Hollywood
Well-Known Member
The final episode of Better Call Saul is emotionally brilliant! One of the best series ever made, at least on par with Breaking Bad 
Television
- Thread starter gouis
- Start date
Now that it's over I guess I should try to watch it again.
I've started the first season a few different times, and just couldn't get into it.
I love Breaking Bad, Bob, Michael McKean...it would seem to be a show I would love. But I just get bored with it and move on to something else.
I've started the first season a few different times, and just couldn't get into it.
I love Breaking Bad, Bob, Michael McKean...it would seem to be a show I would love. But I just get bored with it and move on to something else.
ayayrawn
Well-Known Member
If you love Breaking Bad it's pretty essential imo. It adds so much to the universe, fills in tons of blanks and fleshes out a lot of the characters.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
Absolutely
TenderLovingKillerĀ®
Well-Known Member
This was initially how I was with Breaking Bad, TBH. I was a big fan of Cranston, absolutely loved Mad Men, and the previews made it looked like frenetic fun but when I watched the premiere when it initially aired I didnāt enjoy it. Maybe my expectations were too high or it was that those early episodes were super depressing as They made Walter White super pathetic but I didnāt tune back in until after 3 seasons had aired, and the show had received a ton of critical acclaim. I figured I really needed to give it another try. So one day I hurt my back pretty bad to the point I could barely move so I laid on the floor and binged all three seasons.
I think by the end of the second episode I was all in.
Bull Shannon
Well-Known Member
I was similarly underwhelmed. For seasons, really; Iād catch the show as it came on Netflix, picking my way through the seasons. It was never bad, but it never really pulled me in; unlike bb, I just never wondered what came next.
But the last 2-3 seasons, especially this final season which Iāve watched week to week, really pay off. Itās more of a character study, mixed with con man hijinks and courtroom antics. Itās really cohesive, really smart, and just an amazing character study.
TenderLovingKillerĀ®
Well-Known Member
No doubt I am experiencing some recency bias, and I still haven't watched the finale yet but from where I sit at this moment I think I prefer Saul to BB. I am planning on moving straight from the finale into a complete series rewatch of Breaking Bad, so maybe that will swing me back the other way (both were excellent, there's no wrong answer) but as of this moment it's Better Call Saul by a nose.
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Hollywood
Well-Known Member
I may have to agree with you on that one!
tvham
Well-Known Member
I like to think of them as one long story but agreed, at the very least BCS is right up there with BB. If people have seen neither, however, I'd definitely suggest watching BB first even though BCS is technically a prequel.
TenderLovingKillerĀ®
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I agree. I think you could enjoy Saul on its own merits without first watching BB but most of the easter eggs presented in Saul would be lost on those who haven't yet seen BB first. Also it's likely Saul gives too much away in regards to BB plots (with the B&W Gene flash forwards in particular) if you were to watching them in timeline order.
Bull Shannon
Well-Known Member
I think BB had more thrills, and was a propulsive story that constantly moved forward; there are more ups and downs and fits and starts. BCS is a lot more uniform, more of a measured character study. It comes together as something really well rounded and thematically cohesive.
Iād wonder, though; lots of stories, especially Mikeās side of the story, rely on an understanding of whatās to come. This final season especially turns Breaking Bad into this unspoken catastrophe hanging over everyoneās life, and an unshown turning point in Saulās life. I think there are enough ways the show says āwe all know what happened in Breaking Bad,ā loudly and quietly.
I did see someone in a comments section propose watching the first five and a half seasons of Saul, watching all of BB, then the last 4 or 5 episodes of Saul. Which isā¦a choice.
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Gavaxeman
Well-Known Member
Shout out to the music in Westworld - that orchestrated version of Enter Sandman in ep 3 was great- and a lovely use of Video Games in an earlier Episode too
TenderLovingKillerĀ®
Well-Known Member
I havenāt kept up with Westworld but the cover of Wu-Tangs āC.R.E.A.M.ā During the geisha dance scene using traditional Japanese instruments in season 2 was a thing of beauty.
It starts out and at first you donāt recognize it but then it slowly builds and then all the sudden it hits and it gives you goosebumps.
Bennnnn
Well-Known Member
I think Better Call Saul ended wonderfully. It's not the ending I originally wanted, but I think it makes the most sense and packs a really good punch, from an emotional character perspective - which is what the show is. I have often thought BCS is just leagues better than BB. But I think now that it's over, I'm gonna watch BB all the way through and then do a full re-watch of BCS. BB is a great show, but I just have found myself preferring Saul's arc over Walt's. Also BCS has Kim and she's my favorite of either of the shows.
TenderLovingKillerĀ®
Well-Known Member
So you were always like this.
chrb98
Active Member
Yeah this is what I ended up doing! Just watched the finale today and, holy shit. That might be one of the most satisfying ends to a show I have ever seen. I already slightly preferred BCS to Breaking Bad, but now I really think itās one of my all-time faves
Thereās a lot I could say about it, but one thing I havenāt seen anyone else online mention is
when āGeneā is on the run from the cops at the beginning, thereās a ton of shots focused on him running on ice or through water. Great red herring, I really thought āSlippin Jimmyā was about to come full circle
I agree, in fact, I thought it was perfect.
TenderLovingKillerĀ®
Well-Known Member
I canāt stop laughing at thisā¦
mrjoshuamccormack
Active Member
I loved the BCS ending. One thing, at least for me, when comparing Saul Gone to Felina
Felina was so over the top, IMO, like Walter was suddenly a death machine, mowing down Nazis with his trunk mounted, remote controlled machine gun. I liked the quiet nature of Saul Gone, and I'm a sucker for a bittersweet ending (one of my favorite movies as a teen was Green Card, FFS.
I was a bit unsure of the final season but I liked the BCS ending too. Its a little without flair but I think the swings of Jimmy's case during the last show really showcases all aspects of Jimmy's character arc.
He shows that he's a really smart lawyer and knows how to navigate the system & the law for his own personal gain but ends up folding his hand because of his affection for Kim. But the best part of all that is he's still a morally corrupt character but his love for Kim is never in question. He was going to "get away with it" but throws it all away when he hears what could happen to her. So in then end of the show - the question of do you like Saul? it's a bit more questionable and complex than Walter White.
As for BCS or BB which is better? At some point of BCS, i thought the show was surpassing BB which really surprised me because when do spinoff shows do better than the original show? I think heading into the last season, the fire behind BB ending is much stronger which might tip me to like BB a bit more. But both shows are fantastic imo.
He shows that he's a really smart lawyer and knows how to navigate the system & the law for his own personal gain but ends up folding his hand because of his affection for Kim. But the best part of all that is he's still a morally corrupt character but his love for Kim is never in question. He was going to "get away with it" but throws it all away when he hears what could happen to her. So in then end of the show - the question of do you like Saul? it's a bit more questionable and complex than Walter White.
As for BCS or BB which is better? At some point of BCS, i thought the show was surpassing BB which really surprised me because when do spinoff shows do better than the original show? I think heading into the last season, the fire behind BB ending is much stronger which might tip me to like BB a bit more. But both shows are fantastic imo.