Better Call Saul Better Be Good.

[mawnansmiff]

After watching Breaking Bad and thoroughly enjoying it (perhaps one of Hollywood's finest ever series along with Deadwood?) some years ago, I recall reading about a series called Better Call Saul which was based on the crooked lawyer (well played by Bob Odenkirk) from the BB series.

I made a mental note of this and have only now got around to seeking out the complete series on disc (I don't really do streaming as I rarely watch films/drama on TV so not worth the subs). Then came the shocker, on Amazon the full boxset retails at £80 which is much more than both Breaking Bad & Deadwood cost me combined so I looked on Ebay. There I found a seller offering the complete set for a more reasonable £27 but there was a catch.....after querying things with the seller it turned out to be a set of burned discs so declined the deal. Perhaps I should have called Saul and reported him

My only other option was to buy each series individually and have thus far bought the first 2 seasons (6 discs, 16 hours) for £8:50 so these will be watched just to see if they are as good as the Amazon reviews reckon.

So fellas, is the series really so good that I'll buy the remaining 4 seasons?

Regards,

Jay.

 

[David D. Davidson]

I enjoyed it a lot, but I think it’s got the problem of being compared directly to Breaking Bad - Better Call Saul exists in the same world, but has a much lighter tone with lower stakes. If viewers go in expecting Breaking Bad 2.0, they’re usually in for disappointment. However, if you view it as its own property, I think you’ll be much more inclined to enjoy it. The skill in pacing and character development is there, it’s just applied to a much less tense scenario (drug kingpin vs scuzzy lawyer). That said, there’s still plenty of action and high stakes, just not quite the perpetual 11th hour doomsday crises we saw over and over again with BB.

Each season also ramps up progressively. If you don’t find season 1 boring, you almost certainly won’t find any following seasons boring either!

 

[fireground_piper]

I consider BCS the greater series of the two.

If you haven’t watched El Camino, I also highly suggest it to round out the entire story arc before BCS ends.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Breaking Bad, to me, burned hot and fast. High emotion, high action, always had you on the edge.

Saul is equally "good", but never burns quite as hot - though it sustains heat for longer.

If you liked BB you HAVE to do Saul too. The final season of Saul is a tremendous payoff.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Thanks guys, pretty much tallying with the reviews on Amazon.

I have just now managed to get seasons 5 & 6 for a piffling £13 new & sealed so now I'm just hunting seasons 3 & 4.

I daren't start watching the first season until I actually have the whole series in hand, so fingers crossed I get the missing discs sooner rather than later.

As for El Camino, that too is on my shopping list

Regards,

Jay.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Is it not available on Netflix or another streaming service?
It WAS on Netflix last time I looked.

Of course, there's something to be said for owning the physical copies too.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Is it not available on Netflix or another streaming service?
It WAS on Netflix last time I looked.

Of course, there's something to be said for owning the physical copies too.

I don't do streaming, or at least paid for streaming, simply because I watch so little drama/films it wouldn't be worth my while.

Plus, I prefer to have a hard copy as streamers can and do alter the programmes they output for a whole raft of reasons. One only has to watch Fawlty Towers via streaming, much has been cut out as being 'offensive' , whereas my hard copy will always be there just as it was originally broadcast.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[LOREN]

I consider BCS the greater series of the two.

If you haven’t watched El Camino, I also highly suggest it to round out the entire story arc before BCS ends.

+1

 

[Singularis]

Hugely recommended though I’ve only seen through season 2 (I think, or season 3). Though technically “derivative” in many ways it is better than Breaking Bad. But the main indisputable is that if you loved BB, you’ll love Better Call Saul.

EDIT: I’ve seen through the end of Season 3 and will some day endeavor to see the rest.

 

[litup]

Previous commenters have nailed it in terms of how BCS and BB differ so I'm just chiming in to say I really enjoyed the show. One aspect of the show that I don't think got enough credit was the amazing cinematography.

 

[anotherbob]

After watching Breaking Bad and thoroughly enjoying it (perhaps one of Hollywood's finest ever series along with Deadwood?) some years ago, I recall reading about a series called Better Call Saul which was based on the crooked lawyer (well played by Bob Odenkirk) from the BB series.

