Better Call Saul

[Gittes]

The Jell-O scene at the nursing home was so great. I appreciated the rendition of one of the greatest pieces of film music ever (The Third Man music).

"Watch out, that's my will writing hand!"

[Grouchy]

Exactly. I don't understand how such learned and sophisticated fellas such as yourselves cannot fall in love with this show.

[Gittes]

I will admit, however, that the commode scene was a misfire. The time spent on that could have been used far more wisely. At least it was brief and negligible, though.

[Scar]

Excellent Episode.

[Ezee E]

Excellent Episode.

Been waiting.

If this weren't a prequel for Breaking Bad, I probably would have given up on it. But I feel like it has to all be adding up to something. Looks like it's doing just that

[Gittes]

"Five-O" was fantastic. I had been eagerly anticipating a more sustained focus on Mike, and this episode did a great job of illuminating the history of the character and ratcheting up the (already considerable) pathos. I liked the bleak, film noir shadings, which obviously suits Mike/Jonathan Banks.

Loved the cinematography (that's not to say that the other ones have been a slouch in this regard; I like the way the interiors of Chuck's house have been shot, for example). The interior of the bar was really striking, as was the train station from the beginning, etc. Lovely. It's definitely a sumptuously mounted episode.

I also liked the bloomy look of that early scene with Mike and Stacey in the backyard, which, notwithstanding the uneasy/depressing discussion, beautifully captured the look and feel of a summer's afternoon enveloping a lived-in space (those verdant, sun-drenched backgrounds in shallow focus, the hot light and shadows bisecting the terrace, etc., as well as the use of props like the lemonade pitcher and the scattered toys, and Kaylee swinging in the background). Part of the appeal probably has something to do with the fact that I really wish it was summer right now.

[D_Davis]

"Five-O" was the first solid indication that this show could be better than Breaking Bad.

[Ezee E]

"Five-O" was the first solid indication that this show could be better than Breaking Bad.

Definitely don't get that much of an inclination from that episode, but it was good.

The last episode brought it backwards a little again. The main difference between the two is that Breaking Bad was so suspense-driven and intense, while also bringing great character development and conflict. Better Call Saul really only has one of those.

[Grouchy]

I think it all comes down to expectations. If every one of you is going to expect a Breaking Bad clone or the same brand of violence, suspense and drama, then yes, I predict you are not going to enjoy it.

Me, I'm watching the best show on TV in a long, long time. I'm sorry if you can't partake.

[Winston*]

I think this does have the potential to be a better show for me than Breaking Bad, simply because I find the struggle to be better as a person a more compelling overarching theme than the damage wrought by hubris.

I love Breaking Bad but I watched it as an observer, whereas with this show I can relate. I found this latest episode quite moving.

[Winston*]

Also, if people think this show is slow then they should give Rectify a shot (my pick for best show currently going).

[Sven]

I think this does have the potential to be a better show for me than Breaking Bad, simply because I find the struggle to be better as a person a more compelling overarching theme than the damage wrought by hubris.

Yes. This. I'd much rather watch an actualizing process than a disintegration. My opinion about BB ultimately fell in the negative, though it has its reasons to watch it. This, though, is very clearly a show worth watching.

[Gittes]

I was surprised that the reflection of a crew member showed up in the last shot (worst timing) of this recent episode. Whoever it is also crouches down midway through, which suggests he realized his gaffe and didn't tell anyone. It's a pivotal moment, so it's a shame that a blunder like this made it through. I imagine this is the sort of thing that could be easily adjusted for the DVD and Bluray release.

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Show Spoiler

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Otherwise, I'm still loving the visuals. Great shots abound.

[Sven]

Kieslowski's Red, otherwise a tremendous film in every way, will forever be marred for me by the same thing.

[Gittes]

Some intriguing developments this week. They established an interesting angle via the Sandpiper Crossing skulduggery. A lot of compelling stuff: Jimmy's hardscrabble efforts, collaborating with Chuck (the hug was touching), the mounting conflict between them and Sandpiper's lawyers, etc. A great ending, too.

[Ezee E]

Yeah. This was probably my favorite episode of the season to tell the truth.

They must have some long range plans for this. Right now, it doesn't seem anything close to "Saul Goodman."

[Gittes]

I won't be able to watch this, but I'm definitely curious about which episodes he's picked...particularly with regards to The Twilight Zone. That seems like one of the shows that very much informed his sensibilities as a writer, at least in terms of his X-Files work (I actually already knew he was a fan based on a few comments he's made in interviews; plus, he recently referred to "The After Hours" during the BCS podcast).

EDIT: I found a recent interview where he specifies one of his favourites: "Nervous Man In A Four Dollar Room" (be warned, though, there are some spoilers for that episode in his response).

[Qrazy]

Heartbreaking stuff.

[DavidSeven]

I love Breaking Bad but I watched it as an observer, whereas with this show I can relate. I found this latest episode quite moving.

I've only seem the first couple episodes of Saul and am just skimming this thread, but I like this comment. Exactly how I felt about Breaking Bad, too.

[D_Davis]

Keeps getting better and better.

[Russ]

Such a great scene between McKean and Odenkirk. If that's what they spent the whole season building up to, it was totally worth it.

And, it's easy to take Banks' work for granted, but he is just so awesome in this.

[Ezee E]

I should say that the one thing that's been overlooked in this thread and in reviews throughout is the breakthrough performance from Rhea Seehorn. I think she's fantastic.

