Better Call Saul

My gripe with the episode would be the whole standing in a public place yelling your illegal plans into a megaphone thing. Otherwise an excellent way to derail peoples’ expectations.

Yeah the actual heist was a bit contrived and Jimmy playing the long game by befriending Carol Burnett was typical BB/BCS fare, but those are minor quibbles.

I think they should have possibly refilmed the old scene with the new actor and stuck it in an earlier episode or linked it in somehow. Like they did with Back To The Future. I had to pause it to explain what the hell was going on to my OH.

Kevin Sussman!

I hope that was a teeing up episode

I hope that was a teeing up episode

Yeah, I didn't mind last week's episode but I think they could have edited the two episodes down to one. Obviously, the attempt to call Kim did not turn out as Saul hoped. Wish they'd just let us know what the deal there was instead of setting up mysteries.

At least Kim is okay/alive 👍

After last night I'm not really sure what's left to tie up. Just the Gene timeline?

A guess: He discovers the last drugging victim in a poor way, tries to revive him, calls for help, gets discovered and arrested, publicity from that is noticed by Kim (as it's tied into the Heisenberg bust which would have been big news), Kim visits him in prison... The End.

Surely they linked into the Breaking Bad timeline for a reason so I guess Walt and Jesse will be back next week. It wasn't clear what went on with the phone call to Kim, that's obviously what triggered Gene to go full-on Slippin Jimmy again. Also, the cancer guy must have been written in deliberately to link back to Walt.

Surely they linked into the Breaking Bad timeline for a reason so I guess Walt and Jesse will be back next week

I don't know, I can't sense any appetite for any further plot involving the BB characters. I think the scene we got was just a nice gift for the fans, rather than leading anywhere meaningful.

The Gene storyline, and Kim are the only unresolved details now. The monochrome shows us that without Kim, the nice, human qualities of Jimmy are totally wiped out, he is utterly venal and amoral, and going out of his way to go through with robbing a terminal cancer patient without a second thought.

If this isn't a hoax, it looks like Liberty Tax Service is suing AMC over the portrayal in BCS.

https://twitter.com/eriqgardner/status/1554449545299386370

She’s back

Cracking episode.
It's like watching your hero turn into a scumbag when all along you knew he would kill your dog.

+1, great episode.

Kim Wexler knocking acting out of the park on the airport bus. Amazing.

Bloody amazing.

I've not been so focused on a scene than I was on Rhea Seehorn on the bus. Amazing.

Then the kitchen scene.

One episode to turn the viewer against him. Amazing.

Netflix crashed on me twice at exactly the and point, 6 mins to go, Marion plugs in the laptop and it switches to gene driving and singing to the radio...'oh no!!'. And freezes. I'll try again tomorrow. Great episode. Upsetting though. I feel emotionally attached to gene and Kim and although the happy ending was unlikely I hoped for it.... The missing 5 minutes I know what's coming as read something on screen rant... Last episode is going to feel like Train crash o think. Great TV but very very upsetting.

3rd time lucky I got to see the end.

One episode to turn the viewer against him. Amazing.

Bit more than that, but yes, his character arc mirroring Walter White's is now pretty much complete.

Rhea Seehorn. Bloody hell.

We're stacking the last two up to watch back to back ! Soo next week !

Well done Netflix for spoiling the surprise of last night's episode by having Rhea in black and white and a dark wig as the picture for last night's episode!

Great episode - each series has tended to drag along a little until the final couple of episodes. Agree that it's finally showing Jimmy/Saul in a less than flattering light (though we knew that all along but were rooting for him anyway)

What time do the episodes normally get released? I’m on my sick bed today so just waiting for the final episode

It’s brilliant I love it, too slow for her so just telly for me…

08:00 BST in answer to my own question above. Right, here goes

Deleted as don’t think the hidden spolier worked

Superb. I'm bereft that its now over, some of the greatest TV ever and what a high to exit on.

And there is only one thing in colour in the B&W moments.

Oh I missed that. I liked that part way through it made you think “oh he’s not going to do that” (tried to make as vague as possible)

Absolutely fantastic. A final episode full of mis-direction and about turns.

Looking forward to this!

Excellent way to wrap it up. Glad they didn't go the ways I thought they might, would have been lame by comparison.

One episode to turn the viewer against him. Amazing

Are you saying you [i]liked[/i] Saul until the last few episodes?? I thought that's what Kim and Mike were for, so there was someone to actually like in the series!

Good ending - I feel quite emotional now which for me is saying something!

Nice finish.

Still love the way he is able to wrangle out of trouble. Such a good lawyer but a terrible person.

May watch Breaking Bad again now...

Fantastic season and brilliant ending. Not that I’m greedy but please can we have a Mike spin-off now?

I’ve just watched the last four episodes back to back, and can someone explain why . . .

SPOILER

Jimmy changing his story in court, and blowing his deal, got Kim off the hook with Howard’s mrs?
Ta.

Watty
Full Member
I’ve just watched the last four episodes back to back, and can someone explain why . . .

SPOILER

Jimmy changing his story in court, and blowing his deal, got Kim off the hook with Howard’s mrs?
Ta.

I suppose he broke good.

Still loved her. She was trying to live a good but boring life. He finally did the right thing.

