplestation

triplestation

Member
Its so fun to speculate and try to make predictions but then the episode airs and we are all way off

And then whatever turns out to be makes so much sense and unfolds so naturally and manages to yank your interest

That's why it's so great, you just gotta wait and see
 
P

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
wait until BCS actually has a bottle episode like "Fly" -- then we'll see which fans are which. BCS hasn't earned an episode like that yet. but wait until it does!
 
L

Lothar

Banned
minor effort said:
I can sort of tell which Breaking Bad fans here probably hated "Fly".
Click to expand...

Fly is one of my favorite episodes of BB. I find BCS to be dreadfully boring. I got all of my friends and family hooked into watching BB. I'm the only one I know still watching BCS. They keep asking me if it improved and I have to tell them "no" other than the Mike parts.

I like the character of Saul and I even like the character of Kim. But right now it's like watching someone I like do something boring for an hour.
 
P

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
no I love the show too. it's not flawless though, or at least the payoff hasn't made the slow burn worth it yet. I'm appreciating the show's slow burn because I'm expecting an explosion.
 
M

minor effort

Banned
triplestation said:
Its so fun to speculate and try to make predictions but then the episode airs and we are all way off

And then whatever turns out to be makes so much sense and unfolds so naturally and manages to yank your interest

That's why it's so great, you just gotta wait and see
Click to expand...

This is why I'm glad it's not on some Netflix binge model. I was late to the party on Breaking Bad and marathoned the first four seasons in about 10 days. But Season 5 was so much more enjoyable to engage in speculation with each passing week.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Mark Margolis, ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ Star, Dies at 83
News
25
3K
drganon replied
Better Call Saul - Season 6 | The Final Season
|OT| 4 5 6 7 8
387
32K
Grildon Tundy replied
I've had a rough Christmas and I just want to vent
45
5K
Dev1lXYZ replied
Outcast: A New Beginning | Review Thread + |OT|
|OT| Analysis Review 2
81
7K
SF Kosmo replied
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension | Preview Thread
Opinion
29
1K
Go_Ly_Dow replied
Top Bottom