I made a mental note of this and have only now got around to seeking out the complete series on disc (I don't really do streaming as I rarely watch films/drama on TV so not worth the subs). Then came the shocker, on Amazon the full boxset retails at £80 which is much more than both Breaking Bad & Deadwood cost me combined so I looked on Ebay. There I found a seller offering the complete set for a more reasonable £27 but there was a catch.....after querying things with the seller it turned out to be a set of burned discs so declined the deal. Perhaps I should have called Saul and reported him

My only other option was to buy each series individually and have thus far bought the first 2 seasons (6 discs, 16 hours) for £8:50 so these will be watched just to see if they are as good as the Amazon reviews reckon.

So fellas, is the series really so good that I'll buy the remaining 4 seasons?

Regards,

Jay.

In some ways it's better then the original series. I wouldn't say it's better or worse just different. But the only problem I had with the show at all is there are a few pieces where the tension is killed by you know already knowing what happens latter because of breaking bad. But even that is rare. I haven't met anyone who liked one and not the other almost equally.

 

[STP]

After watching Breaking Bad and thoroughly enjoying it (perhaps one of Hollywood's finest ever series along with Deadwood?) some years ago, I recall reading about a series called Better Call Saul which was based on the crooked lawyer (well played by Bob Odenkirk) from the BB series.

I made a mental note of this and have only now got around to seeking out the complete series on disc (I don't really do streaming as I rarely watch films/drama on TV so not worth the subs). Then came the shocker, on Amazon the full boxset retails at £80 which is much more than both Breaking Bad & Deadwood cost me combined so I looked on Ebay. There I found a seller offering the complete set for a more reasonable £27 but there was a catch.....after querying things with the seller it turned out to be a set of burned discs so declined the deal. Perhaps I should have called Saul and reported him

My only other option was to buy each series individually and have thus far bought the first 2 seasons (6 discs, 16 hours) for £8:50 so these will be watched just to see if they are as good as the Amazon reviews reckon.

So fellas, is the series really so good that I'll buy the remaining 4 seasons?

Regards,

Jay.

It starts off slow, building new characters, then reintroduces some of the old. Jesse and Walt even make an appearance during the final season. I enjoyed it, particularly the later seasons. There is also a movie, El Camino, that I enjoyed. Neither are as good as BB, but both are definitely worth the watch if a fan of the franchise.

 

[otm]

I thought Saul was very different, but excellent and I highly recommend it!

 

[Indygrap]

I have watched the whole BCS series & I throughly enjoyed it. It didn’t feel as drug out as BB. I loved that Mike Ehrmantraut was included & better fleshed out. He got a raw deal in BB, imho, but that’s the world he ran in. No one gets a happy ending. It was a great wrap up to an excellent series.
The downward spiral of the characters & how they ended up as the people you met in BB was well thought out. It made them relatable. Great writing & beautiful cinematography.

 

[kcghost]

ALways the "Is it worth it" question.

 

[Merton]

Jay, I think the Saul is actually better than BB. The expanded role of Mike Ehrmentrout adds a lot to the show. I do think that a ridiculous plot line sort of ruined the end of the next to last season and extended into the last season. However, the opening of the final season has a sequence using The Jackie Gleason Orchestra's recording of "The days of wine and Roses" which is spectacular.

 

[anotherbob]

Jay, I think the Saul is actually better than BB. The expanded role of Mike Ehrmentrout adds a lot to the show. I do think that a ridiculous plot line sort of ruined the end of the next to last season and extended into the last season. However, the opening of the final season has a sequence using The Jackie Gleason Orchestra's recording of "The days of wine and Roses" which is spectacular.

I feel like it was less restricted in the areas they could explore and in a lot of ways it breathed more. There was more grey area as far as the morality of the players. Like Saul leaves some questions open about if he'd have ended up the way he did no matter what or how much circumstances brought out the worst or best in him. Also that ending was masterful, so much was said in how it went down. I don't want to give in little spoilers but the way he shows his hand is great.

 

[LeafErikson]

You’re in for a real treat. I enjoyed it more than breaking bad.

 

[woodsroad]

Man, I want a Cinnabon.

 

[renfield]

IMO, Better Call Saul was better than BB in many ways. Both were incredibly well written, acted, photographed and produced. I’ve happily recommended both to people.

BCS has a lot of great subtlety and nuance. The characters are stunningly well developed and acted. It can be enjoyed on several levels. I watched each episode twice and always caught more stuff on the second viewing.

If you’ve enjoyed BB, BCS fills in blanks and then goes beyond the BB timeline. So good. Some really funny stuff, too. I’ll just say Kettlemans.

If you’re interested there’s a great companion podcast that features the Vince Gilligan and the actors, writers and crew of BCS. There’s an episode for each episode of the show. Lots of fascinating behind the scenes stuff. It made me appreciate it even more.