[Gittes]

I commented on Kim on the last page (i.e., my reference to the scene in the nail salon and, later on in the post, the character more generally, etc.), but I didn't explicitly talk about Seehorn's performance. I agree; it's good. I'm not necessarily astounded by her contributions just yet, but I have no substantial complaints. There was a bit of awkwardness early on (see: the scene where Jimmy and Kim are in the Kettlemans' house after their apparent kidnapping). Still, I like the character a lot. I think this most recent episode was a strong example of Seehorn's talent.

[Gittes]

On another note, I like the contrast between Nacho's intimidating outward appearance and the almost dainty, light cadence of Michael Mando's voice. It's not something they planned for, I imagine, but it actually works, insofar as it accentuates his difference from the more conventional criminality that surrounds him. I mean, it's not the paranoiac aggression of Tuco nor the forbidding stoicism of, say, the Salamanca twins (or any number of background henchmen in this show and in Breaking Bad). As I saw someone else mention, he's like a mixture of Gus and Tuco, but even that doesn't quite seem like a perfect summary of the character. I know we've seen so little of him, but that won't stop me from speculating about his significance and why the soft-spoken voice is an interesting detail.

Ramble, ramble:

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Show Spoiler

It's sort of like with Bob Odenkirk: there's something pliable and raffish about Odenkirk's face, which is partly why he's well-suited to this particular character. It's acting, of course, but there's also something about that face -- those arched, vaguely sinister brows hanging over beady eyes that so easily alternate between harried, doleful, and conspiratorial. Plus, there's the droopy, cartoonish elasticity of his mouth, which seems tailor-made not only for flashing charmingly disreputable smiles, but also the most despondent grimaces (at Jimmy's most wretched points, it seems like Odenkirk's chin is trying to disappear into his bottom lip). In the same vein, a lot of people talk about the strange spectacle of Cranston's wrinkly mien or the world-weariness that seems indelibly etched onto Jonathan Banks' face.

Anyway, back to Nacho: as I was saying, Mando's voice is one of the ways in which he's set apart from a more stereotypical brand of gangsterism and machismo. If Odenkirk's physicality suggests something other than the world of competent, professional lawyers (a world that Jimmy covets), then little details like Nacho's voice, incidental as they may be, signal something similar: his vaguely ill-fitting place among the upper echelon of a criminal empire, perhaps? In other words, the serendipitious fact of Mando's soft-spoken voice may provide a way into talking about this character and his significance, even at this early point. It's a small performative detail that speaks to a larger possibility: Nacho doesn't perfectly cohere with the established criminal mold (if Gus were his boss, this would be a different discussion, but Tuco is defining top-tier criminality in this context; besides, like I said earlier, Nacho isn't quite like Gus, either, which further suggests his incompatibility with upper-echelon crime).

Also, I think I read somewhere that Nacho even resents the fact that he's called Nacho (it's something of an imposed nickname and perhaps he feels that it infantilizes him or is vaguely mocking). Later on, in Breaking Bad, Saul will refer to Nacho by his full, and probably preferred, name: Ignacio. Details like these suggests a character that wants to ascend his second tier position but can't due to imposed judgments and intractable circumstances. This has a lot to do with the fixed hierarchy of Tuco's business, but perhaps also relates to how, like Jimmy, Nacho has come to be characterized and reduced by those around him.

It suggests a theme of how we can come to be defined, against our personal will and aspirations, by a mixture of biological happenstance and social judgment (among other things). Remember, both Nacho and the Kettlemans, among others, quickly defined Jimmy based on some very early and paltry impressions. Jimmy's vibes and his bearing were apparently strong indications of his character. These precipitate (but perhaps not entirely inaccurate) judgments constitute a battle of attrition against Jimmy's soul: the more he's told that he seems like a bad guy, the more likely he is to capitulate to this external characterization of himself. That's why this latest judgment (in "Pimento"), which is not precipitate but has actually been percolating for years, and comes not from strangers but from family, is so devastating. I'm not of the belief that everyone is helpless against such things, but I appreciate the fact that the show is examining the considerable struggle of trying to control our destiny in the face of these kinds of external obstacles and judgments.

So, yeah, maybe Nacho is a guy who similarly has to deal with having his agency curtailed by the perceptions of others (not simply because of his voice, of course; what I'm saying is that this little performative detail fits into the theme of being unfairly pigeonholed/externally determined, and vaguely signals the idea of Nacho's difference and how this might relate to his impeded ambition, undermined place in the criminal world, etc.). Jimmy isn't seen as a bona fide lawyer, so he isn't allowed to become one, and Nacho probably isn't seen as a guy who could pass muster as a criminal kingpin (at least if we consider that, in Nacho's social circle, Tuco is Chuck, and therefore represents the unobtainable professional gold standard -- incidentally, like Chuck, Tuco is also struggling with his own psychic troubles and seems insecure about his status).

Perhaps, then, we can understand Nacho as another ambitious careerist whose dreams are both informed and prohibited by "familial" bonds. As Mike indicated, Tuco isn't the type who would brook Nacho's moonlighting -- the Kettleman scheme, the pills, etc. -- which is why secrecy is needed. Jimmy gets the mailroom, and Nacho gets to play second fiddle in a crime empire. They're both denied upward mobility by those in power, and they're not happy about it. The basis for this denial is complicated, but the show, subtextually and textually, is suggesting that this is partly related to maddeningly involuntary factors: not quite fitting the part, so to speak.

Some of these interpretations are speculative and tentative in nature, but my argument is partly based on how I've noticed Mando describing his character (he's referred to Nacho's "love" for Tuco, and something about how Nacho has his eyes on something bigger than his current lot; the latter, at least, has been made pretty obvious in the show itself).

]

[Winston*]

Ending of the latest episode pretty on the nose. Maybe misdirection?