I think the question was more about the technicalities of how what he said would make any difference to Kim's chances of being sued after her written confession to the person who will be suing her.

The thing is, the legal stuff in BCS is like the science stuff in BB, it's basically just nonsense written to suit the plot. All the bullshit that Saul pulled in the plea-bargain negotiations would have just been ignored in real life - he was one of the most wanted men in America and the DAs would have wanted to make an example of him for political reasons.

I think the question was more about the technicalities of how what he said would make any difference to Kim’s chances of being sued after her written confession to the person who will be suing her.

Precisely. What DID he say that made a difference, nonsensical legal guff aside? Doing Kim a favour I can understand, but he can’t suddenly have turned into a nice bloke *just* for the sake of a happy ending.

Yeah I didn't really buy the ending, OK I get he needed a bit of redemption and also had to pay a price for his actions but turning 7 'easy' years into 80+ hard years just didn't make sense without him doing it to save Kim from prison or something worse. Kim was hardly materialistic so getting sued and having to pay out for the rest of her life wouldn't exactly have ruined it.

But still way better than s8 of GoT and overall really enjoyed it - I agree a Mike spin-off would be great (at least a mini series)

But still way better than s8 of GoT

I know I would have been just as outraged as everyone else for having to wait 20 years, but it really would have been better if they'd just stopped making GoT until GRRM finished writing the books. Not ever finishing it would have been better than what they did.

Jimmy changing his story in court, and blowing his deal, got Kim off the hook with Howard’s mrs?

The extra information he was giving as part of his plea deal would have meant possible criminal charges for her. Again, it slightly mirrors the main Breaking Bad character arc - Walter White deciding to return to rescue Jesse at the last moment despite everything he's done to him.

Are you saying you liked Saul until the last few episodes?? I thought that’s what Kim and Mike were for, so there was someone to actually like in the series!

He was a brilliant anti-hero, highly charismatic and multi-faceted - by contrast Walter White was never really likeable for me therefore BCS > BB.

Not sure I agree about the Mike & Kim comment, however - as someone else said - a Mike spin-off prequel is on my wishlist.

As I suggested on a previous page, ideally played by the same actor when he's supposed to be in his 40s.

😀

Anyway, it was a very solid close to the show IMO, not perfect but just don't think too hard about the details and enjoy the general mood and the sense of closure.

As I suggested on a previous page, ideally played by the same actor when he’s supposed to be in his 40s.

They'll go back to 1984, his life as a cop when he took his first bribe.

Played by the same actor, of course 🤣

The last two episodes had some absolutely fantastic acting. The bus scene, as was already mentioned, was absolutely electric. And the "I was afraid" sequence during the plea bargaining where Saul flips from one persona to another on a sixpence was incredible.

In terms of the ending and the long sentence, I wasn't sure how much of that was set up by Saul. He mentioned the prison he ended up in as somewhere he *didn't* want to go -- could this have been reverse psychology? On the way into the prison the other inmates on the bus are chanting his catchphrase, maybe he realised he'd be among friends in some sense.

A thought I had this morning was that, for Saul, the attractions of remaining at large must be limited at this point. He's tried the "living quietly" in black and white, working Cinnabon, being a nice guy. And it's massively boring. So, maybe let the hammer fall. Beat the prosecution just to show them you can. Make the grand gesture for the love you can't forget but can't ever really have. Then off to a new world with, no doubt, its own power structures to climb, its own intrigues, its own grifts.

I now want to go watch Breaking Bad all over again 🙂

A guess: He discovers the last drugging victim in a poor way, tries to revive him, calls for help, gets discovered and arrested, publicity from that is noticed by Kim (as it’s tied into the Heisenberg bust which would have been big news), Kim visits him in prison… The End.

Well I wasn't far off.

Part of me wishes that he dropped Kim in it to reduce his sentence. Would’ve been a good shock way to end the series showing him how nasty he had become

by contrast Walter White was never really likeable for me

This is the key thing, I never found Walter White entirely believable, certainly not particularly likeable at any point in his arc. The other characters are the heart of the series.

The triumph of BCS is that it not only had these other very engaging and well-written characters, but you fully understand (and for much of the arc, sympathise) with the central figure.

Part of me wishes that he dropped Kim in it to reduce his sentence. Would’ve been a good shock way to end the series showing him how nasty he had become

Yeah I thought that was where they were heading for a moment, would have rang a bit false for me but I bet they seriously considered it.

Bloody hell these last 2 episodes are dragging on.... i may fall asleep here.

This is the key thing, I never found Walter White entirely believable, certainly not particularly likeable at any point in his arc. The other characters are the heart of the series.

Breaking Bad was never very believable, it was all contrived to show a guy turning into a monster. At the beginning, Walt was somewhat sympathetic, but quite pathetic and Hank seemed like an asshole. However, we saw a glimpse of Walt's nasty side when he beat up the kids who were mocking Walt Jr. Jesse Pinkman was supposed to only be around for the first season and then get killed by Tuco, but he was the perfect contrast with Walt. I can't imagine the show without those two bickering. When Hank got killed, you saw the contrast between him and Walt. Walt was pathetic and contemptible, Hank was a decent guy who was a bit of a blowhard. Jesse was basically a nice kid who got out of his depth and tried to do the right thing, but too late.